The Mouth Demon: Tallen
Raphael stared at the sudden cascade of warning windows, utterly stunned.
The meeting between Hero Ian and Demon Hunter Tallen has been granted.
The probability of the world's destruction has decreased from 100% to 95%.
A 5% possibility of the world's salvation has been created.
Hope and Dawn begin to awaken.
A higher-dimensional entity has detected the shift in the scales of causality.
The Fiend #$% is attempting to interfere.
Difficulty has been revised from Extreme to World Destruction.
Please guide the hero well.
Heh?
World Destruction difficulty…?
Are you fucking kidding me?
This was a difficulty level even Raphael had never seen before. It was obviously going to be insanely hard. And now it had manifested in reality.
For a moment her mind went blank. Then she exploded.
Goddamn it all to hell.
Just you wait until I break free from this seal.
Fiend or whatever—you’re all dead.
That bastard Fiend threw the first punch at me.
Raphael’s rage surged. She turned her gaze toward Ian.
I’ll pour every ounce of effort into raising you.
I’ll turn you into the hero who kills that monster.
A blessing upon Ian and Tallen.
What blessing will you bestow upon Hero Ian and Demon Hunter Tallen?
Hmm… what would be good? Oh, I know.
I shall grant the Blessing of the Clear Mind.
The Blessing of the Clear Mind shall be bestowed upon Hero Ian and Demon Hunter Tallen. Do you consent?
“Yes.”
100 Divinity has been consumed.
Shit. Wait, that’s not right.
Hey. Cancel. Cancel it right now!!!
A bestowed blessing cannot be canceled.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah—”
My precious divinity… all that hard-earned divinity… gone just like that…
Heh… hehehe…
Kuhuhu.
Fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll squeeze every last drop out of you two.
Ian, Tallen—from now on, you’re both going to be my personal faith generators.
While Raphael was busy having a brief psychotic break, Ian and Tallen both sensed a new divine protection blooming within them.
“…! Teacher! Did you receive a blessing too?!”
“A skill window called a ‘blessing’ has appeared for me.”
Professor Tallen glanced around before speaking in a low voice.
“You too, Ian? The same for me! The blessing is called ‘Blessing of the Clear Mind.’”
“Mine has the exact same name. The effect is… maintaining composure in any situation and gaining immunity to mental skills…?”
“Good heavens… just what is this…”
Professor Tallen examined the blessing and quickly realized it had been granted by an external entity.
“…Raphael…? The skill description says a being named Raphael bestowed this blessing upon us.”
“…!”
“Haha… I see…”
“Raphael… Raphael… I’m certain I’ve heard that name somewhere before…”
“Where was it…?”
While Professor Tallen was lost in thought, Ian whispered Raphael’s name in the tiniest voice possible.
“…Master. Master!!”
“What exactly is this blessing? You could give something like this?”
Kuhuhuhu…
Ah… it’s you, Ian…
Ian, my boy. You now have another reason to become stronger.
That insane, batshit-crazy bastard called the Fiend is coming to kill us, apparently?
“…!”
So I’ve ground my teeth and sworn to smash that irredeemable lunatic to death.
As a result, I consumed the divinity that had gathered around me to grant you both this blessing.
So let’s do this properly, Ian?
You’ll have to prove your worth matches the value of my divinity~?
You know what happens if you don’t, right?
Ian felt a killing intent stronger than anything he had ever experienced before. It was so thick his skin turned pale. And she swore like a sailor… The bloodlust was even worse than that of the thug-hero from before.
Master is terrifying when she gets angry…
Yeah. I definitely shouldn’t make her mad.
“That… divinity thing. It must have been incredibly important, yet you used it on us…?”
That’s right, Ian. You must become strong. Otherwise I’ll kill you myself.
“Hic—”
Ian began to hiccup uncontrollably.
Ian, there’s no need to be that scared. It’s not like I’m going to eat you.
“It’s worse than that…”
Ian muttered in a voice so small even Raphael couldn’t hear.
With just your skills alone, you’ll be the strongest in this entire academy.
All that remains is for you to polish them.
Your goal is to master the Manifestation Sword before you graduate.
You’re a first-year now, so… let’s see… you should be able to attain it by your third or fourth year.
Manifestation can only be gained through real experience, so you’ll have to roll around in the dirt a lot.
“Hic…”
“Um, Master…? Did you hear the conversation I was having with Professor Tallen earlier?”
Ah. You mean the part about the world ending?
“Yes!”
Of course I heard it. I received a separate notification as well…
“…?”
It’s nothing. Anyway, you understand that you need to become stronger, right?
“Yes, sir.”
I’ll use every last bit of knowledge I possess to make you the strongest there is.
“Thank you…?”
Yes. You should be thankful.
“…”
While Ian and Raphael were conversing, Professor Tallen suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Ooooooh!! At last… at last! It has come back to me!!”
“Ian! The name of this angelic statue was Raphael!!”
“I am certain!! Last time when the commoners came to pray to this statue, they called upon the name Raphael!!”
“Therefore, the name of this statue is Raphael!!”
“This statue is more than just a holy relic!!”
“It may truly be an angel!”
Professor Tallen spoke with rising excitement, as if Ian no longer existed in his world.
“This statue must possess an ego!”
“Otherwise it makes no sense! Where else would you find a statue that heals you whenever you need it?!”
“Area-of-effect healing normally requires at least ten priests working together, yet this statue performed it so easily!!”
“This is the discovery of the century! Our hope! Perhaps the one and only key to this doomed world that was foretold to end!!!!!”
Ian, forced to listen to the endless tirade, felt blood begin to trickle from his ears.
He turned to Raphael.
“…Master, it seems it really is possible to make someone’s ears bleed with words alone…”
“Is being a demon hunter actually about hunting with your mouth…?”
…That guy is definitely crazy.
But strangely enough, everything he says is correct.
I’ve never seen anyone quite like him before.
Is this intellectual curiosity…? Or just pure madness…?
Ian. Do you think you can become a demon hunter under a professor like that…?
From what I can see, you’ll die first. Cause of death: ruptured eardrums.
“…Master, please don’t say that. It really feels like it might happen…”
As Tallen continued his endless rambling, Raphael’s patience finally snapped.
Shut that son of a bitch’s mouth for me!!
Even I, an angel, feel like I’m going to die just from listening!!
“…..”
…Ian?
Hey… Ian…?
“….”
Indeed. Ian had already lost his mind. Even after receiving the Blessing of the Clear Mind, he had still lost his composure. As expected of a demon hunter… you needed at least this level of mental fortitude to do the job.
Raphael snapped out of her daze and decided to speak directly to Professor Tallen. She addressed him with the bare minimum of dignity.
Demon Hunter. Can you hear my voice?
“….? Who is it..?”
“Who has seen through my identity…? Reveal yourself!!”
Tallen screamed and thrashed about in the empty plaza. Raphael looked down at him with pity.
Ha…
My life is truly fucked.
“GAL!!! You are a demon!! No one can harm me!”
“Have you come to test my faith?!”
“Know that losing one’s ‘faith’ signifies death and…”
“…A demon hunter shall never fall for your tricks…”
And just like that, Tallen launched into another long-winded sermon. Raphael, forced to experience it firsthand, felt as if she were being hit with a mental attack.
I want to die.
This guy literally kills demons with his mouth. No, wait—he’s killing an angel.
After enduring several minutes of torture, Raphael took a deep breath and roared.
“GAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The professor and Ian snapped back to their senses at the sound and stared at the statue.
“This… what powerful demon is this!!”
“To endure my sermon from hell…!”
Shit… was that actually an attack?
Hoo…
Raphael regained her composure and spoke once more.
Tallen and Ian. Humans who have received my blessing!
My name is Raphael! I am the one who granted you this blessing.
I have heard your words. Against the darkness approaching this world, I bestow upon you the Blessing of the Clear Mind.
You must correct the evils of the world and bring forth peace!
I shall always be watching over you!
A brilliant white light burst from the statue’s eyes, illuminating the entire plaza. The moment Raphael finished speaking, the light slowly faded until it vanished completely.
Professor Tallen suddenly dropped to his knees and began to cry.
“Huuuugh… thank you… huuugh…”
“We demon hunters were not wrong… we were not wrong…!”
“Ian… we demon hunters operate as a decentralized group, moving according to our own convictions. It is an extremely dangerous profession where we never know when we might die.”
“Nothing ever came back to us for it.”
“But for the first time… we have received something…”
Tallen stared intently at the statue before speaking again.
“Perhaps this statue gained an ego from the accumulated prayers of the people.”
“I’ve seen ego swords before, but an ego statue is a first…”
“And it is powerful enough to grant us a blessing, making it a holy relic of the highest order…”
“Hmm… I wonder how the Holy Kingdom will judge this.”
“They will likely dispatch investigators to examine the statue within the week.”
Suddenly Tallen made a suggestion to Ian.
“Ian. Let us offer prayers to the statue.”
“The opportunity we have received is incredibly precious. We must express our gratitude.”
“O Raphael. Please watch over us…”
“Ian and I, Tallen, swear to do our utmost until every demon in this world has been eradicated.”