Demon – Part 04
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Translator: Kell
I was on the verge of losing consciousness, when my body moved. I grabbed the spider guy’s wrist and crushed it with my grip, down to the bone.
The spider guy yelped and fell back. As his hand came off his arm, I also dropped down, but instead of falling head first, I landed on my feet. My whole body was moving on its own, as though someone else was controlling it.
“Stand down.”
The spider guy’s face turned pale at the sound of my voice. His blank expression contorted from fear as he retreated. I could tell that all the other demons were backing away as well.
At this very moment, the power dynamic had completely reversed. Cracking my neck a few times, I swung my arm around and held out my palm in front of me.
I snapped my fingers, and a black mist enveloped the spider guy’s right arm, turning it into ash in an instant.
He screamed. “Th-This is my ability! Y-You’re not human?! Y-You’re a demon like us!”
The Director giggled. “N-No, no. Not like you. H-He is more horrifying, more m-magnificent, and more p-powerful. I-I was right. I knew that d-doing this would b-bring you out.”
I rubbed my sore neck—not of my own will. In fact, my body would not listen to me at all. I tried to speak, but no voice came out of my mouth.
“You crafty little… This body is extremely fragile.”
Someone that wasn’t me spoke through my mouth, his voice far different from mine.
The Director cackled. “W-We finally meet. Y-You have sh-shown yourself.”
“Director, explain yourself!” The priest grabbed the Director and looked at me with a grimace.
Gouda and Barcel both stood up, wearing the same look. They were injured, but not fatally wounded.
Their faces were filled with more shock—and fear—than when I turned human.
“Wh-What are you a-afraid of now? H-He has been with you all along, l-living inside Zero’s mercenary, w-watching everything.”
“Th-That’s ridiculous!” the priest snapped. “Are you saying he was possessed all this time?!”
Then it came to me. Zero summoned a demon into my body to prohibit the use of Magic in Wenias. Ever since then, my wounds healed quickly, and my body was strangely sturdy even for a Beastfallen. When Zero left me in the woods, a mysterious voice spoke to me in a dream.
The demon gladly returned my body. But what if he just meant “surrender the control of my body”, not exactly giving it back?
“Yes,” I answered. “I am nameless. Therefore, I am the one who reigns. I am a demon, manifesting in this world through a contract with a witch.”
The demons all hung their heads in unison to show their submission. Color returned to the black landscape, and under the cloudy sky, I could see about a hundred demon-possessed Beastfallen.
People seeing this scene would have called it hell.
The name All-Seeing Thousand-Eyed Sentinel was not just a fancy title. The Director constantly observed events occuring in all parts of the world, including the civil war that took place in Wenias a year ago.
He had seen Zero summon a demon into Mercenary’s body in order to prohibit the use of Magic in the kingdom. He must have known that the demon did not return to Hell.
He knew that the demon enjoyed observing the world through the eyes of the mercenary, all the while hiding inside his body.
The reason why the Director, who was looking for a mate, readily gave up on Zero when she appeared at the Forbidden Library was because he feared the power of the demon inside Mercenary.
And now, he thought about harnessing that power.
It was obvious that the demon lurking inside Mercenary—the Nameless Demon King—was protecting his body, his vessel.
The Director thought that by exposing Mercenary to danger, he would have no other choice but to show himself. There was no other way for Mercenary to reach the Altar but with the help of this demon.
The great Solena and Thirteenth were no longer in this world. The only one who could stand up to the Murky Darkness Witch and Zero was the Nameless Demon King—Mercenary.
It was certainly possible that everyone except Mercenary would be killed. Nevertheless, Mercenary reaching the Altar would bring all kinds of possibilities to the world.
The Director loved this world. Humans could not see what lay ahead, yet they still lived their lives, fumbling along the way. He loved how unpredictable they were.
He did not want it destroyed. If he could, he would turn it back to the way it was. Demons have no good will. The Director simply wanted to protect what he loved.
But who would listen to a demon? So the Director made deals. As long as he gave and received, humans would lend him their ears.
“So awakening the demon within Mercenary was your plan all along?” Secrecy asked in an icy voice.
The Director nodded. “Y-Yes. Th-That is the only w-way to save e-everything. E-Even if we all die, th-the world will be safe.”
He didn’t expect to be understood. He even considered the possibility of being killed by enraged humans. However, he knew that his abilities were indispensable to the survival of humanity. There was a good chance that he would only be tied up and kept alive.
“Tell us about your plan next time,” Secrecy said. “You can deceive us after we disagree with it.”
The Director’s eyes widened.
“Man, I almost pissed myself,” Barcel said, spitting out dirt and blood from his mouth. “You could have told us that the good sir was possessed.”
Gouda rose to his feet with a frown, but he remained silent.
The Director was taken aback. He didn’t expect this reaction. He had expected more of a fiery rage and backlash.
“I take it we can assume that this Nameless Demon King is not an enemy? Very well,” Secrecy said. “Demon or God, I’ll gladly accept them if they’re useful. Sacred duties take precedence over everything else. It’s not much different from Dea Ignis teaming up with a Beastfallen.”
Th-This is much worse than that, the Director thought.
“Well, at least things are better now than before that demon came out,” Barcel added. “So why didn’t it appear earlier?”
“What I want is to watch. I do not wish to interfere. The human body is fragile, even more fragile now that it had lost the soul of a beast. The more power I wield, the more this body will decay.”
The Nameless Demon King quietly held out his left hand. Half of his little finger was rotting due to the effects of the corrosive mist he had just summoned.
“Although I have more than enough to slaughter all the small fry gathered in this land.”
“I wonder if the good sir will be furious if he regains consciousness,” Barcel said. “His pinky is gone.”
“He lost a finger, but he’s still alive. I’m sure he won’t complain,” Secrecy said. “So these demons gathered here are going to help send you to the Altar?”
The Nameless Demon King nodded, and the demons vanished. But the Director could see it. The demons gathered around in the frozen sea, where they confronted the demons guarding the Altar.
Once the dragon carrying Mercenary flew across the sea, the demons would start killing each other, greatly increasing the chances of reaching the Altar.
It was just as the Director had envisioned.
If there was one thing he didn’t expect, it was that the people here treated him as if he were one of their own. Not like a servant, but as equals.
Heaving a deep sigh, Gouda stared down at the stunned Director. “I’m glad you got that look on your face.”
“What?”
“How ironic,” Gouda muttered with exasperation. “To think that the only person who shared my opinion is the one responsible for this.”
The Director burst into laughter. For a while, he continued cackling, ignoring the dubious looks of the people around him.
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