Chapter 14 : No wonder the kids are so ill-mannered

I stroked the Evil Eye and spoke.

“Quite the spectacle, huh? The noblewoman who used to slander me as a skeleton, now defeated by that skeleton, lying on the ground begging.”

Lauro’s breath was harsh and irregular. She was trembling as if she would lose consciousness at any moment.

“I wonder, what would happen if this were handed over to the newspapers? I’m curious to see how the gaze of all the monsters in the Demon Realm, who praised me as the S-class strongest, would change.”

Bang!

Lauro slammed her head into the dirt and burst into tears she had been holding back.

She had no more strength to protect her pride. She was almost completely broken.

“I-I, the girl did something foolish! I was wrong! I will never harm the general again, please, just that…”

“First, let’s talk about the territory. Whose territory is that?”

“It belongs to General Kan’s, the Balotus Demon Lord’s domain! I will never step foot there again…”

“Ho, so you’re telling me that you dared to spread the plague in the domain I am overseeing?”

“…What?”

“Not only that, you even gathered the rare plant Purple Clover without permission? Have you ever seen something so deserving of death?”

Lauro’s expression stiffened.

She realized that this conversation was no longer a negotiation, but a blatant threat.

She knew the answer I was waiting for.

“I-I will compensate for all the damages in gold, and I will lift the curse on the villagers who were afflicted by the plague!”

“That’s obvious.”

I tossed a piece of paper containing magic to Lauro.

“Sign it.”

“…Ex-excuse me, but what is this…?”

“Can’t you see? It’s a contract. It states that during the contract period, you will not cause any harm in our dungeon and will diligently carry out your duties.”

“Eh, eek?! But I’ve already signed a contract with the Monster Broker, and contracts without going through the broker are illegal…!”

“Of course, it’s illegal.”

But this wasn’t a negotiation; it was a threat.

“So, be careful and don’t get caught. The moment you do, not only in Underless, but across the entire continent, everyone will know who you are.”

“Bu-but still…?”

“When the contract ends, I’ll erase Evil Eye’s memory. It’s written in the contract, so take a look. A promise once made will be kept.”

Lauro couldn’t continue speaking and closed her lips.

After all, as long as she didn’t get caught and fulfilled the contract, she could erase this black history that would last a lifetime. She had no other choice.

She placed her trembling fingertips on the contract and poured her magic into it.

A faint light spread, and the signature was completed.

I nodded in satisfaction while looking at the contract.

“And among the families that manage the Monster Broker, your family is also included, right? Be sure to negotiate and lift the ban on your access.”

I had trained that beast, so the access ban for six months? Ridiculous.

Lauro nodded without saying anything.

“Finally… over there, the Saintess.”

“Eh, me…?”

Sofien seemed unsure when her name was called, hesitated for a moment, then approached.

Her white robe was covered in dust.

I pointed at Sofien and spoke to Lauro.

“The one who cured your plague was this Saintess. Make sure the villagers can clearly know.”

Sofien opened her mouth in surprise, then quickly put on a worried expression.

“Monster… No, no, why would the Death Knight do such a thing for me…?”

“It’s not for free. You’ll play an important role in our Demon Lord army’s ‘exchange’ with the human world.”

“Monsters and humans… exchanging?!”

Sofien gasped, almost biting her tongue in disbelief.

At some point, Lauro, who had quietly gotten up from the ground and put her robe back on, looked just as shocked.

“Don’t get it twisted. I was a far greater being when I was human than you monsters could ever imagine. I’m not a monster that doesn’t understand humans.”

Sofien stared blankly without responding, and Lauro tried to hide a disbelieving look, as though she thought I was exaggerating.

It was Sofien who cautiously spoke up.

“Well… the Death Knight was definitely a great general, but… I’ve never heard of the name ‘Kan’ in any of the institutions…”

Lauro nodded as if waiting for that exact moment.

“If the general was that great, the whole Demon Realm would have heard of him. I also first heard the general’s name in the newspaper.”

I tilted my skull.

Now that I think about it, when Sofien and the others heard my name, none of them, not even other humans, demon lords, or monsters, seemed very surprised.

I became curious and asked Sofien.

“What’s the name of the human empire now?”

“…It’s the Yurrendel Empire…”

As expected, it was the same empire I had founded during my human days.

That familiar name stirred a strange sense of nostalgia within me.

“How long has the empire existed?”

“…812 years.”

800 years.

Quite a long time had passed, but the accomplishments I made were not so insignificant that they would fade after 800 years.

“Saintess, did you sleep during history class? Don’t you know about Kan, the founding hero and undefeated legend of the Yurrendel Empire?”

“Well… I’m not sure about the founding hero, but I do know about the legendary general who never lost a battle in the empire’s history…”

Before I could tell her it was me, Sofien mentioned a name.

At that moment, my mind stopped.

“I was taught that His Majesty, the first Emperor Carlos Rodon von Barhen, was a master general who never lost a battle until his frail body reached the end of his long life…”

“W-what did you just say?”

Carlos. He was the friend with whom I had founded the empire and the emperor I had served.

Lauro also nodded in agreement with Sofien’s words. She seemed to think that the rumors spread in the Demon Realm over the past few centuries weren’t much different.

That was when I finally understood the situation.

So, after I died, Carlos must have distorted history to elevate the emperor’s authority, erasing my idolized existence.

For over 800 years, the name Kan must have been erased. All those who knew me were long dead, and now the lie had spread as if it were the truth.

“U-um… Are you okay…?”

Sofien, along with Lauro, slowly backed away.

Uncontrolled anger spilled out like mana, threatening to consume everything around me.

“…Saintess, prepare to come with me to the human world. It’s related to the exchange I mentioned earlier.”

Originally, the purpose was to retrieve Rain’s sword and check on the state of the empire, but now, there was one more reason added.

I felt like I would believe it only after seeing it with my own eyes and hearing it with my own ears, even if it wasn’t really there.

What Sofien had said was such a shock to me.

“Lauro, you’ll go with the Saintess to handle the village situation and then come to the dungeon. If you understand, move.”

As long as the contract existed, Lauro had no say in the matter.

Once Lauro’s curse was lifted, the plague that had been roaming the village disappeared.

Following my orders, Sofien became the main person in charge.

I returned to the dungeon with the orc soldiers and immediately informed Rupia that I would be going to the human world.

Rupia, startled, jumped up as if she were going to hit the dungeon ceiling with her short legs and opposed it.

“I-I can’t allow it! No matter how much of a general you are, I can’t allow this! To the human world, of all places!”

Rain was standing next to her.

She had also shown opposition earlier, but after receiving a harsh rebuke, she only hesitated now.

Naturally, Rupia couldn’t be as forceful with me, since I was her lord, as she was with Rain.

I had to persuade her no matter what.

“My lord, it will be fine as it always has been. So—”

“AAAH!”

Rupia swung her head in frustration and then suddenly knelt in front of me, crashing down onto the floor.

I was so startled that I bowed even lower than she did.

“P-please, General… I am nothing without you… If I lose you, everything is over… If I think back to when we didn’t have you, our Demon Lord army couldn’t even catch a wolf… Ka…!”

Rupia stood up and clung to my skull like a sticky rice cake.

“I-I can’t send the general into the heart of enemy territory like this! Please, I beg you, understand your lord’s heart…!”

This was difficult. Making my lord cry—this was already the second time, including from Underis.

Goblin workers nearby were glancing over. Even the Golem seemed restless.

In fact, Rain’s weapon would take some time, but there was a way to ask the Saintess to retrieve it.

But now, there was another reason.

The ‘Oath of the Dragon’ I had left for the Yurrendel Empire before I died.

It was a symbol that proved my undefeated history, and I had to see with my own eyes whether the supreme artifact was still there.

“If… if I absolutely must go…”

I remained kneeling, silent without saying anything, and Rupia, having collected her resolve, swallowed her tears and spoke.

“I’ll go with the general…!”