Ch 202
Leon Hordel.
He knew how difficult and dangerous it was for a Demon Worshipper to build their influence within General Society.
Therefore, he wanted to be cautious in every aspect of executing his plan.
The reason he delayed revealing his true identity to those he had captivated with the Demon’s Voice was also in the same vein.
Wouldn’t it be quite risky to gather the targets in one place and reveal his identity all at once?
If he saw someone who seemed to have reservations about Demon Worship, he could immediately dispose of them on the spot to eliminate the source of anxiety.
That’s how it was.
Leon was considering every possible variable and anticipating every countermeasure.
So that he could successfully resolve any problem that arose and achieve his objective.
However.
Even Leon hadn’t anticipated this situation.
“Everyone, snap out of it! Who is that man in the first place!?”
“Y-You—Have you all been asleep this whole time!? You saw Master Lisir dominate the Spirit, didn’t you! It’s something that no one, including Landeia, has been able to do in our Coffee Exchange!”
“That’s not what I’m talking about! When did we first hear that voice!? No! It’s not about the timing! We’ve been hearing that voice since before we came to Bondales! If you have a brain, think about it! Is the owner of the voice the man who is from Bondales and whom we met today, or is it Leon, who has been by our side all along!”
It was absurd to even consider it.
Someone trying to impersonate the owner of the voice.
To anticipate such a situation would be beyond cautious; it would be paranoia.
Above all, there was no reason to even anticipate it beforehand.
As long as ‘this power’ existed.
It was impossible for anyone to take his followers away from him.
Even if someone impersonated him, he could simply awaken them through whispers.
“B-But…!! Think about it! The owner of the voice revealed their existence for the first time through an undeniable extraordinary ability!!! The ability Master Lisir showed! Isn’t that the very aspect we expected from the owner of the voice!? Isn’t he truly the one we should follow!?”
“Nonsense! Leon can do that too!!!”
“Right, Master Leon!?”
“…”
Therefore.
Leon conveyed his whispers to them.
It’s not that he chose a different path because he couldn’t live up to their expectations.
-I, Leon, am the owner of the voice.
Everyone present flinched and stared at Leon.
“This voice…”
“Right, the voice that drew us in—…!”
Kkuk.
Leon smiled wryly as he looked at their expressions.
Considering the situation, he had been worried about the worst-case scenario—Lisir interfering with the whispers—but it seemed to be unnecessary worry.
To not be prepared in such a crucial moment.
‘Did he just blindly impersonate me? Pathetic fool.’
Leon sneered at Lisir.
Intending to watch the fool flail meaninglessly among the followers who had realized the truth.
At that moment.
Someone shouted for the first time.
Leon thought it would naturally be a voice interrogating Lisir.
“…No!”
It wasn’t.
A woman with long bangs and a timid demeanor.
Mona Sodine, who held a particularly low position even within the Coffee Exchange, shook her head at Leon.
“T-The important thing isn’t that!!! E-Everyone! Why did we follow the owner of the voice…!?”
Having arrived here captivated by the whispers, to say that it doesn’t matter who the owner of the whispers is.
Could there be a more absurd statement?
However, no one contradicted Mona.
People were momentarily overwhelmed by Mona, who was usually so timid that she couldn’t even make eye contact, passionately asserting herself.
“W-We—needed someone to lead us with special power. W-We needed someone to make our lives special. I-Isn’t that right!?”
Leon was about to immediately reprimand Mona.
“Right!”
But someone else stepped forward to agree with Mona before him.
“Mona’s right!”
There were others who agreed with Mona.
They were those who were infatuated with Lisir for the same reason as her.
They were particularly interested in ‘Spirit Taming,’ which was popular even within the Coffee Exchange—
They understood more deeply the significance of Lisir’s act of instantly subjugating ‘Whispering Wind Weslen’.
“Only Master Lisir can do that!!!”
“You all saw it!? That ability that even Miss Landeia couldn’t even attempt!”
“The one we should truly follow is Master Lisir!”
“But—Master Leon saved Delford…!”
“Think carefully! No matter how outstanding Delford is, is he more outstanding than Miss Landeia!? Master Lisir did something that even Miss Landeia couldn’t do!!!”
“Do!? No! It’s more than that! For a Spirit to be so docilely submissive… Even if Miss Landeia were to deeply master Spirit Magic, she wouldn’t be able to do that!?”
“That’s because you don’t know Spirit Magic well enough! If you had a little more insight, you would know how unbelievable Master Lisir’s ability is!”
“…”
Leon’s followers began to waver at the strong assertions of Mona and her followers of Lisir.
-Snap out of it, you fools!!!
Leon scolded them with a whisper, unable to bear it any longer.
The whisper, imbued with more power than usual, firmly reminded the followers who the owner of the voice was.
However—
That didn’t lead to the followers changing their minds.
Because the whisper was ultimately just a means.
They had come here drawn to the ‘special power’ the whisper spoke of.
“…”
The followers stared blankly at Leon.
Leon understood the meaning of their gaze.
They were demanding an explanation from him.
An explanation of why they should serve Leon instead of Lisir.
Proof.
“Oh, if that’s what you want—”
From now on.
There was no reason to hide his power, nor the time to hide his identity.
He had to somehow make all of them his followers here.
“I’ll show you, watch carefully. This is the power you’ve all been longing for.”
Blood vessels began to bulge on Leon’s face.
Followed by his eyes becoming bloodshot red.
People were horrified by his unnatural appearance, but it was only for a moment.
“T-That’s…!”
With someone’s gasp, everyone’s attention focused on Leon.
More precisely, on the Mana gathering around him.
It was magical power of such a high caliber that they couldn’t comprehend, evidence of a realm that only a very few Masters of the Magic Tower had reached.
Leon.
At the age of around twenty, he had already reached the 7th Rank.
Furthermore, his stable magical power without a hint of wavering showed that he had already gone beyond the initial stages.
“Impossible…”
Common sense. Reason.
Even Lisir’s followers were horrified by the power that denied all of that.
Leon found them disgusting.
However, despite being so disgusting and foolish—
The fact remained that they were tools that could be usefully employed in Demon Worship.
Leon made a kind expression with his grotesquely distorted face and said.
“Think about it. If you gain this power, how will your family members look at you? Even then, will you be able to claim that you are not worthy of inheriting the family? Will anyone be able to stop you from becoming the true master of your family?”
Kulkkek.
Someone swallowed hard.
Leon took advantage of this and further intensified his persuasion.
“This isn’t all!”
“Not all…?”
“That’s right! This is only a tiny fraction of That Person’s power!!! If you become That Person’s true servant, you can possess even greater power!!! The efforts that have always betrayed us… That Person will cherish our efforts, and will bestow power commensurate with them!”
Even Mona, who had fervently followed Lisir, was captivated by that expression.
Having confirmed this, Leon no longer tried to hide the incongruity created by his grotesquely distorted face.
He extended his hand.
Thus, all the attention that had been directed at him turned to Lisir.
“You said it earlier!? That he did something that even Landeia couldn’t do. What about this! Do you think he could even do this!? Do you think he could give you this kind of power!?”
“No!!!”
At that moment, someone shouted from the crowd.
“Master Lisir will never bestow such power upon you! Why!? Because that power ultimately leads humans to ruin; it is unholy power!”
Unholy power?
Mona muttered.
“That’s right! Unholy power! You humans blinded by temptation, snap out of it! His power is based on Demons! And know this, Demons will never pity you humans! To them, you humans are nothing more than tools to be used and discarded as needed! And also toys to be played with and broken for a moment’s amusement!!!”
‘Damn it!’
Leon gritted his teeth.
First, he would let his followers experience the power and become intoxicated by it.
Revealing the existence of the Demon would come later.
By doing so, he would trap them in an inescapable swamp and make them share his fate.
That was Leon’s original plan.
However, the existence of the Demon was mentioned far too early—
“D-Demons…!?”
Because of that, the followers who had been swayed by Leon’s words began to awaken one by one.
“N-No!”
Leon shouted urgently.
“Demons!!! What nonsense! This power is not some Demon’s power!!! Everyone calm down! This power has nothing to do with Demons!!!”
“Even if it’s to avoid a crisis, to casually deny the being you serve!!! Truly, a despicable and lowly Demon worshipper!!!”
“Shut up!!! What do you know!?”
Demons!
Who could make a rash statement about that unknown being?
Civilians’ understanding and knowledge of Demons were extremely superficial.
Even more so compared to him, a Demon Worshipper.
Leon was confident.
The owner of the voice knew nothing about Demons and was just speaking off the cuff.
He could completely deny the other’s statement and quell the followers’ confusion.
“I repeat, this power is not some Demon’s power!!! In the first place, how can you conclude that this power is a Demon’s power!?”
“You can’t deceive my eyes, even if you deceive everyone else!”
“That’s ridiculous! What do you know about Demons!?”
“Oh, I know a lot. I know a great deal!”
“Don’t just talk, show yourself!”
With the heated argument, the followers’ gazes naturally turned towards the group from which the voice was coming.
The followers turned their heads one by one and slowly retreated from their seats.
Thus, the owner of the voice revealed themselves.
Hwalrruk!!!
It was a grayish-white fireball.
It was violently surging and speaking.
-I am Dangaleon, the torch that guides the blind onto the right path!!! Once a cursed being called a Demon, but reborn as a Spirit of Light through the blessing of a great being!!!
“…”
What the hell?
Leon involuntarily muttered.
He wondered who was insulting all Demons while persuading the followers—
Could it be a Demon?
“A Demon became a Spirit…?”
“Is that possible…?”
The grayish-white fireball shouted in response to the followers’ murmurs.
-What nonsense!!! Of course, it’s impossible!
But!
Dangaleon added as he said that.
-For the great Master, Master Lisir, there is no such thing as the impossible!!! Look at me!!! This pure white form, like a ray of sunlight heralding the end of darkness!!! Would you believe that this body was once an unquenchable flame of black as night!?
Pure white?
Someone muttered, looking at the grayish-white color.
The Spirit（?） continued without paying attention.
-With this flash, awaken, you still young worms!!! If you follow that Demon Worshipper, certain ruin awaits you!!! The reason Master is here is to save you ignorant fools from that ruin!!!
The former Demon’s warning was enough to awaken the followers who had been blinded by greed.
The followers, who had been tempted by the promise of power through whispers, belatedly remembered that there is no such thing as power without a price.
Now they were no one’s followers.
“T-Then, have we become Demon Worshippers…!?”
“N-No! We haven’t done anything yet!!!”
“That’s right!?”
Simply hoping that this uncomfortable and awkward situation would smoothly fizzle out—
They were just one immature Noble.
-Give up, insignificant Demon Worshippers!!! Recognize that you Demons are nothing but worms before Master!!!
“U-Aaaaaack!!!”
Leon finally lost his composure at the Spirit（?）’s blunt statement.
Pusuuk!
Blood gushed from every opening on Leon’s face.
His power had overloaded, and he began to rampage, throwing his young body aside.
“Ugh…!”
“Oh—”
It happened at the same time.
As if the fire of their backs had been extinguished by hand—
The light in the followers’ eyes went out instantly.
The seeds that the Demon Worshipper had instilled in them in the form of whispers had manifested.
“I am…”
At this moment.
They came to regard themselves as the reincarnation of a Demon Worshipper.
Like the man who once had the identity of Leon Hordel—
They came to serve the Demon, the divided self.
However, the seed was unstable and did not have a complete self—
“You disgusting thing, die!!!”
Leon spat out blood and scattered his malice.
The other seeds were dominated by that malice—
They became dolls that were hostile to everything except themselves.
The members of the Coffee Exchange.
Those who were considered strong contenders in the Starbirth Festival began to attack one man.
He was also a participant in the Starbirth Festival.
Lisir.
He sighed and smiled his characteristic sly smile.
“Is the preliminary round already starting?”
✦✦✦
Immediately after Leon’s rebellion.
Landeia, who was left alone among the members of the Coffee Exchange,
ended up spending time with Heynya, who had also been left alone after parting ways with Lisir.
Landeia led Heynya to her room and offered her tea.
“That man, what was he?”
Then, she broke the awkward but uncomfortable silence.
“What do you mean? I told you earlier, didn’t I?”
The casually thrown words collide in mid-air and disappear.
In that first exchange, the two immediately realize.
Ah.
I don’t really have anything to talk about with this guy.
Realizing this, Landeia smiled her characteristic condescending smile and subtly said.
“Shall we make a promise? Later, let’s agree not to resent that man.”
“…What’s with the suddenness?”
“Remember the content of our bet just now? The winner of the competition gets to have their order fulfilled.”
“What’s that?”
“Shall I give you a prophecy? After this competition ends, Lisir will come under me. And by being with me, he’ll have a much more valuable time than when he was with you. So—even if that man abandons you, don’t resent him.”
“Seriously.”
“Or there’s this way too.”
Landeia looked directly into Heynya’s eyes.
“It’s not too late. If you ask now, I’ll allow you and that man to join our Coffee Exchange.”
“…”
“You know, don’t you? The outcome of the Starbirth Festival is already decided.”
Thus.
Just as the two were about to have a serious confrontation.
Thud!
The door to the room where they were violently opened.
“Delford?”
The long-haired Young Noble was sweating profusely and fidgeting.
Was his defeat in the sparring match against Leon, whom he considered his subordinate, incredibly shocking?
It wasn’t.
“Y-You disgusting thing, die…”
“Wh-…Ugh!?”
He suddenly cast magic and lunged at Landeia.
Landeia was momentarily startled.
“Delford. Have you gone mad?”
Miss Reloza was filled with pure anger at the fact that a member of the Coffee Exchange had attacked her.
She immediately drew upon her magical power and counterattacked.
Heynya didn’t even have a chance to intervene.
The top two members of the Coffee Exchange.
They unleashed their full power without reservation, and the battle ended instantly.
“Kueok…!”
Delford, caught in Landeia’s Wind Magic, flew into the wall and lost consciousness.
“Huu… Huu…”
Landeia smiled triumphantly in the ruined room.
She was happy that she had a good reason to show off her power in front of Heynya.
“How about it? Heynya? Have you changed your mind yet?”
Landeia said smugly.
“Lisir… could it be that…!?”
Heynya uttered incomprehensible words and ran out of the room.
“What?”
Landeia scoffed, dumbfounded, and immediately followed Heynya.
Delford’s strange state.
Something was happening here.
If something had happened here, where the participants of the Starbirth Festival had gathered, that even Delford couldn’t handle—
She was the only one who could solve it.
Thus, she arrived at the banquet hall—
“Ugh…!”
Landeia, standing at the entrance, covered her face with her arm and stepped back.
Hwiing!!!
A huge sandstorm engulfed the entire banquet hall.
“Th-This is…!”
The immense magical power that overwhelmed Landeia in an instant soon subsided.
The interior of the banquet hall was revealed.
A man stood in the center.
Lisir.
Upon discovering Landeia, he immediately rushed towards her.
“…!”
Explosive acceleration.
Landeia couldn’t resist and gave him space.
Just as Lisir was about to lightly strike her chin to knock her unconscious—
“Oh? Miss Landeia, are you alright?”
“…Eh?”
Landeia’s gaze was fixed on the fist that had come close to her face.
Thump.
She slowly tried to step back but ended up collapsing to the floor.
“I’m sorry, are you okay?”
Lisir politely offered his hand, but Landeia couldn’t grasp it.
She looked around while sitting down, trying to understand the situation.
“Oh…?”
Thus, she realized.
The friendly gathering of the Starbirth Festival participants.
All the participants of that gathering were lying on the floor.
Including herself.
Heynya muttered beside her, letting out a sigh.
“Is the Starbirth Festival over already?”
“Wh-What…?”
Landeia stared blankly at Heynya.
Heynya smiled mischievously at Landeia.
“The outcome of the Starbirth Festival is already decided… That’s what you meant, right?”
“…!”
The condescending Noble’s face flushed red.
✦✦✦
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