Demon Seed (3)
"Yaaawn~ Hmm nya hmm nya..."
Leina was sprawled out on her bed in the Crimson Knights' dormitory.
It had been a week since arriving at Cheongam Fortress, and this was her first taste of sweet freedom.
"No Captain, no Commander~ I'm free!!"
She rolled around on the bed, stretching lazily.
Ha... those hellish days in the Crimson Knights...
The nightmare from her first day of assignment flashed back vividly.
"Do you even grasp the honor of coming here with the Captain?!"
The mad Commander's face, trembling with rage as she shouted, was crystal clear.
"Newbie test begins. Since the Captain brought you herself, I'll check you personally. Give it your all and survive!"
"Ack! Wait a sec—"
Thwack! Thwack!
"That's all you've got? Give it your all!"
"You crazy bitch! You're the weird one!!"
In that instant, the training grounds froze over.
"...She's done for."
"Calling a crazy bitch a crazy bitch? For real."
"Won't be walking back to the dorm on two legs today."
The knights' murmurs poured into Leina's ears, and only then did she realize what she'd done.
"...What did you just say?"
The Commander's voice had already sunk into an eerie chill.
"Uh... that was..."
Leina's voice trembled.
The Commander's eyes flashed dangerously, and the slow smile creeping across her lips was even more terrifying.
"Heh heh... Interesting. Looks like I need to teach you the chain of command before the test."
What followed was a hell too gruesome to speak of.
Ugh... horrific.
Leina shuddered violently.
The memory of being beaten with wooden swords until her whole body was a rainbow of bruises—literally turned into a human sandbag that day.
Heh heh heh... but now it's paradise.
She spread out like a starfish on the bed, a blissful smile on her face.
"What to eat today~ Crispy french fries? Or sweet chocolate cake?"
She patted her belly, lost in life's greatest dilemma.
Red armor tossed carelessly in the corner, fluffy pajamas on, munching snacks with satisfying crunches.
Come to think of it, that Hanji guy got some farmland and is chilling farming...
She envied her comrade's leisurely life after coming to Cheongam Fortress together.
Why am I the only one in the knights... Got on the Captain's bad side with that demon summoning mess.
A bitter smile crossed her lips.
Who could've known that desperation would lead to this.
"Well, I'm alive, aren't I? Food's good, bed's warm..."
Leina comforted herself and took another bite of snack.
"Haa... Isn't this a pretty successful life?"
Why had she summoned a demon back then? To gain power and live easy. To eat your fill without worrying about survival.
"Exactly like now~"
Of course, if the crazy Commander came back, this peace would shatter...
Heh heh heh... But she's such a Captain fanboy, she'll keep her tied up as long as possible, right?
Leina cranked her happy delusions into overdrive.
Bam bam bam!
"Leina! Captain's orders! Get out here now!"
"Gyaack!"
A snack got lodged in her throat, making her cough violently.
"Al... already?! I haven't even rested a full day yet?!"
Leina tumbled off the bed in a panic.
Aaah... my fate is...
Opening the door revealed Scarlet standing there.
The red hair she absolutely did not want to see gleamed in the sunlight.
"Prepare the demon summoning and head to Greenwood Territory right—"
"Wait, hold on, Commander! Demon summoning?!"
Leina flailed her hands in shock.
Demon summoning. The vivid memory of nearly dying when she tried it herself.
If the Captain hadn't come then, she wouldn't be in this world anymore.
"No questions. Prepare quickly. Captain said today."
"Huh?"
Leina's eyes went wide.
Is demon summoning something you just roll up like making kimbap?
She'd spent months preparing just to draw the circle.
"But... demon summoning isn't something you rush—"
Scarlet grabbed Leina's arm.
"Ask your questions later."
"Kyaaack!"
The next moment, Leina was slung over Scarlet's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Commander! I'll puke like this! I said I'll puke!"
"Hold it in."
Whoosh—
Scarlet took off at tremendous speed.
Leina's screams, whipped by the wind, echoed long across Cheongam Fortress.
"Waaah! My snacks! My peaceful life!!!"
* * *
"So you're saying you rushed to Cheongam Fortress the moment I spoke, grabbed Leina, and raced back?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Scarlet answered matter-of-factly.
"Urk!"
I stared in disbelief at Leina vomiting in the corner and Scarlet, who looked oddly proud.
Even if Greenwood Territory is close to Cheongam Fortress, this round trip shouldn't be this fast...
It felt like less than an hour subjectively.
How fast did she run for Leina—who could at least hold her head high in this world—to be puking her guts out like that.
"Urp... Captain... sorry..."
Leina staggered to her feet.
Her face was deathly pale.
Poor thing, but this is more urgent.
No matter how sorry I felt, she couldn't keep holding out forever without awakening her Demon Eye.
"Prepare the demon summoning immediately."
"Y-yes! Got it!"
Leina snapped to attention in a hurry. Still pale, but she reacted instantly to my command.
"The materials for the summoning..."
"Already prepared."
At my gesture, nearby knights brought over the ready materials.
Astra.
My shadow rippled faintly, and Ascaros's voice echoed.
I'll teach you how to fool a low-grade demon. I can mimic life force with black magic.
I listened without a twitch.
Replicate the unique life force scent demons detect, and low-grade ones will be easily fooled.
"Leina, draw the basic summoning circle."
"G-got it!"
Leina knelt on the ground and began drawing the circle.
One condition to awaken Ria's Demon Eye: Kill a real demon.
A low-grade one should suffice.
The small circle was done quickly, and I placed my hand on it.
Now I'll guide the black magic flow directly. Like weaving thread... slowly, precisely.
Ascaros's voice resounded in my mind. I began channeling black magic per his instructions.
Start from the heart. To mimic life's source, begin there.
Black magic pulsed from my heart.
A strangely warm sensation, unlike the usual chill.
Now let that power flow through your veins. Like blood, naturally.
The black magic spread through my body.
Like black threads unraveling inside, it began circulating through veins and arteries.
The subtle pulsing under my skin felt like a second heartbeat.
Perfect. Now connect that flow to the circle. Infuse it with the warmth of a living being.
Black magic seeped from my fingertips. But unlike its usual cold sharpness, this life-mimicking power flowed into the circle like water.
The circle began reacting with a red glow.
Here came something neither I nor Ascaros had anticipated.
We'd just offered black magic mimicking life force as sacrifice. Normally, mid-grade demons wouldn't even respond to such a meager offering.
But the black magic mimicking life force I'd created was amplified by the False Name Imprint.
To a demon, it must have smelled like the essence of a top-grade soul—irresistibly sweet.
The circle erupted in thick, dark-red smoke.
The air warped, ambient mana swirling in like a vortex.
Master, this is...
Ascaros's panicked voice rang out.
Leina, startled by my use of black magic, shouted urgently.
"C-Captain! This isn't low-grade demon energy! A mid-grade... no, something higher is responding!"
Her face went sheet-white.
Damn it, did the False Name Imprint overdo it...
I yanked my hand away, but it was too late.
Rumble—
Black smoke burst from the circle, taking form.
What emerged was a shirtless man riding a massive bear.
His muscular upper body resembled a human's, sharp features human-like too.
If not for the snake tail dangling from his waist, you'd mistake him for a man, not a demon.
"Hmm..."
The man slowly scanned the surroundings. His golden eyes locked on me.
"Such a sweet soul scent... first time for this. You were trying to call a low-grade demon, it seems..."
He dismounted the bear and stepped forward.
Couldn't exit the circle, but his presence alone weighed down the air.
"My name is Varam."
"Eek!"
Leina's terrified shriek burst out.
It was natural for her, well-versed in demons, to freak out like this.
He was Varam, the top-grade Fear Demon.
I immediately commanded everyone with a grave expression.
"Everyone, bow your heads. Never meet his eyes. And no matter how scared, never think about dying."
Urgency laced my voice.
Killrail, Marcus, Lihen, Scarlet—all bowed instantly.
Ria was already trembling in her father's arms, face buried.
Fear Demon Varam.
The being whose power I'd eyed after growing stronger.
Unique and terrifying among the 72 demons.
His power was simple yet lethal. A black magic demon, but his true weapon was manifesting fear.
If you felt fear facing him and harbored negative imaginings in that fear, they became reality.
For example, thinking "I'll die," "My heart will stop," "I'll burn to death"—it happens.
Imagination turns real. The greater the fear, the more vivid the image, the stronger the effect.
"Oh? Humans know me."
Interest colored Varam's voice.
The massive bear growled low.
"But you..."
Varam's lips split in a chilling grin.
"You're not afraid looking at me."
Dark mist began seeping from Varam's body.
The black haze pressed to the circle's edge but, fortunately, couldn't cross.
"Hmm, daylight's the issue, huh."
Varam glanced at the sky and clicked his tongue.
True to a Fear Demon, he grew stronger in darkness, weaker in daylight.
If summoned at night, he'd ignore the circle's binds and slaughter everyone instantly.
Thank goodness.
Not intended, but summoning by day had saved us.
"A shame. I'd love to fight you."
I'm not dying.
"Varam, summoning you was a mistake. Go back."
"Mistake? Hahaha! Funny. Haven't seen a human fearless before me in ages, and you call it a mistake."
Then it happened.
Snap—
Varam's head twisted unnaturally toward Ria, like a broken doll's neck at an impossible angle.
"Ah... aaah..."
His ordinary brown eyes began reddening with bloodshot veins.
"This repulsive aura... this displeasure gnawing at my skin..."
Varam's lips tore to his ears. Black drool splattered, burning the dry soil with a foul stench.
"That child's eyes... a Demon Eye."
Instantly, nearby grass withered and twisted.
Tree leaves blackened and rained down; birds fled screaming. Varam's fear corrupted nature itself.
"Kekeke... The cursed eyes born to kill demons. And unawakened at that..."
Varam stepped closer to the circle's edge.
Where his feet touched, the ground cracked black, black steam rising from fissures.
"Child, raise your head. Show me your cursed eyes."