Chapter 338: The Red-Haired Duke
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 338: The Red-Haired Duke
Clack, clack—
The sound of heels echoed through the cave.
The woman, who strode confidently with her red hair flowing, was dressed in a strikingly out-of-place outfit.
A business suit, inside an A-rank gate where even high-rank hunters could die from a moment's carelessness.
“Humans often speak of moderation, humility, and generosity as virtues. But why is that? Instinct, after all, is the most fundamental principle given to all living things.”
The woman crouched gracefully before the chained Han Seoah.
Han Seoah's eyes trembled precariously under the woman's blood-red gaze.
“Humans also say that what separates them from animals is the reason that overcomes instinct. But I think a little differently.”
“Hah, hah…”
An unidentifiable pressure caused Han Seoah's mind to scream in exhaustion.
And it was the same for Lumina.
“Hngh, heuk…!”
She trembled pitifully like a kid goat, forced to lower her head to avoid the woman's gaze.
“Even if they possess reason capable of suppressing instinct, humans are ultimately nothing more than livestock. Not so different from cattle grazing in a field.”
The woman watched their reactions with amusement.
No, she observed them.
“…So.”
“Hm?”
A trickle of red blood ran down Han Seoah's lip.
“So, what the hell are you trying to say, you monster wearing a human mask?!”
A faint hostility flickered in her terrified eyes.
Behind them, the Magic Tower students and professors, along with the Association's hunters, lay unconscious and scattered about.
“Hmm… I wonder?”
“…What?”
“I wasn't really trying to say anything in particular. If I had to define it, shall we say it was a small diversion to soothe my melancholy? Believe it or not, I quite enjoy conversing with humans. Isn't it cute how disgustingly numerous you are, all filled with your filthy desires?”
Witnessing the woman's gaze, devoid of any falsehood, and her unadorned sincerity, Han Seoah felt goosebumps rise all over her body.
And she realized.
The woman before her wasn't some villain who had lured them into a trap with a scheme, but a transcendent being on a completely different plane from humans.
Grip!
In that moment, the woman grabbed a fistful of Han Seoah's hair and murmured in a low, sunken voice.
“Keuk?!”
“I do like arrogant humans, but as I just said, I'm feeling melancholic right now.”
Kiiing—
A geometric pattern appeared in the woman's eyes.
At the sight, Han Seoah felt an irresistible terror.
“It was troublesome and tiring enough just to come all the way to this remote peninsula in the Far East. How do you think I felt when the person I was looking for was nowhere to be found?”
The woman's voice grew more and more agitated.
Rumble!
“Gasp…!”
“Hngh?!”
The force emanating from her rage-filled voice created an oppressive pressure that seemed to crush the very space itself.
Under that pressure, the untrained body of a mage could hardly lift a finger.
“I poured so much manpower and resources into preparing for this, and now it looks like I'll be going back with nothing but losses, let alone breaking even. Can you even begin to understand how I feel?”
Saaaa—
A dark, murky energy flowed out from behind the woman.
Enveloped by the unidentifiable energy, Han Seoah and Lumina broke out in a cold sweat, their faces pale.
It went beyond mere discomfort; their instincts seemed to scream with a primal rejection.
Was this what the Death Energy wielded by black mages felt like?
“…Still, it's a relief I managed to secure several mages.”
Whoosh!
In that instant, the pressure crushing their bodies vanished as if it had never been there.
In the much lighter atmosphere, both of them gasped for breath and stared at the woman.
Smirk.
“Mages are valuable as sacrifices, so even if I can't break even, I should be able to cover some of my losses.”
At the woman's words, Han Seoah gritted her teeth.
“Don't you dare treat humans as mere sacrifices, you filthy black mage!”
“Hmm? A black mage? Me?”
Pointing to herself and tilting her head, the woman finally burst into a hearty laugh and waved her hand dismissively.
“Of course not.”
At that moment.
Fwoosh!
The woman's pupils slit vertically.
“How could I, a great Duke of Gehenna, be a mere black mage, who are nothing but slaves to demons?”
“…Gehenna?”
For a moment, Han Seoah couldn't believe her ears.
It was a word she had seen in an ancient tome she'd stumbled upon in the Magic Tower's library.
Gehenna. An archaic word for the otherworld where demons lived, not the human world.
Only then did Han Seoah realize the identity of the woman standing before her.
“…A demon.”
A calamity that threatened all of humanity alongside monsters, and a being worshiped by black mages.
“Ding-dong-deng~ You're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you? I thought you'd be a bit cleverer, being a mage, but now I'm not so sure. At this rate, I wonder if you're even valuable enough to be a sacrifice…”
The woman crossed her arms and sized up Han Seoah as if appraising her.
Her fair, clear skin, beautiful features, and pleasantly full breasts and hips.
“Hmph…”
“Eek?!”
As the woman reached out and stroked her thigh, Han Seoah let out a shrill scream.
“Wh-What are you doing!”
“Hmm… Shall we call it a tasting session?”
Watching Han Seoah try to pull away, the woman licked her lips with a bright red tongue.
The sight sent a shiver down Han Seoah's spine.
“Y-You lay one finger on me! I'll kill you!”
“Huhu, no need to be so scared. It only hurts the first time.”
Despite the murderous cry, the woman paid it no mind and reached for Han Seoah.
A scorching heat flickered behind her blood-tinged eyes.
Click.
The woman undid a button on Han Seoah's robe, and it slid limply to the floor.
Beneath it, a black dress that clearly revealed her shoulders and cleavage was exposed.
Normally, it would have been nothing, but faced with such blatant lust directed at her, Han Seoah felt a wave of shame.
“Now that the wrapping is off, you look much more appetizing. So much so that I want to take a big bite right now…”
The smile blooming on the woman's lips deepened.
Just as the woman's hand, her patience seemingly gone, was about to slip inside Han Seoah's dress.
“?!”
The woman shot to her feet.
A strange light entered her eyes as she looked up at the cave ceiling.
“It can't be…”
At that moment.
KABOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!
A tremendous explosion roared, blowing a huge hole in the cave ceiling.
Sunlight poured in, instantly illuminating the cave, and a figure appeared through the hole.
Thud.
The sound of sneakers hitting the ground echoed with unusual clarity.
Not just the woman, but Han Seoah and Lumina as well, fixed their gazes on the unidentified figure.
“Hoo…”
Someone walked out from behind the thick cloud of dust.
And soon, ripples of shock spread through their eyes.
“Of all the places to hide, you picked a damn deep one.”
““…Hyun-woo?””
Seeing Kang Hyun-woo's face, Han Seoah and Lumina wore stunned expressions, as if they couldn't believe it.
Nevertheless, one thing was certain: a small glimmer of hope had appeared in their eyes.
“Still, it's nice that you're all gathered together in one place.”
Kang Hyun-woo smiled, his face a complete mess.
His body was covered in the fluids and blood of monsters.
Even a quick glance revealed his exhaustion, but Kang Hyun-woo forced himself to control his expression to reassure them.
As the three of them reunited inside the gate, their expressions brightening.
“Found you…!”
A meaningful smile bloomed on the lips of the woman watching them.
*
After getting the information from the dice, I ran at full speed toward Han Seoah's location, which I could feel instinctively.
I crossed the wasteland using support magic and the Lightness Skill, dealing with any monsters that attacked me along the way as quickly as possible.
Of course, this was an A-rank gate, so the monsters were no pushovers.
Every single one was B-rank or higher, and they constantly popped out of nowhere to block my path.
Among them were even some monsters on par with a Twin-Headed Ogre.
Moreover, because I prioritized speed over safety, there were more than a few dangerous moments, and I couldn't avoid getting injured.
Thanks to that, I was a wreck, but the scene before me made me feel that all my trouble hadn't been in vain.
Everyone was unconscious, but at least it seemed no one I knew was dead.
“…So.”
My gaze naturally turned to the woman who had been staring intently at me.
Her hair and eyes reminded me less of a blazing fire and more of blood pooling on a battlefield. And then there was her voluptuous figure, visible even through her suit.
She was a stunning beauty, recognizable even from a distance.
“Who are you?”
But I kept my hand on the hilt of my sword and glared at her.
From the moment I crashed through the ceiling, my instincts had been screaming danger signals at me.
Telling me that if I valued my life, I couldn't let my guard down for a single second.
“Huhu, we finally meet…!”
The corners of the woman's eyes curved bewitchingly.
I didn't know why, but she looked incredibly happy to see me.
“…‘Finally meet’? No matter how I think about it, I've never seen you before. How do you know me?”
“Oh? Ah, right! Forgive my rudeness…!”
The woman took a step back and bowed politely.
Thanks to that, her cleavage was on full display, but I focused on controlling my breathing and activating my cells with magic and internal energy.
I needed to recover even a little bit of stamina to prepare for whatever might happen.
“I am the Conveyor of Treasures and Knowledge.”
Piiing—
At that moment, a dark red light flashed above the woman's head, and the space around it began to distort at a strange angle.
Soon, a golden crown adorned with black velvet and pure white lace emerged from the distorted space.
“And I am Gremory, the great Duke of Gehenna, who knows how to win the love of all women.”
“…What?”
FWOOOOSH!!!
The moment the crown fully materialized, a powerful wave of demonic energy washed over me.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, and when I opened them, the woman looked completely different.
Horns and wings sprouted from her forehead and shoulder blades, a tail swayed gently behind her, and the golden crown floated above her head.
“Shall we begin?”
KIIIIIIING!!!!!!!
As the woman let out a bright laugh, the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword unleashed a golden Aura.
Simultaneously, I summoned my Black Flame and charged straight at the woman. No, at the demon.