Chapter 197
The pure white inner courtyard of the Delpius mansion was famous for its neat landscaping and beautiful fountain, to the point that every visitor praised it until their mouth went dry.
But today, under the dark crimson sky, that once-beautiful courtyard was dyed red with the blood of the servants of the Delpius mansion.
Kkaaak—!
Wild crows pecked at the servants whose bodies were thrown into the broken fountain.
Watching this scene, Kaien Roksimir, commander of the 3rd Division of the Demon King Army’s 1st Legion, nodded his head with a satisfied look.
“Now this finally looks like a garden.”
He had felt it from the moment he entered, but this place was far too clean.
The white and elegant mansion looked as if it had no interest in war at all, and that deeply offended Kaien, who was obsessed with the color red.
So even though he could have killed the servants and guards on the spot, he deliberately dragged them out into the garden and slaughtered them there, staining the pure white garden red with their blood.
“Kugh… ugh! You bastard… do you think you’ll get away with doing something like this?!”
The Baron of Delpius, forced to kneel before Kaien Roksimir, roared in fury.
Ignoring him, Kaien reached for the table and lifted a teacup.
Only after calmly savoring the aroma and taste did he lower his gaze.
“Hmm. Delpius, was it? Your territory is truly a fine place.”
The Baron of Delpius frowned, clearly confused by the sudden remark.
“In my forty years of life, this is the first time I’ve seen a territory so white and clean. Thanks to that, it was very rewarding to dye it with my own color.”
“So what of it? If you spared my life just to spout such nonsense, then kill me right now!”
“Hahaha. I had no special reason for sparing you. It was simply to relieve my boredom during this dull conquest.”
Disgust filled the Baron of Delpius’s eyes.
The demon before him was vile.
He had spared his life only to stain the beautiful garden with blood and enjoy watching his reaction.
“Just for… such a reason, you committed this massacre? You killed women who couldn’t fight and scattered their innocent blood everywhere?!”
“I know it’s a cruel act. Forgive me. But this is the only hobby I can enjoy during such a tedious conquest.”
A hobby.
At that word, the Baron of Delpius lost his reason, his eyes bloodshot as he shouted at Kaien Roksimir.
“You… you bastard who deserves to be torn apart and chewed to death! Your end will never be a good one! You will— mmph! Mmmph!!”
“That’s enough small talk.”
A demon approached and shoved a gag into the Baron’s mouth.
“The reason I kept you alive wasn’t to chat with you, but to show you something far more entertaining.”
Kaien raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at the Baron of Delpius, who glared at him while struggling with the gag in his mouth.
“As I looked around the mansion, I saw a portrait of your daughter.”
The Baron of Delpius froze.
“I hear she hasn’t been found in the mansion or nearby yet. So…”
Watching the Baron’s trembling pupils, Kaien smiled cruelly.
“I sent my men out quite a while ago. They’re fast runners, so it shouldn’t take long.”
“Mmph… mmph! Nghhh!!”
“Hahaha! Sir Baron! Are you that excited to be reunited with your child? Hahaha!!”
From a short distance away, the demon commanders following Kaien Roksimir shook their heads.
Even they found Kaien’s inhumane actions hard to watch.
“Humans are starting to seem pitiful.”
“Hmph. What can we do? The Legion Commander withdrew the previous order.”
Just before the conquest began, the 1st Legion Commander had issued a shocking command.
『…And to prevent future trouble, leave absolutely no civilians or prisoners alive. This is because in the past…』
The content itself was not unheard of, but the fact that it came from the Legion Commander was shocking.
At least, the commander they knew was a warrior who respected the humans he fought and their resolve.
They thought that since he was young, his thoughts and intentions might change easily, but it was still hard to understand.
In any case, thanks to that cruel order, the leash was taken off Kaien Roksimir, who was obsessively attached to blood.
As a result, the commanders were forced to create scenes so horrific that even they could barely watch them.
Of course, from a human’s perspective, even this would be nothing more than cheap hypocrisy.
“Division Commander.”
A demon entered the garden.
“Oh? You’re back already?”
With light equipment and a bow slung over his shoulder, he looked like a demon skirmisher.
He was the one Kaien had ordered to search for the Baron of Delpius’s daughter.
“You’re quite fast. So, did you bring her?”
Kaien curled his lips.
The Baron of Delpius’s pupils shook violently.
“We couldn’t find her. My apologies.”
At those words, Kaien and the Baron of Delpius showed completely opposite reactions.
Seeing the Baron sigh in relief, Kaien clicked his tongue.
“However, we have a place in mind.”
“A place in mind?”
“Yes. Sir Karios, who was on a mission in the north, hasn’t returned. We plan to search that area.”
Kaien’s eyebrow twitched.
Karios was a fairly well-known commander within the division.
He had reached the sixth demonic realm, was highly skilled in combat, and had a refined nature. Kaien quite liked him.
“…Do so.”
Since Karios wasn’t the type to die meaninglessly somewhere, Kaien dismissed it without much thought.
“Division Commander!”
At that moment, a low-ranking commander rushed into the garden with an urgent voice.
“What is it?”
“Human reinforcements have invaded from the north and are coming this way!”
“…These small things are really getting on my nerves. So what’s their scale?”
“Well… it’s two of them.”
Kaien frowned.
But even the reporting commander looked like he didn’t understand what he was saying.
“Are you mocking me right now—”
“Division Commander. I’m sorry to interrupt, but the northern area is where Sir Karios was carrying out his mission.”
Kaien turned his gaze back to the low-ranking commander.
“Are there casualties?”
If only two people had caused this much alarm, they must have done something significant.
But the answer made Kaien doubt his own ears.
“The 3rd Regiment has been annihilated.”
“…Hmm?”
Kaien tilted his head slightly.
Strictly speaking, even a regiment in the Demon King Army only had just under a hundred actual demons.
But it was filled out with nearly a thousand undead, so it could never be called a small force.
‘And that force was wiped out by just two people?’
With a puzzled look, Kaien glanced at the Baron of Delpius, but he too seemed clueless about the situation.
“Keugh…”
After roughly tossing aside the commander who let out his dying cry, Glen lifted his head and looked straight ahead.
The Delpius capital he saw after passing the checkpoint was far more miserable than it looked from afar.
Fires raged everywhere, and the screams of the territory’s people continued without end.
“……”
As he looked at the scene of destruction, Glen deeply furrowed his brow.
Kaien Roksimir.
That was the name of the 3rd Division commander of the Demon King Army that Isabel Delpius had told him.
He didn’t know him well since he wasn’t in the original story, but Glen could tell that he was one of the most cruel demons he had ever seen.
