I Killed the Demon Lord. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 64
Caesar sat by the riverside outside the house with a cigar in his mouth.
As Pringles, no, Andrew had said, smoking a cigar while watching the river wasn’t too bad.
Just then, he heard movement behind him.
“…You called for me?”
It was Gideon.
“Come sit.”
Gideon silently sat beside Caesar.
Gideon’s right sleeve fluttered in the wind.
“I’ve done as much as I could.”
“…Yes. I know.”
Gideon had heard about the Aldo situation from Harrison.
That they would spare Aldo.
And that they even tried negotiating with Eric to prevent him from being expelled from the Silvatil Baronial family.
“From now on, you and Aldo will have to resolve things. If you can’t curb Aldo’s greed, he’ll eventually be driven out of the family.”
“May I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Why did you forgive us?”
Caesar took a long drag from his cigar before exhaling.
“Because I have power.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m saying I forgave you because I have power. Do you know what that means?”
Gideon felt the meaning of Caesar’s words in his heart.
“…I understand.”
“The world is harsh, isn’t it? That you need power to receive forgiveness and gratitude.”
“…That’s how my life has been too. Because I had no power, I had to let go of the person I loved.”
“It’s ridiculous how beautifully you package adultery.”
“Strictly speaking, it wasn’t adultery since it was before the marriage.”
“Then why did you go to the Silvatil Baronial family? It was because you had feelings for Lady Lily.”
Gideon stared blankly at the riverside as he spoke.
“I suppose it was adultery after all.”
“Right. You bastard. You should spend your life begging forgiveness from the Baron.”
“I should have.”
Gideon pulled out a small envelope from inside his clothes.
“What’s that?”
“It’s the Baron’s will.”
“What? They said there was no will.”
“I suppose there wasn’t one since it was in my hands.”
Gideon handed over the envelope.
“The Baron Silvatil probably knew about my relationship with Lady Lily. That’s why he wrote down the successor’s name in his will.”
“…No way.”
Caesar opened the envelope and checked the will.
[…The successor to the Silvatil Baronial family shall be Eric Silvatil. And to Aldo Silvatil, I leave 1 million Del and the villa in Goldmile Province.]
“Is this why you were hiding it? No, wait, why was this in your hands?”
“I was asked to deliver it to Young Master Caesar through me. He must have believed without doubt that Young Master Caesar would execute this will fairly.”
“But why did he give it to you first?”
“I don’t know about that. He never told me until the end.”
Caesar used psychometry on the letter.
-Because it was my beloved wife Lily’s will.
-And this is a reward for living as a champion for 10 years, risking your life for me and the family.
-So, Sir Gideon. I forgive you.
Gideon watched the setting sun and spoke.
“I think he generously forgave someone as lacking as me. But I repaid that grace with enmity.”
“Is that why you haven’t reattached your right arm?”
Though it would be expensive, he could have surely reattached it using a potion.
But Gideon didn’t.
“Yes. It will be the price of my sin that I must bear until the day I die.”
Gideon looked at Caesar and said.
“So I sincerely thank you, Lord Caesar. For stopping me when I was blinded by greed. And I’m sorry for delivering the will late.”
“You have a talent for beautifully packaging sins.”
Caesar patted Gideon’s shoulder.
“Well, I forgive you.”
Gideon’s shoulders shook as he added a small stream of tears to the flowing river.
***
Eric came looking for Caesar.
“Brother Aldo has accepted.”
“He accepted surprisingly easily?”
“Sir Gideon’s efforts were significant.”
Eric put a cigar in his mouth.
“Though the expenses were quite large.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain right now as we need to fine-tune the details. You’ll hear about it through Sir Gideon once everything is sorted out.”
Well, since they convinced Aldo, there shouldn’t be any problems.
“Would it be alright if I take Gideon away for a while because of this matter?”
“I already told him to go down to settle the family affairs anyway.”
“That issue has been resolved cleanly too.”
“So he’s going down today?”
“Yes. I just came by briefly to say goodbye to you.”
Eric stared at Caesar for a moment before speaking.
“You know you’ve changed tremendously?”
“I know.”
“Was the war such a shocking experience for you?”
Caesar exhaled cigar smoke.
“It was shocking for everyone.”
Eric thought for a moment before speaking.
“Others must have changed a lot too.”
“The common soldiers probably changed the most. Ordinary people who used to hold plows or hammers, farming and working in factories, experienced war where lives were easily taken. When the war ends, the Empire will face a time of great change.”
“Do you think it’s very dangerous?”
“It’s not the soldiers who are dangerous, but the mindset of the nobles and clan leaders who will receive these changed soldiers.”
Eric thought for a moment, then nodded and stood up.
“Thanks for the advice, Caesar.”
“Let’s try to get along from now on. In turbulent times, there are few people you can trust and rely on as much as your siblings, right?”
“It feels strange hearing those words from your mouth… But you’re not entirely wrong.”
Eric left the study.
And Caesar sighed as he picked up the newspaper placed on the shelf.
[Demon Realm War Ends!]
[Demon Race Declares Complete Surrender.]
[Emperor Bestows United Commander Position to Margrave Elijah Friedrich. Orders to Expand Border Defense Area.]
[Empire’s Territory Expands Nearly 15%.]
[What Will Happen to the War with Demons Still Remaining in the Demon Realm?]
Caesar exhaled cigar smoke again.
“The scenario flow has changed too much.”
The Empire failed to reclaim the entire demon realm and instead ended the war by occupying half of it.
This means demons still live in the remaining half of the land.
Was an underground contract made with them?
Or did they find a weakness that would prevent the demons from invading again?
Or is there another method?
Just then, Harrison entered Caesar’s study.
“Lord Miles has urgently requested to meet.”
Caesar gathered his clothes.
“I wanted to meet him anyway.”
***
Miles and Caesar shared tea and cigars alone at Benjamin & Junior.
“Did you see this morning’s newspaper?”
“I could tell even without seeing it.”
Currently, the surroundings were in an uproar of cheers at the news of the war ending.
Many people were selling goods at nearly half price or drinking alcohol in broad daylight, enjoying the festive atmosphere.
Caesar used psychometry.
“So is the war really ending?”
“It’s an incomplete end to the war.”
Miles pulled out a map of the demon realm.
“Currently, from the northern Luxhope Port to the southern Gulihood Cliffs will be occupied by the Empire. From now on, Margrave Friedrich will leave the existing Friedrich Wall to guard this area.”
“Is this map scale accurate?”
“It’s certain.”
Caesar roughly estimated with his eyes.
Looking at the difference in length between the border Margrave Friedrich had been guarding and the newly created border, along with the terrain, there was only one conclusion.
“Has Margrave Friedrich perhaps done something wrong to His Majesty the Emperor?”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem possible for Margrave Friedrich and his private soldiers alone to guard such a wide border.”
The reason Margrave Friedrich had been able to defend against demon invasions until now was due to the geographical advantage of the Alad Mountains between the demon realm and the Valent continent.
However, the area the Emperor told Margrave Friedrich to defend is forest territory of beast-people and plains that are no different from empty fields.
How is he supposed to defend this area with no mountains and no geographical advantages?
And against orcs who are even more warlike than barbarians.
“Of course.”
“So what are you planning to do?”
Miles exhaled cigar smoke as he spoke.
“They only said the war ended, but the order to disband hasn’t come down yet.”
Caesar almost let a curse slip out before catching himself.
These crazy bastards.
They’re planning to keep deploying all those soldiers instead of sending them home?
“Can you handle it? The complaints from the soldiers and their families back home will reach the heavens.”
“The war may be over but the demon realm is still unstable. Stabilization work is needed. Heroes of the empire, we ask for your sacrifice. For each additional month of service, compensation will increase.”
Miles took another drag of his cigar before exhaling.
“We can persuade the soldiers this way. And since settlement support funds will be provided for the demon realm, we can help soldiers with nowhere to go live there.”
Caesar thought these guys were being far too naive.
Did they think they could suppress the complaints of so many soldiers with such empty words?
This made no sense.
“If we’re not careful, the magic stone business will literally go down the drain. From our perspective the war might be over, but as long as soldiers remain, from the demons’ perspective the war could still be ongoing.”
“One thing I can tell you is that demons can no longer cross this border. So the magic stone business is safe.”
-We made a secret armistice agreement with the demons’ representative. At least for 10 years, demons won’t cross this border.
‘There’s a representative of the demons?’
Given they’re talking about a representative of the demons, it seems a new demon king hasn’t emerged.
The question is whether this so-called demon representative is actually someone who can represent the demons.
Don’t these guys know what kind of beings demons are?
“Are you 100% certain?”
“I’m certain.”
-Actually, I heard this through central political circles so I’m not completely sure… But at least the magic stone mines we’re planning to excavate are more than 40km from the border, so there shouldn’t be major issues.
As expected, Miles didn’t seem completely confident either.
Whatever happens, as long as the magic stone mining business goes well.
Now that the troublesome customs bill has passed, they must be ready to start making money enthusiastically.
But the remaining soldiers are still concerning…
‘It’s not something I can solve, so let’s not think about it too complexly.’
Caesar took a sip of tea before speaking.
“So what was your reason for wanting to meet me personally?”
“The reason I called for Lord Caesar wasn’t because I needed you personally, but because we need a special security officer for the Wizard Province.”
Miles handed Caesar a bag.
“One million Del.”
“A bribe?”
“Let’s call it sponsorship money from higher-ups.”
Miles interlocked his fingers as he spoke.
“Now that the war is over, ships from the demon realm will start arriving in earnest. Among them, there will be items that don’t violate customs laws, but some things might be a bit ambiguous.”
He pointed to the yellow band tied around the bag.
“If you happen to inspect ships or come across boxes or bags with yellow bands like this along the way, please just let them pass.”
This stinks.
It stinks so bad it reeks of shit.
“Now I understand why Council Member Walterwood isn’t here.”
“So what do you think? Is it acceptable?”
Caesar touched the bag and used psychometry.
-Demons will be coming soon.
-If we can properly research their ecology, we might solve the problem of eternal life.
-Or we might uncover the secrets of devils.
So this day has finally come.
The problem Caesar didn’t want to think about has arrived.
After pondering for a moment, Caesar spoke.
“Seems like a very easy job.”
“I’m glad Lord Caesar and I understand each other.”
This is money that cannot be refused.
The moment he refuses, Miles and the higher-ups will no longer trust Caesar.
Considering how many powerful figures have invested in the demon smuggling business, this was money that had to be accepted.
‘But what should I do about this.’
Strictly speaking, Caesar is a demon.
But Caesar’s true form is Choi Seo-han, and strictly speaking, he’s a human from another dimension.
Taking that into account, there’s no need to feel morally guilty about buying and selling demons.
After rolling through three years of war, his moral compass has worn away to nothing anyway.
Even during the war, he brought elixir to Barre because demons were suffering, but now there’s nothing to gain from saving demons.
‘Then isn’t it right to not save them at all?’
I’m no longer a spy for the Demon King’s army.
Wouldn’t it be better to not even make eye contact with those guys?
Miles stood up from his seat.
“We’ll have occasional favors to ask of Lord Caesar in the future. I look forward to your cooperation then.”
“Sure.”
Whatever happens, I’ll figure it out when it comes.
I’ll move according to where my heart leads me then.
TL NOTE:
Schedule: Every {Wed-Sat}
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