The passengers on the Zakeloko, which Amira, Alex, and Yona were riding, had changed.
Now with the Alebians on board, the Zakeloko was racing down the main road with Barikyan tied up and dangling from the tip of his poisonous stinger.
“So, there was a rebellion, and it succeeded.”
“Seems like it.”
The Alebians analyzed the current situation, reassembling the confession they got from Barikyan.
Of course, Barikyan was refusing to confess anything, insisting he’d rather die than spill the beans, but after some whispering from the Alebians, he began to obediently answer the questions.
The Lizardman from the grasslands, Barikyan, belonged to the Grassland Gill tribe.
Unlike the Azrami tribe, which derives its name from its lineage, the entire tribe is called the Grassland Gill.
It was the Grassland Gill tribe that produced the previous emperors.
In the Katus Empire, where seven tribes take turns ruling as emperor, the Grassland Gill tribe was notorious for its aggression. During their reign, the council, made up of the chiefs from other tribes, had to endure great hardships due to this warlike nature.
One of those hardships was the friction with the Duchy of Kapatia.
To the south was the land known as the Death Desert, while the Katus Empire bordered the Kansur Sea.
Though they were next to the Death Desert, the area around the Katus River was remarkably fertile, and the proximity to the Kansur Sea made fishing thrive as well.
The Katus Empire under the Grassland Gill regime never got along well with the Duchy of Kapatia.
To the north, they had the Bulfus, Vaka, Talpa, and Hircus tribes, along with various client states; the Katus Empire was dreaming of occupying the Emporusia Republic. The Kapatia Port and Emporusia Port were vital hubs for trade in the northern continent, so capturing Emporusia Port was the objective.
As a result, there were continuous conflicts with the Duchy of Kapatia, leading to local skirmishes even though a full-blown war did not occur. It nearly escalated to an all-out war several times—
Then fortunately, the Grassland Gill regime came to an end, paving the way for the Serpent tribe, the Azrami tribe, to take the stage.
“In other words, with just a bit more push, they could have occupied the Emporusia Republic. I don’t know how they planned to deal with the Orc Alliance and Dwarven Kingdom, though.”
After listening to Barikyan’s words, the Alebians pondered something, slowly explaining it while looking at Amira.
Slowly explaining those words, I looked at Amira.
“Princess Amira, is there something wrong with my explanation?”
“Well, I guess…”
Amira had a flustered expression.
Seeing Amira’s reaction, Alebians also looked troubled.
It wasn’t something hard to understand. While Amira was a member of the imperial family, her rank was far removed, and the Katus Empire had no succession to the throne, so she probably just wandered around aimlessly without any imperial conflicts. What was the meaning of asking her questions at a national level?
“So the conclusion is, the current royal family of the serpent clan is weak and unsatisfactory, right? The Agami clan of the plains must rise again. Am I right? And we’re going to take on Kapatia.”
“That seems to be it. And it looks like that hasn’t succeeded yet.”
Alebians cast a glance at the Barikian dangling near the tail of Zakeloko before looking at Yona again.
In her view, the rebellion hadn’t succeeded yet, but it must be incredibly close to success.
“Anyway, for now, we have no choice but to hurry to Eshima. And there’s a high probability that that guy is there.”
“The Duke, huh?”
“Yeah, the Demon Duke. I can roughly guess who it is, but I’ll let you know when I’m more certain. Right now, I think… well, it might be easier than we thought.”
As Alebians adjusted his glasses, he smiled faintly.
“Pretty one, everything will move for you.”
Yona frowned at that remark from Alebians.
“What a joke. Nothing is going right, and you’re spouting nonsense.”
In response to that, Alebians had no words left to say.
*
【I don’t understand why we’re going this far.】
In a small room, crimson flames were blazing brightly.
Yet, there was no heat felt at all, and the flickering flames danced magnificently as if they had no substance, burning nothing at all.
“Reason? Where’s the reason? How many things in this world go on without one?”
Ceres held out a box placed in front of her towards the flames.
The dark brown box was firmly closed, sealed tightly with a yellowed cloth, giving off an unusual vibe.
【I don’t care about that. But I never promised to accept your proposal.】
“That doesn’t matter.”
Ceres showed no sign of being bothered by the voice coming from the flames.
It wasn’t.
Instead, as if it didn’t matter at all, they picked up the small knife sitting beside them and began to slice through the yellow cloth that sealed the box.
That knife was way too sharp for just some flimsy fabric.
With a soft rip, the cloth tore apart and fell uselessly to the floor, and Ceres opened the lid of the box without hesitation.
– Kuuoohhhh…
The moment the box opened, a dark energy surged from within, filling the air.
As that black smoke rose thickly, Ceres scrunched her face and blew hard to disperse the smoke.
“Do you know how much trouble I went through to collect this?”
【I have no need to know such things.】
“There are over a thousand of these, you know.”
Without hesitation, Ceres reached into the box and pulled something out.
What she held was a pitch-black glass bead.
As soon as it was pulled out, something inside it twisted and moved.
“There’s over a thousand grudges piled up in here.”
【Yes, I can feel it just by looking. Top-quality stuff.】
“Don’t you want it?”
The flames flickered and danced.
But the voice that had been coming through all this time fell silent, saying nothing.
“I know you want it. I could easily hand it over this much. I brought it specifically to give it away.”
Ceres shoved the glass bead back into the box.
The box, thickly stuffed with cotton, securely held the glass bead in place, and Ceres made sure it was snug before closing the lid.
“You won’t find such powerful grudges easily. They’re grudges of those who died unjustly, pained, and disgracefully. It’s not easy to collect such pure grudges without any context; you know that much, right?”
Ceres set the box down on the floor.
Before her, the box shimmered in the flickering red flames, reflecting the light calmly.
“It’s not a difficult conversation, is it?”
Ceres rested her chin on her hand and glared at the flames.
At this point, it should be tempting enough, yet the one who remained silent like this really didn’t sit right with her.
Now, there were five demons left.
Vervaria had attached herself to Yona, and Damian had died at Yona’s hands.
The remaining five demon lords, as far as she knew, were not in the Duchy of Kapatia.
There were one or two in the Katus Empire, and then there were the orc alliance and the dwarven nation, and the last one was in the fairy kingdom.
There exists the Orc Alliance, the Dwarf Kingdom, and the last one is the Fairy Kingdom.
And the Duke in that Fairy Kingdom is indeed one of the strongest among the Demon Dukes.
She has come to enlist that Duke in her plans.
Because she resembles a heretic, Ceres has also stirred up the assumption that she is a follower of demons.
Ceres pushed the box toward the flames.
The box slid smoothly, as if it had wheels, rolling toward the flickering flames.
“So, it’s not that difficult. Then why can’t you answer? Could it be—”
Ceres’s eyes curved like a full moon.
That expression wasn’t even a false smile of goodwill.
The smile blooming on her face could only be rightly called a sneer.
“Could it be you’re scared? You think you can’t do it, and that frightens you?”
【So you’re just going to babble with that big mouth. Should I rip it open to make you shut up?】
“So I’m saying, answer me. You’ve been doing well up until now. Aren’t you just a bit annoyed that I’m sticking my nose in?”
【Priest. Don’t try to cover up with such a clumsy lie. I am not so foolish as to be unable to see through you just because I’m far away. Do you think I’m unaware of your ulterior motives?】
“Ulterior motives—”
Ceres faintly smiled again.
Ulterior motives—why wouldn’t there be?
Of course there are, but there’s no reason to reveal them here and now.
“You too, aren’t you like that? Your ulterior motives are somewhere else. Let’s align our interests since we both have our schemes.”
【…You’re quite honest. Fine.】
A hand reached out from the flames.
It was hardly even a hand, just a bony thing with no flesh to speak of—
It reached out and took the box.
“Alright, then this deal is established, right?”
【Yes. I will accept your proposal.】
“Good.”
Ceres stood up.
Then she stretched widely and quietly glanced at the flames.
“The Saint of the Demon Realm must be killed. Don’t kill her body, just suck out her soul. The body is still useful, after all.”
The flames flickered fiercely and then slowly faded away.
As the flames disappeared, the room slipped into darkness, and only Ceres’s shining eyes glimmered in the void.
“—Alebians, I’m sorry, but it’s too late for you to have your way.”
