Chapter 25
At this point, there’s no hope left for Ludwig’s Demon Territory.
Every plan Bephar had prepared was seen through and crushed.
Even if Ludwig was an idiot, there was no way he’d keep trusting Bephar after things had gone this far.
The only answer is exile!
His destination? The territory of a neighboring Demon King — Delac.
Normally, Delac would never accept a vampire like Bephar.
The vassals of Ludwig’s territory already had a terrible reputation for being useless.
They were all people with some flaw or disgrace, which was why they ended up pushed to a poor, remote demon land.
But Bephar had one card to play.
I have all the information about this Demon Territory.
Besides, Ludwig’s land was no longer the same as before.
The other Demon Kings who once ignored this remote border would now have to watch it closely.
Because of Ludwig’s new contractor.
Ariella was no ordinary human.
She had overpowered Bephar with magic in the council chamber,
and now she had hunted him down like an animal with a trap.
Of course other Demon Kings will be wary of changes in nearby lands!
With Ariella here, Ludwig’s territory was bound to change quickly.
The neighbors would surely want to crush Ludwig before he could grow stronger.
But… what if Bephar told them how to kill it before it even began to bloom?
And it wouldn’t just be anyone speaking — it would be Bephar,
until recently part of Ludwig’s inner circle.
He was certain.
This information will sell for a high price.
The price he had in mind included his exile, his safety,
and even a position of power in Delac’s land.
The neighbor Demon King would agree.
So Bephar was confident. Confident he would survive.
That didn’t mean he was happy.
The wealth and power my family built over generations… gone in a single day!
Throwing away everything he had worked for and starting over made him furious.
Do they know how much my family suffered to take control of this land? Ungrateful fools!
To Bephar, the enormous wealth his family had gained was nothing more than the rightful reward for their hard work.
And yet… in less than a year, some rookie Demon King and a filthy human…!
The two of them had smashed the golden tower he had built.
So easily.
I’ve been here far longer than either of those rootless things. And they dare point a sword at me? Insolent!
Ludwig’s territory might have been called a Demon King’s land,
but there wasn’t a single tree or blade of grass that didn’t feel the influence of the vampires.
What belonged to the family belonged to Bephar.
Which meant… the Demon Territory was practically his property.
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
“I will have revenge!”
He dreamed of a bloody future.
Bephar knew every military weakness and hidden gap in Ludwig’s land.
Once he told all of it to the neighboring Demon King,
he would deal with Ariella — that vile woman — first.
Of course, I won’t kill her quickly.
After that, it would be Ludwig’s turn.
A Demon Territory stripped of all its military secrets would fall without a fight.
“You should have just kept obeying me like the fool you are!”
If Ludwig had kept his eyes and ears shut and stayed busy running around the borders like before,
Bephar could have continued to control everything inside the territory.
The idiot would never realize…
That every time he showed interest in internal affairs,
the orcs always happened to attack as if on cue.
“…!”
Bephar’s thoughts ended there.
BOOM—!
Behind him, from the darkness of the thick forest, a massive pillar of fire suddenly roared toward him.
“Urgh!”
Bephar threw himself aside on instinct.
A blazing heat wave swept past where he had been just a moment ago.
“Ahhh!”
The heat was so intense that even without touching the fire, his clothes were blackened and his skin scorched.
A terrible scream tore from his mouth.
He lost his balance and fell to the ground.
But before he could recover, another fire pillar came flying at him.
Eyes wide, Bephar hurled himself away again.
He ended up rolling across the dirt like a rag doll.
BOOM—!
The pillar of flame scorched the ground where he had just been.
If he had been even a second slower, he would have been roasted alive.
No… no way! Impossible!
His concealment magic shattered, and his appearance was revealed.
He was a mess — covered in burns, dirt, and crushed leaves.
He didn’t have time to care about his state. His gaze snapped toward one side.
Shaa—!
Through a rain of falling leaves shaken loose by the attack,
a man walked forward.
The one person Bephar absolutely didn’t want to meet here.
“…Demon King!”
It was like the heavens were mocking him.
Bephar couldn’t understand.
No! How did he follow me here?
Concealment magic was a specialty of vampires.
In this land, there was no one else who could use it properly, and certainly no one skilled enough to track it.
Ludwig? Ridiculous.
His fire magic was strangely destructive, but his skill in other magic was average at best.
Gruve? That lich only obsessed over the subjects that interested him.
Bephar had been able to fool him all this time because of that narrow focus.
Concealment magic was far outside Gruve’s interests.
If it’s not the Demon King or Gruve, then who…?
While Bephar stared in shock, Ludwig’s cold gaze fell on him.
In that moment, Ludwig thought—
Of course he can’t imagine it.
How Ludwig had tracked him here.
The truth was, the chase had been a little ridiculous for something so urgent and important.
Ludwig had carried Ariella on his back like a child all the way here.
To detect the lingering magic close to the ground in the forest, he had to run instead of fly.
At least, unlike in the human world, he didn’t grab her by the neck or fold her in half over his shoulder this time.
He’d learned something, apparently.
Still, for Ariella, the ride was far from comfortable.
He ran so fast that she was short of breath and even a bit dizzy.
But Ariella quickly regained her focus.
From his back, she pointed the way like a rider guiding her horse.
“Left! Now right! No, not there, a bit more to the side! I said no! Listen to me when I talk! Can’t you see my finger?”
By the time Ludwig’s ears were ringing from her shouting,
he finally saw them too — footprints appearing in real time,
unhidden even by the concealment magic.
He set Ariella down in the forest, told her to hide well,
then sent a massive pillar of flame toward the suspicious direction.
The noisy chase seemed to have ended in success.
Bephar’s concealment magic was broken,
and now he was rolling around pathetically right in front of Ludwig’s eyes.
Grrrr—!
The vampire bared his fangs, mud-smeared cheeks twisting in rage.
“Demon King… No, Ludwig!”
Facing his lord, the traitor showed not remorse, but pure hostility.
Ludwig looked down at him and made up his mind.
“Bephar.”
Just that one word — heavy with all his thoughts and feelings.
No more words were needed.
The moment Ludwig aimed his sword, the enemy moved first in a sudden attack.
