The various nations, including the Empire, generally maintained a friendly stance toward the Otherworlders. Although their sudden appearance had caused some consternation, they were ultimately on humanity’s side.
There were too many of them to antagonize recklessly, and it wasn’t merely their numbers. They didn’t die, and they only grew stronger over time. If this continued, there was a real possibility that their collective power would eventually surpass that of Gaia’s natives.
Thus, even if countries wanted to oppose the Otherworlders, they couldn’t afford to. Confronting them would be exhausting, so it was better to bring them into the fold. Even Gaia, the goddess of this land, had expressed a reluctant acceptance: “Though you are unwelcome visitors, I will nevertheless extend my hospitality.”
Fortunately, most of the Otherworlders were amicable, and they even spoke the local language, making it easy to integrate them. A surprising advantage came from this association: the Otherworlders made information gathering simple. They had massive networks, like an open system, even if not all were individually strong.
The bounty on Yor was well-known among them, along with surprisingly detailed information about him.
The Fourth Knight Division’s captain, Rayleigh, looked over a stack of documents, gathering his thoughts.
The final piece of information hadn’t come from the Otherworlders. It was something Rayleigh had dug up through his own investigation. Though he’d only been a trainee knight back then, he’d heard the tale, recorded as one of the Empire’s blunders.
After extensive searches had turned up nothing, it had been assumed the child had met an untimely end.
“Who would have thought he’d survive in such a treacherous forest all this time...”
It was an impressive feat, though from a knight’s perspective, it was also an irritating one. Manifestation Bearers—those with supernatural powers—were treated as a dire threat in every country. They were ticking time bombs, so it was deemed best to eliminate them to neutralize potential risks.
Sadly, this also extended to anyone protecting such beings. On a national level, those who shielded Bearers endangered countless lives out of misplaced sentimentality.
The two recent incidents involving demons were cases where Bearers had been shielded, only for things to go catastrophically wrong.
Enough time had passed since they’d received word about Yor, but everyone had been too busy to take action. Although the new arena had eased tensions somewhat, troubles involving Otherworlders continued to arise. The Empire was also burdened with the aftermath of consecutive demon descents and an ongoing investigation into the Lemegeton.
However, after capturing Dantalion, they finally had some breathing room.
"This is the chance."
Once again, the task fell to Rayleigh.
The First Knight Division’s commander couldn’t leave the capital, bound to protect the Emperor no matter what. The Second Division commander was busy pacifying Otherworlder-related troubles and, naturally, pursuing romantic interests on the side. The Third and Fifth Division commanders were deep into the Lemegeton investigation.
Thus, Rayleigh was left as the only viable option. Begrudgingly, he prepared, letting his weary soldiers rest and pressuring the finance minister to release additional funds. With the allocated budget, he began drafting a new announcement.
Despite a previous bounty of five million gold, there had been no successful attempts on Yor. Not even a report of a failed attempt had surfaced. This meant no one had even bothered to try, finding the risk not worth the reward.
“The target is strong. Even Dantalion sustained injuries trying to escape him.”
“The terrain is challenging, not to mention the monsters in the Forbidden Forest.”
“His favor with the Otherworlders is also a concern... but no matter. We’ll offer rewards and enforce strict laws against any who defy them.”
Estimating the resources needed, Rayleigh realized this would not be an easy fight. The conditions for battle were far from favorable. Still, this was a problem that had to be dealt with. They couldn’t leave a ticking bomb at the Empire’s edge.
"Those with demon blood must be eliminated without hesitation. They aren’t fully human, so any hesitation in dealing with them is unthinkable." This was a truth Rayleigh had been taught as an elite knight—a truth ingrained over centuries.
After drafting the announcement, he presented it to the Emperor. Once approved, the document would be passed to the administrative office, polished, and posted on the guild boards.
A month passed, and nothing notable occurred. It rained briefly, only to clear up quickly, leaving the skies bright again. No monsters descended from the depths, and despite the bounty, few people ventured into the forest. Even the Lemegeton troublemakers had been strangely absent.
The one amusing piece of news was that Happy—Shin Hanbyeol—had kept her promise and delivered holy water.
"Wow, I didn’t think you’d actually come. Thanks, Happy!"
“...Shut up.”
Thanks to her, he now had two holy waters, and he’d paid her well. Although this month’s Frenzy A had triggered, the two holy waters she provided were enough to get him through it.
In short, he was living well.
Had he ever experienced such peace? For so long, he’d been lonely, but now he had someone to talk to and holy water to alleviate his periodic suffering. Though threats loomed, his openness had somehow improved his situation.
“Maybe I should just keep living like this.”
For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind.
But as they say, the weather is clearest before the storm. Just as his life reached a comfortable rhythm, bad news arrived.
“Yor, Yor!”
“Something terrible happened!”
Chae-rin and Hanul arrived, breathless, breaking his peaceful midday. Both of them showing up at once was unusual; normally, only one came with information while the other remained busy.
Their faces showed deep concern. Chae-rin handed him a sheet of paper, a transcribed copy of the latest guild notice.
He read the message they’d brought.
[Extermination Edict]
Humanity and the Empire have repeatedly proven our resilience by defeating demons time and again.
Yet a potential threat remains—the individual hiding in the Forbidden Forest, a human bearing demon’s blood. Despite his lineage, he continues to live in hiding, even with Otherworlders aware of his existence.
The Empire can no longer stand idle. To right this wrong, the Empire will send an extermination squad under the command of the Fourth Knight Division’s captain. Let us hope for a swift and decisive victory.
Each of the top ten contributors will receive a bounty of ten million gold.
Furthermore, any individual, including Otherworlders, found aiding him will face severe legal consequences.
Yor’s face grew grim.
On the guild boards, the edict caused an uproar in the community. The description of a man in the Forbidden Forest was unmistakably Yor, a well-known NPC. Even a single notice like this held tremendous weight.
[What’s with this tone?]
[Why’s it written in casual speech?]
[It was polite during the Andromalius incident. I don’t get this tone.]
[That was from the Church. This one’s from the Emperor. It’s an edict.]
[Oh, that makes sense.]
[Does the Emperor think he doesn’t need to be polite when addressing a general audience?]
[Are you serious? It’s the Emperor.]
[Hey, the real issue is the extermination order!]
[No way! Don’t let them kill Yor!]
[What does “severe legal consequences” mean exactly?]
[Does it mean we can’t support or even talk to him?]
[Yep.]
[And if someone helps him, what happens?]
[Execution without exception for aiding Manifestation Bearers.]
[So it’s not just a three-day ban?]
[If only. Mentioning Otherworlders specifically makes it serious.]
[They might imprison or exile people from the Empire.]
[That’s harsh.]
[Ten million gold per contributor?]
[You’d make a hundred million for taking part. That’s insane! Count me in.]
[Are you serious?]
[Hey, ten million isn’t small change. I’d do it if it’s just taking out one NPC.]
The discussions varied widely. Some wanted to protect Yor, others mourned as if he were already lost, and some were indifferent. Many, especially dark gamers, were interested in the bounty—ten million gold was an irresistible lure.
Occasional arguments broke out in the posts, with some questioning the necessity of involvement and others dismissing Yor as just an NPC.
For them, Demons’ Saga was ultimately just a game. With an extermination order issued, the odds of Yor’s survival seemed slim. Most players felt that way.
Around this time, a user posted a question, getting to the heart of the matter:
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
[So, is this a boss fight?]
Most users concluded it was a boss fight in a different form, where the boss just happened to be human.