Demonic Conqueror: Heroic Valor - Chapter 15.1, 15.2

A map of Valtia was hanging on the wall inside. It was an impressive piece of craftsmanship, illustrating the four corners of the known world.

The bulk of livable land in Valtia was comprised of a single large continent, territorially divided into northern, southern, and eastern sections. Each of those three cardinal directions was home to an independent nation; separate factions grouped together on the same landmass.

And in the west, there were the Severed Isles. Its territory was a series of tightly-knit, ocean-locked islands. The Isles were close enough to the main continent to be reachable by boat, yet far enough to be relatively isolated from the other three nations.

The map also depicted some major settlements throughout Valtia. One location in each country had been emblazoned with a star – their capital cities, according to Identify. Little else was portrayed about the nations across the sea, which was to be expected for a map devised by a society with minimal information sharing.

But for the section containing the Severed Isles, where the map's cartographer presumably lived, much more detail had been incorporated. Cities, towns, roads, areas of interest...it was a surprisingly extensive effort. Even minor villages like Springwater were included.

Simon had filled every inch of the map's available space. Notes and theories about the various settlements were jotted down everywhere. Lines of thread connected cities seemingly at random. Question marks had been employed freely and without reservation, as if scribbled by an asylum inmate going through a manic episode.

Admittedly, he hadn't realized how crazy it all appeared until he saw it reframed by the look on Katarina's face. "You did this?" she asked. Her tone indicated that she was hoping otherwise, yet already knew the answer.

"I was...contemplating things."

"That much is apparent, yes."

She frowned, reading over the physical representation of Simon's thought processes. "How do you know that Fairweather Village is having trouble growing food this year? It's at the opposite end of the Severed Isles."

Identify told him when he'd used it on the village's map marker. "Learned it from Demon magic."

Katarina hummed noncommittally, peering closer at his writings. Despite her previous skepticism, she seemed interested in whatever secrets his 'Demon magic' had revealed to him.

She's distracted, he thought. Now's as good a time as any.

From outside Katarina's field of vision, Simon cast Sin Scry on her.

The Skill was soundless and gave no visual indication that it was being used. He need only direct it at a person, and it would reveal their worst sins to him.

Identify had already confirmed that she'd never killed anyone – until Relia, anyway – but the information it provided was constrained to a short text box, and limited by his own biases. Sin Scry could fill in the gaps that Simon was missing.

He wanted to know more before he got his hopes up too much.

The transmigrator sank into a torpor as scenes from another life played out before his eyes.

'Katarina. Famished and emaciated. Stealing food from someone who wouldn't miss it.'

'Katarina. Her young fists crashing into a just-as-young face. Reputation established in the pecking order of Caelryn City's underbelly, a machine that eats children alive and spits out the gristle.'

'Katarina. Still hungry. Stealing food from someone who would miss it – her own loving father. Regrets it horribly the very next day.'

'Katarina. Given the offer to join one of Caelryn's biggest, wealthiest gangs. She just needs to take a life to prove her dedication. Refuses them and openly balks at their savagery, but on the inside...is tempted.'

'Katarina. Not quite as hungry. Pilfers an expensive bauble from a passing merchant because, for once, she wanted something for herself that looked pretty.'

'Katarina. Older now. Ambushed in an alley at night, gentle moonlight illuminating a man's murderous smile. Knifing him in the stomach, steel ripping flesh, blood splattering on the pavement. Managing to dodge as a dagger sails right over her head. Escaping from his clutches as he shrieks for her to come back.'

'Katarina. About to leave Caelryn City with her father. Stopped at the exit by a power-tripping guard for no real reason at all. Decides that she'd be willing to kill him if he continues barring their path.

Doesn't end up needing to, but she would have.'

Simon suppressed a harsh intake of air as he came back to his senses.

From what he could tell, his trance had only lasted around five seconds...although it certainly felt like longer. He'd used Sin Scry twice – first on Lucia, then on Katarina – and it was equally disorienting each time. The Skill made him wholly focused on what he was watching, submersing him Katarina's inner thoughts and feelings, almost as if he'd forgotten his own existence.

Should avoid using it in the middle of battle, he determined. Or any situation where I need to stay on-guard. A few seconds of blanking out is a few seconds where someone could slit my throat.

Simon forced his nerves to relax, gazing at Katarina as she perused the map of Valtia. While Sin Scry hadn't shown every last detail of her past, he'd still learned much from its visions.

To be honest...the results were surprising. Definitely not what he'd predicted.

Those were her worst sins?

Stealing food when hungry? Pre-teen scuffles? Injuring a deranged murderer in self-defense? Swiping a trinket off a merchant who probably didn't even notice it was gone? Merely thinking about killing people to better her standing?

Simon opened up his Character Sheet, scrolling down to Sin Scry's Description.

Sin Scry (Rank MAX)
-When used on a sentient creature, this Skill will show the worst sins they have committed to you.

-There is no cooldown limit, but...take care. Not all is meant to be known or seen.

The Skill had made itself sound all ominous and foreboding. When he eventually used it on other people, perhaps it would still prove those warnings true. Yet when used on someone like Katarina, it had only exemplified that she was a truly decent person.

Simon knew how difficult it was to be a decent person in an environment that rewarded cruelty. He'd failed that test himself on numerous occasions.

Alright. Standing straighter, he walked up to stand beside Katarina. Shouldn't procrastinate any longer. She's overdue an explanation.

He would've given it to her regardless of what Sin Scry revealed – she'd earned that much from him – but now he actually felt comfortable speaking his mind.

"I made a Contract with Lucia," Simon explained. A smirk played at his lips when Katarina whirled towards him in surprise. "It's the same terms you saw before. No changes. However...I still gained more than she realized."

"Aha!" Her eyes shimmered with a petty sense of victory. "I knew you had another angle! What is it? A treasure hidden beneath the village we didn't know of, and now it belongs to you?"

"The treasure is the village itself. By seizing authority of Springwater, I've empowered another of my demonic abilities. All native residents are partially compelled to follow my orders – even if they aren't under Contract."

A shadow passed over Katarina's expression. "Partially...compel?" She took a step back from him. "What precisely does that entail?"

"Not sure," Simon admitted. "Tested it with Lucia, and she ignored whatever commands she outright disagreed with. Should mean that people will be less likely to ignore my wishes and go after Gerold, if that helps."

He'd known this part of the explanation wouldn't be well-received. Any sane person would feel disturbed at him pseudo-mind-controlling an entire village.

She still deserved to hear the truth.

"There's something else," he continued. "Another aspect of my demonic ability. While residing in Springwater – or other areas under my authority – my power and mana are both doubled."

Katarina let out a low whistle. "Would've been nice to have that when we were battling the Beast." She tried to sound lighthearted, but there was an unmistakable tension in her voice. "A village under your thumb and a boost to your strength? I guess you've won yourself a great victory."

"Is that what you think?"

He didn't say it unkindly – more like he was asking her a legitimate question. "You think rescuing Springwater Village and strengthening my power is a great victory?"

"Well..." As if ambushed by a pop quiz, Katarina furrowed her brow. "Why wouldn't it be? Springwater isn't the richest or most important place in the world, but a village is a village. That's thousands of people who cannot gainsay your will. You could live whatever kind of life you desired here."

Her answer was one that most others would have put forth. Yet it was an answer narrow in scope, bound by the knowledge and preconceptions of the person answering.

Simon glanced over at the map of Valtia. She doesn't see the big picture. How could she? Was never given the chance. Would take an outside force to clue her in – to shake things up.

Like a transmigrator from another world.

It was time to rouse Katarina from her waking dream.

"I have no memory of Valtia from before eleven days ago," Simon began.

She did a quick double-take at him. "Come again?"

"My earliest memories here are of waking up outside, surrounded by a newborn Fell Beast and the corpses of strangers. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know who I was. I don't even know if I'm really a Demon – could be a human endowed with demonic abilities. The slavers were the first people I met, and I only managed to get in their good graces by pretending to be family. 'Cobblestone' isn't my last name."

Realization hit Katarina like a freight train. "That's why you ask bizarre questions sometimes," she breathed, in a tone of wonderment. "You weren't feigning ignorance or attempting to lead the conversation in specific ways. You just didn't know."

He nodded. "I've gotten very good at improvising over these past eleven days, let me tell you."

That was the most truthful origin story he could give – at least while being restricted by Sworn to Secrecy. He'd only omitted his encounter with the Sealed Demon of Ruination, and that was out of strict necessity. The less people who knew of Kirkelas' existence, the better.

Katarina stared at Simon as if seeing him with new eyes. "How did this happen? Was it by injury? A curse, maybe? I've heard instances of Fell magic devouring people's memories."

She believed me rather quickly. Then again, my behavior thus far hasn't exactly been normal – not by human or Demon standards. Me being a bluffing amnesiac is as good of an explanation as any.

"I couldn't tell you what caused it," Simon replied, because he literally, physically couldn't. "Nor do I care to find out. Whatever life I had before is gone; I'm far more interested in the here and now."

"...And what do you intend to do?" An undercurrent of tension had returned to her voice. "Do you even have a goal you're striving towards, or were you simply reacting to each moment as it came?"

"There was a fair amount of that when I was lost and starving, but don't misjudge me. I've always had a higher purpose in mind."

There were two directions that the rest of their conversation could go in. First, he could try to convince Katarina of Valtia's impending apocalypse. That would give his final declaration of intent much more gravitas.

But while he wanted to be honest with her...it was a hard sell. They'd just barely established something resembling trust between each other. Jumping from 'I've lost my memories' to 'the world ends in less than a year' would be a stretch so tenuous that it might just snap entirely.

Fortunately – in a grim sort of way – there was a more immediate, verifiable disaster to use as a springboard.

"The Water Artifact will run out of mana in six months."

Shock and horror rapidly spread across Katarina's face. "What? No. That can't be. Water Artifacts are created to last for hundreds of years."

"That was before a Fell Beast drained it for hours." Simon shook his head, a somber air about him. "Six months. Confirmed it with my Demon magic."

Katarina's posture sagged. "That's...I was hoping for my father to stay here. What are these people going to do when the Artifact turns barren?"

"Die."

As if that one word was a slap in the face, she flinched back. "Have some tact, Simon," Katarina snarled.

"Why?" He tilted his head in a quizzical manner. "Does it matter if they're going to die?"

"Of course it matters, you blackhearted–"

"Then why weren't they doing anything to prevent that?"

Simon's voice took on a calm yet harsh edge, each word cutting like a soft knife. "Although you claim that Water Artifacts are usable for centuries, Lucia assumed that this one would only persist for a single decade longer. Almost everyone in Springwater Village right now would've lived to see its end. But...was there a plan in place? Would they have bothered making a plan in the next ten years? Or would they have just waited until the last minute and–"

Recognizing that some pent-up bitterness was leaking through, he pulled back and refocused. "What I'm saying is that Springwater Village has always had a limited shelf life. With no funds to purchase a new Water Artifact, their days were numbered from the start. Ten years or six months – what difference does it make?"

Katarina glared at him. "Nine years and six months of difference. That's invaluable time spent with family and loved ones! The people of Springwater deserved better than this!"

She was getting angry. Good. Anger was what they needed. When harnessed properly, it was like fuel for the soul, pushing people to break their shackles of ennui and enact real change in their lives.

He just had to redirect that anger to its proper source.

"So this is a tragedy, then?" Simon leaned closer. "A village painfully dying out is horrific? Despicable? Appalling?"

Katarina clenched her fists, seeming a hairsbreadth away from striking him. "All of that and more."

"Is that so? And I imagine there's plenty more places out there like this one. Settlements on their last legs, with no hope for a brighter future. Soon to be hollowed-out graveyards in a few years at best. Unless–"

He reached over, slamming his palm against the world map like a thunderclap.

"–Someone takes action."

Katarina's gaze shifted over to the map, revisiting its notes and scribbles. Whatever retort she'd been building to died in her throat. She went silent, not quite grasping what he was getting at just yet...

Though by how the muscles tightened around her eyes, her subconscious was quickly catching up.

"This sorry state of affairs wasn't caused by a mistake or bad luck," Simon continued. "It's the result of intentional choices made by people who don't care if their 'lessers' perish. Nobles levy heavy taxes on the lower castes, depriving them of money and mana both – and even threatening them if the commoners dare step out of line. Despite Springwater being on the brink of ruination, Lucia refused to call in outside help from the cities, because she was terrified that they would invent an excuse to cull the 'Fell-tainted' rabble."

He sent a sideways glance at Katarina. "Not that the cities are much better-off. Never been there myself, but correct me if I'm wrong: most people are poor, hungry, and struggling to survive. They live a bit more comfortably than rural villages, which lets them convince themselves that they're doing okay, but in truth they're just fighting for scraps at the table. The lion's share of wealth and power is owned by the nobility."

"Merchants too," she murmured. "Moneyed institutions. Guilds, traders...slavers."

"All propped up by the ever-esteemed Lords and Ladies of Valtia. They're like one big serpent, squeezing people dry, crushing the life out of them with each passing year. And what do we do when fighting a serpent?"

Blue light glowed around Simon's palm. In a flash of motion, he plunged a summoned dagger into the map, piercing it through the star marker designating the Severed Isles' capital city.

"We cut off its head."

Katarina stared wide-eyed at the dagger, like it might come alive and attack her. "You mean to seize the capital." Quietly, she mouthed 'Cut off the head' to herself. "You..."

She took in a sharp intake of breath. "You mean to kill Duke Helmund."

"He needs to go," Simon remarked, as if commenting on the weather. "There is no other path to salvation for Valtia. None that I can envision, anyway."

Especially after receiving Voice-In-The-Sky's approval.

He'd reached this conclusion even before learning exactly how the Mana Harvesters operated. There was simply too much damning evidence painting Helmund as the chief perpetrator of Valtia's decline. Testimony from Kirkelas, the slavers, Lucia, and Katarina all described the man as a vicious parasite oppressing his people and bleeding the land.

Simon would've gone after him with or without an apocalypse looming over the horizon.

However, some nagging doubts had made the transmigrator hesitant to fully commit to his plan. While he felt confident that Helmund needed to be lanced like the boil he was, some details hadn't quite added up – and still weren't.

It mostly came down to timing and location. Voice-In-The-Sky initially warned that Valtia would meet its end within the year. That implied a rapid, dramatic upheaval, similar to a mass extinction event. Something on the level of a meteor falling from the sky.

Yet the slavers theorized that Valtia's end-of-days scenario would occur decades from now. And based on what Simon had seen, he felt inclined to agree. The environment's mana deprivation was severe, but not to the point where people would start dropping like flies in a couple months.

Furthermore, Duke Helmund's sphere of influence was localized primarily to the Severed Isles. He couldn't have installed Mana Harvesters in the other three Valtian nations. How, then, was he responsible for snuffing out all life throughout the world?

Simon still didn't know...but for the moment, he didn't have to. Because when he explained his plan to Voice-In-The-Sky, the god responded in the most jubilant tone of voice it was allowed.

'You're on the right track,' it had blatantly implied. 'Slay Helmund. That's what you were brought here for.'

Thus, Valtia's future had been decided. The Duke of the Severed Isles was a marked man. He would die; his reign of terror overthrown, his stranglehold shattered, and his banners cast down into the abyss. A righteous purging would take place, excising his tyranny like pulling weeds from a garden, roots and all.

The fine details could be ironed out later.

"You may think this drastic," Simon continued, "yet I prefer the term expedient. Time isn't on our side. The longer Helmund rules the Severed Isles, the more people suffer and die."

Originally, he'd wanted to gradually build up his power base, sinking his teeth into the realm of medieval politics – but that was the lingering mindset of an Earth expat. He was in Valtia, now. Getting rich enough to bribe corrupt politicians wasn't the endgame anymore.

Subjugating them would be so much easier.

Katarina leaned onto a nearby desk, the color draining from her face. "You don't understand," she said, voice quavering. "Helmund can't be...he is akin to a god. The Fell Beast we fought here is a paltry existence by comparison. You wouldn't be the first who's tried and failed to unseat him."

"Others are trying?"

"Rebels in opposition to Duke Helmund. They call themselves The Hurricane." She winced. "Their successes have been few and far between. Like flies that he swats when they start buzzing too loudly. If you join them, your fate would be the same."

"Good to know. Maybe we'll collaborate later." Simon put on a savage grin. "Let's make something clear, though. They'd be the ones to come crawling to me. I wouldn't be planning to assassinate a demigod without the strength to realize my ambitions."

He shapeshifted his right arm, holding its wicked claws up to the light. "Another demonic ability I possess lets me quickly grow stronger. Very, very quickly. I'm over twice as powerful now than before we fought the Fell Beast – and this is merely the barest sliver of my potential."

Katarina regarded him with a penetrating gaze. "You earnestly believe you can grow powerful enough to vanquish Duke Helmund?"

Given infinite time? It was assured.

In less than a year? It was questionable.

But he didn't have a choice, so the answer was–

"Absolutely." Simon gestured at the map again. "The Severed Isles are full of places that need me. Places with monsters that need slaying – whether they be human or Beast. I'll travel to areas of interest, right wrongs as I see them, and keep getting stronger. Won't be an easy journey, but at the end of the road sits Duke Helmund's head on a pike."

He paused. "I could stay here in Springwater, lording over several thousand peasants as an uncontested ruler...but that would be grossly inefficient. Maybe saving this village seemed like a great victory to you, but to me?"

The transmigrator met her gaze. "To me, it was just one step forward."

Katarina said nothing, coming to grips with what she'd just heard. She peered into his eyes, searching for even a hint of duplicity, doubt, or hesitation – and found only unyielding resolve burning within.

"You aren't doing this to take control of the Severed Isles." A wan, tired smile made its way onto her face. "For any other Demon, I would assume that seizing power was the goal...but it's just a means to an end, isn't it? You don't care about ruling."

"Eh, I will if I have to." Simon grimaced at the thought. "Ideally, there should be competent people I can slot into the requisite positions. Could be tricky getting them to support a Demon, but I'd say Springwater was a good proof of concept, and I'm willing to be flexible as long as they adhere to my proposed reforms."

"Reforms?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm hardly going to topple the leader of a nation and not make changes. The Severed Isles need fixing. Don't feel like playing the long game of modifying societal norms over a period of decades, so I'll just brute force it instead. The higher-ups might resist, but pretty much all of my ideas will be wildly popular with the common folk, so the nobles will have to play along or risk a full-on revolution."

Katarina stood up straighter, a measure of energy returning to her as she re-established her mental foothold in the world. "Then you feel confident deciding peoples' fates for them?"

"Who else can I trust if not myself? Besides, I've studied enough about governance to help run one country."

"As a start."

Simon blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Too late for you to feign ignorance," she scoffed. "Your map has strings of thread connecting to settlements in the nations across the sea. After you're finished conquering the Severed Isles, you intend to set your sights on the rest of the world."

"...It depends." Simon morphed his arm back to human form, then laced both hands together. "Need to learn more about those nations first. Are their people happy? Do they have stable, equitable forms of government? Would my intervention make things better or worse? I'll have to carefully judge their situation, then go from there."

"And if they fail to meet your lofty standards? What then?"

"You already know."
A shiver ran down Katarina's spine. "Simon...when are you going to stop?"
He shrugged. "When somebody stops me."

Another silence suffused the air, longer and more filled with tension than the last.

Eventually, Katarina sighed. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Two reasons. The first is that you asked for an explanation, and here it is. The second is that I wanted you to understand what you'd be getting into."

He jerked his thumb at the map. "If you join me, that's what you'll be setting in motion."

"So you do want my assistance." She shook her head in disbelief. "Again – why? What could I possibly have to offer you?"

Simon tapped his forehead. "Amnesia, remember? I need someone who can explain Valtia to me. A guide, of sorts. You aren't half-bad with a crossbow either."

And you came back for me.

Trust was hard-won and easily broken. Simon knew that well. Heroic Valor had made a valid point when it said that he struggled to forge sincere connections with people.

He could have asked anyone in Springwater to be his guide. Offered them power and riches in return. There were likely dozens of potential candidates who would've gladly accepted, their self-interest ensuring their reliability.

But only one person had risked her life to save his. She could have fled – should have fled – and yet she still came back.

How many others would have done the same?

Katarina drummed her fingers on her thigh. "It just so happens that this mission of yours will put you at odds with the nobility." She spoke slowly, as if solving a puzzle. "So in exchange for helping you...I assume you'll procure the remedy to my father's illness?"

"I'll do that even if you don't."

At her surprised stare, Simon chuckled. "I also won't demand that you follow me until your dying day. You can turn back after we retrieve Gerold's medicine – or whenever you want, really. This isn't blackmail, Katarina."

He spread his arms out. "This is me laying all my cards on the table."

Simon would have to step on a lot of toes to accomplish his goals. Came with the territory of inciting revolution. By the time he was finished, millions would despise him, including those he was trying to save.

It would be a thoroughly isolating experience. He couldn't fall into that trap. Isolation breeds resentment, and resentment fosters hatred. Katarina could act as his canary in the coal mine, keeping him grounded and on-task if he ever got too frustrated with people.

And after lying to virtually everyone he'd met since entering Valtia...it'd be nice to at least try forming a genuine bond with someone.

Katarina sank into deep thought. She looked at Simon, and then at the map, seeming to weigh her odds.

How much faith could she put in him? Would aiding his cause improve her father's chances of being cured? What other secrets was he hiding?

If she joined him, what would the future hold?

"Answer me but one question," Katarina finally said, after some time.

"Figured you'd have more than just one."

"I do, but I require time to process everything you've told me." She glanced over at him. "What drives you, Simon? Why go to such lengths?"

'Do you really need to go that far?' Grace had once asked, in a soup kitchen he would never see again.

Simon fidgeted slightly, injecting forced levity into his tone. "Would you believe it's all for the sake of helping people?"

"Yes, actually. That much has been shown to me."

Katarina turned to face him. "But Simon, you're not the only person who wants to help others. I'd say a fair number of people do. Most are simply too caught up in their own lives to spare the time or effort.
It takes a unique brand of lunacy to throw everything away and go marching on a mission – one that, in all likelihood, shall end with your death."

Her unblinking eyes pierced through him like drills. "I just need to know why," she said, brazenly echoing his words from before.

Clever girl, Simon mused.

The full answer to that question would take far too long...and frankly speaking, he wasn't in the mood to relive the dirty details. He wasn't sure he ever would be.

Yet there was still one thing he could tell her. One unassailable truth that cut to the core of his motivation.

"If I don't do it, who will?"

He was left on pins and needles as she considered his response. Time went by at a snail's pace, seeming to go slower with every second.

Then she nodded, that small motion like a heavy burden lifting from his chest.

"For my father," Katarina began. "For myself. And..."

She extended her hand. "For you as well."

Grinning, Simon grabbed her hand and shook it.

Katarina recoiled as if she'd touched a hot poker. Her eyes widened yet again as she stared at her palm–

And at the demonic sigil now glowing on her skin. A symbol of the Boon that had been Granted.

She glanced back up at Simon, seeking more explanations. What she found was twinkling eyes and a deepening grin.

"Welcome to the fold, Kat."

END OF ARC 1