Demonic Conqueror [LitRPG, Isekai, Progression]

Clause 1: This Contract will be between the Contractor, known as Simon Cobblestone, and the Contractee, named Marlene Besnard. Simon Cobblestone is the initiator of this Contract.
Clause 2: Simon Cobblestone will assist the Hurricane in their assassination attempt on Piers Helmund today. He will personally attempt to kill Piers Helmund, and shall make an earnest effort to do so, as long as the Hurricane continues to fight alongside him.
Clause 3: In return, Marlene Besnard will never betray Simon Cobblestone, in any capacity, whether directly or indirectly. This includes but is not limited to: attacking him physically, selling him out to other factions, unfairly disparaging him to members of the Hurricane, or enticing the Hurricane to move against him.

"I already see problems," Marlene began. She tapped her foot, examining the Contract with a scrutinizing gaze. "It goes to great pains to ensure that I cannot betray you – yet there's no recourse for if you betray us."

The transmigrator gasped in a pantomime of shock. "Why, I'm offended. Do you truly trust me so little?"

She sent him an unamused glare. Simon didn't mind. If anything, he'd been hoping that she would haggle. Perhaps it was his Demonic instincts influencing him, but negotiating was fun.

He drew upon his Fell mana, devising new Clauses that would reassure the Hurricane while leaving wiggle room on his end.

Clause 4: Clause 3 is dependent on Simon Cobblestone's continual willingness to slay both Piers Helmund and Duke Helmund.
Clause 5: Simon Cobblestone also agrees not to betray the Hurricane in any capacity today. However, if he believes the battle against Piers Helmund is fundamentally unwinnable, he is allowed to flee.

"That's still weighted in your favor." Marlene gestured at Clause 5, then 3. "You won't betray us 'today', yet I am bound not to betray you in perpetuity – or until you decide to stop conspiring against the Helmunds."

"Contracts don't have to be equal. In all honesty, you need me more than I need you. I bring more to the table, so I get to demand concessions."

Simon pointed upwards. "Here's another."

Clause 6: On this day, Marlene Besnard will devote an appropriate amount of Hurricane resources towards rescuing the prisoners of Piers Helmund, located in Caelryn City's Sanctuary Grove.

Several seconds passed as no one said a word, their fear supplanted by confusion. For the first time, Marlene seemed legitimately surprised.

"Prisoners in..." Her fists clenched as realization struck her. "This is true?"

She was looking at Simon now, not the Contract, a wintry-cold fury swelling within her. "We were aware that he's killed people who 'wouldn't be missed', but he's keeping some of them? Torturing them?"

Torture is putting it lightly.

Marlene's reaction was proof that Piers had kept the vast majority of his activities secret. He'd only allowed whispered rumors to disseminate amongst the public – just enough to build a reputation, make commoners shrink in fear when he walked into a room.

They didn't know that what they'd heard was merely the tip of the iceberg.

"Piers won't waste manpower guarding the Sanctuary Grove if he's canvassing the city for me," Simon explained. "And even if we kill him as fast as we can, Duke Helmund will be investigating Caelryn soon afterwards – including the Grove that his son loved to frequent. There's no guarantee we'll have time to act later. Right now is our best chance to rescue Piers'...playthings."

The word tasted like acid in his mouth. "You've got over thirty fighters. I recommend sparing a third of them for this task."

Loud muttering erupted among the rebels. Theories were traded back and forth like gossip, almost as if they'd forgotten the Demon was there and could easily hear them.

Marlene cut through the chatter with a well-practiced tone. "What are your intentions, Simon?" she asked. "How does rescuing Piers' victims further your goals, whatever those may be?"

"It doesn't," he confessed. "This is just something I have to do."

People who hadn't been trapped in a Sin Scry vision for far too long would never understand.

"You can hardly expect me to believe that," she argued. "If there is some hidden motive we are not privy to–"

"He isn't lying."

Katarina sighed and shook her head as she spoke up. "Simon does this sort of thing every now and then. If you're planning to work with him moving forward, then you should brace yourself to accommodate his...flights of altruistic fancy."

The transmigrator felt conflicted. On one hand, he appreciated that Kat was sticking up for him.

On the other hand – flights of altruistic fancy? Seriously? She didn't have to phrase it like that.

After all, he had an image as an enigmatic, intimidating Demon to maintain.

"...I shall take that into consideration." Marlene reread the Contract, her lips lowering into a frown. "Though it may be irrelevant. While my heart burns for those tormented by Piers, we'll need every last man and woman we can muster today. Even more than killing the nobleman, finding him will be our largest hurdle. We haven't the faintest idea where exactly he's run off to – could be any number of buildings that he owns."

Simon held up a finger. "Give me fifteen seconds."

With one swift motion, he grabbed Katarina and dashed past everyone. The Arcane Rogue squawked in complaint as he carried her over to the staircase, then sprinted up, taking the steps three at a time. They arrived at the second floor in short order, leaving behind a room full of stunned rebels.

Safe here, he thought, after confirming that this floor was empty. Relatively speaking. He wasn't about to use an ability that locked him into a trance when there was an audience around. Marlene didn't seem to want him dead yet, but it would only take one anxious, short-tempered fool to reduce his still-meager HP to 0.

Before Kat could say anything, Simon sent her a hand signal, telling her to wake him if anyone attacked. He positioned himself in a far-end corner, cast a 100 MP Barrier to cover his body, and hoped for the best.

Eavesdrop.

The world faded.

Relief coursed through Simon as his Skill successfully activated. Eavesdrop would automatically fail if used on a target that he hadn't met in-person, but it seemed that its definition of 'meeting' someone wasn't limited to just exchanging words.

Apparently, having his throat ripped to pieces had left an impression on Piers.

"FIND HIM!" A blurred figure was pacing around in circles, gesturing wildly at unseen people. "USE ANY MEANS! TORCH THE CITY IF IT WOULD SMOKE HIM OUT!"

Piers had healed enough to talk...barely. His voice was an ugly thing, suffused with venom, hatred, and an innate loathing for anyone who wasn't himself. The distorted, gurgling noises caused by his neck wound were the least-unsettling part – even without them, he still would have sounded more monster than man.

That's how it felt to Simon, at any rate. Admittedly, he wasn't an unbiased judge.

"My lord." One of Piers' sycophants popped into view, bowing their head so low that it was practically scraping the floor. "Please understand that the Demon could be anywhere. It will take time to–"

"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK?!"

In a blink, Piers was clutching him by the throat. The sycophant was bulky, and taller by several inches, but that didn't stop him from being lifted into the air as if he were a feather.

"Find this Demon within the hour." The Helmund scion had dropped his voice to a hiss, rivulets of blood seeping out from his ruined neck. "Fail, and your life is forfeit, as are the lives of all those you hold dear. Defy me again, and their deaths will not be quick."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"No! My lord, plea–"

Simon ended the Eavesdrop. He didn't need to see any more.

A part of him wished that he could get angry at what he'd seen, wished that he could summon stronger emotions over Piers threatening a man's family...but something like this didn't even move the needle. Nothing could make him despise the nobleman more than he already did.

There were only so many variations of "I'll turn your existence into living agony", and Simon had heard them all during Sin Scry.

And yet Piers kept most of what he did under wraps, he thought. It's not as if anyone would or could have stopped him. He just...didn't want people to know. There's a difference between being looked at with fear and looked at with revulsion. The former is amusing, while the latter would've been uncomfortable, spoiling his whimsical jaunts around Caelryn.

This way, he could indulge his depraved vices – without taking accountability for them.

Simon dispelled the Barrier. Marlene, Bastian, and Cyna had run up to the second floor as he was busy Eavesdropping. They were staring at him with questions plain on their faces.

"We met a serial killer when first arriving at Caelryn City," he muttered, to no one in particular. "Armand Calloway. A broken shell of a man. Scarcely even conscious when not partaking in his hobby. It felt appropriate, you know? Only someone with such an abnormal, twisted mindset could hurt so many for so little reason."

The transmigrator let out a hollow laugh. "But that's just me deluding myself. Armand was uniquely insane. Unlike him, most monsters function perfectly fine in society. Maybe they're a family of slavers, robbing people of their futures, then happily sitting around a campfire together. Maybe they're a powerful nobleman, visiting local taverns for fun, before heading off to ruin lives on a lark. Maybe they're a wealthy merchant, callously ordering people's deaths from afar, never dirtying their own hands – yet filling graves all the same."

His arms twitched with long-remembered pain. "None of them lose sleep over any of it. They commit atrocities, then just...go about their day."

Everyone else was at a loss for words.

Still, Katarina made an effort, stepping forward. "Simon–"

"I've found Piers Helmund."

His voice was distressingly jovial as he explained. "I utilized Demon magic to pinpoint where the bastard is hiding. If you follow me, I can lead you straight to him."

That was a useful side effect of Eavesdrop. From its Description: 'Distance is no object, and using this Skill will inform you of the target's precise location.'

Simon didn't know what building Piers was in, or even the general layout of the upper city district, but none of that mattered. Eavesdrop would act as a compass, pointing him where he needed to go.

Marlene didn't hesitate. "You're set on rescuing the prisoners at the Grove?" she asked. "Even though it would take away manpower from assaulting Piers' current location, thereby making a herculean task that much harder?"

"Yes. It's non-negotiable."

A flicker of approval flashed in her gaze. "Add another Clause to your Contract. Guarantee that you speak the truth – that you know where Piers is. Vow that you'll lead us to him. Do so, and I'll sign."

Simon obliged. After a bit of thought, he went ahead and added a Clause 8 as well. The Contract was getting rather lengthy and verbose, but that's what happened when you negotiated with someone who cared about the details.

"The Hurricane will provide full healing to Simon Cobblestone before embarking on their attempt to kill Piers Helmund." Marlene arched an eyebrow as read out Clause 8. "You're certain of this? From what the legends speak of, sacred mana is anathema to Demons, and healing magic is derived from that."

"Oh, don't worry. I think you'll find that it's much more effective on me than you'd expect."

--

He was right. The resident Hurricane healer was left gobsmacked when they cast their spells, mouth hanging open as they saw Simon's injuries rapidly close. His flesh regenerated faster than a normal human's would have – and without any of the debilitating exhaustion that should've resulted from healing a body that had been put through a blender.

Preparations went swiftly after that. The rebels didn't want to miss their window of opportunity. While unlikely, it wasn't impossible that Piers would decide to flee the city.

Much like Tomas, who'd slipped away and vanished without a trace. All that remained was a hastily-scrawled note apologizing for leaving everyone to wage this war without him.

Few were surprised. Most had thought he'd run even earlier. They were accustomed to people avoiding the Hurricane like the plague.

Only Simon felt disappointed – at least initially. To him, after seeing so many commoners chained by inaction, Tomas' bravery had been a breath of fresh air. Here was a man who spurred others forward. He'd been the first to throw a chair at Piers' retinue, and the rest of the bar may not have followed suit without his example.

Realistically, though, Tomas had already done his part by rising up against royalty despite great peril to himself. And unlike the rebels, he didn't have family being held prisoner at Duke Helmund's castle. Asking any more of him would be irresponsible at best, callous at worst.

Not everyone was cut out for joining what could very well be a suicide mission.

Simon spent the little time available to him discussing battle plans with Bastian, Katarina – and Cyna, who refused to be excluded. From the piercing look in her eyes, the woman's suspicions had grown after watching him forge a Contract with Marlene.

The transmigrator could tell that he'd be answering a lot of questions in the near future. For now, Cyna was willing to delay her interrogation to focus on the big picture.

Simon also took a moment to allocate his Unspent Stat Points. He only had 3, less than usual, but every point was important. He'd witnessed that firsthand when 19 HP – nearly equal to 2 points in Vitality – had been all that separated him from life and death.

Vitality: 39 → 42

Yeah. Strength and Dexterity were slightly lagging behind, but he could help them catch up after dealing with Piers. Injured or otherwise, the nobleman's offensive mana was going to hit like a truck. Simon needed the extra survivability in case his Barriers proved insufficient to defend himself.

Then, finally, at long last...

It was time.

As everyone set off, a mantle of grim determination settled onto the Hurricane like a heavy cloak. They knew that many of them would die. They knew that all of them might die, their once-in-a-lifetime chance squandered utterly.

And while they'd known the risks when joining a treasonous rebellion, there was a difference between dreaming of revolution and actively marching against a demigod protected by hundreds of trained soldiers. It was a testament to the Hurricane's dedication that, when faced with the truth of their own imminent mortality, none of them ran.

As for Simon?

He was merely wondering how far he could push this.

Slaying Piers was the ultimate goal, of course. The nobleman's death was priority #1.

But it wasn't the only goal. Simon could think of another – one that would grant him progress in spades.

If he was going for broke, betting everything on this mission...

May as well try for a jackpot.