Chapter 490: Villains and Justice

The magical devilish being Lugis. Oilland wasn’t the only one who was frightened by his appearance.

Many of the citizens knew the name of the Heraldic Hero. Even if they didn’t know him personally, they felt a tightness in their throats when they heard that a new magical devilish being had appeared in the capital.

The execution grounds were becoming even more chaotic. The air was tense, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.

「…You bastard! How could you… 」

Even Hind, one of Mastigius’ vice-commanders, spoke up at the sight of something impossible.

It was an unbelievable sight. Lugis was Mastigius’ ally, someone who had sworn to defeat the demons together, and now he was here as a demon.

What had happened, and what had gone wrong? Had he really become an enemy? If so, then their thoughts were beyond the reach of common sense.

A gloomy feeling was seeping into Hind’s heart. Rather than feeling disheartened or disappointed, he was more heartbroken than even Mastigius himself.

Eileen also called out Lugis’ name loudly. However, Lugis looked at Mastigius as if he hadn’t heard her.

「It suits me, you say? How odd. So, are those your final words? 」

「Yeah, I don’t care. It won’t change anything even if you don’t cut my head off. 」

Lugis, as expected, tilted his head at those words. Mastigius’ face had a calm look, but he didn’t look scared or in pain.

As far as Lugis could remember, when a person was on the verge of death, they turned pale and looked cowardly. No matter how strong they were.

And yet Mastigius acted as if he thought it was natural for him to die.

「You’re pretty relaxed. I guess people who have become generals are different even among humans. 」

「Not at all. The difference between us is insignificant. Anyone can be a hero, and anyone can be an ordinary person. That’s what I believe. 」

Mastigius raised his head slightly and looked into Lugis’ crimson eyes. There was a strange swirl of emotions in those crimson eyes, but there was no hostility towards Mastigius. Rather, he could even see guiltlessness.

Mastigius didn’t know what happened, who took advantage of him and turned him into a demon. It was something he couldn’t understand.

But it was hard to imagine that Lugis would’ve obediently turned into a demon. Even if he had lost his memory and consciousness, Mastigius believed that some seed or trigger of his origins had remained.

If that was the case, Mastigius knew that this wasn’t the time to criticize or mourn.

What he had to think about was what would happen if Lugis were to kill him now and then return to being a human. If that were to happen, his own murder would become Lugis’ curse, and the people would no longer be able to join hands.

That was something that had to be avoided. The human race was like a seriously ill person whose insides had been greatly eroded. If this led to repeated internal divisions, the only thing that could await the human race was their own extinction.

Mastigius took a breath and then addressed the people.

「Listen everyone! The one who will die here is not a Sorcerer General. I’m just a fool who was used by demons and lost my life. Even if I didn’t die here, I would have had to die eventually! 」

Everyone was looking at Mastigius’ face. There were all kinds of emotions inside, but those words were engraved in everyone’s minds.

「You all must live. Don’t dwell on the death of a fool! 」

That was addressed to the people who stood in the square…and to the several soldiers within his line of vision. Judging from the fact that they were dressed as citizens, they were probably planning to recapture him and his vice-commanders.

But that would be foolish. Surrounded by these demons, dozens of soldiers and even more civilians would die just to save a few.

And if they were to survive, the daily lives of those living under the grip of these demons would become even crueler.

So, for now, they had to endure. Mastigius clearly told them.

Oilland’s eyes widened, and his expression twisted. Pain was oozing from his face.

After a moment, he roared.

「Everyone…Save His Excellency the Sorcerer General! 」

Oilland couldn’t stop even after hearing Mastigius’ words. As Mastigius found hope in Lugis’ presence, Mastigius was the hope of the Bolvat soldiers.

No matter how difficult the path to success was in front of those demons. Even if they all perished, they believed that as long as Mastigius survived, it would be worth it.

As the soldiers burst in, the execution ground was once again thrown into chaos and confusion.

Soldiers who had blended in with the people rushed towards the execution platform with weapons hidden in their hands. The demons panicked for a moment but began to fight back.

…The screams and roars of the people. Soldiers and demons overlapped in a chaotic battle, a battle that began after revealing their true nature.

「Stop! Don’t bother with the small fry! Focus on Mastigius! Kill Mastigius! 」

Kiel’s voice rang out and reached the execution ground below. The thing he feared most was that Mastigius might somehow be saved in the midst of this chaos.

Mastigius would surely plot another rebellion if that were to happen. The people would once again regain their hope.

In that case, the arrangements for the execution were no longer important. All that was needed was for the nearby demons to chop off Mastigius’ head in order to end it.

On the execution platform, Lugis stood still, not caring at all about the chaos. Nutt, the lord of the capital, sat next to Kiel and watched the whole thing intently.

「Wait. It will only be meaningful if that former human kills him. 」

Nutt had been ordered by his lord, Junelva, to keep an eye on Lugis’ behavior. Nutt was to closely observe and report back to see if Lugis betrayed them. If Lugis killed the Sorcerer General as expected, then that would be fine for now.

But if Lugis decided not to do it, then Nutt would have to deal with him himself. If Lugis had only recently become a magical devilish being, then Nutt, who was part of Junelva’s soul, could hold his own against him.

The bird of prey’s eyes were fixed on Lugis’ every move. Lugis and Mastigius seemed to be exchanging words amid the chaos, but it was impossible to hear them because it was drowned out by the noise.

But Nutt saw what they were doing.

Lugis raised his demonic sword towards Mastigius, with the tip pointing to the sky.

The surrounding noise grew louder, but there was no way that any of it could reach Lugis and his so-awaited strike.

Lugis then aimed his demonic sword at Mastigius…and brought it down with ease.

It was over.

Nutt let out a sigh of relief. It was unknown how the magical devilish being Lugis felt towards Junelva, but for now he seemed to be obedient toward Rabel’s words.

Nutt took another sigh of relief and shoved the drink down his throat. With the trouble gone, Nutt felt like one of his worries had been dissipated.

In the next moment, a loud voice rang out again from the execution ground below. A different kind of noise from before, a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Nutt and Kiel opened their eyes wide at the sight.

「Huh, what? What happened! 」

Nutt opened his beak and let out a loud voice. He saw something unbelievable.

…Mastigius, who was still alive on the execution platform, had his restraints destroyed. The surrounding demons had been slashed to death by someone powerful. And then, Nutt saw the magical devilish being Lugis’ demonic sword wetted with blood.

Nutt felt his blood boiling. It was now clear what had happened and who had done it.

The former human had betrayed them, after all. That was the only thing Nutt could think of. Then, Nutt spread his wings and raced through the air. He approached the magical devilish being Lugis in a second, intending to grab him by his neck.

「Demon Lugis! It seems Lord Junelva’s fears were right after all. Traitor! 」

While the surrounding demons and humans were overwhelmed by Nutt’s enormous size, only Lugis glared at Nutt with indifferent eyes. Not even the demons, humans, or Mastigius could understand what had happened.

Only Lugis knew what was going on in his mind.

「I told you I wasn’t betraying you or anything…What’s the matter, birdy? Did something bother you? Just put on the crown and be happy. 」

「Shut up, you bastard! Mastigius is clearly our enemy, who rebelled against a magical devilish being! How could you help him and betray us! 」

Nutt spread his wings with a dignified attitude. It was a battle stance for him, and his vicious claws were aimed at Lugis’ neck as if they were about to ripen his skin at any moment.

Lugis snorted, still resting the demonic sword on his shoulder.

「But it’s strange no matter how I look at it, you know? Why do I have to kill this man here? 」

It was strange. Lugis professed those words. Nutt didn’t know what it meant. But he saw in Lugis’ crimson eyes no guilt for betraying them, nor any feeling of having successfully deceived them.

「This man has conviction, pride, and will. He is outstanding. He deserves my admiration. He is truly close to justice. And yes, he is my enemy, the complete opposite of me, which is commendable. 」

Lugis continued speaking, moving his shoulders several times, but without showing any signs of nervousness.

「Then…I don’t want to kill him here. I will do as I please…when I decide. Because he’s my enemy. 」

It was no good. There was no point in talking to Lugis. Nutt concluded.

Sometimes, demons spoke only from their own absolute theories and intuition. This demon was just like that.

Just as Lord Junelva had said, if there was anything he should obey, then it would be only his own will. Nutt no longer tried to use his words to reason with Lugis.

…Before this demon grows stronger, I, as Lord Junelva’s soul fragment, should break his neck.

Nutt flew in the air with a loud roar that crushed the back of one’s ears. It even looked as if a straight line had been drawn in the sky.

It was an attack of absolute confidence, and even if Lugis was a magical devilish being, his actions weren’t something that could be easily tolerated.

「Hey, give me a break. I’m a scoundrel, you know. So I’ll only allow myself to be killed by someone who speaks of justice. 」

In the middle of that momentum, Nutt heard Lugis say something that mocked him.

「You’re not justice no matter how I look at it. A lowly villain suits you better. So that means I won’t let you kill me. 」

Nutt didn’t care about Lugis’ words and used his vicious claws to rip the flesh of Lugis’ neck. There was no more time. All that was left was to kill him here.

…There was a loud sound. Flesh tore apart and blood splattered everywhere. Screams filled the surroundings.

「…You’re no match for me. You’re third-rate. 」

The soul fragment of the magical devilish being Junelva. Ironically, Nutt, the lord of the royal capital, lay dead on the execution platform, reduced to a lump of flesh. The demonic sword made a horrible sound as it scattered his flesh and blood.

Previous | Next

Wow, a demonic Lugis is way too powerful!

—————–

Support us on Patreon and get access to early chapters