Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The Choice
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"Ugh! I should have just run away. Getting my hopes up for nothing…"
Still, she said what was on her mind.
She was different from how she’d been on the surface.
Despite her frightened expression and complaints, she was full of life.
It must have been because she was free from Loan’s control, able to absorb dark mana as she pleased.
It reminded him of how she was when they first met, but this was no longer the Bella that Loan knew.
A completely new being, born from a compromise between the desires of Bella and the demon Asmo, possessing Amy’s memories, experiences, and emotions.
When Loan didn’t pose any immediate threat, Bella once again tried to act tough.
"Just when I thought I might stand a chance, why did you have to become an even bigger monster?"
Loan ignored Bella’s words and called for Aul.
It didn’t matter that she was nearby.
Loan was still in peak magical condition, and his confidence was at an all-time high.
"Aul?"
Aul appeared after about five footsteps, as usual, and immediately began to drool, looking back and forth between Bella and Boris.
"What's wrong with it?"
Bella frowned.
Loan grabbed Aul’s head and smoothly turned it to fix its gaze on Boris.
Aul then leaped forward, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed Boris’s head.
"Tch…"
The sound escaped Bella’s lips unconsciously.
The nuance was clearly one of disappointment.
"You were after him too, weren't you."
“…”
"Seeing how much of your magic you've recovered, it seems you achieved your stated goal. But you had another intention, didn't you? Was your real purpose to absorb this guy's power?"
Bella turned her head slightly and glared at Loan for a long moment.
He met her gaze calmly.
Her voice soon came out, deflated.
“…Strictly speaking, I wasn't trying to absorb his power.”
"Then what was it?"
“…”
"Answer me. Or I'll have to use the [Mask of Truth]. There won't be any interruptions today."
Even if he were interrupted, he was confident he could stop anything now.
Bella looked utterly bewildered before speaking again in a small voice.
"You people have hierarchies, right? For us, that's the same as the size of our military force."
"Are you talking about an army? A faction? The number of followers?"
"Exactly. We steal it."
"Ah…"
Aul had said it could hear voices calling it.
Since it was a demon, that meant it had its own army. And by absorbing another demon, it absorbed their forces as well.
‘The voices of its increased underlings must have grown louder. That’s why it reacted to the sound.’
But what was most interesting was the fact that Aul had underlings. He wondered if they were baby owls.
"So, if you kill and eat an opponent, your forces increase by that much."
"Eat them? Don't be ridiculous… only that thing does that."
"Then?"
"Doesn't Aul say anything strange?"
“Buuuurp—”
“…”
"It does belch quite a bit."
Perhaps because it had eaten a good head for a change, Aul flapped about, flying here and there in the air.
Its reaction was certainly different from when it ate lesser fiends.
Before it could become any more distracting, Loan sent Aul away, and Bella murmured with something close to a sigh.
"It was always a strange creature, but I have no idea how it ended up like this…"
Only Loan knew the reason.
While disabling the Stone of Goetia, he had simultaneously purified the dark mana that composed Aul.
Aul had awakened using the mana Loan had cleansed as its power source.
Although it had been unavoidable, the result was a complete change in its species' nature, or perhaps its constitution. Maybe even its mind, just a little.
Thinking it over, it was a very strange occurrence indeed.
If it was possible for Aul, it should be possible for other demons too. In that case, demons might no longer be demons.
‘But Bella and Senior Boris were in a different situation. They were complete vessels.’
Contamination by dark mana could be handled by the Faith Division's purification rituals, and even cases where it had seeped into the very marrow, like with ghouls, were manageable with a purification method inspired by the Torchbearers.
But it was different for cases of complete fusion, whether by contract or by force, where the host was dominated by the demon's reason and will.
Knowing their true name was useless.
He'd heard from Hans that a demon's true name was only effective in restoring those affected by its power; it had no effect on the demon itself.
‘Then would it be possible after weakening the demon’s power?’
Starting from Bella’s comment, Loan's hypotheses continued to form one after another in his mind.
‘First, the environment would have to change. A place with such a high concentration of dark mana would be pointless.’
After reaching a certain conclusion, Loan organized his thoughts.
In a situation where he was steadily approaching the truth, confirming a potential method for dealing with and purifying demons and their vessels, as well as a possibility concerning the Stone of Goetia, was a significant achievement.
Loan said,
"I think it's time we sorted things out."
"Sort what out?"
Startled, Bella clasped her hands to her chest and took a step back.
"How to deal with you?"
"Deal with me? What are you talking about… we had an agreement. I guide you, you find the truth, that's why we're here. And now that you think you know everything, you're going to kill me?"
"You're right, the matter we agreed upon is finished. I didn't get the answer I wanted, but it wasn't a total loss. From now on, we need to discuss what comes next."
Bella, still wary, asked cautiously,
"What kind of discussion?"
"Bifrons. Naberius. Both were demons possessing humans. They have another thing in common. The original owners of the body and soul agreed to the contract."
"So what?"
"You're the same. So, not killing you feels like I'm discriminating against demons, and that makes me uncomfortable."
"What are you talking about? This is a different person. This is Bella."
Bella ran her hands over her face and touched various parts of her body, as if to make Loan acknowledge her physical form.
Loan shook his head.
"If we're talking about personal connections, Senior Boris was no different. The fact that I had some influence on his contract is also true. He ended up that way because there was no chance for redemption, but I see no difference between you and him."
"So?"
"This time, there are no conditions. Only a choice."
"What choice?"
"Whether to come out, or die together."
“…”
Loan had intended to try a purification process on Bella similar to the one he'd used on Aul, when the right time and situation arose.
But he believed that the most important thing was the will of the human Bella.
If she had no will to return, there was no need for him to make an effort.
"Bella's reason and emotions should still be in there, so think carefully. If you need to discuss it in there, do so."
"What is there to think about? Breaking the contract means death. The human Bella isn't strong enough to withstand the backlash. She'll surely die. And I'll die because I have nowhere to return to. Your question is just asking me to choose how I want to die. Why are you so cruel?"
She pleaded with teary eyes, but Loan didn't even blink.
Instead, he looked straight into Bella’s eyes and continued speaking to the real Bella within.
"You might make a contract on a momentary impulse. You're human, so I understand. But the end will be death, just like Senior Boris. I gave him a chance, so I'm giving you one too."
Then, as if muttering to himself, he added,
"You were better to look at when you were your real self."
A sudden silence fell.
Bella stared at Loan with a somewhat dazed expression, but it didn't last long.
"You're going to break the contract? A unilateral termination is the same as taking on all the backlash yourself. I'm telling you, you'll really die!"
Bella seemed to ask herself, then began to nod.
"I made the choice, so I have to take responsibility. It's okay. It's a bit of a shame, but you're not as strong as I thought."
"What? What? What did you just say?"
"What do I have to do? Do I just say it? I, Bella, hereby break the contract made with the demon…"
Loan extended his Convection and shut Bella's mouth.
"Not now. After we get out of here."
Bella waved her hands left and right, as if brushing away the invisible current.
As soon as Loan withdrew his Convection, a question burst out.
"What? Why all of a sudden?"
"This isn't a fitting place for a grave."
That’s what he said, but his thoughts were different.
What was important was that Bella had shown her will. Another reason was that this situation was actually a very good opportunity.
‘Because things like this will keep happening in the future.’
And there was no telling who the target might be.
The people precious to him.
If Lucas or Sophie were to be possessed by a demon, could he coldly sever their heads?
He couldn't say for sure.
Therefore, if he could extract the demon without killing Bella, he would gain a significant advantage in future incidents.
"Let's go."
Loan started walking out of the hall first.
It wasn't clear whose will was in control, but Bella followed him without complaint, a suspicious look on her face.
* * *
The legendary underground city, said to have been built by dwarves, was a place that needed investigation.
Considering that the gate had previously opened here, and that it was a place where demons were captured or sealed, it was right to search every nook and cranny.
But it was far too vast for him to do it alone.
Furthermore, he couldn't wander around without eating anything.
There was no life here, making it impossible to procure food. There had been demonic beasts, but whether they were edible was another matter entirely.
"Do you even know where you're going?"
Bella, who had been silent for a while, asked as she closed the distance.
Loan moved solely by observing the flow of mana.
To where the concentration of dark mana thinned. To where he could perceive the flow of the atmosphere within the movement of mana.
Thus, there were places he could walk, and places where there was nothing to step on.
Regardless of the direction, Loan extended a Narrow Path, materialized it, and walked upon it.
With a limitless supply of magic, it was no burden.
It remained so even as he wrapped the lagging Bella in Convection and carried her along, just as he had once done with the ghoul's tongue and the demon's head.
They traveled like that for a long time, vertically and horizontally.
Gradually, the concentration of dark mana began to thin, and at some point, the ratio of mana completely reversed.
He could feel the flowing air, and the flow of mana became clearly visible. Eventually, he even saw sunlight seeping through the cracks in the stone above.
Loan unleashed a fire-based explosion spell on the ceiling, then used Convection as a rope to leap upward in a single bound.
The moment he finally set foot on the surface.
"Wow… it's definitely better outside."
Even the demon seemed pleased, marveling at the sight.
Loan had no time to soak in the sentiment; he immediately deployed the [Sphere of the Void].
A colorless, transparent barrier of mana enveloped Loan and Bella.
As if caught in an invisible net,
nearly a hundred thrown weapons were drawn in, hovering in mid-air and circling Loan and Bella on the currents of Convection.
Gasps of astonishment came from both sides of where Loan stood.
"How…"
"What is that?"
"Could that person be…?"
"Stop. He's an ally."
Loan released the small domain around his necklace, drawing in mana from the atmosphere as he scanned his surroundings.
The surrounding landscape was completely different from what he had seen when he fell.
It seemed he was now at a point before the entrance to the Forgotten Wheat Field. That was how vast the underground city had been.
But more important was the killing intent that filled the area where Loan and Bella had suddenly emerged.
There were people in all sorts of attire and others in pitch-black uniforms.
Seeing a fair number of people in knightly armor on one side, it was clear that the Rhodes Knights and the Union were in a standoff.
Their numbers reached into the dozens.
Which explained why so many projectiles had been hurled at each other.
Loan asked.
"Are you perhaps fighting because of me?"
He then transformed the 'Sphere' into an 'Arc' and sent the captured weapons flying toward the Forgotten Wheat Field in one fell swoop.
The sight of a hundred weapons shooting out like rays of light.
It was beyond terrifying; it was almost beautiful.