“We are almost at Euritheis, Bishop.”
“Hm. Our pilgrimage nears its end.”
“I am speechless.”
“The Light will be pleased.”
While all they had done was torture their prisoners, taste local wine and delicacies, and sleep with prostitutes along the way, they had somehow convinced themselves that their mission had a higher purpose.
“Bishop... Are we safe in this country?”
“You really don’t know anything about the politics around here, do you?”
“I’m ashamed to say it, Bishop... I apologize.”
“No need.”
The bishop nodded with glee, betraying his disdainful choice of words. In his eyes, military leaders were a lowly species reliant on violence. This commander seemed somewhat redeemable, given his sense of shame of his own ignorance.
“Monarchy fell quickly here. Then, a colosseum fighter rose up and eventually took control of the national army.”
“Incredible...!”
In the war-torn north, there were always nations springing to life, ceasing to exist, being swallowed up, or getting flipped upside down in coups. At times, a man would wake as a king one day only to end up nailed to a cross before sundown. This country, Euritheis, seemed to have suffered that sort of turbulent fate as well.
“His name is Jack. Now he has started some business and does very well for himself.”
“I-I see...”
“Something the matter?”
“N-No, Bishop... It’s just...”
In contrast to his attitude in Xenobia, the bishop’s tone was not critical. In fact, he seemed to find it amusing. This Jack, in fact, seemed like just the kind of man the bishop would have normally insulted as some lowly ape.
“Fret not. Unlike the girl of Xenobia, Jack understands how the world works.”
“I-I see...”
The commander could only nod uncertainly at the bishop, but he soon understood what he meant. As the parade approached the capital, many citizens poured out onto the streets to welcome them. This was a huge difference from the nations they had passed through. The welcoming ceremony climaxed when they entered the castle in the capital. Soldiers in lavish armor lined up in formation, as a band dressed in flashy costumes cheerfully played their instruments. As the commander watched in shock, one stunning woman after another came up to the parade to greet each man.
“B-Bishop...? What’s...?”
“As I’ve told you, Jack understands the way of the world. He recognized the reign of our Tzardom.”
While the commander seemed nervous at this degree of welcome he had never experienced before, he couldn’t help but grin at the wave of gorgeous women trotting towards them.
“Sir High Knight, won’t you visit me at my inn, tonight? I would love to have you over!”
“Let me touch your sword, Sir...!”
“W-Wait a minute... I’m no knight...”
Many of the women went as far as to hand him a piece of paper with their address on it. Even as the commander struggled to react, his expression became more elated with every interaction.
“T-This is troublesome... The women here think I’m a High Knight...”
Catching the bishop’s glance, the commander hurriedly cleared his throat and straightened his back, but he received no scolding.
“No harm in it. Our journey is nearing an end. Once we return to our homeland, we will each be another step closer to the almighty Light. Nothing to fear.”
“I-Is that true, Bishop...!?”
The bishop’s words implied an upcoming promotion. The bishop must have assessed this commander to be a pawn he could easily handle.
“What’s up, Bishop? I’ve been itching for you to get here...”
Eventually, a fearsome man appeared with numerous advisors in tow. Seeing the bishop dismount his horse, everyone else hurriedly followed.
“It has been too long, Jack.”
“...You said it. You’re looking a lot more criminal than you did last time. You’d fit right in with my chief officers, here.”
“In your dreams, Jack.”
The two shared a familiar laugh and patted each other on the shoulders as they entered the castle gate. One could catch a glimpse in this interaction of how close Jack’s ties to the Tzardom of Light were.
As the band carried on the fanfare, a man standing atop the castle gate muttered to himself:
“Heh... That’s the party of the Light...? What is the world coming to?”
Wearing worn-out armor, he seemed to be an ordinary man in his 30s, save for his exceptionally sharp glare. Perhaps from lack of funds, he had a piece of leaf in his mouth instead of a cigar, moving it up and down.
“They’re from the Tzardom we’ve heard so much about, Eyze. They look like they’re loaded!”
“Heh, I bet they are. The Light’s a rather business-savvy god, it seems.”
Eyze chuckled with sarcasm. He was one of the guards who guarded the gates of Euritheis, tasked with picking out any dangerous figures among those who passed through. The young man next to him was a new hire.
“Oh, but what about the crowd behind them? They look pretty beat up...”
“Slaves about to get sold. That’s what happens when you lose a war.”
“Wait, doesn’t the Tzardom worship the Great Light...? T-They sell people!?”
“They’ll sell anything for a coin. The Great Light’s the light reflecting off of those gold and silver coins.”
“N-No...!”
Eyze had a good laugh at the expense of the newbie’s naive reaction. Soon, he was sure, his green compadre would become as jaded as he was.
“Judging by how cheery the boss is, there’s going to be a good deal.”
“W-What’s the deal...?”
“The thing. The one that gets you high above the clouds.”
“You mean...”
“I guess they’d call it a pain reliever.”
The new guard’s face turned green, as he apparently had heard enough. In the castle, the lavish party continued in welcoming the Tzardom’s troupe, but Jack and the bishop had excused themselves at a certain point and began their secret meeting in a glitzy room.
“You’ve prepared the goods?”
“No duh. I’m not about to disappoint one of my best customers.”
“We’re taking the sea route this time.”
“Smart move. Less chance and risk of getting caught.”
There was a large chance of bandits striking at night when traveling along the main road. Often, entire militias would turn bandit. Depending on the goods, they could have very well been attacked by some mercenaries, too. On the other hand, the sea route was relatively safe, and allowed for transporting much more of the goods at once.
“Hellion territory, huh...? That’s devotion if I’ve ever seen it.”
“With the Light’s guidance, it is our duty to face any tribulations that may come our way.”
As Jack spat out some sarcasm, the bishop took it as if it were breeze in the wind.
“...I hear one of your prisoners is a demi-human.”
“News travels fast.”
With a chuckle, the bishop recited the pre-meal prayer. While it was almost inaudible, Jack curiously watched the bishop’s mouth. After his prayer, the bishop solemnly took a bite of the ground veal. It was an extravagant take on the dish, with bread crumbs and egg yolk mixed in, seasoned with sugar and spice.
Eating a piece of fruit from his plate, Jack muttered lowly, “What if I told you that I wanted it...?”
After chewing the bite of meat in his mouth thoroughly, the bishop grimaced.
“You do like your elaborate meals, don’t you? This is one I’ve never seen before,” he remarked, ignoring the question. On their plates were many thin slices of apple peel, which were (peculiarly) all buttered, fried, and sugared. “Hm. The sweetness of butter and apple melt together in your mouth.”
“Hmph! No rush. Answer
me when you’re ready.” While Jack raised a brow at the bishop’s attitude, he didn’t show any sign of anger. He was expecting a giant payload for this deal, after all. The bishop’s thoughts seemed to be in a similar place, as he appeared to be nothing but pleasant, unlike how he acted in Xenobia. The Tzardom troupe would purchase a large quantity of dangerous drugs here before heading to Hellion territory by ship. They would sell the flock of prisoners in Hellion territory before heading home. This was one sinister parade in the shadows of the Great Light’s glorious title.
“You performed one interesting prayer just now.”
“...How do you mean?”
The bishop poured the alcohol from his glass down his throat in a dignified manner. It was an amaretto, made from apricot and an assortment of other fruits and herbs. The strong alcohol blushed the bishop’s cheeks a little.
“If I heard you right, you were praying to the Goddess, not the Light.”
“...Now, Jack. Perhaps you’ve had too much to drink.”
“Unfortunately, I’m sober.”
While Jack had been drinking the same strong spirit, he wasn’t intoxicated in the slightest. This man could handle his drink as well as his notoriety suggested.
“I’m not one of your inquisitors. Who’s going to give a shit?”
“Hmph...”
“To tell you the truth, I much prefer the fickle Goddess of Destiny over some grandiose Light.”
“Tactless to say so in front of a bishop...”
“Why not pray to a gorgeous babe, if anybody?”
Moira, the Goddess of Destiny. She was a character of mythos, often depicted alongside the Great Light and Lucifer, the Fallen Angel. The goddess had plenty of uproarious legends, like turning a poor man into a tycoon overnight, changing a man’s moment of death, and even forcing the Great Light itself to follow a destiny she set forth.
“Did you know, Bishop...? The Goddess is a lot more popular with the folks on the street.”
“The Goddess of... Moira, is said to be closer to man, because of her fickle nature.”
Nearly using the goddess’ full title, the bishop hurriedly corrected his syntax. In his country, any discussion of the goddess was practically outlawed.
“Ha ha! How inconvenient for you. All this power doesn’t get you far, does it?”
Jack laughed in the bishop’s face, as he looked like he just bit into a lemon. There was a reason for the goddess becoming taboo — according to mythology, the Goddess of Destiny suddenly disappeared one day. On the fateful day when Lucifer fell from Heaven... the Great Light suffered a historical loss against the sudden uprising. It was said that this was the day that turned the course of the Great War. That was also the story of how the Ruler of Night was born. While the truth of it was up for debate, there had always been those that secretly believed that the Goddess of Destiny had rebelled against the Light along with Lucifer.
“Nowadays, people pray to the Goddess of Destiny for health and longevity, success in battle, and even for good luck in gambling. She’s staying pretty busy.”
Jack laughed, amused. The Tzardom’s gag law held no ground in other nations. It seemed that the goddess and her various tales were much more approachable than the Great Light, which was nowhere to be found. Even the bishop had long lost his faith in the Great Light. He, too, was once a devoted young man, but as he grew older, he learned the nooks and crannies of life. After getting his hands as dirty as he needed to get ahead, he had earned the title of bishop. Each time he crossed a perilous bridge along the way, he had prayed to the Goddess of Destiny, and he had been rewarded for it. Who could have blamed him for substituting his faith in the Light for faith in Destiny? While their backgrounds were different, his experience was similar to how Luna came to believe in the Wise Angel. People devoted themselves to entities that granted their wishes.
“Jack, I didn’t peg you for the religious type.”
“Didn’t say I was. People like you and I are too worldly. That light could be blinding.”
Jack lit his cigar and blew out a thick cloud of smoke. His life, too, had consisted of one perilous path after another. Surely, there were times when he prayed to the Goddess of Destiny without telling another soul. Picking up on this fact, the bishop uttered a sentence he never would have in his home country.
“The Goddess of Destiny favors the strong-willed.”
“I agree. The weak will never be more than prey.”
As these two were sharing a drink... The captured prisoners were crammed together in a stable with no doors. With garbage and debris around them, it was like they were huddled on the streets of the slums.
“Eat it.”
“Thank the Light for your merciful treatment.”
There were some breadcrumbs in the box presented to them, but it was far from a meal. More like bird feed, if anything. Still, the starved prisoners swarmed to the box, shoveling crumbs into their mouths. Watching them, the Tzardom’s soldiers burst out laughing.
“Look at that! And they think they’re human!”
“These must be a type of bird or swine.”
“Don’t spill it! You better lap up every single one of those crumbs on the ground!”
“Hey, where’d the demi-human go...?”
The soldiers looked around them. The demi-human seemed too weak to eat, laying on her back and looking up at the moon. She had torn-up clothes, revealing fresh whip wounds all over her body, and she was dirty from head to toe, but her portrait was still undeniably beautiful. In the moonlight, she even had a sense of mystique. One of the soldiers gulped.
“H-Hey... Why shouldn’t we have a little fun, huh?”
“Wh... With that thing!?”
“They’ll all be dead when we get there, anyway. So...”
With that, each of their eyes began to gleam. One of the soldiers grabbed the demi-human by the shoulders, and forcibly brought her to her feet.
“L-Little something for the road... Let’s have some fun.”
Breathing heavily, the soldier tried to drag the demi-human into a dark corner.
“...Let me go.”
“Shut up! I’m going to give you a taste of a real human!”
“What hopeless scum you are... Arfgh.”
The soldier slugged her as hard as he could, and she fell to the ground. Seeing that, the other soldiers couldn’t seem to contain themselves as they all jumped on the demi-human. At the same time, the other men began advancing on the good-looking women. It must have seemed unfair for them to be stuck on watch while the rest of their troupe was partying in the castle.
“L-Let go of me!”
“Nooo!”
“H-Hey... Is that what your Light commands you to do!?”
“Shut the hell up, you stinking heretics!”
“Now now, people of the Tzardom, calm yourselves...”
After the area erupted into a cacophony of shouts and screams, everyone came to a halt, hearing this voice seemingly come out of nowhere. The voice belonged to Eyze, who had been atop the castle gate earlier.
“Who the hell are you!?”
“You’re telling us what to do!?”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare... But don’t you think it’s a little tactless for a troupe of the glorious Tzardom to mess around with that filth in our lavish capital?”
Even those about to take off their clothes came to a halt. They must have realized that causing a dishonorable commotion now could cost them dearly in the near future, especially if the bishop were to catch wind of it.
“That being said, I understand your frustration. The rest of your comrades are enjoying amazing food and wine with babes at their sides.”
“T-That’s right...”
“He’s right! It’s not fair at all...”
The men and women of the Tzardom troupe chimed in.
“Right, I get it. So, we at the Jack of All Trades would like to host your welcome party.”
“What?”
“For real!?”
<
br /> Perhaps he thought that merely calming the storm now could lead to the same situation in a few days. Eyze skillfully manipulated them in order to keep the noise down.
“Now, please enjoy yourselves at an establishment of your choice. Of course, everything is on us.”
“W-Wow...!”
“B-But, what about the watch...?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be taking care of that, too.”
“R-Really...? Jack’s business didn’t get its reputation for nothing! They know how to entertain.”
Hearing Eyze’s invitation, they all got up, muttering all sorts of excuses.
“Now, that was an embarrassing display I’ve made.” “We would have gone too far to give any compassion to them.” “If you could not bother the bishop with any of this...”
“Of course. You must have been overzealous with your enthusiasm to complete your mission.” Spouting pleasantries, Eyze cheerfully sent all of them off. The new hire behind him approached Eyze as they watched the Tzardom troupe leave.
“A-Are you sure it was all right... to do that?”
“Yeah. Boss would rather pay up than have them cause a scene out here, too. He should be smiling ear-to-ear right now from that deal.”
“O-Okay...”
“Hey! You guys get back to the stable!”
Scared by Eyze, the prisoners returned to the stable with a begrudging look in their eyes. From their point of view, the Tzardom, Euritheis, Eyze, and everything around them was the same.
“W-We helped them out... I feel kind of ripped off.”
“That’s just how the cookie crumbles. I wasn’t trying to help them, anyway. I’d rather be one of them than be forced to keep watch listening to raping and screaming.”
As if they had forgotten about those two guards, the Tzar’s soldiers cheerfully patted each other on their backs and went out into the city.
“In any case...”
“What’s wrong, Eyze?”
“They’re all going to die.”
Jolted by the sudden notion, the new recruit turned back to Eyze. Eyze had been working as a gate guard because of his rare ability to tell benevolent and malicious people apart, and he was especially sensitive to looming death. Thanks to this ability, he avoided as many dangerous people as possible and managed to survive this long.
Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 3 Page 3