Chapter 430. To Hell With It (4)

After leaving the official residence, Chi-Woo walked down the street aimlessly. He knew that Eval Sevaru was waiting anxiously for him, but he didn’t want to return to Seven Stars while in this emotional state; he needed to calm down a little. Like a stray arrow not knowing where to go, Chi-Woo wandered listlessly and reached the zone temporarily allocated to the Demon Empire. It seemed as if he had unconsciously made his way to the place where he had patrolled several times in case the Demon Empire survivors fell victim to any attacks.

Then Chi-Woo looked around blankly and furrowed his brows. Although the buhguhbus were not involved in the construction of the Demon Empire’s zone at all as Mangil had told him, Eval Sevaru carried out the construction by purchasing and supplying materials in Seven Stars’ name and mobilizing demons as workers for the renovation. Therefore, the residents here should be busy at work now, and the zone bustling with activity and full of dreams and hopeful sounds of the demons who had found a new home. However, for some reason, the construction site was dead quiet.

Chi-Woo looked around with a puzzled face and heard a strange noise shortly after. It was different from the hubbub he’d heard from yesterday; the noises were ones of madness and bloodlust. But above all, the metallic smell of blood in the air made Chi-Woo instinctively quicken his steps. His eyes became big as saucers when he saw the shocking scene that was unfolding.

“Fight! Fight properly, you fucking scoundrels!”

“That’s all you got? Want me to show how it should be done?”

A total of four demons were swinging their fists at each other with blood soaking them from head to toe, and a dozen of half-demons were surrounding them. Every time the demons’ fists drew blood, enthusiastic cheers erupted. It was no different from a dog fight.

“Seriously~ Are you guys kidding me? If you fight like that, the food we promised…?” A half-demon was chuckling while watching the demons fighting and killing each other. Then he turned around and saw a familiar young man fuming in anger, and he blanched. The young man was someone that everyone in Shalyh was extremely familiar with, and the frightened half-demon walked backward while going, “Uh…Uh…” and fell on his bottom.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Only then did the other half-demons laughing frantically notice the situation. A couple of them looked around, and soon, the whole group fell silent.

Chi-Woo walked forward in the sudden silence, and every time he took a step, the half-demons staggered back with a bewildered expression. Chi-Woo stopped walking when he saw a familiar face sitting in the middle of the make-shift battle arena. Their eyes met.

“…Everyone back off,” Murumuru murmured quietly and stood up from their seat with a sigh. Murumuru crossed the arena and stood in front of Chi-Woo, saying, “Let’s talk.”

Chi-Woo took a sharp breath and raised his chin to the fullest; although his anger was at a boiling point, he decided to hear Murumuru out, and what the half-demon said to him was truly flabbergasting.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“What, it’s not a big deal?”

“It’s just entertainment.”

Although the Demon Empire had entered Shalyh after many twists and turns, everyone knew that the current situation of the Demon Empire was dire. The construction effort was slow-going and quite lacking, and the same was true for the food supplies. The inhabitants of Shalyh weren’t starving, but they weren’t well off either; the situation only got better after trade began with the League. The food produced in Shalyh was far from enough, and thus, they had no choice but to rely on external supply. And that was where the problem lay. No one was willing to give free food to members of the Demon Empire when they had nothing, not to mention money.

Seven Stars’ intervention wouldn’t change much; even if they bought food with extra money, it would not be easy to acquire food for so many. In addition, they were already using a lot of money on the construction, and the official residence said they would reclaim the allocated areas, let alone give their support, so they were left in an extremely difficult and insecure situation.

If Eval Sevaru hadn’t requested various organizations such as Ho Lactea and Afrilith to purchase food by proxy for Seven Stars, the Demon Empire survivors would have been completely starving. However, even that method had its limit. The half-demons weren’t going to miss the chance when the Demon Empire refugees were struggling to barely survive each day.

“On our way we noticed they looked pretty hungry, so in exchange for free food…”

“Are you seriously telling me to believe that now?”

Looking back at where Chi-Woo’s gaze was directed, Murumuru smacked their lips because the amount of food that the half-demons brought was just barely enough to give a family a single meal. This wasn’t support, but an attempt to clown and take advantage of the Demon Empire survivors’ pitiful situation, and Murumuru was well aware of this fact. In fact, Murumuru had no excuses the very moment the fighting arena opened.

…No, Murumuru did have something to say.

Chi-Woo said, “I certainly remember you making me a promise before.”

Murumuru clenched their teeth and replied, “I kept my promise. I tolerated the Demon Empire’s entry into Shalyh.”

“Don’t joke around with me. I just—”

“Then what more do you want me to do?” Murumuru ended up raising their voice in the end. “Joke? Do you think I’m joking? Did you even consider my situation when I had to deliver what you told me to my tribe?!”

If Murumuru had been alone, they would have listened to Chi-Woo’s request without much difficulty because even if they didn’t like it, they could just close their eyes and endure it for once. However, Murumuru was not alone. Although the half-demon tribe was considered small compared to the other tribes, their population was over several hundreds, and while Murumuru could speak for their entire tribe, they weren’t in a position of absolute power. Delivering Chi-Woo’s words would make Murumuru’s position in the tribe precarious; it was inevitable considering that the entire half-demon tribe considered the Demon Empire their mortal enemy.

“What do you want me to do when they at least pretend to listen to me if I coax them like this!” What would happen if Murumuru wanted to fully carry out Chi-Woo’s will? The other half-demons would never accept it, and even before Murumuru could try anything else, they would be branded as a traitor and kicked out of the tribe. So in exchange for accepting the Demon Empire inside Shalyh, Murumuru was letting the half-demons relieve the frustrations they had accumulated so far; this was the best Murumuru could do.

“Honestly, I still don’t understand your decision.” Murumuru also knew that this conversation was over, but they decided to speak everything they had been holding in. “As you are well aware, I, of course, and all of the half-demons hate humanity as much as the Demon Empire. But we are tolerating humanity since we’re well aware that both of us are knee deep in danger, so it’s not time for us to quarrel. We’ve also been fighting together for a while as well.”

Then he added, “And, yeah. To tell you the truth—you’re not bad. No, you’re pretty good. You gave us the chance to make up for our mistakes when the Demon Empire first invaded Shalyh. You’re also not a human from Liber, and you’ve made achievements that made me acknowledge you even if I don’t want to. That’s why I’m even more confused. It’s not just anyone else, but you, who’s been leading the way in defeating the Demon Empire! Why on earth…!”

Chi-Woo stared blankly at Murumuru, who was shouting about all the sufferings and pain they had to endure so far. Murumuru was unable to finish, and after huffing in anger for a long time, they faced Chi-Woo with burning eyes.

“And do you know what makes me angrier?” Murumuru said in a low voice. “When the AI Armor first appeared in Shalyh and everyone was so eager to get their hands on them—” Under Chi-Woo’s order, Seven Stars had delivered the AI Armor sets to the Kobalos and half-demon tribe, the very first among the Cassiubian League. Thanks to the AI Armor they received then, many members of the half-demon tribe, which already had a small population, were able to survive.

Murumuru continued, “I was honestly shocked then. I didn’t expect you to come to us when there were many other powerful and influential groups, and you even came directly to give them to us.”

“…”

“You told me that it was payment for when you attacked the Demon Empire’s base and we offered our help, but…I knew that wasn’t the only reason. At least that’s what I think. At that time, I thought there was more to this gift than just paying off debt…!” Murumuru’s voice rose again as they couldn’t control their volume even if they tried. “So tell me. Was I mistaken?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you telling me that the enemies who made our blood flow are more precious than your allies, who have been fighting on your side so far!?” Murumuru’s shouts echoed in their surroundings. Murumuru believed that Chi-Woo should turn a blind eye to this matter and let it go if he would even consider their position a little. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Murumuru actually thought that Chi-Woo would tolerate such treatment to the Demon Empire refugees because…

“If that’s not the case, is this it?” Murumuru gritted their teeth. “You guys can do it, but not half-demons?”

Having been listening like a statue so far, Chi-Woo’s expression immediately changed. He blinked quickly and looked as if he doubted his ears. “What…are you…”

Murumuru, who was about to pour out another round of complaints, paused only after seeing Chi-Woo’s face and hearing him stutter. “What do you mean? Of course, I’m…” Murumuru looked carefully at Chi-Woo for a moment and realized. ‘Ah.’ Murumuru gaped and said, “Seven Stars also…” Then they let out a hollow laugh. “Ha. Was that it? You and me both. The Seven Stars and us too…”

Chi-Woo wanted to ask what they meant, but he couldn’t because Murumuru was already shaking their head despondently and turning away. For some reason, Chi-Woo kept his mouth shut with the feeling that he shouldn’t try to talk to Murumuru right now. The half-demons had long disbanded, and Murumuru also trudged wearily away. Then the demons, who had been nervously glancing around, swiftly left the place as if they were running away while clutching the food cast on the ground.

After some time, an individual carefully approached Chi-Woo while he was standing alone. Sensing a presence, Chi-Woo turned around and slightly gaped. It was a woman with flaming red hair and fair skin, which was rare for a great demon. “You are…”

“Hm. It’s my first time meeting you here.” Astarte smiled wryly.

She was right. Chi-Woo tried to visit Shersha and Astarte earlier, but he couldn’t, and the same had been true after the Demon Empire survivors were allowed to enter Shalyh. Eval Sevaru had asked Chi-Woo to wait for the situation to unfold a little more, but it was also due to Astarte putting the meeting on hold, saying that the situation was too difficult now, and she would go see him later. Shersha’s condition was so bad that Astarte said she couldn’t leave her side for even a second. Chi-Woo offered to check her condition, but Astarte refused even that. Although she gave a reasonable explanation that sending a saintess wouldn’t be helpful since her power was at the opposite spectrum of a great demon, it was obvious to everyone that Astarte had rejected the offer due to the circumstances.

“Since then…I think it’s the first time,” Astarte continued. “I’d like to have a proper reunion, but…I’ll have to take a rain check since the situation is not very pleasant.” Astarte flipped her hair back in the flowing wind, and her expression seemed somehow empty, as if she had given up.

“Have you been watching?”

When Chi-Woo suddenly asked, Astarte paused and soon nodded with a bitter smile. “I was watching, long before you came.”

“Then why…”

If Astarte had stepped in, the situation would have been settled long ago; even though the Demon Empire’s position was no different from a dog that had gotten lost and run away, she was still a great demon. Of course, considering the Demon Empire’s position, she couldn’t fight them for real, but she should have still been able to chase them off.

“Yeah, I would have stepped up usually,” she calmly continued. “But I changed my mind a few days ago.” She sighed and said, “Because some people told me off.”

“What did they say…?”

“If we want to continue living in this city, don’t act out and keep our mouths shut…”

Chi-Woo frowned. Who dared to say this to the Demon Empire survivors when they had been accepted in the name of the Seven Stars? Moreover, it was hard to imagine that someone would have the guts to say that to a great demon.

“By the way, they came from the same place as you.”

Which meant that person was a Celestial Realm hero. Who was it? His brother? Ismile? Chi-Woo began to think of the possible candidates one by one.

“They weren’t after me.” Chi-Woo looked at her questioningly as she continued, “The one they were after was…Shersha.”

What was this now?

“You must have heard about it. Shersha’s condition is extremely bad. I don’t know what she saw, but the shock she received was so great that she even got aphasia. Frankly, she has been lying down the whole time since we entered Shalyh.”

“It was that bad…?”

“They must have seen her powerless state by coincidence…and four or five of them secretly broke in with bad intentions.”

Chi-Woo, who had been listening quietly, instantly scowled. Wondering if he had heard her right, he looked at her, not wanting to believe her following words.

“After taking off her clothes while she had lost her will to resist, they were playing rock-paper-scissors to decide the order. If I hadn’t come back in time or had been a little bit late…I’m sure a terrible thing would have happened to her.”

The shocking news hit Chi-Woo like a truck, and his mouth slowly opened. His conflicted mind became blank at once. The words ‘don’t lie’ came right up to his throat, but he managed to swallow them back down. He also realized his short-sightedness, as he recalled why Eshnunna had become enemies and fought the heroes of the fifth and sixth recruits in the past. Since the Celestial Realm heroes treated even natives who cooperated with them like this, there was no need to mention how they would treat members of the Demon Empire, who had been their enemy until very recently. They probably had even less qualms about committing their wrongdoings.

“Don’t worry. I beat the crap out of all of them and chased them out. Even in a situation like this, there is an unacceptable line,” Astarte said calmly and blinked because she could see Chi-Woo’s shoulders and chest move while he heaved.

“Why…” Chi-Woo’s voice trembled as the words tumbled out. “If you’d come and tell me…”

“That’s…” Astarte looked rather surprised by Chi-Woo’s words, as if she hadn’t expected Chi-Woo to react so strongly. “Uh, well. Obviously, I don’t think you and your group would have encouraged such a thing. However, I took what happened as a sign that we need to endure offenses of this level because it can’t be helped.”

“What?”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not blaming you guys because all we managed to do was postponing the war rather than stop it. Since we failed to fulfill our obligations, I can’t ask you to take responsibility…”

“That’s not what I’m saying!” In the end, Chi-Woo couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—this was a phrase that Chi-Woo also liked. If the great demon in front of him was someone like Zepar, Chi-Woo wouldn’t have cared in the first place. However, it was different for the demon survivors who entered Shalyh. Though they used to be enemies, those particular demons opposed the war, and above all, they treated the human captives as they would ordinary demons. Chi-Woo had seen it with his own eyes. Thus, they shouldn’t be subject to such abuse and should instead be shown the same courtesy.

Chi-Woo asked again, “Why would you think that?”

Astarte gaped in surprise, unable to resist the fierce pressure coming from Chi-Woo.

* * *

After Chi-Woo left, Astarte, who was blaming herself for saying something that she shouldn’t have said, suddenly tilted her head. While she was talking, Chi-Woo had not said a single word. After quietly listening to everything she had to say, he simply uttered a couple words. Although it was to himself, Astarte clearly heard what he said.

‘Two times…?’