Followers of the Yellow Honor
“Yes, I know.”
I summoned flames and hurled them straight at the creature’s head as it lay collapsed on the ground. As expected, the moment the fierce blaze touched it, its once-lifeless eyes twisted in agony and its body convulsed.
“Truly remarkable vitality. To still be alive in that state.”
“W-what the hell?”
Whether it had tried to take me along to the afterlife or simply possessed an indestructible life force from the beginning, such petty tricks would never work on me now.
My excessive caution played a part, but that wasn’t the real reason.
“They would never let live prey slip through their fingers.”
At my gesture, the yellow-robed figures who had remained motionless slowly rose to their feet. Though their hair could stretch and move, their sense of touch was clearly dulled or absent. Nenesobi had likely intended to pierce straight through them and believed she had succeeded, but these beings were not so easily dealt with.
“Followers of the Yellow Honor.”
At my call, the figures draped in yellow rags lifted their heads in unison, as though strings had been pulled on puppets. Their synchronized movements were eerie, yet the true terror lay elsewhere.
Even from here, I could see Nenesobi’s countless eyes clouding with fear and revulsion.
The faces emerging from beneath the rags looked like trampled yellow mud. Their eyes were mostly hidden beneath the distorted skin, but their smiles were unmistakable. Their mouths had twisted sideways, the corners curling in opposite directions as they silently muttered something without end. Where their noses should have been, strange three-pronged symbols spread outward from a central point on the flat skin—flesh that had rotted away in that exact pattern rather than being painted or tattooed.
“W-what are those things? What the hell are they?!”
As expected, her wounds were not merely superficial. She thrashed violently, trying to reclaim her hair or rip it out entirely, but the struggle looked pitiful.
The figures extended their short arms and began crawling toward Nenesobi like snails, still gripping her hair.
“The Followers of the Yellow Honor. They were once shamans who contracted with the High Phantasm Yail Hil Haitara. The Yellow King who deceives from above. These poor sorcerers sought to wield his dangerous power, only to be consumed by madness instead.”
Those with weak wills lose their minds simply by approaching a High Phantasm. What happens, then, when someone deliberately summons, connects with, and contracts such a being?
Even among Phantasms, Kadorukude’s nature was malice and his power rooted in fear, but the Yellow King Yail Hil Haitara’s nature was madness, his power drawn from blind, selfless faith.
While Kadorukude trapped victims’ souls in illusions and tormented them, the Yellow King amplified their madness until they became his devoted followers. Each victim came to believe they were the Yellow King’s successor, destined to seize the Yellow Honor. They gained immense power and near-immortality, yet lost their reason, sense of reality, and memories—eventually forfeiting even their ego and human form, reduced to this wretched state.
“Get away! Get away from me!”
Though the figures moved slowly, their steady approach filled her cry with revulsion, while fear crept beneath it.
“Now, I’ll ask again. Tell me about La Ieyanrei and Isog Negtaru.”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
Still, she refused to answer. Whether she believed she would die anyway or clung to some twisted loyalty and conviction beyond pain or death, I couldn’t tell.
The followers finally reached her. Madness gleamed in their small eyes, and from their twisted mouths came an unpleasant laughter that crawled across her head like spiders.
With a scream, Nenesobi swung her remaining tentacle. Its hooked, razor-sharp tip pierced straight through one follower’s face. The frail body, along with the mana composing it, turned to ash and vanished.
“A final struggle, is it?”
But that was all. Her last tentacle was soon seized, and the followers swarmed over what remained of her half-destroyed form. Their twisted mouths opened, revealing tiny sharp teeth and long, straw-like tongues.
I had considered torture. I felt no mercy toward someone who had taken a hostage. Yet there were witnesses present.
Savio Dinok. Eventually I would have to explain the situation and reveal my identity. Torturing her without guaranteed results would only stain the name of the hero’s companion.
“…Well, the moment I summoned something like this, any chance of avoiding that impression was already gone.”
I had chosen beings I could control yet wouldn’t mind losing, given the unknown abilities of my opponent. Still, I wondered if I should have been more cautious.
Of course, summoning anything else likely wouldn’t have changed that impression much.
The final scream faded. I felt the followers’ madness-tainted hearts swell with twisted satisfaction. It was over.
-It’s done.
Just in case, I glanced at Ropena. She confirmed it was finished. Once I dismissed the followers, she also dispelled the barriers around the room and Dinok. Only then did Dinok, who had been silently observing, cautiously approach.
“Th-thank you for your help.”
Even as she spoke, she did not lower her guard toward me. Understandable. My sudden appearance warranted caution.
“But your name, benefactor…?”
Her eyes shifted slightly as she carefully asked for my identity. It was both wariness and an urgent desire to confirm her lover’s safety.
“Anak. Companion of the hero of light, Rowell.”
Relief finally softened her expression. Whether she knew my name or not, being Rowell’s companion required no further explanation in this situation.
“Ah, I see! But I heard the heroes had already departed. How…?”
“I was fortunate. I had decided to stay one more day. While taking a walk up the mountain, I suddenly sensed demonic energy and came to investigate. Seems I arrived at the right time.”
After speaking, I wondered if I had added too much detail. My tone, expression, and voice had been natural enough, yet mentioning the walk felt unnecessary. A hint of impatience must have slipped through.
“Do you know exactly what this creature was?”
Since the words were already out, there was no taking them back. Perhaps I was overthinking it, but I changed the subject anyway. Pointing at what little remained of Nenesobi, I asked.
“I don’t know for certain either.”
Despite the horrific sight, Savio Dinok gazed at the remains without so much as a blink. Her unwavering eyes, despite her youth, reminded me once more that she was the leader of this island.
“It only ever made one demand. Aside from when it urged or threatened me, it never spoke or even showed itself.”
She explained what had happened when the creature first appeared and a few other details, but nothing significant. Then she suddenly walked toward the remains and picked something up from the floor.
It was the fragment Nenesobi had given her earlier, demanding she break its seal. She handed it to me. Even after the battle, the fragment bore not a single scratch.
“I don’t know exactly what seal is placed on this fragment, but it was clearly desperate to have it undone.”
The black fragment, a round body with four curled tentacles, was impossible to identify—its nature or even what it depicted. Yet the powerful seal upon it was unmistakable. Even a moment’s focus revealed its presence.
“Release Isog Negtaru. That’s what it said.”
The fragment itself might be Isog Negtaru, or perhaps the key to its seal.
“And gods from the demon realm.”
A seal so powerful it required divine strength to break made sense, but why insist on gods from the demon realm?
“Did it specify which god to contact?”
“No. Nothing like that. At first it demanded I use Taisankun’s power, but when Taisankun didn’t respond, it told me to try the demon realm instead.”
So any god would do. And if it had tried repeatedly over a long period, all without success, that meant no god wished for this seal to be broken.
“Understood. I’ll take this with me for now. From what it said about the four pillars, there are still three more, correct?”
“Neikalsin—he’s safe, isn’t he?”
The moment I mentioned another being, she suddenly asked. Deep affection shone in her eyes.
“Yes, he’s fine. You needn’t worry.”
I had hidden several Dark Elementals in Neikalsin’s shadow just in case. Even in the worst scenario, the others could distract while one carried him away.
“Still, we should inform everyone and strengthen the island’s defenses as soon as possible. Just in case.”
“Yes. You’re right. Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment…”
She asked for my understanding and headed up the stairs toward the temple’s outer area. A system for sending messages across the island via crystal orbs or spells surely existed above, so people would soon gather here.
Neikalsin would be among them, of course.
“I told you, didn’t I? I wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on you.”
The moment Dinok left, Ropena appeared with a triumphant expression. Truthfully, even while hidden, I had seen her and heard her voice through our connection, so there had been no need. For a high-ranking demon like her, it wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Yes. You did wonderfully.”
“But you didn’t completely trust me, did you?”
She was referring to the autonomous barrier I had used to block the attack earlier.
“I trusted you, which is why I tested it after so long. As you know, I would never normally do something like this.”
Even if the attack had been stronger than expected and shattered the barrier, she would have protected me. She pressed closer, her expression slightly stiff.
“You mean that?”
“Of course.”
She still looked somewhat dissatisfied, but smiled as if resigned.
“Fine. I’ll believe you. So, is the walk over now?”
Ah, so it wasn’t dissatisfaction. It was disappointment.
“Unfortunately, it seems that way.”
Once people gathered, even if there was little for me to do, I might still need to be present. Given that I was leaving tomorrow, it made sense.
She simply looked at me without a word. She made no demands, offered no other expression—just stood there quietly. And that silence conveyed more than any words could.
“…Well, let’s talk about it tomorrow and step aside for now.”
“Yes!”
Seeing the smile bloom on her face warmed something in my chest, and the thought that I might truly have no way to resist her anymore crossed my mind.