Chapter 193: Gracia’s Deal

"Liberate her?" Ron was stunned for a moment. "Why the hell would we liberate her for no good reason?!"

"Our whole purpose in coming here was to prevent her from causing trouble like Baron Green Swamp. Now we know she’s dead for good and the demonic forces here have weakened—we don’t need to get involved in this mess anymore!"

"You’re quite the forgetful one, aren’t you," the archdevil said, not with anger, but with a laugh. "Did you forget what I told you? Plenty of powerful beings are coveting this place."

"You have no ambition, which is fine. But can you guarantee that others don’t? The Elf town, the human kingdom... even including the periods of interregnum, it all adds up to less than a thousand years. That’s nothing to the beings lurking in the darkness."

"That arrogant Elf before died, and now you want to follow in his footsteps. So, if someone wants to reap the benefits, now’s the time to prop up a puppet queen who is desperate to rule Delusional Land once more, right?"

"You mean...?" Ron’s expression shifted. "But shouldn’t you be the most eager one here? That queen also made a pact with a devil when she was alive, yet you’re coming to me?"

Gracia shook her head. "I wouldn’t call myself the ’most eager.’ After all, the operations of my Gold Coin Legion span several worlds and planes. Delusional Land is just a small morsel."

"I’d be happy to take it, but if others are willing to risk life and limb for it, letting it go is no big deal."

"From what I know, three of the five sealed locations have already been breached. Why else do you think I’d seek you out and even send an avatar to follow you here?"

"I can let it go, but I can’t let them have their way so easily. You need to help me throw a wrench in their plans."

"Of course, I’ll make it worth your while. How about a Magic Item plus a promise? If you can establish a foothold here, I won’t interfere with your rule in any way."

"As for the Magic Item, that will depend on which parts of the corpse you manage to secure—the more, the better. Don’t worry about me backing out on the deal. I can afford this little reward."

"What do you want her for?" Ron frowned. "Don’t tell me you’ll stay out of it just to have her confront me instead."

"So vigilant. Fine, I’ll add that I won’t let her be restored to power in Delusional Land either," Gracia said with a shrug. "No need to be so tense. Even if she’s no longer the queen of the Farama Kingdom, she’s still a powerful Warrior, which is just as useful to me."

"The war effort over on Zarell’s side has been a bit strained lately. We’re all making contingency plans."

"Anyway, that’s the deal," Gracia said with a snap of her fingers, and a fiery vortex appeared at her feet. "Keeping unstable elements under control is good for you, too. See ya!"

"I hope that the next time I see you, you’ll be kneeling before me, begging to sell me your soul."

"You can keep on hoping, then," Ron muttered under his breath after the devil’s form had completely vanished.

’But Gracia has a point. If someone really has started digging up that queen’s seal, we’d better get a move on, too.’

"Then I won’t see you out," the Pollution Worm Demon said. After making a pact with the devil, it seemed to have undergone some kind of indescribable change. The most obvious part was its newly assertive tone. "I have duties to fulfill here. If there’s nothing else, please don’t disturb us again."

"Damn it, having a backer really changes things!" Delaford spat on the ground resentfully. "Ron, let’s go! Any longer and this thing might try to lay eggs in our brains!"

Fortunately, the Pollution Worm Demon had no such intention. In fact, when Ron and his group came out, the attitude of the villagers and demons had improved significantly. They seemed to treat them as travelers stopping for a rest, rather than as invading demons.

"It’s like they’ve all lost their memories," Victoria said, rubbing her arms as she looked at the enthusiastic smiles beaming from the villagers’ faces. "Let’s get out of here, quick. I’m getting goosebumps."

Sometimes, kindness can be more terrifying than malice. After all, the latter can be dealt with through simple, brute force.

This change in attitude wasn’t limited to the village residents. When Ron and his group passed through the hamlet full of zombies, these Undead Creatures acted as if they didn’t even see them. The same was true for the four villagers who had been guarded by the two Cultists. Once freed from their bonds, they treated Ron as their savior, thanking him profusely as they headed back toward the village.

"Does this count as... a success?" one Cultist asked, scratching his head. "They still don’t seem right. Can’t you change them back to how they were before?"

"You should think about what you were worshipping," Yelena said, rolling her eyes. "Consider this the price and the lesson for worshipping an Evil Demon."

"At least they’re still alive," the other Cultist said, tugging on his companion’s sleeve. He bowed to Ron and the others in thanks. "So, what do we do now? Can you get us out of here?"

"We don’t have much to repay you with right now, but at least we still have our strength. We’re willing to work as hard laborers on your domain to atone for our mistakes."

"It doesn’t necessarily have to be on my domain," Ron said after a moment of thought. "There’s a place we need to go now, where a large number of Undead Creatures are gathered, and possibly other things as well."

"If you’re willing to come along and help, you’ll be free to leave afterward. I won’t prosecute or arrest you, but you’d better not put your faith in the Dark Monarch again. Nothing good will come of it."

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" The two Cultists nodded eagerly, like chickens pecking at grain. "Although we’re not what we used to be, we still have some of our old skills. Wherever you’re going, whatever you need us to do, we are at your command!"

Before they rested, the two men showed Ron and the others what they could do. Besides some combat techniques, both of them could actually use a bit of Divine Magic!

Considering the Undead Creatures they would likely face, keeping these two around might just be a wise choice.

"Seriously, I just don’t get it," Aive said after they had set up a simple camp, handing two portions of rations and water to the Cultists. "There are so many True Gods to worship, so why on earth did you have to believe in a Demon Lord?"

"If all else fails, couldn’t you just worship nature like a Druid? Wouldn’t that be fine, too?"

The two Cultists accepted the food and water with a word of thanks, then exchanged a bitter smile. "Miss, one look at you tells us you’re a fortunate and happy person. You have an Angel’s beauty and a strong physique, reliable companions, and a benevolent employer. If we’re not mistaken, your family is probably happy and harmonious as well. That’s why you can ask such a question. The True Gods are always with people like you, and They see everything you have as Their gift."

"But what about when you hit rock bottom? Does every True God help every single one of their followers? The Evil Demons, however... they respond!"