Dekan Watches You From Behind the Scenes

One month later.

A major city on the northern border of the Holy Kingdom.

The delegation, consisting of only one carriage, finally arrived at their destination this morning after a night's journey.

The Clantes City.

It could be considered one of the few still prosperous city-states in the north during the war.

Lunn is not only Cardinal of the Holy Rite Church, but also the lord of this border territory.

The main city of Crantes is also Lunn's hometown and the core northern city he has guarded for many years.

After passing through the city gate checkpoint, the area ahead is a no-entry zone for outside carriages.

So the three figures inside stepped down from the carriage.

As soon as they stepped off the carriage, a deafening commotion, accompanied by the cold winter wind, greeted the delegation.

The sounds of people talking on the stone-paved road, the gurgling of the moat's icy water, and the wind.

This was quite a lavish display during wartime, and could make one momentarily mistake it for a celebration.

Of course, this delegation was not composed of people.

Instead, they were three demons dressed in dark-colored uniforms befitting high-ranking officers from the Demon Realm.

Their carriages and nameplates were inscribed with Demonic Script: [Belonging to the First Army of the Demon Realm]

The demon leader made no attempt to conceal the aura of Magic Power that would instinctively instill fear in ordinary people; his slender, cold eyes seemed to contain an indescribable black mist.

He was the strongest warrior in the First Army, second only to the Legion Commander, the Puser of the Abyss.

The school officer in charge of translation, who was following closely behind, saw that they were about to enter the city.

Finally, I decided to be bold and confirm Purser's attitude first.

He asked softly in the demon language:

"Lord Purser, aside from this negotiation, should we inquire with Lunn about the Ninth Army's commander?"

Before they set off, Irenos, the commander of the First Army, instructed them to try to gather intelligence about the "disappearance of Talomati" without affecting the plan.

Of course, the legion commander's orders are very flexible, and whether or not they need to be executed can be determined based on the actual situation.

"This has nothing to do with our First Army. And it might even involve that demon, so we'd better not get involved."

Purser answered simply.

"That demon" refers to a taboo name that many demons are unwilling to utter.

For demons, just mentioning this name could bring calamity.

The officer behind him understood Purser's meaning and nodded slightly more boldly:

"I understand. Ironically, she only got to where she is today because of her brother's influence."

Upon hearing this, Purser actually laughed.

"Heh, who knows if having such an older brother is a good thing or a bad thing? Compared to her brother, she seems like a pitifully mediocre demon. But I suppose no one would want such an outstanding twin brother."

Purser's words revealed his contempt and Taunt of Talomati, which further convinced the accompanying officers that they should ignore the legion commander's additional instructions.

Both being eighth-tier Great Demons, Talomati is already the commander of the Ninth Army, while Purser, who is clearly stronger, can only serve as the second-in-command of the First Army.

He had long harbored resentment.

Although Purser dared not openly question Talomati, he even treated Talomati with utmost politeness.

However, the demons around Purser could generally deduce that Purser had long harbored deep hatred and jealousy towards Talomati.

However, the good news that finally came was that Talomati had mysteriously disappeared a while ago.

Relatedly, the long-silent "demon" may very well be making moves again.

After all, it would be difficult to find a demon in the Demon Realm who possesses the strength to also be so foolish as to harm his sister.

Whether it's a falling out between siblings or a new conspiracy.

All of this is good for Purser.

Without a doubt, Purser is the best Demon to succeed him as commander of the Ninth Army.

As long as Talomati remains missing for some time, whether dead or alive, the Ninth Army will no longer belong to Talomati.

At that time, Purser was finally able to trample Talomati underfoot.

After the three demons passed through the city gate, they walked forward for a while.

Ahead of them, the knights and a rather unassuming honor guard were already waiting.

The well-trained and disciplined troops on the city wall did not show any panic despite having decided on a welcoming ceremony for the unexpectedly visiting delegation; however, their expressions were somewhat unnatural.

Rather than tension and fear, it felt more like hatred and reluctance.

The people on the street expressed indescribable hatred towards these demons.

Even though the oppressive aura of the great demon race, which was like the embodiment of natural disaster, made the common people tremble, they still expressed their attitude with red eyes and gritted teeth.

Clearly, no one welcomed the delegation.

The leader of the delegation, an eighth-rank Captain of the Knights, sat upright on a tall white horse.

She was a trusted confidante of Lunn, which was why Lunn entrusted her with the important task of welcoming the delegation from the Great Demon Clan.

She needs to control her hatred and anger, maintain a state of readiness at all times, and make accurate judgments.

Although she was Captain of the Knights, at Lunn's request, she reluctantly changed into a magnificent outfit, a beige military uniform more like that of a civil official, a blue cloak representing the territory, and tassels on her shoulders and a sash on her chest that indicated her official rank.

These ornate decorations, without exception, made her feel uncomfortable.

She wanted to wear her battle armor and carry her knight's lance to greet this demon delegation.

But Lunn felt that she was somewhat inclined to attack the other side, so he ordered her to receive the delegation in accordance with normal reception protocol.

"Please come with me. Lord Lunn has arranged accommodations for you and will hold peace talks with you tomorrow."

Upon seeing the three demons approach, the Captain of the Knights dismounted, trying not to frown, and spoke to them.

"Oh? Lunn Len trusts us that much?"

Purser asked, somewhat surprised.

Although the specific details are unknown.

But Lunn's instructions also revealed the fact that Lunn should not be in this city-state at present.

Otherwise, the negotiations wouldn't have been dragged out until tomorrow.

Allowing a powerful demon to remain in the heartland would be unacceptable to any lord.

Even so, Lunn was determined to facilitate this negotiation.

This also reveals Lunn's attitude and how much he values this peace negotiation.

"Don't misunderstand, maintaining courtesy before you meet Lunn doesn't mean we won't treat you as enemies."

The Captain of the Knights said coldly.

Indeed, two days ago, Lunn had to temporarily leave to negotiate important matters with a caravan from the central region, which will directly affect the difficulty of their entire border territory getting through the upcoming northern winter.

Therefore, before his return, the responsibility of guarding this great demon fell on the shoulders of other powerful figures in this city-state.

"It's alright, you can treat us like criminals and control us as you see fit. This is the only sincerity we can show."

Purser, unperturbed by the Captain of the Knights's rude attitude, replied with a smile.

However, that smile only sent a chill down the Captain of the Knights.

"Go ahead and cause trouble. Even if Lunn is willing to show you mercy, I can't wait to kill a great demon."

The Captain of the Knights stopped and looked at Purser, his eyes revealing an undisguised sharpness.

However, Purser didn't seem to mind and offered a very gentle apology:

"I deeply regret the losses the war has caused to the Holy Kingdom, which is also the main purpose of my mission to the Clantes City."

"..."

The Captain of the Knights ignored Purser and walked forward.

Purser continued to follow her.

Although he didn't look around, he took in all the sights along the way.

This city, whose architectural style is full of the ancient charm of the Holy Kingdom, must have been quite prosperous before the war, even though it is located in the north with a relatively harsh climate.

At this moment, besides the desolation, there are also many refugees on the road.

This is understandable, though. In some of the fallen northern provinces, if the survivors couldn't escape to the Holy Capital before winter, coming to the Clantes City was the best option.

If one day this city-state were to fall, the entire northern part of the Holy Kingdom could be declared completely collapsed.

Lunn is not only the strongest human in the northern part of the Holy Kingdom, but also the one who inspires the people and the spiritual pillar of the civilians on the Northern Front.

Every few steps you can see impoverished refugees, filthy and dressed in tattered clothes, shivering in the light snow.

However, as you walk along, you can also see the minimum supply distribution points arranged by the Clantes City.

It's hard to believe that Lunn would take in so many refugees during wartime.

After all, it puts immense pressure on the entire territory's winter supplies reserves, and there's also the risk of demons disguised as humans taking advantage of the situation.

"Lord Lunn is a good lord, but also an incompetent one. Excessive mercy is sometimes a poison for a ruler."

Purser muttered to himself, as if expressing a feeling.

However, the Captain of the Knights stopped in his tracks the next second.

"If you dare to offend Lunn again, I will punish you right here and now."

The Captain of the Knights looked back at Purser and said in a tone that made no attempt to hide his murderous intent.

If it weren't for Lunn's orders, she would have been one of the most opposed officers to letting an eighth-tier great demon into the city.

From the moment he first met Purser, he had been rehearsing in his mind how to kill this demon.

No matter how rational and friendly Purser appeared.

The Captain of the Knights knew perfectly well that this was an acting skill that demons were born with.

It is impossible for a demon to have genuine goodwill towards humanity.

This conclusion was proven by countless lives lost with their blood.

The generals who had fought against the demons on the front lines for many years knew this all too well.

Only those foreign mercenaries, adventurers, and civilians unfamiliar with the demon race are easily deceived by the demons' despicable methods, ultimately ending up in an extremely miserable state.

Therefore, only a dead demon is a good demon.

She also absolutely refused to believe that the First Army would choose to negotiate peace with them.

The commander of the First Army, Irenos of Ruin, is now the most terrifying force threatening the entire northern part of the Holy Kingdom.

The ninth-ranked Irenos possesses a power that is unmatched by demons and humans of the same rank.

Even Cardinal Lunn, the most powerful cardinal in the north, was defeated by Irenos in his youth.

Lunn has now reached the ninth rank.

But he is already 49 years old.

As a non-immortal human, the laws of nature dictated that his physical functions had already begun to decline.

It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious when Lunn faces Irenos again.

Of course, no one in the north expected this to happen.

If this happens, it means the final battle is about to begin, and at the same time, the most brutal massacre in the long war will take place.

Therefore, it is possible that this is why Lunn chose to seek an opportunity for a truce after gaining the upper hand.

Purser quickly raised his hands and explained with a smile:

"I'm sorry, please believe me, I have no ill intentions and no desire to offend Lunn. Although the vast majority of demons are hostile towards humans, there are also demons who lean towards neutrality, and I am one of them, so please don't overinterpret my meaning."

Purser bowed deeply to the Captain of the Knights in apology and said this with utmost sincerity.

However, through this probing, Purser also observed...

Except for the Captain of the Knights.

Surprisingly, some of the other knights seemed to agree with his words.

It seems that there are many people who are dissatisfied with the decision to accept refugees.

Starting from this point alone, we can find ways to incite internal strife within the territory.

However, this was just an unexpected piece of information and did not affect the overall situation.

Humans, in the end, are mostly just laymen in terms of intellect.

Dealing with them would be far too easy.

Sudden.

Just as Purser was thinking this.

He felt a deadly threat rising up behind him, a chill creeping up his spine and instantly spreading throughout his body.

Someone is looking down at him from above.

Those were Terror eyes that sent chills down Purser's spine.

The entire street seemed to have turned pitch black, with only the pair of enormous, god-like eyes behind him standing out clearly, making him appear exceptionally small.

"!"

Purser took a deep breath and suddenly turned around to look up.

But then they discovered...

The direction from which he felt a chill.

Behind a wide glass window on the fourth floor of the hotel building, there was only a gray-haired figure who had just walked away from the window.

He was a gray-haired young man.

He walked into the room with a leisurely air, and soon disappeared from Purser's sight.

It seems I just happened to be looking out the window at the bustling street scene.

Purser could tell from his Magic Power perception that the guy's Magic Power was not even as strong as that of a fourth-tier mage.

He was just an ordinary human being, completely harmless, with no trace of disguise or magic on him.

"What's wrong?"

The Captain of the Knights frowned and asked.

The great demon had been quite calm until now, but his sudden action made the city-state Captain of the Knights wary.

Fortunately, the other party did not intend to make a move.

"It's nothing, I just really like the architectural style of the Holy Kingdom."

Purser explained calmly, regaining his previous composed demeanor, and continued walking with the knights.