Demon's Virtue
chapter-686

Eiro looked through the eyes of one of the crow automatons. Just like Eiro hoped, the evacuation was proceeding well. The five people that Eiro had tasked with this process had gathered everyone together for a village-meeting. Even the children had been brought together. And then, from there, Eiro had absorbed the mana in everyone's marks through Mislan and the crows. Of course, the couple hundred people in question became somewhat rowdy, and the kids were scared and started crying, but Mislan was able to calm them down well enough. It wasn't too hard to convince them to step onto the ship either, which Eiro was rather glad about. Otherwise, he might have had to use force to restrain them, and that wouldn't be helpful for what he had planned for these people.

The Demon sighed, crossing his legs as he leaned back into his chair while the airship lifted off into the sky, with Mislan at the helm. The space was kept purposefully dark to accommodate him. And now, Eiro just had to wait for the Devil to notice. Luckily, the invisibility potion did a decent-enough job at hiding what was happening in the village, but soon, that wouldn't be enough. A few hundred marks disappearing throughout the day would be something the Devil should realize once the potion's effects wore off. Rather, if he paid any attention at all, he might have noticed it as things were going on. He might still have noticed, and just played along, but Eiro figured that was unlikely. Eiro had planned things out pretty well.

For now, it was time for Eiro to head out. He would have liked to send a duplicate, but he figured he should take care of this next part himself. He reached the skyship relatively quickly, and hid himself as Mislan made an announcement to everyone on the ship.

"I thank you dearly for your cooperation today. But now, you will have to face another decision," Mislan explained. The expressions of the people who had just lost their homes didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it, but Mislan continued nonetheless, "Option one. You will be brought to a small town near the capital of the country Skyhart. There, my lord has created the option for refuge for you. If you choose this option, you must sign a contract that you shall not speak of these events for the next year."

Marius, one of the five that Eiro had chosen initially, looked at Mislan with a frown, "A contract? But... but why?"

"Well, various reasons. One being your own protection, of course. The battle with the entity that entrapped you will not end immediately. Even if that being in slain, there may be stragglers among its followers that wish to take revengee, which could expand onto you. But within the next year, this shall be taken care of. And of course, it is simply a sort of assurance to my lord," Mislan explained, "After all, if word of what exactly happened came out prematurely, it could put them at a disadvantage."

Mislan looked at the people in front of him, seeing that they were still worried. Reassuringly, he continued, "Of course, this contract won't come without its boons. It is a magic contract that will directly infringe on your most basic rights after all. It will completely halt your ability to talk about my lord or the entity that entrapped you, even to each other, for the next year at least. And in return, you will be bestowed with enough money to keep you afloat for the next three years, as well as a small piece of land. This land only holds your personal home, but it will be yours, even after the year is over."

With that context, this option seemed even more suspicious. They didn't know who Mislan's lord was, but this seemed far too good to be true. Nervously, Marius once more spoke up, "So... what is the other option?"

Eiro smiled a bit. This guy seemed pretty useful, so he was hoping that he would choose this opportunity for himself, "You would become my lord's retainer. One of subjects."

"His... subjects?" Marius repeated, "What... what do you mean? We would become your lord's servants? Move away from that... that thing, and become your lord's plaything instead?"

Mislan shook his head, or the shifting shadow that acted as his head, immediately, "Of course not. My lord is a man filled with kindness for others. You are certainly not the first that he has rescued. They now live peacefully in a small town hidden away in a certain valley. If you choose this, you will live amongst them. You will not lack anything; while you will be expected to work, you will also be protected for the rest of your lives, and even beyond. For generations, your children, and your children's children, will thrive. My lord is an extreme proponent of the idea that everyone has talents. Something they're meant to do, and something they're meant to be. If you choose this, my Lord will do everything in his power to ensure that you will become the happiest you could ever imagine yourself."

Eiro smirked lightly. He could tell that this was catching the attention of some of these people, so he urged Mislan to keep going.

"If it is strength you wish for, he will ensure that not even a knight could threaten you. If it is knowledge, you will become a scholar any king would yearn to get ahold of. And if it is peace and happiness, a simple life... my lord is going to dirty his own hands to protect that life," Mislan's voice rung through the ears of everyone there. They seemed to be looking at Marius, urging him to speak up and ask what everyone wanted to know.

"And..." he finally spoke, "What will he expect in return? What does he get from a few farmers joining him?"

Mislan laughed slightly, "He does not expect anything. Again, you will be put to work depending on where you can help out, once you have gotten used to that town. But not excessively either. You may very well have to work less than you have until now," he explained, "You becoming one of his subjects will rather be a good thing for him. He wishes for that place to become uniquely diverse, and truthfully, there are no humans living in that place yet."

Marius was taken aback, "No humans? A whole town filled with just... elves, dwarves? Gnomes, or beastmen?"

For a few moments, Mislan hesitated. He knew how most people would react to what he was about to say next. Being attached to Eiro's shadow for most of the time ever since being given consciousness, he had gotten the opportunity to learn a lot about how people behaved. However, he also knew that his master wasn't the kind to simply try things that had no hope to them. If this is what Eiro wanted, then there was a reason for it. And so, Mislan replied.

"I apologize for my wording. But no, there are no elves, dwarves, gnomes, or beastmen there either," he said, and before anyone could figure it out on their own, the shadow spoke, "It is a town of monsters. Orcs, Goblins, Kobolds... They are just a few amongst the races living there."

The villagers couldn't believe their ears. They yelled out in confusion and anger of what was being asked of them, "You expect us to live in a town with... with monsters? So we'll be livestock, is that it?" Marius yelled out, glaring at Mislan. But before he could reply, Eiro told him to back down.

The Demon removed the veil of the invisibility potion. He descended onto the ship's deck, folding his wings onto his back. His colourful horns laying on top of his head like a crown, while his large and long tail swayed behind his back. His silhouette looked absolutely inhuman to anyone who even just glanced at him. Not to mention, the pressure he gave off ensured that nobody made even the slightest sound.

"You will not be livestock. You will not be slaves or subservient to anyone in that place. That town is a place created for freedom, so that anyone may become who they are meant to be without the constraints the world placed on us. All monsters are afflicted with something described as 'Monstrosity' that makes them act as you know. Of course, monsters of higher noble ranks can take control of this monstrosity to an extent, but others? There is no chance. But the monsters in that town have had their monstrosity not only restrained, but will soon become completely cured of it," Eiro explained. With a broad smile on his face, he spread out his arms, "That town will be the beginning of a new future of unity for everyone in this world."

The people in front of Eiro didn't dare to speak. They were tense, even though Eiro suppressed his own aura. He glanced around, and saw a child toward the front of the group. She had scraped her leg while everyone was in a hurry to get onto the ship. Eiro approached the child. Her mother tried pulling her behind her back, and the Demon smiled. Even faced with something like him, she still chose to protect that girl above all else.

"No need to worry," Eiro said, kneeling down in front of them. He stretched out his hand toward the child. He locked eyes with her, and slowly, the girl approached the creature in front of her. Her mother tried to stop her, but before she could do anything, Eiro had already grabbed the girl's hand. She was covered in a bright light, and said light spread out over all the villagers, starting from that child. Not everyone could tell, but there were a few who had traveled in the past, or who were acquainted with priests in other villages. They could tell. Eiro was using Holy Magic.

"My name is Eiro. I am a Demon Lord, and the Royal 'The World'. I have just one goal in life; forever extinguish the Monster King, and create a safe future for those I love."