Chapter 09: The brother finds out the truth

Khan put Carter and the wolf on collecting gold (temporarily called that), and he remained at the castle to arrange some dispatches as well as respond to letters from the neighboring nobles, expressing mourning for the passing of his father. When everything was settled, it was already night.

Sitting at work without stopping that was making his joints crack, Khan stretched his shoulders and turned his hips to relax his body a bit and then went back to his bedroom.

Khan thought about the gold he was about to get. As the wolf described, he had a lot of gold. A few years ago, this gold came from a group of robbers that hid it in its wolf's den while it was hunting. After that, there seemed to be an internal dispute, and the bandit group was seriously fighting each other else, there were several people dead, but there were wounded. By the time the wolf returned to the den, it seemed like it did not need to attempt to summon up its strength to tackle the rest of the casualties. That pile of gold was difficult to bring out of the cave, so the wolf just left the huge amount of wealth he could not use in his nest, and from time to time, bored, he took it out and sharpened his teeth.

Now he had a good bargain.

Although he had gold in his hand, it will help him escape bankruptcy and poverty in the future and return to the position of rich and worthy Earl. But Khan did not intend to give up his intention of making money. Money must generate money to be meaningful for its existence.

Anyway, with money, everything will be easier.

After returning to his room, Khan changed into comfortable clothes and went to bed. There were no servants in Khan's room, which was actually his request. It was nice to be served in person, but not really now.

Crawling onto the bed and pulling the blanket, he was about to go to sleep when suddenly his eyes caught a glimpse of a dark figure beside the bed. His heart wanted to jump in his throat, he was startled to freeze as if he had been hit at acupoints. His eyes widened and he looked closely at the shadow in front of him. And even if he didn't want to look closely, he was forced to look, because every time he was afraid of something, his eyes were always staring like that, not blinking to capture the image that made him scared. It was as if, if he just stared a little longer than usual, that fear would be gone.

It was a true shadow. A black humanoid figure with two black goat horns on its head. Only the positions of the two eyes are drawn with two cunning red slits. You could see that this black shadow was something evil you needed to be avoided.

In the "Legend of Reincarnation" content was there anything similar in front of my eyes? Khan thought about it carefully but couldn't find a clue, not even the familiar page-turning sound.

"Master…"

The shadow spoke, quite sure, there was no one else in the room but it. But the voice came out older than Khan thought.

Furthermore, why does it call me master? Khan frowned and went through his mind again carefully to see if he had accidentally picked up anything or anything other than the wolf.

Looks like there wasn't.

What was more, it didn't sound like it volunteers to call him master from its voice. But in order for an unwilling person to humbly claim to be another's servant, it proves that the opponent must have an overwhelming force that makes it afraid to bow.

Khan didn't claim to have any overwhelming power, it was the main character's welfare. So then, that person with overwhelming power forced it to accept Khan as its master, and it couldn't help but listen if it didn't want to lose its life.

A series of thoughts ran through his head as fast as a racecourse, but every detail was in place, not jumbled. However, thanks to the fear receded, giving way to a calm frame of mind. Khan let out a deep breath and sat down on the bed.

Faced with the black shadow with the horns of a goat, Khan guessed it was a creature from the Demon race. Khan asked in his unchanging nonchalant tone.

"Name?"

"Master… it's really interesting…" A loud voice resounded even though the black shadow had no mouth.

Khan heard this tone of voice, doubt arose in his mind.

"Jonathan?"

"That's not my real name, master."

The answer was both negative and affirmative. But whatever the particularity, it was not good news. The Undead-Warlock appeared here and called him master. Perhaps, he should be happy now, right?

"Why am I your master, Jonathan?" Khan raised his eyebrows and asked, his tone deliberately emphasizing a name that wasn't its.

"You can call me Ibrahim instead of that dead name." Jonathan, or so we could call Ibrahim, said. "From now on, I am master's shadow. Whatever you need, you can order me."

Ibrahim. Khan searched his memory for the name. At the same time, the sound of flipping books in his head resounded and his young sister's voice echoed. Khan took a quick glance at the scene in front of him, the rustling of the leaves was like an orchestra on the radio was adjusted a slow-motion, he caught a glimpse of the leaves falling outside the window at the speed of a snail crawling.

Time slowed down again like before, and his memories were contained in the pandora box that rattled open.

✢

– What adventure fantasy story does not have a powerful villain? Of course, in my story, I can't miss a few villains.

– What else… Have you taken your medicine yet?

- I just drank it! Now, will you sit still and listen to me? I'm telling you a story!!!

– Then, what other villain? Will the main character be skewered this time?

- Wait, it is very possible. Because the villain this time is not low-class. What's so funny about the main character that easily defeated the Demon Lord?

– Demon Lord? Was it a Demon King last time? What is the Demon Lord? The story system is so messed up…

– Is that so? Did I say that the Demon King is the highest rank in the beginning? There are ten Demon Kings but Demon Lords account for less than five!

– Does that mean the Demon Lord is not just one?

– There is no single King.

– Ha, it looks like your monkey brain is still usable. I thought you brought it to stew a long time ago.

"Hey, I don't want to argue with you. Back to the main topic, do you know who this Demon Lord is?

- Okay, who is it?

– Ibrahim, is an Undead. If you remember the unlucky Khan, the short-lived brother of the main character, all the better because now Ibrahim is in his body. The main character will return to his hometown to retrieve his mother's relics. Of course, he will meet his brother with the body that is taken over by Ibrahim. This is the part that I haven't written down yet, just have an idea, so there are many things that I still don't understand.

✢

The voice faded in his head and disappeared, and Khan regained his senses and looked around. Nothing changed. Ibrahim, in a state of black shadow, stood in front of Khan, waiting for him to speak. It... ah no, he was not offended in the slightest by Khan's momentary blank face, that was befitting the role of a servant. But after recalling what was to be remembered, Khan strongly doubted this reverential attitude of the other.

A Demon Lord resigned to being a servant and calling humans masters? Was he even prey within his range?

Looking ahead and looking behind, there was a sky of conspiracy.

"Oh, if I were the master… then what if I told you to bark as a dog?"

"…"

Khan swore he'd just seen Ibrahim's rampage, the red slits in his red eyes deepening. Yet in the blink of an eye, it seemed as if what he saw was just an illusion. His demeanor returned to normal as if the polite butler Jonathan in the town of Sylvia had come back to life in the Demon Lord's shadow.

"Bbow-wow."

Ibrahim really obediently barked.

Khan was really scared this time. This horror story was not funny at all.

"Are there any other orders, master?" asked Ibrahim respectfully.

Khan propped his chin thoughtfully, his fingers cupping the lower half of his face. And then he smiled brightly and asked:

"Who is your true master?"

"It's you," answered Ibrahim seriously.

"Then change to another question," said Khan calmly. "Who ordered you to accept me as your master?"

Ibrahim was silent, hesitant to answer. Khan waited patiently for a while but still got no answer. It's too obvious. There really was someone who got hold of his foible, no, to be more precise, someone who captured Ibrahim, a Demon Lord. And that person also had the kindness to order him to become Khan's servant, allowing him to command as he pleased. Khan didn't know that there was another conspiracy behind that person's goodwill, but he had a feeling that person would not harm him.

How did I feel… hmm.

"That seems to be an unanswerable question," Khan answered for him. "But that person is definitely more powerful than the Demon Lord."

The black shadow trembled. It was an interesting image to see a trembling shadow instead of a certain identity. Khan heard him exclaim in surprise:

"How…" And the question was cut off as two red slits flashed an awakening in the other eyes. As if Khan didn't know his identity, he would think pigs might fly. "If my master has noticed, then I would like to formally introduce myself to you."

Khan raised an eyebrow, listening with interest.

Ibrahim received the signal, cleared his throat, and said clearly:

"Master, my full name is Ibrahim Finnegan A. Edric, one of the four current Demon Lords. But I think they all mistakenly thought I was dead, after all, this old man like me has been retired for a long time."

After hearing him say his full name, Khan finally remembered. In the chaotic system in which his young sister wrote "The Legend of Reincarnation", the Demon Lord also has a hierarchy, from strong to weak according to the alphabet from "A" to "E". The four Demon Lords all have a letter of their own, and it was in the middle name.

Obviously, the letter "A" was the existence that represented the strongest Demon Lord.

Suddenly, Khan remembered the main character. So in this content that was not written, the protagonist will return to Evangeline's territory and confront the strongest Demon Lord too? Will kill him or make him the trump card to bring down the remaining three Demon Lords?

But now Ibrahim, the strongest Demon Lord, has humbled himself to become a shadow that follows humanity. The hidden reward appeared suddenly and unexpectedly like this, making Khan feel like he was dreaming or being paranoid.

Khan was very skeptical. Was he ever the main character?

Hah, no way.

Casting aside his suspicions or myths, Khan decided to ignore them and go to bed.

"It's up to you, I'll take a sleep."

Khan opened his mouth to yawn and fell on the bed immediately, his eyes closed, and turned his back upon Ibrahim inadvertently until the next morning.

Having finished his breakfast of eggs and bacon, Khan tried calling Ibrahim when he was alone in the room. Then the shadow at Khan's feet grew darker and larger, and at last, Ibrahim emerged from Khan's distorted and disfigured shadow.

"It is an honor to serve you, my lord." Ibrahim stooped, hands resting on his chest reverently.

Khan looked down at his shadow, muttering. "Hiding in my shadow…"

"What does my lord need this coward to do?" Ibrahim pretended not to hear anything, he asked.

"I just want to ask a few things. If you can answer, then respond." Khan leaned back in his chair, finding a comfortable position, and then he spoke. "How long is this master-servant contract between the two of us?"

Ibrahim quiver his shoulders, but he didn't answer but asked another question. "Why do you want to ask this?"

"First deal, you don't need to call me master so formally."

Khan suggested calmly because he knew Ibrahim wouldn't be happy to call him master either. And the opponent was a Demon Lord anyway, if you couldn't stretch any sympathy points, at least didn't cause too much enmity.

Khan then spoke his mind when he received a nod from Ibrahim. "Actually, I can only think of the reason… The reason why you would act like that…"

Ibrahim was silent, asking questions that needed to be answered but still maintaining a professional reverent attitude.

It looks like this Demon Lord who used to work as a butler acted so well was no different from engaging as the trained actor.

Khan cleared his throat and said slowly:

"You are the Demon Lord to be able to commit to staying in Evangeline's territory for so many years, doesn't it sound like there is some big conspiracy in Evangeline that we don't know about? But maybe not, because according to the biography of our family, Evangeline has never been involved in dark magic before, let alone interacted with any character in that force. But maybe, in the past, my family was also connected with the real dark force?… And for some reason, it was not recorded in the family biography. But if so, why did you remain silent and not reveal your identity? Why should you go to great lengths to edit my memories?"

"Oh, why?" Ibrahim was indifferent to an innocuous question.

"According to my initial speculation, it seemed that you had some kind of internal injury that needed time to heal, how unlucky he chose Evangeline's domain as his destination. And I boldly guessed that perhaps my father had already died before. When I checked the books yesterday, I was skeptical, is it possible that my father is stupid enough to gamble and sell all the family property? For example, that wealth is not poured into gambling but into other resources. The books were edited, and my father was the perfect front for this embezzlement. And "my father" didn't even mention Evangeline's business because he didn't see the need, he basically thought he wouldn't be stuck here much longer."

Ibrahim was silent, and the atmosphere was frighteningly low, but Khan continued calmly, pretending to be oblivious to the current situation.

"And me…" Khan raised his head to look at the ceiling, and he said comfortably. "I am a spare leather bag, when it is necessary that Jonathan will disappear, will die of illness, will be no longer on this earth, and later Khan Evangeline, also me but no longer me, will have a trip, travel to a faraway place. That right?"

"What else can I say?" lamented Ibrahim. "You really have a rich imagination."

Although Ibrahim did not admit it, this situation was also Khan's prediction. It didn't matter if you admit it or not. Because now the Demon Lord was just a servant to him. In order to say these things, he just wanted to clarify a few things through Ibrahim's reaction.

Now the pieces are in their right place.

Ibrahim was a Demon Lord, he was mortally wounded and needed to hide in order to heal and hide from his enemies. Evangeline had bad luck with him. It was not known whether his father died first or if the real butler Jonathan passed away first, but in the end, he has chosen to be a butler as a wise choice. A servant was less likely to be noticed than the head of the family. What was more, the Earl then indulged in gambling, money pouring out like water without any intention of doing anything to recover the capital.

Ibrahim had planned out his recuperation plan here, as well as targeted the spare leather bag that was Khan. As far as he remembered, the Undead of the Immortal race has the ability to take bodies extremely evil. Jonathan's body was too old, and Khan's body was not equal to the main character, but because of his young age, he could gradually improve. In fact, he even suspected that Ibrahim had prepared many other leather bags, and he had chosen them carefully. Perhaps there was something about Khan's body that attracted Demon Lord Ibrahim's eyes.

What was so special about a body that doesn't sense magical energy? Khan wondered about each of these things. But he didn't think Ibrahim would answer. If he thought the other would obediently give him the answer, shouldn't he believe it?

Trust was not so cheap.

"Hmm, I have one last question." Khan sat up straight, his eyes fixed on Ibrahim, and raised his voice seriously. "Is that person male or female?"

Ibrahim was silent. He didn't answer because he didn't know. He knows who that person in Khan's mouth was talking about. But he could neither speak nor give a signal.

"As secret as the grave." Khan smiled faintly, he did not cling to this question. "Whatever it is, you will appear in the form of a human in the future. This manner hurts my eyes a bit. Ah, don't use Jonathan's face!"