Chapter 66
The Mausoleum of Moonshadow (8)
The dark elf remained lost in thought for a long time.
While he wrestled with his decision, Raguel returned to the forest where Mapheltan was waiting.
Raguel glanced around before speaking.
“…Mapheltan, are you all right?”
Signs of battle were visible nearby. The ground had been deeply gouged, and the ashen undergrowth was charred black.
Mapheltan nodded.
“It was nothing serious.”
His expression was as composed as ever.
Raguel sighed in relief.
“That’s good.”
Zalkarin suddenly popped out from somewhere.
“Even that black-eared bastard would have been helpless before the great End!”
Raguel jumped and hurriedly covered Zalkarin’s mouth.
“Shh! He can hear everything, you idiot.”
He cautiously glanced at the dark elf.
The dark elf, who had been immersed in thought, lifted his eyelids.
His clear, jade-colored gaze settled upon Raguel and Zalkarin.
Zalkarin cleared his throat and looked away.
“A-Ahem.”
“Y-You idiot.”
Raguel hiccupped nervously.
The dark elf slowly opened his mouth.
“…Let me ask you one thing.”
As though he had no interest whatsoever in Raguel or Zalkarin, he immediately turned toward Mapheltan.
Raguel sighed in relief and placed a hand over his chest.
“Ask me anything,” Mapheltan said.
“What are you planning to do?”
Mapheltan’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Ask a specific question instead of omitting all the context, and I’ll answer you.”
“I am asking about your ultimate objective. You are allied with a witch, and now you even have a high elf beneath your command. What do you intend to accomplish with that power?”
“What a foolish question. I am an Apostle—no, a demon. The ultimate objective of every demon is obvious: the end of humanity. I am not greatly different.”
The dark elf narrowed his eyes.
“You truly desire humanity’s end?”
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“I admit that I have doubts. If you genuinely long for humanity’s destruction, why would you simply discard a useful asset like us?”
Mapheltan intended to send every demon within the mausoleum into the royal capital—a blazing inferno.
He was effectively throwing away a valuable military force.
If Mapheltan truly desired war against humanity, it would have been wiser to make them a different proposal.
An alliance, for example.
“To be honest, you lack value as my allies,” Mapheltan said. “The first reason is your hatred toward me. The second is the decidedly undemonic ideal you possess. I need pieces without wills of their own—pieces that will cooperate with my plans. Beings who harbor separate ideals, like you, will inevitably become uncontrollable liabilities someday.”
The dream of restoring the elves still lingered faintly within the hearts of the mausoleum’s demons.
That desire might have faded considerably, but there was a high likelihood that it would someday germinate again.
Depending on the circumstances, their interests might eventually clash with Mapheltan’s.
That was why they could not work together.
Furthermore, they were not valuable enough for Mapheltan to accept such a risk.
The situation would have been different if they possessed potential comparable to that of the witch. Unfortunately, the limitations of the demons within the mausoleum were far too apparent.
The dark elf let out a hollow laugh.
“So you intend to use us as expendable tools?”
Mapheltan nodded.
“That is essentially correct.”
He delivered the shameless admission without the slightest hesitation.
The dark elf’s eyes curved into crescents.
He suddenly began chuckling.
A moment later, he burst into uproarious laughter.
Mapheltan could not understand what the dark elf found so amusing.
For some time, only his eerie laughter echoed through the forest.
The laughter finally subsided.
Having regained some composure, the dark elf spoke.
“Perhaps you truly are an Apostle. That madness of yours is remarkably similar to theirs.”
Mapheltan shrugged.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. So, have you reached a decision?”
The dark elf began walking. Slowly circling Mapheltan, he said,
“In exchange for our attack on the royal capital, you will bring down the Moon and restore elven civilization. That is the basic outline of the contract, correct?”
Mapheltan nodded.
“Correct. We can discuss the precise terms now.”
A contract of this nature needed to specify a concrete deadline and every relevant detail.
“I will draft the initial agreement,” the dark elf said.
***
『Article 1: Purpose』
The purpose of this contract is for the contracted party, the demons of the mausoleum—hereafter referred to as the elves—to attack the royal capital of Arterium. In exchange, the contracting party, Mapheltan, shall provide the power and resources necessary to accomplish the elves’ objectives: namely, the fall of the Moon and the restoration of elven civilization.
『Article 2: Obligations of Mapheltan』
The contracting party, Mapheltan, assumes absolute responsibility and an unconditional duty of fulfillment concerning the following three provisions.
Priority use of holy relics and treasures
Should Mapheltan discover a treasure or relic capable of manifesting a miracle, he must give priority to using it for the purpose of making the reproduction of the dark elves possible.
This obligation shall take precedence over his own survival, any war, and the commands of the Apostolic Realm.
Active pursuit of miraculous artifacts
Mapheltan must personally, continuously, and actively pursue objects containing miracles capable of ensuring the survival and renewed propagation of the dark-elven race.
Such pursuit shall not be regarded as mere “cooperation,” but as an obligatory mission requiring the use of his Apostolic Authority.
The destruction of the Moon
As a matter of principle, Mapheltan shall make no compromise with the Great Saint Margiel—the Moon—or with any of his creations, followers, or ideologies.
However, temporary compromise shall be permitted if contact or negotiation with Margiel serves as a strategic deception or lure intended to bring about his destruction.
Should an opportunity to eliminate Margiel become a reality, Mapheltan must eliminate him immediately, without considering any conditions, circumstances, or sacrifices. Delaying or abandoning that act shall constitute grounds for the dissolution of the entire contract.
In such an event, the elves shall possess the right to exact every form of retribution, including punishment, interrogation, erasure of memory, and annihilation.
A complete register must be prepared in advance to ensure that not a single elf remains anywhere in the world, and every individual must participate in the operation before the date of the attack on the royal capital.
This clause is irreversible. Should even one surviving individual be discovered, Mapheltan shall be recognized as the lawful victim of the breach, and the elves shall pay the price for having deceived him.
『Article 4: Breach of Contract and Punitive Provisions』
This contract is not a temporary agreement, but a perpetual covenant secured by the lives, races, and entire existences of the parties involved.
Should either party violate even one of the provisions below, that party shall be subject to erasure from existence, while the injured party shall possess an unlimited right of retribution.
Remaining clauses omitted.
『Article 3: Obligations of the Elves』
Guarantee of total annihilation during the attack on the royal capital
During the assault on the royal capital—the first stage of this contract—the elves swear to employ every possible measure to ensure their own destruction, leaving not a single individual alive.
They shall not use their powerlessness as a pretext to overturn this condition. Any attempt to escape or survive shall be regarded as a breach of contract.
Prohibition of descendants, branch families, and exiles
This provision applies not only to every elf presently existing upon this land, but also to hidden bloodlines, deserters, branch families, exiles, and individuals of mixed blood born between elves and other races.
The records must be examined in advance so that not a single elf remains anywhere in the world, and every individual must be included in the operation before the day of the attack on the royal capital.
This provision is irreversible. If even one surviving individual is discovered, Mapheltan shall be recognized as the legitimate victim of the contract’s violation, and the elves shall pay the price for their deception.
**
Mapheltan carefully read the black writing floating in the air.
As expected of a high-ranking demon.
The contract, which contained seven articles in total, had been drafted in meticulous detail.
It left almost no loopholes for either party.
Its excessive detail made Mapheltan feel somewhat uneasy, but ultimately, it did not matter to him.
Whether it was restoring the elves or bringing down the Moon, both objectives were already among his highest priorities.
When Mapheltan nodded, the dark elf asked,
“Are there any provisions you wish to add or amend?”
“This is sufficient. You made it remarkably thorough.”
“It is the result of a lesson I once received from Lord Beris.”
Beris—the Twelfth Apostle of the End and the Archdemon who governed contracts.
His name had suddenly emerged.
Mapheltan chuckled.
“Beris? He wasn’t particularly impressive.”
He had previously used Shaperia to outmaneuver Beris.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Let us sign it.”
Pitch-black demonic energy rose from Mapheltan’s and the dark elf’s fingertips.
Their signatures appeared upon the contract floating in the air.
Immediately afterward, the contract transformed into black mist and seeped into their hearts.
“It is done,” the dark elf said. “We shall meet again beneath the full moon.”
The gate to the Abyss would not open until the full moon.
There was still an entire week remaining.
“Very well. We can gather at the entrance to the mausoleum.”
Time passed quickly.
On the day of the full moon, ashen monstrosities covered the horizon.
Every one of them was a cursed elf.
At the head of the pale horde, a pitch-black demon radiated a singular presence.
When he took a step forward, the evil spirits followed.
The earth shook as though its foundations were collapsing.
A wicked army was on the move.
Countless emotions passed across their faces.
Anticipation, anger, self-derision, hatred, exhilaration, regret, anguish… Each individual possessed a different state of mind.
Yet they were one.
Though their thoughts and emotions differed, the elves moved as a single organism.
It was a degree of unity rarely seen among ordinary demons.
And when they all came to share the same emotion, the consequences could far surpass anything humanity was capable of imagining.
Just as they did now.
Every monstrosity stopped at the same moment.
Their previously varied expressions began transforming into the same one.
Suspicion and fury.
Their faces twisted with hatred.
Keeeeeeeeeeek!
A piercing roar shook heaven and earth.
—The stench of a human!
—Where has another one crawled in from?!
—Find him! We must find him!
Their gazes frantically swept from side to side before gradually converging upon a single place.
Directly ahead, a lone boy stood within the ashen forest.
Wearing a demon-concealing mask and robes, he watched the evil spirits with a rigid expression.
“J-Johan, are you sure this will be all right?”
The voice came from behind the rocky cliff at his back.
Johan swallowed a groan.
“Raguel, now I understand why you couldn’t help losing consciousness.”
An overwhelming multitude of beings directed their unfathomable hatred toward a single human.
An ordinary mind would have struggled to retain its sanity.
Even Johan, who possessed an Apostle’s soul, felt his hands and feet beginning to tremble.
Their stench, screams, expressions, and every movement they made inspired primal fear.
He could hardly bring himself to meet the eyes of the dark elf standing at their head.
The dark elf rushed forward in an instant and stopped before Johan.
Johan closed his eyes.
It was not because he was afraid.
It was because of the Great Saint’s Eyes.
The moment their gazes met, the dark elf would be unable to restrain his murderous intent.
The Great Saint’s Eyes were sacred objects that naturally earned the hatred of demons.
“…A human? I thought I had been smelling one for some time.”
The Scales of Equivalence had ended that very day, of all days.
Johan had returned to living as a human during the day and a demon at night.
He spoke as calmly as possible.
“Have you gathered all your brethren?”
“What…?”
“I’m referring to Article Three, Clause Two. Surely you haven’t forgotten it already.”
The prohibition against descendants, branch families, and exiles.
Every elf had to gather here without a single exception.
The dark elf’s expression twisted violently.
Something about Johan’s expression, voice, and demeanor felt strangely familiar.
The dark elf spoke in a trembling voice.
“What are you?”
Zalkarin poked his head out from Johan’s clothes.
“He is the great End. Since you’re already on your way to the afterlife, you should finally show him some respect.”