Chapter 110
Chapter 110: The Source of Evil
The sudden appearance of monsters in territories near Byzantium, resulting in numerous deaths, coincided with the timing of Hyporak’s outbreak.
Though the lord seemed to have accepted a large sum to cover it up, as revealing the territory’s incident wouldn’t be good.
By this point, Elena could determine whose instigation had caused this incident.
“As expected, Marquess Byzantium and the Imperial Family were involved.”
They had used countless lives to spread Hyporak, plotting to sacrifice the North to bring down Lupeon.
Just then, Vernon, who had been prowling around the laboratory, approached Elena’s table.
With Laphine temporarily away, she urgently asked the divine beast without hesitation.
“Vernon, there’s something I need to confirm right away!”
[What could be so urgent?]
Elena began sharing her predictions based on the materials she had found regarding the plague.
The divine beast listened quietly before showing a darker expression and baring his fangs in anger.
[What truly despicable humans!]
Vernon, his fur standing on end, raged at their atrocities of forming a master-servant contract with a greater demon through continued massacres.
“Vernon, do you know how to eliminate this disease?”
Elena thought there must be a way to eliminate Hyporak spreading through the North.
Though not detailed in the original work, the plague had certainly disappeared completely.
Even if they couldn’t successfully develop a treatment immediately, they needed to prevent the plague from spreading further.
[Let me see. Wait a moment, child.]
The divine beast fell into quiet thought, seemingly trying to help her somehow, seeing her desperation.
After some time passed, Vernon’s tail swished back and forth as if suddenly remembering something.
[Ah! If you eliminate the contractor, the source of evil disappears too.]
“The source of evil…?”
The divine beast began a detailed explanation with examples for Elena’s human understanding.
Since Hyporak wasn’t a simple disease but a curse created using countless lives, eliminating the contractor would weaken the curse’s power and make the plague disappear.
“Then how do you completely kill a greater demon?”
Elena thought that in this hopeless world, the quickest way for everyone to survive would be eliminating the cause that created the curse, the source of evil.
A greater demon would surely form master-servant contracts with other contractors to curse using countless lives.
Therefore, if they completely killed that demon, no more people would be harmed or die.
At her question, Vernon pondered deeply before squinting his eyes as if somewhat troubled.
[Usually, greater demons are closer to souls than having physical forms.]
Though their actual form couldn’t be seen, he said their image could be reflected through mirrors.
Greater demons only took physical form when entering a human contractor’s body, and they coveted human bodies merely to amplify their power by feeding on human minds.
The humans whose bodies were stolen gradually became half-mad, their minds so bound they could barely express their own will.
However, even greater demons’ powers had weaknesses. They couldn’t draw out their original power to its limit in human bodies.
“So to prevent curses from occurring again, the greater demon inside the possessed body must die.”
[Yes, exactly as you understand.]
That seemed difficult in its own way. How would they find the body possessed by the greater demon?
Elena’s eyes trembled slightly as dismay crossed her face. Then she let out a shallow sigh and muttered quietly.
“This won’t be easy at all.”
After finishing her conversation with Vernon, Elena hurriedly sought out Lupeon.
She wanted to tell him the method to eliminate the plague that she’d heard from the divine beast.
Though talk of greater demons and contracts might have seemed quite unreliable, Lupeon listened to her seriously as always.
“Then finding the contractor possessed by the greater demon is our priority.”
“Yes, since Marquess Byzantium is in the frontier region now…”
As Elena trailed off with slightly furrowed brows, Lupeon continued the reasoning with an increasingly serious face.
“The Emperor is likely to be the contractor.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
With Marquess Byzantium imprisoned in the frontier region, the Emperor would be the only one capable of making the contract.
The recent incident in territories near Byzantium alone pointed to them as the culprits.
“This seems to have come from Marquess Byzantium’s mind.”
“I agree. The Emperor is a dull and indecisive person.”
The Emperor didn’t have the nerve to devise strategies for mass murder.
It wasn’t hard to predict, remembering that even killing the previous Emperor was ultimately Marquess Byzantium’s scheme.
Being someone without his own opinions from the start, he would have followed the words of Marquess Byzantium, who acted as regent.
‘Obediently following without any suspicion…’
If he had created a curse using countless lives, the current Emperor would find it difficult to maintain his sanity.
Lupeon, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, finally showed determined eyes as he spoke to Elena.
“I will head to the capital immediately with the knights.”
He had finally resolved himself, no longer able to watch the corrupt and miserable empire led by the current Emperor.
Lupeon clearly intended to go to the capital to eliminate the Emperor and greater demon to completely remove the curse.
Elena thought it might be better for him to leave the North where Hyporak had spread and avoid the plague.
‘You must stay safe.’
Lupeon, having to depart earlier than planned, looked at Elena with some worry.
“There is something I want to ask of you.”
“What request…?”
As she tilted her head with puzzled eyes, he carefully made his request.
“Will you protect the Grand Duke’s mansion while I’m away?”
Elena knew how precious the North was to Lupeon. He had worked tirelessly since inheriting the position of Grand Duke.
“Of course. But please be careful, Lupeon.”
Though Elena answered trying to ease his burden, she couldn’t manage a reassuring smile.
Though she knew well this would happen someday once he resolved to reclaim the throne, she was so worried about him.
Even though reclaiming the throne was a process to restore his rightful position, this was equivalent to war.
The battle that would only end after being covered in countless people’s blood required resolving to risk one’s life in advance.
Elena knew that he too could lose his life if things went wrong.
No matter that Lupeon was the empire’s greatest swordmaster, he was still just one person.
Thinking of him taking the lead on the battlefield where not even small mistakes were allowed, Elena could only bite her lower lip.
* * *
The mansion’s servants moved busily to help prepare the Devonshire knights’ departure.
Lupeon seemed to have already carefully prepared based on the military power of House Devonshire and supporting forces for the eventual campaign.
However, he had much to consider, having to urgently leave his territory when plague had broken out.
Time passed, and the final night before Lupeon’s departure for the capital arrived.
Elena would temporarily take on the role of acting head of the family in his absence.
Though Nicollman would help her, it was quite burdensome having to learn the duties in just a few days.
Still, unlike her initial awkwardness, she could gradually improve efficiency while learning duties from Lupeon.
Visiting the study to finish the handover of duties, Elena was carefully examining the contract he had written.
It contained contents delegating House Devonshire’s authority to her until Lupeon’s return.
About to sign, Elena suddenly doubted her eyes at the final line, then slightly furrowed her brow as she questioned him.
“Lupeon, why did you write this clause?”
