Chapter 128
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: 29. Northern Region. (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Allen, who had been shown to his lodging room, approached the Blind Saintess before entering his room. Hearing her situation came first.
"Sister, how was it?"
Allen thought her Odd Eye, which could see energies, must have noticed something, but unexpectedly, his guess was off the mark. The Blind Saintess tilted her head in confusion.
"...It's strange. It's different from the last case. This time, there was nothing connected at all."
"Really? ...Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I checked several times."
Her tone carried conviction. Allen didn't think her Odd Eye would make a sloppy mistake. And she'd checked multiple times...
This was definitely demon disease. The Ingmar Mercenary Leader displayed most of the symptoms that arose from it, and Allen had even confirmed the opponent's reduced stats and [Frailty] trait through the Status Window. ...But there was one thing: the absence of a line connecting to the demon beast was puzzling.
......Did I miss something?
Since demon disease symptoms varied slightly depending on the demon beast, Allen judged there was probably something he hadn't grasped yet.
Still, the sun had already set and his body felt weary, so he decided to rest well tonight and start work tomorrow.
The Allen Mercenary Corps roughly unpacked and enjoyed a hearty dinner at the mess hall before dispersing to their rooms.
Allen lay on the bed and pulled over the fluffy, cozy blanket made from sheepskin. As the warm heat, warmed by his body temperature, enveloped him, he couldn't have felt more comfortable. ...Honestly, though he hadn't said anything, he had been shivering from the northern cold.
Soon, after yawning a couple of times, Allen fell fast asleep.
...That night, he had a dream. A very lewd one at that.
A stunningly beautiful woman milked his semen relentlessly with hips that danced like she was possessed. He could do nothing but writhe in ecstatic pleasure.
......And as dawn broke early, Allen awoke to find his lower half soaked, as if drenched in dew.
···
"Did you sleep well through the night?"
"It was a very comfortable bed."
The next morning, after breakfast, the two leaders met again. Not just for courtesy, but to examine the demon disease more closely.
The Ingmar Mercenary Leader was as gaunt and pitiful-looking as Natasha had been before, but fortunately, his mind was still sharp. And unlike her, he didn't have an unconditional aversion to sunlight. However, eating food seemed just as laborious. ...Even so, he was resisting the demon disease with remarkably strong mental fortitude.
Allen glanced at the Blind Saintess who had come along and signaled her with his eyes. To check thoroughly once more.
"Excuse me for a moment."
The Ingmar Mercenary Leader, whose hair had grayed from suffering the demon disease, willingly offered his body as if to say, do whatever you want. Apparently, he'd heard a rough rundown of Allen from Aidar yesterday, and he seemed to trust him greatly.
With permission granted, the Blind Saintess removed her blindfold and opened her profound eyes, deep as the cosmos, fixing them on Ingmar. Even the man called the Tiger of the North couldn't shake the dizzying sensation of being seen through completely.
...However, no matter how meticulously she examined him, the Blind Saintess couldn't find the black line connecting to the demon beast like in Natasha's case. No, it was pristine, as if it had never existed.
Having finished her investigation, the Blind Saintess put her blindfold back on. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead from the effort of focusing her power so intensely.
"...Are you done?"
"For now, yes. The basic examination is complete."
"How is it? Can it be cured?"
Allen glanced at the Blind Saintess before answering.
"It's still too early to say definitively. Demon disease isn't something simple. We need more time to investigate."
"Ah, of course. Understood. ...I'll cooperate fully, so please do your utmost."
"Got it. Thank you for cooperating despite your hardship. Rest well."
The two withdrew from the leader's bedroom. Outside in the corridor, Vice Captain Andelson and the northern youth Aidar approached Allen and asked how it went.
"It's hard to answer right now. More investigation is needed... Let's postpone negotiations a bit."
"...Is it that urgent?"
"It's hard to say it's not urgent. A lot of time has already passed... We need to act as quickly as possible, whatever it takes."
"Please, I beg you. Save our leader."
Allen gave a faint smile, lightly patted the desperately pleading vice captain's arm, and returned to the lodging room with the Blind Saintess.
The two entered Allen's room and firmly shut the door. The moment it clicked closed, the leader fixed her with a sharp gaze and cut straight to the chase.
"Odd Eye. What did you see? How far did you see? No lines again this time?"
If she'd seen something, she would have mentioned it right there, but since she'd said nothing and just put her blindfold back on, it probably meant it was no different from before. Allen was confirming just in case.
"Yes, I didn't see any this time either. ...It seems different from the previous demon disease case."
Hmm. Allen let out a small groan and plopped down on the bed. He looked deep in thought, as if something was dawning on him.
"Do you have some idea...?"
"Well... There's something off."
"What's off?"
Allen, lost in thought for a moment, continued.
"With demon disease, there has to be a connection to the demon beast. Obviously, that's how the beast feeds on human energy and grows."
"But I clearly saw nothing."
"That's why it's strange. ...Theoretically, that's impossible."
Allen thought it over meticulously once more. ...Then, last night's dream suddenly flashed in his mind, sparking a hunch.
He jumped up from his seat, left the room, and went straight to find the vice captain. After asking for a moment of his time for the investigation, he posed the question.
"By any chance, do you have lewd dreams often?"
"......Pardon?"
A sudden, embarrassing question out of nowhere.
"No need to be shy. It's for the demon disease investigation."
The vice captain cleared his throat awkwardly a few times before admitting it had happened somewhat recently.
"Answer honestly. Occasionally, or frequently?"
"......Actually, quite often. About every other day..., yes..."
"Thanks for cooperating."
Allen asked the same question to several other members of the Ingmar Mercenary Corps. And they all answered that they had lewd dreams frequently.
Finally, he sought out his own corps members. To ask if they'd had any lewd dreams last night.
"Oh, how did you know?"
"I had a pretty steamy one too. ...Damn, my balls nearly shriveled up."
"I had a similar experience."
The result was uncanny: out of his five male members, three had gone through the exact same thing as Allen last night. ......Too high a match rate to call it coincidence.
Only then did Allen grasp the situation. Why the Blind Saintess's Odd Eye hadn't found any lines on the Ingmar Mercenary Leader...
The leader summoned the Blind Saintess again and returned to his room. The moment she entered and shut the door, he blurted it out bluntly.
"It's a dream demon's subordinate."
"......Pardon?"
"The demon beast's true nature. Very likely a dream demon's minion. The kind that feeds on essence in dreams."
Dream demon. A devil that stimulated humanity's most primal instincts to suck up their essence.
But the Blind Saintess had only vaguely heard of such things; she knew no details. Knowledge about demons wasn't easy to come by unless you were a specialist... In that regard, Allen's vast knowledge was on another level.
"That's why no line was visible. They come and go through dreams. ...Meaning, the connection only forms when dreaming."
"Ah, I see...!"
"Of course, I could be wrong. So come back tonight. After the Ingmar Mercenary Leader falls asleep, we'll investigate again. ...To confirm if my guess is right."
That was probably why the mage sent to cure the demon disease found no clues and left. On the surface, there was no issue at all...
Of course, even if it was a dream demon's subordinate, Allen held no naive assumption it would be weak. Demon beasts were unpredictable monsters by nature. Especially one grown fat on the energy of the Tiger of the North, Ingmar Mercenary Leader—its power was beyond measure. ...Still, uncovering this clue was a stroke of luck.
......Eating my dick was your mistake.
Allen was determined to make this cunning demon beast pay dearly for the "dick tax."
I'll show you just how ruthless Vermandua's Exploitation can be—.