"Nya… nya-nyaa..."
"Phew."
"Nya… nya-nyaa…"
"Haa..."
"Nya…"
"Oh, for f—!"
Smack!
"Pickaaa… agrrr…"
"...."
I'm gonna lose it.
With a sharp flick to the forehead, the ghost general Fikamir began foaming at the mouth and passed out. He had once been the loyal aide of the 1st Star Master. Looking down at the now completely unconscious spirit, Kim Jangcheol let out a long sigh.
Then, he turned to the side.
"You heard all that just now, right?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"What do you think?"
"It didn't seem like an ordinary situation."
Zephyros adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
"If General Fikamir's confession is true, then this is clearly an act of treason by the 1st Star Master."
"That's what it sounds like, right?"
"Yes. He murdered the Demon King's messengers sent to the Star Masters. Not only that, he also seized and blocked the command letter. As a result, all the other Star Masters—except the 1st—are likely unaware of your declaration of service or its purpose."
"Tsk. I bet they're all just sitting around nervously twiddling their thumbs."
"Still waiting for our main army to depart for the human world, fully prepared to join us."
"...Phew."
Kim Jangcheol sighed again.
Zephyros asked,
"Then, what will you do next?"
"Well, Zephyros, what do you think?"
"I believe the 1st Star Master must be punished, if only to uphold the Demon King's dignity."
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
Zephyros nodded.
"Strictly speaking, your current situation, my Lord, is not favorable. Cancelling the well-prepared invasion of the human world all of a sudden has left all the demons stranded in this abandoned land, enduring even greater hunger."
"Hmm."
"If we had invaded as planned, everyone would've been happily singing while feasting on food plundered from human cities. That future has been lost. No one's saying it aloud, but dissatisfaction is clearly brewing. The only thing keeping them in check is that they can now barely eat those wild potatoes full of toxins. In short—"
"...In short?"
"Everyone's at the point where they'd rather tie you to a post instead of Asurat, use you as a lightning rod until you're shredded, then grind you into compost for the fields."
"....."
"Was that too blunt?"
"Uh, kinda?"
"I apologize. I'll be more careful."
"Uh... I'd appreciate that, yeah."
"...he said, with a sour expression like he just bit into aged kimchi."
"What? That's it. You are writing this down. Again. Again."
"It is my duty, after all."
"I mean, I get that it's your duty."
Kim Jangcheol grumbled, feeling a bit unfairly treated.
"Still, when I say or do something cool, can't you at least write it down with a bit more flair?"
"I cannot."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't feel like it."
"..."
"If you dislike it, you could always fire me and replace me with someone else..."
"...Haa. Fine, do whatever you want."
Kim Jangcheol's sigh deepened.
Truthfully, he couldn't fire Zephyros.
He was the most capable and trustworthy among the demons.
"Anyway, then when do you plan to subjugate the Cliff of the Dead, the 1st Star Master's territory?"
Zephyros asked with his characteristically cold and detached eyes. It was clear he believed Kim Jangcheol would certainly go after the 1st Star Master.
'Well, that's not unreasonable.'
Given the current situation, that seemed like the obvious choice. As Zephyros said, cancelling the invasion had shaken Kim Jangcheol's authority like a boulder twerking in an earthquake.
But if he let an open traitor like the 1st Star Master go unpunished? Then what little authority he had left would dissolve like a pinch of dioxin in the wind.
However…
"No. I'm not going to subjugate the Cliff of the Dead."
"Excuse me?"
Zephyros' eyes widened.
"You mean..."
"There's no real benefit to attacking the 1st Star Master right now."
Kim Jangcheol said firmly.
And it was true.
'Even if we invade the Cliff of the Dead and conquer it, we still won't be able to capture the 1st Star Master, who caused all this.'
He had played through this world—this game—Paladin of Blood no less than 19 times.
No one knew its rules better than him.
From all that experience, he was certain of one thing.
"Let me ask you something. What kind of terrain is the Cliff of the Dead?"
"Sheer cliffs, vertical ladders, narrow ledges barely a handspan wide, and maze-like tunnels inside the cliff walls."
"Exactly. And the 1st Star Master is a ghost, right?"
"Correct."
"Ghosts can pass through walls and ceilings at will, right?"
"That's... oh."
Zephyros' eyes lit up as if he'd just realized something.
"Then, your Majesty, you intend not to attack the cliffs, but to draw the 1st Star Master out instead?"
"Exactly."
It was always easy to talk to Zephyros.
Kim Jangcheol smiled in satisfaction and continued.
"The 1st Star Master is fundamentally a ghost. That means he can pass through most terrain freely. Meanwhile, the Cliff of the Dead are all vertical cliffs, ladders, ledges, and tunnel mazes. So tell me—can we actually capture him there?"
Absolutely not.
That was one of the core truths he'd come to accept after countless playthroughs of Paladin of Blood.
No matter how skilled he was, that just wasn't possible. There was a contradiction: the boss of the Cliff of the Dead, the 1st Star Master, simply couldn't be caught within his own zone.
So, the only way had always been to lure him out.
That was the intended storyline of Paladin of Blood, and surely, it would be the same this time.
"Which means, if we're going to capture and crush him properly, we need to bait him out of the cliffs."
"Indeed. That is a very reasonable approach. Now that you explain it like this, you do appear quite different, my Demon King."
"...Hmm? How did I look before?"
"Shall I speak frankly, setting aside my record-keeping duties?"
"If you want?"
"You seemed like someone who didn't think at all."
"...What?"
"And who solved most problems with brute violence and fear."
"....."
"Every time something went wrong, you'd blame innocent subordinates and kill a few as a warning."
"...."
"That's the truth. You haven't forgotten your own actions, have you?"
"...."
"If by any chance you have forgotten, I could show you the records from that time…"
"....."
Demon King Credos.
How the hell have you been living? Why am I the one getting this kind of crap because of you?
Kim Jangcheol suppressed his urge to argue. Instead, he quietly resented Credos, who had no doubt basked in the privileges of being a Demon King, tyrannizing everyone around him.
"... Tch. Anyway. We drag him out and capture him. That's the foundation."
"And do you have a special method to drag out the First Star Master?"
Zephyros asked.
Unlike his earlier venomous advice disguised as counsel, Zephyros was secretly surprised.
'Is this really the same Credos I know?'
The more he looked, the more suspicious it seemed.
The old Credos wasn't like this.
There wasn't a trace of intellect to be found.
If the slightest thing displeased him, he'd spill blood first and ask questions never. He was the very embodiment of terror.
"....."
And yet… why does he keep sparking this strange sense of expectation?
It was truly bizarre, Zephyros thought, as he held on to a shred of hope and waited. The newly changed Demon King Credos—would he unveil some brilliant scheme to lure out the First Star Master?
But then, unexpectedly, from the Demon King's mouth came something even more unexpected.
"A special method? I don't have one."
"…What?"
"I said I don't have one."
"Then…"
"Guess we just keep farming. Not much else we can do, right?"
"....."
"Then he'll get anxious and crawl out of the cliffs on his own."
"But why…"
"What do you mean why? Think about it. What does that First Star Master want? For our crops to fail so we all starve to death, right?"
"Yes, that's… ah."
"Getting the picture now?"
"Yes. Definitely."
Zephyros nodded.
"For our farming to go smoothly is the most special and powerful means we have."
"Exactly. That's the one. Our potatoes grow strong? Our vast fields fill up with harvest? Then the 1st Star Master's gonna freak out with impatience."
"As expected."
Zephyros was genuinely impressed. The most ordinary method could sometimes be the most special and powerful tactic.
And at the same time…
"Why aren't you writing this down?"
"…Huh?"
"You were impressed by what I said just now, weren't you?"
"No, not particularly."
"Ssssk? Sure looked like it."
"You must have seen wrong."
"Anyway. Why aren't you writing it?"
"You mean the record?"
"Yeah. You said you'd record everything I say and do. Why not now?"
"…'He then nitpicked in a petty, bitter tone.'"
"....."
"Usually, I jot down crucial moments right on the spot, and for trivial day-to-day stuff, I memorize it all and organize it in the evening."
"So what you're saying is, my brilliant plan just now counted as trivial?"
"…'He then whined in a small-minded, overly detailed way.'"
"...…"
Forget it. Just forget it.
In the end, Kim Jangcheol gave up and chuckled. And then, he pushed forward even harder with his most powerful plan to lure out the 1st Star Master: the farming project.
And that wasn't all.
Kim Jangcheol didn't forget to host a small, special fan service for the 1st Star Master.
The 1st Star Master, who was likely spying on them even now. It was an event—or provocation—designed to not only burst a blood vessel but send his mental state twirling in a triple axel.
***
The provocation should've borne fruit by now.
So why hasn't Fikamir returned? Why is there still no word from my loyal subordinate?
"...."
The 1st Star Master of the Abandoned Land, Saruthul, felt the faintest hint of anxiety. He raised his head. From the throne in which his translucent body was half-sunken, a partial view of the moon was visible through the overhead skylight.
A waning moon.
It had already been three days.
Since he'd sent General Fikamir to the Demon King's castle. Since he'd commanded his most cherished subordinate to destroy Credos's fields.
And yet, even as the third moon had risen, there was still no word.
"....."
Surely, he hasn't failed?
Just as that uneasy feeling started to rear its head…
Zzzzrrrk!
The crystal orb in front of his throne began to glow. It was the communication crystal linked to the scouts he'd sent throughout the Demon King's castle.
The 1st Star Master narrowed his eyes and focused on the crystal. Soon, a real-time image transmitted by one of the scouts began to play.
And the sight it showed…
"...Hmm?"
The moment he saw the live footage inside the crystal orb, the 1st Star Master almost rubbed his eyes raw. Part of him even wondered if his vision was going bad.
The reason was simple.
'Why… is Fikamir tied to a post?'
It didn't make sense.
It was hard to believe.
But no matter how he looked—left, right, or upside down—it was true.
A bizarrely placed pillar stood right in the middle of the potato field. And tightly, thoroughly tied to it was, without a doubt, his subordinate, the ghost general Fikamir.
'What the hell…'
He was dumbfounded.
But then, the scout's gaze shifted. Following the scout's viewpoint, the surroundings around the pillar where Fikamir was tied came into view through the crystal orb. And when the 1st Star Master saw it…
What little sense he had left completely disintegrated into atoms.
'A… festival?'
That's right.
It was unmistakably a festival.
Low-ranking demons were dancing merrily around the pillar with Fikamir tied to it. One of them was even waving a flag.
The 1st Star Master slowly read the words on the flag.
"(Congrats)… Second Lightning Rod… Inauguration… (Celebration)…?"
Lightning rod?
Inauguration?
No way—Fikamir?
My loyal subordinate?
Has been inaugurated as a new lightning rod?
"..."
The moment he witnessed that travesty live, the 1st Star Master Saruthul clenched his jaw in rage, crack!
And yet Kim Jangcheol's provocation didn't stop there.
No—it had only just begun.