Chapter 1297
"This Asak has a message to deliver, so present yourself at once."
With a flick of his finger, Count Asak commanded the holy man to bow before him.
"......"
However, the one known as Sage Doraen—or rather, Dorian—did not even spare a glance for the oily, middle-aged noble.
"It sounds as though your mother is unable to stand."
His focus remained entirely on the voice of the commoner standing in front of him, just as it always was.
"Y-yes, that is the truth!"
A youth, his hair matted with grime, dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground.
"Take this vial and administer it to her. Two doses a day should see her health return shortly."
Dorian pulled a clear glass bottle from his satchel and placed it in the young man's hands.
"Th-thank you! I am eternally grateful!"
The boy knocked his head against the earth so fervently that blood began to bead, looking as though he could die happy in that very moment.
"Go, and be quick about it."
Dorian stroked his beard with the serene air of a master who perceived the deeper truths of the world. He showed no trace of his former cowardice; it was as if this particular mission had triggered a profound internal evolution.
"You dare to ignore the presence of Asak?"
Count Asak’s expression soured, his lips curling in a sneer born of bruised ego.
"Deal with them!"
He gestured imperiously toward the young man who was sprinting away, the medicine clutched tightly against his chest.
"Understood!"
The soldiers, moving in perfect sync with Count Asak’s silent malice, swung their sheathed blades toward the fleeing youth.
"Huh...?"
Just as the boy realized the danger looming over him and tried to duck.
Swooosh!
Martha swung her massive greatsword, shearing through the knight’s scabbard and the steel blade within it in a single motion.
Thunk!
The severed weapon slammed into the dirt, leaving the knights and Count Asak staring at the jagged remains with looks of pure shock.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Martha’s brow furrowed as she leaned into the personal space of the disarmed knight.
"Uh, uh..."
The soldier choked on his own breath, visibly shaken by the raw martial intensity and the murderous aura radiating from her. He began to shuffle backward.
"Wh-what is wrong with you! Why are you standing there like statues! You are the knights of Asak!"
Count Asak began kicking the men behind him, screaming at them to attack all at once. He kept chanting his own name like a mantra; listening to him, it was clear that his obsession with his identity was more of a psychological crutch than actual noble pride.
"Halt!"
"Do you have any idea whose path you're blocking!"
The knights, though terrified of Martha’s strength, charged forward, hiding behind the authority of Count Asak’s name to mask their own fear.
However, they didn't even make it halfway to Martha before they were forced to stop.
Cliiiing!
Burren had manifested seemingly out of thin air, his heavy spear held like a natural extension of his limbs, creating a barrier that the knights could not hope to breach.
"Ungh!"
"How can mere sellswords possess such skill..."
"I didn't even see him move..."
The knights couldn't even track Burren’s speed. They stood paralyzed, eyes darting between the spear tip and their comrades, unable to take another step.
"You insolent curs!"
Count Asak finally snapped and marched to the front.
"Do you realize who stands before you! In this realm, I am—"
"It is irrelevant if you are a count or a monarch."
Dorian lifted his head with agonizing slowness.
"If you wish to speak with me, find the end of the line. In my eyes, you hold no more weight than the citizens currently waiting their turn."
He stroked his chin, his gaze carrying the weight of one who walked between heaven and earth.
"Uh..."
Count Asak’s jaw worked silently, his words dying in his throat as Dorian’s presence physically weighed on him.
"He's right!"
"Noble or not, this is out of line!"
"We've been camping out for days just for a moment with the Sage!"
The crowd gathered for Sage Doraen found their courage, their voices rising in a unified chorus of protest.
"These insects dare..."
Count Asak’s face flushed a deep crimson, his teeth grinding in fury and shame at having been momentarily cowed by Dorian.
"Execute them! Asak will answer for the consequences! Kill every last one of them!"
He threw a tantrum, stomping his feet and ordering his men to slaughter the Sage and his companions.
"I knew he’d lose it!"
"Shield the Sage!"
"Yes! We will give our lives for him!"
"Back off, you nobles!"
The people Dorian had healed, along with those hoping for a miracle, surged forward. They formed a human barricade, placing their bodies between Count Asak and the holy man.
"C-Count..."
The knights looked back at their master, their Resolve crumbling under the sheer pressure of the angry mob.
"Graaaah!"
Count Asak bit his lip until it bled, visibly rattled by the unprecedented defiance of the common folk.
"Move aside."
Dorian’s voice cut through the noise from behind the human wall. At his command, the sea of people parted, carving a path for him.
Step.
Dorian walked forward, completely unarmed, and stood directly in front of the Count and his armed escort. He tilted his chin upward.
"Grugh..."
"Heup!"
The Count and his men froze, gripped by a primal fear as they met Dorian’s eyes.
"I shall repeat myself. If you desire an audience, you will wait like everyone else."
Dorian gave a sharp, icy nod—a silent promise that he would take matters into his own hands if the peace was broken again—and then turned back to his seat.
"Uh..."
"Hmm..."
Completely drained by the aura Dorian had projected, Count Asak and his knights slumped to the ground. They looked physically spent, their tunics soaked with cold sweat.
"Woooooooh!"
"Sage! Sage! Sage!"
"Even the high-born bow to him!"
"Lord Doraen is a god walking among us!"
The crowd erupted in a frenzy of adoration, marveling at the divine authority that had just brought a noble to his knees.
"......"
Dorian remained stoic, seemingly deaf to the thunderous applause of the masses.
Inside, however, his heart was hammering against his ribs.
[Y-Young Master!]
Dorian focused his thoughts and sent a frantic Aura Message to Raon, who had been pulling the strings from the shadows the entire time.
[I-Is this really okay? Are we sure no one is going to get hurt?]
[Yes. You handled that perfectly.]
Raon offered a word of praise, a small smirk playing on his lips.
[It was flawless.]
Though Raon had been micro-managing every movement of Dorian, Burren, and Martha, he had been worried the performance might feel staged. Instead, it had unfolded with more realism than he could have hoped for.
He doubted he could have orchestrated a more effective scene if he had played the lead himself.
-Huh...
Wrath blinked in disbelief.
-If I didn't know the truth, I’d swear that Dorian brat was a genuine holy man. Since when did he become such an actor?
The demon actually used Dorian's name correctly for once—a name he usually claimed to have forgotten—letting out a breath of genuine shock.
'Now, it's my turn to take the stage.'
Raon cleared his throat and strolled over to the catatonic Count Asak.
"Are you unharmed?"
"Y-you are..."
Count Asak looked up at Raon, his eyes a messy cocktail of humiliation, confusion, and a burgeoning, reluctant respect for Doraen.
"I am merely a humble servant in the retinue of Lord Doraen."
Raon bowed low, carefully analyzing the shifting tides of the Count's emotions.
"Th-that man... what is he? There is no way he is some common charlatan!"
The Count scowled, his curiosity finally outweighing his anger.
"Lord Doraen was born into the highest circles of nobility. And I do not mean some minor provincial kingdom."
Raon spoke with a mysterious tone, dropping hints designed to set the Count's imagination ablaze.
"High-born? I knew it!"
Count Asak latched onto the explanation immediately. It was far easier for his ego to accept defeat at the hands of a hidden prince than a commoner.
"We could simply depart if this causes further friction, but I feel compelled to speak, for the sake of the people. Lord Doraen is..."
Raon began to spin the elaborate web of lies he had prepared for this occasion.
He wove a tale of a noble who had forsaken his title to wander the world with nothing but his feet, seeking wisdom and sharing enlightenment with the downtrodden.
"He truly... did that?"
Count Asak’s eyes widened. The idea of a noble willingly discarding their status to live as a pauper was beyond his comprehension.
"That is the reason he views all souls as equals—whether they wear crowns or chains."
Raon allowed a faint, knowing smile to surface as he watched Dorian resume his consultations with the villagers.
"Hmm..."
Count Asak followed his gaze, his chin trembling as he watched the "Sage" at work.
"So, feel free to direct your anger at us, but I beg you to show mercy to these people."
Raon bowed again, projecting the same selfless concern for the weak that Dorian had displayed, showing zero intimidation in the face of the Count's rank.
"Y-you... are you not afraid of a noble's wrath either?"
Count Asak looked baffled.
"How could a servant of the Sage ignore his teachings? In my sight, a noble and a slave are cut from the same cloth."
Raon’s eyes remained steady and calm, conveying a bone-deep conviction.
"Uhmm..."
Count Asak swallowed hard. To his surprise, Raon’s gaze felt even more inherently "noble" than Dorian’s.
He chewed on his lip, lost in thought as he processed everything.
'Here we go...'
Raon watched the Count through narrowed eyes.
'Which way will he jump?'
If Count Asak tried to use force again, they would break him and use the victory to boost their reputation. But if he actually joined the queue... the impact would be legendary.
A Count standing in line to see a Sage would be the talk of the entire region.
-Why are you even debating this?
Wrath snorted dismissively.
-He's going to try and kill everyone! That's how these power-tripping mortals work!
The demon clicked his tongue, convinced the Count's ego wouldn't allow for anything else.
'I'm not so sure about that.'
Raon shook his head mentally.
-This is why you're still a novice! If that man actually stands in line, this King will give you a reward!
Wrath sounded entirely confident in his assessment.
'No.'
Raon kept his eyes fixed on the target.
'The stronger the obsession with authority, the deeper the underlying insecurity. He cares about his name more than his title.'
Count Asak had spent the whole time shouting his name rather than his rank. He clearly wanted his personal reputation to exceed the status he had been born with.
-Whatever, you're just being—
Just as Wrath was about to finish his insult.
"The queue."
Count Asak took a long, steadying breath and stood up.
"Where is the end of the line?"
His expression had cleared, replaced by a strange sort of resolve. He was going to wait his turn like everyone else.
"I beg your pardon?"
Raon played the part of the shocked servant, his mouth hanging open.
"C-Count?"
"Surely you don't mean..."
The knights scrambled to their feet, rushing to their master's side.
-Huh? Wh-what?
No one was more stunned than Wrath.
"The man said I must wait in line to consult the Sage. I am asking where that line begins."
Count Asak ignored his subordinates, squared his shoulders, and demanded to be shown his place.
"Ah, right this way, sir."
Raon fought back the urge to laugh as he led the Count toward the very back of the long procession.
"My thanks."
Count Asak brushed the dust from his fine clothes and took his position at the end of the line.
"C-Count!"
"This is beneath you!"
The knights tried to pull him away, but the Count didn't budge.
-This... this is impossible...
Wrath’s eyes were dinner plates.
-That man was a textbook egomaniac! He was supposed to be corrupt to the core!
The demon fumed, unable to wrap his head around the sudden shift in behavior.
'That might be how it works in the Devildom, but things are a bit different here. Now then...'
Raon smirked and held out an open palm to the demon.
'About that reward you promised?'
-Eeeeek! Why does the universe conspire against me! Why!
'Is it the universe, or is it just your big mouth?'
-Silence!
