Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Devil Worshipper?
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"Ah...... Devil worshiper?"
"How insolent......!! How dare you spout such nonsense, outsider!!!"
The Blue Knights, seemingly forgetting the black dragon's presence, shouted at Woojin's words and leveled their weapons.
"We'll find out soon enough if it's true or not."
But despite Woojin's threat, Zion Müllenga remained utterly composed.
"Sir Duran. Keep a tight hold on that black dragon so it can't rampage. These outsiders...... they come and go as they please, but we're the ones rooted here."
"Understood."
"We have a duty to protect the continent."
Woojin frowned slightly at Zion's words.
He was subtly dividing players and NPCs, turning them against each other.
"You're wasting a good head on the wrong things. I value this continent too. That's why I'm doing this right now."
"I've seen this demon before too."
Zion Müllenga spoke up.
"......!!"
The knights couldn't hide their shock at his response.
"Wh-what do you mean by that?"
"Does that mean you, Lord Zion, are connected to demons?"
"It's not just me."
"......Pardon?"
"It's a matter for our family."
Zion looked at them.
"You wouldn't know. Only a tiny handful in the family even know this fact."
Then, as if putting on a show, he turned to Woojin and said,
"I never imagined I'd have to reveal a secret guarded for centuries like this......"
Clank—
He unfastened the armor he wore.
Pulling aside the collar of the shirt beneath revealed an inexplicable pattern tattooed below his collarbone.
"I'm no devil worshiper. Quite the opposite. The Müllenga family has hunted demons for generations."
The knights stirred at his words.
"You know of the War of the Fallen."
The Abyss.
The refuse born in the process of light, darkness, and void creating humanity.
From that refuse, demons were born.
By their very nature, demons were destined to be enemies of humans.
Humans and demons.
A world where the two races coexisted endlessly—that was Akedonia.
Though overshadowed by Labyrinth Tower, the game's title Evil Tail stemmed from this very lore.
But most players were indifferent and ignorant about demons.
And rightly so, since the game was set 500 years after the War of the Fallen, a war against the demons, after which they had vanished from sight.
Players naturally never encountered demons in person.
'I thought demons only appeared on the official website......'
No.
Surprisingly, they existed within the game world too.
"500 years ago, when the founding king Laxion established the Kingdom of Bolton, the continent teemed with countless demons."
Zion glared at Woojin.
"The Müllenga family aided the founding king in hunting demons, and the Kingdom of Bolton was built atop their corpses."
Whoosh......!!
A sudden flame erupted from the tattoo on his collarbone.
"This tattoo is granted only to those of the family's bloodline. It's inscribed with the founding king's blood."
[Hngh...... Hiiiik......!!]
Upon seeing the tattoo, the demon writhed in agony.
"The pattern, etched with the founding king's noble blood, protects from demons and purifies malevolent power."
He rubbed his finger over the tattoo,
Sizzle......!!!
and when he pressed it to the demon's face, the stench of burning flesh filled the air, as if searing it with a hot iron.
[Mmph......! Uuummph......!!!]
The demon's mouth melted, its lips fusing together.
"The War of the Fallen was the great conflict where the five kingdoms, led by the previous king, drove out the demons and reclaimed Akedonia for humanity. Everyone thinks the war ended......"
But he shook his head.
"No. Demons still exist, and our family has been secretly hunting them."
"Ooh......"
"No way......"
The knights gasped in admiration at Zion Müllenga's words, nodding in agreement.
"The demon in the basement was an experimental subject for studying demons. You asked what we did with the mana extracted from it? We were simply conducting research to prepare for another potential war with demons!!"
Snap—!!!
He pointed straight at Woojin.
"But you've ruined it all!! You've freed the confined demon and unleashed chaos upon the world!!"
'Master......'
Luen looked at Woojin with worried eyes.
The mood had shifted.
The one thought to be the villain had turned out to be the hero, so now the arrows would point back at the accuser.
"And yet what......? You dare accuse me, a devil worshiper?!"
Zion growled furiously.
"I'm disappointed. Even as an outsider, I was grateful for your solitary defense of the city against the black dragon......"
Shing—
Zion Müllenga drew his sword on Woojin.
"To frame me...... Were you trying to hog all the glory? No, wait."
He emphasized his voice.
"How did you even know there was a demon in the basement? Were you digging into our family's secrets!!"
Clank—
The knight order's spears turned toward Woojin.
"Or...... are you the real devil worshiper?"
Murmur—murmur—
His words changed the way everyone looked at him.
"Confess honestly, or I won't let it slide!!"
[Grrr......]
Bensina watched the two, head pressed to the ground, as if amused by the spectacle.
"Confess?"
"Yes, you'll pay ample compensation for slandering the Müllenga family!!"
Turning the tables, Zion berated Woojin in a rage.
"N-now...... please calm down......"
Bam—!!!
Peron, sensing something wrong, tried to intervene between them, but in that instant, the knights' spears flew at him.
"Urk......! You crazy......!!"
Dozens of spears embedded where Peron had stood.
"They really tried to kill me?"
He shouted incredulously, having hastily retreated.
Snap—!!
The knights withdrew their spears.
"I was going to hail you as a war hero. But I never expected you'd stab me in the back like this."
Under the knights' escort, Zion Müllenga stepped forward once more.
"Vanish from the battlefield. For your merits so far, I'll spare your life. Ah...... then again, you outsiders probably don't fear death?"
Zion sneered.
"What an easy life you lead."
Grind—
Woojin barely suppressed his rising fury as he stared at him.
"Hoo—."
Then, as if exhaling the quelled anger, he slowly breathed out.
"Is that so? You seem pretty confident."
"Why? Got any proof?"
"You look scared I might."
Woojin met his gaze and said,
"Nissen."
All eyes turned to one spot.
"Tell them what we found in the basement."
"Yes...... We confirmed a magic circle there alongside the demon."
In that moment, Zion's expression hardened.
"There were three types of magic circles. One bound the demon, and another was a formation to circulate mana, keeping the circle sustained."
He held up his index and middle fingers as he continued.
"The two were basic ones from magic tomes, easy to recognize. However...... the third was something I'd never seen before."
Grind—
Zion Müllenga ground his teeth unwittingly.
"Continue."
Nissen flinched at the sight, but Woojin paid it no mind.
"Yes...... The third magic circle looked like a mana transfer array to me."
"What's that?"
"It sends mana extracted from the demon to a specific location. For example......"
He stepped over to where Bensina lay.
Placing his hand over the chains on the harpoon binding it,
Zing—!!!
A piercing, ear-splitting resonance rang out.
"To a magic tool like this."
[As expected.]
Bensina growled, glaring at the harpoons piercing it.
"I don't know if the Müllenga family hunts demons, but at least...... they're not using the mana taken from demons solely for demon research."
"Well said."
Zion glared at Nissen with blazing eyes.
"......You. Who the hell are you?"
"An apprentice mage of Torn Bach."
"Apprentice mage?"
Zion let out a hollow laugh at Nissen's answer.
"What does a mere apprentice know about magic circles......!!"
"You seem to know plenty."
"......What?"
"Did you study magic or something?"
"Shut up!!!"
Zion glared at Woojin as if to devour him.
"As His Lordship said...... I'm unskilled, still stuck as an apprentice, but I have an eye for it."
"What......?"
"You definitely used demonic mana."
Thwack—!!!
In that instant, Zion's fist flew toward Nissen.
"......!!"
But before it reached Nissen's cheek, Woojin caught it.
"Let go!! That fool just insulted House Müllenga. Nobles have the right to summary execution!!"
Zion shouted.
"He's spouting ridiculous lies right now!!"
"That's not true."
At that moment, Nissen placed a hand over one eye.
"......!!"
Removing his hand revealed his true eye.
A verdant green iris.
Too brilliant to be human.
"What I see is real."
"N-no way......"
"That's right. It's the Fairy Eye."
Woojin said coldly to the flustered man.
"A gift from the Fairy Queen. He drank fairy water."
"F-fairy water......?"
"Yes. You know it—the water infused with fairy power. And to control that power, the Fairy Queen granted him her strength."
"Impossible...... An apprentice mage from this backwater village...... how......"
"Because there are fairies here."
"......What?"
Zion Müllenga's eyes trembled.
"Now I see it's quite the mysterious village. Demons and fairies, both gathered in one place."
"......What?"
"The citizens of Torn Bach have all evacuated."
Ignoring Zion Müllenga's paling face, Woojin pulled out the leaf the queen had given him from his pocket.
"I've upheld my promise to protect the village."
Hummm......
The leaf in his hand quivered.
"Now it's your turn to step up."
Shwoooaa—!!!
The leaf crumbled to dust in his hand, and space warped before him.
"Fairy Queen."