Chapter 173: No One Understands the Demon Lord Better Than Me! Just Trust Me!

Translation by: Weebsread👹

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“Mr. Lin Wei, could you do that again—what you just did!?”

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“That was amazing! Is flying magic always this exhilarating?”

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“It’s such a pity I’m not high enough Level to learn it yet. Next year, when I can, will you teach me, Mr. Lin Wei?”

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B... Don’t curse at the adorable Saintess.

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Damn it—I let my thoughts slip!

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How is her nerve this unshakable?

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Not even a flicker of fear after that kind of Flight Spell?

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The Saintess—no, Yalis—whom I’d just tossed straight into open sky, now stood beside me, overflowing with excitement.

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Her hair, windblown and wild, spilled down her back—waist-length, shimmering in the dying light—framing her slender figure as she stood atop the heights, gazing toward the horizon.

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With the sunset draping her in gold, the scene took on an accidental, almost mythic beauty—like a painting come to life.

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It only made Her Highness, the princess, seem all the more fragile by comparison.

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Miss Iresha, honestly, is just pitiful.

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Nineteen years old, and not half as brave as seventeen-year-old Yalis?

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Both daughters of noble houses, yet the difference is almost cruel.

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“As for being your instructor... let’s talk about that later.”

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Now is definitely not the time for that.

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Beyond the Portal, the Border Wall loomed—majestic, vast, and awe-inspiring.

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Built atop the mountains, it stood like a colossal guardian, shielding the Empire behind its stone embrace.

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Even as the former Demon Lord, this was my first time standing at such a place.

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“From here, we travel on foot to the nearest border town, catch a carriage to the City-State of Brook to rendezvous with your Guard Corps, and from there, proceed to the front lines to seek out the Griffin Duke.”

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My tone grew serious as I spoke.

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Yalis, still flushed from the thrill of flight, whipped her head around, wide-eyed.

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The adventure before her—this was something she’d never experienced.

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There was a gravity to my words, a sense of ceremony, as if she were about to embark on her first true quest.

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“This journey is part of the Status: Training mission Pope Selena assigned you. From now on, whatever happens, you—as the Saintess—must handle and decide for yourself.”

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“I’m just here as an accessory to keep you alive. Of course, if you get in over your head and attract goblins or worse... Well, there are still plenty of demon nests in the Northern Countries.”

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“Even the great Saintess can end up in a truly terrifying situation if she slips up!”

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Combo Skill: [Intimidation. Fear. Darkness]—simultaneous cast.

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I lowered my voice, letting menace seep into every syllable, until the very air seemed to thicken with dread.

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If Yalis had been bubbling with excitement a moment before, the warning struck her like a bucket of ice water.

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That creeping chill, that hair-raising terror—memories of past horrors surged up, like the nightmare in the Lotai region’s Labyrinth.

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Goblins—dozens of them—blades flashing in the dark, cruel laughter echoing as they closed in.

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Her head spinning, unable even to tell which way to run, her grip on her weapon faltering until she could do nothing but flee.

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If Mr. Lin Wei hadn’t happened to pass by and save her back then... she’d have been lost.

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And now, could it happen again?

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It was only a warning, but Yalis suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

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The fire in her chest died in an instant, leaving her speechless.

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“I... I’ll be careful on the way to the City-State of Brook.”

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So Mr. Lin Wei will only save her life, nothing more—really?

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She’d always thought of him as utterly reliable, someone she could trust implicitly. But the way he spoke just now... there was a strange finality to it.

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As if, if something truly happened, he might leave her to fate.

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That... that was terrifying.

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“Looks like the Skill worked well.”

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The once cocky Saintess was now silent, cowed by the combo Skill’s intimidation.

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Exactly as I intended.

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After all, Veya had been clear about my role here.

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If I was to bring Yalis to the border for Status: Training, she needed to taste real adventure—not treat this as some sightseeing trip.

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The problem was, we’d grown too familiar. She’d started to unconsciously lean on me, the way a child looks to an adult for help.

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So, time to activate some Skills and inject a little healthy fear.

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“Of course, we’re still within the Empire’s borders today, so it’s safe for now.”

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“The real trouble starts tomorrow.”

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“So... let’s get going, Saintess!”

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◇

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Beyond the Border Wall stretched the buffer zone between the Empire and the Northern Countries.

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Once, I’d led armies across these lands myself—but it was a hollow victory. We could never truly hold it.

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If we could, the fertile soil here would feed tens of millions.

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“Mr. Lin Wei, I remember—weren’t you from the Northern Countries?”

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Despite my earlier scare tactics, as the journey wore on and the rare chance to walk side by side with me presented itself, Yalis’s excitement gradually overcame her nerves.

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She remained cautious, but her courage was returning.

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“Yeah. Why?”

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This fake identity was my standard cover story.

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Honestly, with how many kingdoms have fallen up north, no one could ever check.

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Even if someone doubted me, there’d be no way to prove anything.

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“So, after the demonic invasion, did you ever fight them?”

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“I heard from the Demon Research Department at the Academy that demons are all brutal, depraved monsters.”

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“And the Demon Lord is supposed to be some six-armed, three-headed horror who can turn into a fire-breathing dragon—impossible to kill, a walking catastrophe... You’ve never seen the Demon Lord, right, Mr. Lin Wei?”

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Though she knew demons were humanity’s enemy, Yalis herself had barely left the Imperial Capital—she’d never actually seen a demon.

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Now, traveling with me to the City-State of Brook—just the two of us—this was the closest she’d ever come to true adventure.

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“I did fight demons when I was escaping, yes.”

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“As for the Demon Lord, I only glimpsed him from afar during the Negotiation Scene—he wasn’t some six-armed monstrosity. Actually, he looked quite human. Wore a mask. Honestly, rather handsome.”

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Those idiots in the Demon Research Department really just make things up, huh?

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I knew it was a nest of nepotism when I first got hired, but to spout nonsense about the Demon Lord without ever seeing him?

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When I get back, I should drag those guys out to the border and let them meet some real demons up close.

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“As for demons being all brutal—well, I don’t know what those researchers are studying, but as far as I know, ‘demon’ actually refers to a collection of different races.”

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“The earliest demons evolved from terrifying monsters in ancient times.”

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“Different species, different personalities, but all gradually took on more human-like forms. Over generations, they flourished here, and their descendants became what we now call the demon race.”

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Honestly, a little demon lore wouldn’t hurt the Saintess.

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As the former Demon Lord, I’d read all the old records; I knew the real history.

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So, as we walked, I shared what few humans ever learned.

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“These days, aside from a few inherited traits from their monster ancestors, demons live pretty much like humans.”

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“Vampires, liches, the undead you see on the battlefield—those are minor groups that gradually joined the demon race over the past few millennia. It’s just easier to lump them all together as ‘demons.’”

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“It’s like the term ‘Demi-Human’—that covers a bunch of different races too. Some, like werewolves, are even mistaken for demons, but there’s no real connection.”

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She’d thought of Mr. Lin Wei as a seasoned adventurer, but never expected him to know so much.

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Yalis’s curiosity was piqued—the Demon Research Department students always speculated about the origins of demonkind, but never had real evidence.

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Yet when Mr. Lin Wei spoke, it just felt... true.

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She couldn’t help but trust the man who’d once saved her life.

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“So, so... you’re saying that nowadays, demons are pretty much like humans?”

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“Then what’s their relationship with the Cult of the Evil God? Did they evolve using the Evil God’s power?”

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“No, not really. The Cult of the Evil God only emerged after the Age of Gods. The earliest demons transformed on their own. If there’s any connection, it’s probably through the Demon God, who rules over the demon race.”

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Even the old demon records didn’t cover this part of history.

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The events after the Age of Gods—besides a few scattered myths, there was nothing solid.

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Only someone like me, who’d fused with the Demon God’s Divinity, could sense the truth, but even I couldn’t put it into words.

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“Besides, demons supposedly cut all ties with the Cult of the Evil God centuries ago. Humans just don’t know that. Treat it as a rumor; don’t go spreading it.”

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Actually, the rulers of the old human kingdoms probably knew. They just kept it secret, using it to paint demons as an eternal threat at the border.

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“I see... If demons already broke with the Cult of the Evil God, then what’s the point of this thousand-year war with humanity?”

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“We just keep fighting, neither side able to wipe out the other. Wouldn’t it make more sense to sit down and talk? We’re both intelligent races—what’s the point of wasting so many lives?”

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“Yeah... what is the point of wasting so many lives?”

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I’d asked myself the same question.

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From the moment demons and humans first clashed in the Northern Countries, both sides fought to seize this fertile land.

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But as the centuries dragged on, the original reasons faded, replaced by a war machine running on inertia.

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To distract from internal strife. To cull surplus populations. To chase after whatever each side desired.

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As Demon Lord, I finally saw through it all in the last year of the war.

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For both humans and demons, the war was utterly meaningless.

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Neither side could destroy the other, nor could they permanently seize the land.

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All we did was feed it the lives of our own people, again and again.

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Conquer the world? Impossible.

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Wipe out the demon race? Equally impossible.

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That’s why, when I shattered the Coalition Army and drove the front to the Empire’s border, I began to dream of ending the conflict, of holding on to peace for as long as I could.

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Too bad... the other side probably wanted the same thing, trying to keep the Coalition in check while negotiating with me.

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But both sides had their own reasons to keep the war alive, and so the bloodshed never stopped.

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“Hm?”

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A dusty caravan rumbled toward the border.

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I glanced over—just a regular merchant convoy, packed with goods.

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From a glimpse through the canvas, it looked like tents and other daily necessities.

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“Hauling tents to the border... Hey, you selling those to the refugees from the Northern Countries?”

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The merchant, perhaps impressed by our appearance, didn’t bother to hide the truth.

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“Yeah, the refugees are all stuck outside the border. They fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs—no shelter at all. I heard from the cathedral’s clergy in town that the rainy season’s coming, so we’re rushing to sell what we can. Good business, you know?”

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“You two headed for the border as well?”

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Is it really rainy season already?

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I narrowed my eyes, but kept my smile in place.

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“Something like that. My little sister and I are using the Academy break to do a bit of sightseeing.”

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“Well, don’t let us hold you up. Safe travels!”

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“Bye~”

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The merchant waved and drove off.

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“Tch... The Holy See announced this morning that they’d be sending supplies to help the refugees.”

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“But instead of distributing aid, they’ve just let merchants sell it for profit?”

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Watching the wagon disappear into the distance, I squinted, suspicion creeping in.

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“We need to pick up the pace, Saintess.”

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“Out at the border... it looks like our first real job is about to begin.”