Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 297

297

“There was a drought in this land. For quite a long time. Because you weren’t born.”

“That’s…….”

“Do you think that was really just an accidental mistake?”

“……!”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. I had thought being born in Korea by mistake was just an improbable fluke that could happen to anyone. Because of that, I experienced things I didn’t need to, and suffered from emotions I shouldn’t have, and I’m still not completely free from the aftereffects. But still, it felt unavoidable. I thought even that was just my bad luck, so I shouldn’t blame anyone else. But it wasn’t a coincidence?

“Everything… was your doing?”

As I took a deep breath, Karian’s eyes gleamed. His face was filled with joy, clearly happy to have found a way to torment me.

“Though it’s late, let me thank you. Thanks to you, it was easy to gather sacrifices. It’s no exaggeration to say that your contribution was the greatest in achieving my great work.”

“……You’re saying I’m your enemy in a very roundabout way.”

My fist clenched, and my teeth ground together. Seeing that I wasn’t hiding my anger, Karian smiled even more deeply.

“Do you want to kill me? It’s a shame, but this isn’t the real me right now. You’ll have to find where the real me is. Of course, it’ll be faster for me to become a god before that, because there’s really not much left now.”

“Who says?”

“Haha, you probably don’t realize it yet, but soon you’ll admit defeat with that mouth. I can already see you kneeling before me, clinging to my legs and begging for your life. Yes, when that happens, I’ll erase the Spirit Realm from the world first. I’ll specially keep you alive until the end and make you watch everything. It’ll be quite fun to watch you fall into despair as you lose everything you tried to protect.”

*He’s completely insane,* I thought, clicking my tongue inwardly. I don’t know what kind of belief you have to fall into to spout such crazy nonsense. He’s a guy who killed children and drank their fresh blood, so I didn’t think he’d be normal in the first place, but he was more out of his mind than I expected. Even though he was borrowing someone else’s body, I could feel the madness dominating him, and it felt like goosebumps were rising all over my body.

“No. Godfather won’t lose anything.”

At that moment, a clear voice cut in between me and Karian. It was As. The usually composed child was making a slightly annoyed expression, which was rare. A strange light flickered in Karian’s eyes.

“Godfather, you say. Godfather. A demon child has a Spirit King as a godfather? Not Deron, who is his guardian?”

“Deron is a subordinate. He assists me, not acts as my guardian. It was decided that way from the beginning.”

“From the beginning?”

“From when the Demon God entrusted me to Godfather.”

“……!”

Karian’s face contorted. His lips parted, and sharp fangs protruded. It was the biggest reaction he had shown so far.

“Was it the Demon God who took you away?”

“Yes.”

“The Demon God, Kanos, chose you?”

Karian’s eyes turned bright red. He looked like a growling beast. As stared at him even more directly, without flinching. Karian gave a twisted smile.

“It would have been better to hide that fact. Too bad, little one. If I kill you here, that choice will become meaningless.”

“You can’t.”

“Ah, so you’re under the protection of the Spirit King? Well, this body has become much stronger, but it’s still not enough to beat the Spirit King.”

“No, I don’t need Godfather’s help.”

“……You’re so arrogant. Do you think you’re omnipotent just because you were chosen by the Demon God?”

“I don’t think so. But I think I can beat you as you are now.”

The smile slowly faded from Karian’s face. As took a slow step forward towards him, who was glaring menacingly. The closer the two got, the more anxious I became. As was still a child. If he was caught like Deron just now, his body wouldn’t be able to handle it, and he might stop breathing on the spot. No matter how great my healing skills are, I can’t bring back the dead. I was about to step forward with an uneasy heart, but someone grabbed my arm. It was Lapis who interfered. He slowly shook his head, a sign to trust him and leave it to him.

“I’ll give you back the same words I said to Godfather earlier. You’re going to lose everything, one by one.”

“Huh?”

“The Demon God told me that I would get it when the time comes. So I’ve been waiting for that time.”

“What does that mean?”

In response to the question, As covered his neck with one hand. Then, magic gathered on his hand and began to form a shape. After a while, what was completed was a pure white necklace that looked like it was made by intertwining thorny vines. Karian’s face hardened when he saw it.

“The four certificates received from the Marquis of Magic. I got approval from the North and East, and now the South. Now I just need to get the last one.”

“…….”

“The Demon Realm’s main castle has already collapsed. The throne has also disappeared. The past royal authority has lost its effect. But the reason you’ve been maintaining that position is because no one has been formally qualified to take over until now.”

After finishing speaking, As raised one arm. This time, a jet-black pillar appeared on his hand. The pillar, which had been stretching out in a straight line, suddenly bent to one side and formed a sharp blade. It was a long and huge scythe, like a spear.

As’s hair fluttered in the gentle breeze that blew in from somewhere. A faint light came in from the roof of the warehouse through the only window. The full moon was peeking out from between the clouds. As, surrounded by the moonlight and holding a black scythe, looked like an envoy of the Demon God descended from the divine realm.

“Now I will be the master of the Demon Realm. Not you.”

* * *

Demons reside in Karten under the protection of the Forest Keeper until they become adults after hatching. During that time, they all live in groups and receive education: how to control innate instincts and impulses, how to handle magic, how to find a combat method suitable for oneself and lead to the awakening of power, and so on. Most of them were basic survival methods necessary to live in the Demon Realm.

In other words, even demons are weak enough to need a guardian when they are young. Demons in this period were beings that could be subdued even by human adults. It goes without saying that it is incomparable if the opponent is an adult demon. Adults have completely awakened the power inherent in their bodies, so the magic they can use is on a different level. No matter how large and talented a young demon is, it cannot defeat an adult. To give an analogy, it was like the gap between a moderately excellent swordsman and a sword master. That was the generally known fact, or so Deron said.

“But what is that sight, Deron?”

At my blank question, Deron slowly turned his head. Seeing his face as shocked as mine, it seemed unlikely that I would get the answer I wanted from him.

Right now, a dazzling battle was unfolding before our eyes. The two people wielding weapons were constantly moving and exchanging attacks and defenses. One was a child who was not even a year old, and the other was an adult who had lived for hundreds of years: As and Karian. It was a battle between a young demon and an adult, which was meaningless to even compare. But the fight was flowing in a completely different direction than expected.

Crackle! Kuuuung!

With a loud noise, the two people’s weapons collided, and intense sparks flew. Unlike Karian’s distorted face, As’s expression remained calm. It was already proof that he was more dominant in terms of strength. It would have been amazing if As’s side didn’t get pushed back unilaterally, but he was even pushing forward.

Even though Karian’s body was Serpis’s, she was also a member of the Four Great Dukes, who were known to be the highest in the Demon Realm. That meant she was an opponent that even adult demons couldn’t easily defeat. But that obvious common sense didn’t seem to apply to As at all. It was a truly shocking result that I couldn’t believe even when I saw it with my own eyes. Even Karian was flustered by this situation, and his eyes were full of confusion.

“Why are you surprised?”

As was only calm, as if he was facing an obvious result. He asked in a monotonous tone.

“Is it strange that I’m too strong?”

“Kuh! You……!”

“I told you that I thought I could win. Did you think it was a lie? But I don’t lie about things like this.”

As smiled brightly, tilting his head slightly. It was an expression that didn’t fit the situation at all, but that’s why it felt even more eerie. The difference in power became clearer as time passed. Every time the attacks and defenses continued, Karian’s body had one more scratch. On the other hand, As’s body was fine. He didn’t even seem tired, and even his breathing was calm. Every time he moved quickly, his long hair fluttering in the wind was like a black storm raging. I couldn’t help but turn back to Deron again.

“What kind of special training did you do in the meantime?”

“Well, the training itself wasn’t a big deal. The biggest problem was that he couldn’t control his impulses, so I focused on training that part intensively. Other than that, I only did normal sparring.”

“How was it when you sparred? Did As win against Deron too?”

“Ah, no. He never won against me. But recently, I felt like he was dealing with me very easily. Looking at it now, it seems like he was deliberately losing.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s possible. I just found out now too.”

Deron’s expression was bewildered, as if he was dumbfounded. He seemed a little dazed that the child he had been directly educating until now was actually as strong as him (or maybe even stronger).

“It looks like he’s awakened his power.”

The answer came from a completely unexpected direction. Sibelius, who was standing with his arms crossed, turned his head to me and Deron at the same time with a light voice as if throwing it out.

“Awakened his power?”

“Demons awaken their full power when they become adults. It seems like that guy has already finished that process.”

“T, that’s impossible. We already know what happens if the power comes before the body, right? If that happens, the young body won’t be able to handle it. All the energy channels will be twisted, and he will die.”

Deron shook his head with a confused expression. Come to think of it, As’s hatching process itself was not normal. Even at that time, the balance was not right because the power he possessed exceeded the growth rate of his body, and he suffered a great measles [a magical imbalance]. It was possible to fix it because it was an incomplete state before hatching, but if such a phenomenon occurred after birth, there was no way to recover. Moreover, it was not just overtaking, but ‘awakening’. Even adults were said to be seriously ill until their bodies completely adapted when they awakened their power. Moreover, a young child’s weak body could never withstand it. There were several such cases in the past, but everyone died without exception. It was strange to anyone that only As had escaped from such an obvious law. Even more so if he had a power strong enough to become a Demon King.

“It must be because of my blood.”

This time, the answer came from a different place. It was from Lapis, who was standing on the opposite side of Sibelius. To put it nicely, it was called an answer, but it was too monotonous a murmur, as if he was reciting meaningless information that had nothing to do with this situation, saying, “There’s a cat over there.” So at first, I didn’t properly grasp the meaning of what he said. When I belatedly realized and turned around, Lapis gave me a look asking what I was looking at.

“Your blood? Why is that?”

“That kid was a little weird before he hatched. I also injected my blood as a temporary measure.”

“And?”

“Dragon’s blood doesn’t just supplement; it amplifies innate functions and effects. My blood is especially stronger among them. You don’t know it well, but I used quite a lot of blood at that time, more than when I operated on those elf siblings. So it seems like that kid’s stats have been upgraded.”

“Huh?”

The measures taken to help the body grow seem to have led to overall growth. He was a child who was born with strong power, but it meant that he had been made more outstanding than his original qualities. To express it in martial arts novels, it is like adding all kinds of elixirs to a born martial artist. Maybe even a lucky encounter has been added.

“Then even awakening his power already…….”

“That must be the effect. Even though his physique is small, his body itself is already as solid as an adult’s. If he’s at this level now, it’ll be quite a sight when he’s fully grown.”

“……Lapis, why don’t you open a herbal medicine shop with me? I think it’ll be a big hit soon.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I can tell it’s not a good meaning because your eyes are sparkling.”

Looking at Lapis, whose gaze turned cold in an instant, I had to swallow my regret alone. Even so, I was a little dumbfounded that I was doing this, and a burst of laughter flowed out. Until a little while ago, I was only anxious and nervous, but at some point, I even had the mind to joke. It seems that I have regained that much composure now.

In the meantime, As was completely driving Karian into a corner. Every time the long blade of the scythe gracefully swirled, Karian was helplessly swung around without being able to properly evade. His whole body was already a mess. His arm was twisted in a deformed way, and his leg was deeply cut, dripping blood. Severe wounds were also visible on his side and abdomen, but the internal collapse was faster than the external factors. Groans that didn’t seem to be Karian’s came out from time to time. Serpis’s body could no longer handle Karian’s consciousness.

Eventually, he completely lost his balance and was hit by an attack that dug into the gap, crashing loudly to the floor. Karian hurriedly tried to get up, but the scythe that As aimed at him reached his neck faster. He looked up at the boy who was aiming the scythe at him from a position that was almost lying down. His eyes, which were glaring at As, gleamed with hatred.

“Really… an unbelievably strong power. Even I am envious of it now. It’s a very excessive power for a young demon to have, little one. You’re quite good at making me angry.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Kuk, yes. Let’s just say it’s a compliment. Unfortunately, this body seems to be useless now. It seems like it’s slowly reaching its limit, not even being able to withstand my power, let alone facing you.”

At the same time as he spat out the reply, Karian vomited blood. It was as if he had proved what he had said with his body. He spat out the blood remaining in his mouth, wearing a very unpleasant expression, as if he was frustrated that his body was not moving as he wanted.