Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight-Chapter 360: SS 8

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Side Story Chapter 8: The Twilight Cult (1)

Now you get it, right? This time it's really not my fault!

I didn't do anything wrong but got kidnapped!

...Thinking about it this way makes me feel really wronged.

I got mom's permission to go out and play, but trouble happened again.

I was lamenting my fate when something grabbed my arm tightly.

When I looked down, Hazel was clinging to my arm.

When did this girl come over to my side again?

I tried to pull my arm away because it was uncomfortable, but Hazel hugged my arm even tighter.

And then she muttered in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry.

"Daddy..."

Hmm.

Even though I dislike Hazel, I can't act coldly after hearing something like that.

I decided to quietly let her have one arm.

"You all must be curious about our identity."

Then the bald man spoke to us.

I looked around.

Everyone seemed terrified rather than curious.

"We are called the Twilight Cult."

The bald man revealed his affiliation with a very proud expression.

...The Twilight Cult?

What's that? I know about the Church.

"...Have you all perhaps never heard of us?"

When we remained quiet, the bald man asked with a shocked expression.

Naturally, no answer came.

"Ahem, well then, don't you have any questions? About our Twilight Cult's doctrine or purpose?"

He seemed itching to explain what the Twilight Cult was.

He looked so pitiful that I raised my hand high.

"What is the Twilight Cult?"

"An excellent question!"

The bald man shouted with delight. He seemed incredibly happy that I asked.

"We are a cult that serves the great lord of hell, ruler of bitter cold, Demon Marquis Bethpoll. We are Bethpoll's faithful servants."

Demons!

I've heard about them from uncle!

Long ago, they were idiots who were defeated by humanity and driven to hell!

And there are morons who worship such idiots, called demon worshippers!

It's really amazing to meet these morons in person.

"So you used demonic power to kidnap us?"

"Smart child. You got it exactly right."

Oh, so that's how it was.

That's why we were kidnapped without the knights having any chance to stop it.

Uncle said demons are idiots who don't know their place but are quite strong.

Strong enough to be difficult for humans to handle.

But no matter how I think about it, it's strange.

Uncle captures demon worshippers on sight just like dark mages.

That's why I heard demon worshippers hide their identities like dark mages.

But why did this person cause such a major incident?

"You seem curious about our purpose."

The bald man asked with a grin.

I never asked, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

The man seemed to want to talk.

"Our purpose is to offer ecstasy, joy, and satisfaction to Lord Bethpoll!"

...What is he talking about?

Seeing my incomprehensible expression, the bald man explained again.

"...We plan to dominate this country and make Lord Bethpoll descend to earth."

Ah, now I understand a bit.

Wait, make a demon descend?

Uncle told me that for a demon to descend, many sacrifices are needed.

So these people mean to use our kingdom's people as sacrifices to make a demon descend.

They're much worse people than I thought.

"But what does dominating the kingdom have to do with kidnapping us?"

"You're heirs of high-ranking families, aren't you? We plan to use you to ultimately control your families."

So they waited for an opportunity to capture us all.

But no matter how I think about it, it's strange.

Why did they choose the Apple Kingdom of all places?

The Apple Kingdom has my uncle.

No matter how much these people are morons who worship idiots, they can't not know what kind of existence uncle is.

"Excuse me."

"Do you have another question? Ask anything. I'll tell you everything."

He's been really kind from the start.

It's hard to believe he's a moron who worships demons.

"You should just let us go."

"Haha, do you trust your families? It's useless. This place is protected by Lord Bethpoll's power. No one can find it."

"Our uncle can find us."

"Who is your uncle that you speak so confidently?"

"Damien Haksen."

The bald man asked me with his brow deeply furrowed.

"...Damien Haksen? That crazy transcendent?"

"Yes, that's right."

"That bastard is your uncle?"

"That's right."

A long silence followed this conversation.

Well, there's no one who wouldn't be surprised hearing uncle's name...

"Kahaha! What luck! We even captured Damien Haksen's nephew!"

"Cult leader! Heaven seems to be helping us!"

"You fool! It's not heaven but hell that's helping us!"

The Twilight Cult members were greatly pleased rather than afraid.

Huh? This isn't the reaction I expected.

"Little one, I know what you're thinking. You thought we'd tremble at hearing Damien Haksen's name and let you go, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"Too bad. Damien Haksen's name doesn't work on us."

What, what did he say?

This time it was my turn to be surprised.

I stared at the bald man with wide eyes.

Could they have obtained information that uncle went into seclusion?

That's right.

That must be it.

They found out uncle was away and attacked the Apple Kingdom in the meantime.

Despite appearances, they're thorough morons!

"Because we know all too well that Damien Haksen is a fraud."

A fraud?

What kind of nonsense is this?

"The great lord Bethpoll told us the truth. That all of Damien Haksen's achievements are fake!"

"Slaying demon kings, saving the world, it's all just rumors spread by the Empire!"

"It's all part of the Empire's conspiracy to terrify dark mages and demon worshippers!"

"It never made sense to begin with. A mere human killing five demon kings."

Wow.

Wooow.

I'm so dumbfounded I can't speak.

I don't know where to start refuting this.

"You're saying Damien Haksen is a liar?"

"Th-that can't be!"

The problem is these morons' attitude is so confident that some nobles are starting to believe them.

"Still, Damien Haksen's nephew would be very useful! I'll give you special treatment."

The bald man grabbed my wrist while laughing loudly.

"You'd better follow quietly. Otherwise, you'll face terrible consequences!"

"Th-Theo!"

Hazel hugged my arm even tighter, as if she wouldn't let me be taken away.

But there's no way she can stop the bald man like this.

Actually, even if Hazel didn't step forward, I wouldn't be dragged away.

Why?

Because uncle installed a safety device in advance.

Swoosh.

An unexpected sound came.

At the same time, bright red blood dripped to the ground.

"..."

The bald man didn't immediately realize what had happened.

Only after a moment did he realize his wrist had been pierced by a blade.

"Ahhhhh!"

The bald man grabbed his wrist and stepped back.

He glared at me with a pained expression and shouted.

"You, you bastard! What is that!"

An iron sword was sticking out of my shadow.

Soon after, a skeleton in armor walked out of the shadow.

Seeing the skeleton, the bald man's face contorted completely.

"A skeleton? How dare a mere skeleton wound my body?"

The bald man pointed at the skeleton man and screamed.

"What are you all doing! Destroy that lowly skeleton immediately!"

As soon as the order was given, the Twilight Cult followers moved.

They changed their legs to be like wolves and reached the skeleton in the blink of an eye.

"How dare you lay hands on the cult leader!"

"We'll turn you to powder!"

The cult members' arms swelled up like logs.

The members swung those huge arms as lightly as tree branches.

It was a dangerous sight, but the skeleton didn't retreat.

Instead, he swung the iron sword in his hand.

"You stupid skeleton!"

"Our flesh is imbued with Lord Bethpoll's holy power!"

"Do you think you can cut through that!"

What happened next is hard for me to describe.

All I could see were flashes of light several times.

Then the Twilight Cult followers' bodies were cut into small pieces and scattered to the floor.

The bald man muttered with a shocked expression.

"How could a mere skeleton cut through Lord Bethpoll's power?"

"It's annoying how you keep calling me 'mere skeleton.'"

"A-a skeleton is even talking?"

"You're spouting nonsense."

The skeleton said while shouldering his longsword.

"Did you really think an undead of Damien Haksen would be ordinary?"

Who is this person?

He's an undead who serves uncle like Mr. Dominico.

He was originally Mr. Dominico's soldier, but after some incident, he decided to pledge loyalty to uncle.

Besides Mr. Jackson, there are many skeleton men.

They're all grateful people who protect Spring Castle and our family.

"Young master Theo, do you recognize who I am?"

"You're Mr. Jackson."

"Hah, as expected, only Young master Theo can distinguish between us."

Mr. Jackson laughed as if very pleased.

Because other people can't distinguish between the skeleton men well.

"Im-impossible... A fraud like Damien Haksen couldn't be commanding such undead!"

"Shut up and stick out your neck and wait. You have to pay the price for touching Young master Theo."

Mr. Jackson pretended to spit in his palm and walked toward the bald man.

Then one corner of the bald man's mouth lifted.

"You seem to have some skill, but... it won't work on us who serve Lord Bethpoll."

The bald man raised both arms. Then the remaining followers threw off their robes.

"Everyone, release the power you received from Lord Bethpoll!"

As soon as he finished speaking, terrifying dark magic power burst from the followers.

It didn't stop there and their bodies began to mutate.

"Ughhh!"

"Graahhh!"

Their skin turned black, sharp horns grew from their foreheads, and thick claws sprouted from their hands.

They looked like demons. Maybe not 'like' but actual demons?

"Do you think you can stop us who have received Lord Bethpoll's favor?"

The bald man spoke while letting out a laugh mixed with ecstasy.

"To face us, you'd need to bring at least a Sword Master..."

Then magic power burst from Mr. Jackson's iron sword.

The magic power wove together to create a sharp blade.

Seeing this, the bald man's eyes widened as if they might pop out.

"...A-aurablade? A mere skeleton is using an aurablade?"

Amazing, right?

Other kingdoms might have one Sword Master at most, but our family has very many.

All the skeleton men are Sword Masters.

I once asked uncle curiously how all the skeleton men were Sword Masters.

"They say people can do anything if they're prepared to die."

"Ah, I've heard that too!"

"But those guys don't die, right? So I worked them to death."

That was his answer.

No wonder the skeleton men have seizures when uncle suggests training.

"D-don't be scared, everyone! All charge together! Ignore the skeleton and take those brats behind him as hostages!"

But perhaps because he's the leader after all.

The bald man quickly came to his senses and gave tactical orders.

Well, even a Sword Master can't handle multiple opponents with one hand.

But no chance. There's more than one skeleton man hiding in my shadow.

Skeleton men poured out of my shadow.

The newly appeared skeleton men also held weapons covered with aurablades.

"..."

The bald man's face hardened pale.

The Twilight Cult followers behind him also flinched.

But the skeleton men weren't the type to go easy on them.

"These bastards dare to touch Young master Theo?"

"What are you all doing? Sweep them all away!"

With rough shouts, the skeleton men all charged at once.

Naturally, the battle ended quickly.

When the skeleton men swung their swords a few times, all the followers fell to the ground bleeding.

"Th-this can't be... To the great Twilight Cult followers... by mere undead of Damien Haksen...!"

Seeing this, the bald man entered denial of reality.

That's what happens when you believe demons.

"I-I can't accept this! Something is wrong here!"

Suddenly the bald man pulled out something like a large crystal from his pocket.

The moment the crystal was revealed, all the skeleton men flinched.

"What the hell is this crazy bastard carrying?"

"Stop him! We can't let him break that!"

The skeleton men rushed urgently.

But before the skeleton men could stop him, the bald man gripped the crystal tightly.

With a clear sound, the crystal shattered completely.

The incident happened right after.

An invisible force pushed all the skeleton men away.

Even the skeleton men who had reached the realm of Sword Master were blown backward without being able to use their strength properly.

"Damn! He already broke it!"

"This crazy bastard finally did it!"

Unlike the panicked skeleton men, the bald man was laughing in ecstasy.

"Uhahahaha! That person is descending! Though it's an avatar, there's no doubt about that person's power!"

A door made of bricks appeared in the empty air.

Soon the door shattered and a giant burst out.

No, it wasn't human.

Only the muscular body was human, but the head was that of a goat.

"Who dares oppress my precious servants!"

When the demon opened his mouth, the entire cave resonated thunderously.

I felt it as soon as I saw him.

This won't do. No one can stop this. Only uncle can.

"Our great lord!"

"Yes, my servant. Tell me. Who dared oppress you!"

"Th-those bastards!"

The bald man pointed at the skeleton men.

Then Bethpoll's presence became even stronger.

"Pretty strong for skeletons! But such strength is useless before me!"

Bethpoll walked stride by stride toward the skeleton men.

The skeleton men raised their weapons with determined eyes.

"How dare you try to oppose me! I'll turn you to powder immediately!"

That must have really touched Bethpoll's nerves.

His already muscular body swelled even larger.

That's when it happened.

Suddenly Bethpoll was startled and looked at me.

"Th-this familiar scent... You! What's your relationship with Damien Haksen!"

"Um... I'm his nephew."

As soon as he heard my answer, Bethpoll's body shrank like a deflated balloon.

Bethpoll asked again with trembling eyes.

"D-don't lie. There's no way Damien Haksen's nephew would be here!"

"It's true. My name is Theodore Haksen."

"...!"

Hearing my answer, Bethpoll covered his face with his palms and muttered quietly.

"I'm fucked."

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]