[Storyteller's POV]
Returning Rexorem to his Bond Seal, Layland walked towards his troop mates who had gathered themselves slightly away from the Dukedom's gate.
They had dismissed themselves early from the battlefield, leaving Layland facing twenty-one soldiers by himself. It wasn't an impressive number, of course, and they hadn't posed any challenge or whatsoever to Layland.
'Ooh... The eyes. Those eyes are yearning for an explanation,' Layland mused.
All of his troop mates were looking at him curiously, and he knew what they probably wanted to hear from him—the stunt he had pulled a few moments before. He had, luckily, already thought of a plausible excuse, so he was calm about it.
Upon arriving in front of his troop mates, expecting to be immediately questioned, he was greeted by silence. It was preserved for a couple of seconds, until his troop mates eventually nodded their head in understanding.
Layland didn't feel any obligation to explain himself when none of them asked, so he just shrugged and pretended he hadn't done anything worthy of note.
"That was impressive, pup!" Velucan stepped forward, and patted his shoulder. "I never expected you to be able to grow this fast."
Contrary to Layland's deduction however, none of his troop mates were suspicious of the stunt he had pulled. They were just curious about how he could grow so strong in a span of a week.
No matter how well he hid his power and suppressed his Mana Pressure, they knew he hadn't been as strong the day before.
They didn't need to gauge the amount of Mana he had to tell how strong he was; they could tell from his aura. It was definitely thicker than the day before, so they knew he had gotten stronger again.
This quick growth of him made them wonder whether he was hiding his power all along or he was just absurdly gifted. This was the reason why they had scrutinized him earlier.
"The thing you did with the blood... Was that your Origin?" asked Eliseus. "It was my first time seeing you use it, so I can't help but wonder. Of course, you have no obligation to tell us."
None of them were suspicious of the identity of Rexorem either; because, not only did they not know what it was actually capable of, but also how it looked. The current vessel for Rexorem's Sword Soul was, after all, different from the previous one.
"Well, I guess you can say it like that—my Origin." Layland nodded his head lightly. "It is not technically true, but I prefer not to disclose it."
"Understandable choice," Eliseus agreed instantly.
"Now, it is time to cast the Mass Geas, isn't it?" Velucan said. "What am I going to do? Do I have to act a certain way or should I just be myself?"
Given the question, Layland shook his head faintly. "I want you to be yourself, but your self that knows how to make a touching speech. I want you to make a speech about how lucky those humans are to be able to be our Demon King's citizens."
"Hah! That's easy. I can even make them prostrate while crying in gratitude." Velucan slapped his thigh with a wide grin.
Velucan's subordinates, even though they held not a single sympathy to humans, still pitied the citizens who would hear his speech. His speech, after all, heartfelt at first, but got boring quite easily.
As someone who had listened to Velucan's speech more than five times—that is just how often Velucan gave them speech—Layland knew how corny it was. He was sure, however, different from them, the people would like his speech.
He had the ability to deliver his words to people's heart. Cursed Creations didn't have it—they had lost it the moment they became aware of their fate—but the humans did, so they would be able to relate to it.
"Ah, try not to look too excited. Please, keep the solemn mood, but make them know that they are welcomed," Layland reminded.
"So, about the Geas, what should I tell them?"
Blinking his eyes in slight surprise, Layland sighed lightly. "I couldn't believe you still don't get where this is going even now," he muttered. "Tell them not to disclose anything about what happened tonight."
Glancing at the Demon King's Mark on his right hand that was hidden beneath his skin, he continued, "Tell them to also develop an undying love toward their Demon King."
Layland didn't know if such a command was possible since it was not something they could do physically. It was more of a mental thing, which he wasn't sure was something that Geas could do.
"Oh, wow... I never thought of using it that way," Velucan remarked. "You really are something else, pup."
Much to his glee, it was something that Geas could do. There was a reason why he didn't tell Velucan to specify who the Demon King was, and that was because he didn't want the people's loyalty to be solely on Ilschevar.
He was getting more optimistic these days that he would be able to be the next Demon King, which was what Ilschevar and Valeria wanted; so, of course, he wanted their loyalty after his coronation.
...
Heading towards the Glory Field, Layland and company noticed how rowdy the Dukedom had become compared to the time when they had left it. They could hear a commotion ahead of them, which was where the Glory Field was located.
Knowing what was happening, Layland nodded his head in satisfaction since everything went according to what he had orchestrated.
His troop mates were still confused, but they soon got what was happening the moment they arrived at their destination.
"These humans... They knew how to have fun too," Layland's friendly Orc senior remarked.
"This is not my first time seeing human brutality, but seeing this gives me a weird feeling," Vibiane muttered.
Humans when provoked can do things they never even imagine they will do, just like the citizens of Brontes Dukedom, who were enraged by the atrocity the thirteen corrupted people had done.
They didn't have any proper weapon on them since they were civilians, but despite so, they could still butcher those people to such an unrecognizable state that even those people's mother wouldn't recognize them.
Body parts littered the ground in front of where Xenon and Winerva were standing. The two women looked at the scene coldly, but you would be able to notice how appalled they were when you looked closely.
Clap!
Layland clapped his hand and amplified the sound with the help of Wind Magic to attract the attention of the people. The field suddenly turned silent as they gradually turned their head towards the troop.
Those who had been hacking the bodies stepped back and returned to the crowd. Their fury disappeared—it was replaced with anxiousness and fear.
Velucan strode charismatically towards Xenon and Winerva while exuding some of his fearsome pressure. The people became more intimidated, but immediately sighed in relief when he merely passed by them without even looking at them.
"General Velucan," Xenon and Winerva said tensely. "Welcome back."
"Good job, you two," Velucan replied solemnly. Nodding his head, he said, "You both can join the others on the side. I am going to take over from now on."
The two women looked hesitantly towards Velucan's troop. They doubted if they really wouldn't get killed when they joined the rank.
Seeing that, Layland motioned them to come his way with his hand. He didn't do that because he cared about their worry, but because he didn't want to make the other people suspicious of the nature of their relationship.
The two women immediately joined the rank and stood themselves between Vibiane and him. On the other side, Velucan stood facing the crowd, then began his speech.
p
Frowning visibly, he smiled ironically. "I was only 17. Living among humans made me feel I was really one of them ... At least, until someone saw me transform that night. It was the end of my stay among the humans and the end of my parents."
The speech Velucan delivered wasn't something all of his subordinates had expected. Layland and his senior troop mates wondered if it was his true story, since it was their first time hearing it.
"Neither I nor my parents had ever eaten or killed any human, but that was how we were treated by the humans we considered our family. I managed to escape, but I was already a few steps away from the door of demise at that point."
Looking at the people strongly, he passionately said, "When I threw away all hope, Demon King Ilschevar found me. He saved me, gave me shelter, and raised me until I could stand on my feet!"
He spread his hand, and exclaimed, "Everyone, you and me are not different! We both have been wronged by the people we trusted, and we are saved by the benevolence of Demon King Ilschevar."
The ground below where the people were standing glowed in red. A Magic Circle that carried the command to create a Geas was right below them, but none of them noticed it since they were too captivated by Velucan's speech.
"Give your Demon King your undying love, and tell not a single soul of the joyous event that happened tonight! Let everything be known solely to you, and may you exact your revenge on those who have wronged you!"
A blinding red light illuminated the entire field, and Geas appeared on the chest of the citizens afterwards.
This night would be called The Night of Purge in the future by the citizens. This night signified their improvement in life and Layland's solid foundation as a Demon King.
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