1 – Demon of the World

Demon of the World

Imperial year 279. Pentas camp.

Leila, who has been looking at the scenery outside the swaying carriage, turns her gaze to her bag and takes out a stack of papers and reads them. It’s a report she’s already read dozens of times, but she thinks it’s better than wasting time staring blankly out the window.

Leyla was reading her papers, which contained information about a person she was about to meet.

Elliot Trayer

A nobleman from the kingdom of Kaylan, which collapsed in the year 272 of the Imperial Era, and a key figure in the Age of War. In order to restore the honor of his deceased father, Baron Tori Trayer, at the young age of 13 he led the army of the territory and wandered around the battlefield until the kingdom was destroyed.

Unfortunately, the nickname “Hero of misfortune” Is what the people of Kaylan Kingdom call it, and other countries (including the Empire) often use the terms devil, goblin, and reaper. That is why it is more famous as the devil of all nations.

The Kingdom of Kaylan was defeated in a war seven years ago and was absorbed into the Empire. It is located in the center of the continent and faces most countries and borders, so it has accumulated a lot of wealth as a central trade route that connects each other.

But the more borders there are, the more conflict there is. Perhaps because of its pride and enormous wealth, being the center of the continent, the uninhabited Kingdom of Callen had many enemies, and whenever the opponent acted hostile, the card they pulled out was the Devil of the World.

Befitting the nickname of the Devil of the World, Elliot Trayer has won a series of victories and brought great benefits to the Kingdom of Cailen, and among the countries bordering the Kingdom, there is not a single place, including the Empire, that has not suffered damage from him. .

‘Is it right to release such a person to the Empire…?’

I’m worried that it won’t be poisoned, but Leyla shakes her head. He himself is a man who fulfills orders from above, not a judge.

Quickly clearing her suspicions, Leyla reads the report again to see if there is any information she may have missed in order to make the negotiations even slightly more favorable.

Elliott Trayer evaluated by the Strategy Department can be summed up in one word: ‘Unpredictable.’ It goes back and forth too far to simply say that the strategy is broad and flexible. Yesterday, he used a strategy close to gambling, relying on luck, but today, he uses even one soldier according to a pre-planned plan. Perhaps tomorrow he will choose a surprise attack, and the next day he will perform a straight attack like an ordinary veteran.

Even a general who uses flexible tactics has a tendency, but Elliott Trayer is unpredictable, as if choosing a strategy by rolling his dice.

A summary of Elliot Trayer’s battle is separately listed in Attachment #4.

Layla always frowns at this point and checks the name of the report writer. It is a report that only needs to be written concisely whether it is true or not, but the poetic expression of the author raises eyebrows.

Recalling the name of the writer he had seen many times, Layla, determined to report it to the upper management, turned her attention to the attached document.

Imperial Year 262 Battle of Felderen

Earl Messerian fights to protect the territory from 20,000 Saxon Kingdom troops with an army of 4,000. Eliot’s troops, who came as reinforcements, passed by without participating in the battle and overran the Kingdom of Saxony. Faced with Felderen, the Saxon Kingdom army, which had taken Eruta Castle, retreated from the battlefield to reclaim the castle.

Imperial Year 264 Battle of Delta Ossi

As the Bell Alliance, which had been provoking small-scale local warfare, invaded, Elliot appointed him as the commander of the defense of Delta Oshi Castle. After more than two months of offensive, all members came out of the castle and waged an all-out war, winning only by force without tactics. It is not certain because there are few records left, but it is speculated that Elliott went directly to the Dukan Plain and used an extreme method in response to a request for salvation.

Imperial Year 264 Battle of Dukan Plains

With Marquis Edelian as the commander, the Imperial Army confronts the Kingdom Army of Cailon.

The battle led to a battle of attrition, and Elliot, who was belatedly appointed commander, burned the plains at the point when the imperial army was gaining momentum. It’s not just a firework, it’s starting from the battlefield where the battle is going on and setting fire to the entire plain. The important fact is that Elliott himself and his troops were also on the battlefield, so continuing the battle as it was was tantamount to suicide.

The bewildered Marquis Edelian ordered a retreat to get out of the plains. The Kingdom Army pursued as it was, inflicting about 10,000 casualties on the Imperial Army and retreating back to the Kingdom. The plains will be judged irreparable for the next few years, leaving a blank area that neither side occupies. Current empire.

Just looking at some of the bold battles in the summary report gives Layla a headache. As the record of his winning streak tells the story, he must be an excellent strategist, but the content is contrary to common sense.

The battle of Felderen, which attacked the opponent’s rear, went too far, but it was understandable because it was a basic tactic of cutting off the enemy’s supply.

But what about the other battles?

The defending side abandoned the advantageous castle and waged an all-out war, or prepared to commit suicide and set fire to the entire plain, these are tactics that would have been cursed if they had not seen the results.

That’s not to say Elliot only used extreme or odd tactics. He has many elaborate operations and battles that followed the standard.

It is said that he is used to producing the results he wants, although his tendency itself is difficult to understand.

Layla reads the materials and identifies the character Elliot.

First of all, he is very nasty. He is good at confusing his opponents with death-and-death attacks or revealing his opponent’s weaknesses. And…

‘I did all the hardships alone.’

If you think of the damage he has done to the empire, he is a person who would not be enough to chew on, but if you look at his position aside, he was eaten by the kingdom to the point of pity.

Aside from winning or losing, the number of battles that even an old veteran who has been in the military for decades cannot achieve tells how many battlefields he has traveled in a short period of time.

At the time the kingdom of Kaylan surrendered, Elliot was in his mid-to-late 20s, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was present in almost every battle that took place in the kingdom to fill that level of career.

He spent most of his life on the battlefield without taking proper care of his own estate. No matter how great his ability is, his body or mind cannot sustain it if it is consumed like this.

As soon as he forcibly finished the defense of Delta Oshi, he was appointed commander of Dukan Plain, where battles were already underway, showing how harsh he lived.

‘It’s not in the report, but I’ll have to keep in mind the possibility that he’s suffering from mental illness.’

Maybe his exhausted mind influenced his extreme tactics. Although she won’t be quick to judge Elliott until she sees it in person, Layla vows to approach with caution.

“Sir Layla. You have arrived.”

Locked in thought, Layla gets up from her seat at the coachman’s words and comes out of the carriage.

Leila quietly looks around at the strong walls reminiscent of a fortified fortress and the dreary atmosphere where no vitality can be found.

“Welcome to Pentas Prison, where all felons against the great empire are collected. My name is Warden Gelle.”

“Nice to meet you. Director Gele. This is Layla Cloud.”

“You’ve heard the name of Sir Leyla. It is an honor to have such a famous person in Pentas, though not as a collectible. Ah- I do not question or insult Sir Leyla’s loyalty.”

Ignoring the warden’s ghastly joke, Layla is guided by handing over a business order.

She passes through a heavy double door and goes down into the basement.

The speed of advancing through the intricately designed passages to prevent escape is slow. In the meantime, the warden’s mouth chatters nonstop.

“Pentas is a 10-story underground structure, and the space gets narrower as you go down. There are dangerous collectibles as you go down. Designed by dwarves and gnomes, this pentas…”

Neither a tour guide nor her bragging about her camp did not interest Leyla.

Thinking that this might be a form of torture, she walks through the aisle and scans the prisoners in the prison.

Is it not true that there are dangerous people as you go downstairs? On the first basement floor, I saw people who threw vulgar words or got excited at the sight of the beautiful Leila, but as I went down the floors, fewer and fewer reacted to her passing.

But Leila knows how creepy it is. A wolf hiding in the bush and staring is more terrifying than a noisy dog.

The prisoner’s eyes, which keep her boiling desire inside and quietly look for opportunities, make Leila’s senses keen.

She has left her weapon behind for security, but her warden laughs as she sees Leyla flicking her hand towards her sword, which she habitually would have at her waist.

“Lord Layla, a good soldier, is timid. Don’t worry. We’re educating our collectibles thoroughly so they don’t reveal them to the Empire. Plus, they’re wearing mana-sealing restraints, so what can they do? “

Listening to her warden, Leyla vowed to report to her superior about her warden’s mental head.

That kind of people are dangerous enough even without mana. Where do you see that look? He was just benefiting from the facility that the dwarves and gnomes built, but the warden lacking vigilance was not qualified to manage them.

After passing through the 9th basement floor and going down the stairs leading to the 10th floor, I hear a man’s voice sobbing.

There were a few prisoners who were groaning under the influence of torture, but the sounds they heard now were quite grotesque and chilling.

The warden laughs at Layla, who is clearly nervous about the different sounds.

“Sounds creepy, doesn’t it? It’s understandable that Sir Leyla is nervous. That’s because this is the deepest part of Pentas.”

The man’s sobs get louder and louder as he goes down the dark stairs where he can’t see his feet. Elliott’s mental state seemed to be in bad shape, judging by the muttering noises that seemed to be talking to himself.

On the 10th basement floor of Pentas, where the capacity decreases as you go down, there is currently only Elliot. He is smiling and laughing, but the warden looks nervous as if he doesn’t have much experience coming down here.

When Leyla came down, there was a man clinging to her cage and sobbing, and a man comforting him.

“Huh.. Heh.. What should I do? Mr. Elliott? Senna is still cold.. I gave him a cake from Julian’s shop that he said he wanted to eat as a gift, but he didn’t even pay attention. What if Senna has another man? ?

“It’s okay. It’s okay. The kids who work at the bar have a job dealing with people, so they’re good at dealing with people, male or female. You said you weren’t interested, but you got the cake? You didn’t care in front of it, but you liked it 100 percent behind the scenes. . Believe me and keep pushing, it’s working.”

The prisoner who was supposed to supervise the prisoner was hanging from a cage and giving dating advice to the prisoner inside.

Leyla, never expecting to see her relationship counseling in her prison cell, silently looks to her side, and her warden, bragging about her pen star, turns her head in silence.

“Oh, Louis… I think you have a guest.”

At Elliott’s words, the guard named Louis got up in surprise and greeted the warden with a big bow, but the warden’s rumpled pride did not recover.

Ignoring the loud and angry words of the warden, Layla meets Elliot’s eyes.

The red eyes that shine through her shaggy hair are looking at Layla with interest. She isn’t smiling, but her eyes, which seem oddly filled with laughter, are twinkling.

After a brief commotion, a clunky wooden chair was placed in front of her cage and Layla sat down, facing Elliot.

“This is Layla Cloud. Elliott Trayer, I’m here to give you the orders of her superiors.”

Elliott quietly reads her papers as she passes her stack of papers through her bars. As he reads, Layla continues her words.

“You are a person who has caused great damage to the Empire, but her superiors highly value your abilities and have decided to hire you as an instructor at Legandia Academy.”

Elliot silently reads the papers. Even after she finished speaking, Leila, who waited for him to read the papers, waited a long time before she could hear his voice.

“That’s a very interesting proposal. It’s an academy… I really didn’t expect it.”

Elliott’s voice was clearer than I thought, considering he was called the Devil of the World. Smiling, he took out a piece of paper from inside the document and said.

“I thought the empire banned slavery 200 years ago, didn’t it?”

“There are slave contracts only for felons. However, the contracts are made in a way that does not seriously violate the right to freedom. It is different from what other countries think of slavery. In other words, it is a rather coercive labor contract. “

“That’s what slavery means.”

Elliot laughs and reads the slave contract he was holding.

A contract with many clauses allows the slave a lot of freedom, as Layla said.

However, the owner’s coercive power or behavior that could threaten the owner is prohibited by attaching countless provisions. Seeing the provisions meticulously written down for each situation to prevent abusing the right to freedom, Elliot laughs at the impression that it is like an empire.

The slave contract Layla handed over uses the subordination contract issued by the temple. If you just sign with your free will, you become a perfect slave endowed with God’s compulsion. Because it is a sure contract guaranteed by God, most high-class slaves are bound by this contract.

“It belongs to the academy, but as long as you don’t do anything strange, your life is no different from that of the people of the Empire. It’s a much better life than ending your life in prison.”

“I’ve never taught anyone. And I’ve never set foot in an academy.”

“You are unexpectedly humble. Your lieutenants currently active in the Empire didn’t have a good reputation until they met you. They were all raised by you within the unit.”

“Oh, who’s left now? Joshua and Melanie, maybe Selma? Wyatt and Juan?”

“Get out of jail and see for yourself.”

Elliott smiles at Leila’s words to sign if she’s curious.

“Do you smoke?”

Leyla shakes her head at her sudden question, and Elliott holds out her hand to her.

“Then you must have brought those cigarettes for me. May I smoke one?”

“…… You have a good sense of smell.”

Despite being a knight who values her body, Elliott is addicted to cigarettes. Although she has no preferences or food, Layla has brought a cigarette to placate her after reading reports that she is obsessed with cigarettes as her only favorite item.

Leila takes her cigarettes out of her chest pocket and puts only one of them into her cage. And when she takes out a match to light her, Elliot shakes her hand saying it’s okay.

– Paji weave

Elliot, who created a small flame at her fingertips with the small noise of her mana crashing, smokes her cigarette for the first time in a while and lets out a rough cough.

It was a funny look as she frowned and coughed, but the warden and the jailer behind her, including Layla, stepped back from her with an expression of astonishment.

Her old chair makes a loud noise as it rolls across the floor, and Layla, who reflexively prepares to draw her sword, only then realizes that she doesn’t have it, and gets goosebumps and raises her mana.

Elliot is obviously wearing a restraining sphere that seals mana, but she is using magic without hesitation. The opponent is a knight who has gone through countless battlefields. He was a strong man who had repeatedly defeated famous knights from other countries, not just with strategy.

Elliott speaks as the warden, hiding behind the jailer’s back with a contemplative face, rolls her eyes here and there, seeking escape.

“Don’t worry, Warden Gelle, keheuk, keheuk, mistress… This is so toxic… Don’t worry. I don’t intend to run amok.

“How did you release the restraints?”

At Leila’s vigilant words, Elliott shows her the restraints worn on her wrists.

“You can destroy magic if you understand the pattern. If you can’t find a pattern after using the same thing for 7 years, you’re an idiot.”

“But you have to be able to use mana to cancel it…”

“Do I have to say that mana is all over the world?”

Seeing Elliott explaining casually, Leyla ponders for a while, then raises her chair and sits down.

The situation is not good. Subordination contracts are effective only when they are contracted of their own free will, without pressure or threat, so they must be made to be signed voluntarily.

But the atmosphere turned to Elliott in an unexpected event. Maybe he makes more strange demands.

“So it was neat.”

“Huh?”

“Did you keep it clean with magic? It’s old, but it’s dust-free. There’s hardly any filth inside the prison. Unlike the floors above, there’s no stench. Judging from the mental state of that idiot warden, he couldn’t have ordered cleaning. I was curious because it wasn’t there, but now I know why.”

As soon as she enters the 10th basement floor, Leyla tells her what she noticed, and Elliot looks intrigued.

As if thinking for a moment, he nodded his head and looked into the air. He let out a small, long breath and turned his head forward again.

“Should I bite the other person and have a friendly conversation?”

The warden and the jailer looked at Layla nervously at the proposal to talk to the unrestrained monster, but she told them to back off with her calm expression.

“Do you want me to give you a sword…?”

The jailer held out the sword he was wearing and said, but Layla shook her head.

The opponent is a strong man who was called a devil just a few years ago. Even if you have a weapon, there is no chance of winning. I just hoped that the facilities built by the dwarves would be strong.

As the two exited the 10th floor, Elliott smiled softly and she moved closer to the bars.

“Why do you want to take me?”

“The knowledge of the superiors who highly valued your skills…”

“No, no. It’s not. Why did you two ask to talk? I’m asking you to tell me what’s behind it.”

“I am not in a position to know the intentions. I only know what is in the order.”

From noble mtl dot com

In order to understand her true intentions, Elliott stares at her and then raises the corner of her mouth.

“Then you’re just an errand boy who only delivers orders? You’re starving for women, so sending a child who’s useless except for your face is certain. Look.”

“……”

Even with the insulting words, Layla still looks at his face. Seeing an expressionless face that shows neither shame nor anger, Elliot shakes her head.

“He is very observant, never loses his cool, remembers his priorities and acts even in unexpected situations. He’s a great talent, but he’s just a pigeon? It doesn’t make sense. You’ve been given discretion, bring out your intentions.”

“It’s an honor to have people from all generations praising me, but I don’t know why they think they have different intentions. The Empire values talented people and equally values the people who train them.”

At Layla’s words, Elliott raised her finger.

“First, you’re trying to give me a very-very generous contract. I can see you’re afraid I’ll refuse. That means you have to get me out. You have to get one instructor out? That’s strange.”

“……”

Raising her second finger, Elliot continues her words.

“Second, it’s been 7 years since I was imprisoned. In other words, it’s only been 7 years since the kingdom collapsed and was subjugated to the empire. Whatever I say, the human who was treated as a hero of the kingdom in that situation Disclosure? The situation isn’t quite stable yet. There will be some idiots dreaming of the kingdom’s revival, and all the kingdom’s citizens who have become citizens will be shaken.”

“You become an instructor with a new identity.”

“What are you talking about, do you think my identity will be kept secret even though I’m still active outside? If you think so, all you can say is that the smart empire is dying? Did Edelian even retire? In an empire that emphasizes rationality. I can’t make that choice…”

Elliott, who continued her words, shuts her mouth and falls into thought for a moment. She then looked at Layla and she laughed.

“It’s not the empire, it’s just one guy above you who handled it arbitrarily. Are you the master you serve? Tell me what kind of idiot you are.”

“The order is stamped with the seal of the institution. It is permitted by the Empire.”

“I don’t deny that one guy is arbitrary.”

“No. It was done by the Empire.”

Elliot doesn’t believe Layla’s denial. She was brief when she cursed at her master, but she saw her eyes tighten.

“Okay then, can you tell me not to bother me with some menial chores, either the empire or the master?”

“Very annoying.”

Layla sighed and rose from her chair. It was the moment when the line ‘has a knack for irritating people’ was added to her reports about Elliot.

Glaring at Elliot, who was leaning against her bars in her stooped position, she slapped her bars with the palm of her hand.

A loud echo spreads, and the wind blows Elliot’s hair. Her mischievous expression, which clearly indicates that he is making fun of her, is briefly revealed, and then she is again covered by her hair.

“I don’t really like negotiations.”

“Then you intend to subdue me by force?”

As Elliot smirks, Leila follows suit and smiles.

“Why did she show that she can use mana?”

“Yeah…”

“You’ve already made up your mind to accept the offer.”

Leyla pulls Elliot by the collar as she shuts her mouth. She snarls at him, who gets closer through her bars.

“Play in moderation. If you reject this offer now, you will rot in prison without ever seeing the sunlight. If you want to escape, do it. I will die here, but the Empire will tear your limbs apart for the rest of your life.”

She hid the fact that she can use mana until now, but she revealed it in a very absurd situation. It was too big a card to say that he simply used it to turn the atmosphere of negotiations to himself. If so, there is only one reason.

The hidden cards are useless because they will leave anyway.

It’s not like we’re putting on a show to offer favorable conditions. His smirk tells her that it’s just a prank on her to tease her.

Elliott, her face close enough for her breath to touch, looks down at her and smiles at her.

“You’re s*xy. Can I kiss you once? That’s the last condition.”

“I’ll tear you apart before the empire.”

“Sounds erotic.”

Leyla untangles her collar and throws her feather pen. Elliot shrugs her shoulders and signs her contract without hesitation.

A cloud of blue light emanates from the contract, connecting the two.

“Please take good care of me, master.”

“I am Temporary. You will be handed over to the Head of Legandia Academy.”

“So until then, take care of me. What’s the name of my new identity?”

As Leila turns to call her warden, she looks back.

“Rye Redford.”

“Ryan, Ryan, Rise, Ryes. Rye is a very common pronunciation. Are there any other names?”

“Is it more common than Elliot?”

Leyla smiles at her mockingly and walks away again.

Elliot, the war hero who is now Rai, nods her head in approval and puts the cigarette he stole from her pocket into her mouth.

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