Chapter 225: Even If Not All Are Shining Gold (5)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: Even If Not All Are Shining Gold (5)[R-18]
Step— Step—
“....”
“....”
Elfriede followed a few paces behind Jeffrey, keeping a sharp eye on him as they trekked through the forest.
“...Thank you... for sparing... me...”
“Shut up and keep walking.”
When Jeffrey finally broke the long silence, Elfriede’s response was ice-cold.
“I-I mean it!... Since things have turned out like this, the Church will surely mark me as a Special-Class Subjugation Target... I’d rather be locked away in that World Tree prison you mentioned...”
“....”
Thwack—!
Before he could finish, Elfriede delivered a brutal kick to Jeffrey’s back, sending him sprawling.
“Hey...”
Elfriede looked down at him with chilling eyes, her voice a low warning.
“Don’t make me say it twice. Just shut the fuck up and walk. Don’t even answer me. Just nod if you understand.”
“....”
“...Fuck.”
“....”
Step— Step—
How much longer did they walk?
By the time they reached a part of the forest so dense that even the sky was hidden from view, Elfriede finally stopped.
“Haa... I seriously don’t get it. Why are you demon bastards suddenly crawling out and acting up after being quiet for so long?” she asked, letting out a deep sigh.
“....”
“Ignoring me now? Fine, let’s say the ‘Balance’ demon was one thing. But what kind of piece of shit are you to suddenly pop up like this?”
“...What do you want me to do? Didn’t you tell me not to answer just a moment ago?”
“Keep acting cute if you want to get beaten some more.”
Elfriede’s eyes flashed with a murderous glint.
“I... needed Estelle... that child. From the beginning, for the prosperity of the Black Dahlia Family, she was meant to—”
“Ugh, fuck. Stop with the bullshit. I wasn’t asking you anyway, so just keep your mouth shut.”
Elfriede cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“...What do you mean by that?”
“Forget it, you maggot. How long are you going to keep wearing that skin and pretending to be human? You’ve already devoured the insides.”
“....What?”
Jeffrey’s expression froze as if he couldn’t comprehend her words.
And then.
Crack—! Crunch—!
Jeffrey’s neck snapped at an impossible angle, slowly rotating a full three hundred and sixty degrees before returning to its original position.
“H-o-w did you knoooow?!”
The appearance was still Jeffrey’s, but the tone and atmosphere had shifted entirely.
The entity standing there was no longer a demon contractor, but the ‘Parasitic Demon’ itself.
“Tsk, stop the theatrics and give me a straight answer. Why are you demons running amok all of a sudden?”
“Yeeeeeess! I’ll tell yoooou!! Because the time has coooome!! The horn of the scales that lost its wings will soon rot and crumble awayyyyy!! Because it’s timeeee!!!”
“Fuck, what kind of gibberish is that? Speak clearly if you don’t want to die right now.”
“He—hehehehe!”
As Elfriede’s patience reached its limit and her brow furrowed, the Parasitic Demon let out an even more grotesque laugh.
Rip—! Tear—!
Suddenly, Jeffrey’s skin began to tear in various places, and dark red, leech-like insects came wriggling out, falling to the ground.
“Ugh... fuck, that’s disgusting.”
Watching the scene, Elfriede spat on the ground.
“Honestly, it was impressiveeee! Handling four high spirits of different attributes at onceeeee!! But as expected, you’re toooooo!! Young!! You lack the experience to deal with a demonnnnn!”
The Parasitic Demon mocked her.
“You should have finished me off when you had the chanceeeee!! Thank yoooou! For your pointless mercy!! Thanks to you bringing me all the way here, I can do thiiiiis!!!”
“...Fine. If you’re that desperate to die, I’ll kill you now.”
Whirrrr—!
Elfriede’s expression hardened, and her released mana began to swirl violently.
However, the Parasitic Demon merely clapped its hands, appearing even more delighted.
“Too lateeeee!! It’s no use trying to kill me nowwww! While being dragged here, I’ve released enough of my children throughout the forest—!”
“...You.”
Sizzle—!
The Parasitic Demon’s mouth tore open from ear to ear in a manic grin.
“Laaaaast! Questioooon! Did you think I was just babbling and giving you information for freeeee? The aaaanswer! Was to buy tiiiiime!! Yes! Yes! Yessss!! Thank you for being so stupiiiiid! Thanks to you, I’ve bought enough time to bring my true body hereeeee!!”
“True... body? You brought your true body?”
“Yeeeeeess! You’re stupid, but your talent is exceptional!! I’ll specially make you the host for my true bodyyyyy!”
In that instant, Elfriede’s frozen expression shifted into one of sheer disbelief, and she let out a short, mocking laugh.
“Pfft... You dumbass... You loser... Is it really this easy? Well... I did use myself as bait, after all.”
“What did you sayyyyy?”
“Are you deaf? I called you a dumbass.”
Elfriede shrugged her shoulders and continued to draw up her mana.
“I told yoooou! It’s uselessssss!!! No matter how much mana you haveeee...?”
Something...
Something was wrong.
He had known she was a genius since she summoned four high spirits...
But the mana Elfriede was radiating now far surpassed the level of a mere ‘genius.’
Vroooom—!
The forest seemed to scream under the weight of the endless mana pouring out of her.
—Snap
Elfriede extended her index, middle, and ring fingers toward the Parasitic Demon.
“Reason number one why you’re a dumbass. You dropping those disgusting bugs? I noticed from the very start. You dropped the first one when you pretended to trip, right? And you dropped six more after that.”
“....”
“Second. You weren’t buying time; I was letting you take it. Just like you said, I wanted you to bring your true body here. I threw the bait, and you bit down hard.”
“....”
“And third. This is the most important part...”
Elfriede folded her index and ring fingers, leaving only her middle finger extended toward the Parasitic Demon.
“I might look like a Genius Beauty High Elf... but I don’t have the kind of personality that hands out mercy. Got it, you maggot?”
To be honest, Elfriede hated everything about this situation.
Especially the fact that her future husband had ended up in such a mess because of some other girl, especially so soon after he had kissed her.
‘Haa... But if Senior Ian had just run away by himself... tsk, I would’ve hated that too. Fuck.’
Fine, she admitted it.
At first, she had been attracted to Ian’s looks, which made even High Elves look plain.
But when did it start?
When did she fall even deeper for that reckless, frustratingly foolish, yet upright and kind side of him?
...Of course, falling for him for those reasons didn't make her feel any less pissed off.
But what could she do?
As an adult, there were things you had to do, no matter how much they sucked.
“....”
Shiver—!!
From the silent gaze Elfriede leveled at it, the Parasitic Demon felt an instinctive, primal fear of death.
‘...D-Dangerousssss!!’
Realizing something had gone horribly wrong, the Parasitic Demon tried to split its body and flee...
“Ifrit.”
[Indeed.]
As Elfriede softly called the name, the Spirit King of Fire, Ifrit, manifested with an overwhelming heat that seemed to warp space itself.
“Howwwwww?! I didn’t hear about thiiiiis!!!”
[How many centuries has it been? You disgusting parasite. You’re as loathsome now as you were then.]
Grip—!! Sizzle—!
As Ifrit seized the Parasitic Demon by the throat, the sound of searing flesh echoed along with rising heat.
[Back then, we were in the middle of a town, so I had no choice but to let you go... But look closely at where we are now. There is nowhere for your filthy brood to spread!]
“Noooooo!! Let gooooo!! I don’t want to die like thiiiii—!!”
Whoosh—!
Pure flames of purification incinerated the Parasitic Demon, leaving not even ash behind.
The tiny insects that had spread throughout the forest were simultaneously burned out of existence.
[That was tedious, you parasite. Hahaha!]
As Ifrit burst into laughter, Elfriede narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Hey. I’m only asking because I’m worried it might revive, but you definitely killed... it, right? You burned all those things it was leaking earlier, too?”
[...Who do you take me for? Do not worry. I have bestowed the baptism of fire upon every last one of them. I feel like burning down the World Tree itself and spreading the Red Revolution right now. Hahahaha!]
The next day, at the Church’s infirmary.
I leaned against the bed and stroked the hair of the sleeping Yuris.
‘Waaaaah...! M-Master...! Waaaaah...!’
I recalled Yuris’s words from yesterday, how she had sobbed uncontrollably while hugging me after I regained consciousness.
She said she had taken a nap because she felt strangely drowsy, and she had a very ominous and terrible dream.
She couldn’t remember the details of the dream, but she had a powerful premonition that something awful had happened, so she ran to the Church blindly.
And just then, Frederica had arrived at the Church with me, who was on the verge of death.
‘...It seems Lady Ellis must have lent a hand.’
I gave a bitter smile.
I was always sorry and grateful to Lady Ellis.
Thanks to her calling Yuris at the perfect time, my body was able to recover completely.
‘...And Lady Frederica, too.’
Frederica had also received treatment for her eyes from Yuris... but she hadn't regained her sight.
Yuris told me that while the ‘Healing’ itself was perfect, eyes that had already been consumed by a ‘demon’ could not be restored.
‘It’s okay!! I walk around with my eyes covered like this anyway! Besides, doesn’t it look cool, like I have heterochromia? Fufufu!’
Frederica, who had spoken with a forced, bright smile, immediately returned to the residence, saying she was worried about Estelle.
I wanted to go with her right away, but Yuris had clung to me, crying hysterically, so I had no choice but to stay.
[Author: UseNiceWordsOnly■] = [Elfriede Karleya]
[Kyahaha! Finally burned that fucking bug to death lolololol!][1]
“I’m glad everyone is safe this time, but...”
I looked out the window and let out a deep sigh.
‘...I need power.’
Until now, I had never particularly craved power.
I hadn't felt the need for it.
I had been taught by Lord Robert while staying with the Marigold Family, and I vaguely thought that would be enough to protect my woman.
But I was wrong.
I was pathetically powerless.
One could argue that I was just an academy student, so how could I possibly defeat a demon that once ruled the Dark Age? That the opponent was simply too strong.
But those words were no excuse.
What was the point of power if it couldn't even protect my woman just because the enemy was strong?
Clench—
...So, I had to obtain it.
The power to protect those precious to me, no matter who the opponent might be.