Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Even in Dreams, Some Things Are Off Limits (4)
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The succubus's basic ability was to target the gaps in a person's heart and show them the dreams they desired.
However,
'In Azazel's case, she can glimpse a person's future just by making eye contact.'
Azazel possessed eyes unlike any others. Eyes that flooded her with information about that person's future the moment their gazes met.
This was why, from a young age, she had harbored both a vague fear and a sense of trust toward her ability to see the future.
She had once averted the future where her neighbor grandma's cherished flowerpot shattered. But she had also failed to prevent the death of the stray cat that followed her so faithfully, leaving her heartbroken.
Because of this, Azazel usually kept her eyes closed or learned to converse without meeting others' gazes.
'Biwol and Verdandi are similar in that regard.'
I bit my lower lip and lowered my head. It was all my fault that they had such unfortunate pasts.
'Biwol, who came to mind while gazing at the moon over the slum.'
When I saw my father call me a monster who devoured his brother just for looking at me, I thought of the Heavenly Killing Star.
'Verdandi, who wished to escape the present.'
Because he was handsome, he was ostracized by the girls and pointed at. He wanted the power to discern whether people were good or evil.
'Azazel, who came to mind seeing friends with angelic faces commit cruel acts.'
And someday, the thought of escaping such a sad past led him to dream of success as an author.
The hopeful dreams I had as a child to escape my cursed family environment had all manifested as the final bosses' abilities.
"Azazel, I know this must be confusing... but no matter what you saw in the future, I'm not here to harm you."
Just as Azazel and Gabriel bore angelic names yet were demons, my life experiences were woven into these novels.
It was all my fault.
"D-don't come any closer! If you take one more step toward me, I'll really have to kill you!"
Azazel threatened me with her face flushed bright red. I had no idea what future she'd glimpsed, but it seemed like a massive misunderstanding.
What on earth had she seen?
Just moments ago, she'd looked at me and called me a 'lecherous man,' saying she'd seen a future where we decided the order of rolling around in bed.
'It could just be a pillow fight.'
I pushed aside the 'no way' feeling in my heart and pondered. The only scene that came to mind was playfully frolicking on the bed with my three disciples.
Besides, Azazel's visions of the future weren't perfectly accurate to begin with.
"Azazel, you know full well that the futures you see aren't always precise."
I took a step forward as I spoke. In the original story, she'd lost the protagonist Kang Siwoo to her sister because she'd blindly trusted her visions too much.
She'd trusted the hero who seemed to gaze only at her forever, and mistakenly assumed the game character was identical to the real person.
And,
"I know you're sad that your sister stole the man you loved, but you can't just hole up alone like this forever."
The figure she'd thought was her future self was actually her identical twin sister—a variable she hadn't realized.
"I'm here to teach you true love. To meet a proper man and learn what real love is."
I was trying to have a calm conversation. If such a huge misunderstanding arose from the start, it might snowball into something irreparable later.
I slowly raised my empty hands to show I had no intention of fighting, but
"Don't lie."
Azazel's expression was filled with disgust. She furrowed her brows, pulled her lips downward, revealing her displeasure.
"You must be in cahoots with those old fogeys at the Papal Court, toying with me. Otherwise, there's no way I'd take a lecherous man like you as my master!"
Her attitude was icy, like shards piercing my heart. The tentacles poised toward me seemed ready to strike at any moment.
Her tentacles could split dimensions to move freely, clump into shields, or be used as weapons like spears or whips.
"That can't be! Master came here to save you!"
Seeing the tentacles, Verdandi drew her holy sword from her chest. Her voice brimmed with resolve.
"Surprisingly, we agree for once. Little sister."
"That's right! Harm a single hair on our master, and we won't forgive you!"
Biwol joined in, wrapping her body in demonic energy, ready for battle.
"No, so what exactly did you see in that future? Azazel."
Fighting like this solved nothing. I pressed my fingers to my temples to soothe my headache as I spoke.
No matter how I thought about it, the 'future' Azazel was talking about gnawed at me.
'Am I really kidnapped and confined later?'
Gulp. At the sudden conclusion, my heart thudded in my chest.
Nah, no way my good disciples would do that.
No way.
They shouldn't.
"It was a future where you were tied up tight on the bed with a blindfold, and we played rock-paper-scissors to decide who got on top first!"
"...What?"
I froze upon hearing that future. It was so detailed and specific, something my disciples could actually pull off.
"Ah, that's a method..."
Biwol smirked slyly at the prophecy.
"Huh? Why decide the order for getting on top of Master's body? Planning to ride him or something?"
Verdandi tilted her head innocently, not grasping the meaning. Tension stretched taut between purity and cunning.
"Ahem, must've seen it wrong."
I could only clear my throat awkwardly. Even breathing felt labored.
My daughters—raised like my own—piling on me? That didn't make sense.
"Just like your sister stole your lover, the future can always change. So don't put blind faith in it."
I nearly bit my tongue. My words tangled, but I managed to finish.
Gabriel, identical to Azazel, had stolen the man she'd loved, so Azazel holed up in this monastery, honing her power for revenge on that world.
"How do you know that? Are you someone my sister sent? To comfort me in my despair over losing my lover?"
Oh no, slip-up.
Verdandi could've lied about an oracle, but Azazel required more caution.
"Fine, think of me as someone your sister sent if you want. Family eventually has to face each other, right?"
I chose direct confrontation here.
Family was like that, after all.
Sure, relationships could be bad, but in the end, family outlasted friends or lovers.
After my father passed, I cried at the funeral realizing he'd secretly collected my novels.
"So you won't regret it later."
I pushed aside my bitter feelings and gave Azazel advice drawn from my life. I didn't want her to regret like I had.
"...You sure talk a good game."
Azazel bowed her head briefly, then pointed at Biwol.
"Then how do you explain how that one over there knew I was prophesying in the future?"
"She knew? How?"
Something felt off. I'd never described that in her ability setup.
I knew this world deviated from the novel's plot and settings, with characters not following the script.
'That's why I got mad at Verdandi's villagers. Even one could've chosen differently, but they squandered the chance to atone.'
But,
"Yes, she looked at me and said, 'You saw it, huh?'—even deflecting my prophecy. Are you people really ordinary humans?"
This was different—interfering across time. Novels had episode sequences, building toward a climax.
"Not ordinary humans, no..."
A final boss from one novel could apparently defy that flow. Heavenly Demon reincarnation stories were common, after all.
"If you don't leave now, I'll have to hurt you. This place holds memories for me, Kang Siwoo, and holy ■■■■■ alone."
Azazel writhed her tentacles, radiating killing intent.
In the game, this was where affinity events unfolded, so it was natural she cherished it.
"No helping it! Words aren't getting through!"
"Master, just give the order, and this girl will capture that feral bitch and bring her before you."
Judging talk futile, my two disciples prepared to fight her.
"Alright, then I'll ask you to handle it."
Pain constricted my body; I coughed dryly, asking them to subdue Azazel.
I'd raised Biwol to peak realm for this moment and taken Verdandi as disciple to handle outer god threats classified as villains.
All that remained was praying this worked on Azazel.
But,
"Actually, a few days ago, I received an oracle from my holy ■■■■■. It said prophets would come to me, and to bestow grace upon them."
Azazel uttered the name of the outer god, Mordigyan.
My breath caught, pain like glass shards scraping my lungs, an urge to gouge my ears for hearing forbidden words—all crashed at once.
I'm dying. Dying. Dying.
Water rose to my chin; suffocating terror gripped me, like drowning in nothing.
'The reaction to the outer god I described in the original novel...!'
A massive eye stared silently from behind Azazel. Her attack was so insidious, I didn't know when she'd ensnared us.
"Kuhk..."
"M-Master... sorry..."
"A-Ahh..."
I tried drawing inner energy from my dantian to endure, but my disciples bled from eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, writhing in agony.
"I'm a dream demon too, you know. Inviting you to nightmares might peacefully end this commotion."
Azazel curved her lips softly, casting a spell to plunge me, Biwol, and Verdandi into sleep.
My vision wavered, space distorting before my eyes.
What dream awaited if I slept? Endless death loops? Or eternal wandering in dreams?
"Kuhhh..."
"My, such strong willpower. Guess I need to revise my assessment."
Biting my tongue for pain, I forcibly stayed conscious and thrust my palm toward distant Azazel, unleashing the Ice White Divine Palm.
Bang—!
The chill that froze all shot toward her, but sadly, her tentacles blocked it.
"...Sleep well. This is the last mercy I can offer."
As Bing Yeon collapsed unconscious, Azazel whispered softly.