Chapter 176: Book of Contracts (2)

After finishing the lively meal and wrapping up various errands in the shopping district, Seongjin schemed to separate from the group.

"I'm heading back to the inn now. Since you're here, feel free to relax and have fun until evening."

Although they tried to hide it, everyone had excited faces. Only the straitlaced Dame Maria said with a worried expression.

"But is that alright?"

"Don't worry. I'll be with Sir Masain."

It wasn't a lie. With Bruno not having fully recovered his Aura abilities yet, there was probably no one as powerful as Masain, not only among the accompanying Wolf Knights but in the entire city.

"You have to consider the young people's feelings too. It's rare for them to leave the imperial capital, so let them have fun without their superiors around."

"Young...what?"

As Dame Maria's expression turned subtle, Seongjin hastily added.

"I like the freedom too. I'll just go to the inn and train."

But upon hearing those words, Masain was startled and began carefully observing Seongjin with a stiff expression.

Huh? What's wrong? Did I say something strange?

While he was puzzled, Masain turned to Dame Maria and spoke.

"Alright. Let's do as His Highness says."

"But Sir Masain..."

"I'll accompany His Highness, so there's no problem. Besides, I'm worried if you don't lead those green knights."

Indeed.

Dame Maria, surveying the excited junior knights, was convinced.

After sending them off, Masain fell silent for a moment and quietly looked down at Seongjin.

His expression was complex, as if he had much to say, but before he could ask anything, he lowered his gaze and politely bowed his head.

"Then I shall escort you to the inn, Your Highness."

...What's gotten into him all of a sudden?

Observing Masain's somewhat stiff expression, Seongjin returned to the inn with an uneasy feeling.

"You're back, Your Highness."

As if sensing their approach, Bruno came out to the hallway to greet them.

"Ah, Bruno. Did you rest well?"

"Yes, Your Highness. But you've returned early."

"Yeah. I think I've seen enough for now, so I came back first."

Then he glanced around and cautiously whispered to Seongjin.

"By the way, did you happen to meet someone outside?"

"Meet? Who?"

"...Never mind."

After brushing it off like that, Bruno tugged on his mustache in embarrassment and quietly disappeared into his room!

'What? What's wrong with everyone?'

Seongjin frowned, but he had no time to worry about them at the moment. Resolving the issues at hand took priority.

Using meditation as an excuse to dismiss even Masain, Seongjin returned to his room alone and changed into the casual clothes he had prepared.

They weren't as conspicuous as an assassin's outfit but had a dull color that wouldn't easily stand out.

[Are you going alone? Without waiting for that woman?]

'Yeah.'

For Dasha, who had infiltrated Milo's merchant group, to move freely, it would probably have to be late at night.

But he had been having a strange feeling since earlier. As if he had to move now or it would be too late.

As he activated Aura concealment and flung open the window.

"...So where are you going, Your Highness?"

Gasp.

Startled by the sudden voice beside him, Seongjin nearly lost his balance and fell out the window.

Looking up, Masain was standing at the window of the next room with his arms crossed, looking down at Seongjin.

"Sir Masain? You knew? Since when?"

"Since Your Highness dismissed the knights and felt relieved."

...Ah. I was too obvious.

"Um, Sir Masain. So this is..."

As Seongjin glanced at him and stammered an excuse, Masain shook his head and spoke in a firm tone.

"I won't stop you from doing anything, Your Highness. But this time, you must take me with you."

"Oh, but..."

"You must!"

In his serious, stony face, only his two eyes were burning like an active volcano.

Honestly, it was a bit scary.

"Uh, okay. Okay. I'll go with you."

In the end, Seongjin surrendered completely.

"Is that Aura concealment? It's impressive."

"Ugh..."

Seongjin was walking towards the logistics relay station with Masain.

And now, he was painfully realizing why Dasha had repeatedly emphasized 'trust' while teaching him.

That's because even if he used Aura concealment flawlessly, his confidence plummeted at the thought that he couldn't deceive this senior knight who was openly staring at him. Once he lost his composure like that, it became difficult to suppress his presence.

Whether he knew of Seongjin's agony or not, Masain began meticulously observing and evaluating his movements.

"It's truly high-level Aura manipulation. I can vividly feel how delicately the perfectly controlled Auras are being adjusted through such an intricate process. I had no idea when you grew so much, Your Highness."

He looked proud yet somewhat wistful.

"It's probably a technique that's difficult for a dull person like me to master. To stay by your side now, the only way is to become a Decalon Knight as quickly as possible."

Masain's face even looked determined as he said that.

Seongjin was dumbfounded. Even faster than that?

Sir Masain was a so-called hard-working genius. Before even turning thirty, he had already reached a level where only exceptional knights or captains in the imperial palace could match him, right?

Considering the numerous talented individuals stationed in Delcross, he would already rank on a continental scale.

Despite greatly contributing to the perception that 'everyone in the imperial family is a genius' alongside the emperor and Logan, he was making such remarks with the expression of a failing student who narrowly avoided being held back.

"It seems impossible for me to infiltrate together with Your Highness this time. But I'll stay nearby, so call me whenever you need me. I'll immediately come to your aid."

Upon arriving at the logistics relay station, Masain surprisingly let Seongjin go without protest.

"What will you do then, Sir Masain?"

"I'm embarrassed to say, but I'm also a member of the imperial family. I have some connections in the merchant union. They might be flustered if I suddenly request a visit, but they won't turn me away at the door."

And he smiled gently.

"Please go, Your Highness. I'll wait inside the logistics relay station and rush over if anything happens."

***

After parting ways with Masain, Seongjin quietly slipped into the building, following the Demon King's guidance.

The demonic energy remained motionless on the top floor of the logistics relay station, as if stuck there. It was precisely where the offices of high-ranking officials were concentrated.

Seongjin smoothly ascended the building.

However, as he reached the top floor, the intensity of security was noticeably different. Skilled Aura users were guarding every single door, and hidden assassins were occasionally concealed between them.

'With this level of security, it would be difficult for Dasha to infiltrate alone...'

Fortunately, Seongjin was able to approach the area with the demonic energy without being detected by the assassins. His current Aura concealment had reached a level that even Dasha would acknowledge.

Above all, before Seongjin could sense their presence, the Demon King would first discover the assassins' souls and inform him. Thanks to that, it was possible to significantly bypass their detection range.

The place Seongjin reached was a spacious office midway down the corridor. A gold-plated nameplate was attached to the large double doors.

-Merchant Union Northern Branch Head: Wilhelm Schmidt

Despite Seongjin's tantrum, there was no movement, so he thought there was no connection, but surprisingly, the demon was hiding in the branch head's office.

[Hmm. It's a complete low-level demon. It's suppressing its demonic energy a lot, but it's not very strong to begin with. It would be hard for a human to find unless they have exceptionally strong divine power.]

And Seongjin's impression upon entering the office and seeing the demon's appearance was this.

'Oh, it's a demon.'

[Well, of course it's a demon. Were you expecting something else?]

No, how should I put it?

The demon had an appearance that seemed to bring the imagination of 'if it's a demon, wouldn't it look like this?' directly into reality.

It was a bipedal goat with a goat's head and horns, about the size of a human's waist.

Wearing tattered rags, its fur-covered legs and hooves were visible underneath.

[Rather than a proper demon, it's closer to a low-level minion.]

The demon was clutching a small book-like object, and it seemed anxious about something as it trotted around the room, clopping its hooves.

And it constantly muttered something while bleating.

"What is it? What is it? Demonic energy is approaching from somewhere, baaah."

Seongjin slightly raised an eyebrow.

Did it detect the Demon King's demonic energy?

"I was told to protect this, to protect it, but what should I do now, baaah?"

Seongjin approached while maintaining Aura concealment, but the demon still didn't notice anything and was trembling with a vague sense of unease.

"If a priest comes, report it. If a holy knight comes, report it. If a contractor comes, report it, I was told, baaah. But what if a mere human comes? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do, baaah?"

Then it stopped in place and wiggled its ears and nose. Its horizontally slit pupils wavered in the air, unable to focus.

"Strange, baaah. The demonic energy is definitely nearby, baaah?"

Hmm. Seongjin crossed his arms, looking at the insignificant demon wavering in front of him.

This was the first time Seongjin had actually seen a demon with his own eyes, except for the Demon King.

'Somehow...it seems like just a one-punch deal.'

Of course, without divine power, he didn't know how effective his strength would be against a demon. But it seemed sufficient to smack the back of its head and snatch that book it was preciously holding.

Somehow, it looked extremely important.

'Would there be any problems if I steal that?'

Before raising his fist, Seongjin pondered for a moment.

Demons had no personal rights or property rights under both divine law and imperial law. So even if he beat it up and took its belongings, it wouldn't violate any laws.

'There's no problem, right?'

Having made that judgment, Seongjin released his Aura concealment and abruptly smacked the demon's head.

[Gasp! Wait a moment, Lee Seongjin! A low-level minion...]

Pow!

At that sudden situation, the Demon King, unable to stop him in time, was startled.

Keeeyaaah!

The demon let out a bizarre sound and tumbled to the floor. The book it was holding fell to the ground and rolled towards Seongjin.

[...means there's a strong demon commanding this one...]

'Huh? What did you say?'

[...No. Nothing.]

Seongjin picked up the fallen book.

But oof, oof. The demon, who had been screaming strangely while clutching its head, looked at Seongjin and burst into tears.

[Baaaah! Masteeer!]

Kyaang. A shrill cry shaking the soul.

Huh? It has a master?

Was I too hasty?

[Lee Seongjin! A massive demonic energy from somewhere...]

And before the Demon King could finish his words.

Woooosh! Ruuuumble!

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew in, and the entire office began to shake. A thunderous roar that seemed to tear eardrums soon followed, shaking the office.

[How dare you! Who dares to touch my minion!]

Uh-oh, seems like things have turned serious.

Seongjin hid the book behind his back and took a step back.

Soon, black smoke-like substance began to billow from the center of the office.

It was the demon's demonic energy.

From the rapidly expanding demonic energy, an imposing demon soon revealed itself.

A burly, muscular build with black tattoos on red skin. And huge black horns reminiscent of a goat.

That textbook appearance was truly.

'It's a demon!'

[Yes, I told you it's a demon! What kind of nonsense have you been spouting?]

The demon noticed the book in Seongjin's hand and became greatly enraged.

Its red sclera already looked as if blood had pooled in it, and its pumpkin-like yellow pupils flashed with fierce light, as if electricity was sparking.

Reflecting that anger, the black demonic energy that grew even more intense not only enveloped the demon's body but also filled the spacious office.

[Hand that over right now! Do you even know what you're holding?]

"Hearing you say that makes me even less inclined to return it."

Seongjin retorted like that and quickly drew the Nutcracker, aiming it straight ahead.

Somehow, this demon seemed quite strong, and he thought he would definitely need the help of holy knights with divine power.

Since it was emitting so much demonic energy like this, surely someone would notice the anomaly. Sir Masain would also take action, so he just needed to buy some time.

While searching for the demon's weakness and making such calculations in his mind.

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

As the demon's yellow eyes fell upon the sword Seongjin was aiming, it widened its eyes and gaped its mouth.

[Why is there a holy relic? W-wait a minute! That sword! C-could it be? The Nutcracker?]

Then swoosh. The demonic energy noticeably began to decrease.

The demon's body shrank, and its horns receded. Its eyes, which had been entirely red, started to develop what could be called white sclera.

"...?"

As Seongjin blankly watched, the demon scratched its protruding fangs with an awkward expression and asked.

[Do you have any relation to the emperor, by any chance?]

Huh?

Suddenly, the opponent is showing a willingness to talk?

"I'm his son."

[What?]

"Oh, I'm a prince of the Holy Empire. So His Majesty the Emperor is my father."

[...!]

The demon was astounded. Then, in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a human form!

With the demonic energy completely gone, what appeared was a skinny man with dark circles that seemed ready to ooze out.

On that exhausted-looking face was a dismayed expression, as if he had stepped on a landmine. If one didn't know he was a demon, he might even look pitiful.

"...Damn it."

He muttered dejectedly, staring into the void.