Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Devil's Cradle (6)
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In a situation straight out of a horror movie, where his companions had suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving him alone in the fog, the voice that rang out like an auditory hallucination instead snapped Galen's mind to full alertness.
Just then, the light from the holy power flickered out. Was some pitch-black shape about to come flying at him from the distance next? Such paranoid delusions briefly flashed through his head.
His senses, sharpened to the extreme, finally put Galen at ease. At least he could confirm that nothing around him posed an immediate threat.
"Answer me... young mage..."
Then came another long, drawn-out whisper.
Upon closer reflection, the soft, murmuring voice had a neutral tone—it was impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.
Yet for some reason, he felt an overwhelming urge to keep listening. It was like the sudden craving for late-night snacks when a delicious aroma wafted in through the window at midnight.
Something feels off.
It was as if his emotions were being manipulated. Feeling a twinge of irritation deep down, Galen spoke up.
"Who are you?"
"You've come all this way... and you claim not to know me...?"
A faint hint of laughter tinged the voice.
Galen hadn't asked out of genuine ignorance, either.
No matter how strong it was, would a mere beastly fiend bother speaking to him? Figuring it out was simple enough once he considered what this place was called.
"A devil, right?"
"Keh... heh heh heh...!"
In response to Galen's curt reply came a bizarre, snickering laugh that could have been sobbing or something else entirely.
"A devil... a devil, you say...? Young mage, how dare you... call me evil...?"
"Then should I call devils 'good devils' or something?"
"You and I... we share the same roots. Do not deny it... How can there be good and evil among the same magic...?"
The devil's rambling wasn't complete nonsense.
Galen had heard a proper explanation from Myra about what devils truly were.
Magic was originally the antithesis of divinity. If gods embodied light, then magic was darkness or shadow. It wasn't a matter of good or bad.
That said, just as trash cropped up everywhere, there were normal mages and abnormal ones.
The former had earned recognition in the light of day under the name of magic, while the latter were branded devils and marked for extermination.
This wasn't just Myra's personal view—it was the church's official doctrine. Ordinary folk didn't know the details; they were simply taught that devils were scum.
In any case, it wasn't entirely wrong to say that mages and devils shared the same roots. At the very least, they were in the same field of study.
The strangely alluring voice made it sound even more convincing.
Galen broke his silence.
"So, what do you want from me?"
"Because our roots are the same... I can fulfill your deepest desire..."
"...You can grant my wish? This isn't some wordplay where you just listen and call it done, is it?"
"Keh heh heh... Now you're finally interested...?"
"Just answer."
"Very well... It's true. If you desire conversation... I shall open the way..."
As the words faded, the impenetrable fog began to shift.
Shhh!
A narrow path cleared in the mist, parting just enough to reveal a glimpse ahead. It looked just like a corridor.
"...Alright."
Galen thought for a moment, nodded, and stepped forward.
After walking the cramped path for a short while, he emerged into a clearing where the fog thinned dramatically.
"Hmph."
Galen let out a grunt.
He had no idea how a hole could be punched into empty three-dimensional space, but there it was, plain as day. It was as if a chunk of the air itself had been carved out.
But what drew Galen's attention even more than the abyss was the figure standing tall beneath the gaping void.
Its face was delicately pretty, ambiguous enough to confuse whether it was male or female, and its loose-fitting robe made it hard to discern any bodily curves.
Not that there was much point in trying to sex a devil anyway. It was merely mimicking a human form convincingly.
To be precise, this wasn't the real devil but an avatar or incarnation. Either way, at its core, it was still a devil.
"You've come, young mage."
The devil spoke in that familiar, intimate voice. Galen muttered,
"At least you're not dragging things out. Much better than before—that was honestly annoying to talk to."
"Keh heh heh, it was uncomfortable for me as well. That's why I've shown myself."
The devil chuckled with a handsome smile marred only by its creepy laugh, then continued.
"Did you think it over on the way?"
"About granting my wish?"
"Indeed."
"Is it really possible?"
"Of course. So long as the price you pay is sufficient... anything is within reach..."
"Hey, that's not a wish—that's a deal."
Galen cut in curtly. The devil blinked, then replied in a tone of disbelief.
"...Are you saying you expected me to grant your wish for free?"
"Then why bring up our shared roots? I thought you were emphasizing it to offer something special."
"...Well, fine. Sorry to disappoint. But impossible is impossible. To fulfill your desire, a commensurate price must be paid."
"Like what, for example?"
"It depends on what you want."
The devil, who had seemed flustered at first, regained composure as Galen showed renewed interest and cleared its throat.
"What is it you truly crave? Wealth? Fame? Power?"
Its words were the whisper of a devil, pure and simple. Galen tossed out a casual,
"If I asked for money, would you pile gold and jewels right here in front of me?"
"Why bother with that when there's a better way?"
"A better way?"
"Power. With strength enough to crush anyone, wouldn't treasures like gold become yours for the taking?"
"Sure... I guess."
Galen's eyes narrowed slightly at the devil's sweet temptation.
"What if I asked for fame? Would you go around the world shouting my name?"
"Why bother with that when there's a better way?"
"Let me guess—power enough to crush anyone brings fame naturally?"
"Sharp as ever, young mage. You already grasp the ways of the world."
"..."
The longer the conversation dragged on, the less trustworthy it felt. With a gaze gone cold, Galen asked,
"So, what if I want power?"
"Offer a sacrifice to me."
The devil said it so casually. This is where you're headed, huh, Galen thought, furrowing his brow.
"Not livestock, I assume. Humans?"
"No need to look far. Tasty sacrifices are right beside you."
"...Kill the subjugation squad? Or does the sacrifice mean me? I'd end up the one getting wrecked."
"They're lost and scattered in the fog. What's so hard about picking them off one by one? Besides, you're one of the squad's three pillars. With their middling skills and your element of surprise, it'll be even easier."
The devil grinned slyly. Its serpentine tongue whispered temptations, shaking Galen's resolve.
"Young mage, I can see the path you've walked. Born with unparalleled genius, you've soared without ever tasting failure."
"..."
"But how long can that last? Talents that bloom brilliantly in youth often become poison, dragging you down. Are you so sure you can avoid that fate?"
"..."
"You're just a hireling—who's going to hold you accountable? Who can say who killed whom in this fog? Why discard this chance over the well-being of people you'll never see again?"
"...So."
Galen, who had listened silently for a while, finally spoke.
"How exactly are you giving me power? You're not saying I offer the sacrifice first and then you deliver, right?"
"Didn't you say it yourself? It's no different from a transaction. I won't stoop to such tricks."
The devil's smile deepened.
"I'll grant rewards matching the value of your sacrifice. Mages view the world through twisted eyes, and since our roots are the same, I can amplify that twist. In other words, your magic will advance to a higher realm."
"I don't get the details, but you're not injecting me with devilish power or anything."
"Temporarily, yes—but you wouldn't want that. Your body wouldn't hold up."
"Then no thanks."
"In any case, this won't bind you with obligations to me. Except one thing: I must take measures to ensure you don't stab me in the back after growing strong on my aid."
"Got the gist. I see how it works."
Galen nodded. The devil smiled and extended a hand.
"Well then, young mage. Shall we proceed with the contract? It's just the bare minimum to prevent betrayal, as I said."
"Oh, right. I forgot to mention."
Galen extended his hand as well, as if to shake on it.
But while the devil offered its right hand, Galen used his left—and they weren't even close enough to touch arms outstretched.
"Hm?"
"I never agreed to any contract."
Before the words fully left Galen's mouth,
The spirit, already morphed into glove form on his raised hand, unleashed a maximum-output blast of water.
Kwaaang!
A massive water orb, big enough to swallow the devil whole, slammed into it with devastating force. It was like being hit by a boulder from a catapult.
The devil, unable to even scream, was flung backward. But it didn't get far—soon it dangled upside down in midair, halted abruptly. Only then did a belated shriek escape.
"Kyaaak!"
A black-glowing shackle had clamped around the devil's ankle. A chain linked it to the abyss, and since the chain was short, it couldn't fly off.
That explained why the fake devil stayed tethered near the abyss. It really was chained.
As the devil crashed to the ground in a heap, the shackle and chain vanished as if they'd never been. They only appeared when it tried to stray beyond range. Galen had heard about it from Myra, but seeing it was still fascinating.
"Doesn't matter. As long as it can't escape."
Galen muttered as his spirit autonomously fired off water spirit bullets—thud thud thud thud!—pummeling the fallen devil relentlessly.
Thwack! Thunk! Thwack! Thunk! Thwack! Thunk!
The debris from the constant barrage gathered under Galen's control, reforming into spears that he drove into the devil over and over. It couldn't even stand, just taking hit after hit.
This shouldn't have been such a one-sided beatdown, but the initial ambush had been too brutal, completely seizing the initiative. No room to fight back. Still, a devil was a devil—it wouldn't die easily.
Pain took a backseat to confusion as the devil rasped,
"Wh-what... why...?"
"At first, you sounded convincing enough—guiding me through the fog and all. I figured I'd at least hear you out."
Galen replied indifferently.
"But everything you said was off-base. Like some hack fortune-teller stringing together random bullshit."
"The power... I really meant it!"
"Don't need it."
Offer up the subjugation squad as sacrifice for a realm breakthrough? Why bother? Just sacrifice fiends normally, and the status window levels him up fine.
Even if the devil's method was more efficient, there was zero reason to sign a contract and turn on his innocent squadmates like an idiot.
"Think I'd fall for your crap just 'cause I'm young and naive? Die already."
"Kaaak!"
Even as he spoke, Galen's magic didn't let up. Better to burn mana than give it a moment to pull some trick.
Thwack! Thunk! Thwack! Thunk! Thwack! Thunk!
While Galen was thoroughly tenderizing the devil, someone finally pushed through the fog into the clearing.
"Ah, Lord Moritz."
Galen glanced over and gave a casual nod.
"What... what in the world is this?"
Moritz stared back and forth between the pitch-black abyss and the devil, now blackened from all the hits, his face a mask of bewilderment.
"Got here first by luck. Just playing around with the devil."
Galen said nonchalantly, but his eye twitched. He whipped his left hand sharply.
Shiiik!
A whip-like surge of water roared forth, crashing over him like waves.
Pfwooom!
A fireball on the verge of exploding was smothered under the waves, forcibly snuffed out. Even so, the blast scattered half the spray.
"Well, well. The son was like this, and now the father too."
Galen twisted his lips into a smirk, locking eyes with Moritz, whose face had gone blank as he glared back.
"Knew it might come to this."