The Demon's Trial
The Demon's Trial.
“By any chance... would you like to learn how to survive from me?”
“Oh...?”
“What’s with that ambiguous reaction that’s neither yes nor no?”
“It’s just... a little sudden, that’s all.”
Just like the day he had first offered to train her.
‘Really, his habit of blurting out the most unexpected things hasn’t changed one bit, then or now.’
At that familiar, nostalgic sight, a small smile rose to Yuri’s lips. But the smile did not linger long before slowly sinking away. What this cruel and horrific demon realm needed was not lukewarm sentiment, but cold reason.
‘...To survive, I need Raven’s teachings.’
The weak version of herself from the past had twisted and turned, coming up with every excuse to avoid his special training. But now, things had to be different. With the same fragile mindset as before, she could neither survive in the demon realm nor move forward.
‘The me of right now is far too weak.’
She had felt it keenly ever since they began exploring the dungeon—that she was becoming a burden to Raven. If she remained stagnant like this, she would never be able to stand proudly beside her great demon. For survival, growth, and the future, Yuri steadied her trembling heart and opened her mouth.
“I will gratefully accept that offer.”
Her low, subdued voice was steeped in deep resolve.
“I see.”
Sensing something from Yuri’s serious gaze, he nodded with a satisfied expression (though it couldn’t be seen) and, after a moment, extended his large, black hand.
“Then, from now on, we’ll be instructor and trainee... no, master and disciple. Well, until one of us dies, I’ll be counting on you. Yuri.”
‘He called me Yuri again....’
She had asked him to, of course, but she hadn’t expected him to say it so naturally.
“...I’ll be counting on you too, until one of us dies? Please take care of me. Ray, or... what should I call you?”
Feeling a strange sense of satisfaction, Yuri reached for his hand, only to stop abruptly. Raven was the name she herself had given him. That was why she couldn’t quite grasp how to address the Raven of the past.
“Hmm... a title, is it?”
After withdrawing the offered hand and fiddling with his beak in deep thought, he extended his hand once more with bold confidence. His voice, trembling ever so slightly—so faintly it was barely noticeable—carried a hint of embarrassment.
“Ahem, just call me Master.”
“Master?”
Yuri tilted her head and rolled the unfamiliar title around in her mouth. With a somewhat reluctant expression, she took his hand.
“Mm... Understood. Master. I’ll be counting on you again.”
“Good. I’ll be counting on you too. Heh heh.”
Seeming to find her adorable, he chuckled lightly and gently squeezed her hand. In that moment, a bond from the future reached back into the past—in the somewhat unusual form of master and disciple.
Yuri and Kkachi’s temporary base. In its filthy, grimy kitchen, a scene unfolded that seemed almost magical—steam rising without a single flame in sight.
“Incredible... I only pulled the string, and it got this hot.”
“Ah, surprised? This is what we call an instant-consumption combat ration. And not just any— this is one of the rare menus that’s hard to come by: Gochujang Beef Bibimbap.”
“Gochujang Beef Bibimbap?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know it? Gochujang Beef Bibimbap?”
“...Wouldn’t it be stranger for a human like me to know about demon realm food in the first place?”
—Sizzle sizzle sizzle.
“Fair enough. If you’re not interested in foreign cultures, you probably wouldn’t know.”
Nodding as if he understood, he handed Yuri a steaming pack of Gochujang Beef Bibimbap and a translucent plastic spoon. Curiosity sparkled in Yuri’s eyes.
“...So this is demon realm food.”
Blood-red rice with what looked like small chunks of beef scattered throughout. An unknown dish whose entire cooking process was skipped simply by pulling a string attached to the pouch. Faced with the incomprehensible preparation method and the ominous, suspicious appearance, Yuri hesitated for a moment. But—
“...Gulp.”
Drawn in by the spicy yet sweet aroma that subtly stimulated her salivary glands, she carefully scooped up a spoonful, let it cool, and slowly brought it to her mouth.
Nom.
...!?
“...It’s delicious!?”
The moist rice spread a savory flavor with every chew, perfectly complemented by the demon-realm beef (?) that filled in the missing texture with each bite. Above all, the unidentified spice—spicy yet sweet—balanced the greasy taste so well that she never grew tired of eating it.
‘It’s downright demonic in flavor...!’
Yuri’s mouth naturally curved into a smile as she savored each bite. It was a little— no, quite spicy, but it wasn’t an unpleasant heat. It was the kind that cleared the mind. Aside from the slight sweat and tears, it was quite good.
“Hah.”
Her hand moved faster and faster, clearly enjoying the Korean combat ration.
‘It’s nice to see her eat well.’
He felt deep satisfaction watching Yuri diligently stuff the Gochujang Beef Bibimbap into her mouth. ‘So this is what they mean by feeling full just from watching.’ Suddenly realizing the meaning behind the word “vicarious satisfaction,” he quietly resolved to let this young foreigner taste every single thing he himself had never been able to eat. Of course, he couldn’t guarantee they would all be delicious.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Ray— I mean, Master, aren’t you going to eat?”
‘How kind of her.’
Amused by Yuri’s concern, he burst into hearty laughter.
“Heh heh, I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. My body doesn’t really require meals. So there’s no need to feel self-conscious.”
Yuri, unfamiliar with his smiling face and unsure what expression to make, simply bowed her head in thanks. Her once-pale cheeks had turned a faint red—perhaps from the spiciness of the combat ration.
“...I’ll eat well, then.”
“Eat your fill. After the meal, we’ll be running a few slightly intense physical tests.”
“...Tests?”
As Yuri tensed up, still chewing on her plastic spoon, he waved his hand dismissively.
“Nothing to be scared of. They’re all very basic and simple. Just do what you normally do.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved.”
Yuri, who had reached the point where she would believe Raven even if he claimed the goddess was actually a god, cast aside her worries at his words and continued her tear-filled meal. However, there was one thing Yuri had overlooked.
“Yes, simple as can be.......”
The man who had been possessed for forty years was, just a little, not quite sane. After all, he was the kind of person who had blown up nuclear power plants twice in an attempt to end his own life and had willingly thrown himself into a dormant volcano.
Thud.
A blade cleanly pierced a rectangular can. Hiss.
The blade rotated smoothly half a turn, making it easy to pry open the tightly sealed lid. Skillfully opening the can, Yuri pulled out a packet of instant coffee granules. On this rainy day, she had collected rainwater using a purification straw, boiled it, dumped in all the coffee powder, added a suitable amount of expired creamer she had luckily found at a department store, and stirred it vigorously with a combat knife.
Slurp.
“Mm. This should be drinkable.”
After cooling the creamer stuck to the side of the knife and tasting it, Yuri quietly nodded, satisfied that it wasn’t bad. She crushed the dried-out brick-like pancake with the knife handle, sprinkled it into the cold coffee container to finish preparing dessert, and picked at the main dish—which tasted even worse than baked beans.
Under a hazy sky where it was impossible to tell whether it was morning, noon, or night, the final meal eaten atop a skyscraper taller than any building in the empire was....
“...Disgusting.”
It was so foul it might as well have been made by a demon suffering from ageusia. Forcing herself to chew and swallow the tough meat and bland, greasy vegetables—some stir-fried meat and vegetable dish whose name she couldn’t even remember—she heard an irritating voice from beside her, as if struggling to hold back laughter.
“Last meal being American rations? Tough luck. Well, that aside, Yuri, good work on the final test. I was worried it might run late, but it wrapped up nicely in time with the food supply.”
“....”
Yuri’s small mouth, which had been mechanically chewing, came to a halt. Her black eyes, filled with dark circles and fatigue, quietly turned to the side. He had casually embedded a dagger into the head of a target drawn on the wall using the blood of a madman whose arm he had severed, and was now lounging at the edge of the building, observing her without a hint of fear.
“Gulp, haa....”
After downing a mouthful of the thick brick-coffee to moisten her dry mouth, Yuri spoke to him in a calm voice. From her cracked, parched lips came a slightly hoarse tone, drained of strength, as if revealing the hardships she had endured.
“Master.”
“What is it? My precious disciple, Yuri-yuri.”
Not long ago, she would have been unable to hold back and thrown a rock from the ground at him out of sheer irritation, but now the words felt so familiar that they stirred nothing in her. Maintaining a blank expression, Yuri continued.
“Didn’t you tell me the test would be simple?”
“Hmm, I suppose I did.”
“...Suppose? No, it wasn’t ‘suppose.’ You definitely said that. You said it was a very basic and simple test, that there was nothing to worry about. So what exactly was that?”
[Remaining Time 7343:23:41]
...Were all the things I experienced over the past two months, constantly crossing the boundary between life and death, really just that?