Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Price of Trust (2)
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High Demon Salleos.
Her mind had long since turned into a complete mess.
It had only been three days since Yi Hyun began his remote conditioning.
-Tremble tremble.
'No more♡ I can't take it... Just imagining when he'll come next makes my body shake♡'
In the end, after just a few days, she shamefully admitted her defeat.
It wasn't a very high-demon-like reaction, but in truth, it was unavoidable.
Because she never could have endured it from the start.
She'd been continuously receiving pleasure on the level that had subjugated Luna, who had an intelligence of 9—even if it was only half the intensity.
Torture through pain was easier to endure than torture through pleasure.
This was a fact that Salleos herself, the user of the 'Curse of Rut', knew better than anyone.
'If this keeps up, I'll become a useless demon for life♡'
Eventually, she was driven into a corner.
Like a drug addict hooked on narcotics.
Her body now couldn't live without the pleasure Yi Hyun provided.
No, it was even worse than a drug addict.
Receiving pleasure without any physical contact was pure torment.
No amount of masturbation could even graze a fraction of that bliss.
And seeing Clara, she knew for sure that real skin-to-skin sex would be several times more ecstatic.
That was why she'd broken through the front lines and charged ahead.
-Rustle.
'Please, even one day sooner♡'
She ran wildly.
For the sake of the... Master who had already conquered her.
She was desperate to offer herself up as soon as possible, but...
-Spurt!!
"Hiiiing♡"
'Nooo, not again♡'
Yi Hyun had no idea.
On the contrary, he was terrified and ravaged Clara every day.
Due to the resonance, Salleos was steeped in pleasure right along with her.
After repeating this for nearly a week...
It was only natural that her mind had shattered.
'N-Now it's enough♡'
"Have sex with me too!!"
But her suffering ended today.
Salleos's heart pounded at the voice coming from afar, but...
"Don't lie to me!!!"
Unfortunately, Yi Hyun judged it 'rationally'.
A high demon couldn't possibly fall this easily.
It was just a lure to kill him.
Sex wasn't omnipotent— or so he thought.
Salleos's outfit was in disarray.
"No, it's real..."
'After doing this to me♡ That's too cruel♡'
It was an utterly unfair situation in every way.
In the end, she had no choice but to make an extreme decision.
Swish— She secretly opened the front of her cloak.
"C-Can you see it...♡"
'I'm declaring slavery to a mere human♡ I'm a disgrace to demons♡'
The 'Female Prisoner' brand on her lower abdomen, prepared in advance just in case.
Even Yi Hyun would surely understand if he saw this.
She was certain of it.
And Yi Hyun...
'Almost fell for it for a second. If her breasts were just a bit bigger, it would've been dangerous.'
"You wicked bitch!!! You've prepared every trick to fool just me, huh!!!!"
Call rejected.
Far from believing her, veins bulged on his neck.
His mana-infused voice echoed across the field.
"Y-Yes...? Wait, this is a slave brand."
"Slave brand? Lady Minerva, does that ring any bells? She says she carved a slave brand on her own body?"
"Hold on. Hmm, blessings can't identify it, but it's probably a trick. A fake brand or something?"
"This damned bitch is trying to fool me again!!! I could fool Hilde maybe, but fooling me is impossible!!!!"
"It's notttt♡"
Salleos trembled with frustration too.
No, hadn't she, a high demon, personally offered herself to him?
Knowing he'd be anxious if she just approached, hadn't she gone all out to let him enslave her completely?
'What do I have to do to make him believe me? Aah, what should I...'
She couldn't fathom why he wouldn't believe her.
That was why she stomped her feet in injustice, but...
"......Hmm?"
'What's this? Could it actually be real?'
Fortunately, her frustration didn't last long.
Yi Hyun's intelligence of 1.8. An incredibly low score—not average, but not rock-bottom either.
This peculiar intelligence began to waver.
Tap tap— Yi Hyun poked Minerva's shoulder.
"Lady Minerva, she's..."
"...Is it true? A high demon runs up naked and begs to be taken as a slave?"
"She can't believe I don't trust her, tears are welling up one by one."
"What the— sigh."
The sage Minerva was stunned upon hearing the situation.
Of course, unlike Yi Hyun.
She didn't dismiss it as mere overthinking.
'It seems like a lure at first glance... but what if, like with Lumine, Yi Hyun broke her?'
And with that, she recalled.
Lumine, her friend and the saintess who squirted pussy juice like a fountain after some anal sex.
She had no idea how optimized her friend was for conditioning.
So she assumed Yi Hyun was extraordinary.
And hypothesized that Salleos had suffered something similar.
Even if the premise was off, the conclusion was right—truly worthy of the sage title.
"Hyun, what was that attack you sent through the brand?"
"A 'thank you' through Clara? Oh, and I lifted her rut curse as a bonus."
"Tsk, no it's not?"
'It's not lewd stuff.'
...Even a sage could flail helplessly against common sense alteration.
But that was truly unavoidable.
In the end, Minerva proposed a compromise.
"We can't trust her word in this situation, right?"
"How could I trust a high demon."
"True. But it might be real? Worth checking out."
"Should we make her do something?"
"No, if it's real, this is a huge opportunity. I don't want to make it public."
"Then..."
"Send a messenger."
Swish— Parchment emerged from her bosom again.
And scratch scratch, a quill danced over it.
Fluid imperial script was inscribed upon it.
Yi Hyun, watching, was deeply impressed.
"This is...!!"
"Not bad as the price of trust, right?"
"As expected of Lady Minerva!! Awesome!!"
"Hehe~ Now, anyone you want to send as messenger? It'll be dangerous, so pick the worst person."
"Hmm, worst person..."
And then he scribble scribble—
Looked around with a troubled expression.
He felt uneasy about sending someone to the limbs,
-Halt.
"Ah, that one."
In the end, he pointed at someone.
A female bandit in leather armor.
"Huh? I was just saying, but you're actually picking her. What'd she do?"
"Back when I was naive about the world, I asked her about the black market and nearly got kidnapped. Hilde was watching and saved me."
"...How is she still alive?"
"No need to kill her. It was my own stupidity. Anyway, you there! Bandit lady, come here!!"
Then he summoned the bandit.
Handed her the parchment with a flick.
Bonus instruction: deliver to Salleos and come back.
The bandit naturally tried to refuse, but
-Clink.
"Two gold coins."
"...D-Death means the end."
"Four."
"Money can't buy life."
"Eight."
"Damn it, fine, one gamble!!!"
Too much money to refuse.
The bandit crossed the plain with a resolute expression.
By sheer luck, nothing happened to her.
"This is..."
"I-I'm Yi Hyun-nim's errand girl! Touch a hair on my head and."
"Shut up and scram."
"Yes!!"
Pat pat— Footsteps fleeing at top speed, fearing the demon might change her mind.
Salleos didn't even glance her way.
Her pupils were fixed on the parchment scroll she'd just unrolled.
[If you wish to repent and join humanity's side, help us subjugate the high demons from now on. As the price of trust first...]
"......"
'Betrayal.'
Sacrifice her kin, the demons.
A high demon on par with her, no less.
No matter how much she'd cast aside her pride, betrayal was absolutely...
"Hiiing♡"
'They'll believe me just for this? So merciful♡'
Salleos didn't hesitate for even a second.
High demons, a race where loathing was the default.
They wouldn't help her squirt love juices—instead, they'd mock her.
No qualms about betrayal whatsoever.
"Yess♡ I'll bring one♡"
"...Really!!!?"
"I don't want the man who's to be my master's achievements to end with just a wench like Citri♡"
"Wait a sec!!! Lady Minerva, she says yes?"
"Pfft, this got interesting. Send her back like this~ Add that next time we meet, someone dies before it ends."
"Got it. Now get lost!!!"
"Yesss♡"
Then she meekly turned away.
She perfectly understood her assigned role.
'Conveniently, there's a famous one among humans...'
"......"
'If it'd end up like this, why was I scared? Why'd they even gather all these people?'
Yi Hyun's expression watching her leave was quite the sight.
* * *
Several days later.
A bizarrely eerie mansion located in the deepest part of the demon realm.
"Is that true!?"
"Sob, y-yes... I begged them to just free that slave, but they told me to scram... Even took my jewels..."
Salleos wept copiously.
On the surface, she looked every bit the tragic heroine.
'Hurry and bite, you idiot♡'
Inside, she was a spiteful high demon through and through.
But the one before her had no inkling.
Blue glow lit in the skeleton knight's eye sockets.
"How could they!!"
'Even if she's a demon, she's still a woman—do they intend to subject her to such cruelty continuously!?'
Skeleton knight and high demon, Ballam.
His flesh had rotted to fertilizer long ago.
But his chivalry remained unrotted.
He rose with resolve.
"No helping it. I'll inform the other demons and launch the 6th Great Invasion."
"You can't."
"Why not? I'm a former human, so fine, but you're at least a duke's lady..."
"If we demons could band together, we'd have wiped out this empire ages ago. Can't go all out in front of backstabbing scum who might stab us anytime."
"Ah."
Ballam sheepishly sat back down.
He'd been a demon for quite a while, but high demons' individualism still felt awkward.
Before such him, Salleos shed false tears again.
"No one else to ask but you. Please help me, Ballam."
"...You believe I won't betray you?"
"Who else could I trust if not you, the noble hero?"
"Kh, khem. Thanks for trusting me. First time hearing that from a lady."
"You'll help, right?"
"Leave it to me. This Terror King Ballam will personally lead an army and strike the empire."
"Thank you!"
The first sacrifice she offered for humanity was,
"———Former 'Hero'-nim."
A being once called the Hero.