The Eighth Research: Basilisk (4)
The corridor of the White Temple throbbed with the thick scent of blood and the stench of death. In the heart of this nightmare where blood pooled up to his knees, the Succubus Lord stood facing the grey-robed mage.
“How did you break the illusion?”
Diaboletta frowned, her enchanting features twisting as she glared at Tellorian. Her appearance resembled a peerless human beauty. Yet the reverse-jointed goat hooves and black wings revealed her true demonic origin.
“It must have been the fantasy you desired.”
“There were far too many lies in it.”
“What does it matter if an illusion contains lies?”
Diaboletta was a handmaiden who served the Queen of the Abyss directly and held the rank of Lady. A powerful succubus who had corrupted even renowned saints.
“I manifested your desires exactly as they were.”
“Hmm.”
He considered his options.
Should he launch a fireball?
Or deliver a lecture?
I suppose an experiment is in order.
Could a demon even learn?
About true love?
Research Subject: Succubus Lord Diaboletta
📍 Topic: Deliver a lecture on love!
📍 Clues: 0/3
🎁 Reward: (Mental Manipulation: Reverse Corruption)
“My desires are not like that.”
“Then what kind of magic do you actually want?”
“To see the truth exactly as it is.”
Mages were explorers who studied the secrets of the universe through magic. For any true seeker, the most vital attitude was the pursuit of objective reality.
“Therefore, even an illusion must resemble the real thing.”
“If it resembles the real thing, how is it still an illusion?”
Diaboletta shot back.
“The saints I devoured never failed to realize the illusions were false. They simply chose not to dig up the uncomfortable truth.”
Tellorian shrugged.
“Well.”
They were deficient religious types, after all. Beings who chased faith rather than facts.
“We mages are different.”
“The desires of you scholarly types seemed far more sinister, though?”
“Not sinister. Wise,”
Tellorian replied with a straight face.
As expected, blondes really are stupid.
“Listen carefully since I’m repeating myself. We must pursue only objective facts. Therefore, an illusion only holds value when it is grounded in reality.”
It was a collision of worldviews.
A demon chasing impulsive pleasure.
A mage chasing rational intellect.
“Tsk. You scholarly type.”
She clicked her tongue in open mockery.
“An illusion holds true value only when it remains an illusion. So if you want to seduce humans, you must show them the most beautiful and sweetest fantasies. Something arousing like a lofty, peerless beauty with zero sexual experience.”
?
What was that?
Did that even make logical sense?
This specimen is theoretically possible.
In a sexually extreme conservative society, or among classes like nobility where bloodline purity mattered greatly and chastity was prized.
But that is an exceedingly rare case, like Belladia. Not every peerless beauty has an iron-fisted father.
Sexually attractive individuals naturally drew the gaze of the opposite sex. The probability of encountering desired partners would increase exponentially, eliminating any reason to preserve virginity.
“That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
“It’s an illusion precisely because it can’t be achieved in reality!”
The succubus was furious!
“How can something impossible in reality be considered an illusion?”
“You are so frustrating! If you want to tempt someone with fantasy, you must show them things that are impossible in real life! You damn scholarly bastard!”
Hmm…
Let’s reconsider the opponent’s argument.
“For example, an extremely ordinary and timid serf boy is secretly loved by the prettiest and most popular young lady in the region?”
Yes!
That was it!
Did she get the sense of it now?
“Statistically speaking, that is an extremely idiotic fantasy.”
“…Why are you bringing statistics into an illusion?”
“Without proper grounding, immersion in the illusion becomes impossible.”
Frowning, he continued the lecture.
“Succubus, listen properly.”
“…This is so absurd I suppose I have to hear it.”
“I will point out the flaws in your illusion.”
Let’s teach her.
To the succubus.
About true love.
“First of all, my master was never that sweet.”
“…”
“She was fiery, capricious, and fierce like a lioness. If I displeased her, she beat me with her staff. If I made a mistake, she seared my bare skin with flames. And even when she herself was at fault, she never, never, never apologized.”
Instead,
she offered material compensation.
“Above all, she was not that beautiful.”
“…In your memories she was the ultimate beauty?”
“That is my subjective memory, yes.”
What the hell!
I hate this!
What kind of man is this?!
“However, the objective truth is that my master was not an unrealistic beauty like Belladia. She was a realistic beauty. The kind you might see one or two of in any given village.”
What on earth?
How was she supposed to seduce someone like this?
“Moreover, by the time we parted she had begun developing wrinkles and was quite stressed about it. She had lived many years, and the magic that delayed aging was finally reaching its limit.”
Her skin had age spots.
Her hair had lost its luster.
Her breasts had lost their firmness.
“You should have implemented even those minute details.”
“…”
Giving up.
This was hopeless.
There was no way to seduce a man like this…
“I even admired her gray hairs.”
“…”
“This is what love is, Succubus.”
No.
He just seemed like a complete weirdo…
The succubus could not comprehend the lesson!
Successfully bewildered the succubus!
Experience +10
“The Lore Master truly doesn’t understand the human heart.”
“How can a demon presume to discuss the human heart?”
“I know far more about it than you do!”
Crack!
The succubus’s whip lashed forward!
“Bastards like you need to be beaten into understanding!”
“As expected, demons really are stupid!”
Tellorian clicked his tongue while gathering power into his staff. He had been foolish to try teaching true love to a demon.
“Pierce!”
3rd Circle, Roar of Cold — Ice Lance
An ice spear formed in midair and hurtled toward Diaboletta’s torso, but she swiftly took to the air and evaded. Succubi might not be strong, but they were extremely agile.
“Double Casting.”
Ice Lance!
Twice in succession!
“!”
Two ice spears shot forward like cannonballs from dwarven artillery. A direct hit from such a lethal strike would inflict critical damage even on a demon’s body.
But I have plenty of combat experience too!
There was no way to defeat the mage before her in direct combat. Therefore she only needed to stall for time until reinforcements arrived.
Soon Her Majesty’s personal champion carrying the essence of the Abyss will arrive! Until then I must protect the barrier imprisoning the basilisk!
Therefore,
she devoted herself entirely to evasion!
“!”
Swish!
She dodged the first ice spear!
Whoosh!
She dodged the second as well!
Perfect!
Her opponent was a monster possessing both Silent Casting and Double Casting. He was firing spells like wood elves loosing arrows.
Still, there is a brief delay between each cast.
She would use that opening.
To chant her own escape spell.
“Power of the Abyss——Guh?!”
The moment Diaboletta tried to chant her spatial leap spell, she felt a long, sharp object pierce her soft flesh from behind.
“——How?”
The ice spear she had just dodged had reversed course and impaled her from behind. The result of using the Roar of Wind to twist the missed projectile back around.
He used the Roar of Ice and the Roar of Air simultaneously!
A mage capable of wielding multiple Roars at once was an opponent far beyond any ordinary mortal! She summoned a silver blade from her subspace, preparing to end her own life. She would destroy herself and return to the Abyss.
She had to inform the Queen.
A fatal interloper had appeared.
“Not so fast!”
5th Circle, Roar of Cold — Ice Prison
Freeze from head to toe!
The surrounding air cooled instantly, forming an icy prison. Demons possessed powerful magic resistance, but Tellorian’s absurd mana (40+++) completely neutralized it.
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”
The succubus was trapped.
Frozen solid from head to toe.
Any mortal would have died instantly.
But a demon’s body endured.
“Even if I destroy your physical body, you will only lose a portion of your power. Your soul will safely return to the Abyss and report everything you experienced to the Queen of the Abyss.”
Immortals.
The destruction of the body did not mean death.
As long as their essence remained, they could resurrect endlessly.
Immortal Knowledge Acquired!
Experience +10
Legacy Points +1
Progress to Level 22: 10/100
Legacy Points: 18
“But what if the Silver Serpent devours that essence?”
“!!!!!”
What if the essence itself was consumed?
“Can you hear me? Silver Serpent.”
As Tellorian approached the silver serpent sealed within the lake, pitch-black light flashed in the air and various demons materialized. They were mid-tier demons following Diaboletta, each one a powerful monster capable of matching dozens of human soldiers.
“Thunder!”
Crash!
And they were swept away.
By the lightning Belkan hurled.
“It would be troublesome if they revived and made their report.”
“Uahaha! Do not worry, young one.”
Belkan laughed heartily.
“My shamanic arts contain the power of the primordial world where the Elemental Lords reside. Mid-tier demons and the like can have their souls destroyed entirely.”
Convenient.
Having a Divine class was useful.
As expected, when it comes to handling souls or healing injuries, Divine classes that borrow power from sacred beings are superior to Arcane classes that use mana. Destroying a demon’s soul entirely with magic requires far too many cumbersome steps.
As expected.
Companions and allies were important.
Cooperation was the strength of mortals.
“Then.”
Thud!
When he struck the ground with his staff, a powerful wave spread outward. Dust rose as blue mana swept across the floor, drawing an intricate magic circle.
“I will begin dismantling the barrier.”
“Leave the protection to me, Tellorian.”
Fully awakened Belkan was a monster capable of beating a dragon to death single-handedly. No matter how many mid-tier demon grunts swarmed in, he would handle them easily.
Then I shall focus entirely on analyzing the barrier.
The Silver Serpent.
An ancient basilisk.
The god-king who once ruled the desert.
But right now it is merely a prisoner bound by the Abyss’s seal. First I must free it and persuade it to become my familiar.
A good opportunity.
He would not miss it.
Nonsense!
?
Whose telepathy was that?
Bow before this god’s true form!
Gods were always arrogant.
That was what made them deities.
Prostrate yourself before this majestic beauty!
So majestic yet reduced to a prisoner, I see.
…
Silence fell.
That was…
Fluster and rage could be felt through the telepathic link. The Silver Serpent was a basilisk that had lived for half a millennium and still maintained its semi-divine status as an immortal. It had never experienced such helplessness before.
It is the fault of those ignorant and foolish priests who failed to serve this god properly! This god bears no blame!
Aha.
Blame-shifting.
Blame-shifting is the hallmark of humanity.
He had long ago formed the hypothesis that the lower a deity’s rank, the more human it behaves. Therefore a being of merely Indigenous God rank like the Silver Serpent reacting this way was only natural.
Basilisk Research Progress
Research Clues: 2/3
Experience +10
Legacy Points +1
Progress to Level 22: 20/100
Legacy Points: 19
“Do you wish for me to break the binding barrier?”
…
The Silver Serpent remained silent.
“If so, there are conditions.”
You may ask your questions, wanderer.
Even while a prisoner, the Silver Serpent had not lost its divine dignity. Thanks to that, Tellorian grew even more eager to tame and study it.
First. Make your request with respect.
Second. Express gratitude for the help.
Third. Along with gratitude, offer suitable compensation.
“Do you agree?”
“…”
At Tellorian’s impious proposal, Shaman King Belkan let out a deep sigh. The arrogant mage was committing the grave sin of blaspheming a deity.
Blasphemy!
If you don’t like it, then stay trapped.
Envoy of the Elemental Lords!
This time,
the telepathy rang inside Belkan’s mind.
As the earthly representative of the Elemental Lords, I command you! Release the seal that binds me! Once freed, I shall devour that insolent mage in a single bite!
“That is…”
Belkan’s
expression grew troubled.
In more ways than one.
“…I do not know how to undo the Abyss’s seal.”
…What?
“Unfortunately, the power of the Elemental Lords does not reach the Queen of the Abyss. Only the wisdom of a Lore Master can release the Abyss’s seal.”
At that,
the Lore Master folded his arms.
“Become my familiar, Silver Serpent.”