Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 254

He remembered the languid voice of the woman whispering in his ear. The moment he saw her cruelly gleaming eyes, Dezak instinctively felt his death. But the nails that dug into him didn’t take his last breath as he had expected.

Karian, who had retracted her nails, muttered with a troubled expression. Dezak gritted his teeth, even as he panted, feeling her snakelike gaze slowly scanning him. He would rather have his breath cut off right then and there. The unbearable humiliation made his skin crawl.

He heard laughter echoing, and he felt his vision clouding over. The memories after that were as black as ink. The result was the magic spring before him. “Damn it,” Dezak muttered under his breath.

He didn’t know how much of the dark god’s essence he had created or since when. What was certain was that a considerable amount of the essence had already been used to break the seal. The amount of spring water was much less than he knew. It was clear that it had been emptied once and then refilled.

“Did Karian do this?”

Deron, who had somewhat grasped the situation, asked calmly. The malicious method of seizing another’s consciousness was Karian’s greatest specialty, which had been evident since his days as a spirit body. Even if that weren’t the case, there weren’t many beings in this demon world who could do this to Dezak, the Duke of the North.

Where is Lucarim, the Dark God Kanos? If he were in the demon world, this wouldn’t have happened. Deron bit his lip at the ominous thought that crept in. He hadn’t heard from him in a long time, but he never imagined that the situation in the demon world would be this bad.

“Let’s hear the details later. Anyway, it’s best to avoid this place for now. It’s dangerous to stay here any longer.”

Deron approached Dezak with an anxious feeling. The essence of the dark god, which had been his original goal, was right in front of him, but now it was more important to take him to a safe place and treat him. But his injuries were so severe that he couldn’t even guess if treatment would be possible. If only he could use dimensional travel, he could show him to the Spirit King Elquines. He had never regretted Dezak’s inability to leave the demon world as much as he did at this moment.

“Dezak…?”

As he tried to support him, Dezak grabbed his arm and pressed it down instead. A cold, subdued gaze met his as he looked at him questioningly.

“Why did you come here?”

“I’ll explain that later. There’s no time for this now…”

“No, I’ll listen now.”

At the chilling reply, Deron stopped talking and closed his mouth. He was even more taken aback by what followed.

“How can I believe you’re not Karian’s minion?”

“What are you talking about? Karian’s minion?”

“You might have been taken over without knowing it.”

“Don’t say such creepy things! Absolutely not! That can’t be!”

“Then show me proof that you’re the Deron I know, so I can trust you.”

Even at this moment, he could clearly feel his breathing becoming slightly labored. He himself would be feeling the light of life fading rapidly. Why was he insisting on such strange stubbornness when time was of the essence? Deron sighed, feeling his insides burning. He wanted to drag him away by force, but seeing the intensely burning gaze, he knew he wouldn’t come along willingly. Reluctantly, he carefully untied the wind barrier he had tied around his waist and took out what he had kept inside.

“This.”

“… !”

Dezak stared at what he was offering with a puzzled look for a moment, then his eyes widened. He felt a familiar sensation from the golden object that had suddenly appeared. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, it was definitely a demon egg.

“How…?”

Dezak accepted the egg with trembling hands. The moment it touched his hand, he felt a warm sensation and a clear movement of life, and he took a deep breath. He thought he had lost all the eggs from this breeding season after that day. But there was still a life that had survived. He couldn’t believe it even with his own eyes.

“Lucarim-nim [Lord Lucarim] entrusted it to the Water King.”

“…Lucarim-nim? To the Water Spirit King?”

“It seems he had protected it separately before things got to that point. He said it was a child born with a strong destiny. Perhaps it’s the qualification to be the next king. The Water Spirit King has agreed to be the godfather of the child to be born. Personally, I have decided to serve him as my lord.”

Not knowing how much he could reveal, Deron briefly finished his explanation for now. Whether that was enough, Dezak, who had taken another breath, stroked the egg with flickering eyes. Deron wore a bitter expression at the sight of him looking so choked up.

“His condition suddenly worsened recently, so I secretly brought him to get Dezak’s help. But to think that this was happening here. Do you know how surprised I was? I still can’t get rid of the embarrassment, I feel like I’m going crazy. Are you satisfied now?”

“…Yes, it seems you’re Deron.”

“I told you so.”

After answering with a sigh, Deron reached out again to support him. But Dezak stopped that hand again, stopping it in the middle. Dezak smiled faintly at Deron, who frowned in confusion.

“You’ve always had a knack for making me happy. It’s the same this time. You don’t know how happy I am right now. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life. You even look pretty to me.”

“…I didn’t particularly try to make you happy. I’m glad you’re happy, though. Are you that glad there’s a surviving egg?”

“Of course. But right now, I’m even happier to confirm that the demon who appeared here is Deron. Now I can ask you with peace of mind.”

“Yes? What kind of request suddenly…”

“Kill me right now.”

“… !”

For a moment, Deron doubted his ears. What did I just hear? It felt like a tremendous nonsense had just flowed out of the man’s mouth in front of him, but he couldn’t remember it well. No, to be exact, he wanted to pretend he didn’t hear it.

“Just now, what did you say…”

Only after barely uttering the words did he realize that he had been too stiff. As he relaxed his muscles, which had become painfully stiff, his heart began to beat like crazy. Unlike him, who was showing his agitation with his whole body, Dezak looked calm.

“Don’t make me say it twice. As you said, there’s no time. Don’t hesitate and kill me quickly. Understand, Deron? From this moment on, you will be the Duke of the North.”

“Do you… Do you know what you’re saying right now?”

“Of course. I’m stabbing Karian in the back.”

“Yes?”

Dezak smiled even more deeply at the face asking back in embarrassment.

“It seems Lucarim-nim has sealed his body. Karian has seized Serphis’s consciousness to break that seal, and he’s after my power to create the essence of the dark god.”

“… !”

“Do you understand what the situation is roughly? He’s probably already taken the essence that’s been made to break the seal. He’ll need more to fill the amount he still needs, but seeing him leave his seat so hastily, it seems he’s let his guard down because he thinks I’ll die soon anyway. He can’t even imagine that someone else will snatch it in the middle in the meantime. It’s really lucky that you came here at a time like this. It’s truly a blessing from the dark god, isn’t it?”

“You can be normal again! If you go to a safe place and start treatment right away… !”

“You’re saying something commendable. Do you think my body will be healed?”

At the question given as a test, Deron couldn’t readily continue his answer. The truth he had been trying to avoid was forcing him to look back at reality.

Dezak’s body had long since exceeded its limits. The place of life that had already been lost was gaping without a chance to be filled, and it began to emit a dark aura. It was a miracle that he was still opening his eyes and having a normal conversation. Seeing his unstable, hardened expression, Dezak nodded calmly as if he knew it would be so.

“There’s a lot of damage to my organs, and I’ve lost too much blood. Medicine won’t work, and you know that even healing magic can’t regenerate it. You’re quite knowledgeable about magic, so.”

“Dezak, but… !”

“Wake up, Deron. Think calmly. I’m going to die anyway. If I die like this, my power will go to Karian. We must prevent that at all costs. If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to take my own life.”

“… !”

“The power of the Duke of the North is not passed on by suicide. It will disappear for a while and then reappear to someone after a very long time. No one knows whether that time will be hundreds of years or thousands of years. Until then, the demons will not have a breeding season. I don’t want to choose that option as much as possible. A world where children are not born is just a dead world without a future. Are you going to let the future king who will be born rule a half-demon world?”

Deron gasped as he swallowed his breath at the blue light shining straight in front of him. He alternately looked at Dezak’s pale face and the golden egg in his arms for a while. As if to urge a decision on that hesitation, Dezak pushed the egg he was holding into Deron’s arms.

He felt a throbbing movement from the warmth that touched him. Only then did Deron, who had calmed down, shake his head and exhale a long breath. The light in his eyes, which had reopened, was quietly subdued. Seeing him regain his composure, Dezak also looked relieved.

“Have you made up your mind?”

“…What about the location restrictions on the Duke of the North? It’s difficult if I can’t leave the demon world. I can’t put my lord in danger.”

“Don’t worry. That restriction is not passed on. It’s a new contract every time the position changes.”

“That’s good.”

After grinding his teeth, Deron slowly gathered magic power in one hand. It only needs to be for a moment, just a very short time. The body, weakened as it is, will release its weakly held breath with just a strong shock.

He brought his hand, which had gathered magic power, to Dezak’s heart. Dezak also knew the meaning of that action. Seeing his face, which had become peaceful as if waiting for the end, Deron bit his lip again.