The powerful figures of the Kynakhan Empire began to gather to celebrate the birth of the Moon Child.
Not only the Quilz Territory families under the Rainberg came, but also the priest of the Azhibita Church, professors from the Academy, and even the Seven Elders of the Magic Tower. It wasn’t just because the Rainberg family was the center of power, dividing the Kynakan Empire.
Rather, it was individuals fascinated by the power of the ‘Moon’s Children,’ each harboring their own ambitions.
It was the most splendid party.
Even the imperial banquet of the Kynakhan Royal Family would not attract as many influential figures.
From the Red Pillar, the Solgar family, rivaling the Rainbergs, and the Yellow Pillar, the Luchakuan family, traveled great distances to personally congratulate the Moon Children for their birthdays. In truth, among the nobility of Kynakhan, there was no one unaware that they came here in order to see what the Moon Children got in their hands.
Even the Maitland Family sent envoys.
A party shining more than ever.
“Is it really okay?”
“It’s fine. It’s for our children.”
The unbroken flower, the Duchess, revealed herself on the official stand for the first time in decades.
Now, once the protagonists appear, the party is complete.
The Duke Rainberg soon thought of a ‘change’ that would heat up the party, chuckling inwardly.
But the change came faster and more unexpectedly than the Duke Rainberg anticipated.
“What? Disappeared?”
The bulter’s urgent announcement.
“Have you searched everywhere?”
“Even Lady Melissa’s garden.”
“Huh.”
They had thrown a grand birthday party, but what use was it if the people in question were absent?
Even if the quadruplets intentionally hid, there was no way to find them.
“Damn it.”
How should he inform the powerful figures gathered here of this fact?
“Hahaha.”
However, the duchess burst into laughter at his bewildered state.
“It’s been a while since I heard you curse.”
“Can’t you stop me from cursing? Damn kids, what’s the meaning of hiding on their own birthday….”
The duchess’s laughter didn’t stop.
“Aha, they were always like that, weren’t they?”
“Even if that’s true….!”
Cough.
When the laughing lady began to cough, Duke Rainberg quickly infused her with the power of the spirits.
“Damn it, let’s wait a bit longer.”
“They won’t come.”
The duchess stood up, holding a glass of champagne, and shouted to the powerful figures.
“To celebrate the birth of the Moon Child!”
When all eyes focused on her.
“The sibling’s affection seems too deep; it looks like they’ve ditched their own party. So, let’s enjoy the Moon Children’s birthday party among ourselves! Ahaha!”
Duke Rainberg clenched his fist.
“Damn it.”
A strand of hair fell out.
The power of the spirits couldn’t prevent the balding of the Duke of Rainberg.
* * *
After that day, the birthday party was scheduled to resume two days later.
Despite the uproar, I paid little attention to my father’s exclamations. In a daze, I continued to ponder. The meaning behind Wooshas’s tears still confused me.
It was a moment when I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling absentmindedly.
“The most intriguing thing in this world is, without a doubt, the demons…”
“Damn.”
Words were being written on the ceiling.
It resembled a scene from a horror movie.
In an instant, my body stiffened, and I unconsciously scratched my cheek.
“What kind of nonsense is this again?”
It was Melissa’s magic.
“Where do demons live?”
“…Demon realm?”
“Demon realms are either sealed or inhabited by ‘weaker ones.’ They’re considered weak, you know? From your perspective, they might be weak, but if a demon from the demon realm appears in the empire, the knights will be mobilized as soon as possible.”
“What’s the matter?”
Melissa, disturbing my relaxation time, was not welcome.
“And most demon realms are ’empty.’…”
Sensing an ominous atmosphere, I turned my head away from the ceiling.
Then, words began to appear on the wall.
“…Empty?”
“I can’t be sure yet. I’m compiling distribution data. But so far, except for the demon realm of Daimonion, all demon realms have been empty. Do you know what that means?”
I think I do.
But I have to pretend not to.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to know.”
“Demons are openly wandering out of the demon realms, not underground but on the land where people live.”
The empire suffered great losses in the Great War, thanks to demons, Ains, and the fractured military factions.
Most significantly, demons caused the most damage, even though their numbers were relatively small.
Melissa revealed hidden stories from the Great War.
No, she wrote them.
“Demons were indistinguishable from humans to the naked eye, so it was impossible to tell who they were. Friends you were close to, lovers sleeping next to you, adorable children turned into demons and devoured humans.”
She said there were two types of demons.
Recognizable demons like the giant demon Daimonion and ‘disguisers,’ evil demons wearing human skin.
“At the time, the high-ranking officials hid this fact to prevent chaos like witch hunts. Because of that, it resulted in even more sacrifices. In the end, the empire suffered a massive wound, leading to its division by a few demons.”
I pretended not to care, but it was a highly intriguing story.
I concentrated on reading the words on the ceiling.
“Now I understand why the authority of the Church has risen. Even now, those in power fear disguisers.”
Disguisers can only be distinguished in a special way.
Only High Priests who received oracles from the gods, with rigorous observation and consciousness, can identify disguisers.
When we were born, I heard that a Priest was dispatched to confirm whether we, quadruplets, were suspicious disguisers hiding demonic powers.
The Church easily imprisoned the children of the duke and princess with great authority. Disguisers are such fearsome beings.
While pretending to be disinterested, I gradually realized what Melissa wanted from me.
“But with your peculiar eyes…”
Thinking about it, my siblings might not be as powerful as I thought.
To think she needed me like this.
“You might be able to distinguish disguisers just by looking at them.”
I wanted to say, ‘Can’t you do anything without me? Figure it out with your fancy magic.’
But before I could say anything, Melissa took action.
The writing on the wall shone brightly and gradually condensed into a point.
Soon, the clustered letters became dots, and the dots grew into holes. A space large enough for one person to pass through appeared on the wall.
On the other side, Melissa, standing somewhere unknown, gestured.
“I found someone who might be a demon using Leviathan’s corpse as bait. Even with magic that I painstakingly created, I can only have suspicions. I need your eyes, Cantavia.”
Suddenly, Melissa’s arm reached out and pulled me away.
I realized once again that, despite being a magician, her strength was comparable to that of Ranista.
* * *
That place was a dazzling house filled with elaborate gold decorations from roof to ceiling. Every ornament, ceramic-like in appearance, retained its golden hue.
Tiger skins adorned the floor, and mounted on the walls were the preserved heads of mermaids.
It looked like the residence of a wealthy merchant, and I sighed as I sank into a plush sofa.
“Who’s this guy?” Melissa, my sister, was dressed unusually, wearing clothes not typical of her.
A hat similar to Turban, silk clothes commonly worn in desert regions, and pointed shoes. It wasn’t the attire of the Kynakhan Empire; it resembled the clothing worn in the western regions of the Sternil Kingdom.
Her cheeks were flushed.
This experiment seemed to be highly anticipated and interesting for her.
“A slave trader from the kingdom.”
Probably from the Sternil Kingdom again.
“Andi Aziz, the head of the slave market where hundreds of slaves are traded. A ruthless and wicked guy. Even if he’s not a devil, he’s a villain worth killing.”
Worth killing, huh?
“Can we just tell if he’s a devil or not?”
I thought my eyes could easily discern an imposter.
After all, there’s nothing they can hide from keen eyes.
Suddenly, Melissa started stroking my head affectionately.
“Brave younger brother.”
“What.”
“If you find out he’s an imposter, give a signal.”
“And if he’s not?”
“Haha.”
Why such a sinister laugh?
I recalled what my sister had said back in the Abyss.
Does the world need us, siblings, or is it trying to kill us?
“Are they the ’cause’? Well, we’ll find out now.”
After a while, a giant door adorned with gold opened slowly.
Guards escorting him entered first, vigilant of their surroundings.
Following them, a man walked toward us with heavy footsteps.
How could someone be like that?
He resembled the image that vaguely came to mind—a wicked slave trader.
Weighing well over 100kg, he had a fat body adorned with multiple gold necklaces and three rings on each finger. With every step, sweat dripped down from his forehead. He seemed to have sprayed perfume to mask the sweat odor, but it only made the stench worse.
He looked at us and grinned broadly, walking towards us awkwardly.
“Nice to meet you! I’m the owner of this place, Andi Aziz.”
He offered a handshake, but neither I nor my sister extended our hands.
He awkwardly withdrew his offered hand, but his expression remained cheerful.
“Haha, it seems some people don’t like formalities. No problem. Let’s get straight to the point.”
He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It looked like a contract.
“I heard you want to buy 300.”
My sister nodded.
“We’ve selected robust adult men with strong stamina for the nomadic lifestyle. And… hehe. As you know, our male slaves are excellent at various tasks.”
I glanced at my sister.
Fortunately, she seemed unfazed.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Oh?”
“Add ten more. Young boys.”
Melissa, unexpectedly, played along, acting nonchalant.
I observed their conversation without saying a word, focusing on his face.
He noticed my gaze, and although he seemed uncomfortable, I didn’t avert my eyes.
“Who’s this?”
“The chief’s son.”
“Haha, perhaps because he’s the nephew of a great warrior, his gaze is quite piercing.”
I don’t know what an imposter looks like.
I don’t even know how a devil should appear.
But still, I could sense it.
Something hidden beneath that pig-headed appearance was demonic.
Keen eyes know.
I hesitated.
Should I say it or not?
If I speak, I’ll undoubtedly get involved in troublesome matters.
But if I don’t say anything…
“Ahem, I understand what you want. Fine, it’s a deal. For him, I’ll throw in a few more young girls…”
A wicked slave trader.
“What do you think?”
My sister asked me not about the slave trader’s words, but about my response to them.
I stared at the slave trader with a frown.
And with my hand, I mimicked slitting a throat.
“Die.”
Thud!
Three tails of my sister moved.
As if struck by an invisible giant hammer, the demon was instantly subdued.
The imposter’s facade was stripped away in an instant.
Inside the human skin, there was only a demon with reddish, shriveled skin.
In an instant, chaos ensued.
The guards, unaware of the situation, attacked.
“Are they here?”
“No, they’re not.”
Just as casually as before, my sister opened the door leading to the Quilz Castle.
tnx for the chap