I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake. Chapter 142

I Killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.

Chapter 142

Caesar felt like he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

“What? How is that possible? Humans can’t live for 250 years.”

“Humans can’t, but doppelgangers apparently can.”

“Does that mean doppelgangers are immortal?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Then how did he live as the Margrave for 230 years without being discovered? Humans can’t live for 230 years.”

“I didn’t ask that much. But assuming he’s immortal, I can understand how he’s maintained the Friedrich family.”

“How did he do that?”

“By killing the next heir and burying them, then living as the heir himself.”

Caesar felt goosebumps on his back.

He thought he had met many monsters in his life, but he had never seen a monster as terrifying as Elijah.

Even as a doppelganger, would someone want to preserve their position by killing their own children and grandchildren?

“…Do you have any other information about Elijah?”

“I haven’t asked other doppelgangers yet, so I don’t know much. But since I’m only now learning that the Margrave was a doppelganger, I think other doppelgangers or long-lived vampires might not know either.”

Caesar pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Pepe, I have a request.”

“I know what you’re going to ask. You want me to secretly find information about Elijah, right?”

“Yes. Is that possible?”

Pepe thought for a moment before responding.

“I’m not sure if it’s possible. But I’m also a bit curious about Elijah.”

Pepe put the last split almond in his mouth.

“I’ll gather as much information as I can.”

“Okay. And I’ll cancel what I said earlier about meeting Elijah.”

“Why?”

“After listening carefully, it seems Elijah isn’t exactly of sound mind. I think I should investigate more before having a conversation.”

***

But the world doesn’t seem to work according to Caesar’s plans.

Five days after parting with Pepe, Caesar saluted a man.

“Greetings, Margrave Elijah.”

“Are you the famous Viscount El Lindger?”

Elijah smiled at Caesar.

“Nice to meet you.”

Elijah saluted Caesar and then offered a handshake.

Caesar shook hands with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

He had wanted to gather more information about Elijah before meeting him….

The information Caesar had collected about Elijah in five days was not much.

It was all about the ‘human’ Elijah and the past of the Margraves, with nothing known about Elijah as a doppelganger.

As he shook hands, Caesar observed Elijah’s appearance.

Elijah’s impression was very similar to the image in the game.

He had such charisma that one might think, ‘Is this what a male lion would look like if he became human?’

His presence was so imposing that it was difficult to maintain eye contact for long.

He was as tall as Yugar and had a large build that was intimidating just to look at.

‘Let me see what he’s thinking.’

Caesar used psychometry.

-There’s probably no doppelganger who has shown such a unique personality and behavior.

-Looks like he’s reading my mind with psychometry.

-Gargoyles with psychometry always do this.

While Agatha tried to keep her thoughts very mild, fearing when Caesar might read her mind, Elijah was uninhibited.

It was as if he was saying, ‘Go ahead and read if you want.’

The reason for his boldness was likely either that he had almost nothing to hide, or that he was confident Caesar couldn’t treat him carelessly.

Either way, he was definitely not someone to be taken lightly.

“I’ve heard of your achievements. Here, take this. It’s a commendation from me.”

“Oh… Yes… Thank you.”

United Commander’s Commendation Certificate…

I’ve received this so many times during the Barre period that I feel no particular emotion.

Of course, from the perspective of other regiment or division commanders, they would be anxiously desperate to receive such a thing.

“Here, have some alcohol too. It’s alcohol made from manacho. If you drink a glass before heading to the battlefield, it will help relieve tension.”

“Thank you.”

“And I’ve also caught a pig, so enjoy it with your subordinates.”

“…Thank you.”

“Oh, and this is an axe sheath used by Barbarians in the past.”

Caesar received the neatly leather-formed axe sheath.

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

“Let’s see if the size fits.”

“Ah, yes.”

Caesar pulled the axe out from its buckle and tried fitting it into the sheath.

Lefty fit perfectly, but Thunder did not fit inside.

“The place where Thunder should go needs some modification.”

“Hmm…”

Elijah’s expression while looking at the axe sheath was peculiar.

Caesar wanted to know what thoughts were behind that unreadable expression, so he used psychometry.

-He’s replaced one axe.

-And he actually replaced Achim’s axe.

-Well, he probably didn’t know.

Achim?

Achim was a person Caesar knew.

The great Barbarian warrior who killed the evil dragon Sturungen and put an end to a forgotten era.

Of course, this was extremely rare information that could only be known by playing the adventure as a Valent saga, but he actually knows this…

Indeed, having lived long means knowing a lot.

‘By the way, this was Achim’s axe?’

Not just any axe, but the axe of a dragon slayer.

The entire axe blade seemed to be made of solid terra…

If the Barbarians or archaeologists discover that Caesar arbitrarily replaced Achim’s axe, he would be completely destroyed.

He needs to be careful not to get caught for now.

Elijah looked at his adjutant and spoke.

“What else is there?”

“This is what remains.”

The adjutant handed Elijah a black leather.

“Oh, this is the skin of a buffalo living in the demon realm. Even if it rains, it won’t smell musty and has excellent waterproofing, making it suitable for use. Since the rainy season will soon arrive, have a skilled tailor make it into a raincoat.”

…Isn’t it about time to stop now?

The others are looking at me strangely.

“Is there nothing more?”

“…This is enough. In fact, it’s too much.”

I feel like I’ve returned to my parents’ home after a long time.

Please stop now.

“War heroes are naturally given higher ranks.”

Elijah looked around at the surrounding soldiers.

“The merit of slashing the Twin-headed Ogre’s neck and recapturing Eagle valley is so great it’s hard to describe.”

Elijah’s gaze subtly turned cold.

“In this land overflowing with corrupt and incompetent soldiers, having someone like the El Lindger Special Forces Battalion Commander come to support is incredibly reassuring.”

Oh, is that so?

Those incompetent soldiers are glaring at me as if they want to kill me.

Especially that damn Baker, the 5th Division Commander.

Baker coughed and spoke.

“300 wizards are a corps-level firepower resource. It would be strange not to be able to wipe out 80,000 Orcs with such combat resources. Isn’t that right? Hahaha.”

As Baker started laughing, the soldiers in his line began laughing along.

It seems Baker is trying to challenge Elijah’s authority.

Considering the number of people laughing, there were clearly many of Baker’s people stationed in the 5th Division area.

This made sense because Baker was the current Crown Prince’s uncle and from the Redfield family.

While he was known to be lacking in combat performance, he was known to have secured the division commander position through his network and political maneuvering, so he was not to be underestimated.

Baker looked at Caesar and spoke.

“Concentrating corps-level firepower in one area is certainly inefficient. The battlefield isn’t just here.”

Other people began to agree with Baker’s statement.

“We could split the mages into squads of 10 and distribute one to each regiment.”

“That certainly seems correct. The Orcs’ invasion isn’t happening only in this Eagle valley. Recently, beastmen have also been approaching and scouting near the ceasefire line.”

“For definitive firepower efficiency, dividing them would be better.”

So these guys came here to pressure me.

I’ll have to completely crush this situation.

At that moment, Elijah glared at Baker.

“Division Commander Baker.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t overstep your bounds. Are you trying to insult the Emperor?”

Objectively, Elijah’s record as the United Commander was not good. However, I would bet my wrist that he has maintained his powerful position for so long due to more than half of his unique charisma emanating from his body.

Who among the soldiers could confidently say ‘No’ to those sharp eyes and growling voice? Baker was no exception. Despite trying to stop his trembling lips and fists, Baker couldn’t control them.

“When, when did I ever insult the Emperor?”

“The command of the wizards belongs to the El Lindger Special Forces Battalion Commander. The right to split or not split them is not for you to decide, but for the El Lindger Battalion Commander. Moreover, this is also the will of the Emperor, who entrusted the command of the wizards to the El Lindger Battalion Commander. Are you trying to belittle the will and wisdom of the Emperor?”

“How could I possibly do such a thing? I simply made a good suggestion.”

“How is that a good suggestion? The wizards top priority is protecting Luxhope. Do you see Luxhope as safe? The first defensive line of Eagle valley hasn’t even been occupied, and the reconnaissance of the Beastmen’s Forest hasn’t even been conducted. Does Luxhope look safe in your eyes?”

Baker decided that if he retreated now, his position would be shaken. Somehow, he needed to counter argue to imprint on his followers that he was the only general who could stand against Elijah.

“…How can you say that defending the Orcs groups near the ceasefire line is unrelated to protecting Luxhope? The Orcs will ultimately pass through the ceasefire line to reach Luxhope.”

“By any chance, isn’t your division the one with the most deserters?”

Baker’s face turned red.

“The deserter issue is unrelated to this, isn’t it?”

“Right now, you only have one properly organized regiment. The 66th Regiment. Besides that, the 67th Regiment was recently destroyed in battle, and the 68th Regiment is only two battalions strong. Do you know why?”

“Th-that is…”

“Where do you think those deserters went? They all joined the rebel forces. And those rebel forces partially occupied Luxhope just two weeks ago. And the one who recaptured that occupied Luxhope is none other than the El Lindger Battalion Commander standing right here.”

Elijah approached Baker as if he was going to devour him.

“Our enemies are not just in front of us, but also behind us. And now, in this situation, you want to split the wizards? Even suggesting to deploy wizards in your division, which has the highest number of deserters? What if the wizards desert and join the rebel forces? How can you explain to the Arch Duke who supported with wizards and to His Majesty the Emperor if these wizards are killed by a surprise attack from your undisciplined soldiers?”

Baker unknowingly stepped back.

Elijah grabbed Baker’s collar, pulling him close and whispering in his ear.

“The reason I’m leaving an incompetent fool like you alone is to use your 5th division as a garbage bin. When trash-heads are spread throughout the unit, they’re hard to deal with, but when they’re gathered, they’re easy to handle.”

Elijah patted Baker’s shoulder.

“So please, do your job well. You’re already doing it quite well.”

Baker trembled with a sense of humiliation.

But he did not strike.

Elijah looked at Timber, the regiment commander, and spoke.

“The 66th Regiment is now reorganized as a direct corps brigade. Incorporate the survivors of the 67th Regiment into the brigade and reorganize the structure. And Timber, regiment commander.”

Timber stepped forward.

“Yes! Commander!”

“You’re promoted. Restructure the brigade and organize the unit. Once the organization is complete, deploy them where needed.”

Timber saluted.

“Yes! Thank you!”

Elijah looked at Caesar.

“And you, come see me.”

What?

In this situation?

Caesar looked at the soldiers burning with blatant jealousy.

“Yes. Understood.”

Yeah. Since when have I cared about others’ opinions?

If I’m going to be direct, I might as well be direct.

I’m going to follow Elijah’s lead.

***

Caesar guided Elijah to his personal tent.

“It’s humble, but please come in.”

“Humble? This isn’t bad at all.”

Elijah closed the tent flap and took out a small button-like object from his pocket.

When he pressed it, his ears momentarily went deaf before quickly recovering.

“It’s a sound block magic. Our conversation won’t leak outside, so make yourself comfortable.”

Caesar sat on the bed and crossed his legs.

“Is that so?”

Elijah chuckled at Caesar’s boldness.

He soon placed a kettle on the stove.

“I’ve heard quite a bit about you from Pepe. You’re doing well on the continent?”

“Even if I’m doing well on the continent, I’m just a puppy in front of you.”

Caesar took out a bottle from his pocket.

“You’ve lived for over 230 years as a border Margrave?”

“I was a local notable in the Friedrich region even before the Eileen Empire was founded, so it’s been about 250 years.”

Caesar poured a drink and closed his mouth, deep in thought.

A member of the Friedrich family for 250 years.

That means before the Eileen Empire.

He’s a being from the ‘forgotten era’.

‘He’s much more of a monster than I thought.’

After asking around, he learned that since the Friedrich family received the border margrave appointment from the emperor, 9 heads of the family had passed through over 230 years.

Excluding the current Friedrich border margrave, the causes of death for the other 8 were remarkably similar.

They died or went missing in battle.

“How could you be the border margrave 9 times?”

“You seem to already know.”

Eliezer added hot water to the drink Caesar had poured.

“I killed all the successors and took their place.”

Just as he had expected.

But Caesar found it difficult to react.

Instead, he used psychometry.

Eliezer’s expression suddenly turned frightening.

“Do not think of using psychometry on me.”

“……!”

TL NOTE:

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