41. Pazuzu, the Wind Demon King (Transitional Interlude)

When Elian returned safe and sound alongside the three traitorous Chief Mages, Cassandra—the Chief of Prophecy who had provided intelligence to those three—instantly plunged into utter bewilderment.

She had originally believed that only one side would return: either Elian, or the three Chief Mages who had directly participated in the assassination.

Whichever side came back, her own safety would be guaranteed.

Yet now...

Why on earth had they all returned together?!

"Cassandra, His Majesty has something to say to you."

In the silent chamber, Guter spoke.

Cassandra shuddered.

"Do not be afraid,"

Guter smiled, his tone lingering and enigmatic.

"Our Majesty is a benevolent king."

"Of course, you must sincerely confess your sins and make a vow never to repeat them..."

At that very moment, Elian slowly pushed open the door, wearing a genial and amiable smile:

"Cassandra, Chief of the School of Prophecy, let me meet that otherworldly entity who provided you with intelligence regarding my whereabouts."

"Even though I intentionally let him discover it."

***

[Otherworldly Detection].

The principle behind this prophetic spell is to communicate directly with transcendent otherworldly mighty beings—such as demon lords, archdevils, elemental princes, or even true gods—to pose questions and seek answers.

Many of these mighty beings who transcend the material planes possess a certain degree of prophetic clairvoyance, and they are willing to sell information to mortals in exchange for offerings.

Naturally, the results are not necessarily accurate.

"The one who accepted your offering and provided you with intelligence was an Abyss Lord who calls himself the Prince of the Air?"

Before the ornate gold-inlaid black wood desk, Elian listened as Cassandra, trembling with fear, spilled every piece of information.

"A familiar title."

"Give me the contact method for the Prince of the Air..."

Cassandra dared not defy Elian's command, and handed over the secret communication cipher provided by the Prince of the Air.

——Those were several passages of occult significance that could precisely pinpoint a demon lord in the Abyssal tongue, meant for accurately contacting this entity when performing the ritual next time.

"Chaos at the dawn of creation, the most ancient fiend ruling the Abyss, master of the skies of the Plains of Infinite Portals, the demon lord who seduces mortals..."

After reading through these Abyssal incantations, Elian chuckled softly.

"Oh, as expected, it's that fellow Pazuzu."

"He insists on making things so troublesome, when all one has to do is chant his name three times to summon him."

"This obyrith demon lord really is as idle as I remember, quite the free spirit indeed..."

In his past life, Elian's primary impression of this demon lord was—

This fellow was obsessed with corrupting lawful good mortals.

Especially noble and righteous paladins!

It was rumored that whenever a paladin of the lawful good alignment found themselves in a desperate plight, they only needed to shout "Pazuzu" three times, and this demon lord would appear directly before them to grant their wish.

He derived extraordinary pleasure from watching lofty and proud paladins, driven to despair, forced to beseech him, a demon lord, with a twisted mentality.

Watching paladins fall from grace!

One could only say that this demon lord's hobbies were somewhat perverted, to say the least.

Unfortunately, during the era of Old Eldoron, priests (clerics) who worshipped deities were the only divine spellcasting class. The transcendent class known as "Paladin" had not yet appeared.

Unlike clerics, a paladin's power usually originates from the "alignment force" of the cosmos, or a specific "paladin's oath."

This mode of worship—not directly worshipping a deity, but instead drawing divine magic power directly from specific "ideals"—was simply too advanced for the mortals of the current era.

"The First Layer of the Abyss, the Plains of Infinite Portals, is where the Abyssal rifts will connect thirty years from now, and it is also the first stop of Eldoron's Abyssal Expedition Plan."

"The Prince of the Air, Pazuzu, controls the skies of this layer."

"If we can preemptively guide the emergence of the paladin class and cultivate a batch of imperial paladins loyal to the empire, there will be an opportunity to turn the tables and exploit that demon lord in reverse!"

"Ah, the very first paladins were born among the human race."

"Heh, the paladin class hasn't even emerged yet; even Pazuzu himself right now has no idea that he will develop a future hobby of corrupting paladins..."

Elian's thoughts drifted, only to be reined in immediately.

"Well then, when I have time, I shall contact that demon lord."

He said with a smile.

"Perhaps, in a not-so-distant future, we will go to the Abyss ourselves to find him!"