One-Horned Lord
One-Horned Lord
After the incident wound down, Yor sent Chae-rin into the cave for the time being.
Something major had happened, sure, but he couldn't just leave her standing around out here.
They didn't really talk on the way to the cave. Their heads were both too tangled up.
"..."
Of course, Chae-rin was only human, so she was a bit unsettled too.
After all, 'Demon's Blood' was a painfully sensitive topic for NPCs.
She could even understand why he'd been so guarded this whole time.
'Then what about back then, when he was covered in blood... was that connected?'
Which didn't mean she wasn't still full of questions, naturally.
Eh, there'd be another chance for that later.
As they headed for the cave, Chae-rin spoke up.
"But, are you really okay just letting that guy go like that? I mean, considering he told me and everything..."
"Yeah, it makes me uneasy too."
"Then why...?"
She asked carefully with her eyes. She meant, why had he let him go peacefully.
Maybe it was because she viewed the world as a game, but she was so casually asking why he hadn't just killed him.
Yor did have an excuse, though.
Because he'd had no other choice.
It was true he'd felt some sympathy, since they were both rare Manifestors.
But what worried him more than that was Lemegeton, who were undoubtedly lurking behind the guy.
If I kill him, what do you think they'll do? They definitely won't stay quiet.
He'd sooner die than join the cult, but that didn't mean he wanted to become their full-blown enemy either.
Things were already a pain in the ass. Did he really need to make them worse?
Just thinking about them was giving him a headache...
'I'll think about it later.'
In the end, Yor passed the problem off to his future self. It'd probably work out somehow.
"...Hehe."
When he snapped out of his thoughts, he saw Chae-rin grinning stupidly in front of him.
Yor asked her,
"What's so great that you're smiling like such a creep?"
"Huh? Oh, well, it's just..."
Chae-rin fumbled for words.
Because she could never, ever say out loud that she was happy about having a secret only she knew.
Demon's Blood was such an intensely sensitive topic, he must never have told anyone.
And what did that mean?
It meant she was the first one among the Otherworlders to figure out the truth!
Thinking about that, she felt like they'd gotten a lot closer and maybe he'd be easier to approach. Anyway, that was it. How could that not make her feel great?
But that feeling was short-lived, because soon, curiosity bloomed inside her.
Was she really, truly the first person to figure that out...?
"Um, does... does anyone else know besides me?"
Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked Yor.
"Ah, yeah. Your editor already knows all about it, actually."
And she was promptly hit with a shocking truth.
The moment she heard it, Chae-rin cursed her editor internally.
'That woman...!'
When the hell had that woman even found out?! She always seemed to be mysteriously one step ahead.
If she had intel that important, she should've shared it with her.
No, well, come to think of it, it was information that couldn't exactly be shared, but...
Still, as a close business partner, she couldn't help feeling a bit hurt.
And so, she made a mental note. From now on, she'd give her more work.
Of course, she wasn't a bad boss, so she did plan to up her pay.
While she was busy thinking that, Yor asked her again.
"So, what'd you come looking for me about today?"
"Oh!"
Only then did Chae-rin remember that she'd come bearing important news today.
"Yor, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Hmm... good news first."
Yor was the type to take his lumps later.
Chae-rin cleared her throat with an ahem and loosened up. She was acting like someone deliberately dragging it out to build anticipation.
And soon enough, what came out of her mouth was definitely surprising news.
"Seere got subjugated."
"What?!"
The moment he heard that, Yor burst out in immediate celebration.
That fucking bastard was finally dead!
Honestly, since his location had been exposed, he'd been worried about when the guy might show up for revenge.
Apparently, his subjugation had just happened a bit faster than that.
Then again, it would've been hard to survive long without his left arm.
The person who subjugated him was the one Sepir had told him about before—that Fighting King (鬪王) character.
The person who'd dare leap into battle bare-handed and had even earned themselves the title of 'King'.
Seere's body wasn't weak, but the real reason he was frightening came from his ability.
Because originally, that bastard's ability was specialized for stealing and using other people's stuff.
But he ran into someone who fought with their bare fists to begin with, so he was completely out of luck.
Anyway, it was really excellent news.
Not only had one of the dangers threatening him disappeared, but the supply of Holy Water would start flowing again too.
He'd prepared for the future and stockpiled some, but now that Seere had been subjugated, there was no reason to keep buying Holy Water at a jacked-up price, was there?
Which meant he could get his hands on Holy Water again.
'Farewell, Berserk A.'
Yor internally waved goodbye to Berserk A. He wouldn't miss it much.
That was when it happened. While he was beaming.
He saw Chae-rin, looking away with an awkward expression, completely unlike his own happy self.
She looked like she had more to say, but it seemed hard to bring herself to say it, seeing how happy he was.
Come to think of it, there was still one piece of bad news left.
Sensing something ominous, Yor asked Chae-rin cautiously.
"So... what's the bad news?"
"Ah, um..."
Chae-rin continued.
"They said... another oracle came down. An oracle that a new demon is appearing..."
"What? What the f—"
This time, Yor muttered a curse before he could stop himself.
What the hell was this? This wasn't some kind of relay race, and he was getting subjugation news and descent news at the same damn time.
Still, he forced himself to recover his composure and asked Chae-rin.
Because, just like always, the descending demon would have a name.
"Then what's the name of the one descending this time? Do you know, by any chance?"
At his question, Chae-rin gave a small nod.
Then, she slowly opened her mouth.
"That is..."
*
Wooooong!
Light began to pour from the altar, its surface engraved with geometric sigils.
It was a sign that the summoning would soon begin. The door connecting to the Demon Realm would open and call forth the demon they had found.
Watching it, Livia, the Third Branch Leader dispatched here, let out a short exclamation of admiration.
"Whoa, it's summoning real quick this time."
It hadn't even felt like they'd fed it that much mana, and already the summoning circle was glowing.
Maybe the original amount of sacrifices required was low, or maybe part of the seal had already been weakened when they arrived. In any case, it was pretty good news for them.
Of course, this altar was also a location they'd found using Andromalius's arm.
Thanks to Seere having worked so hard to draw the continent's attention, they'd been able to undo the seal without much interference.
"Oooh!"
"H-He's emerging!"
As time passed, the demon began to reveal himself.
Seeing this, the two cultists with him cried out as though witnessing a miracle.
The first thing visible was a massive, imposing horn.
A single, incredibly sharp and long horn could be seen, jutting up from the center of his head.
What appeared next was a mane white as snow, fur like white jade, and so on.
Aside from the horn on his head, his overall appearance called to mind a top-quality white horse.
What people commonly called a unicorn.
Going by looks alone, he seemed like something you'd call a Sacred Beast, not a demon.
The only things you could use to guess he was a demon were the thick Demonic Energy flowing from around him and the bottomless black pupils.
Once the demon descended, the branch leader and the two cultists hurriedly knelt in greeting.
"We pay homage to One-Horned Lord Amdusias!"
"We behold you!"
The 67th demon, Amdusias.
"...Hmph."
As soon as he emerged, he took a look around, as if displeased.
Shunk—! Shunkk—!
And then, without warning, he stabbed the cultists on either side of the branch leader to death.
"Guuuhk!"
"Gwaaahk!"
A horrifying sound of rending flesh, and agonized screams rang out.
Just like that, the lives of the cultists besides the branch leader were gone in an instant.
"Uh...?"
Seeing this, the branch leader, Livia, asked in bewilderment.
"Wh-Why...?"
"It is because those two have lost their purity."
"?"
Hearing the answer, she tilted her head, not understanding.
Whether she did or not, Amdusias continued, his expression still scrunched up.
In the midst of this, his voice was extremely pleasant.
"The first thing I must see upon entering this world are non-virgins? Revolting, and filthy..."
"Ah, um..."
"In comparison, you still possess your purity. Most excellent."
The unicorn's eyes turned toward the branch leader.
His gaze, looking at her, even seemed to hold a hint of favor.
Honestly, Livia was still flustered by what sounded like utter bullshit, but being someone good at reading others, she was able to answer with quick wits.
"I-I have kept my chastity all this time in anticipation of the day I would meet you, One-Horned Lord!"
"Hahaha! You lay on the flattery without so much as wetting your lips!"
Amdusias laughed heartily and continued.
"But I do not dislike it. I am very fond of the pure."
Phew, Livia let out a small internal sigh.
That was a relief. At least it seemed like she herself was liked.
Then, she had a brief thought.
The demon summoned this time seemed a little bit nuts...