Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Interview with the Demon King - 2
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As we stepped away from the count, Neril spoke up in a cynical tone.
“Treated you like a fly at the dinner table, then flips his stance like turning over his palm? What a sly fox.”
“That’s how heavy the title of hero weighs. Kaild’s gone who-knows-where, and the northern hero’s right here.”
“That’s exactly what makes him sly.”
“Well, in this day and age, isn’t it better than stubbornly sticking to a position? I prefer sly over rigid any day.”
Neril shrugged as if there was nothing to be done.
That was when Jenia spoke up, her face dark.
“Maide. You know something about Ophelia, don’t you?”
“Yeah. A guess, though.”
“Tell me that guess.”
I let out a light sigh.
And spoke the truth I hoped was false.
“In the past, Demon Kings had their own minions beyond regular monsters. You know that, right?”
Serein crossed her arms and replied.
“Like the imperial guard to the emperor. Hero-grade to a hero party. Like the hawkers demanding donations to a priest.”
“The last one’s a bit off as a metaphor.”
“It was my most inspired one...”
“Anyway, there were monsters with power comparable to the Demon King themselves, if not quite equal. Think the Demon King of Lies would be any different?”
Jenia’s face went pale.
“You’re saying Ophelia became one of those?”
“...That’s my guess.”
“Ah.”
Jenia staggered.
Neril quickly supported her and said,
“Didn’t you say it yourself? Even in the capital, Maide handled it well. With Maide here, it’ll all work out.”
“Neril.”
“Stand up straight now. You’re heavy.”
“...Thank you.”
“I said you’re heavy, what’s there to thank?”
Jenia straightened her back and said,
“The Demon Kings’ minions in the past were all monsters. So Idria turned Ophelia into a monster.”
“Hm.”
“Could there be other minions?”
Of course.
I briefly recalled memories from before my regression.
Idria’s minions.
Known as the Five Fingers of Lies, they had been a major obstacle for our party before the regression.
We saw them only as obstacles.
So our party killed them without a moment’s hesitation.
‘Among them, the one who handled exploding parasitic bugs.’
The fifth finger, Teranaim.
Risel had mentioned the meaning of that name before the regression.
While heading to a territory where Teranaim had set up camp for a quest, Risel said,
“But about this quest target.”
“Teranaim?”
“Yeah. Something feels off about it.”
Back then, Risel spoke about a tenth as much as she does now.
That drew all our eyes to her.
Risel waved her hands in considerable fluster.
“I didn’t say to stare like that.”
“Kid opening her mouth first is the surprising part.”
“Neril. Actually, I’m older than you.”
“Ha. Jokes come easy to those who used to tell them.”
Come to think of it, before the regression, we didn’t know Risel was the Spirit King or 1,500 years old.
It hits me now how much things have changed from then.
I asked back then,
“What feels off?”
“The name Teranaim itself.”
“Huh?”
“In spirit tongue, it means ‘friend.’ Probably just coincidence, of course.”
I stopped the recollection.
Yeah.
Teranaim means ‘friend’ in spirit tongue.
Idria named her minion Ophelia ‘friend.’
She knew.
That among the party members, Ophelia had a friend named Jenia.
So she named her ‘friend’ on purpose to deceive Jenia.
‘Wait. Come to think of it...’
The one who killed Teranaim back then.
I glanced at Jenia.
She tilted her head as if wondering why.
‘Damn.’
[What’s up.]
‘Jenia was the one who killed Teranaim. Before the regression.’
[...]
‘Kaild ordered it. Something like, your holy sword can take it down.’
Kaild was probably following what the ‘Path to Hero’ told him.
Jenia, without a shred of suspicion, sliced off Teranaim’s head—already battered by us.
Teranaim’s face and body looked nothing like Ophelia’s back then.
‘How much did Idria enjoy that sight?’
I ground my teeth.
Jenia asked, startled.
“Wh-what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Nothing. Anyway, as you said, the Demon King likely has other minions. Past Demon Kings had several.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
But it felt less like fear and more like each lost in their own thoughts.
Our party members have grown bold, huh.
That was when Adwin spoke up.
“Bro. You said Kaild’s alive, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why hasn’t he shown up here?”
“...?”
“Idria wants to make Kaild the hero... She’d want him to stop something like this to boost his fame.”
I swallowed hard at that sharp point.
Yeah, why isn’t he coming, Kaild Wake.
What are you plotting, Idria?
I answered with a sigh.
“I don’t know about that either. I’ll let you know soon.”
“Oh, sure. Wait, soon?”
“Feels like I’ll find out shortly.”
Once my level goes up one more, I can see A-rank secrets too.
Not just where Ophelia’s real body is hidden, but most of Idria’s dirty schemes.
I changed the subject.
“More importantly, let’s focus on how to handle this incident first.”
Everyone adjusted their posture and waited for my words.
“The best way is to destroy Ophelia’s fake body and put her soul back in the real one. But.”
“We don’t know where the real body is.”
“Right. So until we find the real body, we have to prevent repeats of today.”
“Lock her up somewhere? Sorry to Jenia, but.”
Jenia shook her head firmly.
“Ophelia’s my dear friend, but I won’t turn a blind eye if she endangers others. I’ll cooperate fully as long as you don’t kill her.”
“Hmm. Then prison magic sounds good.”
That was when Offens cut in.
“From someone who faced Ophelia directly, I’m not sure prison magic can neutralize her. She was stronger than anything I’ve ever seen.”
“...Then what? Where’s safe enough?”
Shing.
I drew my sword.
Everyone’s eyes widened as they looked at me.
I ran my hand along the blade and said,
“Been a while. Shall we tear space once more?”
Ophelia was in the remotest corner of an alley in Drono territory.
To be precise, it was less an alley and more a dump.
Where nearby villagers piled household trash.
At the foot of that trash mound, Ophelia hugged her knees.
‘What the hell happened to me?’
A few days ago, she’d felt a headache that split her skull.
A terribly languid, terribly evil voice echoed.
-Use the power I granted you.
-Kill all the territory’s people.
-Drive Maide’s party apart.
She endured and endured.
She didn’t want her hometown folk, David, or Jenia seeing her like this.
But she reached her limit at the festival site.
She’d implanted a bug in David.
That beetle-like thing that made her want to vomit just looking at it, shoved into her beloved’s ear.
“Sniff sniff. What the hell have I done...”
She was sobbing before she knew it.
Now she couldn’t even reveal the truth.
The voice in her head grew louder, and this bizarre body had completely escaped her control.
She’d become a puppet.
Idria’s puppet.
-Kill all the territory’s people.
‘Th-this... no. Absolutely not.’
Her trembling grew worse.
Lips tearing, teeth grinding to break, but it was no use.
At some point, Ophelia’s trembling stopped.
With empty eyes, she slowly rose.
And spat bugs onto the trash heap.
“Cough. Bleeech.”
The same bug she’d implanted in David moments ago surged from her stomach like a waterfall from her mouth.
The bugs scattered in all directions, as if each had a will of its own.
“Bleeech. Urk.”
Easily millions of them!
She had to endure that disgusting vomit for a while.
Even stripped of all control, at least tears flowed freely.
Why leave even these tears? Why not take them too?
Ophelia found the answer herself.
‘Because it’s fun?’
It hurts.
So agonizing she wanted to die.
‘Someone, anyone, help me. Please!’
As a Knight of Light, there was one she instinctively sought in hardship and sorrow.
The Heavenly God.
But current Ophelia didn’t call for the Heavenly God.
There was a more tangible symbol of ‘hope’ right in this territory.
Splurt.
The vomiting finally ended.
Squeezing every ounce of strength, she briefly regained control of her mouth.
Ophelia cried out at the top of her lungs.
“Please save me! Hero! Maide!”
Then a voice echoed from her head.
-The most loathsome name you dare utter.
Ssssh. Flash!
The next instant.
Ophelia’s body was engulfed in black mist.
And the mist completely ‘transformed’ her.
To find Ophelia, Jenia first summoned Agril.
For shared vision, like this morning.
Jenia mounted Agril’s back first and beckoned us.
“Hurry and get on.”
“Agril’s okay with it?”
“Probably.”
Way less favored than the first time. Poor Agril.
-Grrr.
Agril growled in discontent.
Jenia hurriedly soothed it.
“Sorry, Agril. Twice a day’s over the limit, huh?”
“...”
“Got it. I’ll give you Serein later as feed. Fly us.”
“Wait a sec. Hey.”
“Deal’s done. Everyone, hop on.”
“Hey.”
That’s when we took off on Agril.
Suddenly, bugs started crawling out from some alley in the territory.
In an instant, it became a wave, then a tsunami.
No time to react— the bugs flooded the entire territory.
When I was young, our territory had a landslide.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, it was one of the territory’s greatest crises.
Clutching my father’s hand as we fled, I looked back.
-Rumble rumble boom. Kaboom.
The dirt mound swallowing everything.
The overwhelming scene shook my soul.
And now I felt the same shock.
“Feels just like a landslide of bugs.”
“Ha. Was pondering how to describe it, but I give up. Nothing tops that.”
Adwin said in a trembling voice.
“Uh, are we too late?”
The answer came from the ground.
“Kaaaaah!”
“Wh-what is this? Get away! Get away!”
“Urk. It’s in my ear. Ehehehehe.”
“My head... inside my head itches so bad. Please, spare me.”
“Sniff sniff. Hero! Please save us!”
“Kaild! Please!”
Hell on earth.
Risel flailed in panic and spoke.
“Ahh. What the hell...”
“Ask Jenia that. Jenia, found her?”
Jenia was already syncing vision with Agril.
She opened her eyes, sweating coldly.
“Yeah. Found her.”
“That was quick.”
“I traced back where the bugs started crawling from. Figured Ophelia’d be there.”
“Good call. Let’s go.”
“But Ophelia with the bugs...”
Jenia’s face was ashen.
In that moment, I understood what she meant.
Before the regression, the bugs had crawled from Teranaim’s stomach too.
That must be Idria’s power.
Neril asked,
“Why? Why trail off?”
“L-let’s just go. Agril.”
Jenia directed Agril into a descent.
The territory folk wailed in agony yet gazed at the divine carriage piercing the thunderclouds.
“Ooooh. Kaild... no, not him?”
“It’s Maide! Maide Mohan!”
“The northern hero!”
“Anyone! Please save us!”
“Why won’t Kaild show?”
“Please spare us! My head itches so much!”
“Ugh. I don’t wanna end up like David.”
Such cries.
The people were swept in hope and despair.
That was when it happened.
Piercing the wails, a faint voice reached my ears.
-Please save me! Hero! Maide!
Huh? That voice?
[What’s with the looking around.]
‘Didn’t you hear?’
[Eh? Hear wha—]
‘It was Ophelia.’
I tried to explain more, but the situation left no room.
Calm the territory folk first.
Panicking would just make them easier bug targets.
I signaled Neril.
She cast voice amplification magic without a word.
I shouted loudly.
“Everyone, calm down! Making a fuss will only rile the bugs more!”
“Hero!”
“We knights will handle this territory’s crisis. Trust us and watch!”
The folk raised their voices as one.
“Wooooah!”
“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”
“Maide, sniff sniff.”
I said no fussing.
Well, with this bug flood, excited or calm might not matter much.
Better if I end it quick.
I said to the group,
“Let’s go.”
We entered the alley.
Ophelia was at the center of the dump.
No, ‘Teranaim’ was.
‘Exactly as before the regression.’
[No trace of Ophelia left.]
Right.
Teranaim was an old hag.
Frizzy gray hair.
Face full of wrinkles from years gone by.
Stooped shoulders and back right there.
A form Ophelia might take decades from now, on her deathbed.
I clicked my tongue and muttered,
“I’ll save you. As you requested.”