Chapter 83
The Rage Mode was top-tier.
Have I ever gotten through Rage Mode this smoothly before？
Sometimes when Rage Mode A triggered, I flexed with Holy Water and got through it okay, but…
This is the first time I've finished Rage Mode feeling this good.
Is this the power of "Do it"? I've been missing out on half of my life.
Even though it happened on impulse because of Rage Mode, I have no regrets.
I'll have to use this more often.
Anyway, since I got through this month's Rage Mode, it's time to get back to my normal daily life.
Even though I'm a criminal with a bounty on my head, my daily life is pretty peaceful.
Everyone's realized that it's not cost-effective to catch a small fry like me with only a 500,000 Berry bounty.
It's uncertain whether they could even catch me if they came in here, and there's the natural barrier of the Forbidden Forest to consider.
If they get injured in a fight, even getting back is a chore.
They need the strength to fight Monsters on their way back, after all.
That's why there are fewer intruders entering the forest than you'd think.
‘Well, 500,000 Berries isn't enough to contain someone of my caliber.’
Thanks to that, I've been living well for a week without any problems after Rage Mode ended.
And today is the day I periodically receive information.
This time, it's Im Ha-neul who visited, not Yoo Chae-rin.
I'm pretty sure I saw her last time too, but it feels strangely like it's been a while.
Watching her slowly descend from the sky, I greeted her lightly.
“Hey, long time no see. You came instead of Chae-rin this time?”
“Yeah, she suddenly came down with a bad cold so she’s been off-stream for about two weeks. Phew… Thanks to that, I have some free time.”
Her words made me wince a little.
The reason for her cold was obvious. It must have been because of *that* event a week ago. Well, even I have to admit I went at it pretty hard.
‘I wonder if she told her?’
Thinking that, I pretended not to know and asked,
“A cold？ What happened all of a sudden？”
“I don't know. She said she did some strenuous exercise, but I didn't ask any further.”
Hearing that, I nodded slightly to myself.
It seemed she didn't say anything. Well, Chae-rin isn't the type to talk about those kinds of things anyway. It's a sensitive topic to share with others, too.
I smiled wryly and thought.
‘…This is troublesome.’
Last time, Ha-neul was hiding a secret, and this time it's the exact opposite.
Now I have a secret I can't tell Chae-rin. How do I resolve this… Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
‘Well, things will work out somehow.’
But that thought was fleeting. I decided to be optimistic.
Even though we did it, that doesn't mean Chae-rin and I have developed into a romantic relationship. That kind of relationship is burdensome.
From the beginning, there was a huge wall between us.
The huge wall between an NPC and an Otherworlder.
…Yeah, NPC.
A term I truly hate, but to the Otherworlders, I'm just an NPC.
They have a separate world to return to, and this place is ultimately just a game.
It was no different for the girls I'm close to.
It's an immutable truth that I sometimes forget.
Thinking about it makes me feel bitter.
‘Really…’
Of course, I didn't think about it too deeply. Contemplating it only hurts my mental health.
It's not a topic I want to dwell on, especially with all the stress I already have.
“So, what's up today？”
So I quickly changed the subject.
“Ah, listen carefully and don't be surprised.”
Ha-neul set the mood at my question, as if the story she brought today was a bit important. And indeed, the story she brought up was a little different than usual.
“Dantalian has been subjugated.”
The Demon, Dantalian, who had an unusually long lifespan, has finally been subjugated.
The one who caused me trouble has finally returned to hell.
But I couldn't be as happy as I thought I would be.
An unknown anxiety crept into my heart.
＂······.＂
I stared blankly at Ha-neul for a moment.
Through the gaps in the green leaves, I could see the clear, cloudless blue sky.
The weather was dry and crisp, with not even a slight breeze.
Looking at the strangely peaceful weather, I made a small guess.
‘It'll rain soon.’
It was a story about the weather.
＊
The Subjugation was carried out in secret.
Dantalian was relatively slow, but he always traveled with Harold, the Branch Leader who was exceptionally fast.
Because of this, even if they painstakingly tracked him, he often slipped away like a loach.
In the first place, Dantalian was a Mage, so a Raiding Party with just a large number of people would only increase casualties.
Therefore, the Knights' Order prepared thoroughly for this Subjugation.
Led by the Fourth Knight's Order Captain Ryleigh, they assembled a small elite force.
And they even spread a siege and blocked his escape route before the battle even began.
As expected, even Dantalian couldn't do anything about it.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
With the sound of the barrier shattering, Dantalian's chest was slashed diagonally.
The barrier wasn't enough to block the Knights' Order Commander’s Sword, which had been coated with Holy Water.
To make matters worse, even the Magic spells flying from all directions were useless against Ryleigh’s elegant swordsmanship.
“I finally get to cut down a Demon with my own Sword.”
Trickle- Blood seeped from the gaping wound in his chest. It was a fatal wound at a glance.
Dantalian, who didn't have any special regenerative Ability, would soon perish. It was practically the same as having already subjugated him.
“Ugh! The siege has been broken!”
“No, catch him!”
“He's too fast!”
By then, Harold, who had been with him, had already escaped quickly.
Judging that it was impossible to escape together, he forcefully opened an escape route by himself.
He suffered major and minor injuries as a result, but thanks to this, Harold was able to escape.
Truly a quick judgment and action worthy of a master of escape.
Seeing that, Ryleigh let out a hollow laugh.
“Huh, now he's even betrayed by his own comrade.”
“Heh heh, I expected as much. In fact, I requested it. I told him to escape alone if something dangerous happened.”
Despite the situation, Dantalian’s face didn’t lose its smile. As if he had anticipated this situation all along.
Ryleigh raised his Sword and asked.
“Thanks to that, you'll perish today. Yet you speak as if it’s nothing.”
“It’s fine. The foundation has already been laid… I'll be waiting patiently in the Demon World.”
Ryleigh thought the word "foundation" sounded quite meaningful.
What did he mean？ Could it be that another new Demon would emerge？
That would be very troublesome. The damage caused by Demons was already more than just significant.
However, he couldn’t show weakness in front of a Demon, so Ryleigh maintained a strong demeanor and said,
“It doesn’t matter what Demon appears. Humanity's potential is still intact. We will quickly wipe out Lemegeton and return to our daily lives.”
“Huh？ Pfft, hahahaha!”
At those words, Dantalian burst into laughter, as if he had heard something ridiculous.
Seeing that, Ryleigh felt a little embarrassed.
After laughing for a while, Dantalian opened his mouth again.
“There’s one thing you humans are seriously mistaken about.”
Thud-
He sat down on the ground as if to start a conversation.
He already had a large wound in his chest. He couldn’t escape, and even if he did, he wouldn’t live long.
At his detached appearance, Ryleigh raised his guard.
Regardless, Dantalian began to speak.
“600 years ago, Decarabia fell into your world. That must have been the first Demon you encountered. Right?”
Ryleigh was momentarily surprised to hear a story from a history book coming from a Demon’s mouth.
Ryleigh carefully guessed.
“…I see the Lemegeton guys told you.”
“No. I heard the news from the Demon World. Although he wasn’t on our side, he went to the human world and returned having lost a part of his body. There’s no way the information wouldn’t have spread.”
It was a story he didn't know. It must have been about the place where he originally lived, the Demon World.
Come to think of it, he seemed to have heard somewhere that even if Demons die, they don’t disappear permanently but go to the Demon World.
Dantalian continued.
“Anyway, after that, three Demons appeared before Andromalius emerged, during those 600 years.”
“And after Andromalius, including me, a total of four Demons have appeared. In just a little over a year.”
“Don’t you find that strange?”
He asked, laughing as if amused. His blood-stained face wriggled, forming the face of a vile man. It was strangely creepy.
Ryleigh glared at him with disgust and retorted.
“That's… because those Lemegeton guys keep supporting you. Demonkin have been appearing more frequently lately, too.”
“Heh heh, do you really think that’s the only reason?”
Dantalian continued.
“Certainly, the appearance of Demonkin and the Lemegeton finding the Altar and offering Offerings played a part. But is that all? No, it's just a few drops of water in an already full glass.”
It was quite a meaningful statement.
It sounded like he was saying that all the Demon appearances so far were natural occurrences.
Thinking about it sent a chill down Ryleigh’s spine.
Then he spoke again.
“Armageddon (Ἁρμαγεδών) is not far off. No matter how much you humans struggle, your fate is sealed.”
“…Damn you.”
Hearing that much, the Knights' Order Commander raised his Sword.
He had already gathered enough information, and the Demon’s story was starting to sound like a Curse.
Slash-
With a cool cutting sound, the Demon’s body quickly disintegrated.
“By then, humanity will bow down to my King…”
All that remained was one of his ears.
With this, the Subjugation of the Demon was successfully completed. However, only an uneasy feeling remained in his heart.
‘If what he said is true… it’s a big problem.’
It ultimately meant that another Demon would appear someday.
Why were the Demons, who had only appeared three times in 600 years, popping up one after another while he was alive?
He felt a little wronged, but in the end, what they had to do didn't change.
To prepare in advance for the next Demon's appearance.
To save the Priests as much as possible and not send them into battle, to produce Holy Water.
And to eliminate anything that might pose a threat in the future.
For example… like the Demon's child that the Empire missed a few decades ago.
“······.”
Imperial Knight Ryleigh’s gaze looked far away.