(EP-135.1) Exam Time #3
135 – Imps And Exam Time #3
Professor Balan explained something to me the other day.
Demon King Angmar held a position equivalent to the sun or a god for beings living in the darkness and shadows.
A god.
That was right.
For the demons, Demon King Angmar was an object of faith.
Although he was torn to pieces by evil, there was this belief that one day, the Demon King would be resurrected in the world and lead his followers to the right path.
It was more or less similar to the belief of the Savior of the different religions.
Imp Marmar also believed that one day, the Demon King Angmar would be resurrected, and rid this world of discrimination and violence.
━The Demon King aimed to create a world of equality; without sorrow, poverty or hunger.
Of course, that was just Imp Marmar’s perspective. In reality, the Demon King was said to be a madman who waged wars everywhere, even tearing rifts in the world beyond the barrier.
It was hard to identify who would be right.
At least, to Marmar, the Demon King Angmar was a great existence. That was also what the Imps were saying to Marmar.
“We’re giving you the chance to receive the Demon King’s doctrine…!” They said.
Naturally, Marmar was trembling in excitement at this opportunity. In fact, she kneeled flat on the ground without hesitation.
Ppigokppigok.
Perched atop the broken wardrobe, the red-haired Tartar looked down at Marmar with satisfaction and shouted with greater arrogance.
“You, Halfie over there…! You also kneel and bow down to the King of Kings…! Worship his voice in glory…!”
“Who? Me?”
“Yes, you…! Quickly kneel and bow your head…!”
It seemed like they didn’t like the fact that I didn’t kneel. But from my perspective, there was absolutely no reason for me to kneel in front of some scuffed bonfire.
Receiving the words of the Demon King.
I knew that it was impossible.
After all, Solomon died a long time ago.
In my opinion, these Imps were clearly manipulating and taking advantage of the innocent Marmar.
Suddenly, I recalled the entry that I read about Imps a long while ago.
「Imp: Noisy little devils. They deceive people with all sorts of clever remarks and tricks. They originate from Nymphs, the fairies of nature which Demon King Angmar modified.」
They were the Demon King’s servants; said to deceive people with their cunning tongue. Considering their nature, no wonder Marmar fell prey to their web of lies.
Did they even consider Marmar as a companion in the first place? Wasn’t Marmar already being discriminated against for having no horns?
Hwareureuk, hwareureuk.
“…….”
“…….”
I just stood there staring at the figure in front of the blazing flames. A moment of silence lingered in the air.
“Pain…! Tax…! Discrimination…!”
Then Gargar started running around the flames. It was eerie, like that of a possessed shaman.
“Tartar, it’s time to begin…! We don’t have much time…!”
“Tsk.”
Hearing her comrade’s words, Tartar licked her lips then raised her arms high. Then, as if delivering a grand speech to the world, she proclaimed.
“All beings, come forth and behold the voice of the great Demon King-!”
She then took something out of her arms and threw it into the flames. It was some strange shiny powder.
As the powder mixed into the flames, the fire grew even larger and more dazzling, casting a radiant crimson glow all around.
Morakmorak.
At the same time, thick blue smoke spread in all directions.
However, unlike the usual rising smoke that ascends into the sky, this one seemed to hang heavily, almost like dry ice, settling at our feet.
What was that?
It smelled weird…
Thanks to that, Marmar was completely buried in the smoke, leaving only her diamond-shaped tail visible.
Tartar continued.
“Sister Marmar, heed my instructions…! Listen closely and you will hear the Demon King’s solemn words…!”
“Heeueuaeu-.”
Buried in the smoke, Marmar murmured something in a peculiar manner.
Though it was really more like the growl of a beast than human speech. It sounded like the voice of someone heavily intoxicated with alcohol.
No.
I knew of a more accurate comparison.
When I was exploring the back alleys of the kingdom, hadn’t I seen people heavily addicted to the low-grade magic weed handled by the Black Robes?
━Heeueung, give me more-.
They slumped and made the exact same sounds.
Drugs…
‘That’s right.’
The smoke on the ground was drugs! The reason why I was relatively unaffected was probably because I didn’t kneel.
Was that why they were above ground on an elevation? To avoid the narcotic gas spreading below?
「You have calmly judged the situation!
You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
It wasn’t as surprising now that I’d figured out their tricks. All that remained was the truth that these Imps were just a bunch of con artists who took advantage of Marmar’s kindness.
At this point, I exploded.
“This is a scam. Where on earth is the voice of the Demon King supposed to be coming from?”
Gukikit.
Hearing this, Tartar angrily frowned.
“It’s because your faith is lacking, you halfwit…! If you kneel down, lower yourself in a humble posture, then you will hear the voice of the Demon King…!”
“If I lower myself, I’ll end up inhaling the hallucinogenic gas, isn’t that right?”
“……!”
Tartar paused, seemingly bewildered that their trick had been seen through. For a moment, her face had a darker shadow than the one cast by the bonfire.
“Purpur, that guy is trying to sabotage our operation…!”
“Unforgivable…!”
Whether they were angered by their plan being exposed or they had given up on deceiving me any further, it seemed that they were readying to take action.
How did Imps even fight?
I’d been curious about that for a while now.
“I, I’m going to run away…!”
“Let’s go together…!”
“Hehe, the abyss…!”
… But instead of coming at me, the Imps chose to flee, with their tails behind their backs.
Did they instinctively realize that they couldn’t defeat me?
They might be smarter than I thought? Or maybe it was just their cunning nature.
Then I lightly chanted.
─Air Bullet.
Edited by: faker
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