The Inquisitors’ relief at having resolved the matter was palpable. They exchanged glances, suggesting they would now finally receive proper treatment from the lord. Jeha, who had allowed them a moment to savor that feeling, soon spoke, his face etched with a look of profound concern.
“To think such a worldly custom existed on the Central Continent—it is both perplexing and astonishing.”
At his unexpected words, Xavier’s face hardened once more. Regardless of Xavier’s reaction, Jeha continued, his expression still laden with concern.
“As I understand it, priests who serve the divine only heed sacred words, perform holy acts, and always take great care to avoid the taint of the secular world. My castle, however, is a place teeming with ordinary humans steeped in worldly affairs. Moreover, each of its bedrooms is adorned in an antique and lavish style, which would surely prove a significant hindrance to the ascetic practices of priests who must maintain their vows of poverty. How could I ever atone for the grave sin of daring to sully those who have traveled so far to enact God’s glory with the impurities of the mortal realm?”
“…That is…”
Just as Xavier was about to speak, Jeha asked again.
“Since you are Inquisitors dispatched directly from the temple, I must ask: Must I commit the sin of dishonoring the priests’ purity by adhering to this ‘custom’? Or should I rather protect the priests’ reputation for asceticism, even if it means enduring accusations of breaking tradition?”
“……”
Xavier looked as though he had been struck a heavy blow. Though he tried to conceal his dismay, it was not enough to fool Jeha, who had been reborn as a Demon King.
“Having been away for so long, I had only just returned to my domain and was determined to faithfully fulfill my duties as its lord… Yet, encountering such a difficult predicament, my inexperienced self finds itself utterly at a loss as to the proper course of action.”
Jeha spouted utter nonsense, sighing deeply as if in confusion. Inwardly, however, he was cackling with glee. ‘If they choose to stay in the castle after hearing such words, it would be akin to them defiling their own purity. On the other hand, if they were to declare now that they would stay at the temple, it would be like a defeated dog retreating after taking a solid blow from the lord. No matter which choice they made, the opponent would undoubtedly feel utterly disgusted.’
“Baron Lanchester, what should one do in such a situation? As my tutor, had you informed me beforehand, I wouldn’t have displayed such an embarrassing lack of composure in this sudden predicament.”
Jeha turned his gaze, subtly shifting the blame, toward Paimon, who stood attendant behind him, and shot him a faintly reproachful look. Beside him, Zephyr’s lips twitched, barely suppressing a smile.
“As Your Excellency’s tutor, I am truly sorry and ashamed that I failed to instruct you in such specific hypothetical situations.”
Paimon bowed slightly, adopting an apologetic expression. After a brief gesture of contemplation, he then addressed Inquisitor Xavier.
“As Your Excellency’s educator, I too have been absent from the Central Continent for a considerable time. For that reason, I find myself in a quandary, unsure what counsel to offer. In such a case, Sir Xavier, what decision would be most prudent for our esteemed lord to make?”
While Xavier managed to maintain his composure relatively well, the younger-looking attendant priests and knights, however, could not. Enjoying the sight of the party members, unable to move forward or back, merely twitching their lips in indecision, Jeha tapped the armrest with a feigned expression of perplexity.
After a moment of silence, Xavier finally spoke, as if having completed his calculations.
“First, I must offer my apologies to Your Excellency. As we are tasked with a grave mission within this domain, I was so preoccupied with presenting our respects to Your Excellency, the Marquis, that I failed to consider other matters. As Your Excellency rightly stated, customs are merely worldly practices. For those who serve God, maintaining purity is as vital as life itself. That Your Excellency, still so young, would possess such profound insight, truly fills this Xavier with admiration and deep emotion. We shall therefore proceed directly to the sacred temple, where it is proper for us to rest, and there we shall unpack our belongings.”
‘I concede. I’ll give up the soft beds and the lavish meals served at every turn, and simply stay at the temple.’
That was roughly the gist of it. Yet, his words flowed with such eloquent ease it was enough to make one gasp in admiration.
As Xavier attempted to salvage their dignity to that extent, Jeha, instead of pressing his advantage further, merely nodded, his face expressing relief that the matter was settled. He then immediately turned to his butler and spoke.
“Butler, have the knights escort the priests safely to the temple.”
“Yes, I understand, Master.”
The butler bowed his head respectfully, then gestured towards the door, indicating that Xavier’s party should depart. The party, who had been anticipating resting their weary bodies in the comfortable castle bedrooms, now strove to maintain composed expressions, attempting to preserve what little dignity they had left. Watching the procession of figures disappear from the reception room, Jeha scoffed.
‘How dare they try to waltz into my home with such clumsy tricks and make themselves comfortable? Not a chance.’
Once the party had exited and the door closed behind them, Zephyr, whose lips had been twitching, could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Master, truly… *chuckle*… the sight of them trudging out like that was just… *giggle*…”
He seemed to find it immensely amusing, clutching his stomach as he guffawed. Perhaps his laughter was infectious, for Jeha, too, let out a chuckle.
****
Returning to his bedroom, changing into his nightclothes, and flinging himself onto the bed, Jeha tossed and turned, savoring the small victory he had just tasted. ‘Considering they possessed even a small amount of divine power, they must surely be devout individuals. However, from the moment they had brazenly pushed their way into the castle late at night, as if their status as priests granted them immense privilege, combined with the dreadful image of Inquisitors, he simply couldn’t bring himself to view them kindly. Of course, his own position as a Demon King, diametrically opposed to the God they served, and the influence of his contractor, Hereis, who burned with hatred and fury towards God and the temple, likely played a significant role as well.’
‘If Hereis knew I had properly put the Inquisitors in their place, he would surely be thrilled, wouldn’t he?’
Jeha tapped his fingers on the bed, lost in thought. A sudden urge to rush over and recount every detail of what had just transpired welled up within him. However, Jeha quickly shook his head. ‘Hadn’t he forced a humiliating task upon him during their last encounter? Meeting him now, when the complex emotions surrounding that action hadn’t yet fully settled, felt somewhat awkward.’
Jeha, who had been restlessly turning, soon closed his eyes. And he thought: ‘I will absolutely not overlook it if those Inquisitors try to torment or harm the people living in my domain.’
****
Unbeknownst to him, he had fallen asleep, and when he opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the center of the sky. While oversleeping was a quasi-habit in the Demon King’s Castle, this was the first time he had slept so profoundly since crossing into the Human Realm.
Rising from bed, Jeha stretched languidly, rubbing his eyes as he savored the lingering traces of sleep. Despite still being Bellarossa, residing in the Human Realm gave him a strange sensation, as if he had become human once more.
Perhaps to avoid disturbing his late slumber, the bedroom was empty. After stretching for a moment, Jeha pulled the cord hanging by the bedpost.
A moment later, the door opened and the butler entered. Behind him, a line of servants followed, carrying a washbasin, water for brushing teeth, fresh clothes, and other necessities.
“Good morning, Master.”
“Yes. I slept well.”
Jeha replied as he stepped down from the bed. His manner of addressing the butler fluctuated, shifting between formal speech, semi-formal, and informal, seemingly at random. Though it seemed appropriate to use informal address for a subordinate, perhaps due to being born and raised in South Korea, he found it difficult to drop his polite speech. However, Jeha decided not to dwell on it and simply spoke as he pleased in the moment. He didn’t want to bother himself with such trivialities.
“All preparations for departure have been made as you commanded yesterday, but will you depart immediately after your meal?”
Jeha pondered for a moment as the servants helped him into his clothes. ‘He needed to find the young Demon Dragon, and he also had to meet Hereis. It was about time to depart. But that had only been the plan until yesterday; now, circumstances were slightly different. Hadn’t the formidable Inquisitors entered the domain? It was unknown what innocent people they might seize while stirring up trouble in the territory. If he were to leave the domain unattended with these people, who seemed to fear even nobles little, there would be no one to stop them should anything occur.’
“Hmm… I wonder. I’ll have to think about it.”
Jeha spoke slowly, toying with the ring on his thumb. Though it was merely a simple ring, wearing it instilled in him a sense of responsibility for the people living in the domain governed by Belgarga.
“Then I shall instruct the knights on escort duty to return to their quarters and rest, leaving the prepared carriage as is.”
“Understood.”
Jeha nodded and exited the bedroom. As always, Paimon and Zephyr were waiting perfectly dressed outside the bedroom door. As Jeha walked towards the dining room, the two followed behind him.