Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 228

228

Lucarim raised his gaze, which had been lowered. His eyes, which had been indifferently observing, met Karian’s directly.

“Well, then. Now that we’ve satisfied the formal requirements for the challenge, shall we get to the heart of the matter?”

“By all means.”

“Why did you do it?”

Serpis frowned, bewildered by the abrupt question. However, Karian, who understood the meaning, replied without hesitation.

“You know the reason better than I do. Weren’t you the one who showed me the truth?”

“…So that was the problem.”

Lucarim’s expression darkened. His demeanor remained unchanged, but the groan he uttered betrayed emotions he couldn’t suppress. Karian laughed mockingly.

“Do you also feel regret?”

“Sometimes. I never wanted things to turn out this way.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m thrilled that I, of all people, made you uncomfortable. I’m so happy I could go crazy.”

“……”

“Well, even you must feel some responsibility. The Fruit of Wisdom, which is said to bloom only in the Garden of the Goddess of Fate—you were the one who gave it to me.”

He remembered handing over the fruit with a smile. It resembled an apple in shape, a grape in color, and a peach in taste. The surface, which had been as hard as glass, softened the moment his lips touched it. It had a surprisingly warm texture, but the flesh inside was as cold as ice. Everything changed that day.

Karian smiled grimly, feeling the joy welling up again.

He had learned about the Fruit of Wisdom by chance. It was written about in an old book found in a tiny alcove within a vast library.

The tree grown by the Goddess of Fate contained her divine power, and it was said that eating its fruit would allow one to understand the principles of the world and foresee one’s future. There was no way to verify the truth of this, but he wanted to obtain the fruit at all costs. However, the path for demons to travel to the divine realm had been blocked long ago. The only other way was to cause a major disturbance in the mortal realm and get captured by the heavenly army, but he couldn’t simply steal the fruit that way. He’d be lucky to return alive.

While struggling to find a way to sneak into the divine realm, he suddenly thought of Lucarim. According to records passed down from previous demon kings, accessible only to the current ruler, Duke Lucarim of the South was an entity who could directly communicate with the Demon God as a proxy of God [a being who acts on behalf of a deity].

He felt that Lucarim could somehow obtain the Fruit of Wisdom.

So Karian went to Lucarim and asked. He didn’t find it difficult to approach Lucarim, knowing he was generally well-disposed toward him, and he knew how to exploit that. He clung to him, pestering him for days. Then, after a while, Lucarim actually produced a fruit, joking about how difficult it had been to acquire.

Eating that fruit opened up a new world in an instant. Things that had been hidden became visible, and he understood things he had seen but not truly known.

The Demon Realm flowed like a dance in the Demon God’s fingers, the fate of the demons circling like a treadmill.

Prosperity and decline were all predetermined from the beginning.

In the future he saw, all his will and intentions were thwarted by the Demon God’s vassals. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what methods he used, the result never changed. The more he resisted, the more an invisible force pulled him in and forced him to submit.

“We were just puppets of the Demon God.”

In the dark path where the black curtain was drawn, the wings of darkness covered his eyes. It led the way with the beautiful sound of a flute disguised as comfort, but at the end of that path lay only the predicted despair and destruction. Even the four dukes of the Demon Realm, even the Demon King, were no exception. The Demon God paid attention to no one and had no intention of saving anyone. He simply stared down with indifferent, cold eyes, leaving them to be violated and trampled by the hands of other gods, sometimes even pushing them into it. At the same time, he was forcing subjugation and obedience.

“And you were the henchman.”

Red eyes gleamed with hatred. Lucarim did not avoid his gaze.

“I’ve been suffering from terrible betrayal for a long time. But now I’m grateful to you. Thanks to you, I’ve found a new path.”

“A new path…”

The words tasted bitter as Lucarim muttered them, as if repeating them to himself. He lightly closed and opened his eyes.

“So you broke the taboo?”

“If I can’t change it no matter what, I have no choice but to destroy it completely. If that is the providence of God, shouldn’t we overcome even God?”

“…Yes. It’s such an obvious answer that I’m not particularly disappointed.”

“What?”

A fierce gaze immediately fixed on him, but Lucarim seemed more relaxed.

It was Karian who hardened his expression as he looked at the cold eyes staring back at him.

“Do you remember, Your Highness? When I gave you the fruit, I clearly said that you couldn’t know everything with that fruit, so just enjoy it for fun. Don’t be too confident or obsessed with it.”

“Are you saying the fruit was flawed?”

“No, if anything is flawed, it’s the one who ate it.”

“What…?”

His wide eyes twitched. Lucarim looked straight at Karian’s face, which clearly showed his displeasure, and said,

“People only see the world as much as they understand it. Even if they encounter countless truths, they only hear what they want to hear and only see what they want to see. If you approach it that way, any truth will be distorted. So the Fruit of Wisdom is more like a mirror reflecting desire.”

“…!”

“Shall I put it more plainly? You have always questioned the structure of this world and wanted to escape the Demon God’s influence. That’s why you sought the Fruit of Wisdom. You wanted to confirm that you were right. I knew from the beginning what kind of future you would see.”

Karian’s eyes trembled as if ripples were rising on the surface of a lake. Lucarim, recognizing the agitation of someone who had been hit squarely, smiled.

“But why did you give it to me?”

“I have a bit of a bad habit.”

“Bad habit?”

“I’m terribly suspicious. I want to test people at the drop of a hat. I was curious about how you would deal with that desire. Maybe I wanted to believe in you. But it ended up like this.”

A light sigh escaped him, as if he himself was dumbfounded. It was clearly a regretful look, but Karian twisted his face instead of savoring his expression this time. After all, it was a roundabout way of saying that he had failed his test and hadn’t lived up to his belief.

“Why didn’t you just hate me and resent the Demon God? You could have started the Great War of the Heavenly Demon [a war between the celestial and demon realms] again. You hate irrationality, but you don’t have the courage to face it head-on and reclaim your rights.”

“Keuk! Shut up! You’re presumptuous, Lucarim! Have you forgotten who’s standing before you just because you’ve given up on saving your life?”

“Do you still think I’m your king? You were the one who relinquished that title first.”

“Hmph, I don’t need that kind of title anymore. I’m going to stand in a higher place.”

“A higher place…”

“Above all the gods, the highest place. If you understand, kneel before me and worship me, Lucarim! Swear your loyalty and prostrate yourself to serve me. If you behave to my liking, I will grant you a corner of the world I will rule, remembering our past relationship. I will put the Demon God under your feet and make the gods work like dogs.”

It was an arrogant and even violent declaration. Lucarim frowned slightly. The child he once cared for was no longer present in Karian’s madness. He knew it, but this was still no fun.

“I guess the mistake I made was a big one. I’m being scouted by an evil god candidate while I’m still alive.”

“Wouldn’t it be a good offer for you?”

“Well, it’s quite novel, but that’s all. In the end, it doesn’t deviate from my expectations. I’m just glad that my talented friend isn’t here. If he knew, he wouldn’t even laugh, he’d be so dumbfounded.”

The face he would look at with contempt was vivid in his mind. His cold eyes would not contain even a shred of sympathy. Recalling that image made him feel more at ease.

“Yes. He’d say, ‘What did you expect from a sprout that grew in rotten soil?’ No, in this case, was the seed flawed from the start? Why isn’t there a saying like this? You reap what you sow. …I knew it and planted it, so all that’s left is to pull it out.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m saying that I’ll harvest the seeds I sowed.”

Whoosh—

At that moment, black magic power erupted from Lucarim’s body along with a gust of wind.

Serpis’s face turned pale at the oppressive feeling that tightened his whole body. Karian was also taken aback, but he soon smiled leisurely.

“Can you kill me?”

“In this case, I have no choice. I’ll fix it before it’s too late.”

“It’s already too late, Lucarim. You can’t stop me.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“I’ve transcended the limits of the flesh. You should have recognized my transformation, right?”

He had definitely changed. Lucarim admitted that as well. The composition and density of his being had changed, and he could feel authority emanating from his entire body. Serpis was captivated by the aura of that authority. He was so powerful that even ordinary gods would struggle to compete with him.

Karian couldn’t help but shrug, unable to suppress his laughter as he saw the signs of agreement on Lucarim’s silent face.

“No matter how great you are, you’re just a demon! The more you try to fight me, the more you’ll taste despair. Yes, I’m talking about that terrible and helpless despair I saw through that fruit!”

Sharp teeth were revealed in his wide-open mouth. It was a look full of joy, having subjugated his longtime enemy before his eyes. Lucarim had a troubled expression for a moment, then scratched his head.

“You still haven’t said you’ve surpassed God. It doesn’t seem too late, as you said.”

“What…?”

“Who says I’m a demon?”

Before he could grasp the meaning of those words, Karian had to hurriedly step back to avoid the intangible energy that was enveloping him. He felt a gust of wind, and then a cold sensation on his face. Karian stroked his cheek with an unbelievable expression. He had not yet fully awakened, but he was already close to a demigod. An existence trapped by the limitations of the flesh could not harm him. But blood was flowing from the skin that had been touched.

“Could it be…”

Karian looked at Lucarim with a confused expression. Lucarim’s eyes, which had been red until a moment ago, were now completely black. Beyond the familiar appearance he already knew, an unfamiliar face was reflected. His breath caught as he saw darker black hair and darker eyes of darkness.

“Could it be that you…!”

Lucarim smiled bitterly as he saw Karian’s face turning to astonishment.

“Let’s keep it moderate, Karian. Don’t make me any sadder.”

Kugugung!

“…!”

Dezak trembled at the explosion he heard from afar. It was the sound from the direction Lucarim had gone, the direction of the main castle. He hurriedly went to a high place and strained his eyes as much as possible. He could see the faint outline of the main castle in the distance.

Dezak’s face hardened. The center of the main castle was always clear because it was surrounded by the Demon King’s magic power. That place was now covered in a thick gray mist. Countless challengers had fought in the main castle until now, but this phenomenon had never occurred. This meant that another change was taking place.

What’s going on inside? He desperately wanted to run, but he endured, recalling Lucarim’s last instructions. The fact that he specifically said he would go alone meant that he should not follow him under any circumstances. He couldn’t disobey that order.

“Lucarim-nim…!”

It’s okay. It’ll be okay. Even as he repeatedly muttered this, Dezak clenched his fist, unable to hide his anxiety. Even if the world changed overnight, he had never imagined an ending where Lucarim would be defeated. But he didn’t know why he had such an ominous feeling. He hoped that this time would pass quickly and that Lucarim would reappear, smiling as if nothing had happened.

However, unlike Dezak’s wishes, the fog surrounding the main castle did not clear in the end. Demons who couldn’t overcome their curiosity tried to approach, but no one could enter because they were blocked by the darkness that completely obscured their vision and the force that pushed them away. Lucarim and the whereabouts of the Demon King Karian were buried and disappeared within it.

“Radeka!”

At that moment, two figures rushed into the palace of the Goddess of Fate, Radeka. They were the celestial god Iowen and the god of the underworld Shannon. The girl with silver hair and black skin, as if moonlight had permeated it, turned her gaze away from the sky and looked back at them.

Neither the newcomers nor the one who greeted them spoke. They simply faced each other with hardened expressions. A future that was neither the end nor the beginning was commencing. It was an unstable lull.