Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord

Chapter 75 - Magus Veil, Part 5

"Hm," Van hummed thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Amoria asked, glancing at him.

"Nothing... Just curious." His gaze drifted upward as he murmured,

'I never realized he was so lonely it drove him to this...' Van reflected. 'And those times I suggested adding more girls to the party and he refused... Was that the reason?' He lowered his gaze, a somber look settling over him.

'But... Then...' His thoughts drifted to Millina—and how shattered Magus had been after her death 4 and a half years into their journey. So broken that he lowered his guard and ended up with Amoria accidentally.

'Then... Why?' Van wondered, 'Was Millina really that special to you? Was she different from everyone? How...?'

"Van?" Amoria's voice broke through, pulling him back from his thoughts.

"Ah, yeah, just got a frog in my throat," Van said, clearing his throat before continuing.

"You'd think the capital would want tighter control over us, given our prowess. The king, queen, and their closest nobility knew about my skills—and his—after all. And Magus was using his powers to manipulate key figures, with enough potential to topple the kingdom..."

He trailed off before adding, "Why weren't Magus and I branded with slave marks? Wouldn't that have been the easiest way to keep us from stepping out of line? Salem Dyke—the... former Shadow Lord—actually tried that on me."

"... Well, long long before you two, another hero was summoned," Amoria began. "The previous king and the Shadow Lord—the head of the investigations department—thought the same and branded him with a slave mark to keep him in check."

Her voice lowered slightly. "But the moment they did, the royal family began falling ill, one by one. Then, the head of investigations' family followed. It only affected those who agreed to the branding. Yet the king, desperate for control, dismissed it as mere bad luck, stubbornly ignoring the Holy Church's warnings. Even without a vision or revelation, they knew this was a clear act of disrespect toward the Goddess. But the king—driven by his hunger for power—refused to relent, insisting the slave mark remain on the hero."

She paused, her tone darkening. "And then famine and plague swept through the entire kingdom, nearly wiping everyone out—except those who weren't human. Only after that did the head priest of the Holy Church receive a vivid dream. In it, the Goddess held him in chains, warning them not to test her again."

Her voice wavered slightly as she finished. "The mark had to be removed."

"Only after all that, huh...?" Van remarked dryly.

"Yes..." Amoria murmured reluctantly. "Only after they relented and unsealed him did the kingdom recover. Prosperity and health returned soon enough."

Van tilted his head, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "... So she can just wipe out humanity whenever she pleases? Just like that?"

"That... is one way to look at it," Amoria admitted cautiously. "But if you serve her, if you pray to her, she will keep you safe. What happened before was divine punishment—for defying her and defiling her champion." She took a deep breath, her shoulders loosening, "So, the current king knows better than to ever try something like that again."

"And what about me?" Van asked, his tone teetering between mockery and knowing, one brow arched as he fixed his gaze on her. "I was summoned too, wasn't I? Sure, I get it—maybe they held back on branding me out of fear of divine punishment or whatever. But what about a few days ago, when Salem Dyke gave it a try? Or better yet... what about those knights and their... training methods?"