Chapter 491: A Demon Has To Act Like A Demon To Be A Demon (3) |
I had to hurry up.
‘Are they really on drugs?’
I was supposed to be happy because of the Continental Union’s growth, but I wasn’t happy at all. It felt like people were coming over to my place for a housewarming party, even though I was still in the middle of cleaning the place up.
Fortunately, it would take them some time to reach Amera. However, I was becoming desperate because they basically skipped conquering the mini-dungeons and were charging straight ahead.
‘Have they gone crazy or something…’
We were dropping hints, but the Continental Union shouldn’t have enough information to carry out an actual plan to conquer Belial’s territory.
The only information they had was the rough location of each base and the existence of a few of the Four Heavenly Demon Kings—Ballitos, the human-eating demon, and Rimoura, the mana sucker of Amera and was the one making sure that the demons wouldn’t get recalled to hell.
We also gave them a few tips. Of course, we didn’t mention Donovan and Carpediac so that they would become a bit cautious.
‘Are they planning on gathering information while attacking the outskirts? They sure are moving quickly, but there has to be a limit to it. Did they even prepare things properly?’
I couldn’t help but think that Cha Hee-Ra was the leader of the Continental Union’s conquest.
It was also possible that the irritable Father Basel had kicked up a fuss, but I was leaning more toward the possibility that the Red Mercenary Guild was leading the conquest.
Of course, it was also possible that they were pressuring us to observe our reactions.
Unfortunately, my assumption was quickly destroyed.
- The 43rd base has fallen.
“What?”
‘I thought they gathered enough personnel there, so why did it fall?’
- We found out that the 41st base is currently in battle. The 41st base hasn’t suffered any substantial damage just yet, but priests’ holy power is diminishing Belial’s territory. Our mid-ranked demons are having trouble against Benigoa’s disgusting holy power.
‘I really think they’re on drugs.’
- The 42nd base’s predicament is the same. It seems that those pesky humans are really angry. Things are becoming interesting; it’s fun.
‘It’s not fun at all, you bastard.’
I was shocked by the revelation. Meanwhile, the nearby demons were looking at me, and they seemed happy about the commotion. I was sure that they still hadn’t realized that the turn of events was bad and that I was in a desperate situation.
I thought things would go smoothly, so I didn’t think that it would be this bad from the start.
‘Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have taken charge. I shouldn’t have agreed to do it…’
The directors, supervisors, and project managers would receive praise whenever things were going well, but once things started going south, they would become responsible for everything.
Right now, Belial was complimenting me. However, I was sure that his compliments would vanish once he realized that things were going south.
I was really worried because he was a scummy demon who was trying to get rid of the demons that had been supporting him and were loyal to him for thousands of years.
Fortunately, the current situation wasn’t that bad.
- It’s starting. Hahaha. I’m really looking forward to this, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.
“Ha… haha.” I chuckled.
- Is this one of the scenarios you had in mind? I can’t believe you expected the humans to attack before we dispatched enough troops. As expected…
“Well, it’s safe to say that,” I said.
- But I feel like our troops fell a little bit too easily. I think it would’ve been better if we had dispatched more soldiers to the bases. It’s too late to send reinforcements now. At this rate, we will have to surrender three bases without getting any proper results.
- Hahaha, don’t worry so much. I’m sure Mr. Lee Ki-Young has other plans.
‘I don’t, you bastards.’
My mouth started talking, and the way I started talking was almost like an instinct.
“Haha. You need to give them a bit of hope so that the despair they’ll feel later is more effective. My heart is already pounding at the thought of making those humans suffer while they’re still drunk on their victory. Don’t you agree?” I asked.
- I see. Hahaha. Does that mean the 41st and 43rd bases were cards you were going to throw away from the start? I completely fell for it, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. You’re amazing! Simply amazing!
Of course, it wasn’t the case. It wasn’t supposed to just throw them away, and they weren’t supposed to fall that easily. Honestly, I was kind of disappointed with their performance.
Anyway, I finally noticed what the Continental Union was trying to do. The 41st, 42nd, and 43rd bases were in strategic positions, so it was natural that they had decided to conquer them first.
I was sure that they would use those bases as forward operating bases to ensure the safety of the supply routes. In other words, they would be able to gather information more easily with those bases.
The demons weren’t really concerned about those bases because they would simply return to hell once they had done their jobs. In their eyes, they would eventually give up those bases, so they weren’t really concerned about them.
However, it was unfortunate that the only way they could think of gathering merits was through fierce battles.
Anyway, it wouldn’t be strange if the Continental Union found someone else to take on Lee Ki-Young’s role, and it made sense considering the Continental Union’s actions so far.
‘Ship Lee Ki-Young is sinking! There are issues with the forward defenses.’
‘The answer is a set piece, and we got unlucky with the first encounter.’
I suddenly recalled a news article criticizing the soccer coach of an obscure country.
“I’m sure they’re going to build a large castle wall using magic and use the bases they had conquered as forward operating bases because of their strategic locations. They’ll be using those bases from now on in their quest to conquer the Federation. They lack information, so they’re definitely thinking about gathering as much information as possible,” I explained.
- In that case…
“We need to dispatch Mr. Donovan,” I replied.
- Ah…
“It’s only a matter of time before the humans decide to scatter,” I said.
- As expected…
‘I managed to come up with an excuse.’
I nodded to myself.
All of a sudden, the nearby demons kneeled.
I was confused, but my body reacted first before my thoughts.
My knees instinctively kneeled at the possible appearance of an important figure.
After getting into the same position as the other demons, I heard a very familiar voice.
- Is everything going well?
‘Belial. Shit…’
For some reason, it felt like it had been a while since I saw the ruler of the 27th Legion.
‘Why did he come here all of a sudden?’
- Welcome, Belial.
- Welcome Belial, the ruler of many demons.
“Welcome, Great Lord of Hell Belial, the supreme being and the demon revered by all mortals. You look very dignified today as well,” I greeted.
- Forget the flattery. I didn’t come here for that. I heard the news, disgusting human.
“Excuse me?”
- The 41st, 42nd, and 43rd bases were destroyed before we could bring in results.
‘Shit…’
“They were bases we were going to lose, anyway. Things are working well, so please don’t worry, Belial,” I replied.
- I’m not here to blame you, so don’t worry. It’s actually the opposite. All of this is part of your sickening plan, anyway. I’m not that dumb to get worked up over something like this. You’ve been working hard, so I just came here to praise you for that. It’s happening a little faster than I thought, but this is the first step for the 27th Legion.
‘So why are you treating me like your co-worker?’
“That’s true, but…”
- A big part of it was because I didn’t like the fact that you—the future of the 27th Legion—had decided to go out without making an announcement.
“You mean…”
- Be quiet and follow me.
‘Shit. It’d be nice if he didn’t keep putting things on the line for me. Stop it.’
The bigger of a deal this situation became, the more worried I was about the possible failure of the project. I walked as calmly as possible, but my heart was filled with anxiety.
The sudden increase in the burden on my shoulders made me want to run away.
Belial was all smiles as well, and he even seemed kind of excited.
My lips dried up when I thought about how the failure of this project would turn all of Belial’s excitement into fury.
- Congratulations, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.
- It seems like Belial really cares about you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.
I was sure that the demons next to me had no idea of my feelings because they gave me a thumbs up while congratulating me. I followed Belial while focusing my eyes on his back because I didn’t want to respond to the other demons.
Eventually, I saw the entire 27th Legion in a line.
- Roooooooooooar!!!
‘I had a feeling that this was going to happen. Shit…’
The entire 27th Legion was there, so it meant that the high priests were there as well. It was definitely a sight to behold, but it was ridiculous in the current situation. They were applauding with sincere looks on their faces, so I couldn’t help but think that they were actually congratulating me on the start of the project.
Rimoura and Lonovera were there.
Even Donovan was clapping while smiling warmly…
‘Stop it! You bastards. There’s no need for all this…!’
They weren’t wearing their usual outfit, so it seemed like they were ready to fight. Donovan was covered in armor from head to toe, while Lonovera was holding a spear and a shield.
The other demons wore similar outfits.
When they cheered at once, the sound they produced was so loud that my ears started ringing, and my heart pounded furiously against my chest.
Belial looked at me with satisfaction, and he looked like he was telling me to look at this view. This was the first time I got scared of his hand gesture that was signaling me to go up the stage and say a word or two. I wasn’t scared of the stage itself, but it was hard for me to say anything because of our current situation.
“I’m okay, Belial. The 27th Legion is going to war, so I’m sure it’ll be better if you say something instead of me,” I suggested.
- That’s not true, disgusting human. No, I think it’s best if I call you Lee Ki-Young from now on. You prepared all these, not me. I’m not cruel enough to take all credit.
‘You can take the credit if you want to...’
- Can you see it? The scene in front of you can only be seen by the leader of the 27th Legion.
‘So what, damn it…’
- However, this scene is only a small part of what you’re going to see.
“Ah, okay...”
- You will have all this one day. What do you think? Do you like it?
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but i-it’s a bit burdensome. However, this ignorant mortal is honored that you care so much about me, Belial,” I replied.
- I know that you’re not being sincere.
‘I am being sincere.’
- Stand up there and let the legion know your voice and who you are.
‘Shit.’
There was no escape.
I felt like a politician whose picture was being taken before signing an agreement. Belial grabbed my shoulder as well, and the entire legion roared at the sight. In other words, it was impossible to escape from this predicament.
Naturally, I started walking up the stage because the slow-witted Belial pushed me toward the stage with a warm, motherly smile on his lips.
The hall instantly became quiet.
In the end, I had no choice but to say something to them.
- It is my honor to meet you all like this—my dear comrades!
It felt like we were about to fight back.
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