#34
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Once the evening banquet concluded, Xavier and his retinue returned to the temple.
When asked to stay just one night in the castle, given the late hour and flowing wine, Xavier immediately shook his head. Had the story of Hereis not yet surfaced, he likely would have feigned reluctance and stayed. However, upon calculating the potential stories and evaluations Jeha would share about him when meeting Hereis, Xavier must have decided it was more advantageous to maintain his reputation for valuing asceticism.
Though Jeha’s mood was thoroughly soured by the blatant demand for money, he pushed that feeling aside. The very next morning, he instructed a substantial donation to be sent to the temple. Paimon was entrusted with this task, and he subtly conveyed Jeha’s message: the Belgarga domain was a city overflowing with such piety that no heretic could ever gain a foothold there.
Thus, Jeha and his companions were finally ready to embark on their true journey. Their luggage had already been packed, and the selection of knights to escort Jeha was complete.
Jeha heard that the knights accompanying him had been chosen after overcoming fierce competition. Lord Campbell, too, seemed desperate to join them, but Jeha feigned ignorance. Given Lord Campbell’s crucial position as commander of the castle’s knight order, he couldn’t bring himself to explicitly state his desire to go.
In truth, Jeha found even the four accompanying knights quite burdensome. After all, he was the Demon King, accompanied by Paimon and Zephyr, the first and second strongest beings in the Demon Realm. There was absolutely no risk whatsoever.
Of course, Jeha’s wishes were thwarted by Lord Campbell’s powerful persuasion. The first reason was that the Belgarga family, being so sparse in heirs, could not possibly send out their sole remaining descendant without a knight escort. The second reason was that, as the Lord of Belgarga, it would be a loss of face not to travel with at least a few knights.
Lord Campbell also found common ground with the butler. Faced with their persistent arguments, Jeha eventually compromised, reducing the number of knights to a mere four.
Finally, the carriage, laden with luggage, set off. Flanking the carriage, the four knights who had triumphed over fierce competition rode proudly on horseback.
Unlike their arrival, the large four-horse carriage Jeha now rode bore the prominent crest of the Belgarga family, and the knights escorting him proudly waved Belgarga banners emblazoned with bats. It was a clear display, announcing to all: ‘I am from Belgarga.’
Receiving salutations from the butler and staff, Jeha and his party departed the castle and traversed the city’s main thoroughfare. Seeing the carriage, people waved and cheered, wishing them a safe journey. Jeha occasionally waved back or offered a smile in return.
“Xavier won’t lay a hand on anyone while I’m gone, will he?” Jeha asked Paimon, unable to fully quell his unease.
Paimon nodded, as if there were no cause for concern. “With the substantial donation, your deep faith has been proven, Master, and your wish for no unpleasant incidents involving heretics in your domain has been subtly conveyed. He will, at the very least, keep within bounds until your return.”
“Hmm…”
Leaning his elbows on the window frame and resting his chin in his hand, Jeha gazed wistfully at the passing scenery. Having left the city behind, the carriage was now traversing a somewhat desolate landscape. It was undeniably barren land, too harsh for farming. It was fortunate that the majestic mountain range in the distance held vast deposits of iron and silver; without them, the people living in this land would surely suffer from starvation season after season.
“Zephyr.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Assign Rose and Ange to Xavier. I think it would put my mind at ease to completely preempt any chance of him acting out in my absence.”
At Jeha’s words, Zephyr’s eyes sparkled with an expression that suggested something interesting was about to happen. “How shall I proceed? Should I turn him into a madman consumed by lust, drain his vitality until he becomes a shriveled skeleton gasping for breath, or drive him to take his own life, overwhelmed by the self-loathing of his utter depravity?”
“No. He needs to appear normal, at least on the surface. Just make him so utterly infatuated with the two sisters that he has no time to focus on anything else. If he’s busy battling the evil within himself, why would he care about some heretic who may or may not be outside?”
“Understood.”
Zephyr nodded, his expression conveying his pleasure at being entrusted with a mission once more.
‘Corrupting a devout priest, one supposedly with deep faith, through lust. I ought to feel guilty, yet no such sentiment arose. Instead, a strong urge to see him get his comeuppance prevailed. If, by some chance, he were to resist the temptations of the two succubus sisters, then I would consider him a genuinely proper priest.’
‘Well, this should keep the Belgarga domain safe for now. Whether it’s enough remains to be seen, but we agreed they’d send word immediately if anything happened, so we can devise new countermeasures then.’
Having thus shed a burden from his mind, Jeha decided to enjoy the current journey.
The carriage prepared by the butler was not only large and ornate, but its interior was also remarkably luxurious. The seats, upholstered in fine fabric, were comfortable, and a small brazier kept the air inside pleasantly warm. The coachman’s skill was exceptional, providing such a smooth ride that it was hard to believe they were moving in a carriage.
“Where would you like to go first, Master?” Paimon inquired.
“Well… considering efficiency, it would make sense to visit the closest place first. But I can’t exactly go around looking for a baby demon dragon and then meet Hereis, can I? He is a Grand Archbishop, after all.”
“To reach Encarosha, where the Grand Temple is located, our route would bypass the mountain range believed to house the baby demon dragon. However, if that is your wish, Master, we could visit Encarosha first and then search for the baby demon dragon on our return journey.”
“Is the baby demon dragon’s location closer?”
“In terms of distance, yes, it is.”
“Hmm…”
Jeha pondered for a moment. When they first departed from the Demon King’s Castle, his intention had been to make a brief stop at Belgarga Castle and then immediately set off to find the baby demon dragon. However, nearly half a month had already passed. During this time, the baby demon dragon had been left alone, abandoned. He had no way of knowing if the young creature was still enduring well on its own.
‘If I had known it would be delayed this long, I should have told the Demon Dragon Protection Association, or whatever they’re called, to rescue it first…’
Belatedly, Jeha worried that he might have missed the opportune moment to save the baby demon dragon because of his own delays.
“…Then let’s just find the baby demon dragon first. It’s still so young; if anything were to happen to it after being neglected further, it would be a disaster.”
“Understood.”
Paimon immediately responded, opening the small window connecting to the coachman’s seat and relaying the destination. He then instructed the coachman to increase their speed slightly.
The carriage picked up speed. While it slightly diminished the comfort, Jeha paid it no mind. His thoughts yearned to abandon the carriage and teleport directly to the mountain range where the baby demon dragon was said to be. However, he was currently traveling as the Marquis of Belgarga, on his way to meet Hereis. He needed to leave a human trail.
The carriage traveled for three consecutive days.
What had initially been a comfortable carriage now began to feel cramped and inconvenient. Most notably, having to stop the carriage for meals and seek out an inn for sleep each night was incredibly bothersome and a waste of precious time.
‘My thoughts yearned to return to the Demon King’s Castle and simply sleep until the carriage reached its destination. With Paimon and Zephyr present, it would be no trouble at all to enchant the party, making it seem as though I were still accompanying them on their journey.’
However, Jeha decided to suppress that desire.
For one, despite the boredom, he wished to personally observe and experience the human world through the ever-changing scenery outside the window as they traveled. Additionally, there was a distinct pleasure in tasting the diverse, region-specific cuisines.
Reflecting, Jeha realized he had never truly experienced a proper journey. While he had taken domestic trips with his parents in his childhood, those memories were fragmented due to his young age. As a university student, his travels had amounted to nothing more than drinking parties in large accommodations during MTs and similar events.
He had planned trips, though: backpacking through Europe, which seemed almost obligatory for a university student, short language courses, and even a working holiday.
Yet, Jeha had never accomplished a single one of them, having been targeted by Bellarossa and transported to this world instead. Thus, he resolved to seize this opportunity to truly experience a journey, even if it meant enduring some hardships.
After five days of continuous travel, stopping only for food and sleep, the carriage finally reached its destination.
Stepping out of the carriage, Jeha was greeted by the sight of a mountain range that, while not as grand as the one stretching behind Belgarga Castle, still appeared quite steep. Thinking momentarily of the baby demon dragon somewhere deep within those mountains, Jeha followed his escort into a village inn.
As it was late afternoon, with the sun beginning to set, the inn’s ground floor was already bustling. Though it was still too early to be truly drunk, the boisterous voices of already tipsy patrons echoed from various corners.
Upon seeing the attire of Jeha and his party as they entered, the innkeeper immediately rushed over and bowed.
“Welcome, my lord.”
“Are there any rooms available?” Paimon asked.
The innkeeper, who seemed to have a sharp eye, quickly scanned the group and nodded promptly. “Of course, my lord. Our most luxurious room is still vacant. And there’s ample space for the honorable knights accompanying you.”
“Then please show us to our rooms. We’ll dine in our respective chambers, so ensure the meals are prepared with the utmost care.”
“By all means, my lord. Please, right this way up the stairs.”
The innkeeper bowed subserviently and led them towards the staircase.
Before ascending the stairs, Jeha glanced at a table where a group was seated. They all appeared to be nothing more than ordinary merchants, but they couldn’t deceive the eyes of the Demon King, Jeha. Those individuals, meticulously concealing their demonic energy, must be the Demon Dragon Protection Association, guarding the location of the baby demon dragon.