Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

Chapter 652: Requisites and Reputation

652. Requisites and Reputation

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I created a room in [The World Of My Mind], then forced Ultis and Aliq to wait in there. I also summoned some clones for an extra layer of security to watch over them. Then I created another room to speak with Haec in private.

As soon as we entered the room, he turned to me and faced me with a serious look.

“We can’t do this, Salvos.”

“Huh?”

I blinked back at my companion. He sighed, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the room the Deathsquad Hunters were kept in for now.

“I know you weren’t raised in the Demon King’s Domain, so I understand why you think you can trust them. And, perhaps, if they were any ordinary Demon working for Regnorex, we could give them a chance. But you must understand, Salvos. These aren’t ordinary Demons by any means. They are the Deathsquad Hunters.”

“I mean, I knew that.”

“Yes, you know that they’re the Deathsquad Hunters. However, you don’t know of their reputation. You don’t know what the requirements are for them to even become a Deathsquad Hunter.”

The former Heir of the Netherworld closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath as I eyed him quizzically.

“Um, what are they?”

I asked curiously, and Haec began to explain.

“Out of the entirety of his kingdom, Regnorex only commands a thousand Primeval Demons. A thousand of them, out of tens of millions of Demons under his rule. That is not a lot, Salvos. That means each Primeval Demon has to be a valuable resource to him.”

“Right, you told me this before.”

I scratched the back of my head. But my companion just continued.

“And yet, the Deathsquad Hunters comprise a quarter of those Primeval Demons. There are over two hundred of them, Salvos. Don’t you think that is a waste— for such a simple job like hunting down defecting Demons? Shouldn’t an army of Archdemons be better suited for that?”

Haec spoke in a low voice, his gaze growing dark. I tilted my head to the side.

“I guess so? But I still don’t understand why working with Aliq and Ultis is a bad thing— especially if they’re just going to help us find our way to the Demon King’s Domain.”

“Because they are the worst of the worst, Salvos. Many of them were former enemies of Regnorex, however they defected over to his side when they realized they couldn’t win. They are traitors through and through. They will backstab you at any chance they can get.”

I listened as Haec explained. I frowned, placing a hand on my chin.

“Why would Regnorex make his former enemies his Deathsquad Hunters? Shouldn’t he be worried that they’re going to betray him too?”

“That’s exactly why he makes them his Deathsquad Hunters. So he can carefully oversee everything they do. They cannot betray him if he knows their exact locations at all times— if they are never allowed to interact with any other Demon, and if they are never clustered in more than groups of twenty. It would be suicide unless they all decided to challenge him at the same time— which is never going to happen. And even then, the chances of their success is very much improbable.”

Haec shook his head, before glancing back in the direction where Aliq and Ultis were being kept. He couldn’t see them, however I could see the disdain on his face. I thought about what he said for a moment.

Certainly, he was right in that I knew nothing about how things operated in the Demon King’s Domain. Haec had been the Heir of the Netherworld at one point. So he was far more knowledgeable in this matter than me.

I shook my head as I took a step forward. That drew his attention back to me.

“Haec, you’re my companion, and I do trust you. But if we don’t accept their help, then what do we do? What can we even do?”

I asked him, holding his gaze. Haec paused and pursed his lips.

“That’s—”

“Also, you said it was some of them, but it’s not all of them, right?”

I cut him off as I posed the second question to him. He shuffled his feet where he stood, then he closed his eyes.

“But they are dangerous. Look at their levels, Salvos. All it takes is one short moment where you or I have our backs turned. They can kill Taburas— Bertrugil. Even Aemula. All three of them could be slaughtered, before we can react. We can’t take that risk.”

“Then what do we do?”

I asked as I crossed my arms across my chest. Haec bit his lower lip, unable to give him a response. I gestured vaguely past him.

“Regnorex is going to invade the Mortal Realm by the end of Salvation— that’s what you told me. If that happens, then all my friends are going to die. Not just that, but you won’t be able to rescue anyone from the Demon King.”

“That’s… true.”

Haec nodded as I sighed.

“It’s either we guarantee losing everything, or we take a risk here and trust these Deathsquad Hunters to lead us to the Demon King’s Domain. Haec…”

I looked my companion up and down, before shaking my head.

“I understand that you don’t trust them. But weren’t you the one who tried to befriend a [Hellreaper] that was attacking you? I feel like… your distrust might be motivated by your new sin.”

I wasn’t sure if I was making too much of a reach there with that assumption. However, Haec nodded with me.

“I am not going to claim that’s… out of the question. Perhaps my judgment is clouded by my changing essence. However—”

Haec raised his head and met my gaze.

“I still feel uneasy about this, Salvos. Am I wrong to feel this way?”

“I understand that.”

I gave him a reassuring look. I took a step forward and placed a hand on Haec’s shoulder. He looked up at me, and I smiled at him.

“You aren’t wrong to feel that way, Haec. And even if you are different now because of your evolution, you’re still my companion. I still trust you. So if you really insist that we should just throw these Deathsquad Hunters into the Mortal Realm or whatever to get rid of them… then I will listen to you. But you must consider the consequences of that too.”

Haec closed his eyes when he heard that. He stood there in silence for a long moment, and I waited for what he had to say. If he truly didn’t want to work with Aliq and Ultis, I couldn’t just kill them, since I promised I would spare them.

So the only other option was to leave them somewhere they couldn’t harm us. Perhaps the Spirit Plane would be a better place than the Mortal Realm. However, the point was that I couldn’t kill them. So this would be quite the annoying hassle for me if Haec refused to cooperate.

But fortunately for me, my companion opened his eyes and acquiesced.

“Fine.”

He said as I sighed in relief. Haec looked up at me and spoke through gritted teeth.

“I still don’t trust them. But we have no other choice right now. If we had more time… but we don’t.”

“Yep.”

I nodded back at my companion. I stepped forward, before snapping my fingers. I created even more clones and sent them out of the room.

“Don’t worry, I’ll ensure that my clones keep an eye on them at all times.”

And Haec nodded back at me.

“Right.”

Author's Notes:

What thonk?