Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Pathetic Half-Demon Lord
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‘He’s really turned into a total fuckup.’
That was the thought that hit me the moment I laid eyes on the lord, who was halfway through his demonization. The half-human, half-demon who’d been this city’s lord just moments ago was now sprawled on the floor, writhing pathetically.
This was exactly why I’d gone out of my way to beat down those undead and gather up the flesh chunks to restore his demonic power. Feed him exactly two chunks, and you could end the situation without a fight.
If you restored zero demonic power, or just one chunk, the weakened demon would get dominated by the lord, who’d fully awaken as a complete half-human, half-demon, forcing a boss battle.
On the flip side, give him three or more chunks, and the lord wouldn’t be able to withstand the demonic power—he’d just die outright, and you’d face a demon that had descended to the mortal plane.
The demon boss’s stats scaled with how many chunks the player restored, peaking at full power with all 100.
There was an achievement for awakening the demon to its complete form and taking it down, but first you had to meet the holy power stat requirement of 99 just to carry around that 100-chunk tome—not exactly a walk in the park.
‘Anyway, he’s fucking ugly as sin.’
I carefully observed whatever the hell the former lord was, squirming desperately on the floor.
In the game, it just felt like a crude mashup of half human and half demon. Here, though, the fusion of human and demon felt way more visceral.
His body shape was the same squat build, but now his bare skin was covered in countless scales. His mouth was torn open all the way to his ears, revealing sharp fangs in between.
His eyes had goat-like slit pupils, half-formed horns sprouted from his head, and all his limbs were reverse-jointed. The claws at the ends were razor-sharp.
And as if that wasn’t enough, there were these half-formed wings.
“Yeesss, wooorm, yeeesss, woooorm!!!!!!”
The lord spat up a gush of black blood as he glared at me. He clawed at the ground, trying to drag himself toward me, but soon slammed his head into the puddle.
“Why are you writhing around like that? Your face was already a disaster, and now you don’t even look human anymore.”
I chuckled and waved at him. The lord muttered incoherently at me before hacking up more blood with a gurgling croak.
A boiling rumble rose from his throat. He wanted to say something, but his throat was clogged with blood, so nothing came out properly.
“You look like you have no clue why you ended up like this. Hey, if you’ve got a brain in there, use it. How does a human control a demon?”
I picked up the book still emanating black energy beside the lord. Unlike this idiot, who’d been possessed the instant he lusted after it, the thing had zero effect on me.
For one, I didn’t particularly desire it. And before coming to the mansion, I’d bumped my holy power up to 5. A demon powered by just two chunks of flesh couldn’t touch my mind.
“You’re starting to realize something’s off, right? Your head was stuffed full with the idea that you had to summon the demon no matter what. You knew better than anyone that any ties to demons meant instant execution under imperial law—even for royalty.”
*Thud.* I closed the open book. The black energy leaking out cut off abruptly. The lord’s writhing slowed a bit.
“Why’d you do it? I’ll give you time to think.”
I let the silence hang, then opened my mouth in the most infuriating tone I could muster.
“Oh, right, there’s nothing to eat here, so your brain’s not turning, huh? My bad. Sorry about that—here’s the answer. The truth is, ‘I lied to you from the start.’”
“……!!!!!!”
The lord’s half-demonized eyes bulged as he glared at me. Whatever. Glare all you want. I kept up the smug tone.
“That’s how demons are. Once they hook you with desire, hardly any human can break free. And a demon of lust? Give me a break. What, giving guys infinite stamina and turning women into sluts who climax from a brush of fabric? Why’d you buy that crap? Use your head for more than just eating, for once.”
I smacked the lord’s head with the book—*thwack, thwack*. He retched up another mouthful of blood, more reddish now that the black energy absorption had stopped.
“What? You told him all that? And that moron bought it?”
“Yeah. Hook, line, and sinker.”
Demons stir up desire, sure, but their power has limits. They can amplify what’s there, but they can’t create desire from nothing.
That’s why I’d said just planting the idea of wanting the book was enough to clear it. Once that seed was there, the demon in the book handled the rest.
“That pig bastard must’ve priced himself high, so I was wondering why he traded for just a demon-possessed book. So that’s why he sold me to you as a sex slave?”
“Hey, could you phrase it a little nicer?”
“Whatever. Mind if I kick him once?”
“Once? Go ahead and kick him a hundred times. He can’t move anyway.”
With my go-ahead, Aurora didn’t hesitate. She strode over to the writhing lord, hiked up her dress slightly, and ground her high heel into his head.
“You fucking moron. That how bad you wanted to fuck women? Huh? Know what? If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve just died and been reborn. Ever hear what the women you dragged in whispered behind your back? They said you’ve got a microdick, you loser. No matter how hard you pounded, they couldn’t feel a thing in their pussies—just your gut flopping against them. You know that? Huh? Did you?”
‘Holy shit.’
For a second, I thought I’d misheard.
I never imagined Aurora would sling words like that without batting an eye. The lord’s personality had turned even more trashy than in the game, so I guess she couldn’t help picking up some of it.
Still, considering she’d basically raised herself under a creep like that, her staying relatively normal was a miracle.
Aurora kept stomping his head with her heel, unleashing a torrent of curses, insults, and mockery for a good while. Only after quite some time did she catch her breath, looking refreshed as she beamed.
“Ahh, that felt great. Now I can finally stretch out and sleep easy. Wait—what’s with that look? Why are you staring like that?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just... impressive, in a lot of ways.”
“Hah, I get what you’re thinking, but try living under a guy like that. A year tops, and you’d be like me. And honestly, I held back a ton. If you weren’t here, it’d have been worse. Want an example of what I’d say?”
“No examples needed—please keep some dignity. You’re about to become family head; why stoop to gutter talk?”
“Hey, I *am* family head now, so I can say whatever.”
The lord, whose head had been smashed into the floor, jerked it up at the words “family head.” Aurora’s eyes lit up again.
“Oh, was that your sore spot? Too bad—every word’s true. You die here, and I take all your wealth. Thanks for building it up so nicely. What, were you scraping every coin desperately just to leave me more? Die bearing all the infamy, and leave me the money and honor? Kinda touching, actually.”
“……!!!!!!”
The lord’s eyes nearly rolled back from the taunts. He flailed his half-reverse-jointed limbs desperately, but there was nothing he could do.
Aurora flashed a sweet smile at me once she’d said her piece.
“We’ve teased him enough. Let’s just kill him. No need to keep looking at that disgusting thing.”
Her expression and tone didn’t match at all, but since the original was a stunning beauty, there wasn’t a hint of dissonance.
“Sure, whatever. What’s next for you, Lady Aurora? Watch me kill him, or step out for a bit?”
“Obviously, I’m watching from start to finish. I need to see that pig die with my own eyes.”
As if her sweet smile had been a lie, blazing hatred ignited in her golden eyes.
I told her to do as she pleased and pulled a dagger from my pocket—the one I’d taken from the skeletonized priest. Aurora tilted her head at the sight.
“What? Your weapon’s a dagger? You don’t look the type at all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean—‘not the dagger type’? And it’s not my usual weapon. I brought it specifically to kill demons.”
“That thing’s for killing demons?”
“Yeah. Demons can’t be killed by anything without holy power infused in it.”
In Verndak 4, only weapons or spells prefixed with “blessed”—ones that dealt holy damage—could hurt demons.
Normal weapons could chip away at their health, sure. But they’d just regenerate it effortlessly.
Only damage from blessed weapons or holy spells stuck, refusing to heal. And this dagger required 5 holy power to wield.
I drew the dagger and approached the lord, who was flailing pathetically on the floor.
“It’s gonna hurt like hell, but you can take it, right?”
*Stab.* Without waiting for an answer, I plunged it into his body.