Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: With the Imps and the Time of Trials #3
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A while back, Professor Ballan had explained it to me.
He said that Demon King Angmar held a position akin to the sun—or even a god—for creatures that lived in the shadows and among monsters.
A god.
Yes.
To monsters, Demon King Angmar was truly an object of faith. Even though he had ultimately been torn to shreds and killed by wicked fiends by now.
The sense that someday Demon King Angmar would resurrect into the world and lead and guide those who followed him to the right path.
It sounded a lot like the messianic faiths common in many religions.
Imp Marmar believed the same—that one day Demon King Angmar would return to the world and put an end to this one filled with discrimination and violence.
━His Majesty the Demon King sought to create a world with no sorrow, no poverty or hunger, no high or low—where everyone was equal.
Of course, that was just from Marmar the imp's perspective. The actual tales passed down described a Demon King who waged wars everywhere and even unleashed rifts upon the world beyond the barriers—a madman.
I couldn't judge whose account was right.
But I could at least grasp how immensely significant Demon King Angmar was to Marmar. And it was to such a Marmar that the imps were speaking.
“It's a chance to receive His Majesty the Demon King...!”
Naturally, Marmar could only prostrate herself flat and tremble with emotion. In fact, she lay there flat on the ground, ears perked for their next words.
Creak, creak.
Tartar, the red-haired imp perched atop the broken wardrobe, gazed down at Marmar with satisfaction and shouted even more confidently.
“You there, halfwit...! Get on your knees and bow to the King of All Kings at once...! And rejoice in worship at the sound of His voice...!”
“Who? Me?”
“Yes, you...! Kneel and bow your head at once...!”
She clearly didn't like that I wasn't kneeling. But as far as I was concerned, there was zero reason to kneel toward the roaring flames.
Receiving a message from the Demon King, of all things.
I knew full well that was impossible.
Solomon had died a miserable death long ago.
In my view, this imp pack was definitely a bunch of scoundrels duping and exploiting the naive Marmar.
Suddenly, I recalled the encyclopedia entry on imps I'd read before.
「Imp: Noisy lesser demons. They beguile people with all sorts of cunning words. Originally fairies of nature called nymphs, they were remade by Demon King Angmar from his nymph subordinates.」
Servants of the Demon King famed for beguiling people with cunning words. It wouldn't be strange at all if such creatures ran scams and deceptions to exploit their fellow Marmar.
Did they even see Marmar as a fellow to begin with? She was already discriminated against as a hornless imp, wasn't she?
Whoosh, whoosh.
“......”
“......”
The imp facing the massive bonfire of logs, and me watching him. A brief silence hung between us.
“Pain...! Taxes...! Discrimination...!”
The mentally unstable imp Gargarr suddenly started dashing wildly around the flames. Her frenzy made her look like a shaman lost in trance—eerie.
“Tartar, we need to get started soon...! No time left...!”
“Tch.”
At his comrade's urging, the armband-wearing imp Tartar clicked his tongue and spread his arms wide toward the heavens. Then he orated toward the world.
“O all creation, come and hear the voice of the great Demon King—!”
He pulled something from his bosom and hurled it—thwack—into the flames. It was some kind of faintly glittering powder.
As it fed the fire, the flames grew larger and more vivid, lashing out scarlet tongues toward the surroundings.
Puff, puff.
At the same time, thick indigo smoke billowed outward in all directions.
Unlike ordinary smoke rising skyward, this clung low and heavy, spreading across the ground like dry ice from a stage effect.
What the hell is that?
Smells kinda weird.
Thanks to it, Marmar—who had been lying flat—was utterly buried in the smoke. All that poked above was her rhomboid tail.
As that tail began twitching and wriggling every which way, Tartar spoke.
“Sister Marmar, lend your ears...! Listen closely, and you will hear His Majesty the Demon King speaking to you in a low, solemn voice...!”
“Huuuhh...”
From within the smoke, Marmar mumbled something in a bizarre tone.
It was less speech and more like a beast's growl—almost like the mutterings of someone utterly wasted on booze.
No.
I knew a more precise comparison.
Back when I'd prowled the kingdom's back alleys for scouting, I'd seen plenty addicted to the low-grade mana herbs peddled by the Black Robe Gang.
━Huuuh, gimme more—
Those slumped wrecks made exactly that kind of noise.
Drugs.
Yes.
This low-lying haze was basically narcotics. My relatively clear head was probably because I hadn't flattened myself to the ground.
Was that why they climbed up high on the platform—to avoid the drug-laced gas pooling below?
「Calm Situation Assessment!
Gain experience via Talent 《Stay Still》.
All job experience +5」
Once I figured out the trick, it wasn't all that shocking. All that remained was the truth: these guys were just bad apples exploiting Marmar's goodwill for their own gain.
So I couldn't hold back and spoke up.
“This is a scam. Where the hell is the Demon King's voice coming from?”
Twitch.
Tartar furrowed his brow as if furious.
“It's because your faith is lacking, halfwit...! Kneel, lower yourself humbly, and His Majesty's voice will reach you...!”
“So if I lower myself, I'll inhale the hallucinogenic gas?”
“......!”
Tartar froze, as if caught off guard that I'd seen through their ruse. For a moment, the bonfire's light cast his face in even darker shadow.
“Purr-purr, that one's trying to sabotage our operation...!”
“Unforgivable...!”
Whether furious at being exposed or just giving up on fooling me, they opted to charge at me.
I wondered briefly how imps fought.
“R-Run...!”
“Together...!”
“Heehee, abyss...!”
But instead of fighting, the imps turned tail and fled.
Had they instinctively realized they couldn't beat me?
Smarter than I thought. Sly little pests.
I lightly incanted at the backs of their heads.
─Air Bullet.
Pew, pew, pew.
“Kyaa—!”
“Eek—!”
“Gek—!”
The three precise spells struck the imps' backs. They flopped to the ground, writhing.
“Something, something flew at us...! My butt hurts...!”
I'd noticed while living with Marmar, but yeah—imps were pretty useless in a fight.
What had possessed Solomon to create such pathetic things?
Boredom?
“Stay put if you don't want more pain.”
I gathered the downed imps' tails and bound them with nearby fence rope.
The hits from my magic must've stung—they just flopped around without resisting.
“U-Unbind us...! Acts of imp hatred like this will bring Demon King Angmar's divine punishment...!”
“I-I have rope phobia... Untie me quick...”
“Grrr...”
Hard to believe they'd been so cocky moments ago.
All bark to kind souls like Marmar, all tuck tail to scary physical threats like me.
This was an imp, huh.
It was absurd and infuriating that these clowns had trashed the fairy paradise Marmar had worked so hard to build and tend. I growled menacingly.
“You lot, that Red Detachment stuff was bullshit too, right? Spill the truth, or I'll rip your tails off.”
“Hieeek...! N-No, not the tail...!”
“Then tell the truth.”
“Grrrr...”
Tartar eyed me warily.
I clamped down on his star-shaped tail. Tartar freaked out for real, tears streaming.
“Th-This star tail is a once-in-a-lifetime rarity...! Don't pull it...! I'll tell the truth...!”
Soon the other imps were bawling too.
Were these fake tears to beguile me? Nah, seemed genuine fear of losing their tails.
Really drove home how precious tails were to imps.
Marmar had pulled out her own and given it to me once. Made me newly grateful for that huge gesture.
I grilled the sobbing imps with questions.
“W-We’re imps who escaped prison... Wandered into Ark, rummaged trash for food, then met Marmar...”
“So you know jack about the Demon King, weren't squad leaders—total lies?”
“Y-Yeah... We just used Marmar for an easy ride...”
Scare 'em a bit, and they spilled everything.
* * *
Imp Marmar came to about an hour later.
She bolted upright on the makeshift bed and blanket with a weird death-rattle scream: “Gek—!”
“You okay, Marmar?”
“What? I was just eating a mountain of ice cream... Where'd it go?”
Marmar couldn't tell dream from reality. I explained what had happened.
“That's the gist. Hey, you lot. Apologize to Marmar already.”
At my glare, Tartar shuffled timidly toward her. He hemmed and hawed so much I clenched my fist.
Tartar, terrified of a knuckle-rap, bowed hastily.
“M-Marmar...! You heard it all, but we're really sorry...! It was all lies...!”
“We forgive you...!”
But Marmar, still hazy from the hallucination, gazed at them sadly.
Starting to feel angry and wronged by their past rampages? No—her sorrow and rage seemed aimed at something else.
“So... we couldn't hear His Majesty's voice after all? A lie?”
“Y-Yes... His resurrection and speaking to you—all lies...”
“......”
Marmar's face darkened deeply. To her, this betrayal of hope hurt worse than her ruined garden.
Sensing her gloom, Tartar added defensively.
“B-But it wasn't total lies...! Gargarr, Gargarr really saw His Majesty—super elite imp...! Swear on my tail...!”
Tartar pointed to Gargarr digging at the garden corner like a dog. I'd pegged her as half-mad, but she'd actually seen the Demon King?
“Mmhehee, Gargarr even got baptized personally by His Majesty—top vanguard of the demon army...!”
Marmar startled.
“Baptism? That baptism?”
“Yes...! The rite only for imps who pass the grueling trials...! Gargarr aced it and got baptized...!”
Tartar boasted like it was his own feat, all puffed up. Till I clenched my fist—then tail drooped, wary glances.
Annoying little imp.
Did Elga feel this way looking at me?
But Marmar perked up at "baptism," clapping sharply. I had to ask.
“What's a baptism?”
“It's like an upgrade rite for imps...! Demon army brass or His Majesty himself did 'em sometimes...!”
“Oh.”
Could I pull that off?
I pictured myself evolving Marmar.
“How's it done?”
“Dunno—maybe some imp who's done it knows?”
Our eyes turned to Gargarr, raccoon-like, still clawing up the flowerbed.
“Heehee...!!!”
Didn't look like she knew squat.