#59
“Contracting with a demon is never an easy feat. Merely summoning one demands an exorbitant price.”
“Like Hereis, who slaughtered all the high priests and paladins to offer them as sacrifices?”
“Precisely. Of course, for a typical demon, the sacrifice wouldn’t need to be as immense as that required to summon you, my lord.”
“However, it still invariably demands a great many human lives and blood.”
“Offering such a sacrifice to summon a demon is beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person. And considering they haven’t been caught by the temple, it implies they possess the power to conceal their actions.”
“Indeed.”
‘It seems Hereis has a formidable opponent among their enemies.’
Jeha murmured, recalling Hereis.
In Encarosha, Marquis Belgarga was known as Hereis’s patron and lover. His death would undoubtedly deal a severe blow to Hereis.
This enemy, presumed to have contracted with a demon, must be a person of swift calculation, decisive action, and quick execution.
“I intend to remain as Marquis Belgarga for the time being. Therefore, we must act accordingly.”
As Jeha spoke, Zephyr nodded.
“Then let us say you ingested poison but immediately vomited it, thus making a miraculous recovery. It would be wise to remain in bed for a few days, playing the part of an invalid.”
“Right. Lying still in bed is what I do best, after all.”
With that, Jeha flopped onto the bed.
To be subjected to an assassination attempt by poison within two days of arriving in Encarosha. Rather than anger towards the perpetrator, Jeha found himself feeling utterly surprised and intrigued.
‘When else would I experience something this dramatic?’ he mused.
“Oh, right. I need to reply to Hereis.”
As Jeha attempted to sit up, Zephyr gently pressed on his chest, guiding him back down onto the bed.
“How could someone who has just ingested poison and hovered near death possibly write a letter? I shall convey the news to the Grand Temple on your behalf.”
“Ah, that would be for the best. Yes, please do that.”
Jeha nodded, settling back obediently into bed. Suddenly, he noticed Kkamangi huddled in a corner of the bed.
Kkamangi was staring intently at Jeha with wide, startled eyes, its fur bristling as if profoundly shocked.
“Ah, Kkamangi.”
Only then did Jeha realize he had completely forgotten about Kkamangi. After his sudden fit of dizziness, followed by violent retching and a general commotion, Kkamangi must have been terribly frightened.
Jeha beckoned several times, and only then did Kkamangi slowly, cautiously approach him.
“Now that I think about it, Kkamangi kept sniffing the soup earlier. Could they have detected the scent of a demon realm mushroom?”
“It’s possible. Even with their demonic power sealed, a demon dragon is inherently sensitive and instinctual.”
Paimon replied.
Jeha stroked Kkamangi’s head, calming the startled creature. He decided that if Kkamangi ever acted out of the ordinary again, he would pay closer attention.
Having calmed Kkamangi, Jeha immediately resumed his role as a sick man, sprawling on the bed. As he slowed his heart rate, the color drained from his face, and he swiftly transformed into the pallid image of an ailing patient.
Zephyr, looking utterly distraught, rushed to the Grand Temple to deliver the news to Hereis. Paimon, meanwhile, instructed a butler to summon a doctor, then stormed into the kitchen where the food was prepared, causing a considerable uproar.
The doctor arrived in a panicked flurry, and the mansion’s atmosphere grew so ominous that even Jeha, lying still in bed, could sense the tension.
The doctor, possessing no knowledge of modern medicine, meticulously poked each item of food Jeha had consumed with a silver knife. He then shook his head, declaring that no poison was present.
Following this, he produced a knife, insisting he needed to examine Jeha’s blood.
Even with his demonic power sealed, Jeha’s very body was forged from a fragment of the Demon God. Should even a single drop of his blood escape, there was no telling what might occur.
Paimon vehemently opposed harming Jeha’s body, and the doctor ultimately concluded his examination by concocting a few herbal remedies.
Shortly after the doctor departed the mansion, a commotion erupted outside. Soon, a frantic-looking Hereis burst into the bedroom.
“Lord Jeha!”
Hereis flung open the bedroom door and rushed straight to the bed. Due to his deliberately slowed heart rate, Jeha’s physical condition genuinely appeared poor.
Jeha’s hand, pale from lack of blood flow, trembled slightly as he extended it towards Hereis. Seeing Jeha’s sickly pallor, Hereis’s expression contorted with alarm.
“You were perfectly fine when we parted yesterday. What on earth happened so suddenly?”
Hereis grasped Jeha’s hand tightly with both of his own. Jeha offered a faint smile and gestured for everyone else to leave the room.
Once the door closed, he gently patted the back of Hereis’s hand with his free one, reassuring him.
“It’s fine. I’m merely feigning illness to deceive our opponent.”
“Opponent? What opponent?”
Hereis’s sapphire eyes, previously clouded with bewilderment and worry, swiftly sharpened, becoming calm and piercing.
‘Hmm…’
Jeha pondered for a moment how much he should reveal. The conclusion was swift.
Hereis intended to overthrow the colossal god and the temple, and to do so, he needed to know his opponent as thoroughly as possible.
“My breakfast was poisoned.”
Even with just those words, Hereis’s jaw twitched. It was the first time Jeha had seen him so agitated.
“Don’t worry. I’m the Demon King. Even if I wanted to be affected by poison, I couldn’t be.”
Instead of continuing, Jeha patted Hereis’s hand once more, reassuring him. Only then did he resume speaking.
“But the poison itself is the problem. It wasn’t something from the human realm; it was a mushroom that grows in the Demon Realm.”
“The Demon Realm, you say?”
Hereis’s gaze subtly shifted. Jeha nodded.
“It’s a mushroom demons use as an ingredient for narcotics. If a human consumes it, they die instantly from heart failure.”
“And of course, no matter how much you test, no poison is detected. It’s, quite literally, a sudden death from an unknown cause.”
The hand Hereis held tightened around Jeha’s.
“Of course, I just felt pleasantly lightheaded for a bit after eating it.”
Jeha said playfully.
“But if Lord Jeha were human…”
As Hereis’s voice trailed off, Jeha saw a shadow fall across his eyes.
“But I’m not human, so it’s fine. More importantly, the origin of that mushroom is what truly matters.”
Jeha didn’t want Hereis to become overly distressed or worried by the assassination attempt. Thus, he redirected his attention to the mushroom’s origin.
“Do you understand what it means for a mushroom that only grows in the Demon Realm to be here?”
As Jeha asked, Hereis’s eyes grew calm once more.
“It means a demon is hiding here in Encarosha, or perhaps a human has made a contract with one.”
Hereis quickly deduced the conclusion.
“Summoning a demon itself requires immense sacrifice. Yet, to have accomplished that and remained undetected until now…”
“They must possess both the capital and the power to do so.”
“Precisely. It seems you have a formidable and powerful enemy among your adversaries who has contracted with a demon.”
Hereis lowered his gaze slightly, lost in thought. He was likely considering potential suspects.
He, who had summoned none other than the Demon King, would undoubtedly be intimately familiar with the extent of sacrifice required to summon a demon.
“As far as I recall, there have been no mass disappearances of priests. Nor have there been rumors of many people found murdered or gone missing simultaneously.”
“This suggests that those sacrificed were individuals whose disappearance would go unnoticed.”
Having said that much, Hereis added in a slightly heavier tone,
“And here in Encarosha, a great many paupers gather, people whose sudden disappearance no one would ever investigate.”
At those words, a shiver ran down Jeha’s spine.
He recalled the appearance of the slum he had briefly visited with Hereis before. It was so squalid, he wondered if humans could even survive there.
In such a place, swarms of paupers lived. Luring them would be all too simple. A single loaf of bread would suffice.
A heavy silence settled between the two of them.
In truth, if one were to consider it, this wasn’t something Hereis should be angry about. Hereis had summoned none other than the Demon King, not just a mere demon.
He wasn’t in a position to condemn an opponent who had performed a similar act. Yet, despite this, Jeha could understand why Hereis was enraged.
From his perspective, there would be a vast difference between slaughtering corrupt priests and sacrificing starving common folk desperate for a piece of bread.
“Hereis…”
Jeha found himself at a loss for words.
Ultimately, the existence of demons and the act of summoning them to form contracts could not be separated from Jeha. After all, he was the Demon King, who commanded those very demons as his vassals.