Chapter 26: Gathering Allies

Bradley only lasted for three days before he finally expired.

I didn't know the actual cause for his death. It could be overdose from being force-fed too much sexual stimulant herbs. It could be physical exhaustion and mental trauma from being raped for three days straight, only for his mind and body to finally shut down for good. It could be that he finally succumbed to his wounds.

Whatever the case, the last female orc that was banging him suddenly felt him go limp and noticed that he was no longer breathing. Outraged, she slapped him so hard that she accidentally broke his neck. Not that it mattered because he was already dead before then.

Stella evidently couldn't stomach the grisly fate of Bradley and she didn't watch. I also didn't watch the fun because I didn't have that kind of hobby. Moreover, the female orcs were not physically appealing or attractive to a human (or ex-human) like me. I would probably have to wash my eyes with bleach if I had actually seen what was happening to Bradley.

"I'm going to settle some business, and then I'll bring you back to Havan Kingdom," I told Stella. I had no idea what she planned to do after confirming Bradley's death, but it was none of my business. She could do whatever she wanted. She had already achieved her revenge for her sister through Duke Bradley's demise. There was no longer any reason for her to stay with me.

"About that…" Stella raised her hand, her expression grim. "I will accompany you wherever you go."

"Huh?" I gaped at her, totally not expecting that. "Why?"

"Firstly, I need to thank you. Regardless of the methods you used, the fact remains that you saved me. You saved me from being raped, and you saved my life. You also put an end to Duke Bradley's tyranny and freed the citizens of Bravia from a life of poverty and brutality. We owe you a great debt. Thank you very much."

"You're exaggerating." I waved her thanks away dismissively. "I didn't do it to help you guys. I only did all this just for my own revenge and self-satisfaction."

Stella began giggling. Clutching her stomach, she bent over and erupted into hysterics. I watched her, bemused. What was so funny?

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that nonsense? Even if you're trying to be humble, that makes no sense whatsoever."

"Excuse me?" I asked with a frown. Stella wiped the tears from her eyes, still trying to stifle a giggle.

"Come on. Think about it. If you only wanted to take revenge on Bradley, why did you save me from those knights? You didn't know who I was, or that those knights were under him. Yet you intervened and saved me from those knights about to **** and murder me. And if your only goal was to defeat Bradley and take his fortress, you could have easily destroyed the whole city. Instead, you went out of your way to order the demonic legion under your command to refrain from hurting the civilians, and you even allowed those who didn't want to stay to leave the province safely. You went through all that trouble even though you didn't have to…even though you could easily ignore the wellbeing of everyone else in your path to revenge."

"Like I said, that was all self-satisfaction," I replied wearily. "How can I justify my revenge on those who betrayed and killed me when I betray and kill innocent people? The citizens of Bravia City…you as well, none of you are involved in betraying me. I have no right to hurt you in my revenge against the strongest Hero party."

"See, that's what I mean. You could have so easily be self-centered, but instead you chose to protect innocent people. You could have avoided trouble and ignored my plight, but you stepped in and saved me. You are not an evil person."

I scoffed at that. I was the Demonic Emperor. Of course I was evil. Well, from the humans' perspective, I was evil. But from the demons' perspective, I was justice and authority, whereas the humans were evil. It was all a matter of perspectives, really.

"I'm not the good, kind person you make me out to be either. I intend to continue my revenge. So far, I have only taken care of three members of the Hero party. There are still three left. I will not stop until I have taken my revenge on each and every one of them."

Herman, Irene and Bradley had been dealt with. That left the talented mage Miranda, the huntress Yvonne and the assassin Alan.

"You intend to oppose the Hero?" Stella asked softly. I laughed at that.

"Intend to? No, my dear, I've already opposed the Hero and won."

At her shocked expression, I remembered. Oh, right. The rest of the population in Havan Kingdom didn't know about the demise of the Hero and the Supreme Priestess. The Holy Church and the royal family had suppressed the news regarding their tragic fate…that Herman and Irene had suffered a fate worse than death, their bodies fused together by acid and healing spells and elixirs rendered ineffective by the cursed spear that lanced through their hearts.

Stella suddenly frowned.

"They said that the Hero and his wife, the Supreme Priestess, have suddenly taken ill, and cloistered themselves in a temple to convalesce. They have not appeared in public ever since, and their district has been taken over by Count Fairville. Could it be…?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I was responsible for that."

"I see." Stella lowered her head. She frowned. "I did hear some nasty rumors regarding the Hero and the Supreme Priestess from a visitor from Royales, who claimed he escaped from their district to avoid being executed for no reason…but having experienced what Duke Bradley is really like, I am not surprised that they are capable of such awful misdeeds."

"Like I said, they betrayed me, leaving me for dead at the hands of the lord of vampires. I will never forgive them."

"When I first heard about that, I must admit, I was skeptical. I couldn't believe it." Stella then turned to look at the burning mound where the annoyed female orcs had burned Bradley's body. "But having seen the duke's true nature…and following you for a while, I am starting to see the truth in what you said."

She then sighed.

"That brings me to the second reason. I still can't fully trust you. I know you claim to want coexistence between humans and demons. I have seen evidence of that in how you handled Bravia City. Even so…it's not easy for me to put away my doubts and trust you completely."

"Yeah, I don't blame you for that. And I'm not going to tell you to believe me. It's not my job to convince you."

"Perhaps so, but I will take upon the duty of ensuring that you stay on the right path."

"Huh?" I gaped at Stella when she pointed at me somewhat dramatically.

"Consider me your aide. Or advisor. I will accompany you to make sure you do not stray from the path of righteousness. If you ever decide to slaughter the innocent or abuse your power, I will stop you. If you consider some vile scheme, I will be there to advise against it. I will monitor the path you take and make sure you do not take a wrong step."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I don't really understand what happened, and how you ended up becoming a demon, or how you came to command a divine general and her demonic legion. But for the sake of Havan Kingdom and the innocents, I will do my best to ensure you do not harm them."

She then bowed her head and smiled.

"Besides, the idea of coexistence appeals to me too. I'm sick and tired of warfare. My parents died in the war. Then I spent several years worrying about my sister, wondering if there would be a day when she wouldn't return from the battlefield. She eventually did come back, only for the evil bastard Bradley to take her away from me."

Stella sighed heavily, and then she finally relaxed her hands.

"Helping you achieve peace and coexistence doesn't sound like a bad dream. I don't want any other girls to suffer the same fate as me and my sister, and become war orphans."

"Not just girls, right?" I teased. Stella snickered.

"Fine. Boys too. Happy?"

"Yeah."

At least Stella wasn't spouting some nonsense about expecting to die in the process of getting revenge on Duke Bradley and thus deciding to devote the rest of her life to serving me. That sort of rubbish only happened in trashy stories where the heroines were often reduced to flat, two-dimensional caricatures who existed solely for the sake of the male protagonist. It was also degrading. Women should live for themselves, not cling to men just so the latter can assuage their masculine egos.

"Anyway, I will serve as your knight, your advisor and your aide. My sword is yours." Stella drew her sword and held it up as a salute before kneeling before me. "As your subordinate, I will swear fealty to you. I will be loyal to you until the day of my death. Furthermore, it will be my duty to ensure that my lord stays on the correct path, and to guide you back whenever you go astray. And thus I make this vow."

"Oi, get up. This sort of things make me uncomfortable."

"Oh, but you are gathering allies, aren't you, Klein? So you have to get used to this." There was a mischievous glint in Stella's eyes when she raised her head. I grimaced and grabbed her arms to haul her back to her feet. Then something about her words caused me to raise an eyebrow.

"How do you know that?"

"General Winters told me," Stella replied. Then her smile widened. "That's the third reason, actually. The Witch of Winter requested that I stay by your side and look after you. She says that if you are going to continue moving around in the Havan Kingdom, in order to obtain your revenge, you will need someone in the kingdom that you can trust."

She shrugged.

"And since I am the only human she knows well enough, she asked me if I could take care of you while you are in Havan."

"You guys worry too much." I sighed and shook my head. "All right, now that we've confirmed Bradley's death, let's go."

"Where are we going?" Stella asked. I smiled.

"The land of the dead."

Currently, Lindley, the lich lord, presided over the island, Ixia. Far north of the Demonic Empire, it was a barren piece of land was surrounded by floes of ice and inhabited only by the undead. I was aware that it would be a tough journey, but I needed Lindley's help for the next phase of my plan.

My next target for revenge was a troublesome one. Before I proceeded, I should secure the assistance of the emotionless lich.

As I thought, Stella didn't seem very pleased with the destination, but true to her word, she didn't complain.

"I am your knight. Your sword and advisor. Wherever you go, I will follow."

"Yeah, you said that already."

"So if you're trying to dissuade me from following you…"

"That's not what I'm doing. I really intend to recruit the lich lord, Lindley, to my cause." I pushed my glasses up my nose. "Lindley is a practical and down to earth person. From what I know of him so far, he is not one who acts on emotions. As long as I can offer him a tangible benefit, he will have no reason to refuse to assist me."

Stella regarded me suspiciously.

"What sort of benefits do you intend to offer him?"

"Don't worry." I raised both of my hands in a placating manner. "I will not do something as cruel as giving him a bunch of innocents to turn into undead or something. And besides, that's something he can take care of, without needing me to help. No, I intend to offer him something that most people can't."

"Huh? Like what?" Stella looked confused. She knew even less about the lich lord than I did.

I smirked. "Did you know that Lindley isn't just interested solely in reanimating the dead? He's an avid collector of esoteric lore and magic research."

And given the nature of my next revenge target, I was sure I could give Lindley what he desired.