Chapter 70. Demon Lord Has Terrible OPSEC and a Suspiciously Human Name

"Who’s the one making that?" Rex asked, curious as always.

He kept his voice as neutral as everyone else’s, but inside, he was quickly rethinking the situation because he knew that "demon seed" could be used for one of his future plans.

But turning into a mindless demon seems like it’s not part of his plan.

"Thankfully, we have a name for who’s the one creating this." Iris said, "Mordecai Vrael."

"He’s a demon lord, which means he’s lower nobility in whatever hierarchy operates below the veil, but he’s ambitious enough to have built a supply chain that reaches all the way to the surface markets."

"What kind of a fucking demon lord is called Mordecai Vrael...? That sounded like a human’s name from my world!" Rex thought to himself. "Don’t tell me he’s a fucking reincarnator...?"

"That fucking name can’t trick me at all."

She stopped to take a breath and then continued. "The theory is that he’s not trying to cause chaos, even though he doesn’t seem to mind it."

"The theory is that he’s building an army. Every person who takes enough doses becomes something he can call on."

For a moment, everything was quiet. Each of them had their own thoughts after hearing what Iris just said, and only Elliot bothered to ask for clarification.

"So Kruger was already in trouble," Elliot said. "He wasn’t just desperate; he was compromised."

"Probably for months," Iris said. "The early doses are subtle."

"Just extra strength, extra aggression, and extra willingness to do things you might have hesitated at before."

"By the time the visible transformation starts happening, the person is already largely gone." She looked at the vial one more time before putting it away.

"Lady Valentina specifically wants your group to return to the capital, as your firsthand experience with Vrael’s product and subsequent survival make your testimony invaluable."

"Plus, she wants her family close while this gets worked out."

Helena surveyed the room, the village outside, and the fatigue on everyone’s faces before looking back at Iris with a resigned but accepting expression.

"When?"

"Theo is on his way with carriages and a small escort... he should be here by tomorrow morning, unless he runs into any problems... as he always does." Iris sighed.

Diana, who had been sitting next to Iris in a way that made it seem like she wanted to stay close to her for a long time, made a noise that she quickly tried to hide as a cough.

Rex and Lily both heard it. Lily had just come in through the door a few minutes ago, drawn by the sound of conversation and the comfort of familiar voices.

"It feels like I missed some important talk here." Lily said with an embarrassed look, especially seeing Rex was also there.

Rex didn’t mind that she’s coming in without any words, but he can already tell Lily recovered from all the soreness from last night.

Iris starts to hug Lily. "It’s good to see you, Lily~! I almost didn’t recognize you at all! You really have matured, huh?"

"Well... I am! And please refrain from treating me like a child anymore," Lily said, pouting, before swiftly changing the subject. "Seeing you here... I know that someone other than you is also coming."

Lily looked at Rex, then Diana’s face, then back at Rex. A smile appeared on her face, far too familiar for someone who should have been healing from the events of that morning.

Lily uttered, "I bet Theo’s coming too, right?" in a voice that seemed utterly innocent, yet the smile overshadowed it.

Diana’s body language changed. It was subtle, just a slight squaring of the shoulders and a studied casualness that was the opposite of casual. But Rex noticed it right away and found it funny.

Diana said, "Theo is Iris’s newphew; of course he’s going to come here as well," to no one in particular.

She spoke with such accuracy that it sounded like she had practiced being indifferent about this many times.

"I know who Theo is," Lily replied pleasantly. "I was just saying. Theo is coming... and isn’t that lovely, my dear sister?"

"It’s logistically convenient," Diana said.

"Very convenient," Lily agreed.

Diana looked at her, and Lily made her eyes as big as they could be without looking guilty.

Diana said, "I’ll put an arrow in your knee," but there was no anger in her voice.

"You dropped your bow when the column hit you." Lily said, "I don’t think you’d do that either, because you love me."

"I’m thinking about it again after you starts teasing me like that!"

Iris clearly enjoyed watching this conversation. "Some things stay the same for these two sisters, huh?"

Rex saw Diana’s face change a lot of times, and she was trying hard to keep it from showing. He made a mental note to pay close attention to the situation when Theo finally got there.

It was important to know what kind of person could make the calm, career-focused Diana Von Starlight go stiff and too exact.

Iris turned to look at Rex directly, even though she had been talking to someone else the whole time. Her dark eyes were calm and a little bit funny.

"And again... I don’t know how many times I know and said this, but you fought with all of them against a Goblin King and a bandit raid," she said. "In just a few days knowing them."

Rex agreed, "It’s been a busy week."

"Diana told me about the Goblin King thing." Iris said, "About what you did."

"I’m sure she made it sound worse than it was."

"She doesn’t lie about the truth, and that’s just how she is." Iris tilted her head a little. "You should know that about her if you’ve been on a trip with her."

Rex grinned. "Okay, I’ll take the praise."

Iris looked at him for a little longer, then nodded once, as if she had finished thinking about him and come to a decision she was okay with for now.

"We’re going to share the road to the capital," she said. "Lots of chances to see if you’re as interesting as you seem."

"Cool." Rex looked her in the eye and held it. "I can’t wait for it."

[IRIS MORR NIGHTWING: 3/100 → 7/100]

...

The afternoon’s work was both hard and necessary. There were bodies to deal with—villagers who died in the raid and people who were in the wrong place when Kruger’s bandits came.

The survivors had begun to gather them before the Starlight group had finished talking. They moved quickly and quietly, like people who had done this kind of work before.

Elliot wouldn’t sit and watch, even though he was injured. He worked with one arm, helping to carry things when he could and directing things when he couldn’t.

Rex observed with a degree of respect, if not quite, that Elliot was willing to work alongside people rather than above them. It was one of the few things about him that didn’t make Rex want to hit his head against a wall.

"He’s a hero alright... but still far away from beating me in the near future." Rex crossed both his arms.

Evelyn worked quietly and steadily, with a blank look on her face that made it seem like she was thinking about something and had decided to do it by moving.

Diana stayed close to Iris, and the two of them moved together like people who had worked together for a long time.

Lily helped out wherever she was told to, even though she was still sore from the day before.

After seeing all of them work like heroes, Rex immediately felt uninterested, so he went to the inn and checked on the married innkeeper.

Mara and Garrett had left the root cellar a while after the fight ended and were sitting in the common room when Rex walked in. Garrett had his arm around Mara’s shoulders, and she was leaning into him in a way that was probably more instinct than anything else.

When Rex came in, both of them looked up.

"It’s over," Rex said as he sat down across from them. "The leader of the bandits is dead."

"Most of the others ran away or were killed."

Garrett breathed out like he had been holding his breath for an hour. "Thank God... it’s finally over."

"But still..." Rex said, "There’s something else," keeping his voice steady.

"The village was badly damaged. "The damage is more extensive than what can be easily rebuilt, and there are people here who will not be safe if a similar event occurs again without warning."

"The starlights are going to the capital with an escort, and there are spots available for civilians who need them." He stopped and looked at both of them. "I think both of you should leave this place and live in the capital without having to worry about an attack."

Mara looked at Garrett, and for a long time, Garrett looked at the ceiling as if he were doing some kind of math in his head. Then he turned back to Rex and looked at him with a surprisingly deep look.

"I’ve never been to the capital before." Garrett said, "Mara always said she wanted to see it."

"Before we got the inn, that was the plan for us... to travel a little and see the world." He stopped. "Then life got in the way, which it does."

Mara looked at Rex. She maintained a deliberately blank expression to prevent Rex from noticing anything in front of Garrett.

He liked how professional it was.

Rex said, "Well... it’s up to both of you to decide before they leave you two behind."

"Alright! For my wife’s sake, we’ll go," Garrett said, simply and without any drama. "A new beginning somewhere safer sounds like just what we need."

He patted Mara’s hand and didn’t notice the heavy silence around him. "Don’t you think so?"

"Yeah," Mara said in a low voice. "I agree with you."