CHAPTER 4

[Unknown]

[Forest]

I felt nauseous. An immense amount of drowsiness clouded my mind. My body was a sluggish mess, and a headache pounded into my head.

Before I knew it, I found myself slumped against the broad back of someone. My surroundings were dark. I couldn’t even see a few feet in front of me.

The cold air bit at my skin, the faint rustling of the surrounding trees barely audible over the ringing in my ears. My senses flickered back to life, slowly returning as my vision cleared. The man who carried me noticed I was awake and whispered something—his lips moved rhythmically with each breath. He was huffing out a white mist as the gust of wind hit my face.

Despite my efforts to listen, the persistent ringing drowned out all the words that came out of his mouth.

We stopped at a clearing where the moonlight shone brightly. He sat me on a flat rock, looked around, and regained his breath.

The ringing in my ear slowly lessened.

The man looked at me.

“Are you unharmed, young lord?”

His language. I can understand it.

I hesitantly nodded.

“There are no pursuers as of now, so it’s safe to stay for the night. Are you hurt somewhere? I can fix you up if you’d like. Though I suppose I cannot heal your broken bones.”

I looked at the man.

He wore blackish armor beneath a dark cloak resembling foliage.

“Who?”

“I’ve come to rescue you.”

I kept my eyes on him as my mind raced.

This is not the jail anymore, and a stranger is in front of me. How should I go about this?

Think.

I shut down anything else that wouldn’t be used to observe my current situation. I killed my breath, lowered my pulse, and all other irrelevant functions of my body. Something I learned from my previous life of being abused by my father. Time seemed to stretch as my mind took full control.

I glanced around, absorbing the details.

Body. Forest. Demon. Rescue. These words circled in my mind.

— My body was barely functional, and from the looks of it, we were deep in the forest. That meant trying to escape was out of the question.

— Judging by the horns on his head, it was safe to assume he was a demon like me.

— By the appearance of his gear—black armor, a cloak resembling foliage—he’s possibly a warrior or a knight.

From there, I understood my current situation. I pieced everything together. It all fell into place. As I absorbed the last information, my senses returned to normal, and time resumed its usual pace.

More questions began to linger in my head. What are his goals? Why did he rescue me?

No answers came.

I’m stuck with a stranger in the middle of a forest and a weak body with no chance of escaping. That’s some bullshit. Can’t I even take one fucking break?

“Tsk.”

I unconsciously clicked my tongue. Shit. I need to compose myself. Being irritated now wouldn’t do me any favor.

“What’s the matter, young lord? You sound upset.”

Young lord...... that’s right, that’s who I am now. I’m a demon.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Yes......

If I recall correctly, I’m a Demon Lord’s son, Deilos. Someone of importance, meaning there is a high possibility he knows who I am. I’ll use that. It’s the only thing I’m currently able to leverage on.

I let out a small sigh and composed myself.

Alright. I’ll play the part. I’ll become some shitty noble brat.

My lips were dry. I opened my mouth.

“You.”

The man looked me in the eye.

First questions. His goals. Assert authority.

“Why did you save me?”

“I was simply following orders.”

“Orders? By whom? Tell me, which bastard sent you?”

His eyebrow twitched—a subtle reaction. I expected him to brush off my blunt questions, but it was worth the attempt. If my words can get even a faint response, that means I can influence him.

There was a slight pause in his actions as if he were weighing out how he was going to respond.

“I was given orders by Lady Barbatos to rescue you from this predicament.”

Barbatos? A familiar name. I’ve heard that before.

“Demon Lord?”

His expression shifted, surprised. It was as if questioning whether Barbatos was a Demon Lord caught him off guard—a strange reaction.

“Why would an esteemed Demon Lord even want with me? A mere child. Are you joking? Is this a joke?”

He thought again, then cleared his throat.

“I am Seekth, a knight of Her Highness, Demon Lord Barbatos, and I have taken you out of your imprisonment as per the lady’s orders. It is fair if you were to doubt me. I am merely doing my duty, and that is to get this young lord out of there and bring him to the lady.”

He bowed his head.

He’s saying all this openly—there is a possibility he’s only complying because of status, but on the other hand, he might have other motives, or rather, whoever Barbatos is.

Either way, I’m not in immediate danger. Good. That was enough. I’ll deal with whatever comes next when it arrives.

But for now, I need confirmation. I need to probe deeper. For that, I’ll use one of the most easily exploitable emotions.

Sympathy.

In this state, there’s a clear image of me—a weak young lord who had just been through torture at the hands of humans. If I could play the part convincingly enough, I might uncover if he’s still hiding something.

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheeks, letting blood pool in my mouth. Once it had gathered enough, I let out a pained, wet cough, covering my mouth and parting my fingers just enough to show the blood.

The moment he saw it, he rushed toward me without hesitation.

My eyes were fixed on him.

I took note of every tiny detail about his actions. His hand movement, his glances, his body language, his frowns, and even the slightest nudge. I observed it all.

He reached out his hand, trembling slightly. I turned my head down and coughed again.

“Here, some water.”

He handed me his flask. I took a sip. The water carried an earthy, bitter taste—something I recognized from the putrid water they forced on me in that wretched jail. It seems like this is common here.

“I thank you.”

A single tear welled up in my eye before I quickly covered my face.

His gaze softened. I could see the sympathy there as he leaned in closer.

I shoved him back, keeping up the act, but careful not to overdo it.

“Don’t look.”

“My apologies.”

He turned his head away.

After crying quietly for a while. I faced him.

“Well, I suppose I should commend you for not being as brutish as those humans.”

He looked at me, at my reddened eyes.

“I suppose, young lord.”

“My actions seemed to have scrutinized you too much.”

There was a faint smile on his face.

“That is not worth your apologies. Our current circumstances may have only provoked you to do so. I have not taken offense.”

I hadn’t expected to influence him this much. Every feint was landing. It was almost refreshing—proof that I haven’t lost my wit from all the bashing they did to my head.

Now, onto the final step. A reward.

Simple, but effective. If I dangle something enticing enough, I can draw him in further, depending on how he responds. I don’t know if Deilos truly had any place within the hierarchy, but it’s a gamble I’m willing to take.

After a brief pause, I spoke again.

“Treasure.”

“Yes?”

“If you’d like, I can award you treasure if I can come back alive and request it from my father. I will give you a handful.”

I forced a smile.

“No, young lord, this one—this one does not deserve any.”

He hesitated for a second. He presented his hands somewhat frankly and spread them.

A gesture of weakness—humility.

Even if he didn’t accept my reward, it cemented my authority over him. By being humble, he wants my validation and sees me as someone who holds authority over him. As of now, I can use him. He’s my way out of here. I need to make the most of this opportunity. Still, I can’t let my guard down. I can’t afford any mistakes.

This will be the start of everything. Those humans, I’ll be the one to take their heads. I will murder each and every one of them.

I’ve made up my mind. For my freedom and to settle that bastard’s debt, I’ll play along. I’ll orchestrate the greatest play for a chance to savor that revenge. How will he look till then? I can’t wait. I’ll savor it...... slowly. Ahahah...... AHAHAHH.

I can feel a smile creeping up my mouth as I drink the bitter water.

“I simply suggested.”

. . .

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