Publishedat 3rd of July 2019 05:42:15 AMChapter 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 . ”
We had unexpectedly gotten a very light sentence, compared to death .
“Fio, no . This demon wants to stay hidden . He won’t go unnoticed if he killed people here . . . ”
“Excellent answer . Now, I’ll go ahead and erase your memories . ”
And yet, Lute’s words froze my thoughts once again .
This demon had destroyed an entire kingdom after blending into human society . He’s now trying once again to get back into human society . Which means . . .
I could never struggle to guess . Most likely, the sad history of the former dynasty was about to repeat .
“d.a.m.n it! Is there no solution, Lute?”
“It’s sweet, creamy, and really good!”
“Warltrip . . . Warltrip, is there no tale about his weaknesses? I don’t know . I can’t remember! All I can do now is think . . . d.a.m.n it!”
“If I went again and asked for another one, would he give me another candy?”
I felt nauseated at how helpless I was . I’d always come up with some miraculous breakthroughs at the right time, but I had nothing at this critical moment .
. . . this might sound a little petty, but I have to blame the kids too . They’re being very distracting . . .
“Hey mister, could I have more of the candy?”
“I want more cookies!”
“Ha ha ha! I’m glad you like my sweets, but I’m afraid that eating too much would ruin your dinner . Be happy with what you were given, children!”
“Then can we get more if we visited you again tomorrow?”
“That’s no good . You see, I live quietly . I can’t bear having humans visit so often…”
Wait, what?
This demon has been exuding a thick ‘good guy’ aura . The kids who used to be scared are now hanging onto his arms . What on earth is going on? This demon is supposed to be the cla.s.sic example of evil .
. . . Wait a minute . Despite how well-known he is, I’ve not seen him in battle whatsoever . Something seems off .
“Hey Lute, was his name on the list of demon intruders? A name like Warltrip would kick up a fuss . ”
“I’ve not heard of his name in any battle reports . With a power like his, it would be more terrorizing to have him on the battlefield . Maybe he’s not part of the demon king’s forces?”
“Hm? You’re talking about the current demon king? I have no ties with his forces . I used to serve the former demon king . ”
Excuse me?
“Aren’t you trying to raze the kingdom?”
“Eh, why would I tire myself like that? I don’t even know the current demon king . ”
Wait, what? You’ve got to be kidding . So although he’s this strong, he’s just one of the stray demons that wandered into the human realm?
“So . . . if you don’t even know the current demon king, why are you trying to stay hidden in the human world?”
“Are you that curious, kid? Fine! I just want to spend the rest of my life here . I’m trying to stay quiet so I won’t have to deal with the kingdom’s forces coming after me . ”
“Huh…”
If that’s true, I guess I don’t really have to do anything . At any rate, this is a demon known for being a “traitor” . He seems like a good guy, too, but something about him bugs me still .
“Oh . . . oh is that so . I feel relieved now, demon Warltrip . ”
“Huh? Lute? Hey, hey! You can’t trust everything your enemy says! Hey Warltrip! Where is the proof for everything you just said?”
“Calm down Fio . This demon probably means it . There is no reason for him to lie to us here . Don’t you get it?”
Lute, somehow on the other hand, already believed what the demon said . He seemed to be convinced .
“Think about it, Fio . If this demon could erase our memories right at this spot, there’s no reason for him to lie to us . If, for some reason, he couldn’t erase our memories, he wouldn’t let us go alive, either . And even if he were to kill us, there is no reason for him to have to take us by surprise . He has no need to set us up with lies; he is already the winner in this situation . ”
“Hmm . You seem to have good judgment for your age . That’s all there is to it . There’s nothing to worry about . Even if I were to send you off to your village after erasing your memories, there is no threat to your village from the current demon king . ”
Well, that is, to a certain extent . Even if this demon were lying, it changes nothing; we have no choice but to believe what he’s saying . If there’s no point in being suspicious, perhaps it’s better to just believe what he’s saying to keep him happy .
“Ah, is that right? Then perhaps we could just take this old geezer to be exactly someone he looks like?”
“Did I not say I destroyed an entire kingdom?”
“Wha! That’s right! You evil fiend! We’re pulling back this time, but don’t expect the same kind of peaceful encounter next time!”
“Hahaha! That’s the spirit, kid! I like how bold you are with your words!”
This guy is interesting .
“I yield this time, Warltrip . But I just wanted to talk a little bit more with you . ”
“Hmm? Talk about what?”
As a matter of fact, Lute had started chatting with the demon . He seemed like he was trying to get more information out of him . If he’s lucky, he might also find a solution to this whole situation .
“You said you were the one betrayed . That’s not the history I learned . I just wanted to hear it from someone who was actually involved . ”
“Oh, I actually don’t mind telling you about it . Then would you like to come to my place?”
Eh . . . is that okay? I guess we’re just not going to worry about it .
“Hey Lute, could this guy be…”
“I think so too . I tried to stay suspicious and everything . . . but this demon is most likely…”
“ . . . just an ordinary guy, hmm? I can hear you, humans . ”
Eck . So you can hear everything we whisper? What kind of perceptive abilities does this guy have?
“But that’s exactly what it’s like . I have nothing to do nowadays . I’m currently obsessed with giving sweets to children who wander into my house, and sending them away after erasing their memory . ”
“You really are just an old guy with a lot of free time!”
At this point, I gave up on doubting Warltrip . It seemed pointless to be suspicious of this demon who was now being treated like a plaything by the children .
“I’ll bring out some tea and desserts for you guys . The only thing is that you won’t remember the flavors, because your memories will be gone . Come over to my house and join me . ”
“Well, I really am curious about your story . I’ll go . ”
“I’ll come over if you’re offering sweets . ”
And just like that, I decided to go to an old man’s house late at night over an invitation for some desserts .