The Blood Demon's Grudge

The wall on one side had crumbled, and the torchlight that once illuminated the room was gone. Yet the chamber was still bright, lit solely by the deep crimson glove that radiated its own glow.

"So, who exactly did you say you were?"

Inside stood a butler impeccably dressed in a suit, and—

"I told you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already. This Seat is the Demon King of the Blood Tide. I am the Blood Demon!"

A glove that not only emitted light but spoke.

"...Are you perhaps the cult leader of the Blood Cult?"

"This Seat is the supreme one, the greatest throughout history! One who has reached the title of Blood Demon has no need for something as petty as a cult leader's seat!"

No, that Blood Demon probably wasn't short for Demon King of the Blood Tide. In martial arts novels, the leader of the Blood Cult is usually called the Blood Demon, right...?

Anyway, this guy was claiming to be a Demon King. Whether he was a self-proclaimed one or the real deal, I couldn't tell... Should I just offer him to the altar?

The quest the creator gave me was to offer the corpses of Demon Kings to the Altar of Divinity to save the world and Violet. So if this guy really was a Demon King, I should offer him up. But still...

Do I really need to do it right now?

I could just suck him dry, beat down all the other Demon Kings, and offer them all at the very end, couldn't I? If I tossed him in the moment I found out he was a Demon King, I'd lose the weapon I'd need for the foreseeable future and be left crawling on the ground. Yeah, no need to offer him up immediately. Still, just in case...

Creator-nim, this much should be fine, right?

I asked inwardly and waited a moment, but no answer came. That was probably silent approval.

"So, why did you summon This Seat?"

While I kept mulling it over, the self-proclaimed Demon King finally lost patience and asked.

"Just a moment."

It was a reasonable question, but before answering, there was something I needed to clarify first.

"Why exactly are you sealed inside a glove and stuck in the principal's storage? If you're the Blood Demon or whatever, aren't you supposed to be incredibly strong?"

This person had existed in Starlight too—an item sealed away in the principal's storage with almost no description. But judging by the power of this glove, he was definitely a powerhouse. So why was someone like him trapped here? Even if he was only a self-proclaimed Demon King, Demon Kings weren't the type to be easily captured by just anyone.

"First, let me make two things clear. This Seat is the greatest under heaven."

"...?"

The words "So what?" almost slipped out, but I barely managed to swallow them.

"This current state is not the result of a fair duel. It was caused by a cowardly trick I suffered a year ago."

In other words, he got completely wrecked by someone. And that someone was probably the principal.

"Second, the principal's storage? What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I ever come out of a place like that?"

So he didn't even know why he was sealed here. Got it. This idiot knew nothing.

"You really are the Blood Demon...!"

Still, even an idiot like this was strong. If I shook him down thoroughly, there had to be some useful information to squeeze out. World-class powerhouses often had story connections just by existing. If I tried digging, something was bound to come up.

"For the esteemed Blood Demon to have fallen victim to a cowardly trick—I had no idea. I merely followed the traces of the Blood Demon and ended up here."

It was probably too late to start flattering him now, but I had to try my best to grease my tongue anyway.

"Could you perhaps tell me who used that cowardly trick on you? I'll find them and teach them a lesson!"

At the very least, I could get information about the principal, the one he must have faced directly.

"Hmm... Are you trying to deceive me? Your true intentions are suspicious."

Unfortunately, he wasn't as simple-minded as I'd hoped. I'd thrown out the line because he sounded like a narcissistic middle-schooler with Yeo Po's intelligence, but it didn't work.

"You need to get revenge anyway, don't you? Regardless of my intentions, if we can just catch those people, it's a win-win."

Besides, without me, he'd be stuck in the principal's storage forever. Refusing would only hurt him.

"Let's become partners, Blood Demon-nim."

"..."

The Blood Demon wasn't unaware of that fact either.

"...You're right."

With that, the Blood Demon quietly expressed his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠agreement.

"Anyway, if we're going to work together, we need to know who did this to you, right? Don't be suspicious and just tell me."

At my words, the Blood Demon let out a deep sigh, as if troubled, then spoke with resignation.

"A fellow wearing a mask like a sinister clown, and a man with blue hair."

"Wait... are you serious?"

"Of course it's serious. I swear on the name of the Blood Demon. There is no lie."

I let out a hollow laugh. Of course I did—there was only one person in the Starlight world who wore a mask like that.

"The Demon King of Pleasure, Ankillé..."

Yeah, that was the guy I'd tortured with torture devices right before entering this world. One of the four Demon Kings in Starlight, dealing in illusions and pleasure.

"Come to think of it, those guys were going on about being Demon Kings too. So they really are Demon Kings?"

The Blood Demon asked in surprise at my muttering.

"Yes, it seems so..."

The blue hair was the principal. The silhouette of the principal's hair had definitely been blue. Putting the information together, it meant there was some kind of collusion between the principal and the Demon Kings. And the only ones who could cooperate with Demon Kings, aside from Hibriel in the late game, were other Demon Kings.

This is the worst...

The worst-case scenario among the ones I'd imagined had come true. In the Starlight world, "Demon King" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a title given to those who possessed power beyond humanity and had abandoned it. Therefore, the word "Demon King" alone represented the strongest beings across the entire world. The key point here was that the title focused on strength. Perhaps the principal of this academy was one of the "Demon Kings" designated by the game.

And what does that mean? It meant I was screwed. The Stardust world was a DLC world with several additions to the Starlight world. Assuming the four Demon Kings I knew from Starlight existed here as well, there were five Demon Kings I didn't know about. If I assume this Blood Demon is one of them, that leaves four. And one of them might be the principal, a character who was kept tightly hidden even in Starlight!

Don't you get how serious this is? Think about it—a character with broken information-gathering abilities, the only power I currently possess, had turned into an enemy.

"Aaaargh...!"

As I rolled on the ground in frustration, the Blood Demon spoke in a pitiful tone.

"My future partner is this pathetic... How are you supposed to take revenge for me?"

...Right, I needed to think calmly. No matter what, I would have had to face the Demon Kings I had no information on eventually. Getting angry here wouldn't change anything. In a way, learning the identities of the principal and the Blood Demon here might actually be an advantage.

I'm one step ahead.

The conclusion I reached was to fill in the gaps in my information as much as possible right here. With the Blood Demon cooperating with me, there would be more information I could uncover.

"...Open the quest window. Starting from the success conditions."

As if he'd been watching me the whole time, the creator immediately displayed a blue window before my eyes.

Yeah, this is it. The phrasing "offer the Demon Kings to the Altar of Divinity" was misleading. Offering them didn't necessarily mean I had to defeat them myself and bring them there, right? There was a possibility that some, like the Blood Demon, were already defeated and sealed, or barely clinging to life. Was that too much of a leap? No, the Blood Demon right in front of me proved it. If I threw this glove into the altar, the Blood Demon wouldn't be able to resist at all. There could be more Demon Kings out there who were completely broken.

"Blood Demon-nim, are there any Demon Kings who were attacked or defeated like you?"

Just like how the principal and Ankillé had attacked the Blood Demon!

"...There is one. But the one who attacked that fellow wasn't someone with the title of Demon King like me."

When I asked, the Blood Demon responded in a tone that found my sudden, out-of-the-blue question strange. From his perspective, I probably looked like a madman muttering to myself and then abruptly asking weird questions. Well, that was that, but...

I knew it! I almost jumped for joy. Yeah, I had a feeling this would happen. That vicious creator hadn't told me about this either?

"Who is it? The Demon King who was attacked?"

I asked urgently, thinking this one might be the key to solving everything. An unexpected name came back.

"Do you know someone named Chloe Cardenas?"

"...Excuse me?"

How could I not know her? The Imperial Princess with a playable character, the romantic who used firearms in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a world of magic and cold weapons.

Man, this world is getting properly complicated.

Grumbling inwardly about the creator who made such a convoluted story, I listened to the Blood Ghoul's continuing words.