Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Demons' Festival (2)
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I was dragged out of the room, gripped tight in a vise-like hand.
"Ow!"
My wrist hurt so badly that I struggled with all my might to pull free.
"Quit whining. Didn't I tell you? If you stay here in this mansion all alone, you're dead."
I swallowed a cold breath and clamped my mouth shut.
"You don't want to end up lying next to those people, do you?"
The man grinned and pointed down the hallway.
Dozens of corpses were scattered along the long corridor.
Arms torn off still clutching swords, metal armor ripped like paper, clothing soaked in blood.
The walls, floor, and ceiling of the corridor were all smeared dark red.
I clamped a hand over my mouth as my stomach churned.
Even turning my head away or holding my breath couldn't erase the lingering afterimages on my eyelids or the blood stench clinging to my nose.
"Follow me."
The man strode casually down the blood-smeared hall.
With my arm still caught, I had no choice but to be dragged helplessly after him.
"What... what did you do here?"
My voice trembled uncontrollably.
I kept my head up, trying not to look down. Something kept catching under my feet, sticky and refusing to let go.
"Needed a base, so I cleaned house. This is just what happens when clueless idiots go berserk without any training. No table manners at all. Cut them some slack."
The man chuckled like it was the funniest joke.
His answer made it clear—no matter what I asked, I'd never understand his kind.
Right. Demons were always like this.
Driven by instinctive hatred for life, they slaughtered without a second thought, then absorbed the mana from those stolen lives to nourish themselves.
"Ah."
Suddenly, the man yanked me hard and shoved me into a narrow corridor devoid of light.
"Stay put for a sec."
Before I could open my mouth to protest, he turned his back to me, blocking the way like a shield. His long shadow plunged everything into darkness.
"Sir Grivis, so here you are."
An unfamiliar man's voice.
Someone stopped in front of him. I couldn't make out the face clearly, but it was another demon. Massive build, rippling with ominous mana and malevolent aura.
"Kan. Still wandering around?"
The man called Sir Grivis replied leisurely, not shifting his stance that hid me from view.
But Kan was suspicious.
"Hmm. What's that behind you? Smells... different."
I held my breath and clamped both hands over my mouth.
He's smelling me.
He'd said it before—if I left the room, the other demons would smell me and come swarming.
The burly man peered toward me with glowing red eyes, but Grivis stood firm, blocking his path.
He even growled at the demon who dwarfed him in size.
"Watch those fangs. Unless you want them all yanked out."
The raw killing intent in his words made my spine crawl—even though it wasn't aimed at me.
The man flinched and backed off.
"If you're done, go patrol or something."
"R-Right."
He tucked tail and slunk away obediently.
Grivis didn't move until the man had vanished completely down the hall.
"...Idiot."
He spat the word curtly, then seized my arm again and resumed walking.
His merciless grip made my arm throb like it might tear off, and a groan slipped out unbidden.
But I couldn't even look up at his murderous face.
He stared straight ahead as he marched on.
I couldn't keep up with his brisk pace and was practically dragged along.
Corridors, halls, open rooms... everywhere was littered with bloodstains and bodies.
And demons.
Most demons steered clear of Grivis.
They'd glance from afar and scatter, or stop their cackling the moment they spotted him.
A few eyed me with greedy stares. But one glimpse of Grivis turning their way sent them fleeing in terror.
Sir Grivis... was that his name?
I stole a cautious glance at his cold profile.
Even among demons, he stood out.
His chilling mana, raw power, and cold reason unbound by instinct all hinted at centuries of survival as a demon.
Centuries in which he'd slain and devoured countless lives.
We descended three flights of wide stairs.
When my foot finally hit the solid stone floor at the bottom, the air felt different. The blood reek lingered, but now it carried a chill edge.
"Drock."
A woman leaning against the wall near the stairs straightened up.
Grivis nodded to her.
I recognized her instantly—the one who'd dragged me here from Prion.
Her skin was pale as porcelain, silver-gray hair cascading down, her face icily impassive. Her vivid red eyes reflected nothing.
She wore a form-fitting gray dress, and the black, vine-like weapon she'd used to capture me was nowhere in sight.
"Adrian, ready?"
"Should be."
She flicked a brief glance my way, then turned and started walking ahead.
Grivis followed, dragging me along in his grip.
A cold draft seeped from the stone corridor walls. Fresh bloodstains marred spots here and there.
Dizzy... the blood stench wouldn't leave my nose.
So many more people had died here too.
Our footsteps echoed hollowly down the silent hall, and soon we had company.
A few more trailed behind me. Unlike the mansion's other demons, these seemed to obey Grivis.
They occasionally glanced down at me with eerie red eyes but kept their distance.
As we delved deeper underground, an inexplicable anxiety and impatience swelled within me.
Something ominous and dangerous lay ahead. My heart pounded painfully. It felt like we shouldn't go any further.
But I couldn't break free from Grivis's iron grip.
It wasn't long before the source of the dread revealed itself.
At the corridor's end lay a vast stone chamber with a horrific sight.
Worse than any hall or room we'd passed.
In a circular pit, countless corpses formed a crimson pool.
Ominous mana, amplified by the blood, bubbled red around the pool's edges. A powerful spell born from sacrificing innumerable lives.
For one sole purpose.
In the pool's center, black mana swirled like clotted gore.
Fist-sized, but its immense power dominated the space, shoving the air aside.
My feet froze in place.
How is that here...?
My mind went blank.
"S-Sir Grivis!"
Distracted by the chamber's horror, I hadn't noticed the person ahead.
A rotund man in a blood-soaked robe called out Grivis's name and flattened himself on the floor.
He ignored the blood pooling around him that splattered his body without mercy.
"Spell released?"
Grivis asked lightly, but the fat man trembled in terror at the mere words.
He was the only living human here. A mage cooperating with demons...
"Y-Yes... p-probably."
"Probably?"
Grivis's sharp tone made the mage flatten himself further, though there was no more floor to press into.
"I-It was complex, imperial magic, so powerful... that's it. P-Please spare—"
"You did your best?"
"Y-Yes... of course..."
Those were his last words.
Something flashed, severing his head in an instant. Barely any blood sprayed.
I stifled a reflexive scream with a choked gasp.
"Adrian, he might've been useful still."
Grivis turned to her with mild reproach, but she shook her head without a smile.
From beneath her long dress, the vine-like weapon slithered back into hiding.
"I watched. That was his limit."
"Really? I brought him because he knew imperial magic."
"You believed that? Well, he scratched it after grinding through dozens, so no choice but to try."
"Fine. Let's start. Paygin."
Grivis nodded to the demons encircling us.
"Mm."
One stepped forward at his call.
One of those who'd followed us earlier. A sinister man in dark robes and a hood.
Heavy iron chains dangled from both arms.
"This kid's the 'vessel,' huh."
Red eyes gleamed from under the hood, flicking toward me.
"Different from regular humans, sure... but really possible?"
"You'll see soon enough."
I have to run.
Get out of this dangerous place now.
I yanked with all my strength on my trapped arm, but it wouldn't budge. Grivis didn't even seem to notice my resistance.
He started dragging me forward, straight toward the swirling black mass.
"No...!"
I knew what that was. What they intended.
Whether it would work, I couldn't say—but they planned to use me to find out.
Is this why I reincarnated? For this ending?
The thought bleached my mind white. And unleashed unbelievable strength.
In the brief moment his grip slackened, I miraculously wrenched free and bolted.
I spun and tried to shove past the surrounding demons.
Thud.
A dull impact, and searing heat flooded my body.
"Ah..."
I stared blankly at the iron bolt protruding from my chest. Not large, but sharp and sturdy, coated in blood.
Red blood poured onto the floor. The metallic tang flooded my mouth.
Clank.
My body was yanked backward.
The chain-wielding man who'd thrown the bolt pulled taut on the links.
I couldn't remove the bolt piercing my chest or resist the chain dragging me.
By the time I realized escape was impossible amid the agony... it was far too late.
My body was mercilessly hurled into the heart of the dark, swirling power.