Chapter 118: The Fox Girl’s Secret (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: The Fox Girl’s Secret (2)
In the beginning, I hadn't expected it at all.
Not when I first met everyone as a member of the Hero’s party, nor during the considerable time we spent traveling together afterward.
It was only natural.
Who could have ever imagined that a member of the Empire’s own Hero party would be someone who wielded demonic energy?
Even if she had never handled it directly, Yuliana—who had honed her skills at the Magic Tower, where demonic energy was at least treated as a subject of study—might have been able to sense a suspicious aura through her own efforts alone…
But even Aris, a member of the Irem Religious Order—a group that doesn't just study it as material but explores the very source of demonic energy—had never breathed a word about it.
Thus, the idea that a wielder of demonic energy existed within their own party was something Yuliana couldn't even fathom.
Above all, the issue of trust between party members was paramount.
Since they had to entrust their lives to one another at every moment, it was obvious that if that trust began to crack simply because of something like demonic energy, an uncontrollable rift would form.
Yuliana was certain that the wisest course of action was to pay no mind to anything that might sprout the seeds of doubt.
That was definitely what she had believed.
‘Yuliana, I have something to tell you privately. Do you have a moment?’
‘Huh? With me…?’
‘Yes. It’s something we need to discuss alone.’
‘Uh… if it’s that serious, it must be about magic or mana….’
‘It’s related to those, to some extent. Though the subject is a bit more… unsettling than either of them.’
‘……Okay. I’ll come to your room later when we have some free time.’
‘Thank you, Yuliana. I’ll be waiting.’
The way Aris had requested a private meeting with such an incredibly anxious expression, and the weight of her words, were more than enough to cultivate the very doubts Yuliana had feared.
‘Yuliana. Sihyeon is not going back to his hometown.’
‘What? Wasn't he going back as soon as we defeated the Demon King? We’re right at the doorstep of the Demon King’s Castle now. I was already getting ready to pack my bags and follow him, as long as Oppa gave me the word.’
‘There’s no need for that. Sihyeon will be staying in this world with us.’
‘Hmm. Aris, you were hiding something from me, weren't you?’
‘I’m sorry. I knew you held special feelings for Sihyeon, so I couldn't bring myself to tell you sooner.’
‘Uh… well. I don’t know what this secret is yet, but you can tell me, Aris. No matter how shocking it is, I don’t have the slightest intention of giving up on my feelings for Sihyeon Oppa.’
‘……My heart is heavy. Having to deliver this news….’
With a face full of sorrow, Aris hesitated for a long time, simply staring at Yuliana.
In that silence, Yuliana began to sense Aris’s genuine unease, and the gravity of the situation slowly started to sink in.
‘……Demonic energy?’
‘Yes. It has been confirmed that Sihyeon’s body contains demonic energy, presumably belonging to the Demon Race. At first, I thought he was a mere vessel… but that wasn't it.’
‘…Are you saying… that Sihyeon Oppa has the ability to produce demonic energy…?’
‘It is highly likely. The demonic energy within Sihyeon is moving in an increasingly dangerous direction as time passes. It is distinctly different from the reactions seen in those merely corrupted by demonic energy. Like you and me, Yuliana, we must assume that Sihyeon is amplifying the demonic energy through his own power.’
It was a devastating revelation.
Just before reaching the Demon King’s Castle, hearing the truth about Sihyeon’s secret nearly made Yuliana lose her mind.
Right before heading to Aris’s room, Yuliana had been doing what she always did—nestled in Sihyeon’s broad embrace, happily rubbing her face and breasts against him.
After basking in an overwhelming sense of bliss through that one-sided display of affection, she had gone to Aris’s room as promised.
To Yuliana, Sihyeon was a being whose mere presence brought happiness, yet the Saintess before her was now trying to shatter that happiness into pieces.
‘…Aris. Are you sure about this?’
‘…….’
‘If you’re doubting Sihyeon Oppa without even checking properly, I won’t be able to forgive you.’
‘…I know. I will tell you everything, everything you need to be convinced. So please, refrain from making a scene.’
From Yuliana’s perspective, it was only natural to feel a surging urge to melt this entire room with the mana filling her hands and shut the Saintess’s mouth forever.
Barely suppressing her rage, Yuliana dispelled her mana and began to listen to Aris’s detailed account of Sihyeon.
From the very first moment Aris began to suspect him, to all the hidden circumstances surrounding it.
By the end of it, Yuliana found she could no longer be angry at Aris.
‘Sihyeon Oppa’s demonic energy… was related to sexual desire…?’
‘Yes. As a normal human and not a member of the Demon Race, Sihyeon must have been desperate to suppress his urge to seek out the opposite sex at every moment.’
‘…….’
She had hugged him freely to express her affection, but during all those moments, Sihyeon had been fighting with all his might to hold back his desires.
Furthermore, the place Sihyeon originally came from was a world where neither mana nor divine power existed.
Upon hearing that if he returned home, his demonic energy would spiral out of control and put everyone in danger, Yuliana had no choice but to suggest the best solution she could think of to Aris.
She firmly believed that if she and Tower Master Sien combined their strength and drew upon all the mana of the Magic Tower, they could liberate Sihyeon from that cursed demonic energy.
Even if it meant sealing his power completely, she wanted to free him from the demonic energy.
However, Sihyeon’s demonic energy could not be resolved through simple means, and Aris only informed Yuliana of this fact after they had defeated the Demon King and returned to the Empire.
‘Yuliana. The demonic energy Sihyeon possesses is special. He is the only human born with the same demonic energy as the Demon King. Just like that Demon King who repeats a cycle of death and resurrection through a new mind and body, his body will regenerate new demonic energy at any time.’
‘…That’s just a theory from you and the Church. You’re going to imprison him forever for a reason like that? Are you actually serious?’
‘Why can’t you see the danger in this? Just as we have regarded every Demon King that has appeared as an enemy of the South, don’t you understand that a human harboring demonic energy must be treated the same way?’
‘……Do the others feel the same way?’
‘Yes. Just like last time, you are the last one to know.’
‘…This is truly disgusting. How… how can you treat someone we traveled with for years like this…?’
‘And what about you? Didn't you avoid contact with him yourself once you realized his demonic energy was linked to sexual desire?’
‘That was… that was only for his sake. I found out he had been forcing himself to endure his urges because of me, so how could I just go and throw myself into his arms?’
‘Perhaps. But even if you thought that, maybe deep down, you were wary of him.’
Aris and the others had no intention of changing their minds, so Yuliana left them for the sole purpose of saving Sihyeon.
And with the help of Pigeon, she intended to head straight for Sihyeon’s mansion.
‘It was exactly as you suspected, Yuliana. The mansion of the knight named Choi Sihyeon was filled with the lewd scent of males and females. Hearing words like "Master" and "Bitch" all day long, it seems he is using the women he brought into the house as fuck-holes.’
‘It seems my Oppa has already succumbed to the demonic energy….’
At first, Yuliana was almost certain that she would be sexually abused by Sihyeon.
Based on what Pigeon said, she could only conclude that he was treating women in a brutal manner.
Nevertheless, the reason she did not hesitate to head to the mansion where he stayed was simply because she knew well that such violence was the only way for his true demonic energy to manifest.
For Yuliana, who wanted to fully embrace the demonic energy Sihyeon was born with, the only thing she needed was to steel her heart to endure that harsh treatment until the end.
That was the plan, but with the emergence of several major variables, Yuliana’s plan underwent a significant change.