Chapter 101: Reclaiming Lost Ground

The diary did not detail exactly what had happened.

But one thing was certain: something had occurred between the Pope and Gaon.

And considering the timing, the “promise” from eighty years ago was highly likely related to that incident.

Whew…

Marma let out a deep sigh inwardly.

I’ll find out once I tell him.

Gaon had told him to deliver the message.

To not forget the promise from eighty years ago.

Marma intended to relay it directly to Pope Basus, just as Gaon had instructed.

And he planned to ask outright.

Whether the promise was real.

And if it was, what exactly it had been.

Having finished his thoughts, Marma looked at Hector.

“Hector.”

“Yes, Lord Marma.”

“I will personally report what Gaon said to His Holiness the Pope.”

“Understood.”

Hector paused briefly before nodding in response. Soon after, the members of the investigation team began arriving one by one.

Most of them wore puzzled expressions.

It was only natural—they had been suddenly summoned while the investigation was still ongoing.

Hector addressed the team members.

“We’re halting the investigation. We’ll be returning as quickly as possible. Everyone, prepare to depart.”

Gaon gazed at the red smoke rising above Kranium and thought to himself.

No need to kill them, then.

If they had ignored his words and tried to remain in Kranium anyway?

He had intended to make an example of a few.

One might think killing them simply for not leaving was excessive.

But it wasn’t excessive at all.

Some of the fanatics in the Holy Empire of Seionia were beyond imagination.

“Teleport.”

Gaon withdrew his interest in Kranium and began moving again.

A short while later, he arrived at his first destination: Coexistence Zone 14.

Coexistence Zone 14 encompassed several regions, including the city of Elter, the Maora Forest, and the Kaliord Plains.

The human faction controlled only the city of Elter and the Maora Forest.

The remaining areas were occupied by demonic beasts and demons.

In particular, the Aslad Swamp where Gaon now stood was so thick with demonic energy that a rift to the demon world could open at any moment.

Gaon expanded his senses.

Soon, he located a being in the center of the swamp emitting intense demonic energy.

That must be Kaltra.

Judging by the level and nature of the energy, it was likely the 7th-grade demonic beast Kaltra, the one that had disrupted the delicate balance of Coexistence Zone 14.

I hope its inner core is in good condition.

From what Gaon had heard, it had only recently crossed the wall.

That meant there was a high chance the inner core was depleted.

I hope it’s decent.

Wishing that the inner core still held plenty of demonic energy, Gaon cast Teleport.

Whoosh!

Arriving at the center of the swamp, Gaon looked down at the ground.

There lay Kaltra—a massive lizard well over ten meters long, including its tail—sleeping on its belly.

Scattered around it were the corpses of humans and demonic beasts.

Each one mutilated in different ways.

There was no need to wonder how it had happened.

Gaon frowned slightly and looked at Kaltra again.

Having concealed his presence, the beast remained unaware of his arrival and continued sleeping.

Gaon waved his hand.

Slash!

In that instant, a sword formed from Pacheonki shot out from his hand and severed Kaltra’s neck.

It was an instant kill.

Or so he thought.

Thud! Splash! Splash!

The massive body recoiled sharply even after its head was cut off.

Then a new head grew from the stump.

Gaon was dumbfounded.

The head? Not the tail?

He had seen plenty of lizards that regenerated their tails.

But a head regenerating?

Well, it’s a demonic beast, after all.

It only resembled a lizard—it wasn’t actually one.

While most demonic beasts died when decapitated, not all did.

Quite a few could survive even without their heads.

And regeneration itself wasn’t the problem.

He could simply kill it again.

Gaon waved his hand once more.

Slash!

This time, Kaltra was split cleanly in half from head to tail.

The bisected body did not regenerate further.

Gaon descended to the ground.

At the same moment, two fist-sized orbs flew out from within Kaltra’s corpse.

They were its inner cores.

Hmm.

Gaon examined them and let out a quiet tsk inwardly.

Unfortunately, they were in poor condition.

Almost no demonic energy remained.

As expected, it had likely consumed everything to cross the wall.

What a shame.

Gaon stored the two cores in his pocket.

Then he extended his hand.

Crack!

The first severed head froze solid and flew toward him.

This should be proof enough.

Like the cores, he placed the frozen head into his pocket.

He expanded his senses again, carefully checking the swamp and adjacent areas.

There were groups led by 5th- and 6th-grade demonic beasts scattered throughout.

Not only beasts—there were also bands of humans infused with demonic energy.

If I eliminate just these, the humans should be able to push back on their own.

Before Kaltra crossed the wall, the zone had been evenly balanced.

So if Gaon removed some of the groups he sensed?

The remaining forces in Coexistence Zone 14 would be enough for the human faction to reclaim their territory.

“Teleport.”

Having made his decision, Gaon moved toward the nearest group of demonic beasts.

Pyra—the only city in Coexistence Zone 14 still held by the human faction—was shrouded in gloom.

It was all because of the 7th-grade demonic beast Kaltra that had recently appeared.

The power of a beast that had crossed the wall was overwhelming.

The Art Mercenary Group, considered Pyra’s strongest, had been wiped out, and the mages from Alter Magic Tower—one of the Ten Great Magic Towers—had suffered near-total losses.

It wasn’t limited to them.

Countless people had died, severely weakening the human faction in Coexistence Zone 14.

As a result, the demonic beasts they had barely kept in check multiplied exponentially, and the situation grew steadily worse.

At this rate, Pyra itself would soon fall.

Whew…

Count Mason, ruler of the city of Pyra and a count of the Meldia Kingdom, let out a deep sigh.

“This is driving me mad.”

The current circumstances felt suffocating.

How had things come to this?

If we had sent aid back then, would it have changed anything…?

Mason recalled the past.

Pyra had not always belonged to a coexistence zone.

Until five years ago, it had been a completely safe area free of demonic energy.

It had been pushed back step by step until it ended up here.

What if they had not refused the request for aid from the city of Aves, which had already been part of the coexistence zone at the time?

Would they have avoided the situation they faced now?

No, we would have died meaninglessly.

They hadn’t been in any position to send aid then.

Aves’s situation had been dire beyond description.

Anyone sent would have died like dogs.

If they had gone to help back then?

Pyra would not have lasted this long.

It would have fallen much earlier.

Ugh…

Mason let out a low groan.

It was at that moment.

“Are you Mason?”

The voice in his ear made Mason flinch.

Where was this?

His residence—the safest place in all of Pyra.

What was this voice, then?

Mason turned his head toward the sound.

There stood a young man with deep black hair, pale jade-like skin, and a solid build.

“Who… are you?”

Mason swallowed hard, his face tense as he asked.

The man—Gaon—smiled faintly and answered.

“I come from the Varta Kingdom, from Gardion Tower.”

“…!”

Mason could only stare in shock.

The Varta Kingdom and Gardion Tower?

Both were powers far removed from Pyra.

Why would someone from either appear here?

Gaon noted Mason’s stunned expression and pulled Kaltra’s head from his pocket.

He tossed it in front of the count.

Thump!

“…!”

Mason stumbled back in alarm at the sudden flying object.

But only for a moment.

“…K-Kaltra!”

Recognizing what it was, he looked at Gaon in horror.

“That’s right. Kaltra.”

Gaon continued.

“I’ve also killed most of the 5th-grade and higher demonic beasts. With this much gone, you should be able to push them back without further help, right?”

Mason could not reply immediately.

He only managed bewildered sounds.

Gaon understood the reaction.

How could anyone believe that most high-grade beasts had suddenly been wiped out?

Good thing I brought it.

Even with Kaltra’s head as proof, the man was this shaken.

Without it, he would never have believed.

Gaon spoke to the still-confused Mason.

“No need to overthink it. You’ll confirm the beasts’ deaths soon enough with scouting.”

“Ah, I believe you. You brought Kaltra’s head, after all.”

Mason exclaimed, nodding vigorously.

This was the head of Kaltra—the nightmare of Coexistence Zone 14.

There was no reason to doubt the deaths of 5th- and 6th-grade beasts.

And even if it were a lie, it wouldn’t matter.

Kaltra’s death alone would completely overturn the balance of the zone.

“Why… did you help us?”

The reason Mason had hesitated to speak was this very question—why had Gaon aided Coexistence Zone 14?

For what purpose?

“The Duchy of Meldia was once part of our empire.”

“…!”

Mason’s eyes flashed at Gaon’s next words.

It was true—forty years ago, the Kingdom of Meldia had been a duchy under the Varta Empire.

The empire had rapidly weakened due to the war with the demon world and various other events, and because of the distance, Meldia had declared independence along with neighboring nations.

That left Mason even more speechless.

From the Varta Empire’s perspective, Meldia was no different from traitors who had defected to the demon side.

“I’m sorry.”

For now, Mason apologized.

Gaon gave a small chuckle.

“I hold no grudge against you. Your house didn’t exist when the betrayal happened.”

Gaon had no intention of forgiving the traitors.

But Mason was an exception.

His family had nothing to do with Meldia’s betrayal.

Mason had received his count title only twenty years ago—two decades after the betrayal.

“Th-thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Can you handle it from here?”

“…Of course. We were only pushed back because of Kaltra. Not only will we fully reclaim the current Coexistence Zone 14, but we should be able to recover some of the territory we lost in the past as well.”

Mason answered with gleaming eyes.

They only needed Kaltra gone.

But not just Kaltra—most of the 5th- and 6th-grade beasts had vanished too?

Then reclaiming the entire zone was guaranteed.

“I’ll trust you on that. And…”

Gaon nodded as if satisfied, then let his words trail off.

Mason’s face grew slightly tense, and Gaon continued.

“Don’t let the Eltang family push you around anymore. They’re a house that will soon be exterminated.”

The Kingdom of Meldia was already a fallen nation.

Only two noble houses remained: Mason’s own Count Rown family and the Duke Eltang family.

And Gaon had no intention of leaving the Eltang ducal house—the main instigators of Meldia’s betrayal of Varta—alone.

“That means…”

“Yes. Your house will become the sole noble family of the Kingdom of Meldia. And soon, just like in the past, you’ll return to the embrace of Varta.”