Chapter 320 – Follow Me

Chapter 320 Follow Me

“…”

“You do it, Demon King.”

“Stop.”

“You become the demon king, and lead the demon king army.
Take over the military, kill Philip, defeat Alberic and Catherine.”

“I told you to stop.”

“Now that you are the deputy commander.
There is no General Kaltz, and now the main body of the Demon King Castle’s lieutenant is vacant.
Right now is the right time…”

Chuck!

Nene’s dagger was extended at once and aimed at the neck of a half-breed giant over 3 meters tall.
A purple blade that is cold to the touch.
It is so sharp that it is dangerous to even bring it to the neck.
Because it could sever the carotid artery.

“Balak.
Oh, it was sincere.
I think of you like my brother
Do you know
Because I trust you, I entrusted you to look at my drinking glass when I go to the bathroom.
If it wasn’t for you, I might have been eaten by Van Dark long ago… Haha!!!
Therefore… Stop.”

“I’m serious too.”

“Ha, fuck! Balak! Jjom!
Why are you doing this!
It’s over!”

I’m the one who aimed the knife, but I’m the one who can’t afford it.
Rather, the red-skinned mixed-race giant looks down at me calmly.

“I could risk my life for you, but not for Lumica.
So are the soldiers.
I would risk my life for the iron mask, but for the sake of the beautiful lady?
Okay.”

“It’s not Lumica.
Is the devil
Call me now, Your Majesty.”

“I’m not the Demon King yet.”

“The coronation was held.”

“The ‘Power of Fire’ is yet to come.
Wasn’t it before you went to the Demon Realm?”

“I will be back soon.”

“Then you go to the demon realm.
Go ahead and inherit the ‘power of fire’.
The one who inherits the power of fire is the real demon king.
It’s a time-honored tradition, right?
A performance that spreads its wings of fire and flies.
Is not it?”

“Did you not hear what I said to Khan?”

“I heard you.
To my father
Everything, everything.”

“But why… !!”

“I don’t get it.
Only recently heard
That you are the blood relative of the demon lord and that you inherited dark blood.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s Camus.
The military wants a leader who can understand the military.
Except for those who hold parties with ladies in the castle, drink wine, chatter haha, and dance at balls.
We want men on the front line, eating junk food and drinking rough beer, turning their backs on us and turning their backs on the enemy.
Why do you think the Caltz rebelled?”

“Because I am ambitious.
I was no longer satisfied with the position of general.
It’s because you’re an arrogant bastard who knows how to risk the lives of his subordinates!”

“Then why would those men risk their lives to follow him?”

“Officers should follow suit and take their share.
Sword strikes will be done by soldiers.
Wouldn’t it be a perfect gain to risk someone else’s life and sell it?”

“Don’t just look at me crookedly.
You know that?
Because he was a conscript.
More than half of the officers and legionnaires are conscripts.
The guys who came as recruits are nobles like Van Dark.
Or, like me and Adolf, those who have to come culturally, in fact, under the tribal system.
What caused the coup?
Simple.
The war has been too long.
Would the former conscripts want to drive a stake?
You won’t be able to go home anyway, and your superiors will die and get promoted, so don’t you think you want to get a share?
If everyone thinks they can’t go back, I’m not afraid of a coup d’état or a nabbal.
That’s why, when Carlz talks about it, he jumps on the bandwagon, saying, ‘Something plausible?'”

“You are funny.
It’s only half true.
Everyone’s only interested in loot anyway.
Because there is no event to take care of a portion as tightly as the war!
Do humans think it’s a holy war and attack?
They are also coming to grab money to change their lives.
In addition, I received some buffs with holy water and blessings, prayed for justification, and felt less guilty.
Go home and brag about it.
Neither do we.
We’re fighting for our lives.
Survival has no deadlines.
What does it matter whether you are aristocrat or commoner, whether the war is long or short?
Just struggling to live until death.
I can’t dare justify such poor logic and treachery.
So, what does that have to do with telling me to become the demon king?”

“You can get support from the military.
Surely.”

“Do you know what Rumika can’t get?”

“The army wants someone who takes care of it.
Rumica wasn’t in the army, and you rolled off the floor.
Totally different.
Someone who has gone through the same sorrow will take care of us.
If it’s the iron mask we know.
Soldiers think so too.

Deep-seated mistrust.
That makes them focus only on immediate gains.

“So now I’m assisting him!
Do you think I won’t take care of the military under him?”

“Huh.”

“The grounds?”

“First, when capturing Light Blinger.
No looting, no killing.”

“You said it was because you had to use Light Blinger.
Right now, they are in charge of our air force.
What would you gain by killing them?
Resentment?
Did you have anything to loot?
After all, it was just a few shields and a few helmets!”

“If you sold them as slaves, you could sell them at a high price.
Good. That’s right.
Second, marriage between you and the little queen.”

“What about that?”

“Would a person married to a human queen be allowed to plunder in an occupied territory?”

“Under…”

“Do you think there will be kids who come out of the battlefield believing in a small salary?
It is the same whether in the regular army or auxiliary, enlisted or conscripted.
Spoils, slaves, and land taken from enemy territory…
The military wants them.
Wouldn’t that be enough to go back and stomp at the price of his life?
Why would berserkers live less than the average lifespan of 30?
I’m doing it to bring you home.
Why do highland tribes say that being born with twins is a blessing from the mountain god?
Why would you?
It’s because more and more people are going out to bring loot.
A son becomes a warrior.
A daughter would give birth to a warrior.
That’s it.
But what if we win?
Will you permit the plunder of Amity?
I don’t think so.
As long as you live on that little queen’s ass.
I don’t know if it’s a demon king, but as a queen’s husband, there’s no way.”

“You spoke well.
Don’t focus on loot.
Focus on the price
No matter what the method is, no matter what my position is, I am responsible for taking care of your meals.
Didn’t you see the eradication of gambling this time?
If I only thought of myself, I would split half with you, eat and bounce!
However? How did you do it?
You didn’t!
At the time of the Belzeburg Peace Accord, you received a hefty amount of compensation and distributed it!
Money cannot buy peace, but money can sell peace.
I have already proven that.”

“Whoa, yes.
Then let’s put that aside.”

“What do you mean?
Don’t lump the most important things together!
I’m done talking to Kahn too.
Would you have heard?
I set Rumika as the demon king and Stella as the queen, and I ascend to the throne over them.
For the first time in history, I will show you the emperor with an iron mask who reigns over two countries.”

“Is this a realistic story?
Even the Demon King’s army is a multi-ethnic country.
No, it’s a military alliance centered on demons.
A lax military alliance that couldn’t even pay taxes properly and supported auxiliary soldiers.
The rebellion of the beastmen of the Kalz must have been possible because of the formation of a consensus that the flow of the world, where demons are the mainstream, cannot be changed at this time.”

“Yeah, that’s right.
That’s why, like me, someone who inherits various races, but has the legitimacy of a demon king, should reign as emperor.
The one who connects humans and demons, the one who connects Amitie and the demon army.
The legitimacy that can inherit the power of fire by inheriting Dark Blood.
His aspect as a mediator from the Belzeburg Agreement to the Silcan Valley Amusement Park.
The one who has it all, that’s me.
I am the only one who can bring peace and prosperity to the end of this war.”

“Is peace and prosperity a suitable word for the devil?
The Demon King is the one who steals and destroys!
Amity is its prey!
What’s the point of putting wolves and sheep in one enclosure?”

“Funny.
So we’re just wolves being bitten by sheep right now?
Okay, what if I become the Demon King?
So what to do?
After all, since I’m close to you, take better care of berserkers and giants.
So what else is there to do but give me more pocket money?
What if I become the devil?
It’s easy to get power.
What next?
So, does the structure of the demon lord’s army, which is mainly demons, change?
Will the entire tribe below me obediently follow?
What about the demon clans? The nobles? What about the common people?”

“…”

“It makes no more sense to do as you say.
Aren’t you trying to settle for reality?
Within the current framework, I was talking about how to make sure you take care of your tribe’s rice bowl more reliably.
I will try to get a seat in the leadership class through personal connections!
Are you telling me to hurt my love with just such a trivial thought?
When she was sentenced to death, did you see her crawling desperately in her blood to save me?
Do you see me as someone who will kill the wife I got after 100 years with your sloppy logic?”

“It’s a public wife.”

“Pity.
You bastard, listen carefully.
Rumika is my pupil, my wife, my future, my everything.
If you touch her, you will touch me.
I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you said today.
But there is no next.
If you say that bullshit one more time, you’ll end up like Caltz.
Don’t let me call you a traitor.”

“Do you really believe that you can become an emperor ruling both countries?”

“Faith is the substance of what is hoped for.
Just like magic, like miracles.
For those who do not dream of ideals, do not expect a better tomorrow than yesterday.
Dreaming is the role of a leader.
Under me, under Rumika, run and make my dreams come true.
Lest I become a dreamer.”

“It is also the role of a leader to preach the value and legitimacy of dreams to subordinates.
Persuade me, not my father.”

“Persuade? Good.
I’ll do anything.
How long do you think your tribe’s predatory economy will last?
Do you know
That’s the limit now.
The confined terrain of the highlands, the strong rivals of the steppe nomads beneath the plateau.
The speed of development of the agricultural peoples who founded the country on the plains is not even catching up.
Being within the boundaries of the Demon King’s army is to avoid being invaded and to receive resources.
Otherwise, you’ll die on the mountain.
I understand the pressure of having to show off my presence as a pioneer.
The most dangerous place is where the competition rate is low and there is a lot to be gained.
Because life is precious to everyone.
You are the one who has to dig into that niche.
Giants are a minority.
The required territory is large, and a lot of food is needed.
Optician?
Human.
Marginalized humans.
He joined the Demon King’s Army from the days of ‘The Demon King of Liberation’ and put his life in order to secure a place.
It’s like a candle burning with fuel for life.
There are not many candles left now.
Yes if you go like this
As it is.”

Tsukwak! Sereung.

I took the knife and put it in the scabbard.

Chin.

Tap his leg with the palm of your hand.

“Have you seen it before?
Turned the berserker unit into a free roll and I paced it.
With me, the vanguard is always your tribe.
What about the giants?
It is a rare resource.
I will definitely preserve it.
Plunder?
Don’t get hung up on such uncertain and temporary rewards.
I always give you work.
As long as I exist, you are the main characters.”

“Remember that word.
Because we are risking our lives to invest.”

“The day that even Khan believed in, you wouldn’t believe me… I am surprised.”

“I just wanted to be confirmed either way.
A person who has the belief that he will pay for his life at a high price and pay for it.
‘The Devil’ is a historical credit currency.”

Credit money.
I became a demon king.
Or, I really became the emperor as planned.
You want to bet on the surer side, right?
If Balak is like this, the rest will be worse.

I guess I’ll have to go find him.

* * *

“Is Michelle in?”

“Yes, it is.
May I guide you?”

“Done. I will be alone.”

Bubbly.

To unite the Demon King’s army, to unite the two countries.
Yes, it’s power.
You need absolute power.
Different peoples, tribes with different cultures, countries in conflict.
Enough strength to bind them together.
It will come from the ‘system’.
We need Michelle to figure that out.

Chunk. Squeak…

“Howdy. Long time no see, Michelle.
While I couldn’t see her, her face became pretty~
I heard you opened your arms?”

“Dog… Pup… !!”

He is hanging from the ceiling in the same position as when I was being tortured.
The only thing different from me is that the stinking smell of chestnut flowers emanates from his mouth and butt.
And the point is that he is appropriately dressed as a woman.

“I came to ask you something.”

“I didn’t say a word you asked me…”

“Mind control.”

Fuhuaaak!

A fluidized arm that stretches far away.
It became possible to snatch the brain from a much longer distance than before.
Thanks to that, I was able to cast a spell away from the unusual smell.

Pajijijijijik!!!

“Aaaaa!
More, you dirty hypnotist bastard… !!”

“Oh, thank you for the compliment.
Does the magic work well?”

Pajijijijik!
Parts zuz zuzz… !

Michelle, who has been weakened by torture.
It’s very easy to break through the mental barrier.

“Your words that you received the protection of the system.
If that’s true, you’ll find out soon.”

Before long, familiar messages and warning sounds explode in my brain.

Pajijijik!!!
Why! Why! Why! Why! Why! Why!

A now familiar, bell-like noise echoes through my brain,

[System Warning! System Alert! System Alert! System Warning!]

“It was real.
That you are under the protection of the system.”

[NPC ‘Kamu Franz’ invades the brain of NPC ‘Michel Berthier’, a candidate for ‘Final Boss Guardian’.]

[Warning. Warning. Warning. Warning. Warning. Warning. Warning. Warning. Warning.]

[Support position… NPC ‘Kamu Franz’ is trying to hack.]

[Unauthorized access to the system is subject to disciplinary action… Target… Do you… Support position…]

[Chijik… Hacking… Chijik… Invasion… Chijik…]

[NPC ‘Kamu Franz’. A preliminary candidate for the final boss’s guardian. Currently unregistered as a candidate.]

[No access to information. No access to information.]

[Please register as a candidate officially and fight for the position of ‘Guardian of the final boss.]

[You cannot control the opponent’s mind in a fight for the position of ‘Guardian of the Final Boss’.
Please use physical force to confront.]

Okay.
So, open your brain quickly.
I am not interested in the ‘guardian’ position you are talking about.
Aren’t you trying to use me as an expendable item?
Like Dismas, lieutenant general of the Knights Templar.

Don’t try to treat me as you please.
It is me who is dealing with you.

[Chijik… Hacking. Warning. Hacking. Warning.
Forced opening of the status window. Forced opening of the status window.]

Also.
When I try to control the brains of those who are related to the system, I can break into the system.
Let’s get to know ourselves first.
This way… Was it?
So, open it!

[Name: Camus Franz (Bernstein)
Height: 175cm
Weight: 75 kg
Affiliation: Demon King’s Army Bernstein
Gender: Male (207)]

In the empty space in front of my eyes, my wish list floats.
Okay. Wasn’t this the ‘status window’?
Hmm, even at a glance, the numbers next to the abilities are much higher than when they were connected to Nuvacane’s brain.
I don’t have anything to compare those numbers with, so I’m not sure if they’re big or small.
All I know is that my abilities have improved evenly compared to before, and my charm is very high compared to other abilities.
Hmm, didn’t Alberic shout that he reached level 90?
What about me?
Let’s see, the level is…

[Level: 80 (max!)]

What? Replace what’s in parentheses.
What is the maximum?
Alberic is level 90, but why did I end up at 80?

“Come to think of it, when I first met Alberic… Didn’t he grumble that he was hit by the level limit?”

It seems there is a level limit for me too.
Alberic must have crossed this limit through some special method, right?
If it’s a special event for him… The first thing I can think of is assassinating the demon lord.
He said that the demon king is the 1st stage boss.

Then I have to catch another boss to cross the limit.
Stage 2 boss Nuvacane is dead, and next…

“Level 3 boss, Philip.”