What Sleeps Beneath the Mountain
In the pre-dawn hours when everyone else still slept, I was climbing the mountain.
Countless stars I could never see in the city glittered overhead, lighting my way.
My feelings about slipping out of the dormitory in secret to go hiking were complicated.
If anyone asked how I had escaped a dormitory under constant faculty surveillance, I supposed I would have to say I simply transformed into an owl and flew out.
That was the truth. I had used one of Marbas’s authorities.
One of the Great Demon President’s most famous powers was the ability to transform a person into an animal. My own level was still far from impressive, and I had only recently contracted with Marbas, so the transformation lasted only a few minutes—but that was more than enough to sneak out of the dormitory unnoticed.
And why climb this particular mountain?
This was the mountain scheduled for use on the second day of the exercise. This was where Moon Seyeon would form her contract with a demon.
In the original novel, one student from the police team had followed a criminal-team student’s trail into a cave, become enthralled by “something,” and triggered a disaster of catastrophic scale.
Would you believe me if I said the entire mountain moved?
More precisely, the “something” beneath the mountain moved. That something caused the whole mountain to collapse in a massive catastrophe, and both police personnel and students suffered heavy casualties because of it.
Behemoth.
Just as Leviathan ruled the seas and Ziz the skies, Behemoth was called the Great Demon of the Land—a legendary demon said to have been defeated by Gabriel.
That “something” was a fragment of Behemoth.
Long ago, when Behemoth’s former contractor fought a life-or-death battle against Gabriel’s previous contractor, the fragment had been summoned. Time passed; Behemoth’s contractor ultimately fell to Gabriel’s, yet the fragment itself proved impossible to destroy. They could only seal it.
Even a complete seal was beyond them, so they immobilized it as best they could, then piled stone and earth over it until it became a mountain.
That was the origin of the very mountain I now stood upon.
And I was heading for the cave that had started it all.
Knowing the original story, there was no need to let the disaster play out again.
Have I found it?
After more than an hour of searching I finally discovered a single cave. It was hidden deep, its entrance carefully screened by undergrowth, making it difficult to locate.
“I can feel it. That brutish oaf’s presence is unmistakable.”
Marbas’s confirmation settled it. This had to be the place.
“By the way, how did the child know Behemoth was here?”
“It’s a secret.”
“A secret… I already thought you an unusual child, so very well. The world is wide and Transcendent Beings many; something must have happened before you met this body. …Yet if that is so, then your claim of amnesia was necessarily a lie. Was there truly a need for such deception?”
Even as Marbas spoke, the demon seemed unable to make sense of it. I could not clearly explain myself either, so I simply kept silent.
What would happen if I revealed to Marbas that this world was the inside of a novel? Nothing good for me—or for this world—would come of it.
Fortunately, thoughts concerning the true nature of this world did not seem to reach Marbas. It was probably the same reason the Transcendent Beings never noticed that Seong Hyeon was a reincarnator.
Before entering the cave I sent a quick text to Lee Gil-young, just in case: that I had slipped out of the dormitory, and that he should not panic if anything strange happened on the nearby mountain.
Time to go.
The moment I stepped inside, a presence began to circle around me. It was almost certainly the consciousness of the sealed Behemoth. A human had suddenly entered its cave; of course it would take interest.
The presence that had been orbiting me soon tried to invade my body. Yet the instant it sensed Marbas’s power it flinched, abandoned the attempt, and resumed circling.
I confirmed that Behemoth’s aura continued to hover around me and pressed deeper into the cave.
The cave was remarkably deep, yet its structure was simple—a single straight passage—so advancing was not difficult.
“Come deeper… deeper still…”
I heard Behemoth calling me.
In the original story Moon Seyeon, with Seong Hyeon’s help, contracted with Behemoth and succeeded in resealing the fragment that had been rampaging without will, causing enormous damage. Because Behemoth was an extremely powerful demon, Moon Seyeon’s combat strength rose dramatically as a side benefit. The collateral damage, however, had been severe—social chaos included.
For someone who wanted a peaceful life, that outcome was completely unacceptable. I had to take measures in advance.
Following Behemoth’s guidance I continued inward until I reached the end. The terminus was a wide cavern, and in its center rose something that looked like a massive stalagmite.
It was not a real stalagmite. It was one of the horns of Behemoth’s fragment.
“Place your hand upon it…”
In the original novel the student who awakened the fragment had his mana and life force drained to the limit by this horn and was left half-dead. That power shattered the seal’s balance and allowed the fragment to move.
In other words, if no life force or mana was supplied, Behemoth would never move.
“If I touch that horn it will try to drain my mana and life force. Please block it.”
“Understood.”
Trusting Marbas, I laid my hand on the horn.
The instant I made contact, Behemoth attempted to suck my mana—only to be stopped cold by Marbas’s power. Unable to take anything, the fragment sent an emergency signal to its main body.
At that moment Marbas’s mana entered the fragment. That meant Marbas could now partially control it.
“……Marbas? What business brings you to the place where this body’s fragment is sealed?”
An anomaly in its sleeping fragment naturally drew a response from the main body.
“Nothing of great import. My contractor simply came of his own accord.”
“A contractor… you mean this one.”
The main body’s will spoke through the horn beneath my palm.
“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Baek Sejin.”
“Indeed. A human whose appearance Marbas would favor. What is your business?”
“I came because I wish to make a deal with Lord Behemoth.”
“Ho. A deal, you say? Very well—what do you desire?”
“Would you grant me control over that fragment?”
“Control of this body’s fragment? Explain in detail.”
“I do not mean to claim ownership. Being able to move the fragment whenever I wish would be sufficient.”
“……Hmm. Every deal requires a price. What can you offer this body?”
“How about a new contractor?”
“A contractor? At present this body has little interest in the mortal world. To put it bluntly, I have no need of one.”
“I believe you will find her extremely satisfying.”
“I said I have no need.”
“You will be able to meet her within a few hours. Why not decide then?”
“……For the sake of Chairman Marbas I shall wait a few hours.”
“Haha, thank you. Ah—and if anyone approaches this cave before I return, would you drive them away?”
“Very well. That much I can do.”
“Then I shall see you again in a few hours.”
After offering my respects to Behemoth I left the cave.
The deal would almost certainly succeed. Behemoth had, after all, sensed Moon Seyeon’s existence on its own, contacted her through the fragment, and desired a contract. Of course, had Seong Hyeon not rescued Moon Seyeon from the collapsing mountain, she would have died and never formed the contract. Kim Gabyul, contracted to Gabriel, was not yet strong enough to repel the fragment either; without Seong Hyeon’s intervention the damage would have been far greater.
That was the original story. Now that I had intervened, the fragment would never awaken and the mountain would never collapse. The mountain-sized Behemoth would never wander aimlessly, crushing buildings and killing people.
“Is Behemoth’s new contractor by any chance Moon Seyeon?”
Marbas asked as I emerged from the cave.
“That’s right. Don’t you think Lord Behemoth will like her?”
The lion plushie followed me at a leisurely pace.
“……Hmm. Not to my taste, at any rate. That oversized brute might take a liking to her, though.”
Hearing that Moon Seyeon was not Marbas’s type suddenly made me curious.
“Then what is Lord Marbas’s type?”
“Pure black mana, a villainous appearance, and a disposition to match.”
Marbas answered without hesitation.
For a moment I was speechless.
Pure black mana clearly referred to me—but a villainous appearance and matching disposition? What was that supposed to mean?
“The only thing we have in common is pure black mana. Why did you contract with me?”
“Hahahahaha! Do you truly believe that? Contractor, you are a being who matches this body’s preferences perfectly.”
“I’ll set the villainous appearance aside for now, but I absolutely cannot agree about the disposition. Where exactly am I evil? I’m nothing but kindhearted.”
“Is that so? Well, if my contractor says so, then so it shall be.”
“It’s not a matter of ‘so it shall be’… Never mind.”
I would simply have to endure it.