The Young Supporter of Darkness

“Count Philbert.”

“I came to visit you because I heard that you are not feeling well enough to behave in no discomfort…”

Count Philbert’s eyes scanned Daphne.

“You seem to be fine.”

You pretended to be sick, didn’t you? That was what he was saying with his eyes.

“If that’s not the case.”

The count strode up to Daphne. All the same, the large count felt threatening.

“Are you finally showing your true colors?”

Count Philbert laughed as if he had finally caught on.

“Indeed, since His Grace Kael is also away, it would be good to act as you please.”

Ah.

Daphne touched her forehead. The count still misunderstood that Daphne was the emperor’s informant.

‘I can’t prove I’m not because I’m cursing at the emperor.’

How nice it would be if one curse could solve it.

She felt relieved and the count’s doubts were cleared.

But she couldn’t just go and tell Kael everything now.

As a result of observing over the past three days.

Count Philbert was, then, an even more mistaken person.

Why, there are no such people.

A person who believes only when seeing it with his own eyes.

Count Philbert was just that kind of person.

‘Should I really explode another hot spring?’

She was wondering for a moment whether there would be a hot spring spot in the Philbert area, but suddenly the surroundings became noisy.

Deng, deng, deng!

The bell was ringing on the spire. At the same time, she felt people moving busily.

“A demon is approaching the castle!”

“…..!!”

Daphne and Count Philbert both rushed to the window.

Through the iron bars, they saw a black demon flying toward the castle in the distance.

“I’ve never seen a demon like that before.”

Count Philbert, who had identified the demon through the telescope, muttered quietly.

What kind of demon is it? Daphne also hurriedly received the telescope from the count and identified the demon.

A demon that looks like a wyvern but has two pairs of wings and four pairs of eyes.

The count did not know, but Daphne knew the demon.

‘That guy only appears in the second half of the original story!’

In the original story, Alan almost died once because of a demon.

It was because of that demon.

‘I remember the description so vividly.’

It was a demon that could not be dealt with by ordinary swords and arrows. The more you hit it, the harder the skin became, which was rather counterproductive.

Then he won with a weakness he barely found.

“Count!”

She was about to tell him the weakness, but the count had already disappeared far away.

‘I can’t let them attack!’

It was like strengthening the demon.

Daphne ran after the count with all her might.

“Milady!”

“Where are you going, it’s dangerous!!”

The knights stopped her, but Daphne, who had escaped with her small frame, went out the door.

“Baby, what are you doing here?”

At the same time, her body fluttered up. Zegman, who casually lifted Daphne, frowned.

Count Philbert was also next to him.

“It’s dangerous here, so stay inside.”

As Daphne struggled, Zegman began to walk back the way he had come, carrying Daphne by his side.

“A crossbow for the demon is ready, right?”

“Yes! That’s right.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen it, but its weakness is obvious. Aim for the wings.”

Zegman familiarly gave orders to the knights. Count Philbert nodded, perhaps on the same page.

No way!

“Mister Zegman!”

Daphne struggled harder. Her limbs moved briskly in the air.

“Th-that demon. It’s strange!”

“What?”

At Daphne’s sudden outburst, Zegman and the count stopped.

“Look over there. Excuse me. There’s only one white spot on the neck. Doesn’t that seem like a weak spot?”

Zegman waved his hand at those words. A nearby knight quickly held out a telescope.

It was true. Upon closer inspection, only one or two scales had turned white.

“That’s true.”

Zegman clicked his tongue after checking quickly.

“Isn’t that a weak spot?”

Daphne spilled out stealthily.

That’s where the weakness is. The white part visible under the neck was the trigger of that demon.

‘The guy who knew that found it after struggling for quite a while.’

It was because the white part was so small that it was hard to see.

Seeing Daphne pretending to be innocent and looking aside, Zegman murmured quietly.

It was so low that even Daphne could not hear it.

“Does our baby have good eyes or good senses? Or is there something else?”

Soon, Zegman nodded.

“Certainly. It’s a spot that looks tricky to attack.”

“It looks similar to the weaknesses of the dragon-type demons that have been seen before.”

Wessler nodded.

“If that’s the case, we should prepare another weapon, not a crossbow for demons.”

With Daphne at his side, the conversation flowed rapidly.

“No, wait!”

The count stopped the two.

“What are you doing! Are you following the words of someone who saw a demon for the first time today? Of course, flying type demons should be attacked on the wings first!”

“There’s no big problem if we change the attack order.”

“Then what if the alertness rises!”

“Count.”

Zegman looked at Count Philbert with cold eyes.

“Do you think I won’t be able to catch it just because I shot an arrow first?”

“That’s not it.”

The count stepped back.

‘Oh.’

Daphne, still dangling from his side, blinked at the sight.

‘As expected, Mister Zegman.’

Even though it was a long time ago, Zegman was a fairly famous wandering knight.

It meant that the grand duchess had not chosen her husband for no reason.

So even Count Philbert will give up and step down.

“Bring my bow. Black bow. That’ll do.”

Speaking lightly, Zegman gave the order and a knight ran to the armory.

“But do you really believe what the Grand Duchess says? Mister Zegman, Sir Wessler?”

Count Philbert made a final attempt of defiance.

“I believe.”

“Yes, I believe.”

It ended neatly.

“Our baby is smarter than I thought and is good at many things.”

Saying that, Zegman stroked Daphne’s hair.

She was still cradled by his side.

I want you to drop me off now.

Zegman said with a proud face.

“Didn’t I tell you last time? Our baby-“

“I’ve heard endlessly of catching a swindler, finding a hot spring, and catching a traitor!”

The count shook his head as if he were fed up.

When Daphne was away, he seemed to have seized the count and kept bragging about Daphne.

That’s to the point where a person gets sick of it within a few days.

‘I guess that’s why.’

Daphne’s eyes glanced up at Zegman.

That’s why he’s more wary of her, as it rather has an opposite effect.

“Hehyo.”

Only when Daphne sighed and shook her head did Zegman set Daphne on the ground.

“Milady, please go inside, for it is dangerous.”

“No, stay here, baby.”

Zegman said while receiving the longbow given by the knight.

“Now that you’re the mistress of the Bertrand Grand Duchy, you need to get used to catching demons.”

Naturally putting on archer gloves, Zegman looked at Daphne.

“If you’re scared, you can go inside.”

It’s not likely.

That’s what his eyes were saying.

“I’ll watch Mister Zegman catch the demon here. I’m literally a person here now.”

“That’s how our baby is.”

Daphne replied immediately. Zegman’s lips curved up.

Then he quickly climbed up the wall.

Kyaaagh!

Meanwhile, the demon was getting closer and lower.

“It’s been a while since I’ve used a bow.”

Zegman said, moving around as if to warm up.

“But it’s the first time our baby sees it. If I don’t match it, I’ll be embarrassed…”

Zegman’s eyes shone sharply as he pulled back the bowstring.

It was eyes that could not see anything except the tip of the bow and the white dot of the demon.

The demon approached Zegman faster, and Zegman waited for the right time.

And as soon as it came within a certain distance.

Kyaaagh!!

The sound of the demon filled the grey sky with a tremendous sound that was unlikely to come from a bow.

‘You got it right!’

But it wasn’t enough. The arrow hit exactly the white part, but it lacked strength.

“At this rate.”

Zegman brushed off his hands and muttered. His forehead was covered with sweat.

“I can’t save face at this rate.”

Even so, he unaffectedly put a second arrow on the string.

It was just a lack of strength, so this time the demon won’t be able to survive.

As if to prove that the weak spot Daphne had told was correct, the demon twisted its body in the air with a groan.

Thump, thump!

The demon hit itself against the wall as if it were in pain. There was a gap in the wall.

Then a sharp claw swung. It happened to be on the side where Count Philbert was.

‘This!’

While trying to avoid the attack, the count’s foot fell into a crack in the castle wall.

His large body stumbled, and sharp claws were right in front of him.

“Count!”

Someone tugged on Count Philbert’s cloak.

Together, they fell backwards, and the claws narrowly grazed the count’s face. It left a deep scar on the bridge of his nose.

“Grand Duchess, when did you get here?”

There was no time to speak. The struggle of the demon continued.

Crrrrk.

The demon opened its mouth. Hundreds of sharp teeth opened up to what they thought was the neck, and were turned toward the two.

“Shit!”

Zegman shot his bow quickly, but the demon’s teeth were right above his head. Just shut the mouth and it’s over, anyway.

‘It’s— smiling.’

Daphne blinked in the count’s arms, wrapped around her before she knew it.

The demon that stopped was smiling at her. As if it were happy, as if it missed her.

Why?

The reason was unknown.

Crunch!

With the sound of something, something massive breaking, the demon’s neck was snapped sideways.

There was a spear stuck in the spot where the arrow was embedded.

Even the skin, which doesn’t seem to be easily damaged, was pierced.

It was Kael who threw the spear.

“Are there any more demons that have come?”

Kael asked without gasping for breath, despite being someone who threw a spear with terrifying strength.

“No, there isn’t. It was only this one.”

The knight who handed over the spear answered quickly.

“Nonetheless…”

Kael’s eyes scanned the surroundings and stopped exactly on Daphne.

“I said I would show up.”

“I’m sure you did.”

Kael walked slowly.

Something was off.

He didn’t look like someone who had just caught a huge demon after battling against demons for days and days.

Subdued eyes and tiny quivering breaths.

“Mister Zegman, it’s similar to the time with Miss Ritena.”

Wessler was at a loss for words. It felt exactly like when Ritena died trying to stop Kael.

“…Wessler, rope. No, prepare a chain.”

Zegman gave the order to Wessler.

“He seems to still have reason, so we’ll suppress him. Bring in three or four more knights and keep the prison door open beforehand.”

Zegman’s face looked distressed as he told them to chain up his son and put him in prison.

“And talk to Selma so she can force-feed her medicine— baby, it’s dangerous!!”

Zegman shouted.

Daphne, rather, was moving closer to Kael while the others faltered and withdrew.

“It’s dangerous!”

Zegman desperately stopped Daphne. Rather, even if Daphne went into the demon’s mouth, it was unlikely that he would be stopped more desperately than this.

Daphne stood before Kael.

His lips were torn from how hard he tried not to lose his rationality.

“Miss Daphne.”

A voice that seemed to scratch the floor came out cracked and torn. The desperation that was unmasked was evident.

“Please help me.”

“Of course. Your Grace.”

That’s why I’m here.

At those words, Kael closed his eyes, leaning against the small hand touching his cheek.

afterword 

they remind me of the mcs from demonas lowkey (which i also want to read at some point aaaa)