VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 60
Deal with the Demon
"It seems humans and dragons are starting to catch on."
A dim meeting room.
Inside, where even each other's identities couldn't be gauged, a secret meeting was underway.
"Catching on?"
"Is it because they proposed linking the continent's monster proliferation to the demons' resurrection?"
Е ń üm̂а.ǐ d̀
"Which bastard is harboring such suspicions?"
"It's the Escolea side."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Escolea? Isn't that the continent's embodiment of intellect, the lighthouse of knowledge?"
There were voices of concern, yet simultaneously those who treated it as no big deal.
"With all manner of intellects gathered, it's a place with plenty of bizarre types too. The continent's high-and-mighty types won't easily believe it."
"In reality, there wasn't much sign of agreement either. Even if those two were connected, they couldn't persuade the noble naeuri."
Ĕn ùm̂а̌.і d
"Still, the fact they linked those two is worrisome."
"So what was the conclusion?"
"That's why the White Dragon Blancaros personally put it on hold."
"We bought time then."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Humans might not, but dragons will be starting investigations right now. If discovered, we'll be suppressed before war even breaks out."
Everyone bowed their heads and let out stifled groans.
Ê ṅ ũ mа. і̀d̊
The more effort poured in, the greater the frustration.
"What will you do? In my opinion, even now, deception would be..."
"That won't do."
A man who had maintained long silence opened his mouth.
He seized the heated atmosphere in an instant.
He was the captain here.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Why not?"
"The White Dragon is probably hoping for that."
"Hoping for that?"
"If we move hearing those words, the Grand Council will realize there's still an enemy within."
"Then what do you intend to do?"
"We proceed as planned. That's better. If we make it look like something that burst after years passing, that's enough."
Е ṅ u̇ mӓ
"C-can it really look like that?"
"The only variable I have is your mouths."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
An insulting remark, but they only glanced at each other.
No one voiced dissatisfaction.
"If that's your opinion..."
"Besides that, any other special matters?"
Ẇ ѐbǹ оv е̊ l̄ Е̃n um а
"If there's anything else, it's..."
No need to strain to recall further.
One human had left a strong impression on him.
"There's a man named Ferda Valdrova."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
They were startled at the figure he pointed out.
"Valdrova's rookie fiancé, you mean?"
Ẅе́bṅоv̀ е l Еn̆ u̇ m̂ a
"What's there to say about the idiot who walked into the dragon's maw of his own accord?"
"When I heard rumors, I thought so too. But seeing him directly, he's quite different."
The middle-aged man was a noble and lord before being a demon follower.
"One way or another, it seems we need to be wary of that guy."
"Alert level?"
"We should designate it at a level similar to the Walking Fortress, Alberto."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"That's too hasty a judgment."
"Alberto, that damn slaughterer, took 5 years to become a threat. Yet a child with barely any term..."
"That's how dangerous he is."
"Getting all worked up over that damn rookie. You've aged poorly."
He looked at them with pathetic eyes, and that man likewise stared at them as if pathetic.
Since neither knew the other's thoughts, confrontation was inevitable.
Ẽ n̂ŭ m̆ а̂ . і̃d̃
Then, a masked man walked into the meeting room and whispered to a seated noble.
The man who heard made a complex, subtle expression.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"A messenger just sent regrettable news."
Embarrassment from failure.
"The Escolea Overlay seems to have failed."
Overlay was an operation codename.
Ē n ŭm̊ӓ . і d̊
An operation to place Dopplers among demons into high noble positions.
Among them were those who had already infiltrated via Overlay.
"They say it was none other than Ferda Valdrova who stopped it."
Those who had mocked him until just now gaped.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
As if coordinated, everyone's gazes turned to the captain at once.
The man's complex face flickered to a smile then twisted bitterly.
Е numа̂ . ī d̃_
Their captain was also irritated by the unexpected situation.
"Do you think the Doppler's existence has been exposed?"
A question with not a shred of leisure.
The fact that there are demons who shapeshift into humans is on a completely different dimension from a mere conspiracy being exposed.
It's tantamount to realizing decisive bomb triggers are planted everywhere.
He spoke the conclusion reached by cold reason without a shred of hope.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"It seems it will be exposed."
"Hmm..."
The captain tapped his face with his fingers.
"Who's the overall manager of the Escolea Overlay?"
"....."
"I asked who it is."
Е n̈ů m̈ ӓ . і d̂
Then one man cautiously raised his hand.
"I, I'm in charge this time—."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Before he could finish, the head of the man who raised his hand flew off.
His body collapsed to the floor as is.
"Heok..."
"Heup..."
Е̇ńu̇m̃ ӑ . і̊ d̆
Where thick blood scent lingered, silence and fear settled.
"Messenger."
"Yes."
The man who came to deliver the sad news stepped forward.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The captain threw something to that man.
A syringe filled with black liquid.
Enů mа .i̇ d
"From today, you are Viscount Battlehorn."
"Thank you for the grace."
The masked messenger plunged the syringe into his own neck.
The man who instantly became a black mannequin greedily absorbed the blood gushing from the severed head.
Viscount Battlehorn died, and a new Viscount Battlehorn took his place.
Those sitting in the instantly emptied void swallowed hard.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
A warning that whoever dies, their seats can be replaced anytime.
"Finish the Doppler research. The time for leisurely research is over."
"Understood."
"Dispose of all remaining stock and everyone related to the disposal data."
"Yes."
The disposal method was very simple.
W е̊ b́ ñо vе̂ĺ Ѐn̊ů m а̂
Their research facility is under a mountain.
Just collapse the mountain.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
* * *
"The Grand Council's over, aren't you going back?"
Ruri asked.
"Something came up."
Ѐn ū_ṁ а .ї d̊
"Valdrova-nim will be waiting."
"I know. Making her wait weighs on my mind too."
"Even so, you won't go?"
"It's important work."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Important enough to make the appearance of monsters or such things trivial.
A place containing a clue to remove the things that caused Valdrova pain.
Wе̇ḃ n̂оv́ el Е n̆ u mа
Ruri knew that too.
She spoke because she knew where he was headed.
"That place is Silverwind's territory."
Ferda nodded.
"I know."
"Goz hates you, Ferda-nim."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"I know that too."
"Demons are a common enemy. But an enemy's enemy can't be called a friend. If you enter the territory... you must get blood on your hands."
Silverwind hates demons.
Ferda also loathes the demons tormenting Valdrova.
But they don't welcome Ferda.
"That's why we're proceeding secretly."
Ẁе̄bṅ о̃ v̇ е̇ l Ē n̊_ūm̀ а
"....."
"It's dangerous, but if it ends, it's also a job with no aftermath."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ruri's lips kept moving.
Don't go.
Those words wouldn't come out easily.
"...Will you go?"
Ẇӗb n̆ ovе l E n̆ŭm̄ ӑ
"I have to."
"Understood. Then I'll wait."
"No, you go back."
"....."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"While I'm gone, guarding the prince consort is your job."
Ruri bit her lip hard.
Е̂ nů m а̃.і́ d́
She didn't like it and naturally tried to refuse.
But the words wouldn't come out.
Ruri had no right to defy his will.
"I hope you return safely."
Ruri left just like that.
Ferda began calculating this and that while preparing the secret expedition.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
'Focus on mobility, minimize supplies, even with a medium-scale teleport magic circle pushing it, it'll take a day.'
One day.
Fast for attacking a country, but late for a single research facility.
Moreover, the other side wouldn't just sit still.
The Escolea Chancellor kidnapping failure would've reached their ears by now.
They'll prepare for all situations swiftly.
W е́ b̄n̆ ov̀ е̃ l Ӗ n u̇ m а
'Would be nice if everyone could fly at Ruri's speed, but.'
That place is Silverwind's territory.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ferda already experienced what happens when Ruri faces Silverwind.
Ferda didn't want to drag Ruri in.
And he mustn't.
'We have to finish this at our level as much as possible.'
Ė.n û mã.i̇ ḋ
The next important thing is firepower.
'Was the research director a 5th Circle mage?'
The subordinates under him are all just 1st-2nd star assistants, and the director was said to be a strong mage.
Would've been nice to find out what magic he uses and how he fights, but even torture can't extract info that doesn't exist.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
'I'll have to handle that mage myself.'
Of course, a head-on fight must be avoided.
Е̊n u̇ m ӑ
Ferda considered the hand he held.
'Shadows I can handle without incantation.'
When manifested, they take the form of Shadow Hands, but octopus tentacles or flat forms like vellum are also possible.
The less light, the stronger; intense light weakens them to the point of crumbling.
'It's not even a technique meant for that originally.'
It's Barbatos's magic, centered on secrecy and schemes.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Used for mind games and striking blind spots rather than frontal clashes.
'According to Shape of Shadow, this is part of the body.'
Using shadows as body parts, recognized as such.
'Then magic through Shadow Hands is possible too.'
Possible, but demanding high magic understanding.
Beyond simply resembling a real arm, it must implement mana pathways and circuits through which magical power flows.
Е n ům ӑ
Ferda concentrated mana into one manifested Shadow Hand.
Mana flowed down his soles, rode the connected black shadow, and condensed into the black hand.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
He went through the stages for drawing a magic circle.
Blue particles erupted from the black hand, successfully drawing a white magic circle.
Now he could ambush opponents anytime, anywhere.
But Ferda frowned.
Е́ n̊ ũ mа. ï ḋ
'Magic circle completion time is about 4x average.'
Slow enough for a skilled mage to notice and counter.
Unless he perfectly grasps the opponent's type and the battlefield location, it's a reckless gamble.
'No need to even think about that point.'
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Resourcefulness over prediction.
Immediate reaction matters more than countless hypotheses.
Ѐ n̄ üṁа
That's what Ferda does best.
So he just noted such a means exists and lay down.
Tried to sleep.
Better to prepare for tomorrow than embrace worry in an uncontrollable situation.
That was when.
The moment he tried to close his eyes, Ferda's mind flashed alert.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ferda's intuition detected an anomaly in the surroundings.
'Hmm...'
Something he'd never felt once in the castle.
Natural.
Valdrova's castle is a place wrapped in layer upon layer of blocking magic surpassing even the Empire's Emperors.
No one's intrusion could be easily tolerated.
Е n ů m̈ a. і́ d̀
But a Count's mansion? Different story.
Compared to Valdrova Castle, it's loose like a net rotting in seawater.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
'Who's coming?'
Ferda heard and felt that mana fluctuation.
Soon, a sharp sulfur smell brushed his nose tip.
"Hello, darling?"
Е́ n̂ u mӑ.і̊ ḋ
A bewitching voice he'd heard once before.
The Demon of Lust, Sitri.
"Get lost."
"My, how cold. Were we that kind of relationship?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Her snake tongue licked her lips as she approached.
"I have no intention of contracting with you, Sitri."
Ӗ n̊ um̂ а̂ . iď
"Neither do I with you, not even a speck. Your kind are exactly what I hate. Hard to handle, don't work properly even when handled."
"Then why waste time? Get lost."
"Impatient. I came to do business."
Ferda's face crumpled further.
"Is there an idiot who does business with a demon?"
"There is. Right here."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
She softly pointed at Ferda with her index finger.
Ferda raised both hands to cover his ears.
"The research facility you're about to raid will be completely destroyed within 6 hours."
His hand stopped.
Information he couldn't help but be intrigued by.
"Don't make that 'how do you know' face. Would a Great Demon not know that much?"
Е̌ṅum а̇ . і d̂
Sitri enjoyed Ferda's reaction.
"So how do you know?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Why so serious, darling. The things I control like dogs are mostly high nobles. Big babies unsatisfied with ordinary pleasure. Some of them have joined hands with demons?"
A story he'd guessed to some extent.
Because the Escolea Chancellor kidnapping was proof.
"The Chancellor kidnapping failed, and the bastard who should've become Chancellor was captured alive. If he spills the location under torture, it's a situation with exposure risk, right?"
Wеb ǹ оvеl Ѐṅ ūḿа
"So they're destroying it."
"Even leaving now is late. All your means combined take 1-2 days."
"If we move fast, we can move even now."
"Using that little spawn? Sure possible. But then, you think Silverwind will just watch?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
No way they'd stay still.
At the White House, from the moment Ferda arbitrarily stepped into Silverwind's territory, they were already enemies.
Ёn̈ ù m̂а̇
If they get a pretext, they won't hesitate.
Troublesome.
Sitri accurately pierced through the current situation.
That's why she came proposing business.
"Looking at your face, I feel like talks will go well now. Will my intuition be right?"
Sitri pressed for an answer.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ferda's blue eyes moved calmly, hiding his intentions.
"What can you do for me?"
At those words, Sitri put her hand into her chest as if waiting.
She pulled out a thick scroll.
"A scroll inscribed with Binding Bridge magic. Know what magic it is?"
"Magic connecting two spaces within a dimension, teleport type."
Wе̊b̈n̄ o v̊ е̇ l̂ Е n̆úm а
"My, an intellectual man. Right. You know how great its reputation is."
It can move stealthily enough to make even decent detection magic cheap, and because it connects space and space, it has sustainability.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Magic that perfectly fits his situation needing stealthy approach.
"Is that all?"
"If you need more, my minions will play with Silverwind's trash. I'll buy enough time to turn the place into a wasteland and ransack research secrets."
Long-distance travel in one go, and even buying time—Sitri's conditions.
En ü m а́ .і̂d̆
Conditions are too good.
Too good.
That's why, instead of biting eagerly, he thought deeply about the proposal.
The other party is a demon.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Demons are advantageous to themselves, never making disadvantageous contracts.
This unprecedented generosity means corresponding difficulty or price.
W̄ eb́nо v̂ еl Е̊ n ŭ m̊ а̄
"What do you want?"
"There's a stupid demon inside that facility."
"Stupid demon?"
"Yeah. Told her to seduce a man, but the stupid girl fell head over heels for that man instead."
"Is that possible?"
"That's why I said stupid demon."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Sitri sighed.
"If she dies there, she can't even come to Hell. She'll completely dissolve and fall into the Void. So bring her out and kill her outside? So she gets reverse-summoned to Hell?"
"Quite an affectionate proposal."
"What can I do? Fellow demons gotta look out for each other. There's such a thing as affection, you know?"
"A passing dog would laugh."
Sitri is the Demon of Lust.
Ẅ е b̀ nӧv̆е́ l̂ Еǹ ŭm̌ а̊
Furthest from affection.
"Tsk, fine. I'll tell the truth. She's one of my daughters."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"I see."
"She's of age so must be independent... Haa, what can I do? Mom's gotta save her. Gotta wrap her in my skirt hem, but the skirt's too thin... and short."
Sitri fluttered her skirt seductively.
"Your proposal means rescue and assist us simultaneously."
Ёn ù_ma ..ï d
"Good for everyone. How about it? Pretty good proposal, no?"
Ferda thought again.
Only one sentence rose in his mind.
Don't make deals with demons.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Can you swear on your name that you're not trapping us?"
"I'll swear by the name of Hell's Great Demon, Sitri. No intention to trap you. Once you rescue that child, your mission ends there."
Еn̄ǔṁа . і d̀
Sitri confirmed.
Ferda nodded.
"Good. Let's do that business."
"More refreshing than I thought? Good."
Sitri placed the scroll she'd held in the air beside the bed.
"Time I can drag out is 2 hours from now. 8 can enter at once, and only 8 can come out. Make sure to remember."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Leaving those words, Sitri quietly seeped into darkness.
The moment her figure completely vanished, simultaneously, Ferda's door burst open.
Count Consillus and armed knights rushed in.
"Regent-nim! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Demon intrusion detected inside, we'll search briefly—."
Wè_b̃n оv̆е̊l Е́ ñ u m̄ а̌
"No need. That demon's gone."
"Did the demon say anything—."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"And the expedition is cancelled."
"What? What do you..."
Ferda lacked time to explain right now.
So he only commanded.
W̃ ѐ_b̌ ń o v̈е́ ľ Ѐn um å
"Start operation within 1 hour. Summon elite soldiers."
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
