Chapter 35
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Devious
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‘Damn it—’
As the demon that had ripped its own head off collapsed, its blood splattered everywhere.
Gilberton hastily raised his aura to block the blood.
The iron armor touched by the blood corroded rapidly. Holes appeared all over it.
‘Tom's going to give me an earful.’
Gilberton muttered a curse as he assessed the situation.
The being he had been speaking to, thinking it was Galahad, was a demon.
The demon, its identity exposed by Adrianna, had torn off its own head and sprayed its blood. Had they not reacted quickly, they would have suffered severe damage.
To fool Gilberton and all the knights, it had to be a high-ranking demon at the very least.
‘Why is a high-ranking demon at the entrance—?’
The higher the rank of a demon, the harder they were to encounter. They had a habit of not leaving the inner Miasmic Realm. A high-ranking demon was not something you'd meet at the mere entrance.
Yet, a high-ranking demon had appeared as soon as they entered. And it was a psychic-type demon, the most troublesome kind.
‘It even targeted the Captain.’
What was even more incomprehensible was that the demon had targeted Galahad, not Adrianna.
The demons always targeted Adrianna.
That was why Adrianna always stood at the forefront.
This was the first time a demon hadn't targeted Adrianna.
“It was aiming for Captain Galahad.”
“Ah—”
Adrianna's usually expressionless face crumpled completely. The cracks in her composure widened.
‘This is dangerous—’
The smoke that had receded once again enveloped them. It was so thick they couldn't see an inch ahead, and even breathing was painful.
Yes, this was the Miasmic Realm. The vile, terrible feeling they had forgotten thanks to Galahad now tickled at them again.
Adrianna unleashed a torrent of white aura. It stretched out like wings, clearing away the surrounding smoke.
It created a space of about three paces. That was impressive in itself, but perhaps because of Galahad, it felt small.
“Lady Adrianna, you must calm down.”
“…”
Adrianna bit her lip hard in guilt. She bit so forcefully that her lip split and red blood trickled down.
“Search for tracks.”
After giving the order, Adrianna flared her aura even more intensely. Her body trembled. She was clearly overexerting herself.
“You're too agitated right now. Our Captain isn't someone who goes down easily.”
Gilberton said, trying to suppress his own anxiety.
“It didn't kill the Captain; it took him. There must be another motive.”
“…Another motive?”
At Adrianna's question, Gilberton scratched his head.
“There's something over here!”
A knight shouted. Turning his head, Gilberton saw that some of the ash scattered on the ground was clumped together.
Gilberton dropped to the ground to examine it. It seemed demon blood had been dripped there.
“It looks like demon blood was spilled. It's Captain Galahad.”
To pull off such a trick against a high-ranking demon—. He really wasn't a man who went down easily.
“We pursue immediately. Stay close.”
Adrianna violently swung her white aura. White lines streaked through the space.
The encroaching smoke dispersed. It was an unbelievable display of martial prowess. Beneath it, a trail became visible.
Adrianna ran without looking back.
Gilberton unleashed his own aura and stuck right behind her, with the other knights following.
Just then, a monster burst out of the smoke. Adrianna swung her sword without hesitation.
The massive monster disintegrated without even a scream.
Even while dealing with the monster, Adrianna's pace didn't falter.
‘Whatever that thing was, it's in big trouble.’
Gilberton muttered quietly at the sight of the enraged Adrianna.
However, Gilberton was just as anxious.
No matter how capable Galahad was, this was the Miasmic Realm. And he had been abducted by a high-ranking demon.
It was undoubtedly dangerous.
‘Just hold on a little longer, sir. We're coming.’
Gilberton flared his aura even more.
How long had they run—
“The blood trail has stopped.”
The trail was gone.
He must have used up all the blood in the canteen.
“Wait a moment, my lady!”
Gilberton grabbed Adrianna, who was about to move hastily.
Adrianna looked back at Gilberton. Her eyes were extremely agitated. Such a reaction—. Gilberton swallowed a bitter lump in his throat and spoke.
“If it's the Captain, he'll definitely send a signal.”
“…The opponent is a high-ranking demon. If it's a psychic type, even Captain Galahad is in danger.”
Adrianna's response was by the book.
However, for some reason, Gilberton didn't think Galahad would be taken down so easily.
“The Captain will definitely give us a signal.”
Gilberton said, looking directly into Adrianna's eyes.
****
“Got anything to drink?”
At the sudden request, the demon's eyes widened.
“To drink?”
“It's so dusty in here, my throat's getting scratchy. Got anything to drink?”
Galahad casually checked the canteen at his hip.
It was empty. It was the canteen he had punctured the moment he sensed something was wrong. Considering the amount of liquid inside and the size of the hole—
‘We've come quite a way.’
He touched the seam. It was slightly hardened. Demon blood coagulated a little slower than human blood.
A precise calculation was difficult, but he had a rough estimate.
‘At this rate—’
Galahad muttered to himself and took out a new canteen from inside his coat. It was the one Adrianna had given him.
The demon sniffed the air.
“That's demon blood, isn't it?”
“It is. Want some?”
“No. Drinking something so inferior would only ruin my palate.”
It showed no concern about drinking the blood of its own kind. There was a sense of something missing.
“I mainly eat humans. I particularly prefer young male humans. A refined taste, don't you think?”
The demon said, the corners of its mouth turning up. There was a sense of pride in its claim of having a refined taste.
It was a gruesome story, but Galahad wasn't particularly surprised.
It was well known that demons ate humans. That was why, despite the high number of casualties during the Demon War, there were few corpses.
It was because the demons had devoured them all.
Demons and humans could not coexist.
‘That esteemed person—’
Galahad realized why the situation had turned out this way.
The plan had been sound.
Adrianna had seemed a bit agitated, but the plan to simply check Galahad's abilities at the entrance of the Miasmic Realm had been plausible.
It was probably true that mid-ranking demons usually appeared at the entrance.
The problem was that this "esteemed person" had a high-ranking demon lying in wait.
‘Their intelligence network is surprisingly good.’
The moment Galahad tried to subtly compress his mana—
“Ah, don't do that.”
The demon glanced up and pointed at Galahad.
All five fingers on Galahad's right hand were bent backward. *Crack.* A sickening sound was followed by a surge of excruciating pain. A groan escaped him automatically.
His mouth fell open, and the blood he was drinking spilled out. Mixed in with it was some of his own. The attempt to compress mana had twisted his insides into knots.
Galahad grimaced and assessed the situation.
‘My fingers were bent the moment I tried to compress mana—’
It seemed the demon was sensitive to mana and had noticed.
The mana concentration here was dense. It was a place where even the highly concentrated mana from the Egg of Pain had to be compressed once more to cast magic.
But if the demon was sensitive to mana, he couldn't compress it.
In other words, he couldn't use magic.
It was as if Galahad's hands were tied.
His opponent was a powerful demon. Powerful enough to snatch Galahad safely from among Gilberton and the other knights.
‘This is not good.’
Galahad muttered, shaking his dangling right hand.
There was something strange.
‘It didn't react before, though.’
It had done nothing when he first lit his cigarette. But it reacted now.
The difference between the two was—
‘Ah, it reacts according to the mana concentration.’
When he subtly compressed a small amount of mana, the creature didn't react.
It seemed to react instinctively when the mana concentration was dense enough to pose a threat to it.
‘Mana enough to light a fire—’
Galahad frowned.
The fact that it didn't react meant that such magic couldn't affect it.
However, the use of magic wasn't limited to just attacks.
Instead, he needed that subtle concentration that the creature wouldn't mind.
Galahad began counting the time in his head. There was still a little more to go.
“Where were we?”
Just then, the demon asked as if nothing had happened. The shameless bastard—
“We were talking about the reward.”
Galahad forced the corners of his mouth up and replied.
At that moment, the creature's eyes flicked upward and then back down. It was for an instant.
“Ah, the reward—. You'll be able to meet that esteemed person.”
The demon said proudly. Judging by its reaction, meeting this person was a considerable reward for it.
“You keep saying 'that person.' Who is this person, exactly?”
Galahad asked, trying to suppress the pain.
“Hmm, ah. You don't know?”
The demon bobbed its head. It looked just like it was taunting him.
“A very high-ranking individual. So high that a lowly human could never dare to meet them.”
The demon said, its expression turning blank.
‘A high-ranking individual.’
Galahad muttered quietly.
It was a little strange that it wouldn't tell him exactly who, but it was clearly one of the high-ranking demons.
‘A very high-ranking individual—’
If it was a demon as high-ranking as it claimed, it wouldn't be an ordinary high-ranking demon.
This was a suitable opponent to extract information about the Demon King. Or perhaps, this creature was the Demon King itself.
This was the first lead he'd gotten on the Demon King.
He had to seize it.
The problem was the condition.
‘The assassination of the Emperor—’
This wasn't the first time he'd been commissioned to kill the Emperor.
Galahad recalled that the creature had sought him out. Twice. And quite politely for a demon. There was no need to accept immediately.
“Why do you want to kill the Emperor? He's just an old man who doesn't do much of anything.”
“Because he does nothing.”
The demon squinted one eye. It was an emotional expression that felt somewhat dissonant.
He wanted to ask more, but the creature's finger was pointing at Galahad. It was a clear sign to stop there.
‘They want to kill him because he does nothing—’
It was a strange sentence. Could it be that his inaction was actually a hindrance to the demons? What did they want the Emperor to do?
Galahad's mind raced.
Just then, the demon's finger pointed at Galahad's neck. A faint annoyance was visible on its face.
“Are you not going to do it?”
It was a clear threat. This was the creature that had bent his fingers without any warning. For such a being to be aiming at his neck was quite menacing.
However—
“Don't bluff. You can't kill me, can you.”
Galahad clicked his tongue and put the cigarette back in his mouth.
“…How did you know?”
So he was right. At the demon's question, Galahad let out a small smile.
“That esteemed person is interested in me, aren't they? If you were going to kill me, you would have done it from the start. Why go to all this trouble?”
He felt like he was starting to understand these things called demons.
“Oh, you're as smart as the rumors say.”
“I hear that all the time.”
“That's right. They are interested in you.”
“Why? Simply because I'm competent?”
The demon's eyes flicked upward slightly. The same action as before.
‘Is it a habit? No, its eyes go up when it's hesitant to answer. In that case—’
A repeated action was a clue.
Galahad didn't miss it.
‘This is quite interesting.’
Galahad glanced up.
It was a ceiling so covered in ash that it was barely visible.
How thick could it be—. Galahad flicked his left hand. A mana arrow shot up. *Thud.* A heavy sound. He flicked it again. *Thud.*
He got a rough idea of the thickness.
‘This should work.’
Galahad coughed lightly and flicked his hand.
This time, it was a spark.
The demon didn't seem to notice. Or perhaps it didn't care.
‘Foolish creature.’
Galahad clicked his tongue quietly.
“As for the reason, you don't need to know, do you?”
“Fine, the Emperor—. I'll do it.”
“Really?”
The demon's eyes widened. It seemed it hadn't expected Galahad to actually accept. The creature lowered its finger.
“However, the Emperor is a man who is cautious to the point of paranoia. From the Royal Knights to the latest magical devices—. The budget for his security is larger than that of the entire Intelligence Bureau.”
“You know a lot. Did you try to kill the Emperor?”
“Something similar happened. Anyway, my point is that it's not an easy job.”
A sharp demon. Galahad coughed lightly and shook his head.
“Aha, I see. So you can't do it? That's different from the rumors. They say you can even kill the Emperor.”
“Rumors are always exaggerated. Besides, the situation is different from when I was in the Intelligence Bureau, isn't it? I have no way to get information, no support.”
“Ah, support—”
The demon's eyes flicked upward again.
The corners of Galahad's mouth lifted.
“There will be support beyond your imagination.”
“You underestimate my imagination.”
Instead of answering, the demon just lifted the corners of its mouth. The way only one side went up was quite grotesque. It was an artificial-looking face.
“I need the specifics to make a plan. Who do you take the Emperor for, some common stray?”
“Stray—? What?”
“I'm telling you to specify the level of support. You're being awfully haphazard about this.”
The creature's eyes went up again—. Now he was certain.
He had to join hands with this "esteemed person," but he didn't like the board as it was set. He planned to reset it.
“F... First, would you like to receive the seal?”
“The seal?”
“Yes, the seal.”
The creature showed him its palm. On it was a scar that looked like it had been branded by fire. It was a large eye. A design he'd never seen before.
“Fine.”
The Egg of Pain trembled slightly.
‘Calm down. I'm just going to see what it is for now.’
The Egg of Pain shook more violently. It seemed to be insisting that it was enough on its own. It even bit his heart.
‘Just trust me a little more.’
The Egg of Pain paused slightly.
Just then, the demon approached. Funnily enough, it was dressed like a human. It wore loose-fitting clothes like a common country woman.
However, its face was surreal.
It was a rare beauty, but because it didn't blink, there was a chilling strangeness to it.
“This will hurt a little.”
The woman tried to place her hand on Galahad's forehead.
“How am I supposed to walk around with a seal on my forehead?”
“Then where?”
“Put it on my chest.”
Galahad unbuttoned his shirt.
“You have a lot of scars.”
“They're like tree rings.”
“…?”
“Just get on with it.”
At Galahad's urging, the demon's eyes widened. A human, hurrying to receive a seal—.
The demon's hand touched his chest. It was as cold as ice. A corpse-like chill filled him.
Just then, a stinging pain flared up in his chest. It was a pain similar to being stabbed.
“Y... You...! What is this?!”
The demon's hand jerked back. The seal on its hand was red. For the first time, an emotion appeared on the demon's face. It was shock.
“How—”
The woman shouted in a shocked voice.
“I guess you can't have two.”
Galahad clicked his tongue quietly.
At the implied meaning, the woman's face crumpled.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“That's enough. Anyway, tell them I understand. I'll consider it positively, but the terms are severely lacking. And you're being vague about the support—”
The woman bit her lip at Galahad's sunken eyes.
“You don't seem to understand your situation—”
“Would you shut your mouth? I'm not finished. No, I suppose you won't be the one delivering the message.”
Galahad pointed upward and snapped his fingers.
The woman frowned. Was he acting so confident just to use that pathetic trick?
“That 'esteemed person,' was it? Quite the ego. Anyway, next time, present more detailed terms. As you know, I already have one.”
Insolent—. The woman's crumpled face smoothed out. Her expression vanished. Like a doll.
“How did you know?”
“Your eyes flick up every time you have trouble answering. How could I not know? If I hadn't... Ah, they're here.”
As the woman sneered and prepared to unleash her power—
The wall beside them was sliced clean through.
The one who appeared through the opening was—
A goddess in white.
The demon's head flew into the air.
It was an overly simple end for a high-ranking demon.
It just went to show what a monster Adrianna was.
Galahad caught the head as it flew through the air.
“Come back with better terms next time.”
As he whispered that—
The woman's eyes curved into crescents.
“Are you all right!”
He could see Adrianna, her face completely crumpled. What was written on it was clear guilt.
It clearly wasn't Adrianna's mistake. It was just that Galahad was very popular.
Just then, Adrianna, who had been reaching out her hand, froze.
Her already large eyes grew even wider. Her big, round eyes trembled.
At that, Galahad looked down and clicked his tongue quietly.
His shirt was wide open. A body densely covered in scars was not something to show others.
Galahad gave a bitter smile and closed his shirt.
“You have a devious side, you know.”
Adrianna's eyes widened once more.
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