Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Black Evil Spirit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jade opened his eyes to find himself once again in front of Baifel's temple.
'Why am I..., here?'
Jade pushed himself up and scanned his surroundings. His head throbbed as if it might split open, and his entire body ached like he'd been beaten with a club.
His memories were all there. Opening the temple wall and going inside, meeting the little demon and the big one, and finally freeing the chains that pinned the red-haired boy to the ground.
As his senses returned, pain came crashing after. His nape, bitten by the little demon who claimed to be Baifel's loyal servant, hurt the most. The gashes from scraping rocks and falling were still there. Red sand grated in his mouth, and his knee joints wouldn't straighten properly.
The entrance to Baifel's temple was exactly as it had been when he first entered. The only difference was that it had been morning then, and now the sun was heading west in the afternoon.
Jade dragged his hips around to face the direction where the temple entrance loomed directly ahead. He could barely sit without leaning against the wall.
"Book..."
Jade fumbled in his bosom and looked around frantically. The book was right beside him. Buried naturally in the sand, as if it had been an artifact lying there for a hundred years.
Jade brushed off the red sand and clutched the entire book in his hands. Amid all that chaos, not a single corner was torn, and the leather cover was completely undamaged.
Before Jade could even think how fortunate that was, a group of burly men approached him.
Jade tried to stand, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Even slight movements made his head spin and his stomach churn like he might vomit. Forcing it made his vision go dark for a moment.
When his sight cleared, so many men surrounded him that he couldn't count them. They wore cloths or hoods wrapped around their heads and faces. Their skin was deeply tanned brown, proving they were desert dwellers.
One man pulled off the mask covering his face and barked a question.
"Who are you?"
While Jade hesitated to answer, a group on horseback galloped up from afar, kicking up dust as they joined the encirclement. This was no different from a small army.
"Look me straight in the eye and answer! What's your name?"
The man bellowed.
Jade looked up at him and forced his mouth open.
"Uh, I, I'm..."
"Is that looking me straight? Can't you lower your head!"
The man bellowed again.
Jade, unsure which rhythm to follow, bowed his head. Backlighting made only the outline of his face visible anyway.
"I'll ask again. Your name?"
"Where is this place?"
Jade mumbled something irrelevant, pretending to be dazed. He really was dazed. Still, his survival instinct told him not to give his real name.
"This bastard's been pissing me off from the start!"
The man grabbed Jade by the collar and demanded.
"You went in and out of the temple, right? We saw it all."
"Yes."
"Where's the treasure you took from there?"
"Treasure? What..."
Before he could finish, a sword flew through the air. The blade halted at Jade's brow.
"Stabbing your eye won't kill you. But most spit out the truth after. Tell me before that. Lift your face! I said look at my eyes!"
He shouted.
Jade swallowed hard and asked.
"Are you telling me to speak while looking at your face, or not to look?"
"Have you ever seen such a moron? Can't you understand human speech? Did I tell you to look at my eyes or not?"
"You did."
"Then look!"
"Didn't you just say not to?"
"This fucker's been dodging since earlier?"
Afraid he'd stab in anger, Jade gave the answer he wanted first.
"I went into the temple. But I don't know how I got out."
"That's what we were wondering. We were guarding the entrance you went in, so how did you come out?"
"I don't know that either. Why am I here?"
The man frowned and released Jade's collar. Already weak, Jade collapsed in a heap.
"The treasure?"
He asked again.
"There was no treasure."
"Don't lie. Then why did you go into the temple?"
"Not for treasure."
"Then what did you do in there to end up like this?"
"I rolled on the floor, fell off cliffs, drowned in puddles."
Order gradually emerged from the chaos. First, this man with the turban pointing a sword at him was one of the thugs who had chased him when he dashed into the temple. His voice sounded familiar.
What are you hesitating for, shoot!
"And after that? That bite mark on your shoulder. Not from a fall, I assume?"
He pressed on.
To Jade, that single sword blade was more terrifying than the black darkness of the evil spirit.
"Uh..., I met a demon." Jade replied weakly.
'Now he'll mock me plenty.'
Jade braced for jeers and shouts not to lie. Instead, the mocking gazes vanished, replaced by wary glares.
The man frisked Jade lightly with his free hand. He lifted torn clothes, grabbed Jade's chin to inspect his face from both sides. Then he snatched the book, flipping through it briefly.
"Guess we start the questions from the beginning."
The man squatted to meet Jade's eye level and asked.
"When you first appeared, you saw us and ran right away? Why? Hiding something?"
He prodded Jade's chest with the book's corner, demanding an answer.
"Why'd you run? Huh?"
"Anyone would've run in that situation. You started shooting arrows out of nowhere—should I have stood still?"
"When did I?"
Jade found conversing with this man increasingly exhausting.
Jade sighed, and the man asked again.
"How'd you open the temple wall?"
"With some kind of code."
"Can you open it again?"
"I can. But I don't want to."
"Why? Left the treasure near the entrance?"
"I've said it a million times—I didn't go in for treasure."
"Then why did you go?"
Jade gave up.
"To meet an angel."
The man burst out laughing. The men around him laughed in unison.
Jade waited for the laughter to die down and asked.
"Strange. You didn't laugh at demons, but angels make you crack up?"
The man slapped Jade's cheek with the book.
Left cheek, right cheek, head, neck... Jade took the hits defenselessly as the man kept striking and spoke.
"I'll explain. You went into the temple for treasure. Got caught by us. Couldn't come back out normally, so you snuck away somehow and hid the treasure inside the door. Planning to grab it after we leave or come back later."
He flung the book at Jade's face last. It hit his nose bridge and fell to the ground.
"I don't know how you reached that conclusion, but I told the truth and..."
Jade clutched his nose to speak, but the man kicked his chest, silencing him.
"Shut up and get inside. Open the door."
Jade coughed and asked.
"You're going in there?"
The man smirked as if he'd uncovered Jade's secret.
"Worried about losing your treasure already? Up. Open the door."
"I can't do that."
Jade shook his head.
The man nodded, and others hauled Jade up. Legs powerless, he rose as they lifted and was dragged along. No chance to grab the fallen book.
"So what treasure is it? Holy Grail?"
He was convinced Jade had hidden treasure and was now imagining what it might be. No point arguing further.
'Franco was like this, and so is this guy—why won't anyone believe me? Is my speech unconvincing? Looks like I'm done for.'
Jade gave up.
Opening the wall might unleash that unknown demon upon the world. Refusing meant torture or death by this man. Glancing at the thugs dragging him, even a painless death was too much to hope for.
The mounted men waited outside on horseback, while about five dragged Jade inside.
The temple interior was dark. Morning light had reached far in when Jade entered at dawn, but now in the evening, shadows cloaked the entrance, thickening the gloom.
The man who'd interrogated Jade shouted into the temple.
"Paul! Who told you to put out the fire?"
Next, the man holding Jade's arm yelled.
"Paul! Can't you hear the vice-leader Pendail?"
Pendail's voice echoed first, then the other's overlapped, creating a long reverberation.
Silence fell over the dim temple shortly after.
Pendail and his men's confident strides slowed as they went deeper.
'How did I climb up here?'
Jade revisited his first question, recalling events just before passing out.
'I freed that chained red-haired boy, and he said he'd kill me. So I should be dead now. But I'm alive. Unless he changed his mind and didn't kill me, he must still be underground.'
Jade pulled his memory further back.
'That thing in the temple had no form. Usually, that's an evil spirit type. Maybe it took over my body. God forbid, am I the evil spirit now?'
Jade panicked belatedly but shook his head.
'No way. If an evil spirit possesses you, you die. No way I'd retain my mind.'
Jade and the men reached the temple's end. The wall that should have been sealed stood wide open to both sides.
Jade was stunned. Much of his memory was gone, but he remembered nothing about opening the wall.
Pendail was stunned too.
"When did this open? Did you do it?"
Pendail turned to Jade. Jade shook his head.
Another thief said.
"It was closed until just now."
"Where the hell is Paul?"
Pendail demanded.
One subordinate approached the open wall.
"Here he is. Hey, Paul!"
The thief named Paul squatted in an odd position on the floor. An extinguished torch lay beside him.
"If you're there, answer! The vice-leader's calling you."
His voice rang through the temple and into the tunnel beyond.
"Hey, why'd you put out the fire?"
The approaching man shoved Paul's head with his hand.
Paul's head lolled limply aside. It seemed about to collapse, but then it tilted and he rose smoothly from his spot.
Jade got chills just from watching him stand.
Paul had risen without bracing with hands or feet. Like a puppet jerked upright by strings.
The man who'd shoved Paul realized something was off belatedly and backed up a couple steps. Pride kept him from retreating further.
With his neck twisted, Paul spoke.
"I can come out now. The contract's over."
Pendail said in an angry tone.
"Paul, what the hell are you saying?"
Paul said only what he wanted.
"My contract lasted until that noisy one was freed. He just got freed. Means I can go."
Jade whispered midway through his words.
"We need to run. That's the demon I met under the tunnel."
Pendail glared and said.
"Don't talk nonsense! That's no demon—it's Paul. I know his brother, what he eats, what kind of women he likes."
"The Paul you know is probably dead by now."
Paul staggered forward, muttering.
"But I can't go out in light. Need a body. Not this weak one—something stronger!"
Blood poured from Paul's nose like water.
"Gotta switch."
Jade pleaded lowly to Pendail.
"Let me go. I need my book!"
The thing hadn't adapted to Paul's body yet—its steps were slow. If he ran now for the book outside, he could grab it. But the man holding him didn't release, and Pendail ignored him.
Paul looked at Jade, not Pendail, and said.
"Strange. How'd you get out? Where's that noisy little one?"
Paul headed straight for Jade.
Jade shouted to Pendail.
"It's a demon! Can't you tell from that? We have to get out!"
Paul flailed his hand to grab a sword.
"Ah, no book on you now. Good for me."
It was aimed precisely at Jade, but to Pendail, it looked like his subordinate turning on him.
Pendail pointed his sword at Paul.
"Whether possessed by a demon or gone mad, daring to point a blade at me is unforgivable."
Paul grinned.
"You the boss of this body?"
"Seen a more clueless bastard? I'm not just your boss—I'm the ruler of the Red Desert."
"Since when did a nobody like you rule the Red Desert?"
Pendail closed in instantly, stabbing Paul's heart dead center. Paul's body buckled forward as the blade pierced through his back.
Pendail twisted the blade while embedded. Bones cracked.
"Look closely. Anyone who rebels against me ends up like..."
As Pendail opened his mouth for a speech, Paul seized the hand that stabbed his chest. Bones snapped with a crunch.
Pendail reflexively dropped the sword and tried to pull back, but couldn't shake free.
Paul opened his mouth wide near Pendail's face. Black smoke poured from Paul's mouth, engulfing Pendail's face.
"Argh!"
Pendail screamed.
Paul, sword still in his chest, collapsed forward after expelling the smoke. Pendail finally broke free, flailing at the smoke covering his face with both hands.
"Ugh! What is this? Arrrgh!"
Pendail thrashed wildly, but the smoke clung, gradually sucked into his nose and mouth.
His flailing slowed. His men realized things were wrong and backed away stealthily.
The one holding Jade released him and retreated.
The black smoke fully entered Pendail's body. Moments later, he raised his head, rubbing his nape. His eyes were pitch black, no whites.
Using Pendail's voice, it said.
"This body's better."
Jade bolted for the temple exit without looking back.
'That thing didn't kill Pendail—it took his body. Not a lesser demon!'
Thieves' screams echoed behind as Jade ran, not turning to check, eyes fixed ahead.
As Jade burst out, mounted thieves waiting blocked the path.
"Huh? Why're you the only one out?"
Jade yelled desperately.
"Run!"
But they ignored him, raising swords at Jade.
"Where do you think you're..."
Then Pendail dashed out. Without question or answer, he slashed the thieves on horseback.
Heads thudded beside Jade. No screams this time.
Three headless bodies, three headless torsos tumbled late from the horses. So sudden, the horses didn't even startle, staying put.
Jade, stunned, froze at the entrance, collapsing. The book was twenty paces away, but he couldn't even think of reaching it.
The demon in Pendail's body stood midway there. Given its speed, it'd catch Jade instantly. Knowing the book's power, it wouldn't let him read it freely.
'I didn't survive by luck. It let some live.'
Jade swallowed and asked, steeling himself before headless corpses.
"Why spare me?"
"Got questions."
Pendail slapped his bloody sword on his palm as he approached—not the flat or side, but the edge, slicing his palm each time, blood spraying. He didn't care.
"Where's that guy from the temple?"
"Don't know."
"Doesn't sound like a lie."
"Cause it isn't."
Jade sighed in reply.
'Same face, same pattern of questions again.'
The demon wearing Pendail's face asked.
"What was that guy?"
"You don't know? Looks like you were stuck in the same space for centuries."
"He claimed to be an angel. But I've seen angels. They don't look like that."
"True, he looked more like a human boy to me."
Jade agreed and asked.
"Then let me ask instead. Why was a demon like you watching that boy?"
"Watching? Did I ever say I was watching?"
"You were in that cave together. If not watching, what?"
"My condition was just being there."
"Not killing, not guarding, not watching—just being there? ...Why?"
At Jade's question, Pendail scowled.
"You don't know either?"
Pendail didn't reply, just rubbed his nose. When he pulled his hand away, blood trickled. Then it gushed like from a pitcher, black blood.
"Who ordered that?"
Jade asked.
"Shut up."
Pendail gave up staunching the blood and continued.
"Forgot how long since possessing a human body. Remember now. Bodies with strong minds or magic resist better than strong ones."
Pendail lifted his blood-soaked face to Jade.
"Like yours."
Pendail grabbed Jade's collar, yanking him up, and opened his mouth. Black smoke billowed out, enveloping Jade's face instantly.
Jade turned his head aside, holding his breath. But the smoke forced its way into his mouth and nostrils like a living thing.
Then—ping! A sharp sound rang out. Followed by a thud! as Jade dropped.
Pendail's hand, severed at the forearm, still clutched his collar.
Jade panicked, prying at it, but it wouldn't budge.
Pendail staggered back, spraying blood. The black smoke over Jade's face sucked back into his mouth.
Startled horses kicked up sand clouds fleeing, obscuring vision momentarily. Pendail crouched warily, waiting for it to settle.
Between Jade and Pendail lay iron chains, marking the boundary. They'd severed Pendail's arm—not a sword, but chains.
The chains writhed like snakes back toward the valley.
There stood a boy with long red hair down to his waist.