Act 38

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The night view of the Imperial Capital from the carriage.

With the faint streetlight glow alongside, the refined buildings lined up beside the road.

What is called one of the Empire’s five great views has now become a part of everyday life that’s no longer special.

While riding in the carriage, on my way back to the mansion, I glanced at the jewel case given to me by Renia.

‘No matter the process, the goal was achieved, wasn’t it?’

I had actually devised several plans.

At the wedding, I would meet the head of the Crypart family, figure out how to greet them, and naturally segue into a conversation about the ‘Soulstone Necklace’.

‘Well, as long as the result is good, that’s all that matters.’

Yes, absolutely.

Agreeing with myself, I began to think about how to handle the ‘Soulstone’ I had secured.

The reason for securing the ‘Soulstone’ on my own, without reporting to anyone, was to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Dawn Society in the future.

The same goes for the side of the Sword Saint. It’s better to avoid actions that could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

So, how should I deal with this Soulstone?

“Should I absorb it?”

In the world of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>, as the title suggests, there exists a ‘Demon Lord’.

The only being capable of awakening the Demon God.

The player’s archenemy and the final boss.

The objective of this game is to prevent the Demon Lord Barbatos from resurrecting the Demon God by killing him before the resurrection ritual can take place.

If the Demon Lord isn’t stopped, the Demon God will be revived, leading to a game over and a need to start over.

‘The Archbishop of the Dawn Society, Tenellon, is one of the candidates.’

And so is.

‘Julian.’

▶ Trait, “Vessel of the Demon Lord”

Grade: Legendary

▷ You are scheming the resurrection of the Demon God Barbatos.

▷ You can absorb the remnants of the Demon God’s lingering thoughts, gaining power as a result.

▶ ‘Evil’ artifacts are usable by you.

▶ This trait disappears when the ‘Demon Lord’ appears.

A UI floating in my vision as if stuck to my pupil.

It is one of the traits Julian originally had, like <Born Swordsman> and <Color of Corruption>.

If I use this trait to absorb the remnants of the Demon God’s lingering thoughts, I can easily gain power.

‘Surely, it’s safer than the power from the Demon God’s horn.’

However, I want to keep this option as a last resort.

Especially since every time the <Opened Eye> trait manifested, I felt confusion about my identity, and absorbing the remnants, the Soulstone, would make it uncertain what would happen to my true self.

‘Besides, I’m not as desperate for power as I used to be.’

So, absorbing it is an option I’ll exclude for now.

***

Upon arriving at the mansion, I placed the jewel case in a safe in the corner of my bedroom and locked it, but it still felt insufficient.

Maybe I should learn some basic locking magic?

That thought suddenly came to mind, but first, I should take care of my hunger.

“……Hmm?”

As I left the bedroom and entered the corridor, the unusual quietness of the mansion struck me.

<Amazing Intuition>

Feeling a subtle energy in the flow of the air

Thanks to his traits, Julian could sense the subtle changes in the mansion and the flow of mana guiding him.

There was an intruder in the mansion.

With that conviction, I checked the moonblade at my waist and slowly walked down the corridor.

‘What’s the exact location? What’s the purpose? Are they alone, or are there more than one?’

All sorts of questions flooded my mind like a tide.

While I could figure out a few things with ‘Mana Detection’, doing so would give away that I’ve noticed their presence to the opponent.

‘At least, is it fortunate that there’s no killing intent?’

That means, whoever came to assassinate ‘Julian’ is not the one.

But can this be considered fortunate?

From the moment an unidentified intruder came into the mansion without anyone knowing, it can be said that my life is in danger.

Cursing ‘Julian’s’ past misdeeds in my mind, I moved through the unusually eerie corridor.

Even if not as precise as ‘Mana Detection’, ‘Julian’s’ body possesses a sharp intuition that can faintly pinpoint where there are signs of life.

‘…The parlor?’

The place where I felt the presence was none other than the parlor.

“Oh, you’ve returned later than I thought?”

Greeting me as I entered was a woman with silver hair that flowed down to her waist, Elenoa Demichel.

She elegantly held a teacup on the table.

“Waiting felt so lonesome that I asked the servants for some tea. You could do at least this much for a guest, right?”

She said, with a charming smile that could captivate anyone.

I had strictly warned the mansion’s servants not to let anyone in without an appointment unless it was a scheduled guest.

So, her being here meant one of two things. Either she sneaked in, or

‘Did she use magic?’

Somehow, the mansion felt quieter than usual.

She must have used her specialty, charm, to make the mansion’s servants leave their posts.

Regardless, her sudden visit was not welcome in my current situation.

If the Dawn Society learns about the Soulstone I secured without anyone knowing, who knows what might happen.

“Bishop Elenoa, what brings you to my mansion?”

“Just promoting camaraderie among colleagues. Humans are social animals, aren’t they?”

Such a ridiculous pun.

Coming to promote camaraderie while sneaking into someone else’s mansion without permission?

I ranted internally but felt uneasy about my situation, breaking out in cold sweat even at Elenoa’s light jest.

“The reason I came today is not without purpose. I have something to ask.”

As Elenoa set down her teacup and got to the point, I swallowed hard.

“The recent mission in the slums that Julian took on…”

A different topic than expected sprung from her lips.

“You found a demon there and succeeded in subjugating it, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Was that demon in human form?”

I slowly raised my gaze to look at Elenoa’s expression.

Her fists clenched and unclenched, and she slightly bit her lip.

Though she tried not to show it, a hint of tension was slightly revealed.

I see.

From that question, I could infer the reason she came to the mansion.

“Yes, it was in human form.”

“Indeed.”

“But the horn created by Sir Tenellon was not involved. To be precise, it seemed like a replica based on it.”

“What?”

Her surprised reaction made a smile creep onto my face.

“Why so? Didn’t you come here wanting to hear this?”

A slightly provocative tone.

Since I’m hiding the Soulstone, I wanted to send her away as soon as possible.

Therefore, taking control of the conversation was crucial.

The right to end the conversation lies with the one who has the upper hand.

“How much do you know, having thought you were oblivious to everything?”

“Hehe, I don’t know much.”

“Oh, but you know that a replica of the horn exists?”

“Lucky me, I guess.”

It all came out in the game.

Feigning ignorance, she squinted at me with half-opened eyes.

“Well, it’s fine.”

She bit her lip slightly and stood up from her seat, a knot of unresolved feelings evident in her expression.

“Have you asked everything you wanted to?”

“Yes.”

With that, she slowly made her way to the entrance of the parlor.

Just when I was about to feel relieved at her departure, Elenoa turned her head swiftly.

“Bishop Julian, with your understanding of the current situation within the Dawn Society, you should know what would be wise to decide for the future.”

Speaking as if confiding her sentiments, she was earnest.

“Let’s at least ensure that our swords do not point at each other. If we become enemies, I’ll be just as troublesome as you are.”

Join my side, or at the very least, remain a bystander. Leaving behind such an implication, she walked out of the parlor.

The mansion returned to silence. With all the servants away, there was no sign of life inside.

Relieved, I exhaled deeply and sat down on a chair.

“That was startling.”

The alertness caused by Elenoa’s sudden visit made me feel that keeping the ‘Soulstone’ in the mansion was unwise.

If an unexpected visitor were to sense the energy of the Soulstone, wouldn’t they discover I was hiding it?

That would be problematic.

‘It would be better to keep it somewhere other than the mansion.’

Fortunately, I quickly thought of a place where the Soulstone could be kept. A place where its energy couldn’t be sensed, and that had no ties to the Sword Saint or the Dawn Society.

***

“So, you want me to keep this?”

“Yes.”

As Julian smiled subtly, Herand fidgeted with his beard, showing signs of discomfort.

“Well, this is unexpected… I thought you were going to bring up the punishment for Joshua from before.”

“As I said then, I wasn’t that angry.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Holding his staff in one hand, Herand sighed in relief inwardly at Julian’s statement of not being angry.

Then, pointing at the jewel case on the table with his other hand, he asked, “But what is this? Why do you want to leave it with me?”

“It contains relics from my mother.”

Mother.

The moment that word left Julian’s lips, Herand flinched.

“Milena’s relics, you say? But why leave them with me…?”

Herand’s visibly uncomfortable expression made Julian tilt his head in confusion.

Was there some issue?

Although he wanted to inquire further, prioritizing the ‘Soulstone’ was more important.

“Isn’t this… an important item to you?”

Important, indeed.

That wasn’t wrong. If the Soulstone fell into the hands of candidates for ‘Demon Lord’ like those in the Dawn Society, the Demon God would be resurrected, and the continent would be devastated.

In such a case, not only him but the entire world could lose their lives.

“Yes, it’s as precious to me as my own life.”

“Why would you entrust me with something so precious…?”

“Because it’s something I cannot keep with me right now.”

Something he cannot keep with himself.

There was no deceit in Julian’s words.

If others knew he had secretly secured the Soulstone, it would lead to troublesome situations.

However, Herand perceived it differently.

“Why can’t you keep Milena’s belongings?”

He knew.

Even if Julian lived a life filled with lies, he always spoke the truth to his mother.

The smiles he shared with her weren’t deceptive, and the cold, derisive tongue he used against others spoke warm words in her presence.

In essence, the woman ‘Milena’ symbolized the last thread of ‘humanity’ left in Julian, being both his mother and a symbol of his remaining humanity.

‘Entrusting Milena’s relics to someone else means…?’

As a royal hound.

Was it a declaration of living a life fully as a monster?

Herand couldn’t grasp Julian’s intentions.

Therefore, out of fear, he had no choice but to ask.

“Julian, have you made some kind of resolution?”

What that ‘resolution’ was, Herand couldn’t know.

All he could think of was the recent actions taken by the ‘Noble Council’.

Julian slowly smiled.

“Yes.”

How could a smile be so cruel?

Herand feared that soon, a storm of blood might sweep through the royal palace, and this thought made him suffocate with worry.

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