Chapter 139: Do You Like Things Electrifying?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Do You Like Things Electrifying?
Helus Fobidas, the Sage of Water.
Despite his extraordinary reputation, he was a sage famous for residing in a secluded village without any formal affiliation. While the public believed he did this out of humility, the reality was far more mundane: his lifestyle was fueled by pure greed and a primal instinct for survival.
The true source of the knowledge that earned him his title was a small blonde girl. Without the wisdom of that girl—now known as Mori—Helus was nothing more than a pot-bellied, middle-aged fraud.
He had been stripped of his fountain of wisdom and had attempted to reclaim it. The result, however, had been an absolute disaster. Instead of regaining his prize, he had been kidnapped by Ferda, and the Witch's Mark had been seared onto the back of his hand—a brand of a secret he could never reveal, even upon pain of death.
What had happened since then?
Surprisingly, absolutely nothing.
After replacing the maid he had killed with a new one, he continued to receive the same lavish support, using it to indulge in fine wine, gourmet food, and women.
"Ugh... my head is splitting."
Despite the luxury, Helus suffered from a different kind of thirst. Though he maintained his facade as a sage by borrowing Mori’s wisdom, the limit of only three questions per day irritated him to no end. If he wasted his daily quota on trivial matters and a truly vital question arrived, he was forced to wait until the next day.
And that wasn't the worst of it.
While he waited, more questions would pile up, snowballing until he was faced with a three-month backlog. He could have simply filtered out the important inquiries, but Helus lacked the eye for such discernment and had zero desire to learn. Thus, he was forced to process them one by one in a dull, mechanical fashion.
This is all because of that damn Regent.
Helus seethed with resentment toward Ferda. Not only had the man stolen what was rightfully his, but he had the audacity to claim he was letting Helus use her "freely" while imposing such a stifling limit.
Irritation flared. Helus reflexively grabbed a snack from a plate and shoved it into his mouth. He had been self-medicating his stress with food, causing him to balloon in weight in a remarkably short time. Thanks to the thick sugar coursing through his veins, his mood improved slightly.
Still, he probably doesn't know I tried to snatch her back...
Since he had entered into a terrifying contract with a witch, the Regent likely assumed Helus wouldn't dare do anything so reckless. Using that assumption against him was the one bit of genuine wisdom Helus had actually managed to produce on his own.
There’s no way that madman of a Regent would have gone easy on me otherwise.
Convinced of his own growing intellect, he lost himself in self-congratulation, busying himself with eating his fill.
But I can't just stay like this.
He had to get Mori back. While his daily life was largely unchanged, he couldn't tolerate the underlying anxiety of the unknown. How could he steal her back?
Maybe I'll think about it tomorrow.
Now that he was full, a heavy drowsiness washed over him. Deciding to ponder the matter after a nap, he moved to lie down.
It was then.
Creeeeak—
The door swung open without warning.
"What the? Who’s barging in without knocking?"
As he snapped in irritation, a figure appeared. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Helus’s face brightened the moment he saw her.
"Olivia. What are you doing here?"
She wasn't the real Olivia. She was a prostitute who had taken the Imperial Princess’s name as a stage name—a common practice among any blonde woman who was even remotely pretty.
The woman stood there, peering through the doorway with an expressionless face. Helus felt a flicker of unease, but his lower body reacted before his brain did.
"What’s wrong? Do you want to play rough today? I’ll make sure to satisfy you this time!"
"..."
"Honey? Are you okay? Why aren't you saying anything?"
The door opened a bit wider. At that moment, Olivia’s head fell to the floor with a sickening thud. It dropped and rolled exactly like a ball.
Thud.
Roll...
The cleanly severed neck came into Helus’s full view.
"Huh...?"
Helus, lounging on the bed, let out a dazed sound before the reality of the horror finally crashed down on him.
"Wh-Whaaaargh!"
He let out a pathetic scream, clutching the bedsheets. While he was paralyzed with terror, someone stepped inside.
"What’s wrong, honey? Why the long face? I happen to like playing rough, too."
The voice was seductive, yet it couldn't hide the raspy, masculine undertone. Black skin, black sclera, and piercing red pupils. Inside his mocking mouth were rows of needle-pointed teeth.
He grinned, then smeared the blood from his hand onto his lips.
"G-Guards! Guaaaaards!"
Helus screamed at the top of his lungs. Usually, the servants would come running at the slightest raise of his voice, but now there was no sign of life. It was only natural. If the intruder had walked in carrying Olivia’s head, there was no way anyone in the mansion was still in one piece.
Helus’s face turned deathly pale. "Y-You... just who are you?"
"Oh my, asking such a tactless question after seeing all this."
The demon man smiled, his eyes crinkling with feminine affectation. His sharp claws glinted eerily. "I absolutely detest men who pretend to be slow."
"P-Please spare me! My Lord!" Helus shouted, surrendering to his instincts. "I-I’ll give you anything you want! If you want treasure, go to the basement! If you want this land, you can have the house too! So please, just my life...!"
At that, the demon’s face contorted. "Hmm... something’s strange..."
The man tilted his head, staring at Helus with his pitch-black eyes. "The man called the Sage of Water shouldn't be this pathetic... Lord Gokma said he was threatening enough to at least be in the second tier..."
The man realized something was wrong. He grabbed Helus by the collar and hauled him up effortlessly. "Tell me, honey. Who are you?"
"I-I am Helus Fobidas..."
"The Sage of Water, the ultimate wisdom who created a breakthrough... there’s no way he’s a sniveling wreck like you. You don't look like you have wisdom or anything else. Hmm... in that case, you..." The demon grinned as if he had reached a realization. "Ah, I see. You’re Fobidas’s body double, aren't you?"
"N-No, that’s not it..."
"It’s okay. What’s wrong with being a double? Tell me, where is the real one? If I find him, I’ll let you live. How about it?"
Helus couldn't bring himself to speak. He could have lied and said the real one was far away to buy time, but his survival instinct was on high alert. He was certain that the moment he denied his identity, the demon would kill him for being useless.
"I-I am Helus. P-Please, spare me..."
He tried to assert his identity again, but the man didn't believe a word of it.
"Ah, this is no fun since you’re being so stubborn. In that case..."
The demon brushed Helus’s hair aside. Helus felt a cold chill against his ear from a passing gust of wind. Then came a throbbing, white-hot pain. A liquid began to trickle down his cheek.
Helus realized it. The demon had moved, and his ear was gone.
"Aaaaaagh!" Helus screamed in pure terror.
"Tell me. You’re the double, right? Right? If you admit it now, I’ll give you a clean death. Just tell me the location, nice and easy."
"Hwaaaagh! I am Helus Fobidas! I really am! Please believe me!"
The man threatened him to dig out a "truth" that didn't exist, while Helus screamed the actual truth. In this absurdity where even his sincerity failed to reach his captor, Helus burst into tears.
"S-Save me! If anyone’s there, please save me!!"
Naturally, there was no one to come to his rescue. Boredom settled over the demon’s face. Helus Fobidas wasn't here. Just as he decided this and prepared to end the double’s life—
CRACK!
With the sound of a wall being pierced, a streak of light shot between Helus and the demon. As if precisely aimed, it struck the hand holding Helus. The sage was thrown to the floor.
"Gwaaargh!!"
Helus didn't miss the opportunity and scrambled backward on all fours. Instead of finishing him off, the demon man stared at the mark on the wall and let out a low breath.
"Hmm, I wonder what little rat interrupted my happy time?"
BANG!
Young men burst through the door. They held their swords drawn, leveling them at the demon.
"Release the Sage, you filthy creature!"
Five handsome faces. They were brimming with the bravado of novices, but that was all. None of them looked capable of using magic.
Then who was it?
The master of that magic finally revealed himself. Gray hair and blue eyes. He had a calm demeanor that seemed unfitting for his youthful, vigorous age.
The demon knew exactly who he was.
"I wondered who it was, and it turns out it was a shot from our handsome Regent darling?"
The demon man spoke with a flirtatious smile, but Ferda’s expression was one of pure disgust.
"Aren't you ashamed? A grown man talking like a little girl."
"Aing, don't be like that. You should learn to respect people’s tastes."
"Right. I suppose having such a 'taste' is why you became a demon."
Ferda continued to provoke the demon with dry sarcasm. The demon man simply laughed as if he were enjoying himself.
"What a waste, truly. You have exactly the prickly personality I like. If only your body were a bit fatter..." The demon man glanced at Helus and smirked.
Ferda watched that gaze and spoke with revulsion. "I’ve seen plenty of sodomites, but your taste is truly foul."
"Foul? This is the realm of gourmet! There’s a flavor you wouldn't understand. That rich, heavy scent of fat is a delicacy only obese men can provide."
The blood drained from Helus’s face.
"Don't be too disappointed, darlings. It’s not that I don't want to kill anyone other than fat men. Killing in itself is a joy, after all."
"You filthy demon! Do you think we’ll allow that!?" One of the young nobles, his arrogant nature surfacing, lunged forward. "Your atrocities shall vanish like dew upon this blade!"
Ferda didn't even have time to stop him. The demon raised a finger, and a flash of light flickered.
"Huh?"
The noble felt nothing below his neck. In his vision, he saw his own body. His torso was still charging forward bravely, but his field of vision was plummeting toward the floor. He realized it then. He had paid the price for his arrogance.
Roll.
Thud!
"S-Sir Dmitri!"
"H-His head...!"
The bravado of the young nobles instantly turned to despair. Unable to follow the movement with their eyes, they looked back and forth between the two, their faces masks of confusion.
"I hate impatient men, hmph."
The demon’s coquettish behavior only made the scene more horrifying. The remaining nobles gripped their swords tightly. Their first encounter with a demon. Their first encounter with overwhelming power. They realized once again that this war was not a game, but a slaughterhouse.
"As expected, our Regent is quite something. Usually, people start trembling like those kids when they see this."
"I’ve seen plenty of such cheap tricks, so it’s hardly surprising."
Though he spoke calmly, Ferda was just as flustered as the young nobles.
This is becoming a headache.
He hadn't underestimated the demon’s power, so that wasn't the surprise. The problem was the attitude of the nobles. Who would have thought one of them would effectively commit suicide by charging in like that? If this turned into a matter of responsibility, it would be a nuisance.
"Anyway, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. I thought you’d get here after I’d had a bit more fun."
"You speak as if you knew I was coming."
"Demons have quite the intelligence network, you know. We have many ears listening."
The demon tapped his ear. Ferda knew there were Demon Followers among the nobility. Was there one even among those participating in this Start of Spring Festival?
They say you can't trust anyone in this world.
He scoffed as he thought that. Since when had he ever trusted humans so easily? Ferda decided to use the demon’s intent to his advantage.
"Hey, you disgusting thing."
"Yes, honey?"
"Stop with the boring hostage act and fight me properly."
One of the demon’s eyebrows shot up. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
"I’m the one you’re after, aren't I? So, I’ll give you a chance."
"What kind of chance?"
"A chance to kill me."
Hearing that, the demon man let out a short laugh. "I don't know why you’re so cute. I bet you’ve made quite a few girls cry, haven't you?"
"I’ve seen them cry. I didn't care for it."
"Oh my, that’s not what I meant. Goodness, this is why I can't stand stiff men." He clicked his tongue but kept his eyes smiling. "Fine. I’ll let the small fry go. Killing them would be fun, but if you’re going to walk into your own grave, I won't complain."
Ferda turned to the young nobles. Having witnessed Dmitri’s death, they had already lost their will to fight. They looked as if they wanted nothing more than to flee immediately. Men who had lost their nerve were not only useless but a hindrance.
"You lot."
"Y-Yes!"
"Take the Sage and get out."
"But... won't you be outnumbered...?"
"You’re slow on the uptake. You’re in the way, so get lost."
Ferda commanded them, his voice laced with killing intent. Overwhelmed by his aura, the nobles chose to retreat as ordered. These weren't the kind of people Ferda would trust with his back.
Helus, who was closest to the demon, was desperate to find a way to escape.
"You go too, honey. I don't need a body double."
"Y-Yes!!"
Helus scrambled toward the nobles, his heavy body rolling as they all rushed out of the room. The sound of them clattering down the stairs echoed. Now, only the demon and Ferda remained.
"Are you the type who’s harsh on the outside but warm on the inside? Men with that kind of gap really make my heart flutter."
"I have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting. I simply needed witnesses."
"Witnesses? For what?"
"Five young nobles entered, and one of them bravely committed suicide. Who would believe that story?"
"Haha! True enough!" The demon burst into laughter. The only ones who could testify to this absurd situation were those four and Helus.
"Besides, I don't have the leisure to play around with someone like you."
"Handsome, you’re awfully confident for a mere 4th Circle mage."
The opponent was a Knight-class demon, a Butcher-type optimized for speed. To stop such an opponent, the standard tactic was to use binding or area-of-effect slowing magic. To do that, one needed a front line to hold the enemy back. But since the four nobles who were supposed to be that front line were gone, Ferda was essentially defenseless.
"I wonder how long that prideful expression will last."
"I’m not sure." Ferda added one more thing. "At the very least, you won't be around to find out."
Ferda smirked and pulled something from inside his robe. It wasn't a magic tool as the demon had expected. It was a magic circle.
He stored a magic circle inside his robe?
It was impossible. At least as far as the demon knew, no mage was capable of such a feat. But there was no other explanation. It made no sense for a complex magic circle requiring a long incantation to suddenly appear and activate in Ferda’s hand.
"Using such cowardly tricks...!"
The demon tried to voice his disgust, but the words died in his throat.
Crackle!
Lightning formed in Ferda’s hand. But its color wasn't blue or a brilliant white; it was a deep, ominous red. Even without knowing it was the Heaven-Defying Lightning, one could tell it was a light that defied the natural order. Magic that did not follow the natural order was, without exception, powerful.
Ferda looked at the demon, whose face had finally changed, and asked, "Do you like things electrifying?"
* * *
Meanwhile, in front of the village outside the mansion.
"Monsters approaching!"
"Form a phalanx! There aren't many of them! We can do this ourselves even without the Regent!"
There were only ten beast-type monsters, fewer than at the first point. With such small numbers, they shouldn't have been a threat. Yet, strangely, the soldiers were struggling. They tried to figure out why.
Is it because five people are missing from the front line?
They considered it but dismissed the thought as foolish. Those guys were nothing but baggage.
The nobles were people who had looked down on others since birth. Their high status made them more of a hindrance than an asset in actual combat.
It’s because Regent Ferda isn't here.
He used strategies that were on a different level from other mages. Instead of having the 3rd Circle mages draw magic circles, he had them create mana spheres and throw them to him; Ferda would then launch those spheres, providing support. In practice, only one mage was moving, but that one mage controlled everything.
When they had faced twenty monsters, they hadn't felt like they were struggling, but now, facing only ten, the difference was painfully obvious. They could only hope he would finish things quickly and come out.
"The young lords are coming out!"
A soldier in the rear shouted. Turning around, they saw the nobles emerging from the gates as he said. One of them was Helus, meaning two people were effectively missing.
"D-Dmitri is dead..."
"Dead? Then what happened to the Regent?"
"The Regent is fighting a demon. There was a demon inside!"
A demon!
Their terror was understandable. In the current era, demons were so rare they were practically mythical creatures. But that wasn't the issue.
"So you’re saying the Regent is fighting it alone right now?"
"Y-Yes..."
It was absurd. Instead of joining forces to fight the demon, all four nobles had fled, leaving the Regent to fight by himself.
We can... somehow handle the monsters.
Should they run in now to support Regent Ferda? Political calculations and the reality of the situation made their heads spin.
It was at that moment.
A red light flashed from the mansion window they were watching. That ominous glow gradually grew smaller.
Rumble...!!
The light was fading, but the ground began to shake more violently. It wasn't weakening. No, it was being compressed—creating an explosion too massive to contain.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion struck their eardrums. The shockwave shook the phalanx, and even the attacking wolf monsters faltered. The building at the center of the explosion couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed.
"My..." Helus wailed as he stared at the spot swallowed by the light. "My house...!!"