206
A cold wind blew on the winter evening.
In the forest near the Reigle territory, Glenn and Romina met Victor, the deputy commander of the Demon King Army's First Legion.
The first to approach was Victor Carden.
He spoke words that hardly suited a deputy commander.
“Please… could you use that sword to take down the First Legion Commander… Lowen?”
It was a request to defeat his superior, Lowen, the commander of the Demon King Army.
Glenn narrowed his eyes, studying Victor Carden’s serious gaze and accelerating his thoughts as much as possible.
‘What is this… a trap? Or is it some kind of betrayal, like a mass defection of a whole race?’
But a trap seemed unlikely. Glenn’s current strength was too overwhelming.
And a defection was also improbable. The perception between demons and humans toward each other was at rock bottom.
Of course, Victor Carden gave no impression of being involved in such schemes.
‘Then… what is the reason?’
Glenn had a vague guess.
But it was better to hear it directly from Victor himself.
After all, the deputy commander came to a human, asking them to defeat the Legion Commander. There was no harm in listening.
“This cursed situation… explaining it might take some time. Could you spare me a moment?”
“No problem. Go ahead.”
“…Thank you.”
Victor responded with what seemed like relief and then calmly began his explanation.
“You may not know this, but the First Legion of the Demon King Army values martial strength. They pursue personal growth and protect the weak from enemies. In your terms, they would be like paladins. Without faith in gods, of course.”
“The First Legion Commander, Lowen, was also one of these warriors. And among them, she led by example like no one else.”
For a brief moment, a flicker of pity crossed Victor’s intense red eyes.
“Not only did she possess the talents given by the gods, but her mindset as a warrior was unmatched.”
“You may not believe this, but when she joined the Demon King Army five years ago, she had never killed a single life. She only subdued opponents through skill and dignity. Those who couldn’t fight or surrendered were spared, without regard for race.”
Penelope had said that Lowen was called the hero of demons on the Demon Land.
Victor claimed she was more noble and exalted than anyone existing as a warrior.
Yet, thinking of the Baron Delphius’s lands reduced to a sea of fire, and the territories that had already fallen, there was a sense of dissonance.
“But when the war restarted and our First Legion was assigned to the central front, Lowen changed. No… she fell into the cunning trap set by that person and was corrupted.”
Veins bulged on Victor’s rough hands, which did not even hold a sword.
At the same time, his descending red eyes now shone with deadly intent.
“Kacherto Lienz… he corrupted Lowen with his evil trickery.”
When Glenn heard the expected name come from Victor’s mouth, his eyes widened.
Suppressing the boiling anger, Glenn listened as Victor continued.
“Just before the Legion set out, that man approached Lowen under the pretext of testing new weapons and gave her a cursed sword.”
“Since holding that sword, Lowen has been giving commands that were completely out of character.”
“He ordered the killing of those who resisted or surrendered without distinction and commanded that even a single civilian be killed to increase the number of corpses.”
As a result of these cruel orders, half of Reigle’s territory was reduced to ashes, and thousands died.
“At first, I obeyed those commands too. Embarrassingly, unlike Lowen, I wasn’t noble. I valued victory in war over the principles a warrior should uphold.”
“But seeing a hero, purer than anyone, have her nobility tainted by another’s schemes… I could no longer bear to watch.”
Victor slowly knelt on one knee and lifted his head to meet Glenn’s gaze.
In his vertically slit red eyes, there was unwavering determination.
“That is why I ask you, a fellow warrior, to save Lowen from that man’s sorcery.”
Romina, sensing no deceit in the heartfelt plea, merely crossed her arms and looked at Victor with a cold stare.
She neither criticized him nor voiced her opinion.
She knew that the decision ultimately rested with Glenn.
“….”
“I know you may not believe me. Even if you see this as a trap or deceit, I won’t argue. But…”
“No. I believe it.”
Because Kacherto Lienz was certainly capable of such evil.
Even before Victor arrived, Glenn had suspected something was off with Lowen.
He simply had no confirmation, so it remained suspicion.
“So… do you think I might later pull some cheap trick? Don’t worry. If you help us, I will take responsibility and ensure the First Legion stays out of the war. I promise they will leave quietly without harming this land.”
The removal of the First Legion from the battlefield was radical.
“But I doubt that would be easy.”
The Demon King Army wasn’t a force to be toyed with.
A high-ranking legion leaving the war would require risking their lives.
“…If I stay here and let the name of a warrior be tarnished, I’d rather die.”
“And all the other legion members must feel the same way.”
The one they recently defeated, Kaien Rocsimir, wasn’t a normal man either.
“Still, he’s second in command. If Lowen falls, he becomes first. I believe he can command them as needed.”
Victor’s eyes glinted with serious light as he stared straight at Glenn.
He seemed ready to strike anyone who disobeyed his orders.
“…Fine. I understand your point.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“But I still have questions.”
“If it can clear your doubts.”
“Good. Then I’ll ask. Why come to me personally to explain all this?”
Honestly, did Victor really need to ask Glenn to defeat Lowen?
Even if he didn’t come, the confrontation between Glenn and Lowen would happen soon enough.
“I don’t suppose it’s just encouragement from a fellow demon, right?”
Glenn wanted to know why Victor risked himself to come here and what he hoped to gain.
Victor closed his eyes briefly in response.
“There’s no hidden agenda. I only want to provide you with information so you can defeat Lowen. If you fail, no one will stop her in this land.”
