The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 421 Twilight Province
Since that day, the atmosphere in the caravan has become much more peaceful.

The wheels rolled, the horses' hooves clattered, the accompanying mercenaries no longer wore tense expressions, the coachman often hummed a tune in a good mood, and even the wind along the way seemed to have become gentler.

This incredible transformation actually originated from the new "sister" Karen in the team.

Having been given a new lease on life, she changed into a clean set of clothes, a gift from Miss Sarah, Mr. Colin's bodyguard, which she gratefully accepted.

Although it was a bit tight, she altered it with borrowed scissors and needles until it fit fairly well.

And in any case, this garment is far better than that mud-stained black robe.

She washed away the grime and dust from her body in the icy river water, combed her disheveled hair into a neat braid that hung over her shoulder, and then put on the nun's headscarf made from the blanket that Mr. Colin had given her.

She seemed to have truly become a nun.

At first, the mercenaries in the caravan found it incredible, but as time went on, they gradually got used to it.

As evening approached, Thomas's caravan set up camp before it got completely dark, as was their custom.

The young mercenary, who had almost gotten into trouble for talking too much, was sitting alone by the fire, clumsily tending to the cut on his arm from a branch, wincing in pain.

Those were injuries sustained during patrol.

He always felt that his boss was deliberately picking on him, assigning him to difficult patrol routes.

Just as he was cursing and swearing, Karen quietly walked up to him with a basin of warm water and a clean strip of cloth.

"Let me help you," she said softly.

The young mercenary was startled. He looked up and saw it was her, and his expression became somewhat awkward.

"No, no need, it's just a minor injury... I can take care of it myself."

Karen didn't speak, but silently squatted down, placed the basin of water on the ground, and gazed at him with her clear eyes.

The young man eventually gave in under her gaze, muttering as he released his hand from his wound.

Karen washed away the blood with warm water, then took out clean strips of cloth and carefully wrapped them around his wound.
She remained silent throughout the entire process.

On the contrary, the young mercenary, perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was too silent, started talking on his own.

"...My name is Ben, and my family is from a small village south of Dragonview City. My father is a blacksmith. He always said that I wasn't cut out for manual labor and that I never had the chance to learn any magic, so he sent me out to try my luck... Actually, I know why. It's mainly because we only have one blacksmith shop, and he has three sons. They can't all be blacksmiths."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, sighed, and continued.

"Being a mercenary sounds glamorous, but it's really just risking your life for money. Sometimes I really don't know what the point of doing this is. Once I've saved up enough money, I definitely won't do this anymore..."

He rambled on and on, talking about everything from silly things he did as a child to his uncertainty about the future.

Karen listened quietly until he finished speaking, then whispered a sentence.

"Saint Seth will bless everyone who strives to live a good life. I believe you can do it..."

Ben paused for a moment, then smiled with relief.

"Really...? Thank you. I appreciate your kind words. Perhaps it really is true."

He didn't really think he could retire peacefully, as he had spent almost all the money he had earned and was living day by day.

But now, he suddenly feels that it's not a bad thing to make some long-term plans. What if his dream of returning to a peaceful life really comes true someday?
After all, a miracle had happened right before his eyes just a few days ago...

Perhaps the gods are still listening to the troubles of mortals.

I felt the wound on my arm was hurting less, and my anxiety subsided considerably, restoring my hope for life.

Karen smiled and nodded, picked up the basin of water, and quietly left.

Watching her turn and leave, Ben's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly called out to her.

"Wait a moment……"

Karen stopped and turned to look at him.

"what happened?"

"That...I'm sorry."

Ben scratched the back of his head, his youthful face showing embarrassment. After hesitating for a moment, he said with shame.

“I originally wanted to help you that day, at least to put in a good word for you, but I… I think I messed it up, and instead made the lord’s cavalry suspect that you were with us.”

"Of course, thankfully nothing happened in the end, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do... maybe... uh..."

He stammered for a long time, but still couldn't figure out how to express his apology.

Looking at the mortified young man, Karen smiled gently and shook her head softly.

"It's all over now, I don't blame you."

Ben: "But—"

Seeing that he seemed to want to say something more, Karen continued in a gentle tone.

"And... I once cursed you to go to hell. But thinking about it carefully, you were just passing through and had no obligation to take me in. You had your own difficulties, and you have already helped me a lot."

Ben stared at Karen in astonishment, seemingly not expecting her to think that way, and his ashamed face became even more embarrassed.

Humans are such awkward creatures.

If Karen went along with him and criticized him, he wouldn't be moved at all. But if she graciously accepted his confession, he would feel even more ashamed.

After a long silence, Ben spoke in a low voice.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know... Don't let my unreliability fool you, I'm actually quite strong."

Karen smiled gently and nodded slightly.

"I will."

Ben breathed a sigh of relief, and a cheerful smile returned to his young face.

He felt much better.

Karen carried the basin to the stream outside the camp and cleaned up the blood-stained water.

She discovered that, as Mr. Colin had said, what people needed was not the profound wisdom found in the Book of the Word.

They simply longed for someone to hear their voices in their difficult lives.

Therefore, whether or not you have read that book is indeed not important.

On the contrary, those who can recite Saint Sith's words by heart, who pray for the common people all day long but refuse to even look down upon them, have forgotten what the holy light actually looks like...

By practicing her faith, Karen gradually became an indispensable part of the caravan that roamed the wilderness.

She was like a mobile confessional, bringing a touch of solace to these weary souls.

At first, some mercenaries would make up dirty jokes about the "nun" behind her back, but as time went on, they gradually became less embarrassed to do so.

By listening to the suffering of believers, Karen gradually felt the power within her awakening.

She was no longer the pitiful person who needed to be saved; instead, she became someone else's support.

And at this point, she finally understood the true meaning of Mr. Colin's words, "I approve."

Her qualifications and identity do not need to be bestowed by a lofty authority, but rather need to be fulfilled by herself in the process of carrying out her mission.

She has come to understand her own destiny.

……

Inside Luo Yan's carriage, the atmosphere was so quiet that only the monotonous sound of the wheels rolling could be heard.

He enjoyed the tranquility, which allowed him to calm down and concentrate on reading the book open in his hands.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy the peace for long before it was broken by an impatient "thud".

There was a small female dragon, its claws clenched, curled up angrily on a soft cushion. Its small tail slapped the wool blanket beneath it again and again, and its golden vertical pupils were full of resentment.

She finally couldn't hold back and started complaining to the guy who was leisurely reading a book.

"Hey! I was the one who scared those bad guys away, so why is everyone giving you all the credit?"

Where is the Dragon God?
Why doesn't anyone worship the Dragon God?

Hearing the pet's complaint, Luo Yan didn't even lift his eyelids. He simply turned a page of his book and casually said, "What merit are you referring to? Scaring away a few horses?"

"Otherwise what? Isn't this all thanks to me?"

"and then?"

"And then?" Taff was taken aback by the question. "And then... they ran away! Karen was safe... wasn't that right?"

Luo Yan finally closed the book, turned his gaze to the brat who was both unreasonable and arrogant, and smiled faintly.

"You resemble someone a lot."

"Who?"

"Sir Richter, whom we have never met before."

"……What's the meaning."

Looking at Taf, who was completely bewildered and didn't even realize he was insulting her, Luo Yan spoke gently.

“It doesn’t mean much. He has a simple sense of honor, and you have a simple sense of justice. You two seem completely different, but sometimes you’re quite similar. You both act on a whim and almost never think about ‘what’s next.

He had sensed it long ago when he read her diary: the dragon god Gutaph was always moving from one right to the next, and then his disciples followed him from one hell to the next, until they finally sent him away and things got a little better.

Of course, this only lasted for a short time. Because the Archangel Dragons did not address the problems with Gutaf, but instead maintained the Great Barrier, one day in the future, the Archangel Dragon Lizardmen, an even more abstract race than Gutaf, were born.

His will was passed down and became an imprint deep within the soul of the Holy Armored Dragon Clan.

Actually, if this guy hadn't condensed his divine spark and had just been an ordinary researcher or guinea pig, he would have been a pretty good person.

Looking at the speechless Tauf, Luo Yan spoke in a slow and deliberate voice.

"...Although I don't want to argue with you about such meaningless things as 'merit,' pulling that human girl out of the fire pit of Eagle Rock Territory is just putting her in another fire pit in a different place, to be roasted by an even fiercer fire again."

“That’s not salvation, and it didn’t solve any problems. On the contrary, I gave her a path to follow, an identity that would no longer be bullied by anyone… That’s what salvation is.”

Taff was speechless, her cheeks puffed out like balloons.

The Zeta people, lacking the tradition of charlatans, possessed meticulous logic but lacked the ability to spout nonsense, and could only mutter a resentful remark in the end.

"I don't care, I was the one who did the work..."

She turned her head and looked out the car window with a sullen expression.

Just then, Karen was smiling as she wrapped a new bandage around the arm of a mercenary with an injury.

Her profile appeared exceptionally soft in the sunlight, radiating a calmness and strength she had never shown before.

The mercenaries respected her greatly, a stark contrast to their behavior in Eagle Rock Territory.

It's incredible.

They're clearly the same group of people!

Upon seeing this, the dissatisfaction and resentment on Taff's face gradually dissipated.

She had to admit that Kallen looked much better than before, and that was all thanks to the Demon King.

Before, she was like a mouse cornered against a wall, making futile struggles in a cage of fear. Before being defeated by her tragic fate, she was defeated by fear first.

That girl seemed to have truly found a new direction in life, rather than simply moving to a different place to continue her escape...

It wasn't just Taff who was gazing out the window; Sarah, who had remained silent throughout, was also there.

She suddenly remembered something from a very long time ago.

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since she's had kebabs grilled by the Demon King himself...

The hamster's tail smells pretty good when roasted.

……

A few days have passed since then.

When the caravan finally rolled onto the land of the Kingdom of Ryan, everyone, including Thomas, breathed a sigh of relief and completely let go of the last bit of tension in their hearts.

They had been worried about pursuers, but now it seemed that Lord Carbin had realized that he had kicked a real steel plate.

Perhaps he and his henchmen are living in fear, or perhaps he is planning to flee... But whatever the case, it has nothing to do with them anymore, at least they won't be appearing in Eagle Rock Territory for a while.

However, this relief did not last long.

Especially when the caravan entered the Twilight Province in the northeast of the kingdom, even the horses led by the mercenaries gradually sensed the tension permeating the air.

Far removed from the legendary "land of knights" renowned for its fine wines and glory, what lay before them was a startling desolation.

The vast fields have long been abandoned, and not a trace of green can be seen on the cracked soil. Most of the villages along the way are empty, and the tightly closed doors and windows seem to tell a silent tragedy.

Along the roadside, ragged, emaciated refugees could be seen everywhere. Their eyes were numb, and they moved slowly like ghosts, showing no reaction to the passing caravans.

It's not that there's no reaction at all.

In many eyes that had not yet lost their vitality, a chilling longing was also revealed.

It appears that a severe famine has broken out here.

In the evening, the caravan camped and rested outside a village that was barely still inhabited.

Thomas planned to enter the village to exchange some salt and cloth for some information, but as he and a few of his men approached the village entrance, the villagers immediately slammed their doors shut like startled rabbits, their eyes filled with fear and distrust.

“That’s strange,” Ben, who was following behind Thomas, muttered, scratching his head with a puzzled look. “We don’t look like robbers either.”

The mercenary leader didn't speak, but looked at his employer and said in a low voice.

"We'd better leave this area as soon as possible... The situation here is probably worse than we think."

Famine alone wouldn't be enough to terrify the locals like this, since caravans might have supplies they needed. Their current reaction suggests that other troubles are troubling them.

“I agree with you,” Thomas nodded solemnly. “I will try to leave as soon as it’s light.”

This is not the village most severely affected by the disaster, and it is located near the border of the Kingdom of Rhodes.

He simply couldn't imagine what else awaited them...

The caravan camped next to the village, and both sides kept an eye on each other, each minding their own business.

After nightfall, Karen began to pray.

Just as everyone was silently eating their rations around the campfire, a thin boy ran out of the village's darkness, crying, and stumbled to the side of the camp.

"Halt!" An older mercenary was the first to notice, and he gripped the musket beside him alertly.

The boy stopped in his tracks in fear, looking at the fierce face, but in the end he overcame his fear and did not turn and run away. He asked the crowd in a tearful voice.

"Excuse me...excuse me, is there a pastor among you?"

The mercenary paused for a moment, exchanged glances with his companion, unsure how to respond.

Seeing that no one answered, the boy couldn't help but sob: "My grandfather... he died the day before yesterday. He was a devout man, and my father planned to bury him, but I want to ask a clergyman to give him a final blessing, to send him off peacefully, so that at least his soul won't get lost on the road..."

In the continent of Os, it seems that the most common fate for ordinary people's souls to become dead if no one guides them.

The mercenaries don't really care about this; many of them have only recently rediscovered their faith.

Hearing the commotion near the camp, Thomas walked through the crowd to the boy and asked, looking at the heartbroken child.

Don't you have a pastor here?

The boy said, his voice choked with emotion.

“There used to be... but that priest... fled to Twilight City with the lord.”

"No wonder we haven't seen a single tax collector along the way here." The mercenary leader glanced towards the village entrance and couldn't help but curse, "These guys run faster than rabbits."

Just as Thomas was pondering how to politely refuse, Karen suddenly walked through the crowd and came over from beside the wagon.

She walked up to the boy, gently knelt down, and softly patted his head.

“I am a nun,” she said softly. “If you don’t mind, I can pray for your grandfather.”

The boy's eyes lit up with hope the moment he heard those words.

Overjoyed and moved to tears, he was about to kowtow to Karen, but Karen gently stopped him.

"Thank you! Sister! Thank you!"

“This is a sacred duty bestowed upon me by the gods,” Karen said gently, making the sign of the cross. “Please take me there.”

The boy nodded excitedly, about to lead the nun back to the village, when Thomas suddenly put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's too late today, let's wait until tomorrow."

Just as the villagers couldn't trust him, they couldn't trust these strangers either.

"Yes! I can wait no matter how late!" The boy didn't think much of it, just nodded excitedly, thanking everyone profusely. Finally, urged by the crowd, he went home satisfied.

"Is this considered an unexpected complication?" The mercenary leader glanced at Thomas, then looked at Miss Karen with concern.

He knew the girl was just a village girl who hadn't been baptized; she had simply taken a bath in the river...

Can she really fulfill sacred duties in place of the gods?

Kindness alone cannot save the souls of the dead; ultimately, only holy light or holy water can do the work.

"I don't know...maybe it. But it shouldn't take long. We'll go with her then, and it should be over quickly..." Thomas said, while also having doubts in his mind.

However, he still couldn't bring himself to tell Kallen to give up, just as he had hesitated for a long time before deciding to push her into the fire... He had grown up watching the epic tales of heroes.

Moreover, he was also a devout believer.

Although he only recently remembered it.

……

The next morning, Karen presided over a simple yet solemn funeral for the deceased old man, watched by the villagers and accompanied by the mercenaries.

She didn't recite complicated scriptures, because she simply didn't know them. She used the most sincere and simple language to pray for the peace of the souls of the deceased and for the courage to live on for the living.

The old man's body did not become a ghost.

Holy light can purify souls, but not all souls are so ugly that they need to be purified by holy light.

Whether one becomes a spirit after death largely depends on one's attachments while alive.

A person who leaves no regrets is someone even a necromancer would find difficult to pull from their grave.

At best, it's just injecting a false soul into an empty shell of bones.

Luo Yan glanced at it from afar; the old man's soul lingered in front of the tombstone for a while before departing without any regrets.

As for where he went, he didn't know.

Those were not his followers after all.

Karen's sincerity touched all the villagers present, and Thomas's caravan thus gained the favor and trust of these suffering people.

After the funeral.

An elderly man with a weathered face approached Thomas and asked to speak to him privately.

According to him, he was a friend of the deceased elderly man. He had something to say to express his gratitude for what they had done…

"Thank you, thank you for what you did for that old man. I can at least give him an explanation now..." The old man's chapped lips moved, and after a pause, he said, "You are very good people. I can't watch you walk into the fire... There are some things I must tell you."

He glanced at the desolate village behind him and lowered his voice.

“As you may have already noticed, there is not only famine here, but also war. The reason we dare not speak to outsiders is partly because we are afraid that you are the lord’s men, and partly because we are afraid that you are ‘Kaelan’s’ men.”

Thomas paused for a moment.

He had heard about the Bronze Pass and knew that the pass was located in the eastern part of Twilight Province, not too far from here.

However, the old man's expression told him that the war mentioned in those words did not refer to the distant chaos, but to something that was right before his eyes.

"Kaylan?" The mercenary leader frowned and asked in a low voice, "What's that?"

The old man also lowered his voice, glanced around, and then whispered to himself.

"He's the leader of the Green Forest Army, and he's a decent guy, but his men might not be so."

"Wait... what is the Green Forest Army?" Thomas looked at him with growing confusion.

“A bunch of troublemaking peasants, some bandits and outlaws, and outsiders like you who seized the opportunity to get involved—all sorts of guys,” the old man said with a complicated expression, glancing at the mercenaries next to Thomas. “A young man named Kalan led them to raid noble territories, rob granaries, and treasure… Because they wore green turbans, everyone called them the Green Forest Army, and later they started calling themselves that.”

Peasant uprising?

Luo Yan, standing at a distance, showed a surprised expression.

He wasn't surprised by the uprising itself, but rather by the fact that a group of peasants could still rise up under the suppression of supernatural power.

This sounds incredible.

After all, even a diamond-level demon king is nothing more than a "fire poker" in front of Grand Duke Campbell.

Following behind Thomas, the mercenary named Ben asked curiously, "They're robbing the nobles' granaries, not yours, so what are you afraid of?"

Hearing this nonsensical statement, the old man gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Sir, the noble lords have long since fled to Twilight City with their families, and who knows, they may have gone to the even more distant capital. Now, which granary in this land belongs to a 'noble,' and which person is a noble, isn't that just a matter of a word from their Green Forest Army... Do you think I am a noble?"

Thomas glanced at the old man's tattered clothes and fell silent.

After a moment, he said.

"Thank you for your advice, we will leave as soon as possible."

He had thought that things might be better in Twilight City, since it was the capital of Twilight Province, with a large population and thriving commerce.

But now it seems that place is not a good place either; they have to go further south.

Thomas couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself as he thought about this; he was already beginning to regret expanding his business into the Kingdom of Ryan...

The land of knights wasn't as appealing as he'd imagined.

Seeing the travelers who listened to his advice, the old man nodded, a relieved smile on his face.

"That would be best. You can go to the capital; it's still quite safe there! As for Twilight Province... this is not a place for outsiders like you. Even our provincial governor can't do anything about Kailan."

Thomas nodded solemnly.

"Thanks."

……

At the same time, in the Governor's Mansion of Twilight City.

Governor Baron Ellaric Valerius rubbed his temples wearily, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at the huge provincial map on the wall.

The map was covered with flags of all sizes, so much so that there weren't enough chess pieces in the box.

Each flag corresponds to a wisp of smoke, and the rebels with green turbans, like a spreading mold, have spread from the deepest part of the Twilight Forest to the edge of Dusk City.

In contrast to the rise of the rebels, the lion flag representing the kingdom's nobility has clearly been raised.

Those nobles who claimed to value honor above all else either abandoned their territories and feudal obligations and fled, or they retreated around the castle with their servants, hiding like cowardly turtles.

The group of farmers with pitchforks couldn't break down their castle.

In terms of extraordinary power, the nobles also happened to have some advantage, which was fortunate that they didn't have to divert their already limited forces to clean up their mess.

Even so, the situation in Twilight City was still far from optimistic, because the problems in Twilight Province were far more than just the rebellious rebels; there was also the famine that had lasted for nearly a year!

Now we can only hope that His Majesty the King will send his most elite knights to reinforce us...

This is, after all, the king's directly controlled territory, and most of the land belongs to the royal palace. I believe that, out of consideration for the annual tax revenue from Twilight City, His Majesty would not simply leave this place unattended.

He had sent a letter to the royal palace requesting assistance not long ago, and he figured he should be getting a reply soon.

Just as Elaric was worrying about the future of Dusk Province, a servant suddenly rushed in.

"My lord, a reply from the capital has arrived!" The servant, carrying a letter stamped with the royal wax seal, didn't even bother to knock on the door.

However, Ellaric did not blame him. Instead, he perked up, snatched the letter from the servant's hand, and tore it open.

However, when he saw the contents of the letter, he was struck dumb and stood there stunned.

The letter contained not a single word about reinforcements, nor even a utterance of condolence for the famine; instead, it issued an incomprehensible order using flowery language—

Baron Eralic Valerius, may the Holy Light be with you. The envoy Lyon from the Academy will soon arrive in Twilight City. You must demonstrate to him the prosperity and wealth of Twilight City, to showcase the majesty and glory of the Kingdom of Lyon, and to make those old scholars in the mage towers open their eyes and see just how far behind they have fallen…

Ellaric felt a sudden tightness in his chest, as if his heart had stopped beating for a moment, and he even forgot to breathe.

glory?

What is Your Majesty saying?
His expression suddenly twisted, and he angrily crumpled the letter into a ball and slammed it hard onto the bookshelf.

The attendant standing nearby was startled and dared not utter a sound, completely bewildered as to why the governor was so angry.

He slumped into the chair, his chest heaving violently, his heart filled with despair.

He didn't know what His Majesty the King was thinking, and he even began to wonder if the letter carrying the hopes of millions of people in the province had never actually been delivered to the King.

Just when he was at his wit's end, a calm voice suddenly came from the side.

“My lord, since the king’s reinforcements have been slow to arrive, perhaps… we can ask the Duchy of Campbell for help.”

It was his most trusted advisor who spoke.

An elderly man with gray hair picked up the crumpled letter, smoothed it out, and gently placed it back on the governor's desk.

Ellarick looked up abruptly, staring at his staff in astonishment, a flicker of struggle in his eyes.

"Ask the Duchy of Campbell for help? Are you sure?"

He had a good relationship with Edward Campbell, the young Grand Duke, who was a very capable man and decisive in his actions, and would never leave him waiting indefinitely.

The aide nodded slightly and spoke in a calm tone.

"In times of emergency, we must act expediently. These are extraordinary times, and we must first overcome the current difficulties."

"Have you considered the consequences?" Elaric gave a bitter smile. "That would be tantamount to admitting that the royal family is no longer able to control the northern territories!"

“I know, my lord, but the facts are as they are... It’s not just the nobles of Twilight Province who have renounced their feudal obligations, but also our esteemed Emperor.”

The aide nodded and said calmly.

"Moreover, in name only, Grand Duke Edward is also His Majesty's vassal, so there is no problem with asking him to send troops. In addition, if the flames of the Green Forest Army spread beyond Stirring Fortress in the southern part of Twilight Province, his duchy will be the next to suffer... I think His Highness understands his situation, and it is the best choice to let him take action as soon as possible."

“But what about the King?” Ellaric’s voice was hoarse. “His Majesty won’t let me go…”

Losing the Twilight Province would be a capital offense for him, but if he caused His Majesty, who values ​​his reputation, to lose face, he would still face punishment afterward.

"It was said in a low voice," the aide said.

"No need to worry for the next three years."

"reason?"

"There is no reason, this requires your... or rather, our efforts."

The aide paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, as if he had uttered those words with immense resolve.

“We not only need to let the Duchy of Campbell’s army in, but we also need to ensure they gain enough from this war and have enough motivation to keep fighting…”

(End of this chapter)