Gate Exploration (5)
Blood dripped. The warm heat flowing down my hand told me it hadn't been long since it spilled. There was no pain. No wound, either. Because this blood belonged to the enemy. The blood flowing from the enemy's heart traveled along my sword and up my arm.
“Your Highness the Prince.”
“Oh, if it isn't Sir Ransil!”
A man with dark black hair and green eyes greeted the knight who had just entered with a friendly smile.
“Please wipe the blood off.”
“Thank you. As expected, Sir Ransil has excellent taste.”
A white handkerchief turned red with blood. Zodia looked at the person he had just killed and asked Ransil,
“Sir Ransil, do you know why this man died?”
“I do not, Your Highness.”
“Because he coveted the blood of the imperial family. How dare he try to step into a place beyond his station? Really, even thinking about it again, my kindness in ending things so cleanly might be my only flaw.”
Was he truly kind? There was no one in this space who could answer that question. Ransil kept silent because he served this lord, and the only other person remaining here had just met his death at Zodia's hands.
“Ah, no need to clean up the corpse.”
Shhhshhhshhh.
“My star just said it's hungry.”
Something long and sinuous extended from Ransil's shadow and swallowed the corpse whose breath had only just been cut off.
Crunch. Crack.
At the gruesome, eerie sound, Ransil closed his eyes. Zodia continued smiling at him as he spoke.
“Sir Ransil? I'd like you to handle the remaining cleanup soon.”
“Understood.”
“I always trust you. I believe you'll handle this matter cleanly as well.”
“I will definitely repay Your Highness's trust.”
“Mm. Then I'll be on my way.”
Once Ransil left, the room fell quiet. Zodia sat in a nearby chair and said,
“So, what brings you to contact me?”
[Zodia Sun Reinhardt]
“How dare you utter the name of an imperial prince so casually.”
Halpas has manifested.
Zodia's body froze mid-joke. Then his eyes sparkled with intense interest as he spoke.
“Halpas, huh. Wasn't the one you contracted with a Chaos executive?”
[That's right. An assassin named Bell Artos.]
“Haha! You remember properly. It was a case where the contractor couldn't properly meet their demon. But to have manifested a demon, the situation must have been extremely urgent.”
Calling forth a demon was essentially one's final self-destruct button. In other words, it meant the man named Bell Artos was as good as dead.
“Location?”
[The Academy.]
“The Academy? Don't tell me he fought the headmaster.”
The Academy's headmaster. If it was that monster, it made sense that Bell Artos would have needed to summon Halpas. In fact, Zodia almost wanted to applaud the fact that Halpas had successfully descended without the manifestation process being interrupted.
[We don't know that much either.]
“So you didn't come all the way here just to tell me that one thing.”
[The preparations are complete.]
“Meaning?”
[We begin the full-scale 'Star Hunt'.]
Star Hunt. At those words, Zodia's body trembled. How long he had waited for this moment. As if sharing his emotions, the shadows writhed.
“Ah, my. Is it because it's the moment I've been waiting for? I can't control my emotions.”
[Thirteenth Star, you haven't forgotten the contract between you and us, have you?]
“Of course not. If there's anything you desire, speak without hesitation.”
They had done their utmost for what Zodia wanted. Therefore, it was only proper that Zodia spare no support for what they desired.
[Halpas has not yet arrived in the Demon Realm. In other words, it means the demon is still in this world.]
“Oh? Is a demon named Halpas such a great being?”
[For all that, it is one of the 72 demons.]
“But it wouldn't be able to face the headmaster alone.”
[That is also true. However, since Halpas is still here, we will make a slight modification to our plan.]
Modifying the original plan. That meant the current situation was better than the original plan. Zodia closed his mouth, signaling them to continue.
[We will first retrieve the star of the Libra constellation that we had postponed.]
“Oh, you have that much confidence?”
[The mere fact that Halpas is still here gives all demons stronger power than before. If we use the Chaos bastards, we should be able to hunt even a mage who possesses the Libra star.]
Originally, retrieving the Libra star had been a later matter. But the existence of Halpas had advanced that task considerably.
“It's just one demon's presence. Is it truly feasible?”
[Yes. If you're that uneasy, you can just provide support from the rear.]
“Thank you. Then I'll diligently provide support from behind.”
Anyone else might have suggested joining them upon hearing that, but Zodia was different. Since the plan wasn't fully confirmed yet, he would observe from the back.
'The fact that the Star Hunt preparations are complete was suspicious anyway. I'll use this opportunity to make a judgment.'
Zodia was cautious and cunning. Therefore, he didn't fully believe others' words, always doubted them, and confirmed their truth from behind the scenes.
“Then I'll look forward to it.”
[Just make sure your support is solid.]
“Don't worry. When it comes to the Star Hunt, I won't spare any support whatsoever.”
So please, bring me results.
Zodia closed his eyes, thinking of their first prey this time—the mage who possessed the Libra star. A woman who dared to wield a star without a drop of imperial blood. How irritating.
“Hehe. I truly hope you succeed. From the bottom of my heart.”
Because the power of stars should only be passed down to the imperial family.
“Hoo.”
I had ultimately succeeded properly. I looked down at Lemegeton, which was glowing with satisfaction, and checked the power I had gained through Halpas.
Demonization ver. Goetia
Type: Skill
Description: For a limited time, shed your human vessel and manifest a demon's body.
- All stats increase by 10 for each of the 72 demons sealed.
As expected, my body couldn't fully accept a demon's power. Instead of handing over its power directly, Goetia had chosen to supply it through the skill called Demonization.
'Looks like I can't transform freely.'
True to the name Demonization, it was a skill that turned me into a demon. Obviously, if anyone saw this power, I'd immediately be marked by the Church.
'There is a solution, though.'
But obtaining it would require going quite far…
-Hmph, to think you sealed one of the 72 demons.
-Is this that thing? The grimoire Lemegeton. I heard the 72 demons burned it, yet you somehow obtained it.
Cheonma and Hoya showed great interest in the fact that I had defeated Halpas and in the method—using the ancient artifact known as Lemegeton. Hoya in particular stuck close, trying to touch Lemegeton or flip through its pages to check the contents.
Well, without my permission as its owner, the book wouldn't reveal its contents to others, so it was all in vain.
'But Goetia's efficiency is way too low.'
While watching Cheonma and Hoya's admiration, I was inwardly experiencing great disappointment at Goetia's underwhelming results. I had definitely obtained Halpas's name, seal, power, authority, and even its soul. Yet what I gained through Goetia was merely a 10-point stat increase from Demonization.
It wasn't that a 10-point stat increase was weak. If I obtained all 72 demons, it would result in a ridiculous total increase of 720 to all stats. 720 might sound modest, but considering that the stat limit for anyone short of a Transcendent was 100, simply hunting demons could qualify one as a Transcendent.
Of course, the immediate reward felt quite lacking, but thinking about the future, it was more than satisfactory.
“Shall we wrap things up now?”
Since we'd come this far, it was time to clear the gate and finish up. Everyone nodded in agreement at my words and looked toward the path split into five branches far ahead.
-We lost time dealing with the demon. If we don't resolve this quickly, the kids waiting behind might come to help you.
-But there are demonic beasts at the end of every path. Which one is the correct answer?
All of them were correct answers. These five branching paths essentially had no real choice. Because of the choices presented so far, people would rack their brains at the end with extreme fear and wariness. Yet no matter which path they chose, they would all reach the same destination.
“How vicious.”
To think they were trying to drain even a little more of everyone's stamina like this.
Crackle.
[Hey Zeon! Where are you right now?!]
Just as I was about to move to defeat the final boss, static crackled from my watch, followed by Mir's voice.
I must have taken too long. “Ah, I'll be back soon.”
[Where are you? You're not in danger, right?]
“If I were, I wouldn't be answering the call like this.”
“Yeah. I'm glad you're safe.”
Huh? That last voice… didn't it come from behind me instead of the watch?
My head turned. There stood Mir, whom I'd just been talking to, along with the members of Team 3 and Team 4. They were all gathered here, covered in injuries.
“You idiot. How did you get all the way here alone?”
“Wow, unlike us, you don't even have a scratch.”
“As expected of Zeon.”
“Team Leader! How could you leave us behind like that!”
Why on earth were they all here?