Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Why Did You Do That? (2)
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I never even imagined that demons would be mentioned.
Jamie felt as if his head had been struck hard by a hammer.
'It's not something only gods can do.'
He had naturally assumed one of the 12 Gods' churches would be involved.
Mary's organization sought an ideal that could only be achieved through divine miracles.
But that wasn't the case. There existed a race capable of mitigating Apophis's side effects without needing a god.
The demons.
The race from the demon realm, standing in exact opposition to the heavenly realm where the 12 Gods resided.
Among them, the Demon Kings who ruled the demon realm.
'Those guys who aren't inferior to the 12 Gods at all... they could certainly...'
His misjudgment had been thinking that since Mary's organization consisted of humans, they would ally with an accessible church.
Come to think of it, just last year, hadn't the Zenith Church unleashed the demon baron Rueeta in Uptown?
Jamie's eyes turned cold.
He despised demons as much as the 12 Gods. They were horrific monsters who followed only the logic of power and moved solely by the instinct of evil.
Parasites that fed on pain and fear.
"Which demon are you connected to?"
"The Demon King of Vengeance."
"The Demon King of Vengeance?"
"Yes."
He had never heard of the epithet 'Demon King of Vengeance'.
It was a newcomer Demon King.
Of course, tens of thousands of years had passed since Diablo Volpir's death, so 'newcomer' might not fit perfectly, but it felt that way to Jamie at least.
Sixty thousand years was enough time to bring change even to the unchanging demon realm.
'Well, demons obsessed with battle wouldn't have maintained peace forever.'
During Diablo Volpir's time, the five great Demon Kings—beings who surpassed even the 12 Gods in individual power—ruled the demon realm.
Back then, Diablo had allied with the Demon King of Ruthlessness among them, but after experiencing the ugliness of demons firsthand, he treated them worse than insects.
That sentiment remained unchanged.
"Filthy trash. Desperate enough to ally with demons? Are you insane?"
"I'm sorry."
Brainwashed Mary could only repeat her apologies.
Jamie clicked his tongue.
If demons were involved, things were about to get serious.
"Act as usual, and contact me if you get word from above. You know how, right?"
"I do."
While injecting black mana into her brain, he had implanted plenty of convenient functions to ensure she fulfilled her duties as a slave.
"Go back. Make up whatever excuse for what happened here."
"Yes."
Mary rose from her seat and vanished outside.
Jamie let out a deep sigh, then recalled the children he had moved to Gremia and Kennyak.
"Even the magic world can't catch a break from incidents."
The demon invasion had been just half a year ago.
And now, in the magic world, he was tangled with demons again.
'The Zenith Church might be involved this time too.'
Jamie didn't dismiss the suspicion.
As a mid-level executive, she knew which Demon King's faction it was, but not everything.
The possibility of one of the 12 Gods' churches being involved alongside demons couldn't be ruled out. If it was the Zenith Church, he had to dig in somehow.
"Looks like I have someone to talk to now."
Setting aside the children, why was Kennyak here?
The talk with the dog and wolf was going to take longer than expected.
"You're here?"
Kennyak was awake.
He had lost consciousness during the removal of black magic-related memories, but waking up so soon proved his mental fortitude was exceptional.
Ann and Finn sat before him. Spotting Jamie, Ann jumped up and ran to him.
"Teacher!"
Her eyes were red; she had clearly been crying moments ago.
She must have been terribly worried about Jamie.
"Were you crying?"
"...I was worried."
"You."
Without another word, Jamie stroked Ann's head and looked at Finn.
As their eyes met, Finn lowered his gaze like a criminal and began trembling.
Checking his mana, Jamie saw it was filled with impurities. No—his entire body was rotting away. It was the side effect Mary had described from Apophis.
"You brought Ann here?"
He didn't need an explanation; Finn's condition made the situation clear.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know... I really didn't know it was that kind of place!"
As if his feet had gone numb, Finn stammered excuses.
"At first, it was cu-curiosity. But it worked so well... Suddenly, Eve came to me and said Sophia the teacher would introduce me to a good place..."
"He's gone mad."
No one could call Finn sane.
For a brief time, the situation had pushed the child to his limits. His trusted person had tried to kill the friend he brought—going mad was only natural.
There was nothing more to ask Finn anyway. The priority was his current physical state.
Jamie approached step by step and extended his left arm.
"You'll feel better after some sleep."
Golden divine power flowed out, forming Pyro's emblem on his palm.
The divine light gently enveloped Finn, soon lulling the boy to sleep.
It wasn't comparable to a true saint's power, but it was enough to expel some of the toxins from his body.
After sufficient rest, his condition would improve greatly.
'Full recovery is unlikely, though.'
Apophis contained powerful narcotic components.
Having ingested large amounts in a short time, he couldn't return to his previous state.
His mana core had taken the worst hit, making it impossible to live as a mage anymore.
What reaction Finn would have upon waking was unknown, but it was truly regrettable.
Jamie raised a finger, lifting Finn into the air.
"Ann. Lay Finn in an empty room and rest there too."
"...Yes."
Quick on the uptake, Ann sensed her teacher wanted privacy and pushed the floating Finn into an empty room.
Now alone with Kennyak, Jamie sat comfortably across from him.
Kennyak spoke.
"You possess something remarkable."
He scanned Gremia's interior and gave a brief impression.
"I'd love to leisurely boast about it, but unfortunately, we don't have time."
"Ask away."
"Why were you there, Teacher Kennyak?"
"Because I'm an insider."
With those words, several sharp ice spears surrounded Kennyak.
It was a declaration to eliminate blind spots and kill him in one strike.
"If your answers deviate from my questions from now on, I'll kill you on the spot. The reason I'm not dominating your soul and handling this gentlemanly is because you tried to save my disciple."
Erasing memories was a hassle.
He had no intention of using black magic, but even without it, killing someone like Kennyak was easy.
Above all, for some reason, he had tried to save Ann.
It was Jamie's way of showing consideration.
If that consideration was ignored, he would cross the line.
Crossing lines was effortless for Jamie.
"What are you?"
"As I said, an insider."
Despite being surrounded, Kennyak's expression remained unchanged.
Jamie didn't know him well, but based on observations, it suited him.
Jamie asked again.
"That's not what I'm asking. What exactly is your position? Are you above Mary?"
"You've even uncovered Teacher Sophia's real name."
"Answer."
"There's no strict hierarchy between her and me. But if I had to say, I'm closer to the upper echelons."
Kennyak pointed upward with a finger.
Mary had said she was an executive but didn't know the identities of the doctors and teachers.
"Then you know the identities of the doctors and teachers."
"Not the teachers. But... I do know the doctor."
Jamie's eyes widened.
He could take down the ringleaders directly without going through Mary.
He asked no more. Seeing was faster than asking.
Jamie grabbed Kennyak's head. His small hand couldn't fully encompass it, but it was enough.
Kennyak, with his head gripped, said,
"It's impossible."
"Nothing's impossible for me."
"It's not a restriction spell."
"Shut up."
He hadn't planned to use black magic again, but holding back now would be foolish.
Jamie's eyes turned purple.
The moment Kennyak opened his mouth to speak, Jamie seized control of his soul.
And then, Jamie understood why he had said it was impossible.
"This guy..."
Jamie released Kennyak's head.
"A homunculus?"
It was a day filled with too many twists.
Regaining his senses, Kennyak looked at Jamie with his usual face.
"How much time has passed?"
"Ten minutes."
Answering, Jamie crushed the small chip in his hand.
Instinctively knowing what it was, Kennyak asked briefly.
"That is...?"
"A device forcing your actions."
"Heh."
"You don't have to live like a dog anymore."
"How should I express my gratitude..."
"Forget it."
"...More importantly, did you read my memories?"
Jamie didn't answer Kennyak's question.
He simply brushed off the chip crumbs from his fingers.
Thinking it a failure, Kennyak sighed briefly.
"You destroyed the chip, but reading memories failed as expected. It was impossible."
"Don't decide what's impossible on your own."
"...What does that mean?"
Jamie snorted at the question.
Kennyak didn't know, but his memories had already been wiped once.
Would reading them be impossible?
It was simple, and in fact, Kennyak's memories had already flowed into Jamie's mind.
The black magic-related ones were erased again.
He had read them, but they held no further useful information for Jamie.
'No need to read once I knew he was a homunculus.'
If a homunculus, there would be a creator—and Kennyak had a poor relationship with his master.
Who happened to be one of the magic world's elders.
"The 3rd Elder. That bastard was the head."
"...You really read them."
"I did, but even without reading, I could infer this much. Unbelievable. Or is it obvious?"
3rd Elder Serpent Gerol.
Jamie recalled the look in his eyes upon first meeting.
The blatant inferiority complex toward him.
Hatred, anger, jealousy toward the talented.
A perfect fit for this organization's goals.
"They say you take after your master a lot."
"Part of the master's personality is reflected."
That's why the envy and jealousy were inevitable.
Jamie was astonished.
To think the 3rd Elder had created such an advanced homunculus.
He had considered him the lowest among the elders, but there was a reason he became one.
But now, it was over.
As Jamie stood, Kennyak asked,
"Where are you going?"
"To kill the 3rd Elder."
"It's dangerous alone. He's a magic world elder. And there are many I don't even know about. If they join..."
"You think I'm crazy enough to go solo?"
Jamie Welton could escalate things infinitely if he wanted.
But he had no such intention.
'No guarantee the 3rd Elder is the end.'
A small suspicion could spark unrest in the magic world.
Fortunately, Jamie had one man he could trust unconditionally by his side.
"Wait here. Your disposition comes after this is resolved. Explain well to the kids."
"Teacher Jamie...!"
Jamie's figure vanished.
Kennyak slowly withdrew his extended hand into the air and sighed.
"This should do it."
Born a homunculus, he had lived an unwanted life until now.
"Emotions for a fake are truly overwhelming."
Once everything settled, he wanted peace.
"Someone dominated Kennyak's mind. Even shattering the command chip."
3rd Elder Serpent muttered with a headache.
Ashtar was defeated, Mary was out of contact.
And now Kennyak was captured.
He didn't think Kennyak would spill everything. Simple reason: he was a high-grade artificial lifeform, a homunculus, created by Serpent himself.
Fundamentally different from mere silencing restrictions. From creation, he was set unable to speak of anything related to Serpent.
Even soul domination wouldn't change that.
He didn't know who was sabotaging his plans, but reaching him would require relentless effort.
But Serpent didn't know.
His identity was already exposed.
"Insolent vermin."
Grind—
Serpent gnashed his teeth.
Whoever it was, taking down Ashtar and the other executives meant exceptional skill.
In other words, talented.
He hated the talented. They always bred inequality.
The world couldn't be equal, but talent-divided inequality couldn't be bridged by lifelong effort.
He had finally grasped the key, and some vermin interfered.
All who strutted on talent had been cast into hell so far. This time too.
Serpent rose and walked to the rear lab table.
Five glass tubes stood in a row.
Inside, iridescent silver liquid sloshed; seeing it, the doctor grinned.
"I'll make you regret it."
With this, he could kill anyone.
Yes.
Even those 8th class monsters.
"I'll become the king of the magic world."
A twisted smile formed on Serpent's lips.