๋ก๊ทธ์ธ๊ณต์
Chapter 52
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2022-05-25 15:35:26
๊ด๋ จ ์ฑํฐ
The Demonย ย ย Chapter 53
The wedding was to take place in three days.Why so soon? We had to prepare for war, and Tevarr could help us only after the marriage. Therefore, the wedding would have to be quick and small-scale.Lavinia never left Abigailโs side, and the latter seemed quite affectionate. We could speak in private only when we danced, and even then...โShe lied about being pregnant.โโI know.โI was sure of that myself, but getting a confirmation from a vampire was nice.โAre there pregnant women in her entourage?โโYes. Two, both at early stages.โI nodded, my suspicions validated.โWhy would she need to give birth herself, really?โLavinia lowered her eyelashes. She realized everything as well. The baby would be presented as a fruit of Abigailโs loins.She didnโt give a damn about that child having any royal blood. She just didnโt want to go back to the dirt she had climbed out from. And again, if I had a baby cousin, could I ever hurt them without earning the hate of the entire country?A child k
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-25The Demonย ย ย Chapter 54
The court was buzzing with wedding preparations. I was busy as well. I had to leave the capital for two days to chase the Riolonian ambassador. I didnโt really have any choice; when the coffin with Andreโs body was delivered to Alethar, Uncle went into a frenzy.He obediently ate the bullshit he was fed and declared war on the Riolonians. The ambassador heard him out, tried to purge Riolon of suspicion, got a vase thrown at him, managed to dodge it, and ran away. He made the right call, really.Enraged, Rudolph could easily attack him with a sword. I caught up with the โRiolonian schemersโ in two daysโ journey from the capital.My horse could barely move, but that was worth the cost. The eyes of the Riolonian ambassador upon seeing me were enough to compensate me for all my misery, including my butt, sore from riding in the saddle.They were huge and wide with shock. Without thinking twice, I threw the reins to a servant and sat down near the campfire.โI come on business. Or will you
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-26The Demonย ย ย Chapter 55
I woke up to a hand touching my...private parts.Lavinia clearly wanted to consummate the marriage. I had to tear her wandering hand away from me and give her a brief clarification.โIโll rip your fangs out.โThe vampire hissed viciously, but I was as unrelenting as a righteous man.โFor now, Iโm putting you on short ration. Later, weโll see.โโWhat about children?โโFrom you!?โDonโt get me wrong. I had been willing to have children with Carlie, and if I married any ordinary girl, I wouldnโt be against.**I got just three days to enjoy my newfound domestic bliss. After that, Uncle declared war on Riolon and summoned me.โSo, Alex, if you couldnโt protect my son...โI raised a deep sigh that I had prepared in advance. I really couldnโt, because I wasnโt trying to. But Iโm grieving it so much.โI entrust you with the army. I hope you wonโt fail me.โYeah, right.Make Lavinia pregnant and die soon?Donโt count on that. Still, I accepted the army. On the first troop review, I swore like
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-26The Demonย ย ย Chapter 56
“Alexander! Glad to see you, my boy!”Holy crap... Mikael himself!Wonderful!Did the king of Tevarr have enough gall and belief in my stupidity to lead the army himself?But no. His next words explained his coming.“I hoped that my son would head the army, but alas, Kristof broke his leg!”I nodded, sympathetic. That’s right, his eldest son was a bit older than me, twenty or twenty-two. The youngest wasn’t even fifteen yet, a snotnose.Would Mikael really entrust a duke with his army? What would keep that duke from using it later, at home, thinking that the crown became him...No way.The army was something that a smart king couldn’t lose hold of. A prince, on the other hand, could very well sit on the throne while the father was at war. It wasn’t that complicated, and he would have to gain experience and independence.I chuckled, thinking that I even felt some pity
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-26The Demonย ย ย Chapter 57
By the next night, I was in the camp once again. Tom had covered for me as well as he could, but Mikael had started to worry anyway.Thankfully, there was water in the tent. I poured some on myself, changed clothes, and came out.Where was I?Yep, I went to check the carts that had lagged behind, find out if they had lost anything or bartered for drinks. Was it ununworthy of a prince? Maybe, but at least I would be sure of everything. During wartime, supplies are everything.Troop deployment? I defer it to you.How about we put heavy infantry in the center, cavalry on the left, the ground there is nice, and the contingency force on the right?There’s a forest there, they could hide there.Offense? No way.If the enemy wants to come to us, let them. We’ll wait. Fine, we can advance on them, but later. I’ll rest a bit and then let’s go.When? Well, next morning, or better yet, evening. I barely brou
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-26The Demonย ย ย Chapter 58
โAlex!โTom saved my life, pushing me away from a blow. Those creatures werenโt as dumb as they seemed. The devourers knew who had summoned them, and had no desire to leave.To remain in our world, green and full of people, the food for their fangs and claws, full of powerโwasnโt that a demonโs dream? While I was busy with the second pit, the tentacles from the third one got to us.Tom pushed me aside...and took the brunt of the blow. He tumbled along the ground and stopped motionless, lying like a broken doll.โNo!โI didnโt even realize at first that it was me who had cried out.Was he dead?No, his soul wasnโt flying away! And even if it was, I would get it back.I was a necromancer, dammit.Rage and desperation flashed inside me, and my other half got the upper hand. Instead of banishing the devourers with my necromantic power, I immolated them with a stream of scorching flames. It didnโt really matter anymore, though.The second pit closed up with a moist slurp, and I burned the
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-27The Demonย ย ย Chapter 59
After those events, the Riolonians wanted to continue the war about as much as we did. And so, we sat down to talk: me, Darius...Nobody else had survived. Not even a crown remained from Mikael. No surprises there.I had released enough of my power to burn even his bones to ash and then incinerate the ash as well, even if that was a pretty tricky thing in general.There were two Tevarrian generals left. The talks took place in the view of the entire army.Why?Nobody had wanted to set up camp here, bunk down... As a matter of fact, devourers tend to exude certain emanations, and they are particularly persistent, like cat pee in your boots.The stink would linger long after everything had dried out, and no washing, err, cleaning, would eradicate those emanations from the area. You could try and force yourself to remain in such a place, of course, but it would only end up in your nightmares, heart pains, or worse. And I would definitely discourage you from sleeping without a ward circle
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-27The Demonย ย ย Chapter 60
The templar flushed with anger, but restrained himself. He realized that strength wasnโt on their side and swallowed the insult. He would get back at me later, if I gave him the chance.โWe are going to question the soldiers; in the evening, weโll speak with you.โIt sounded like a clear threat, but I responded with a serene smile.You havenโt seen Argadon yet, you dog.โIโll be eagerly waiting.โโThen wait,โ the templar said curtly to have the last word in the argument and turned his horse back.The colonels stared at me with...fear? Finally, one of them spoke up.โYour Highness, is that really such a good idea, angering the Church? They are powerful...โI shrugged.โPowerful? How many warriors do they have?โThe way I put that question seemed new to the colonel. It clearly made him think.โYour Highness...โโMy people, colonel, are more important to me than any potential problems with the temple,โ I snipped.โWeโll move as intended. We need to reach the river by the evening, or weโl
์ต์ ์
๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2022-05-27
์ต์ ์ฑํฐ
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
โHow do you know about the charm spells?โโHow could I not! Innis, do you know that your mother had an elder brother?โInnis grew pale.โY-yes. But heโs...โโDisappeared without a trace. Why would Sidon Andago need him?โI caught the girl so she wouldnโt faint.โTell me more, you corpse!โThat tone finally made him pay attention. The ghost looked at me once more, I released my power, and it was his turn to become paleโor, rather, translucent.โBy the Bright! YouโโโYep. Me. And if you donโt answer me right now, I will burn your chicken coop to the ground!โThe spirit sighed and began telling his story. He was also a necromancer, who, by a cruel twist of fate, had become a healer.If you make a drawback your advantage, you can heal with the power intended to destroy, that was true.I had never been taught that, but the Andago family seemed no stranger to experimentation.Anyway, Tidann had died like he was supposed to. But during his lifetime, he had conducted trials in that same labor
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
I was barely moving my lips, but she definitely heard me, as she ran her hand over her hair and all of a sudden, broke down in tears. It had been a while since I had felt myself that stupid.Still, Martha didnโt cry for long. She raised her head high.โAlex, boy, yer alive!โAnd there was so much love and happiness in her voice. She didnโt care about herself at all, the main thing was my safety.I couldnโt help but blurt out, from the bottom of my heart, โMotherโฆโTruly, the mother is not the one who gave birth.โI was so scared for you. After we spoke, I ran off here, yer snake led me. Everythingโs quiet, but the ghosts are all afraid. Lots of templars in the palace, all tip-toeing โround yer wifey. Methinks, โtwas the bitched viper who started all this, mark me word!โโMother, but whereโs Tommy? Rene?โโTommyโs on the lam, heโs taking his wife to Rick. Rene and his pa high-tailed, too. Probably hiding somewhere, โlest they lose their knobs in the heat.โโDid somebody getโโโYep. The
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
During dinner, I felt like I was the main course.The local residents questioned me about everything, starting from silk prices in Tevarr to my family, from weather to the royal palace.I squirmed like I was in a hot pan, trying to avoid telling too much. I was pretty good at that.By the end of dinner, Amorta graced me with a smile and a suggestive look from her thin eyelashes, while Sidon thawed out and started to tell me his hunting stories. If they had been true, all the beasts in Radenor wouldnโt be enough for him.I listened to them, nodded, and was finally rewarded with seeing the heir: Sidonโs complete copy. He had Amortaโs ears, but was the spitting image of his father otherwise.Maybe that was why he cherished the child so much. Innis was way too smart, sharp, and independent, not to mention, entirely Andago in her appearance.Blood couldnโt be locked away. I had to coo for a bit, while discreetly collecting a few stray hairs from the babyโs clothes.Letโs see if heโs truly
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
Summoning Ak-kvir was easy.He appeared almost right away and sniffed the air.โYou again, necromancer?โโDo you object?โโDo you have the payment?โI sneered viciously.โIโll figure something out.โโGet comfortable, then.โI sat down on his back, and Ak-kvir darted off straight ahead. Eight hours to the town?Dear Innis, just twenty minutes...and thatโs taking into account that the demon had grown very lazy.We passed the town wall in a few rough leaps.Good thing that Ak-kvirโs claws were saber-sharp and could pierce any stone three feet deep. And finally, I was left standing in a narrow street. Monsignors bandits, come on.I canโt believe nobody wants these easy pickings!Yeah, that was rhetorical.Five minutes later, a three-man group stumbled upon me.They were so delighted that it was even funny.โOh, look whoโs come to visit!โโA noble boy, bless his heart!โโYou there, stand and deliver!โThey tried to surround me; how naive. Did they want me to speak?Like dark lightning, I d
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
Tommy was blissfully sleeping inside his house with Henrietta nestled against his shoulder, snuffling and smiling in her sleep. But when an ice-cold wave came over them, both had to rise up, their peace disturbed.That wind was something they could never hide or shield themselves from; it was a death wind, and it brought cold from the grave, making him feel as if he were in a coffin.Even dead men could wake up after feeling something like that...and sometimes, they did.โWhat!โThe darkness in the room grew thicker and took on Marthaโs shape, smiling with her mouth full of shark teeth.โItโs me, Tom. Martha.โInstantly, Tommy was relieved. He had seen that many times before.No big deal, Alex had pulled stunts much worse than that. When you live with necromancers, do as necromancers do.โWhatโs wrong?โโTreason. Take your wife and hide, I will warn the Morinars, so...try to get to Torrin. You are the most vulnerable of us all.โโHowโs Alex?โโAlive.โTommy breathed out.โGood. But wh
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
I had two options: either promptly summon Ak-kvir and get to the capital, wherein I would clean up the mess, but the schemers would have time to get away, that was as clear as day.The other option...Fine, youโve gotten rid of the rightful king.Now what?Oops.Well, you can sit on the throne of Radenor, you would even stay there...for like twenty seconds. After that, prepare a dust tray and a broom. No need for a coffin, the remains could be poured over a flowerbed in the palace garden. If I held off my return, I would get the chance to reveal the plotters.But what about my family?Well, that was a moot question. If I were a plotter, I would first kill the kingโmeโand then, if everything worked out well, switch to his entourage.Yet, I suspected that no templars had survived. Generally, I was a nice guy, but they had managed to really piss me off. I still had some time before they would attack Martha, Tommy, Rene, Dariola... Although, why would they attack Dariola?Her child was th
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
Surprised, Innis stared at the demon who had appeared in her pentagram. He wasnโt quite what she had expected. Visually, he seemed a proper demon: claws, scales, and a tail.But should he really be all bloody and unconscious?Grandpaโs diary never said anything like that. Too bad I couldnโt find any other notes.But...what am I to do with it? Try to call him? Shake him awake?No, reaching inside the pentagram was forbidden.What if I poke him with a stick? He canโt just lie there in my tower, can he?I have enough problems on my plate without a dead demon!**I was in agony. Every bit of my body that was still there was emanating with pain, even my tail. โDemon, are you alive? Demon! Damn you, youโre a rascal, not a demon!โIt was clearly a girlโs voice. She seemed young and quite upset. She had a throaty contralto, clear and singsong, like hot chocolate.I definitely wasnโt in a temple.Where then?I focused and tried to prop myself on my elbows, then open my eyes.Yeah, they had gi
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
After Martha told me that my wife was likely with child, I wasnโt even surprised or worried.She isnโt saying anything to me?There could be lots of reasons!Maybe she didnโt know so herself or wanted to make sure. What was there to discuss? I just had to charge the court healer with a task.Alas, I was wrong, and I had to pay for that mistake sooner than I had expected. Two days later, I found myself on the way to a small town called Livaren.I was still traveling around the country so the officials I had appointed would stay on edge. When the king shows up on your doorstep and demands an answer...or just shows up...it can really shake you up.Bad news came from Livaren.Somebody destroyed ten of my ghosts. I had to visit and figure out what was happening there. That was exactly what I did. I was used to nobody ever standing in my way. Have I already mentioned that sometimes, I can be a real idiot?The mayor, Baron Fagin, was cheerful. He had clearly screwed up. But considering that
The Demonย ย ย Special Chapter
Princess Dariola.What did she look like?Not a beauty, or at least I didnโt think so. She was tall, half a head taller than me, and thin as a rail.She had blonde hair and blue, watery eyes, and her lips were so pale they seemed almost white. She did have nice hands, with long thin fingers, worthy of an artist or a musician.I also liked her voice: high-pitched, clear. She would probably sound great singing merry songs somewhere in a meadow, during summer.Alas, but during our introduction, I didnโt seem to attract her much, either. I guess she thought me too weak and fragile, and I had no wish to disprove her.So, I just kissed her hand.โYour Highness.โJust a neutral phrase. No โMy princessโ or โWelcome to my kingdom.โThey made me an offer I could hardly refuse, and that was enough.Oh, I had divorced soon after getting crowned.The church granted me my request, even if they did try to negotiate. Your Majesty, of course, weโre ready to help you in any way you want, but weโve gott
