Chapter 59

"Jade!"

Ren called out with a worried look on his face.

"Um... first of all, congratulations. And thank you for hosting such a grand banquet. ...The atmosphere has changed, but you are the lord now. It can't be helped, right?"

Ren tried to force a smile as he spoke, but his expression quickly became weak.

It was no wonder. The look Jade gave Ren was too cold.

Ren felt as if he would be crushed by the silent pressure, but he steeled himself and looked ahead.

"Jade, talk to me! It might be unseemly to do so during the banquet, but I want to talk about the past, the future, what you're thinking, what you're feeling... everything! Just like we used to! ...I'm so anxious. Please, don't look at me with such cold eyes..."

His voice was almost inaudible at the end.

Jade smiled when he saw this.

"Oh, oh, this pig, who has given you permission to speak?"

Despite his gentle, admonishing tone, Jade's words were dismissive.

A large amount of magic power suddenly gathered around Ren, who looked as if he couldn't believe it.

"K-ka...!"

The concentration of magic was so intense that Ren fell to his knees.

Panting, he looked up at Jade.

"J-Jade...?"

"Hmm, I'm trying to kill you with this pressure... interesting, so this is what a 'Cursed One' is like. ...Ah, you're Ren, right? A 'Cursed One' who spits venom."

Jade looked at Ren as if he were a rare animal.

"And Galilea, Thalia, Babylon, Crow... yes, they were all people who served Jade. I remember now."

Jade's gaze swept over them, and he saw that Galilea and the others had already collapsed.

They had been hit by the aftereffects of the magic power he had gathered earlier.

They were unconscious, though not dead.

"Ev-eryone...? Jade! What are you... talking about...?"

Ren seemed confused by Jade's talk of his companions, and even himself, as if they were strangers.

Jade... no, he was not human.

He laughed at the flustered Ren.

"Ha ha ha! ...I see, I see. That's right. It's pitiful to disappear without understanding anything. Alright, I'll tell you. I'm in a good mood, so I'll explain what's happening."

He twisted his lips and continued.

"---The Jade who led you is dead. I killed him and took over his body. His abilities and memories are now mine. You should have understood from the content of the letter I sent, right? I wrote it using Jade's memories that remained in my body. How about it, the handwriting was the same, wasn't it?"

"No, that's a lie!"

"It's not a lie. In fact... heh heh, don't you understand that it's the truth yourself? That's why you look so pale."

"..."

Ren bit his lip, his face pale. The creature narrowed his eyes in amusement.

Taking over a body... so this guy is a demon.

Demons, lacking a physical form, have the power to take over and control human bodies.

"By the way, it might not matter anymore, but the content of the letter was true. Jade was the third son of a noble family here, and he used you to kill his troublesome relatives. It seems he intended to call you back after things settled down. But I appeared before that. He was a very unusual 'Cursed One.' I came all this way because I wanted him. Despite his resistance... well, as you can see, I became Jade."

"No...!"

Despair colored Ren's eyes.

"Right, right, Jade apparently went around causing trouble and mentioning your names while I was sleeping. He probably wanted to make it look like it was your doing and get you away from here, didn't he? What a touching story. He must have strained his fading consciousness to try to save his companions. ...But it didn't work. Jade's consciousness has completely sunk into me, and this body is now completely mine. Ha ha ha ha ha!"

The creature laughed loudly.

The soldiers laughed along with him.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

When the creature raised his hand, the soldiers stopped laughing.

"By the way, these soldiers have had their bodies taken over by demons from the Demon World. Since I've come this far, I thought I'd test their abilities and destroy a country or two on my way back. Today is the prelude to that."

"Are you... planning to start a war...?"

Of all people, Jade, who had been against war, was planning to make Ren and the others do it.

Ren glared at the creature with regret.

Blood seeped from his bitten lip.

"Yes. A thrilling, murderous feast. Rejoice, for you will be able to participate. Ha!"

The creature swirled his cloak and rolled up his sleeves.

Several black human faces floated on his thin arms.

"Now, let's get to the main point. The reason I called you 'Cursed Ones' is just one: your bodies. Demons and 'Cursed Ones' are very compatible. You will make excellent forces. I will have you serve as the vessels for the demons I brought from the Demon World! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The creature laughed again.

Ren, overwhelmed by despair, bowed his head and knelt.

Amidst this, the creature and I made eye contact.

"Hey, why are you unaffected by my pressure? You're standing tall. Kneel."

The creature gathered the surrounding magic power towards me.

A denser magic power swirled around me... but it didn't affect me at all.

No matter how much the pressure of the surrounding magic increased, it had no effect if my own magic concentration was high.

"Hmm... this is surprising. The pressure I'm applying would turn a normal human into minced meat instantly. What are you?"

"Just a prince. The seventh one."

"Seventh prince... ah, I remember a little. Your name is Lloyd Di Salam. A prince with tremendous magical talent and a willingness to work hard. You've conducted many independent magical studies on a wide range of subjects. Jade was very eager to meet you. He was studying magic to control his own abilities and wanted to hear your stories."

"What a coincidence. I wanted to as well... but you've nullified that."

"Too bad, too sad♪"

I glared at the creature, who laughed amusingly.

Bastard... you've taken away the opportunity to meet a valuable person like Jade.

If I could have talked to him, with his deep knowledge of magic and abilities, we might have discovered new ways to use my abilities or combine them with magic.

And a war? If that happens, valuable people I don't know might die.

To do such a thing in someone else's country... I won't forgive you, no matter how interesting a demon you are.

"...I remember that demons can be defeated by a large amount of magic."

Magic doesn't affect demons, but they receive microscopic damage from the shockwaves generated when magic is cast.

Therefore, if a large amount of magic is cast rapidly, they can be defeated without issue.

"Mu!?"

I covered the creature's body with a barrier and loaded it with a large amount of magic.

Then, I activated it.

Numerous spells were cast in rapid succession within the barrier.

The creature was engulfed by the continuous explosions.

I kept firing for several seconds, then the smoke slowly cleared.

"...Hmm, indeed, an incredible amount of spell deployment. The speed and power are impeccable. There aren't many mages like you."

The creature emerged from the smoke.

His body was like a collection of mist, lacking a physical form.

Indeed, a demon... but why didn't my magic work?

As I pondered, I noticed my palm was trembling slightly.

"Shit... why is he here...!? No way...!"

"What's wrong, Grimo?"

"We need to run. Lord Lloyd, he's not a demon... he's a demon of the Demon Race!"