Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Enemy Night
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I blankly blink at the Foreseer.
It takes quite a while to understand what he just said.
“...What?”
“Kill the thing inside the Tristan Duchess. It’s not a bad deal for you either, right?”
“...”
Seeing him say it so casually, it doesn’t seem like I misheard.
“What are you thinking, saying that?”
“...”
If a guy who knows nothing about demons spouted this, I could chalk it up to ignorance.
But there’s no way this guy doesn’t know about demons. It’s obvious from everything he’s done so far.
“...”
If anything.
More often than not, he gives off the vibe that he knows far more about them than I do, who only has game knowledge.
As if he’s experienced them firsthand.
“Demons can be killed. You know that, right?”
“...”
Just from him saying things like that.
He’s right, of course. The final boss in Sera being the Gray Devil proves they’re clearable entities.
If you meet the conditions, you can kill them too.
As I silently glare at him, he shrugs and continues.
“What you’re trying to protect are the ‘vessels’ near you, not the demons themselves, right?”
And then.
He casually hits the nail on the head.
He knows exactly why I’m always twisting my body in preparation for approaching threats—the core principle behind my actions.
“You think demons are just parasites clinging to those vessels? Ultimately, they’ll only bring harm to the material world.”
“...”
“Because of you... the vessels, the hero, everything isn’t going the way you planned. I’m giving you the option to steer the ‘story’ in the direction you want. Shouldn’t you be grateful?”
I stare at him silently for a long time.
Then, with a sigh, I open my mouth again.
“...Why do you want to kill the Gray Devil?”
Thinking about it, this guy has always had a particular obsession with Elnor.
In the Crucible of Conflict, he even tried to use the entire chapter boss to divert my attention and kill her.
“What are you going to do with the reason?”
He responds to my words with a voice laced with laughter.
A laugh thick with mockery: ‘What can you even do in this situation anyway?’
“You can’t use the holy sword, the demon vessels won’t perfectly help you, and the opponent is a three-fragment vessel. What other choice do you have besides accepting the deal—”
“I.”
Cut him off with a flat voice.
“Asked you ‘why’ you want to kill the demon.”
“...”
“It’s weird. For you, of all people, to say something like that.”
At my words, the Foreseer falls silent.
For the first time, a crack appears in the relaxed demeanor he’s maintained until now.
“You said others changed because of me.”
This guy.
He claimed that Eliya, Elnor, and everyone else was affected by the butterfly effect I caused.
“But you’ve changed too, no matter how I look at it.”
“...”
I continue speaking to the silent man.
In fact, there are quite a few odd things about his actions so far.
His title is the leader of the demon ‘worshippers.’ In the original game, his path was solely focused on resurrecting them.
He’s still scheming in the shadows like before, but openly tempting me to kill a demon is worlds apart from the original Foreseer.
And if my guess is right.
There’s a very simple, fundamental reason for that difference.
“You.”
I continue calmly.
“You weren’t originally the ‘Foreseer,’ were you?”
I feel his breath hitch for a moment.
His reaction shows I’ve hit the mark dead on.
“How you ended up in that position, I don’t know. There are too many possible scenarios. But.”
I can picture him staring with wide eyes beneath the mask.
The atmosphere, the air, my skin can feel his shock that much.
“But you’re not the ‘original,’ are you?”
“...”
In some way, this guy ousted the ‘original Foreseer’ of this world and took his place.
He’s not someone who existed in this world from the start—he’s one of the elements changed by my possession into this world.
“...”
And, with high probability.
This guy is someone I know.
I don’t know who yet, but.
“...Anyway, back to the point.”
I let out a sigh and say.
“For now, I’m rejecting the idea of killing the demon.”
“...Why? Do you have a way to break out of this situation?”
“Honestly, no.”
I have a rough idea why he’s making this offer.
Probably.
In the future, I definitely get into serious trouble because of one of the demons.
Sullivan showed it, and so has this guy.
They’ve shown pathological wariness toward ‘other demons’ multiple times.
However.
“You said earlier that what I want to protect are just the ‘vessels,’ not the demons themselves.”
They claimed those beings harm the material world just by existing.
That’s true.
Their presence is so overwhelming that the world twists just from them manifesting. Recall what Elnor with two fragments could do—that’s proof enough.
But.
“Don’t demons have personalities too?”
“...Pardon?”
To the bewildered Foreseer, I continue calmly.
“They think, have memories, feel emotions. They act like people. Right?”
“...”
“All of them, without exception, seem to like me.”
If that’s the case.
Then I have something to say.
“Then they’re all my women too.”
“...”
I can feel the Foreseer’s jaw drop in disbelief from here.
I grin at him and add.
“So don’t touch them. Or I’ll kill you.”
Silence.
The silence stretches on.
The Foreseer stares at me wordlessly, purely dumbfounded, without anger or absurdity.
[Hey. Boy King. Old man. Wake up!]
[Wha, wha, what? What’s going on?]
[Time to clap together! This playboy’s hitting peak shamelessness!]
“...”
Caliban.
Please.
Shut up.
“...So.”
Leaving the dazed Foreseer be, I look at the window that pops up in front of me.
It’s about time.
[System Message]
[ Updating Main Quest! ]
[ Entering the chapter’s final branch! ]
[Quest Info]
[ Main Quest ]〖 Chapter 4 - Enemy Night 〗
[ Stop the rampage of the ‘Red Devil’! ]
“For now, I’ll somehow manage.”
No teeth? Use the gums.
Time to twist my body, as always.
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“...So.”
Eliya awkwardly opens her mouth and looks around.
In fact, until just moments ago, she’d been in quite a depressed state.
Rejected as the holy sword’s master, she’d spent the whole day holed up in her dorm room, steeped in gloom. Fortunately or unfortunately, she no longer had the luxury for that.
Because.
“Why did everyone come here...?”
She said it in a trembling voice, but no one properly answered her.
Elnor. Liru. Seras...
Every single one of them looked familiar from somewhere.
‘...All of them are demon vessels...!’
With all these people gathered in the room, faces stiff and tense, the air is incredibly heavy.
“What are you all even...!”
“Well, they’re all preparing, so don’t be too harsh.”
The words came from Elnor, who was perched on the sofa polishing her sword.
She seemed a bit more relaxed, but she still looked rigidly tense all the same.
“...Preparing? For what?”
“...No ghost came to you?”
Ghost?
What nonsense is this?
As Eliya thought that with a baffled expression, Elnor just shrugged.
“Well, if you don’t know, fine. Fewer competitors is better anyway.”
“...”
The other women nearby didn’t speak, but they nodded in agreement.
Their stiff expressions and subtle nods confirmed it.
“No, but why barge into my room...!”
“...Probably because you’re the only one they feel somewhat comfortable with. Seems they think this is the only place to kill time.”
“...Pardon?”
“Look at them. Not a single same-year friend among them—just a parade of social disasters.”
“...”
“You’re the only one they can casually talk to.”
“...”
It’s true.
Is poor sociality a requirement for being a demon vessel or something?
“I don’t get what’s going on...”
Of course, that doesn’t excuse them barging in without any explanation.
Especially.
Some of them look particularly serious.
“...”
Eliya looked worriedly at Yuria, quietly sitting in the corner of the room.
Since the last time Dawood got her caught up and she lost consciousness, this was practically their first encounter.
Outwardly, she seemed fine. As always, quiet, not drawing attention, just watching those around her.
But.
To her, with the Eye of Truth.
To her, who could pierce through a target’s ‘essence.’
Her exact condition was visible.
‘...She’s practically suicidal.’
She’s hollow.
The girl who once timidly faced the world straight-on now flickers like a candle in the wind.
“...”
That only makes it more curious.
What is a girl in this state even ‘waiting’ for by showing up here?
“At least give me a hint—”
Eliya tried to continue, but.
She didn’t need to hear the full explanation.
Before she could finish the sentence.
-!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A massive flame erupted.
Accompanied by a roar that seemed to tear the night apart, echoing everywhere.
“It’s starting.”
As Elnor said it in a low voice.
Eliya stared out the window at the rising pillar of fire, her eyes shaking.
No doubt about it.
A scene she remembered seeing before.
“...Enemy Night?”
The night sky.
Was dyed red with flames.
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