Chapter 55
When Amon was defeated, Paimon remained silent.
He wasn't particularly close with Amon. No matter how excellent his disguise skills were, stepping into the Academy where the Progenitor Dragon resided was a guaranteed suicide.
A foolish compatriot had done a foolish thing and foolishly died. There was room for sympathy, but it was a fate that could have been easily avoided if he had judged the situation well from the start.
And when his compatriots were dropping like flies, one after another. From Marbas onwards, various Influential Figures were dying off as soon as they got involved with a Professor named Rian.
Even at that moment, Paimon remained silent.
It had nothing to do with him, after all.
He had noticed that Rian was dangerous, so all he had to do was avoid provoking him. He wasn't foolish enough to challenge an immeasurable foe like the others.
The Demonic Beasts Paimon created. His expansion into the Empire, devastating it with these creatures, was temporarily halted.
He covered his main body's lack of power with Summoned Creatures. His strength came from the overwhelming numbers of Demonic Beasts.
One overwhelmingly powerful individual was far more troublesome than 500 moderately The Strong. It was much better for his well-being to bow down to an incompatible enemy.
He wouldn't do anything to provoke him unnecessarily. He would minimize his activities and monitor Rian's movements.
Since he had clearly set his policy, there was no need to worry.
Therefore, even when his compatriots criticized Paimon. When they accused him of being cowardly, saying that everything would go wrong if he left that Professor alone, instead of just being cautious.
Paimon still remained silent.
Because it wasn't him who was dying.
*As long as it's not me, right?* He thought. *If I just hold out long enough, someone else will take care of it.*
He had simply turned a blind eye and deaf ear to any criticism.
But now, at this very moment.
When the monsters created by Rian came for Paimon.
Not a single compatriot remained to stand up for Paimon. Everyone had turned their backs on him.
Naturally, the Demon's head went blank. In the deepest part of the Demonic Realm. Paimon, seated on the throne of the massive Ancient Fortress, was sweating profusely, his face filled with extreme anxiety.
Along with the bewilderment came a sense of injustice. Of course, Paimon had some shame, so it wasn't the injustice of "why are others refusing my request for aid?"
It was a more fundamental injustice. The injustice of *why* this situation had come to pass.
*I-I definitely diverted Rian's attention, didn't I?*
Paimon hadn't just been idle. Professor Rian, just in case he turned his eyes towards the Demonic Realm, he had thrown a problem that would capture his attention.
H.L. Corporation. A company founded by the Black Magic organization known as Silence of the Lambs.
It was Paimon who had tipped them off about its true identity.
Professor Rian's subscribed newspaper. He had subtly altered its contents beforehand.
He heavily emphasized the Sheep Mascot. He manipulated the headlines to feature articles about H.L. Corp. Paimon had tipped off the Black Mages in this manner.
A Genius Professor renowned for his keen insight. Such a Human would surely be able to deduce the connection between H.L. Corp and Silence of the Lambs from this small clue.
And sure enough. Everything went according to Paimon's plan.
*Still, wasn't the hint too stingy? What if he just thought the mascot was cute and moved on?*
Despite his worries and concerns, Rian, through that small clue, caught the Black Mages red-handed. A person of such character would never simply ignore evil.
It was clear that he would wage an All-out War against the Black Mages still hidden throughout the Empire. He would devote all his energy to rooting out every Criminal Organization plaguing the Empire.
The Demonic Realm, whose expansion had halted. Demonic Beasts that would revive quickly no matter how many times they were killed.
Rather than a problem with no clear solution and no urgent need to be dealt with, the priority would surely be to deal with the Criminals who were currently threatening the lives of ordinary people.
He had believed this without a doubt...
The New Professor dispatched his Disciples to the Demonic Realm. He had noticed Paimon and was trying to kill him.
*I've been so careful not to be discovered.*
*Does this mean I can't escape his sight*?His scheme had been completely seen through.
He had gone to such lengths to avoid fighting Rian, but now he was in a situation where he could no longer escape. It was a terrible situation where he couldn't even expect support from his own compatriots.
However, Paimon did not give up. It was still too early to abandon everything.
*If the New Professor himself had come here, I wouldn't have had any hope. But it's only his Disciples who have challenged the Demonic Realm.*
Mastery of Swordsmanship and Magic. A Superhuman who had even reached the realm of Heart-Kill.
There was no need to fight such a monster. All he had to do was defeat the Children Rian taught, who weren't even adults yet.
Of course, he had no intention of being careless just because they were young. There was no way a Student raised by Rian would be ordinary.
*But no matter what, Humans are still Human.*
Paimon peered at the Students through his crystal ball.
There was a reason the Demonic Realm had never been conquered by anyone; they could never reach this place.
First and foremost.
The Demonic Realm was too vast. There was even a Barrier that disrupted Human Magic.
Therefore, Subspace Pouches couldn't be used.
Even if they didn't die from Demonic Beasts, they would inevitably suffer from food shortages. Hundreds of Adventurers, driven mad by hunger, had chewed and swallowed venomous Demonic Beasts and died.
- *I'll handle the cooking. I learned how to cook Demonic Beasts directly from the Mercenary King when we were exploring Dungeons.*
...Well. It seemed a Student with a specialized skill had coincidentally joined the group. This much was still fine.
The second reason the Demonic Realm remained unconquered.
In this space, Demonic Beasts were immortal. Demonic Beasts would revive shortly after being killed. Their numbers would never decrease, even if they were created.
No one could resist against overwhelming numbers.
- *Everyone, remember the Runes Professor Rian taught us? Don't forget to cast Resurrection Prevention spells before killing them!*
...Well. It seemed someone who could understand and wield even a little of the Language of God had coincidentally joined the group.
This much was still fine.
The reason the Demonic Realm was called the Demonic Realm. Because the real hell was just beginning.
Paimon was a Demon who drew power from Human emotions.
Hatred and rage. Dread and fear.
Manipulating such negative emotions was his specialty.
As they reached the front of the Ancient Fortress, they continued to fight, killing countless Demonic Beasts again and again. They didn't know it, but with each kill, these emotions were steadily accumulating.
The hostility towards the monsters threatening their lives. The anxiety felt in a situation where enemies surrounded them.
Such emotions would directly become Paimon's power.
The Students, who had given themselves over to rage and slaughtered countless Demonic Beasts. The negative emotions emanating from them should have made Paimon more powerful than ever.
But no power gathered at all. Paimon pondered for a moment and then realized the reason.
Laughter echoed through the crystal ball. *Why are you stealing my kill? The one who catches it first owns it, right?* They bickered affectionately.
It was as if... they were on a picnic.
They squabbled over the monsters as if they were snacks. Strange conversations like, *Let me have a taste too, please,* or *Don't hog it all, let's share and kill them together.*
They were treating all this slaughter as a game. There was no way emotions like hatred or anxiety could arise.
Naturally, cold sweat poured down Paimon's back.
There was no fourth reason. Who could have ever predicted that such lunatics would appear, easily breaking through those three challenges?
The Students had already arrived at the Ancient Fortress. The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer.
Cold sweat poured down his back like rain. There was no way to survive, no matter how he looked at it.
In the end, all he could do was pray.
*Please, let a miracle happen.Please, let a way for me to survive miraculously appear.*
A wish that was inherently impossible to grant. But what a strange turn of events. His prayer was answered shortly after.
A clear Outsider among the Students. Amidst the lunatics, a perfectly ordinary male Adventurer stood awkwardly.
A Warrior with a pale face. Had he been inadvertently caught up with them and missed his chance to leave?
Whatever the circumstances, a path to survival had opened.
An ordinary emotion, unlike those of the madmen. That Man was clearly feeling fear.
He would make good use of that emotion, leaving none of it to waste.
He quickly constructed a Spell Formula. Drawing power from negative emotions was Paimon's specialty.
Enhancement based on fear was simple.
Before long, a high-level Spell Formula, concentrating all his demonic energy, was constructed. As it manifested, his body began to swell to an enormous size.
Two wings spread out, as if to cover the sky. What he felt was an overwhelming sense of omnipotence.
It should have been the beginning of a one-sided massacre...
But why? No power flowed into him.
The Spell Formula had clearly manifested. So the fear of that individual should have transformed into power and flowed into him.
Why was there no change in himself at all?
Paimon was bewildered, but the answer, surprisingly, came quickly.
Because the answer came to him on its own feet. Not metaphorically, but literally.
With a *CRASH*, the wall shattered.
The entity that shattered the wall shouted majestically.
"Damn it, Heavenly God! What in the world is this blessing?! My body keeps *heating up*!"
Beam Sabers shot from the two eyes of the grotesque creature. The enlarged monster laughed maniacally, "Ahahahahaha!"
Its head spun at a speed that would put a disco ball to shame. It moved rapidly, even while walking on all fours upside down.
The massive Ancient Fortress crumbled in an instant.
...Paimon finally gave up thinking.