Chapter 223: Alforam (7)

“Gahk!”

Count Didella thrashed in pain.

“Outside! Is there no one outside?!”

The escort knight who had accompanied him was killed instantly.

Although he desperately called out to the troops that had followed outside, no response came, and his expression stiffened.

“You bastard! Do you dare oppress me, a Count of the Kingdom of Alforam?! Princess Laysis! What is the meaning of this! I demand you immediately—!”

“You talk too much. That’s not what you should be saying.”

Carl seized Count Didella’s mind with the Soul-Seizing Technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

‘I need to fine-tune this.’

If he went too deep into the subconscious, entities like Ascalon or the contracted demon could sense it and intervene as they had before.

So he only needed to suppress Count Didella’s consciousness and extract the information he wanted.

“Guh, ugh, urgh, ugh…”

As the Soul-Seizing Technique activated, Count Didella’s eyes rolled back.

It was not a pleasant sight—foam forming at his mouth as his body convulsed with only the whites of his eyes showing.

“……”

Laysis sat silently beside him, holding her breath.

This was about dispelling the darkness that lingered in the royal family of Alforam.

Even if there was some damage, it was something they had to endure.

If anything, she was simply grateful to Carl for taking the initiative.

Thud.

Not long after, Count Didella lost consciousness and collapsed.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Carl let out a sigh and shook his tingling hand.

‘This isn’t easy.’

It would have been different if he had seized the target’s mind entirely or turned them into a vegetable, but partial domination like this was far more difficult.

“What do you think? Were you able to find anything out?”

“There are two things I know for sure.”

Carl looked down at the collapsed Count Didella with a contemptuous gaze.

“One, this guy is garbage. Two, there’s a separate mastermind operating behind the royal family.”

“A mastermind? Do you know who it is, by any chance…?”

“He’s completely hidden behind a veil. Even though he’s a Demon Human, he didn’t reveal his identity. He’s extremely cautious.”

Carl tapped the table and sank into thought.

Those who became Demon Humans by forming contracts with demons had their souls bound, making betrayal or defection impossible.

But the mastermind seemed to trust none of those constraints, hiding his identity perfectly.

Even Count Didella, the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Alforam, didn’t know who he was.

“Then what now? The escort knight is already dead. Shall we take care of this one too?”

“No, that won’t be a problem.”

Tap.

Carl jabbed a spot on Count Didella’s back with his finger.

With a jolt, the man rose and slowly opened his eyes with a dazed expression.

Carl subtly moved his lips and began implanting commands.

He laid out future instructions, added several conditions and prohibitions, and with a snap of his fingers, Count Didella blinked and came to his senses.

“…Hm, my apologies. I must have been lost in thought for a moment because of the workload.”

“As expected of Alforam’s Chancellor. I understand completely. Shall we get going?”

“Already?”

Count Didella’s face lit up with realization.

He clearly thought he had made Carl uncomfortable with his lapse.

“The location is excellent, and with Alforam’s full support, there’s no reason not to push this business forward. I’ll need to return quickly and draft a report to send to the Madeira Trading House.”

“Ah…!”

Count Didella beamed brightly.

Then he stretched out both hands and grasped Carl’s.

Carl, who already knew every vile deed he had committed through his memories, felt disgust rise within him.

But without showing it, he kept up the act, replying with a faint smile.

“You won’t regret your decision. If the contract proceeds smoothly, Alforam certainly won’t forget Sir Carlos’ contributions. We’ll make sure to repay you properly.”

“I’m fine. Instead, please ensure that no complications arise with Madeira.”

“You’ve vouched for it in your name, Sir Carlos. Of course I’ll give it my all.”

Madeira’s expansion into Alforam was now confirmed.

From the start, the plan had been to establish a branch here that would serve both as a Mana Bead production plant and a NOX training base.

As Carl shook hands with Count Didella, his mind raced.

‘I’ll make it look like I’m summoning people from Madeira and instead bring in NOX agents.’

Carl had no intention of dragging out this filthy war.

He would encircle the royal family and execute a swift operation to sever the cancer in one blow.

Carl and Laysis returned to the royal palace.

While Laysis stepped away briefly for other matters, Carl stood alone in his room, gazing out the window.

“……”

The garden was well maintained.

The people’s expressions were relaxed, and the overall atmosphere felt refreshing.

Of course, that was only on the surface.

Wolves hiding their true nature roamed freely, and the naive sheep unaware of the façade could be devoured at any moment.

‘The most important task is to cull the Demon Humans.’

Those who had taken bribes or betrayed them indirectly could be dealt with later.

But those who had contracted with demons directly or belonged to Origin needed to be eliminated swiftly.

There was no chance for redemption for them.

Click.

At that moment, a section of the ceiling opened, creating an opening.

With agile movements, Nine dropped down and gave a nod of greeting to Carl.

“The full layout of the Alforam royal palace has been mapped.”

“I’ve finished the talk with Count Didella. I’ll mix NOX personnel among the Madeira group, so be ready to move immediately.”

“Understood.”

Nine nodded again and began to climb back up through the ceiling.

But she stopped in her tracks at the sound of Carl’s voice.

“Nine.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Do you suspect any noble in the kingdom of being the mastermind?”

“The mastermind, you mean?”

“Yes. According to what I extracted from Count Didella, there’s a commander directing these actions. He’s meticulously hiding his identity, and I’d like your opinion.”

Nine had come to Alforam as soon as Carl’s visit had been confirmed and had been conducting a prior investigation.

The influence of the nobles, the maids, servants, even those involved with this place and foreign dignitaries.

It was thanks to Nine that Carl was aware of the key figures here.

“I…”

Nine answered cautiously.

If Master had asked such a question, it meant he already had a candidate in mind.

That was why she considered the most likely candidates and selected the one with the highest probability.

“It seems to be the King of Alforam.”

“As expected.”

“Yes. Frankly, it would be impossible otherwise. If efficiency was the goal, he would have been the first to be brainwashed or turned into a Demon Human.”

The king of a country was on their side.

From the Demon Humans’ perspective, it would be easy to act freely without restraint.

If Alforam had been corrupted to this degree, there was no other logical conclusion.

“I see. Good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Nine ascended back into the ceiling and vanished, Carl quietly sorted through his thoughts.

There was no small amount of information he had extracted from Count Didella’s memories.

Their objectives in Alforam, the ties to the forces of the Demon Realm hiding in other kingdoms, and even the conspiracy being prepared within the Empire.

“…He told me too honestly.”

Carl let out a soft chuckle.

Curiously, the information had been excessively well-aligned and detailed.

As if someone knew Carl would read Count Didella’s mind.

“A pathetic trick.”

Ascalon already knew that Carl could read memories and reach the subconscious.

That meticulous bastard would never leave things unguarded.

‘If it were me, I would’ve implanted false information to be used instead.’

It was the textbook move.

Most people, once they obtained what looked like important information, would be too excited to even consider verifying it, and would blindly trust it.

Even if they regained composure later, the information would already be deeply imprinted in their minds.

And even if they did investigate the truth, that very act would bind them down—meaning the deceiver had already achieved their goal.

“This has gone beyond what I can handle alone.”

Carl admitted it without hesitation.

At first, he had planned to approach it as a conflict between NOX and Origin, hunting down Demon Humans hidden in various places and disrupting their schemes.

But the powers of the Demon Realm had begun preparing far earlier and were far more widespread than expected.

Even if NOX went all out, it was uncertain whether they could uproot it all.

And Carl didn’t want to recklessly mobilize NOX, which had just settled into the capital.

‘I’ll have to contact the Holy Nation.’

Thankfully, the strongest ally wasn’t far away.

Since Crown Prince Yulian was aware of the situation, gaining support shouldn’t be difficult.

They were people who showed fierce hostility toward demons or the Demonic Race, after all.

Swish.

While Carl was writing a report to send to Crown Prince Yulian, he sensed someone approaching his room.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

At Carl’s permission, the door opened, and a noble entered with a polite demeanor.

“Sir Carlos, His Majesty has invited you to a tea gathering. He kindly asks that you attend.”

“His Majesty.”

Carl slightly widened his eyes and stood, bowing as if honored.

As if he knew nothing at all.

“Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”

“Yes.”

Carl followed the noble’s lead.

Originally, he was scheduled to attend a dinner banquet—why had he been summoned earlier?

There was no way the matter with Count Didella had leaked.

If it had, the ones who came for him wouldn’t have been this elegant noble, but sharp-eyed followers of demons.

“This way.”

The door opened to reveal a small garden.

It appeared to be an internally installed garden, with even the air flow being controlled by magic.

Walking into its center, Carl scanned for presences and located the King of Alforam.

‘There.’

At the center of the garden stood a tea table.

Seated alone was the King of Alforam, eyes shut tightly as if meditating, his back leaning against the chair.

“…You’ve come.”

As Carl approached with barely a trace of presence, the king opened his firmly closed eyes.

Gesturing for him to sit, Carl nodded and took the seat opposite the King of Alforam.

“I assume the sudden invitation startled you.”

“Not at all. If His Majesty calls, I’ll always be ready.”

“Hoho, it’s nothing serious really. I simply wanted to talk directly with the man who caught my daughter’s eye.”

He wasn’t talking about Carlos of the Madeira Trading House—but Carl of Bayern.

“Drink.”

“Thank you.”

As Carl sipped the tea the king had poured himself, he carefully exhaled inner energy to assess his entire body.

…But he couldn’t detect any trace of Demonic Energy.

That meant either he hadn’t allied with the Demonic Race, or the demon he had allied with was vastly stronger than Carl.

If it were the latter, Carl would need to revise his entire strategy, and his mind grew increasingly complicated.

“I’d like to ask you something candidly.”

“Please speak.”

“What do you think of Laysis?”

…Carl’s mind grew even more complicated.

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