Chapter 328: Joe [5]

“…Julies?”

Velra’s voice was low—tight in a way that immediately put me on edge.

I turned.

She stood near the bed, the restraints around her wrists and ankles clinking softly as she shifted her weight. Her gaze wasn’t on me, though. It was fixed on the shattered window, where cold air crept in through jagged glass.

“Come on, hurry up and chase!” she snapped. “Do you really have time to just stand there and stare at me? If I hadn’t made that worthless contract, I would’ve gone after him myself…!”

Her irritation was sharp, raw—far from her usual composed arrogance.

And for some reason, I couldn’t look away.

Why was it that Velra, pacing anxiously like a caged beast, kept drawing my attention like this?

“…Velra,” I said at last. “I have something to ask you.”

She clicked her tongue.

“…Seriously? Now of all times?”

“It’s about the Demon King,” I continued. “He didn’t just attack vampires, did he?”

The moment I said those words, something changed.

Velra froze.

Then—slowly—her lips parted, revealing sharp fangs beneath crimson lips. A dense, oppressive aura seeped out from her body, pressing against my skin like invisible pressure.

“…Why do you ask that?” she asked.

Her tone wasn’t hostile.

It was wary.

I exhaled softly. “It seems I touched a nerve with an unnecessary question.”

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then she let out a long, weary sigh.

“…No. Ask whatever you want.” She glanced at me sideways. “There’s no reason to hide anything from a follower.”

Follower.

I chose not to comment on that.

Velra straightened, her gaze drifting away from the window as if looking far beyond the room—beyond the manor itself.

“It wasn’t just vampires,” she said quietly.

Her voice lost its sharp edge, replaced by something colder.

“Who, in their right mind, would welcome such an absurd declaration? To ’rule over all demons,’ as if we were pieces on a board.” Her fingers curled unconsciously. “Resistance was inevitable.”

“So it started internally,” I said.

“Yes.” She nodded once. “Among demons themselves. High-ranking clans. Ancient bloodlines. Nobles who had ruled their territories long before his name was ever spoken.”

Her aura pulsed—anger bleeding through restraint.

“He crushed them first.”

My chest tightened.

“Crushed… how?”

Velra laughed softly.

There was no humor in it.

“Public executions. Entire clans erased overnight. Leaders turned into warnings.” Her eyes darkened. “He didn’t just kill them. He made sure everyone understood what happened when you refused to kneel.”

Silence stretched between us.

“…And after that?” I asked.

“After that,” Velra said, “the war spilled outward.”

She turned to face me fully now.

“The vampires were only one front. Beastkin enclaves, parasitic lineages, even neutral factions that had remained isolated for centuries.” Her jaw tightened. “Anyone who didn’t submit was labeled an enemy.”

“So the civil war…” I murmured.

“…Never stayed civil,” Velra finished.

A chill crawled up my spine.

So it wasn’t just a proclamation.

The Demon King wasn’t merely claiming dominion—

he was enforcing it.

“…Gargoyles too?” I asked quietly.

Velra hesitated for half a breath.

“…Yes,” she admitted. “Unlike vampires, who still tolerate a handful of individualists, gargoyles function as collectives. Entire flocks. Entire cities. Once pressure was applied, resistance collapsed quickly.”

Her fingers tightened slightly against the armrest.

“I’ve heard they unified under a single banner and were driven into war almost immediately.”

I exhaled slowly.

Gargoyles—

one of the three major demon races.

Ancient.

Enduring.

Proud in their own rigid way.

And in the future wars… they didn’t appear as allies.

They appeared as tools.

Slaves.

“So even they couldn’t escape,” I murmured.

Velra didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.

The silence said enough.

“I see,” I said at last. “Thank you.”

She glanced at me sideways.

“…Suddenly polite.”

“Yes,” I replied honestly. “Thanks to you, I think I finally understand the shape of things.”

And right on cue—

A familiar shimmer forced itself into my vision.

───

[Concealed Requirement Fulfilled: 2 / 2]

[Criteria Met: Successful identification of the true nature of those pursuing Joe]

[An unseen directive has been revealed.]

───

I sighed.

“Of course you’d show up now,” I muttered.

The system never missed a chance to be smug.

Velra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…You figured something out again, didn’t you.”

“More like I connected dots that were already there,” I replied. “I’m still missing a piece, though.”

“The confirmation,” she said calmly.

I nodded.

“It has to come from the person involved.”

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

When I thought about it again, it was almost impressive.

“No, seriously,” I said with a quiet laugh. “I really thought he was just a big, friendly bear.”

Velra blinked. “Bear?”

“A metaphor,” I waved it off. “What I mean is—he acted harmless. Straightforward. A little too honest.”

But that was the trick, wasn’t it?

“He hid everything until the very end,” I continued. “All the clues were there, but he wrapped them in warmth and smiles.”

A cheerful, dependable man.

Always in the right place.

Always lending a hand.

A perfect protagonist candidate.

“…A fox pretending to be a bear,” I muttered.

I turned my gaze to the window.

The glass reflected my face faintly—

and beyond it, the faint outline of the district below.

My fingers brushed the sill unconsciously.

Another line of text rippled into view, glowing softly in blue.

The words continued.

I twisted the corner of my mouth.

The text didn’t stop.

It waited.

As if giving me time to understand what I was about to accept.

Then—slowly—it unfolded.

───

[Hidden Directive Activated]

[Objective: Confirm the Catalyst]

[Description: A variable exists within the current timeline whose survival or death will drastically alter the course of the Demon King’s campaign.]

[Status: Unverified]

[Recommendation: Direct confrontation advised]

───

“…So that’s how it is,” I whispered.

Not an enemy.

Not an ally.

A catalyst.

Now, that it comes to this I must get him first before other demons have any chance.

—-

Author Note:

Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future. H

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