The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 470 The Saintess's "Last Words"

The silver moon hangs high, and the night is deep.

With a creaking winch, the south gate of Dusk City opened heavily, barely wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side, as a procession escorted a luxurious carriage out.

The torchlight flickered on the cold city walls, casting shimmering light on the weary and bewildered faces of the guards.

The curfew in Twilight City has not yet been lifted. Anyone who can leave the city at this time is either a confidant of the governor or a nobleman whom the governor cannot control.

However, no matter who that person was, they couldn't understand why this distinguished figure would choose to leave the city at this time.

Although the siege of Twilight City has indeed ended, the defeated rebels and ratmen will not simply disappear just because their flags have fallen.

These creatures who sold their souls to chaos will transform from organized bandits into unorganized bandits, wreaking havoc on the ordinary people of this land once again.

This is the most chaotic time, as colder than when the snow is melting than when it's falling. At least for now, in the Twilight Province, there's no safer place than Dusk City…

People's joys and sorrows are not the same.

To the citizens of Twilight City, the disaster was over, and Twilight City was naturally the safest place. But those who were clear-headed knew that everything was just beginning.

Count Theron Gard sat in his ornately decorated carriage, occasionally lifting the velvet curtains to look outside.

他这辈子从未如此守时，更没有像这样等过别人，今天算是破了一回例了……

At this moment, a hundred light cavalrymen stood around his carriage. These cavalrymen were tall and strong, well-equipped, and exuded a fierce aura.

This is the last of the Gad family's assets, and also Theron's last source of confidence.

Theron waited patiently for a long time, and just when he was about to lose his patience, a capable figure finally emerged from the shadows outside the city.

“My Lord, I apologize for keeping you waiting.” Gregar nodded slightly, his attitude still humble, but he seemed to have lost some of the awe he had shown at the governor’s mansion.

"Hmph, good to know." Theron snorted coldly, forcibly maintaining his aristocratic demeanor. "Where are your men? Are they all ready?"

"Of course, please come with me."

Gregar made a "please" gesture, then turned and walked into the depths of the night.

The convoy that had stopped outside the city gate continued on its way, the sound of horses' hooves pounding on the muddy ground sounding exceptionally clear in the silent wilderness.

They walked for about three miles, and finally the signs of campfires appeared on the distant plains, causing Count Theron's brow to relax slightly.

However, this sense of relaxation did not last long.

As the team drew closer to the camp, Theron's expression became increasingly subtle, and a hint of doubt crept into his eyes.

这帐篷……

Isn't that a bit too much?

Not just tents.

The rising smoke didn't look like enough food for two thousand people; it looked more like tens of thousands of troops were stationed here.

Theron's opinion was not based on any particular military expertise, but purely on "experience."

The army that besieged Quemu Fortress was about this size, maybe even smaller...

The group stopped at the edge of the camp. Theron swallowed hard, leaned out of the carriage, and whispered to the mercenary leader who was leading the way.

"Mr. Gregar, are you sure... you're a mercenary group of two thousand people?"

Gregor, riding on his horse, grinned.

"Of course, how could I not know my own brothers?"

Theron coughed.

"No, I mean, isn't this a bit too much—"

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I can assure you that by this time the day after tomorrow at the latest, you will be able to lie comfortably in your castle bedroom."

Before Theron could finish speaking, Gregar interrupted him.

Moreover, the respectful title was unconsciously replaced by an equal title, and even carried a hint of mockery.

Suddenly, a chilling possibility popped into Theron's mind, causing his obese body to involuntarily tense up.

His pupils trembled slightly, he coughed lightly, and spoke with a shifty gaze.

“I suddenly remembered that we haven’t signed the contract yet. I need to go back to the manor in Twilight City to retrieve the seal—”

“Don’t worry about that,” Gregar interrupted him again, his smile both bright and cold. “Miss Sarah has already gotten it for you.”

The color drained from Charlize Theron's face instantly.

Sarah?

Who is that guy?
He racked his brains but couldn't remember where he had heard the name before, and he was completely baffled as to how he had gotten involved with that guy.

However, this matter soon became unimportant.

His gaze passed over Gregar's shoulder, and right at the entrance of the so-called mercenary camp, he saw a familiar face.

The man carried a battle axe on his shoulder, wore a bearskin draped over his shoulders, and had a bandit-like air about him. He was giving him a welcoming, sinister grin.

"Praise be to Saint Sis, Count."

"We've finally met again..."

……

Faced with the dense array of raised muskets, the hundred guards were quickly disarmed and imprisoned separately in the deepest part of the camp.

There are far more than two thousand people stationed here; you couldn't count them even if you added a zero!
Seeing that Theron had wet his pants in fear, Brennan didn't make things difficult for him. Instead, he warmly invited him off the carriage and took him for a stroll around the camp.

Autumn is almost here, and the weather is turning from hot to cool.

With the wind blowing against her backside that night, Theron felt her legs tremble, and the smile on her face looked more like a grimace.

He only hated Baron Ellarrick.

If that guy hadn't ignored him at the banquet, how could he have listened to the slander of a villain and fallen into the hands of a group of bandits?

However, what he didn't know was that Baron Eralic's situation was not much better at the moment; they were just each having their own troubles.

His ending may not have been so bad.

It's just a pig on the table anyway, so what difference does it make who raises it?

The king can provide for them.

魔王当然也能养。

Regardless of whether Theron's pants were dry or not, the "instructor" of all the Salvation Army's intelligence personnel had already retrieved the seal of the Earl of Sparrowwood for the respected Demon King.

The edge of the Salvation Army camp.

A slender, dark figure appeared silently beside Luo Yan, kneeling on one knee and presenting a wooden box with gold trim with both hands.

"My lord, I have obtained what you requested." Sarah's voice was clear and cool, like moonlight filtering through the trees.

"Well done, Sarah, get up and give your report."

After casually offering a compliment, Luo Yan lowered his hands from behind his back, turned around, and took the gold-rimmed wooden box from Sarah's hands.

When the box was opened, a seal carved from black agate lay quietly on a velvet cushion.

The animal-shaped seal knob has been smoothed by time, giving it a warm and smooth texture. And beneath that ancient seal knob, one can still faintly see the flow of magical light.

This seal carries the legal principles and glory of the Gard family for hundreds of years, although many things have now become a joke.

罗炎将印章拿在手中端详了一会儿，就像在端详着一枚精致的石头。

Sarah rose from the ground and continued her report in a calm tone.

"As you predicted, Theron Gard did not fully trust our people and was wary. Before leaving, he wrote a 'will' and entrusted it to his steward. If he met with misfortune on his way back to Sparrowwood Castle, his eldest son would inherit his title, if they still held the title at that time."

If Theron were to die, the court might not necessarily try him, since he would have already gone to see Saint Sith.

Whether his children can retain their secular titles and territories is another story.

"Where is his suicide note?"

"I brought it."

"very good."

After receiving the Count's will from Sarah, Luo Yan glanced at it briefly, a playful smile creeping onto his lips.

The suicide note was written like a tragic song of heroic sacrifice, without mentioning how the castle was lost, only how he outwitted and fought bravely against the rebels.

Unfortunately, Campbell's people didn't help him, and Theron Gadge ultimately lost the castle. Those who didn't know the situation thought he was a hero.

If the king wanted to make a fuss about the Campbell man, he might actually make use of his corpse, since praising the "Light of Praise" would only make him lose face, so it would be better to praise a spineless pig.

The power struggle between the Lane royal family and Archduke Edward has only just begun.

Perhaps this is the real reason Theron chose to take the gamble; he had already sensed that the court was on its way. Cleaning up the mess would be ideal, but if all else failed, a heroic sacrifice wouldn't be a bad ending either.

No nobleman from the Old World would willingly move to the New World and live next to demons unless they were truly desperate.

As for now.

Now that the letter has reached the Demon King's hands, all of Theron's precautions have naturally become a joke.

"The suicide note is well written, and it's even written by the author himself. If Theron ever feels he's back to his old self, he can read this letter to him."

Luo Yan put the seal and the will back into the wooden box, and then handed them to Karen, who was waiting beside him.

"Now that the legal issues have been resolved, just do as I instruct you to do next."

"Yes."

Karen nodded obediently, then solemnly accepted the wooden box with both hands, her lowered eyes filled with piety.

The box was light, but it felt incredibly heavy in her hands. She knew it contained the future of tens of thousands of Salvation Army soldiers, and also her own future.

Luo Yan nodded, then gave Sarah a look that said "it's time to go home," before turning to leave.

The envoy from the United Kingdom of Gutaf is still waiting in Thunder City, where Archduke Edward is also waiting for news.

And there's Taf.

His skills have improved a lot recently, but he hasn't had much time to calm down and meditate to consolidate them.

I'll have some dragon eggs to replenish my energy when I go back this time.

Watching that figure about to disappear into the night, Karen felt a sudden surge of reluctance and couldn't help but speak.

"Your Highness."

"What's wrong?" Luo Yan stopped and turned to look at her.

Under the moonlight, Karen's figure appeared somewhat frail.

她抱着木盒，低着头，似乎将一切交给了天意，只要那株鼠尾草的叶子是双数就开口。    也许是找到了。

She looked up, her gentle eyes reflecting the moon in the sky, and asked softly, "Where do you plan to go next?"

Luo Yan thought for a moment and then said.

"Thunder City, is there something you need?"

Thunder City...

她记得，那里似乎是艾琳的故乡。

“没有，我只是……”卡莲垂下眼帘，不敢与她的神明对上视线，唇边泛起了一抹故作轻松的浅笑，“我只是……可能有点儿羡慕吧。”

This time, she didn't leave the choice to Sage, nor did she wait for Colin's answer; she simply continued talking to herself.

“I had never met a Chosen One before, and I always thought they were just a group of people with more power. But after I met her, I began to believe that... some people may really be favored by the gods.”

"Her moon will always shine its gentle light on her when she needs it most. But some children have to walk a very long way in the boundless snow, for a very long time... and even then, they may end up with nothing."

"One day, the moonlight finally fell on her as she ran desperately, but perhaps it wasn't actually meant for her; it just happened to pass by her."

Her voice sounded like she was telling a story of a bard, or pouring out her emotions, carefully hiding her grievances behind a forcedly relaxed smile.

她不想此刻正注视着她的神明，将她的倾诉理解为嫉妒，即便她的心思也的确没有看起来那么单纯。

She knew very well that her soul was as insignificant as a firefly, and that she was already incredibly lucky to have come this far; she had no right to ask for more.

But Karen still wanted to say something.

On the one hand, she felt uncomfortable keeping it to herself, and on the other hand... she worried that if she didn't speak up now, she wouldn't have the chance to say it later.

She is not Eileen after all; she lacks the luck and strength of a chosen one. Perhaps she has already used up all her luck by the time she got here.

Chaos is but the shadow beneath the candlestick, while the Holy See is the vast, blazing sun.

Although she said "I am willing to fight against the Vatican for you" with ease, she also knew in her heart that she might not live much longer.

But that didn't bother her; she was very open-minded about life and death.

After all, she was given a second chance at life.

These words seemed to come out of nowhere, and the woman's name was never mentioned. But Luo Yan instantly understood who she was talking about.

Actually, what she said wasn't wrong.

The identity of "Colin" was tailor-made for the Principality of Campbell; Eileen is just one of the characters on stage.

相比之下，圣女卡莲的故事确实是他现编的，但觉得现编的故事比不上精心策划的剧本倒也不至于。

after all--

We are all pawns of the Demon King, and the Demon King has another grand scheme in the distant hell. If this competition continues, when will it end?

罗炎心里是如此想的，但显然不可能这么安慰人，于是思索了起来该如何温柔地回答这个问题。

Sarah's face showed a thoughtful expression, and she unexpectedly glanced at Karen a couple more times.

她一直不喜欢除了魔王之外的一切人类，卡莲当然也不例外，然而今天却是刮目相看了。

This guy……

He might be a loyal subject.

“抱歉，让您听了我这么多无关您霸业的牢骚。您可能会觉得我太贪心，小肚鸡肠，但其实……我只是想告诉您，我知道自己并非是特别的存在，我的存在只是偶然。”

"However, please do not doubt my piety. I will follow in your footsteps as always. For you are the only god who is willing to listen to my voice and reach out to me. At least... even the occasional moonlight has illuminated me."

"I've said my piece."

Karen smiled sheepishly, the hint of self-pity and regret on her face quickly disappearing, replaced by unwavering gentleness.

Even if she were to face a court of judges that would terrify the count, she would not feel the slightest fear.

"...Don't speak like you're giving your last words. Although I am a magic...mage, I also have my own bottom line. I never let my people do things that are certain to lead to their deaths and then say it's a necessary sacrifice. Including the things I'm entrusting you with, every plan of mine has undergone risk assessment. You can doubt my character, but you have to believe that I am professional in this area."

so close!

This woman almost tricked him into revealing his last secret!

However, even if Kallen knew, she probably wouldn't be too surprised; she would only be overjoyed to have learned another secret about a "divine child."

Luo Yan suddenly felt that he was deeply sinful and that his retribution was coming soon, but he also thought that if it came, so be it, since he had so much debt to pay anyway.

Looking at that face flushed red from some word, he uttered a few words of advice in a concise voice before parting.

"Also, there's something I need to correct you on."

“You are a very smart person. You guessed many of the unspoken meanings I was trying to convey. You should feel proud, not ashamed.”

"Besides, you're not a god. How do you know you're not one of the chosen ones, or that you're not favored by some unseen deity?"

……

Without a doubt, "Saint Karen" was blessed by the gods.

Especially after witnessing the angel descending from the sky, every soldier of the Salvation Army believed without a doubt.

Even many citizens of Twilight City were included.

However, when people packed their bags, full of ambition and eager to join her ranks, she said something puzzling to everyone—

“Poor children, I am willing to answer your prayers and perform miracles to eradicate visible evil. But when you turn your swords against each other in my name, whose side shall I stand on?”

“你们，都是我的孩子。”

She appears to have said this in the name of Saint Sis.

Thinking it was Saint Seis appearing to them, countless believers excitedly knelt down on the spot. However, when they raised their heads again, the saint standing there had disappeared.

The corruption of chaos has been dispelled, the war between gods has ended, and now it is the turn of the mortal kings.

Perhaps Saint Sith didn't know whom to help, so he sent down a divine decree to take her away...

As dusk fell, a whirlwind of activity swept through the city, and some with a keen sense of smell had already caught wind of it.

Rumors circulated that the king's steward loudly denounced the governor as a traitor at the victory banquet, indirectly questioning the Duchy of Campbell's motives.

He's right, but accusing others of having impure motives presupposes that one is innocent. But can a king be that kind of innocent rabbit?
Fortunately, Eileen is no longer the naive little girl she once was.

Her heart was hard enough, just like her sword, and she wouldn't feel ashamed at all because an old man made a few veiled insults at her.

她当然是毫不客气地怼了回去，把道貌岸然的斯克莱尔斥责到当场气晕了过去。

The Campbellans were certainly not working for the king for free; most of them came because of the governor's promise of land.

These landless farmers just wanted a piece of land to cultivate, and coincidentally, the Twilight Province had large tracts of abandoned land.

They were willing to go there to cultivate the land, just as they had once sailed down the river to the south of the Wanren Mountains to expand the kingdom's territory.

Now is the time for them to go against the tide and serve their king!
however--

The king would not allow them to have their way.

Anyone can farm this land, except the Campbells.

Because they have a powerful duchy behind them, they might just turn Twilight Province into the Duchy of Twilight while they're farming.

A weak Twilight Province belongs to the Devalo family; a prosperous Twilight Province will only benefit the merchants and industrialists of Thunder City.

It's better to leave it weak.

In this matter, it was actually Baron Eralic who was flirting with the Duchy of Campbell…

Just as all the factions were eyeing the soon-to-be-divided pie, the Salvation Army became the only outlier among them.

They didn't participate in cutting the cake; instead, they silently packed their bags and quietly left Twilight City... even though they weren't originally at the cake-cutting table.

Perhaps sensing the impending storm, Saint Karen not only rejected those who wanted to follow her, but also disbanded most of her army, retaining only the elite.

Most of the disbanded soldiers were farmers who were just there to make up the numbers.

These people weren't professional soldiers to begin with. When they were serving their lord, they fought in battles and farmed when they weren't.

Now they have all been allocated their own land in Quemu Territory. In a few days, it will be the busy farming season, and it's time to go back and prepare for this year's harvest.

Unlike other places, in Quemu Territory, as long as they behave themselves, they can actually get through this crisis peacefully.

After all, thanks to the efforts of the "Holy Spirits," most of the churches that Brennan burned down have been rebuilt, which is more than enough to pass inspections.

而躲在城堡里的神甫和修女们也都完好无损，并没有因为城破而遭受非人的待遇。

In gratitude for being saved, the clergy promised the saint that, in light of their shared faith in the same deity, they would protect the farmers who had forgiven them.

This is also for their own sake.

As for the elites that Karen retained, some were intelligence personnel trained by Sarah, others were former members of the Green Forest Army like Brennan, and still others like Redden who were deeply connected to the Salvation Army.

The farmers can go back to farming, but they can't go back.

And only when they leave can others shift the blame onto them and then survive...

As for the intelligence agents, they did not leave with Karen, but instead dispersed among the castles and villages under various identities.

他们有的是农民，有的是猎户，还有以前为领主效力的士兵，以及城堡里的佣人。

他们彼此之间并不认识，只和上级单线联系，且只在有特定任务的时候才会有限聚集。

As the eyes of the Salvation Army planted in Sparrowwood Territory, they not only monitor the movements of the Court of Justice, but also serve as a sword hanging over Count Theron's head.

这位伯爵回到城堡的第一天，救世军的情报人员就给他下了个马威，在他枕头下面放了一把匕首，并将他晚上喝的红酒换成了水。

Perhaps the tribunal will arrive here soon to sweep away the so-called evil, but they cannot stay here forever.

Theron is now all alone.

Those who could have killed him have only left temporarily; they are not dead.

At least until Saint Karen was captured and burned at the stake by the Papacy, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and endure it with his tail between his legs...

至于那些跟着圣女卡莲一起离开的救世军精锐们，没有人知道他们到底去了哪里。

Some say they stayed in Twilight City and didn't go anywhere else. Others say they went deep into the Ten Thousand Ren Mountains to train and build up their strength to fight against evil forces.

Some say they fled to the northern border of the Kingdom of Rhodes to spread the gospel of the "Son of God," and apparently they went there with the New Testament given to them by the Son of God.

Perhaps they are right, or perhaps it's just a smokescreen.

To be honest, no one has actually seen the New Testament to this day, just as most people have never read the Book of the Word.

However, what was different was that everyone was filled with curiosity about that book.

Whether it's a farmer in the fields or His Majesty the Grand Duke in Thunder City...

(End of this chapter)