Chapter 27 (1/2)
Published
at 3rd of July 2019 05:42:15 AM
Chapter 27
[Abduction . ]
Demons .
As the natural enemies of humans, they symbolize the world’s end .
It is extremely rare for demons to enter the human realm . And yet, a very small number of stray demons apart from the demon king’s forces cross over into the human realm . However, the few intruding demons are usually met by an overwhelming human force, who exterminate them without a trace .
But what about this demon right in front of me? From its looks, it bears no resemblance to the usual monsters that show up . It rather looks like it’s capable of blowing up an entire village on a whim .
It must be a higher-ranking demon that had a clear goal in mind in coming over to the human realm .
“Hah! I praise you for not running away the moment you saw me . Everything will be over without any pain for you . ”
“We actually can’t run away . With our party, it looks risky even to make a run for it . ”
“Cut me some slack . Could we please run into this kind of stuff at least when Alto is around? I guess I have no other choice . . . ”
It was nothing less than a matter of life or death . I felt as though I was being electrocuted by a sudden bolt out of the blue . Grumbling about this extreme tragedy, I spread out my arms and started drawing a magic circle in the air .
“I guess I’ll have to use my secret weapon!”
To be fair, I’ve already had this kind of life or death situations more than enough times . You could say that I was pretty much ready for just about anything, even if it meant death . This kind of mindset would in fact clear up my mind and help me pick my best option for survival . It’s that simple .
What I ought to use here is my trump card . No matter who my opponent was, this could buy me enough time to run away . It was a no-brainer .
The two magic circles I drew in red in mid-air with my fingers began to work up a haze, and,
“Oh, no you don’t”
As the demon murmured, the spell dispersed without a trace .
“You’ve got to be kidding me . ”
So this was the power difference between it and me . My magic had already been identified, a.n.a.lyzed, and put under control . There was no way it had previously seen the spell, either .
“Brother, brother!”
“Ria! Are you okay?”
“Lute, is there a way out of this? I can’t do anything about it . ”
“No . Can’t Fio create a diversion?”
“Please don’t joke around like that . . . it negated my trump card in a flash . All it had to do was see my magic circle . ”
“Brother, aren’t you hurt? Did you get a beating?”
“No, I’m fine . I actually got some snacks . ”
I guess Lute doesn’t have a solution either . Is this for real? It’s just too absurd to be the last moment in my life .
Actually, no . This wasn’t j.a.pan . I had simply forgotten how common these kinds of nonsensical deaths were here . I managed to make it so far thanks to Alto, the village mayor, and everyone else .
“It seems you’ve given up, young human . Accept your fate . ”
“Bah! I suppose this is the inevitable end for me . Don’t you think it’s a little bit too harsh to have to accept my fate after encountering a last-boss level demon out of nowhere?”
“Accept your fate? I’m not sure what that means, but you can’t give up Fio . I need to find some way to escape…”
“What is this? It’s super sweet . ”
“It’s a cookie . That demon guy made it . ”
I felt so frustrated at how powerless I was . Not particularly because I couldn’t protect myself, but because I couldn’t protect the two children shuddering in fear behind me . . .
. . . okay, maybe they’re not exactly shuddering, but the thought of not being able to safeguard the two frail children who somehow seem totally obsessed with some snack drove me nuts . I had to find a way to get the siblings, who were amazed at the dessert they got from the demon, out of danger . . .
“Hey, Mr . Demon . Do you bake cookies?”
“It’s one of my n.o.ble hobbies . ”
“It’s so sweet!”
. . . Hm? Perhaps this demon isn’t so bad, after all?
No, don’t be fooled . You’re looking at a demon right now . It must have given one out of a whim . Something like a gift for one’s last moments .
“Could I ask a question, too? Wouldn’t a demon like you be pretty well-known? Could you please tell me what your name is?”
“Ha ha! I suppose I could, although I’m hesitant that you might immediately regret your decision to ask . ”
Unlike me, who had already given up on the situation, Lute was still looking for a solution . His eyes glowed with a sharp gaze, with no intention of giving up . I felt bad for abandoning all hope so soon . I had to think of something as well .
Having laughed vigorously at Lute’s question with crossed arms, the demon fortunately decided to give an answer .
“I’m Warltrip, an old demon . I’m THE Warltrip that burnt down the former kingdom to the ground 200 years ago . So, have you heard of my name?”
“Well of course . ‘Warltrip the Traitor,’ in a history book . ”
“Brother, what’s the bag over there?”
It was no doubt a well-known name . I’m not good at history, but I’ve still heard of it . Now often mentioned in old stories, Warltrip was the name of one of the greatest demons known in the human realm .
If I wasn’t mistaken, Warltrip was the only demon known in human history to have received a n.o.ble t.i.tle from the former dynasty, after ingratiating himself with the human race . Having cunningly earned the humans’ trust, however, he set the nation ablaze from the inside, ravaging the entire kingdom .
Even though the attack was conducted from the inside through a betrayal, the fact that a single individual managed to bring down an entire country led me to the conclusion that it had to be one of the strongest demons that existed at the time . If that terrorizing demon, now appearing in tales, had survived and grown through all the years since that time, it would only mean worse . A wrong move could draw out the power of a demon whose power far surpa.s.ses that of the current demon king .
“Don’t you dare call me a traitor, kid . I was the one betrayed . Next time you say it, I’ll chop your head off . ”
Looking disgruntled, the demon stooped down at Lute, threatening him . That alone formed cracks on the ground and withered the shrubs under his feet . The sheer pressure exerted was enough for Lute to work up a sweat on his forehead .
“I . . . apologize . Then may I ask what that kind of demon is doing out here?”
“Hm? I don’t see a point in telling you . Either way, you all will soon…”
“Ria, he said this was a candy . Do you want to try it?”
“Yeah! Oh, wow! It’s so creamy!”
Gulp . The demon flashed an intense gaze and started walking towards me and Lute . Every step it took seemed to warp and dissolve all the nearby vegetation .
“You all will soon forget about everything . I’ll erase your memories and toss you somewhere out there . ”
“You’re not going to kill us? I guess you’re actually not that evil . ”