Perhaps it was a complete desperation, or perhaps it was because of spending so much time with the Soul Returner, or maybe it was because of the coup and the establishment of authority that had just taken place the night before...
In short, the young viscount brother accepted the fact that he had become a rebel in just one second.
He looked at Nuowa, who was smiling, and without hesitation released his grip on Nova's hand and knelt down on one knee, offering the knight's sword at his waist with both hands, just as Saili had done to him two days earlier.
Standard etiquette for requesting investiture.
As the young man introduced himself, Nuowa learned the identity of the person in front of him.
The long exile and imprisonment did not make the prince forget the imperial etiquette. He solemnly drew his longsword, lightly tapped Alfonso's shoulder, and recited a phrase that only the imperial family could use.
The investiture was completed quickly, Nuowa, as the rightful heir of Leo VI, bestowed upon Alfonso Lange the title of viscount, thus elevating the "gilded" noble Alfonso to the "pure gold" noble.
Although people still address him as Viscount, the significance of that title has changed dramatically.
The young viscount accepted it all. As he rose and looked at Nuowa, his eyes no longer held shock and doubt, but rather an unwavering resolve.
"I would die for you, Your Highness."
"Pfft~"
A strange noise came from the direction of the Soul Returner, but no one paid any attention in this solemn occasion.
" Alfonso, my vassal."
After the Viscount expressed his loyalty, Nuowa also spoke:
"The empire is now in dire straits, and the war with the Skeleton Alliance has already begun. I cannot launch a counterattack on the capital at this time, as that would cause us to lose all the territory east of the capital."
"I am the rightful heir to the empire, not its destroyer, and I would never do such a thing."
"I know what you're thinking, but until then, I will fight alongside you and all of you to win this war against the Skeleton Alliance."
"As for the kind of thing you're thinking about, that will have to wait until the war is over."
"This isn't for me, nor for my beastly brother, but for the empire."
"Yes!"
Alfonso slammed his breastplate hard:
"For the Empire!"
"Very good."
Nuowa nodded and said:
"I still have some other preparations to make, so I'll take my leave now. If there are any other arrangements, I'll come to see you in person."
After saying that, the spatial rift opened again, and Nuowa and Liya quickly disappeared.
At this moment, Duma, Alfonso, the four Soul Returner, and the knight Saili, who was silently guarding in the corner, remained in the tent.
Before the young viscount could say anything, the demon looked at the contract in his hand again and spoke:
"The meeting with the group-buying customer is complete. Next step—clearly informing the customer of the power and cost gained through the Demon Contract."
The fire demon cleared its throat, emitting a strange sound like the prelude to a volcanic eruption:
According to the contract, Alfonso Lange automatically gained the right to use 'demon servants' from the moment the contract was signed, the number of which was determined by the contractor's maximum command ability.
"Demon servants are immortal, but they have a resurrection time and a refresh cycle. Once Alfonso Lange's wish is fulfilled, all demon servants will be automatically dismissed."
"The terms and conditions have been explained. You may ask questions now."
That's quite thoughtful.
After being pulled back and forth several times, Alfonso was showing some early signs of Stockholm syndrome. He even felt that Duma was indeed a devil with some morality, as he had explained the terms to him item by item and given him the opportunity to ask questions.
After a moment's thought, Alfonso asked:
"So, what exactly do these demonic servants look like? If I command them, won't people see me as a monster, or as someone from the Skeleton Alliance?"
Duma looked at Alfonso, seemingly surprised by his slowness.
He said nothing, but stepped aside to reveal four Soul Returner behind him, each with an eerie smile.
Upon seeing the four centurions, Alfonso finally realized, belatedly, that the various doubts he had noticed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had connected in his mind to form a (what he considered) incredibly coherent logical chain.
"You... you were originally..."
No wonder!
No wonder their fighting style is so different from the Empire's, no wonder they are all fearless, no wonder there is always chaos around them, no wonder they are urging themselves to summon demons.
It turns out that the mountain people of the north whom I trusted and relied on were actually...
An immortal and indestructible demon servant.
Behind Duma, the four players were all somewhat embarrassed, and the messages in the small group chat were constantly being updated:
"I thought Duma really had servants, how come I'm the servant now?"
"I guess this is to cover our identities. After all, according to the world's lore, not many people know that the Soul Returner can be resurrected, and it's a closely guarded secret."
"Actually, almost every faction has special units that can be resurrected, but according to this world's view, Soul Returner can be resurrected without any cost, which is too unfair."
"I think there's another factor— Green Forest Territory is barely the size of a palm on the map, with at most a few thousand savages inside. Without Duma's endorsement, our identities would be exposed sooner or later."
"That makes a lot of sense..."
Alfonso stood there, stunned, looking at the four of them, and slowly began to speak:
"You... you've been watching me all along?"
"That's not the case, Your Excellency."
[ Practice More If You're Bad ] said with a slight bow and a smile:
"Don't you remember? I was a strongman you personally recruited! You even patted me on the shoulder and praised my sturdiness!"
Did it start back then?
Alfonso felt a deep sense of unspoken suffering, but a slight shift in his perspective made him realize another fact—
Compared to forming an alliance with a prince who should have died a hundred years ago, and compared to summoning a demon to grant one's wishes, commanding some demon servants doesn't seem like such a big problem.
After all, if either of those two issues is resolved, this group of demon servants will also crumble.
Alfonso had already lost all sense of decency, accepted the reality once again and quickly asked the next question:
How many servants can I command?
Duma shrugged:
"As the contract states, your command ability determines this number."
"With my current command abilities, how many servants can I command?"
Duma for a moment and replied:
"Two hundred."
"But I am a centurion!"
Alfonso retorted somewhat indignantly, while Duma raised an eyebrow and asked:
Do you have a thousand soldiers under your command?
"I..."
Do you have experience commanding battles involving thousands of people?
"I..."
"Can you command every centurion as easily as you would your own arm?"
"I..."
After being repeatedly rebuffed, Alfonso lost his spirit, while Duma shook his head and sighed:
"Your talent is mediocre. Right now, commanding two hundred demon servants is your maximum. Keep in mind that they are much harder to command than normal human soldiers."