Vol 1 Chapter 11 – I’m Out

“I’m telling you—you never said there’d be a monster like that, you shitty lord!!”

“Bang!”

He slammed his foot hard against the desk.

He was one of the bandits.

He had been lucky enough to be far from the spot where Alvarado launched his attack.

Sensing something was wrong, he peeked in and saw his comrades being beaten to death one after another by a sword crusted in rubble.

He managed to hold his breath and slip away.

…In truth, Alvarado had deliberately let him escape to learn where the bandits would run.

He had intended to kill them all anyway.

Of course, the bandit knew none of this.

When their lives are in danger, people instinctively flee to whatever refuge they trust.

The refuge this bandit chose was the manor of the lord who ruled the region where Rasha and Hannah’s village lay.

Ordinarily, just approaching it would have gotten him arrested and executed.

Yet after entering the manor he wasn’t thrown out, and the man standing before him now was none other than Lord Taris.

He exploded with anger at him.

“You even hired that demon bodyguard who turned out useless! Everyone but me got slaughtered! What the hell is that guy…!?”

A criminal bandit was speaking in casual, abusive terms to the noble Lord Taris.

It was an utterly bizarre sight.

Yet Taris did not rebuke him; he quietly endured the tirade.

“I see. So you came all this way just to report that to me?”

“Of course I did. This isn’t what we agreed on.”

The bandit shot Taris a glare.

“Our deal was: we pillage the spot you point out and give you a cut. In exchange, your estate doesn’t arrest us. That was the contract!”

If the commoners heard this, they’d question their sanity, thinking it must be a dream.

A lord and bandits connected by a contract.

Who could accept such a monstrous arrangement?

Taris nodded as if it were nothing.

“That’s right. Exactly so。”

“Then don’t sic a monster like that on us!”

“I don’t know where you got that idea, but I didn’t send that creature。”

Taris knew the bandits had been wiped out, and he had already learned who did it—

but it was not he who had dispatched the killer.

“If we’re talking about the contract, you’re the ones who broke it. This raid failed and I haven’t received a thing, have I?”

“Huh!?”

Having the blame turned on him only doubled the bandit’s irritation.

He’d come here to be saved and to complain to Taris—so why was Taris acting like the bandits were at fault?

His gaze was sharp enough to kill, yet Taris stayed unfazed and even goaded him further.

“Also, you’ve been skimming more and more off my cut lately, haven’t you? Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Is that tiny, thuggish brain of yours incapable of grasping that?”

“Y-you bastard!!”

Finally losing his patience, the bandit drew his sword.

Hurting a noble like Taris would be tantamount to tightening the noose around his own neck, but that never crossed his mind.

All he wanted was to hurt the man who’d mocked him—he was that blinded by rage.

Thus, he failed to notice the demon who had silently appeared behind him.

“Hey now. If you’re going to have me do the job anyway, don’t bother with this petty provocation. It’s a pain, you know。”

“Huh!? Who the hell are you!?”

He’d been approached from behind without noticing—meaning he could’ve been killed at any time, but the thought didn’t occur to him.

He turned his anger not only on Taris but also on the demon man—Ludrick.

Yet Ludrick only grinned flippantly.

“Don’t bother learning it. A small fry who’s going to die here doesn’t need to know my name。”

“You son of a—!”

Consequences no longer mattered.

He’d been disrespected—that alone was enough.

Against a demon—a race far stronger than humans—he charged in alone with his sword…

“Slice.”

“Pop.”

The man’s head went flying.

Blood spurted out, spattering the room in an instant.

Taris frowned at the mess.

“Impressive. As expected of one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings。”

“Well, yeah—don’t lump me in with the common demons。”

Ludrick.

He was no ordinary demon.

Personally acknowledged by the Demon King and allowed to serve at his side, he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Recognizing the might of the man he’d allied with, Taris nodded, feeling quite pleased.

“I have another favor to ask of you…”

“What is it?”

“There’s a village that survived because these trash failed. I’d like you to wipe it out。”

Ludrick furrowed his brow.

“Hmm? I don’t think that’s necessary. Those villagers have no way of knowing you and the bandits were connected。”

“These fools are stupid—they might blab. I could crush any rumors, but it’s better to snuff out unnecessary sparks。”

“You’re a terrible lord. Your people are unfortunate。”

Ludrick sighed, exasperated.

He felt a touch of sympathy for villagers abandoned by the very lord they should rely on—but only a touch.

In the end, he was a demon; what became of humans was none of his concern.

“Fine, whatever. It’s a hassle, but these guys aside, my subordinate got killed too. I’m pretty interested。”

One reason the usually lazy Ludrick was willing was that the subordinate he’d assigned to guard the bandits had been slain.

Had he lived, he would have returned; the man wasn’t the sort to run.

Having lost a trusted subordinate, Ludrick focused on whoever killed him.

“Maybe your subordinate just wasn’t that strong?”

“He was a personal lieutenant I brought along—pretty capable. Especially in combat, he was exceptional. I can hardly believe someone killed him. But because he was that good, whoever did it can’t have gotten off unscathed. They’re probably on death’s door。”

Given his subordinate’s personality, he wouldn’t have died without doing some damage.

Considering his skill, the enemy should be severely wounded.

“Ugh… thinking about it kills my motivation. If I show up, it’ll be over in a flash。”

“Don’t say that if you want to stay on good terms with me. I’ve already gathered some intel。”

Taris waved a sheet of paper.

He hadn’t spent much time or needed to investigate much, so it was only a single, thin sheet.

Seeing it, Ludrick pulled a disgruntled face.

“I don’t need it, though. There’s no human who can beat me. I’ll just kill him anyway。”

“Don’t be foolish. Information is power. For starters, we know it wasn’t the villagers who wiped out the bandits。”

“Yeah, no kidding. Even without my subordinate, taking out that many isn’t something an ordinary human could do。”

It would be terrifying if a small village teemed with people who could kill a battle-specialized demon.

If humans were like that, Ludrick wouldn’t underestimate them—and the notion that demons were generally stronger wouldn’t exist.