Chapter 244: Without Any Cost (8)

"Use that... against him?"

"Of course."

"Hmm..."

Isaac quickly caught on to my hesitation and gave me a look of disbelief.

"What, don’t tell me you’re pitying that guy?"

Unbeknownst to him, the flicker of emotion I’d felt wasn’t directed at Brody Valdorf, but at myself. I saw a reflection I recognized all too well in the sight of that trampled wolf, who desperately clung to the hope of finding someone.

"Pity? No."

It was closer to self-contempt. Besides, pity wasn’t something one felt after slaughtering a thousand people. Now, the real issue was I didn’t really know about Lumen Valdorf. We’d only met once and briefly, at that.

"I don’t even know where he is right now."

God knows what he was doing or if he was even alive. The only thing I was sure of was that he was affiliated with Red Flake.

"Don’t worry about that. Just say what I tell you to say."

Brody Valdorf looked up at me and rasped out, "Lumen... where is he? You’re not just pretending to know, are you...?"

Meeting his gaze, I repeated Isaac’s words, "

Hmph

. Isn’t he the one in whom the blood of the Blue Wolf fully manifested?"

"Blood of the Blue Wolf? What’s that?"

"An absurd ability even blessed by the moon that doesn’t rise. There’s more than one, actually..."

"Blessed by the moon that doesn’t rise?"

"Just get the lines across properly, will you?"

Isaac scolded me.

I went on. "After his mother died, he became your species’ only remaining hope, didn’t he?"

"...!"

Brody Valdorf’s eyes trembled violently.

"What, don’t tell me you didn’t even know the kid had inherited the Blue Wolf’s blood?"

He flinched again. "

Grrr

..."

"I knew you were following me. Honestly, I never intended to kill you from the beginning."

"You’re... looking down on me..."

I waved him off and kept rehashing Isaac’s line. "You’re on the verge of extinction, aren’t you? I didn’t want to be the one to wipe out your entire species. Nature must be protected, after all."

"Wait, since when did you care about that?"

"Just act like you do. Wolves are nature preservationists. You’ll be using him again, so get on his good side."

Werewolves, those vicious-looking beasts, protecting nature? It was almost laughable.

"

Grrr

..." Brody Valdorf softened noticeably and asked, "You... do you know something about the Blue Wolf?"

"I know plenty. Even if you're not human, I know that your kind decimated by genetic disease sees that child as your final hope. You don’t have to pretend you’re not devastated."

"..."

"I also know about the silver wolves who only live seven days. I probably know more about them than you do, forest-dweller."

At that, Brody simply blinked with a vacant expression. I didn’t think he’d try to flee just because I let up. And even if he did, I was confident I could catch him.

Crackle...

As I pulled the sparking blade out of his arm, his expression grew calmer. Seeing the wounds slowly healing in real-time, the moment I removed the sword genuinely surprised me.

"You definitely know us well. In any case..." The werewolf continued, “tell me about Lumen. If you do, I’ll do anything. I swear it."

"That’s the right attitude. First break your contract with Purson."

It was a sudden demand.

"Is that really necessary?"

"Obviously. Demon Kings can see and hear through their contractors. I’m not letting some dimwitted bear spy on me with those beady eyes."

They could spy through their contractors? That was the first I’d heard of it.

"Then that means... Malphas too...!"

Could he be watching everything I did, all the time?

"Don’t worry too much. We signed a good contract. But this wandering mutt definitely didn’t. No way it’s airtight."

To my surprise, Brody Valdorf nodded readily. "As... you wish. But... whether I can cancel it on my own...

grrr

..."

"You can overwrite it with a new contract. Let’s begin your pact with Malphas now."

As I relayed Isaac’s instructions, I couldn’t help but ask,

"Can you really just switch Demon Kings that easily?"

"It’s possible because it’s me. I’m a high priest who made a direct pact with a Demon King. That’s why I have this authority."

"Hmm..."

"If it’s possible, I don’t care. As long as I can hear something about Lumen..."

Moments later, a faint energy began to flow from Isaac.

"Think of it like riding the wind... like a thread unraveling..."

Just as he had done with me, Isaac began guiding the werewolf. His conjured wind sank into the wolf’s body, and dark drops of blood oozed out of him.

"

Grrrgh...

!"

He seemed to be enduring the excruciating pain through sheer force of will. The new energy pushed out the old, flowing through him and settling into place.

[Malphas expresses high satisfaction with the new contractor’s potential.]

[Malphas’s Happiness has increased.]

[The Demon King’s Blessing is likely to grow stronger.]

Malphas was watching after all.

GULP!

Then, a black torrent of blood gushed from the werewolf’s mouth. The last of his strength, which he had been clinging to, spilled out with it.

[The Demon King Purson is enraged that you stole his contractor.]

[Purson vows to settle this another day.]

What the hell? I just got marked for vengeance by a Demon King?! This feels uneasy...

"Can you see this?"

"Huh? See what?"

Of course, Isaac couldn’t see these messages. Only I could. When I wrecked Purson’s altar a few days ago, nothing like this appeared. I had no idea what triggered it. Could it be that Demon Kings who hadn’t descended into the world could only observe through contractors? Then why did nothing pop up when I killed the harpy and the serpent?

[Purson vows to settle this another day...]

I dragged the message out of the way and dismissed it. For now, there were no immediate effects, benefits, or penalties. Nevertheless, Gods and Demon Kings were always watching and interfering. If this was just the start for me, then how many divine enemies had Isaac made by now? He’d just never seen their wrath message windows. That was all.

***

"How do you feel?" I asked the werewolf.

He nodded slowly. "Cleaner. I feel... clearer."

"It’s because it’s far less diluted. This was a much cleaner, direct pact. Heh."

"So how exactly are you going to tell him about Lumen Valdorf?"

"I’ve got a plan. Don’t worry about it. Just keep saying what I tell you to."

"...."

"You’ve probably already guessed, but I’m also a priest of a Demon King. And like you, I aim for the extermination of humanity."

That was the first time I’d ever heard Isaac say he wanted to wipe out humanity.

I knew it was a lie, but I followed his lead and said, "My words might’ve sounded harsh, but the wolf you’re looking for is safe and well. As for where he is... that’ll depend on how you behave from here on."

"

Grrr...

" The werewolf glanced uneasily at Isaac. "That doll... where did you pick it up? It reeks of something profoundly unholy..."

It seemed wolves had more than just sharp noses; they were sensitive to all kinds of things.

"Tch tch... The pup doesn’t even understand gratitude. I freed you from that bear bastard, you know."

"It’s complicated. I carry it for personal reasons." I brushed it off, then said, "Now tell me everything you know about the war."

Brody Valdorf nodded and began to speak in a low but steady tone. It felt strange watching a massive three-meter-tall muscle-bound werewolf sit obediently and calmly recount information, but what he shared was useful. Since he’d calmed down, Isaac had stepped back and said little.

"The imperial side... they’re just maintaining the front lines." Judging by the way he drew a map in the dirt, he must’ve moved around quite a bit. His sketch was surprisingly accurate. "Our lines with the human alliance... are locked in a stalemate."

Then he explained how they’d been stalled at Ember for two years now. It aligned with what Isaac had said about the bigger picture.

"We, and the other Demon Kings’ factions... hoped to prolong the war and draw more human blood."

They cut off supply lines, poisoned wells, pillaged villages, and set fires. They pushed both sides toward irreversible hatred. At the same time, the way he phrased it was a bit off.

"You

hoped

to?"

The werewolf looked troubled as he answered slowly, "Humans... always exceed our expectations."

"Hehehe..."

"What do you mean?"

"I don’t think fighting was their goal. Proper battles seemed to happen only by accident. Their calculated marches... were aimed at the defenseless. Neither army truly wanted to fight each other. I... don’t understand it. Didn’t they go to war to fight?"

"Ahahahaha..."

Isaac burst out laughing at the werewolf’s baffled expression.

"Who the hell actually wants to fight? They just want living flesh, something they can ruin. That’s the only thrill that matters."

"..."

"I think... it won’t be until the last civilian has been slaughtered that the armies will truly clash. There are still so many villages left to pillage."

"If they’ve got time, they’ll never kill right away. It’s not like cattle. They don’t kill humans for food. They kill them for pleasure. That exquisite thrill... it drives them mad. Every time."

Isaac cackled, babbling on about what humans did in war.

I ignored him, lost in thought. The crow and the wolf shared the same view. The front line was locked. The war would drag on. And come to think of it, that wasn’t far off from what I remembered of history.

Ten years. A war doesn’t last ten years unless the balance was razor-thin. The Empire and the Confederation teetered back and forth. Finally, the Empire won—barely, with nothing but scars. In that aftermath, the Demon Kings successfully descended.

Of course, I didn’t care much for the war trajectory or the Demon Kings. The full story also didn’t particularly interest me in any way. The only thing that mattered was rescuing Rubia Ray even a day sooner.

"What about the Wizards of Azure?"

"I haven’t... heard anything about their involvement..."

The Tower of Azure, up north. The real problem was how to lure the tower’s wizards out. No matter how strong I became, facing multiple archmage-level opponents head-on was suicide. If they stepped into the war, it would leave a gap in their defenses.

"You said most of the imperial army’s power is in Ember. Do you know the situation there in detail?"

The werewolf shook his head. "Not in detail..."

He shared everything he’d heard from Aezar. But it wasn’t much more than what Isaac had already told me.

"That front... it’s a war of attrition. The lines are stuck. There’s not much either side can really do."

He added that the individual strength of Ember’s defenders made it a brutal battle. Just thinking about Gith-Za-Rai was enough proof. Although she was dead, they said she was one of Ember’s top three, meaning there were at least two others on her level.

Still, how strange. Why start a war if they couldn’t dominate from the beginning? Regardless, I now knew what needed to be done: help the Confederation and push the front line northward while the key forces were tied up.

"Isaac."

"Do you know how desperate a defeated soldier’s rape is? It’s basically a survival instinct. It happens in a state of terror and..."

"Hey."

"Huh? What? The pup’s all tame now he’s no fun anymore. Obedient as a lapdog, really."

"About the Wizards of Azure."

"What about them?"

"They want to preserve the Empire, don’t they?"

"Well, of course... Wait. You’re not seriously thinking—"

He cut off there. He’d understood immediately.

"If we can drag the front line all the way to the capital, they’ll have no choice but to emerge from the tower."

"..."

"And if I go to rescue Rubia then, don’t you think that’s when the odds are best?"

I was sure he’d nod. If I wanted to save Rubia, this felt like the only way. Isaac didn’t answer for a while.