“Is that what I’m supposed to wear?”
“Indeed. I shall assist you in getting dressed.”
After several anxious hours, Paimon presented Jeha with the attire he was to change into before venturing into the human realm. The garments Paimon brought were styled almost identically to those worn by the royalty and nobility who once gathered in the old temple to hear sermons.
Paimon skillfully began to dress Jeha.
To Jeha, who, as a university student, had only ever worn shirts and jeans, the clothes seemed extraordinarily opulent.
Even the fabric itself was unusual. The entire garment was meticulously embroidered with various patterns in gold and silver thread. Since there appeared to be no machines like sewing machines in this human realm, it was clear that each stitch had been sewn by hand.
While Jeha admired the clothing, Paimon carefully fastened the pearl buttons of the tunic. Finally, Paimon produced a ring and slipped it onto Jeha’s thumb.
It was Jeha’s first time wearing a ring. Raising his hand, he saw the thick band encircling his thumb. It was substantial enough to fill the entire knuckle, and its design appeared quite crude, save for a bat-like emblem engraved on its flat center. Compared to the ornate accessories adorning his clothes, the ring looked almost shabby.
“This is a bit… rough, isn’t it?” Jeha remarked, examining the ring from various angles.
Zephyr, who was already standing by, dressed in human attire, quickly spoke up.
“The crucial element is the emblem engraved in the center of the ring, Master.”
“The emblem? This bat?” Jeha scrutinized the bat-shaped design once more.
“Yes, that’s correct. It is a treasure of a venerable Marquisate located on the central continent of the human realm. It serves as a significant artifact, symbolizing the family head and acting as the family’s official seal.”
“Ohh… A Marquis?” Jeha’s ears perked up at the gradual emergence of such fantastical terms.
“But why is a ring that only the head of the Marquisate can wear here?”
“Because you, Master, are currently the head of that Marquisate.”
“A Marquis? Me?”
Jeha looked from Zephyr to Paimon, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“The founder of that family was the great ancestor Bellarossa. On a whim, Bellarossa ventured into the human realm, coincidentally intervening in a war that had raged for decades, and achieved great feats. Thanks to their efforts, the Emperor, who had safely ascended to the throne, bestowed upon them a title and lands to be passed down through generations. Although Bellarossa soon lost interest and withdrew, it remained the great ancestor’s legacy, and so it has been managed appropriately ever since.”
“Ohh… The great ancestor… so that must mean it’s at least several hundred years old?”
“To my recollection, it has been approximately 450 years.”
“A family that has existed for over 400 years, how incredible!”
Jeha genuinely marveled. He was immensely pleased with the situation, having been transformed into a magnificent Marquis in an instant. While the position of Demon King was undoubtedly far grander, for Jeha, a human, this noble title felt much more tangible and satisfying.
“So, can we leave now?”
Jeha looked at Paimon with sparkling eyes. Perhaps because it was the first time Jeha had shown such eagerness and vitality, Paimon’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if harboring a faint smile.
“Master, you are the 14th Marquis of Belgard. The Belgard family rules over vast lands at the northernmost tip of the continent. While the perpetually cold weather prevents the cultivation of crops, the family has maintained its wealth for generations through immense income from the silver, iron, and various gem mines embedded within the rugged mountain ranges.”
Jeha listened intently to the family information Paimon enumerated, absorbing it all. He felt as though he had become the protagonist of a fantasy novel.
“Instead of forming marital alliances with high-ranking nobles from other territories, the Belgard family has historically embraced free love marriages as a family tradition. Despite this, no outside blood has ever mingled with the family line, which is why very little information about the family is known externally. Possessing a highly reclusive nature, it is exceedingly rare for a member of the Belgard family to appear in public.”
“A young head of a secretive Marquisate, ruling over the cold northern lands… How utterly cool!” Jeha was entirely taken with the history and characteristics attributed to the Belgard family.
“And what about the two of you…?” Jeha asked, sweeping his gaze over Paimon and Zephyr, who, though not quite as splendidly dressed as him, were still quite neatly attired.
Paimon placed a hand over their chest and bowed slightly, then introduced themself.
“I am Baron Lanster, your tutor since childhood and a vassal of the Belgard family.”
“I am the heir to the Belmon Barony, a family that has served as vassals to the Belgard family for generations, and your knight. You may call me Sir Belmon, or simply Zephyr.”
With their respective identities now firmly established, Jeha toyed with the family seal on his thumb.
“Alright, so now we can really go, right?”
“Let us depart.” Paimon nodded, and instead of waving their hand in the air, pushed open the door. Knowing Paimon must have everything planned, Jeha stepped out of the room without a word. After passing through a beautifully adorned corridor and entering the garden, a carriage drawn by four horses became visible at the bottom of the stairs.
“Oh, horses!”
Jeha immediately descended the stairs and stroked one of the snorting horses. Touching it, he felt no magical energy whatsoever, suggesting it was a genuine horse from the human realm, not a creature of the demon world or one created with magic.
“It is an honor to drive the carriage for you, Master.”
A person Jeha had never seen before bowed deeply. From them, too, no magical energy could be sensed.
“Are you human?” Jeha asked, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“Yes, Master. They are human, from a family that has managed Belgard Castle for generations. They are also one of the few humans who know the true owner of the castle,” Paimon answered on their behalf.
“You may simply call me the butler.”
The middle-aged man spoke calmly, still bowed. However, the faint tremor in his hands suggested he was secretly quite frightened.
“Please, step inside.” Paimon said, opening the carriage door. Jeha stroked the horse one last time before boarding the carriage.
Paimon and Zephyr followed him into the carriage and closed the door. Once preparations for departure were complete, Paimon waved a hand through the carriage window into the air. Immediately, a gaping black maw opened directly in front of the carriage. A potent demonic energy pulsed from it, yet it was also a power subservient to Jeha’s will. The coachman set the carriage in motion, and the horse-drawn vehicle plunged straight into the dark abyss.
The travel route Paimon had created was distinctly different from the method Jeha usually employed to traverse the human realm. Upon passing through the opening, the scenery instantly transformed, as if they had crossed an invisible threshold.
“Oh, snow!”
Jeha reached out a hand towards the fluttering white snowflakes falling outside the carriage window. Sleet was descending against a gray sky. Jeha watched a snowflake melt on his palm for a moment before leaning his head out the window. In the distance, along the slowly moving road, a massive snow-covered mountain range stretched out, and beneath it, a gray castle, appearing as solid as rock, stood proudly.
“That must be…”
“Yes, that is Belgard Castle. It is also your castle, Master.”
“Ohh—”
Jeha let out a low gasp of admiration.
Of course, Jeha was already the owner of the beautiful, elegant, and magnificent Demon King’s Castle, and this new castle seemed utterly crude in comparison. Nevertheless, it was still inspiring.
“Can we just go in?”
“Would you like to enter?” Paimon inquired. Jeha gave them a look that clearly asked why they would even ask such an obvious question.
“I assumed you were eager to find the young demon dragon, so I intended for us to depart immediately… but if the castle pleases you, we can certainly stop and explore.”
“Ah… the young demon dragon…” Jeha only then remembered the young dragon he had completely forgotten. However, his desire to personally enter and explore the castle before him was far greater.
“Let’s go in. I want to look around.”
“Very well, Master.”
Paimon tapped lightly on the window connecting to the coachman’s seat. The coachman, who had likely been listening to their entire conversation from inside, increased the carriage’s speed slightly. The rugged gray castle, previously seen in the distance, drew steadily closer. Jeha’s heart inexplicably began to pound. It seemed to be the first time he had felt such excitement and anticipation since inheriting Bellarossa’s name and power.
The carriage finally arrived before the rugged yet majestic gray castle. Its iron gates, impossibly tall and grand, were firmly shut, as if unequivocally unwelcoming to any outsiders.
“Who goes there!” a fully armed soldier shouted from atop the castle gate. The coachman removed his hat, revealing his face, and replied.
“It is I.”
“Butler?” The soldier exclaimed in surprise, then asked with a face full of doubt.
“I didn’t see you leave, when did you go out? And what is that carriage?”
Despite the butler being a high-ranking official who managed the entire castle and someone the soldier clearly knew, the soldier did not immediately open the gates. This alone revealed the castle’s exceptionally strict security.
“I was called by the Master and am now returning from a secret errand.”
“The Master’s call… surely not…”
At the soldier’s words, the eyes of the surrounding soldiers, who had been standing silently at attention, all turned to the carriage.
“Indeed. The Master has finally returned.”
At the butler’s declaration, the soldiers began to murmur amongst themselves. Soon after, the colossal iron gates slowly creaked open. The carriage was drawn inside the vast gray castle as if pulled by an unseen force.