Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: #1 Blazing Flames of the Fire Demon, Blooming Red Lotus Heart (Dom - Falling in Love)
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Dom was the maid of this mansion.
At the same time, she was a familiar—a yokai succubus bound to the mansion's owner, that man.
When her master chose and claimed this mansion, there had already been a yokai that ruled this territory.
Even after Dom and her master settled in, that yokai never once showed itself.
That was far from normal.
Choosing to make a nest in a territory already claimed by another yokai.
Or letting intruders invade your domain without warning, only to tolerate it silently.
Even if the intruder was a weak yokai, this simply didn't happen.
Among yokai, encroaching on another's territory was utterly unforgivable. Ignoring it would make you look weak, completely despised.
To humans, it might seem like mere pride.
But it was a yokai matter, beyond human measures. The word "despised" was just a rough approximation; it didn't capture their true concept.
Anyway, the impossible had happened.
Her master took over the mansion, yet she could always sense the original territory owner's presence.
She felt it constantly, but never pinpointed its location. She couldn't even tell who or what it was—weak or strong.
She could have searched if she tried. But her master stopped her.
—Better not stir up trouble. Stay put for now.
So she didn't bother.
They also lived carefully, suppressing their yokai power and aura to avoid provoking it.
Still, she figured she was a formidable high-rank yokai, and her master even more so.
She had no doubt they could handle whatever mysterious yokai lurked here.
She assumed her master's reluctance to probe or provoke stemmed from some other reason.
No one knew his true thoughts.
Only he did.
That was all she thought.
'That thing.'
The underground door swung open, and Succubus Dom beheld what lay beyond alongside Exorcist Ryeong.
For the first time, she learned its true nature.
The original ruler of this mansion's territory. The yokai that had nested here, its name, existence, and identity unknown.
The very one whose overflowing yokai power had permeated every corner of the mansion where Dom and her master lived, ceaselessly asserting its presence.
'That's—dangerous.'
That was the thought that flashed through Dom's mind the instant she saw it.
The room was dark. Only the faint light from the freshly opened door and the lantern in Dom's hand offered any illumination.
But neither Ryeong the exorcist nor Dom the yokai minded the darkness. They could clearly make out what lurked beyond.
The mansion's basement—an impossibly vast underground space, so wide and tall it begged the question of how they'd missed it until now. The ceiling soared endlessly high.
There, sprawled out, was some kind of being.
"...A dragon."
No, not quite. She muttered unconsciously, then denied it herself.
It wasn't a dragon. If it were truly a dragon, Dom would have vanished the moment she set foot in this space.
The massive body filling the enormous underground chamber, long and enormous.
"An imoogi, probably."
Ryeong provided the answer.
What lurked in the mansion's basement was a gigantic imoogi, deep in slumber.
『────────.』
Either way, it was huge.
And asleep.
'An imoogi... Not my first time seeing one, but this one's special.'
Considering its condition and the yokai aura emanating from it, I quickly analyzed the situation and reached a conclusion.
An imoogi—still immature, roughly two hundred years since its birth.
A normal imoogi would be no issue. Treated as a spirit beast rather than a yokai, leaving it alone would be fine. Touching it might spell disaster.
But this one before me brimmed with poison qi.
Just breathing there, it spewed dark energy lethal to all life.
Probably, this spirit had an unstable foundation from birth for some reason.
Otherwise, a being meant to become a divine dragon wouldn't exude such malevolent, poisonous qi.
Likely a mutant born and raised in corrupted land.
Its spiritual rank diminished, reduced to a mere yokai—a pitiful creature.
'Yokai is yokai. No need for pity. Such sentiments are a luxury. They're wrong from the start.'
Pitiful origin or not, it was a yokai that needed exorcising.
That was all that mattered now.
'Still, perfect timing.'
The imoogi was asleep.
Not mere sleep, but preparing for its next evolution.
Molting. Right on the cusp of shedding its form to ascend another step.
Staying coiled in this vast space, fixated on absorbing and digesting the spiritual power gathering in this land.
Even when yokai invaded its territory, it ignored them to focus on this preparation.
Though if they'd caused a ruckus or tried something foolish in its own domain, it would have awakened.
'—In other words, if I try to exorcise it.'
If I couldn't vanquish this giant imoogi in one strike, couldn't sever its life at once.
The threatened imoogi would awaken instantly, driving out the unpleasant intruders who disturbed its rest.
Immature, twisted, fallen to yokai—still an imoogi. Never to be underestimated.
But it was fine.
No problem at all.
"Wait...!"
"...?"
Suddenly, my arm was grabbed. Dom, who'd followed me, looked up with anxious eyes.
I understood her surprise. But I signaled with my eyes that it was okay.
Dom seemed to hesitate, as if debating what to say, then slowly released my arm.
"Dom, please wait here just a moment. It'll be over soon. No danger."
I stepped away from Dom, approaching the imoogi.
Step...
Approaching the imoogi.
Step... step... step.
As I drew near, I placed my hand on my chest. My annoyingly large breasts got in the way, but I managed to position it over my heart.
Step... step... step... step.
This wouldn't do as is. So I released the seals.
No need for all, but one wouldn't suffice. Three... too many. Misjudge, and the entire basement collapses.
'Two should do.'
Decided. Two seals: east and west.
A light breath, eyes gently closed.
Sensing the heart beyond, its outline tied to my soul, and the seals.
Eyes open, I chanted the incantation.
"【I humbly beseech thee】."
"【The blessing of the dawn in the east】."
"【The peace of dusk in the west】."
"【Grant it unto me】."
Flames erupted, enveloping my body.
'Why didn't I stop her?'
Succubus Dom wondered.
When she'd grabbed Ryeong's arm moments ago, Dom had planned to drag her out of the basement immediately.
Not out of concern for Ryeong. Simply to prevent her from rousing the imoogi with needless actions.
If it woke, escape would be impossible—the whole area would be obliterated. To survive, they needed to flee this foggy world before it stirred.
But in the end, Dom couldn't stop her.
A single command—"Don't go"—would have sufficed.
She held back partly due to her master's prior order to let Ryeong do as she pleased, and partly from a baseless hope sparked by Ryeong's demeanor.
In the end, Dom was relieved by her choice.
The terror that had gripped her heart now swelled with thrilling excitement.
Roooarrrrr—
"...Incredible."
In Dom's vision, Ryeong advanced toward the sleeping imoogi, ablaze in pure white flames.
Not ordinary fire. Flames of overflowing spiritual power.
Flames that incinerated all demons. She knew just by looking—even a high-rank yokai like her would vanish without trace if she approached Ryeong now.
They were unbelievably holy, yet pure spiritual power.
Impurity-free spiritual power irresistibly drew all spiritual beings.
Yokai, spirits, fairies—even gods.
Such power now burned around Ryeong's body.
The yokai from the incinerator before had clung to Ryeong's talisman infused with her power, refusing to die.
Unthinkable for an intelligent, restrained high-rank yokai like Dom—until now. Seeing those flames, she understood completely.
'Oh my god.'
'Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod~~~!!'
How could such a delectable being exist?
How could a human shine so brightly?
Before she knew it, Dom's mouth hung wide open, drool vulgarly spilling out.
Her gaping mouth mirrored her burning desire, parching thirst, overflowing love—saliva dripping down her chin, onto her chest.
Oblivious to Dom's state, Ryeong had reached the imoogi.
The imoogi couldn't ignore that presence. The ground trembled as its body twitched, signs of awakening.
Too late. Rising now meant nothing.
"I hold no grudge against you, but I cannot leave a harmful existence like yours in this world. In the name of Exorcist Gyeol Ryeong, I exorcise you, imoogi."
Declaring boldly, the exorcist drew back the talisman in her hand at an angle behind her.
The mere stick, a handspan long, had become a long sword. Its blade, too, wrapped in the white flames engulfing Ryeong, blazing together.
And that sword swung upward from below, before the imoogi.
"【Solar Grace】"
A sharp cry with the swing.
White flames trailed the blade.
Soon, they engulfed the massive imoogi, igniting a magnificent blaze that filled the entire basement, consuming everything.
