I opened my eyes wide.
“... What?”
The words she just uttered were shockingly impactful. They were also the information I had been waiting for all this time.
“... You can eliminate this frenzy... forever?”
The biggest shackles attached to my body. This wretched curse that tormented me every month. The other party was saying they could remove it. I asked the other party.
“What... what’s the method?”
A sense of urgency crept into my voice. My heart raced at the mere mention of the other party's words. Even though I tried hard to remain calm, it wasn’t easy. It was vital information for me. If the other party had said it to shake my mental state, they had succeeded splendidly.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Fortunately, she, my fellow kin, seemed to understand my feelings and without any hesitation, she told me.
“Well... the method itself isn’t difficult. You just need to kill the demon that is the origin of your blood and absorb a part of its body. I’ve never actually seen it myself, so I don’t know how to absorb it.”
As she said, the method itself was simple. However, if it was easy to take action, it certainly wasn’t. In fact, it was extremely difficult.
I don’t even know whose demon blood it is, and now I’m supposed to kill that thing? It might not even have manifested in the world yet.
Even if it has appeared, whether I could eliminate it is uncertain. Every demon I have encountered so far has been quite powerful.
Even if the other party can do it, the confidence to capture it would wane.
And besides that, there were more questions. Right at that moment, I looked at her and asked.
“... But how can I believe that?”
“Ha.”
Niki let out a hollow laugh. It seemed almost ridiculous that I was doubting her after she went through the trouble of sharing the information.
“Whether you believe it or not is your freedom. I’m just passing on the information.”
“... Hmm.”
I nodded my head. Well, that’s true. Since there’s no evidence, there’s no way to know whether what she said is true.
Still, I had a few more questions.
“Where did you get that information?”
“I don’t know the exact source. But I once eavesdropped on a conversation between the chairman and the tribe leader.”
I continued with my questions.
“... What’s the reason you’re telling me this?”
“I told you earlier. I felt a sense of rebellion against those Lemegeton guys.”
Her lips twisted into a slight grin. That smile made her seem like a mischievous troublemaker.
“But we’re the same kin, so shouldn’t we share this much? They’re not going to tell us even if it kills them, considering they see us as mere tools.”
“......”
That was certainly true. The ones who worship demons wouldn’t voluntarily share a method that could only be accomplished by capturing the demon.
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t understand. What the hell do those damned demons have that makes them so devoted?
Even when I looked at their abilities, they didn’t seem to come from anywhere extraordinary.
The high-ranking figures there were at least A-rank adventurers. They were the kind of people who could live with confidence wherever they went.
So why would such beings give up money and honor to join such a group? It was simply fascinating to me.
‘Did they do something like drug-fueled sex proselytizing?’
At that level, I could understand why they’d join.
I thanked her for the valuable information that was hard to come by.
“Anyway... thank you. It must have been tiring for you to come all the way here to tell me.”
Although she was technically an enemy, she provided me with precious information that was not easily accessible elsewhere.
If I hadn’t heard it from her, I might have never known.
In the end, the one who knows the most about the Manifestation Bearers is, paradoxically, the Lemegeton, and as she said, they would hide this kind of information.
Of course, the reason she shared the information was likely out of simple rebellion. But nonetheless, it was crucial information for me.
Niki smiled slightly at my words. However, perhaps because her expression was generally fierce, it almost seemed like she was mocking me.
“Hmm, isn’t your thank you a bit late?”
Of course, the truth of the information was uncertain.
Just because a demon appears doesn’t mean it can be dealt with. Nothing is certain.
But so what? At least I’ve gotten a clue. Even though it feels distant, having a goal to strive for is significant.
I calmed my excited heart and asked her.
“... What are you going to do now? Do you plan to leave that group?”
“Haha, no way. If I leave, where would I go?”
“......”
I understood her position since there’s no place for Manifestation Bearers like us to settle down. It wouldn’t be feasible to leave just because she was a bit dissatisfied.
“Well then, I’m leaving. I’m tired from running all night.”
With that, she returned to where she came from.
Her trudging away looked somewhat pitiful.
I felt a hint of sympathy, but I had no intention of comforting her. After all, Manifestation Bearers all had their own sorrows.
“......”
I watched her for a moment before returning to my cave.
I was just as tired.
And so, I spent the whole day sleeping.
Then, a week later, I received some bad news.
It was news that I had gradually become accustomed to.
A new demon had descended.
Humans are creatures of forgetfulness.
Sometimes they even forget lessons engraved by blood.
Especially if hundreds of years have passed, it becomes just a tale that might be found in a moldy history book.
It wasn’t any different now.
From Andromalius to Seere, and Amducias. And even if it wasn’t summoned, there was Kymaris.
In just a little over a year, humanity had already encountered four demons related to their existence.
And although there had been some damage, they had managed to repel all four relatively smoothly.
Most of the time, they were quickly dealt with by organizing a subjugation party.
Because of that, they couldn’t help but think this way.
Aren’t the demons themselves relatively manageable?
It was the same kind of complacency that people in the past had, but it couldn’t be helped. Today’s people don’t know much about the past.
Especially, such complacency increased among the otherworlders.
Gaia inhabitants might be fighting for their lives, but for otherworlders, they would just be resurrected anyway if they died.
Moreover, during the last few months, the strength of the otherworlders had noticeably increased.
If you look for A-rank adventurers, there were even some otherworlders scattered among them.
Their confidence must have soared to the heavens.
[Isn’t it true that demons are just pathetic? LOL]
Honestly, the ones that have appeared so far haven’t shown much.
Andromalius? He got slaughtered; Seere had his wrist chopped off by an NPC he didn’t even know; Amducias was just a comedian. Aren’t these guys just posturing?
[Seriously, LOL]
[Seere, we miss you today...] [Seems like this will just end with a lot of fuss again, LOL]
Such complacency continued until the recruitment of demon subjugation personnel was completed.
As time passed, the day of the demon’s descent arrived.
Like the first subjugation battle with Andromalius, this time the enemy had also come to the region where they would be summoned.
Thanks to that, a multitude of people had gathered at the location where the demon would be summoned.
Countless knights, mages, and otherworlders were preparing for the subjugation.
In such a situation, the demon descended.
Its first appearance was quite shabby. From the far end of the subjugation party’s formation, a single figure began to walk forward.
At first glance, it looked like a small-statured man. He had a slightly hunched back and a gaunt physique. It looked as if he would collapse from a mere kick.
However, his face was distinctly grotesque, as it changed with each passing moment.
Sometimes it appeared as an old woman’s face, sometimes as a beautiful woman’s, and at other times as the face of an ugly man.
Slithering...
Each time his face changed, the movement of the facial muscles was blatantly visible. The scene where the features disappeared and then reassembled was bizarre.
Eventually, upon spotting the subjugation party, the other party smiled politely and opened his mouth.
“Oh, so you all gathered here?”
There was no need to think long about it. This was the demon they had been waiting for.
“Take this monster!”
The first to charge was one of the otherworlders. He was a user among the higher level otherworlders who had reached A-rank.
Perhaps seeing the demon’s small stature, he charged carelessly. It might also have been out of a desire to be the first to claim the achievement.
But the charge of the otherworlder was halted by a single word from the demon.
“Oh dear, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. Stop.”
Stiff.
At that command, the otherworlder froze mid-charge. Indeed, the demon's “Stop!” had an effect.
Still frozen in that state, the demon continued speaking.
“Good. Now, please die just like that.”
However, nothing happened this time.
As if to say that was too much, the otherworlder’s body showed no signs of harm.
Seeing that, the demon muttered with an expression of disbelief.
“Hmm... It’s not easy to follow Lord Paimon’s example. Well, that’s fine. Let’s do what I can.”
The demon flicked its finger.
At a glance, it seemed like a meaningless movement.
But a mage could feel the immense mana consumed in that simple gesture.
In other words, it was magic. The other party had just cast a spell without any incantation.
Whoosh—!
And the result appeared swiftly. Suddenly, a thorn erupted from the ground and pierced through the otherworlder’s chest.
“Gah...!”
The otherworlder, frozen in place, could only meet a gruesome demise as his throat was pierced.
A moment of horror filled the eyes of the onlookers.
No matter how recklessly he charged, he was still an A-rank adventurer. It meant he was at least over level 110. For such a person to die without resistance was shocking.
Swoosh.
As the corpse transformed into particles of light and flew away, the demon bowed and introduced itself.
“Nice to meet you. I am Dantalion, ranked 71.”
It was still a relaxed and courteous smile.