Chapter 129: Nightmare (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Nightmare (15)
The swung Holy Sword erupted with light.
A succubus. There was no reason for a Hero’s blade to hesitate when cutting down a demon that manipulated dreams and feasted on human essence.
Was this the result of forcibly prolonging a dream, clinging to a fortuitous encounter to sustain a life that should have ended long ago?
She slowly closed her eyes.
What followed was a surge of resentment and lamentation, but on the other hand, she felt a strange sense of relief.
If she had one last lingering regret—if she could neither ensure the safety of her kin nor achieve her own dream—could she at least see her husband and child one last time?
As if reading her thoughts, a voice reached her.
— Do you want to live?
It was a sweet yet fishy proposal, more demonic than her own nature.
There was no time to hesitate.
Facing the light that threatened to purify her at any moment, her survival instinct took over, and she reflexively nodded.
— I like that you’re quick to answer.
The moment his voice rang out as if pleased, cracks formed in the sphere of authority behind her.
The Holy Sword lunged toward her but stopped mid-air. As everyone’s gaze fixed on the sphere, he emerged from the slowly shattering orb.
It was a peculiar sight, almost as if he were hatching from an egg.
The aura he radiated made it clear that he was far from his normal state.
Demonic energy.
Clad in a massive amount of demonic energy that made even her, a succubus, feel breathless, he slowly descended from the air.
Perhaps because he had absorbed such a vast quantity of demonic energy, his eyes—once a mix of gold and red—were now stained black and purple. His right hand, previously hidden by a glove, was exposed, and the crest on the back of his hand began to creep past his wrist and up his arm.
Scanning the crowd, he slowly reached out toward the Hero holding the Holy Sword.
Simultaneously, a rough grip—a fusion of shadows and nightmares—manifested in the air and seized the Holy Sword.
“Who are you people?”
— I’ll save you. Just play along.
“Ah.”
She had felt this presence before.
She was lending her power to a human to this extent?
She had thought he was just a toy for a provisional contract, something to be played with as usual, but there was no way she would grant a mere toy this much of her power.
The nobles reigning in Hell? They were nothing compared to the owner and representative of that mark.
Even she, who stood above most nobles, wouldn’t be able to endure if she were to manifest directly.
If he was her formal representative, it was only right for her to show proper respect.
Especially if he was about to save her wretched life.
“Yes.”
She slowly knelt and bowed her head.
“O, Consort of the Demon King.”
The title ‘Demon King’ was one only seven demons in all of the Demon Realm were permitted to use. Before her stood a being who had received both his mark and a portion of his power.
* * *
…What the fuck is she saying?
I didn’t mean for us to take the roleplay this far…?
What do you mean, “Consort of the Demon King”?
That was such a sudden escalation I didn’t even know how to react.
First, let’s organize the situation.
Thanks to the Succubus Queen (?), I wandered through a nightmare and recovered some forgotten memories. Just as I was about to go further, the Power of the Heart threw a fit, so I couldn’t see everything.
I escaped to get her help again, only to find Lilac about to become a “Mother-in-Law Slayer,” so I hurriedly stepped in to stop him.
But if I just stopped him normally, it would be awkward.
So, I counterattacked using the “Touch of the Devil”—the latest artifact that most people wouldn’t recognize—and since it has a function to manipulate demonic energy, I figured I’d change my appearance a bit and turn this into a performance.
My plan was to act like I was being controlled by the Succubus Queen, but why is this lady suddenly making a gesture of submission? Where’s her sense of timing?
“So… So-hyun!”
When I turned my head at Professor Cathy’s voice, the angle naturally made it look like I was looking down on them.
Since people often misunderstand me for glaring at them anyway, I relaxed my face and tried to project a languid atmosphere. For some reason, Professor Cathy’s face turned pale.
No, but how am I supposed to respond to this?
If the setting was that I was being controlled, I could just wing it, but I can’t just say anything after she called me the “Consort of the Demon King.”
“You’re So-hyun, right? I’ve come to save you.”
Since I remained silent, the professor seemed to grow even more anxious, but unfortunately, I couldn’t answer her.
If they find out I’m sane, I’ll have no excuse to save the Succubus Queen.
I still need more information.
Thanks to remembering the deal with the Lord of Myriad Worlds, I understand the circumstances of how I was possessed into this novel.
However, there are still too many uncertainties, like why I lost my memories or if the person exercising the “Authority of the Creator” is actually my friend.
The memories regarding that are likely hidden beyond the noise.
And to see the memories beyond that noise, I need the Succubus Queen’s power.
Originally, I was going to pretend to be controlled and use the Touch of the Devil to make a contract without the others knowing, but this sudden drift has complicated things.
Even so, I can’t look for an alternative.
A normal succubus likely wouldn’t be able to interfere with my dreams, and a Queen-class succubus doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.
Besides, even putting aside my memory issues, I can’t let an event happen that would sow seeds of discord—like Lilac killing Lee Yu-na’s mother.
No matter how I looked at it, giving up on her wasn’t an option.
Now, the only problem was whether anyone had died in this dream…
— It seems there are none for now. It would have been troublesome for them if people died before the dream world was complete.
— The Touch of the Devil responds that it, too, senses no death.
I could vaguely sense this myself, having absorbed most of the authority the Succubus Queen held.
I understood the structure of this dream world and why she wanted to create such a place.
She didn’t intend to harm the humans in this dream.
…A world where one could dream the dreams they desired forever, and succubi who satisfied their instincts by feeding on the infinite desires blooming there.
Depending on your perspective, the world she dreamed of could be seen as a completed paradise and a symbiotic relationship.
Even if it was an imperfect paradise that could shatter at any moment.
Even if it were completed properly, this world was destined to be short-lived.
There are several reasons, but let’s list a few.
First, suppose someone is completely satisfied with the world in the dream.
No matter how much they achieve in the dream, a human will eventually die if their physical body doesn’t eat.
Then, the moment they wake up, they will fall into despair over the gap between their dream self and their reality.
Ultimately, they would cling to the perfect dream world, struggling never to wake up again until they die from a lack of essence.
Conversely, those who value reality more will try to escape the moment they wake up even once.
It might be fine at first, but if it repeats, the world will eventually become unsustainable, and they will resort to kidnapping people to use as fuel for the dream world.
How do I know?
Am I just being too delusional when things could go well?
No.
I can be certain because the original Lee Yu-na did something very similar.
She, who had trapped herself in a dream, also laughed mockingly as she watched the world crumble.
In the end, she fought Lilac amidst the collapsing world, thinking, “Ah, how fleeting.”
It’s a headache. This is why I hate complicated stories.
A villain who tried to use the most peaceful method she could think of, despite having the justification of survival for her race.
She isn’t completely white, but maybe she can be seen as a precarious shade of gray.
If she hasn’t killed anyone yet, and if she tried to sacrifice herself for her kin while suppressing her own instincts…
I should at least give her a chance to change.
Fine. I’ve already played the Masked Villain; I might as well play the Demon King’s Consort.
As always, once I decide to do something, I do it thoroughly.
Let’s think positively.
I haven’t had a chance to see Lilac’s skills directly since the Masked Villain incident, so this is actually a good opportunity.
“…Save?”
I questioned Professor Cathy in the acting tone I had grown accustomed to.
“You lot? Save me?”
My arrogant gaze swept over the crowd.
As I infused demonic energy into the Black Shadow gripping Lilac’s Holy Sword, the demonic energy mixed into the shadow clashed with the light of the sword, making a screeching sound.
“I do not know who you think you are saving me from, but you are arrogant, human.”
As she listened to my answer, the light in the professor’s eyes began to fade, replaced by despair and obsession.
“I shall grant you a punishment befitting your arrogance.”
After retracting the Black Shadow, I projected an image into the Touch of the Devil. Corresponding life force was drained as demonic energy swirled above my hand.
The crest, which had now advanced halfway up my arm, began to glow.
“Begone.”
The moment I said that, a notification suddenly rang in my head.
[The system is moved by your acting skills. To you, you trashy bas—no, to you, the trait ‘Acting’ is granted.]
…You’re giving me a trait for this?
I don’t need it, you prick. Who are you calling trash?
I didn’t need it, but perhaps thanks to the trait, even the slightest hint of awkwardness vanished from my already natural acting.
It was so convincing that even Lilac, who had been unsure if something was wrong, tensed up and stepped in front of everyone.
The demonic energy I fired clashed with the power of the Holy Sword, beginning a struggle for dominance.
“Professor, get back.”
“…Cadet Lilac.”
“You have to stay calm. The person standing there right now isn’t So-hyun.”
“Not So-hyun? That is So-hyun. Move aside, Cadet.”
Our professor is quite worked up. But she’s actually right. I am sane. She has good intuition.
“No, until a moment ago, it seemed like it might be So-hyun, but from the moment he attacked us, he changed into a completely different person.”
I guess I’ve reached a level where I can fool Lilac even without the perception-blocking mask. Wow, why am I not happy about this?
For now, ignoring them as they stood on guard against me, I approached the Succubus Queen.
“…First, I shall ask. What did you do to me?”
Hey, if we’re going to play along, let’s at least share the script. I need to know what exactly happened to me in this setting.
“I used the nightmares and demonic energy gathered in this dream world to make it easier for you to accept us.”
Ah? Oh, I see.
Come to think of it, she did pour all the people’s nightmares and demonic energy, along with her authority, into me to try and pull something off.
She’s forcing the pieces to fit like this?
But it’s actually quite plausible.
From the perspective of the kids and the professor, they reached the deepest part only to find me captured, floating inside a sphere made of demonic energy and nightmares.
Even if the goal was to create a “Consort of the Demon King,” it wouldn’t seem too unnatural, would it?
“I see.”
Characters like this shouldn’t talk too much.
I have to stick to the taciturn concept.
“Then what are those things?”
And it’s more advantageous to be the one asking questions rather than answering them.
I saw it in a novel.
“They are thieves who dared to come here to harm you.”
I felt everyone flinch at those words.
“A bunch who do not know their place.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Don’t make me laugh…!”
Ha-ni shouted in a sudden burst of anger, but I pretended not to hear her and spoke to the Queen.
“Noisy.”
“It is because I failed to deal with the intruders. Please, punish me.”
Oh, I thought it might be a bit much at first, but this lady is a good actor.
“Punishment, you say.”
The Touch of the Devil read my intent and created a contract with demonic energy.
It was a contract of absolute obedience.
As long as the first party guaranteed the life of the second party, the second party could never defy the first. It was essentially an unequal slave contract, but she didn’t hesitate to reach out toward the dagger I held and let her blood spill.
The contract was complete.
“Very well. This is your punishment.”
Then, the Succubus Queen vanished, melting into the air.
…She’ll be okay, right? I’m acting like this just to save her; it’ll be a problem if she dies without being of any help.
— Yes, fortunately, I am fine.
…Good. But why is she still using honorifics when the kids can’t hear her?
This time, there was no answer. She really just does whatever she wants.
Well, anyway, I’ve taken what I needed in a natural way.
The professor was looking at me with eyes that were almost dead.
Lilac looked like he had steeled himself for a life-or-death struggle.
Ha-ni was gripping her sword hilt as if displeased.
Even Cheon Yu-hak was nodding while looking at his Thunder Dragon Spear.
…What do I do with these guys now?
While I was debating how to start, two more people appeared.
One was Kim Ga-eul, who had an ambiguous expression, and the other was my Noona, whose face was somewhat flushed.
They scanned the situation for a moment and then began to panic upon seeing my transformed appearance.
Noona was the first to speak.
“Cathy, pull yourself together.”
“Na-hyun, what do we do? So-hyun is…”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s okay. So-hyun hasn’t completely disappeared yet.”
…Huh? What is she talking about? I’m standing here looking like I’m shouting, “I’ve been corrupted!”
What do you mean I haven’t disappeared?
“I met So-hyun right before I woke up from the dream.”
…Huh?
Ah, that’s true.
The others all woke up on their own or as the dream progressed, but Noona was so deeply ensnared by the authority that I had to wake her up in my true form.
Wait, weren’t you asleep? This is a bit embarrassing.
“I thought it was a dream at first, but he definitely spoke to me then. He seemed perfectly conscious. There’s no way he could have completely disappeared in such a short time.”
…Oh? Come to think of it, isn’t this a chance?
I momentarily adjusted the demonic energy and dropped the act.
For just a split second, my purple-stained eyes flickered back to their original red, and at the same time, I clutched my head as if in pain.
“Urgh.”
A glimmer of hope began to flash in the group’s eyes.
A comrade captured by a villain still having a sliver of light left within them. It’s a cliché, right?
With this, I can just struggle a bit and then naturally “lose.”
— Are you playing villain again?
It sounds like Sun Wukong is saying something, but I can’t hear her because I’m corrupted, you know?