Chapter 267
We were planning to head straight to Mammon’s territory.
Belarus still hadn’t regained consciousness, so we managed to get a carriage from Blandiya.
Using magic to move quickly would have been too much for Belarus, and since we didn’t know what might happen in Mammon’s territory, we needed to pace ourselves.
Whenever we passed villages or cities along the way, we stopped to gather information about Heukgu and Heukrang, so taking it slow wasn’t a bad idea.
“But… what if we don’t find your subordinates by the time we reach Mammon’s territory?”
“Hmm, we’ll just have to negotiate well with Mammon….”
The condition was that if we found Heukgu and Heukrang, we’d hand over the money and artifacts then.
Even I thought it was a ridiculous deal, but since it reeked of money, I had no choice but to trust Mammon’s instincts.
“You’ve said that all the lords you’ve met so far are different from what you remember, right? What if Mammon’s the same?”
A question flew at me as if they were reading my mind.
“Back then… I stopped overthinking and just resolved things the demon way.”
“By ‘demon way,’ you mean forcing things through strength, right?”
“It doesn’t seem like you’re making plans now either. Aren’t you just charging in recklessly?”
Hayan hit the nail on the head, but I pretended not to hear.
It took us about 20 days to reach Mammon’s territory.
By the time we arrived, it had been over two months since the expedition team first entered the demon realm.
As expected of Mammon, who was once the wealthiest lord in the demon realm before Satan became the richest thanks to Heukgu and Heukrang, the difference was noticeable even at the border.
There was a checkpoint at the border.
Unlike other countries where soldiers were running around haphazardly, here there was a shabby but proper building.
This should’ve been normal, but after traveling through the borders of three countries without seeing a single checkpoint, this felt oddly out of place.
Should I call them border guards? Anyway, the uniforms these soldiers wore were noticeably different from those in other countries.
The soldiers patrolling the borders usually wore gambesons, which could be compared to modern padded armor, but these guys had metal plates layered over theirs.
Of course, it wasn’t full-body coverage, and the amount of metal varied—maybe due to rank differences or personal purchases. Their swords and spears also looked shinier and better than the dull weapons in Asmodeus’s territory.
At this point, I started wondering if we should’ve just left things as they were…
Asmodeus had withstood Satan’s invasion, and Mammon’s soldiers were better equipped than Satan’s.
It was like the difference between a nouveau riche and an established tycoon.
Satan’s side felt like they’d hastily thrown things together, while Mammon’s side felt like they’d always been this way.
Lucifer, who fought our master, sounded much stronger from the descriptions. It felt like he could even take on Satan one-on-one.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were just wasting our time in the demon realm.
My delusions deepened, and just as I started suspecting that Serena might’ve tricked us…
“Halt! What’s your purpose here?”
Five beautiful human women and one middle-aged human man.
It was a combination you’d never see anywhere in the demon realm.
The sudden appearance of a human group seemed to fluster them, but they still did their job thoroughly, blocking our path and shouting.
“We’re here to meet Mammon.”
“Um, excuse me, but could you please state your identities?”
Wow.
The soldier’s attitude changed instantly.
A completely normal and rational response came out, and the expedition members exchanged surprised glances.
Mammon, this guy.
He might actually be a decent lord.
You f***ing racist bastards, take a page out of Mammon’s book.
Instead of “How dare you humans!” the first reaction should be “What kind of humans are you?” That’s normal.
I started thinking that maybe we wouldn’t need to force our way through this time.
“If other demons had acted like this, we wouldn’t have gotten hurt… This is almost touching.”
Just as I was about to step forward to approach the soldier, Jeong Ha-yul urgently grabbed my arm.
“Gyeoul? Do we have anything to prove our identities?”
“Huh?”
Well, of course… we don’t.
When we met Dantalion, the guard captain recognized me.
When we went to Satan’s army, a fight broke out, but Satan came and resolved it.
When we went to Asmodeus’s territory, I threw soldiers at the castle gate to knock politely.
I don’t think we’ve ever properly identified ourselves to enter anywhere.
Do we even have an identity to declare here?
We’re from another dimension, so technically, we’re like aliens, right?
We’ve been illegally staying here, beating people up without visas…
It only dawned on me now that getting some form of identification from Dantalion, Satan, or Asmodeus should’ve been our top priority.
“…You don’t have one? You’ve been acting so confidently, I thought you had something.”
“No, well, um…”
“Are we illegal immigrants?”
Park Seol-hwa facepalmed, but I couldn’t come up with a good response.
“Are you saying you can’t prove your identities?”
The soldier switched from informal to formal speech, showing quick situational judgment.
“We don’t have proof, but Mammon knows my face. If we meet him, it’ll be resolved….”
*Beep!*
Did they think I was some troublemaker? One soldier blew a whistle, and others rushed out from the checkpoint.
…How many people were in that tiny building?
The three soldiers multiplied into at least thirty.
“Sigh…”
“Do we have to fight again? I’m tired of fighting. Well, more accurately, I’m tired of watching fights.”
“Let’s not make Gyeoul the leader anymore. I thought he’d lead skillfully since he’s been here before, but he’s just like us.”
“Well, Gyeoul did his best, so that’s something, right?”
I guess it’s the mindset of “I can bully him, but no one else can.”
Hayan quickly defended me, but saying Gyeoul did his best…
That just made it worse.
Our master looked like he had something to say but was holding back.
He was probably about to curse me out but felt bad seeing his disciple get roasted.
If this is what the border is like, how many demons will we have to beat up before we meet Mammon?
I’m already sighing.
My miserable future played out in my mind.
“This is all my karma…”
As the expedition leader, it was my responsibility.
Wait, thinking about it, this feels unfair.
If I’m too distracted by the war to think, shouldn’t they remind me?
Isn’t that what subordinates are for?
Just as I was about to cross my arms and frown at the team…
“Go handle it, Gyeoul.”
“Yes…”
Jeong Ha-yul stared at me and calmly spoke in a low voice.
Only I, who’ve lived with her for years, could sense the emotion behind it.
‘She’s mad right now…’
Afraid of getting hit if I acted up, I quickly agreed and stepped forward.
Wait, I’m the expedition leader and stronger, so why am I scared?
Is it like how a child, no matter how strong, can’t overpower their parents?
Anyway… let’s resolve this before she gets angrier.
***
The expedition fought once at the border and twice with pursuit teams.
After that, Park Seol-hwa cleaned up the battle traces, or we would’ve been harassed by pursuit teams until we met Mammon.
We wandered around, not knowing where Mammon’s city was, leading to more fights. All the battles fell on Jeong Gyeoul because the team kept blaming him.
“I’m tired… This is the place, right? This is the last fight, right?”
“Who knows? Maybe Gyeoul’s on bad terms with Mammon, and we’ll fight as soon as we enter.”
“No, I didn’t do anything wrong to Mammon.”
“Sure, sure.”
“…”
Jeong Gyeoul, who had already lost the team’s trust, gave up and trudged along.
“Halt!”
Of course, the city guards appeared in front of Jeong Gyeoul. Just as he sighed and was about to wave his hand to call them over…
“Jeong Gyeoul?”
“…?”
The highest-ranking soldier called Jeong Gyeoul’s name.
‘Who are you, and why are you calling my name? Creepy.’
He nodded warily, and the soldier asked again.
“Don’t just nod, answer. Are you the human named Jeong Gyeoul?”
The soldier’s speech was a mix of informal, formal, and something in between.
Jeong Gyeoul’s mood instantly soured.
The battles had been one-sided, with no injuries and minimal magic use, but they were still exhausting. Beating up weaker demons and running away wasn’t exactly fun.
Add to that the stress of dealing with the team and not eating properly, and this strange demon’s tone was the perfect trigger for his anger.
“Yeah, I’m Jeong Gyeoul. What about it? I’m not in a good mood, so let’s just fight and get this over with.”
“…We’ll escort you.”
“…?”
The soldier looked displeased, Jeong Gyeoul was baffled, and the team was confused.
“Lord Mammon is looking for you. Let’s hurry.”
“Sigh… What the hell is going on?”
