On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

With the thirteen dishonest people behind me, I walk to the city hall. I can already see some citizens standing in front of the building from where I am, but they are not that many.

It is rather disappointing that the people are too cowardly, but given a little bit more time, there will be more of them showing up ... I hope.

"M-May I know where we are going, S-Sir Demon?"

Hearing the question, I can\'t help smirking. I have been sensing their hesitation ever since we got out of the bunker, and I have been waiting for them to ask something.

"You see... It\'s unlike us, but you are going to do something noble, both in our perspective and the human\'s perspective. You are going to be the bridge that will connect us to the people of Brontes Dukedom."

"Oohh..."

I can immediately sense glee—the greedy bastards are heavily exuding it. I do mean what I said, but what they have in mind is completely different from what I have in mind, so I find it amusing.

When we are just 120-feet away from the city hall, I take them to the backyard. Their job is not to mix with the crowd—I want them to remain unseen until the time—so I am going to hide them inside the city hall through the back door.

"Is it really necessary for us to be this sneaky, Sir Demon?"

"Why do you consider this is being sneaky?"

"W-Well, we are basically sneaking around."

Clicking my tongue faintly, I say, "Entering a building through the backdoor shows how familiar you are with the building." I shake my head lightly. "For you to say it\'s sneaking around... Ckckck."

Thud!

All conversation ceased when we enter the city hall. I look around, and find he interior fairly mediocre since it looks no different from any city hall\'s interior back on Earth, so I don\'t know whether to feel amazed at the similarity or disappointed at the mediocrity.

I have been seeing Magic-world-esque fancy rooms lately, so it is actually quite underwhelming to see the rather impressive but nonetheless ordinary interior.

I stop looking around a few seconds after, and bring the people behind me to a spacious room that can contain them until their showtime comes.

"What are we going to do here, Sir Demon?"

"Just wait until I call you."

"... How long if I may ask?"

"Just wait."

The person who has been actively asking me questions is a merchant that I don\'t know of. The information I purchased from the shady informant in the Black Market doesn\'t contain anything about him, so he must be not from here.

He possesses all of the criteria that any obnoxious merchant you can find in every fantasy novels has: wearing a monocle, having a curved and long moustache, countless of shiny accessories, and a beer belly.

His smile is sly and fake. The vibe he is giving is also repulsive for a human, so I can easily tell he is the worst person among the group.

[We thank you greatly, the people who have bravely decided to get out of their house, and come here to directly hear the horrible truth we are going to deliver you.]

When I close the door of the auditorium, I can hear Winerva speaking through the Broadcasting Array. I can see her greeting those who have come outside from inside the building.

[For those who stay in their home, you should worry not, for you will also be able to listen what this is about. This truth shall never be buried any longer—we will let everyone know the atrocities of the people we respect have done!]

"Great... That is the spirit."

The speech is as heartfelt as I want, so I can\'t help smiling at that. Curious of how Winerva and Xenon\'s facial expression is, I stand in front of the window, then take a good look at her face through it.

Just like what I suggested, all of them have their most genuine disgusted look plastered on their face. Whether it is directed at me or it is just a part of their act, I don\'t care; I am satisfied with how things are going.

[What we are going to deliver you first is the truth behind the "invasion" of our beloved home ... It is much to our surprise that we found the culprit behind this whole ordeal was the owner of this Dukedom himself.]

"... Huh? No way, right?"

"Duke Niles... There is no way!"

"No, this must be a slander!"

"Have you heard about his daughter?"

"Oh..."

Already, the people have split opinions. Some decided to immediately believe, some vehemently deny the information, and the rest are patiently waiting for the next thing Winerva will say.

[As you have already known, Duke Niles had a daughter who was captured by the Demon King\'s Army. Because of that, he had been begging the King to trade her with one of the masterless Holy Swords our Kingdom has.]

[The King, seeing that her daughter didn\'t worth the trade denied his request from time to time. Countless of meetings and discussions were commenced with the Advisors, but all of them denied him with a very roundabout way.]

[Indignant, the Duke decided to take the matters into his own hands. Three days before coming here, he met one of the Demon King\'s Generals to have a discussion about trading his daughter with a part of his territory.]

Winerva stops speaking and looks at the crowd\'s expression. I didn\'t tell her to do that, but I am very proud that she knows how to give an extra shock effect.

The people widen their eyes in disbelief at first. They vehemently deny the information, but eventually accept it since it is too reasonable to be a slander.

Some of them cry, and some of them curse loudly in indignation. The rest look at the sky emptily; they are lost about what to do at the revelation.

[The Demon King\'s General agreed instantly, and gave Duke Niles the time to empty his Dukedom. He was given three days to notify all of you to move out, but Niles didn\'t want to do it because he wanted to make the trade look like an invasion.]

[He didn\'t want the world to know that he had made a secret deal with the Demons! As sympathetic as I am to him, I don\'t think sacrificing tens of thousands of people for his daughter is just. It is immoral!]

"Fucking trash! I knew there was something wrong about him since day one!"

"That asshole! How dare he?!"

"Who cares about his daughter? He can just make a new one but decided to sacrifice us? Nonsense!"

Listening to the reactions of the people, I can\'t help a ridiculing smile from creeping up my face. "Ah, humans... Look how easy it is to change their mind when you know how to fuel their hatred, and inflate their ego. Ku-ku-ku."

Winerva and Xenon just watch as the enraged crowd curse loudly as if they are in the middle of a riot. Their disgusted expression falters slightly, and I can even see their lips faintly tremble, probably in guilt.

[The thing is, everyone, the King eventually heard about this. Instead of punishing the Duke, unfortunately, he provided the Duke assistance to cover up what was actually going to happen ... He deemed you worth less than the masterless Holy Sword.]

The crowd became even rowdier at that that revelation. Hatred is overwhelming the air—it is amazing how easy it is to enrage them so bad in a span of 5 minutes.

"Where is he?! Where is that accursed Duke?!"

"Give us the asshole!"

"Bring me that bastard!"

Reluctantly, at the people\'s exclamation, Xenon takes out the thing I gave her before I went to the bunker—Niles\' head. She lifts the head that is skewered by the sword, and wave it lightly like a flag.

The crowd instantly erupted in cheers, visibly shocking the two women. They know to keep their act together however, so they regain their composure very quick.

[This revelation is not the only thing I am going to deliver you. We have a way to salvage you from the situation! None of you have to die uselessly if you choose to accept the Demon King\'s offer to be his citizens in exchange for your lives!]

The commotion die down as the crowd look at Xenon in bewilderment. Stabbing the sword that is skewering Niles\' head to the ground, she opens her shirt to show the Geas on her chest.

[This is the only thing you have to live with as the citizens of Verniculos Kingdom. This is the Mark that the Demon King only gives to his beloved citizens. It is the mark that protects you at all cost, in exchange for your loyalty!]

Of course, this is a lie. Luckily, none of them know how Geas works, because it is exclusive to those who have learned Demonic Arts, which no human bothers to learn.

[He asks not much. He only wants you to be his citizens. You won\'t be enslaved. You will live freely just like any human in the world. Some Cursed Creations might visit our territory, but he guarantees none of you will be killed by them.]

This, in some part, is true.

[The Demon King only wants one thing from you, and that is... Your loyalty. Abandon your corrupted King, and pledge your loyalty to him! One day, I can assure you, he will avenge those who have been wronged, and take down the corrupted!]

Xenon\'s delivery is as heartfelt as Winerva\'s. The thing she is talking about, however, is literally life-changing, so the crowd take some time to properly digest it.

Thanks to that, three minutes are filled with deafening silence. They are really unsure of what to do, but humans, in the end, behave like humans; they see no wrong in changing their loyalty as long as they deem it profitable.

With that, I can now officially declare that Brontes Dukedom and its people are successfully conquered.