The Archdemon of Jealousy
We had come to the deepest reaches of the dungeon to meet its master.
Yet the dungeon’s master had sealed the door firmly shut, barring our entry.
In the midst of that standoff, the sole hound that roamed and guarded the dungeon came and bared its fangs at us.
How were we supposed to resolve this?
The answer turned out simpler than expected. All we needed to do was summon the dungeon master right here.
The crisis was handled by the landlord for us, so now we just have to step into the rift.
That was a pretty clever idea. But how did you even know about demon summoning?
Contractor. This body is a magic sword, after all…?
So magic swords can basically summon demons, huh.
Of course.
Chatting about trivial things, we stepped into his private chambers without the master’s permission.
Yukiko, who had been watching, tried to follow, but the distance between us and her was far too great.
As Frach’s runes lost their light, the rift slowly began to close.
Just before Yukiko’s hand could reach it, the gap sealed completely, and she was left behind alone.
I felt a quiet relief that I wouldn’t have to look at the mad snow woman’s expression for a while.
You know it’s still far too early to let go of the tension, right?
Of course. This is where it really begins.
Even if she had been struck by Yukiko’s giant icicle, there was no way an ancient demon would die from something like that.
Asmodeus alone seemed like a powerhouse who wouldn’t perish even if hit by the high-level fire magic Meteor.
If Leviathan of the same rank had died to a mere icicle, it would be no laughing matter.
Ancient demons might have twisted personalities, but they were never weak beings.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt such pain…….”
Crack-!
Fissures spiderwebbed across the icicle, and it began to shatter piece by piece.
When it finally crumbled completely, the being beneath it revealed itself.
“I foresaw a future where no other guests would come after the snow woman, yet to think my future sight would miss the mark.”
The Demon of Jealousy was not in human form like Asmodeus.
It possessed multiple branching feet like squid tentacles, a torso long and slender like a sea serpent, and a head blunt and massive like a sperm whale.
A chimera of marine creatures.
It looked grotesque enough that one could call it exactly that without any exaggeration.
“Human, reveal your true identity.”
“Bern.”
“……I am not asking for your name. I am asking for your fundamental identity. You who have twisted my foresight, which had never once been wrong.”
In short, Leviathan possessed the ability to see the future, and the present situation was one that had never appeared in any future she had witnessed.
Meaning I was an irregular.
That explained the cautious way she was reading my every move.
“I don’t see any obligation to spill my information to you.”
“……Indeed. But that leisurely attitude is unwise. Do you believe you can fight me and win?”
“You think I can’t?”
I glared at Leviathan while gripping Frach tightly.
I might be overwhelmingly inferior in sheer bulk, but I was confident in skill.
If I properly utilized Frach and Bern’s physical abilities, I was certain this was a fight worth taking.
“You look as if you truly do not mind opposing me.”
“Of course. If I made a joke like that to an ancient demon without thinking, I’d just die like a dog, right?”
“Very well. You are one who has strayed from the order of things. Accordingly, for now I shall regard you as an equal opponent.”
“Meaning?”
“We shall resolve this through dialogue. I do not believe fighting is the only solution.”
I had glimpsed it briefly in Yukiko’s diary as well, but the demon called Leviathan was extremely unusual.
Unlike dungeon masters who believed every intruder should be killed on sight, she was calm and collected.
Tongue over fist.
Compromise over battle.
She seemed to be a being who resolved everything through conversation.
I had just gotten my fighting spirit fired up, and this is a bit of a letdown of an ending.
Isn’t it better if we can resolve it through talk?
If the opponent is a demon, resolving it through battle is better. From ancient times, demons are beings that beguile humans. I fear my Contractor might fall for the three-inch tongue of a demon.
Do you really think that?
Of course it’s a lie. My Contractor is a worse bastard than any demon, so there’s no way I’d worry.
Frach freely spilled her true feelings.
It was a painfully accurate fact, but I still preferred it to flattery.
I sheathed Frach back into the scabbard and sat on a wooden chair in one corner of the room.
In Leviathan’s case, her body was so massive that she only stuck out her whale head, stuffing the rest of her torso into an enormous jar.
“Then let us begin the negotiations. What do you desire? Wealth? Honor? Position? Or, like the snow woman, power?”
“I don’t need honor or position, and wealth and power are tempting, but it’s fine. They’re all things I can obtain on my own.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Before that, let me ask in reverse. Whatever I want, can you get it for me?”
“Of course. Even if it is a difficult item to obtain, as long as I have my foresight, it may take time, but I can certainly reach the conclusion of obtaining it.”
“You’re full of confidence.”
Among the hundreds of eyeballs, not a single one blinked as she spoke with absolute firmness, revealing her complete trust in her own ability.
And yet even that ability she so blindly trusted had been unable to detect my existence.
Leviathan seemed to have steeled her heart to somehow uncover the secret about me.
If she could just learn that secret, she would give anything in the world.
Even though I was nothing more than an ordinary person who had possessed Bern.
“Then, can you bring me the heart of the most beautiful woman in the world?”
“Hmm…….”
Wanting to test the possible range of the wish, I tossed out a joke.
Leviathan began to hum in thought.
Even with foresight, a person’s heart couldn’t be easily obtained, it seemed.
“I have never tried transforming a human into a woman, but if you desire it…….”
“Wait a second—you’re a female?”
“If we go by biological classification, that is so.”
More than that, did she actually think she herself was the most beautiful woman in the world despite looking so grotesque?
Did she have no conscience?
Well, being an ancient demon, conscience probably never existed in the first place.
“So if your wish is a beautiful woman…….”
“Hold it right there! The previous wish was just a probe, so pretend you didn’t hear it.”
“Understood.”
One Abyss is more than enough.
The undead who shyly lowers her collar in front of the crystal ball to expose her collarbone…….
I didn’t want to see any more of that.
Isn’t anyone going to catch that skeleton?
This other world has no regulations or rules about human trafficking, and that’s the problem—the real problem.
She might even invite me onto her broadcast later and try some insane stunts.
“Then what is the wish you truly desire?”
“Hmm…….”
I rested my chin on the table and sank into thought.
What did I truly want?
My original goal was to live happily in Bern’s place.
Building a harmonious family and living quietly in a sunny place—that kind of dream.
In that sense, I could say I had already achieved about half of it.
I had met charming and lovely women like Rene and Rin, and even connected with them physically.
The remaining task was to live happily in a quiet place, but I couldn’t.
Because a threatening existence named Ignite had appeared.
Unless I defeated him, even if I secluded myself and lived happily, it was a peace that would eventually crumble.
Right now I need power because I’m weaker than Ignite, but……
Even that I could resolve on my own.
If I completed Frach into the Primordial Magic Sword and snagged a bit of the opportunities Kang Junhyuk was supposed to get, he would be an opponent I could sufficiently fight.
In the original story, Kang Junhyuk even beat Breeze, who was stronger than Ignite—so why couldn’t Bern?
All I needed was time, and right now I had more than enough time to spare.
There had been many eventful incidents, but in terms of timing it was still the early part of Adokchoe.
“I don’t particularly want anything.”
“You have no desires?”
“That’s not it. It’s just that, like you, if I put in every effort, it’s a dream I can sufficiently achieve with my own hands.”
“……If there is nothing you desire, then I have no choice but to create something for you to desire.”
“What do you mean? Depending on the interpretation, that sounds extremely unpleasant, you know?”
It could mean taking away something I cherished and using it to bargain.
For example, if Leviathan took Rene or Rin hostage and proposed a deal, I would have no choice but to comply.
“A misunderstanding. I merely intended to open my personal treasure vault.”
“Treasure vault?”
“A warehouse filled with countless treasures I plundered from all things during the days when my jealousy was extreme.”
“Hearing that they’re treasures seized from others makes me scared to touch them.”
“You need not worry about that. They are all items that have lost their owners after thousands or hundreds of years have passed.”
“Is that so? What kind of items are there?”
“For example, a magic sword that closely resembles the one you carry…….”
Kyaaaaah!
Before Leviathan could even finish speaking, Frach slipped out of the scabbard at my waist and floated gently in the air.
Her runes shone redder than usual, giving the distinct impression of a face flushed with excitement.
Bring it at once!
It seemed to be the very sword Frach had been searching for so desperately.
Now this body is a human-rights sword too…!
Human-rights character? What’s a human-rights sword supposed to mean?