Chapter 49 : Chapter 49

Chapter 49 : Demon King (1)

I walked along the purple mana thread.

It was as thick as the one connected to the Grade 2 beast, Alkmyon, but even more menacing with its spiraled, tangled form.

Beyond this thread, there was a demon collaborating with Tello.

Likely a creature stronger than a Grade 2 beast.

It hadn’t been long since I survived the trap set by the lesser demon, Lukadi.

Since then, my wariness of demons had intensified.

Even knowing the demon I was about to meet was Tello’s ally, the unease didn’t fade easily.

Arandir, taking the form of a desert fox, seemed oblivious to my tension—or perhaps he knew and didn’t care—as he hummed a tune a few steps ahead of me.

He moved through the sand as if swimming, like a mole.

His appearance was rather cute, but my tension didn’t subside easily.

The only small comfort was knowing that Arandir possessed formidable power.

* * *

Before long, I arrived at a dense thicket of tall reeds.

Each time the wind blew, the reeds clashed, producing an eerie sound.

The demon must be nearby.

- I’ll go ahead and scout.

Perhaps sensing my tension, Arandir spoke briefly and began digging into the ground with his front paws.

He burrowed into the earth and moved away.

I could see the reeds parting in the direction he went.

I steadied myself while waiting for Arandir, unsure of what might happen.

Soon, Arandir returned.

- There’s a clearing inside. The demon is waiting for you there.

“Thanks. Let’s head in.”

- The demon seemed to sense my presence but didn’t make any moves.

“Okay, just in case, stay close to me.”

- Got it.

Arandir burrowed under my feet, concealing himself.

The purple mana thread remained still, unmoving.

I drew the Branch of World Tree and stepped into the reed field, taller than me.

As I pushed through the reeds, a heavy demonic aura grew stronger.

A creeping sense of unease gnawed at me, as if something might leap out at any moment.

But something was waiting for me here. I couldn’t turn back until I confirmed what it was.

Following the thread, I reached the clearing Arandir had mentioned—a wide open space surrounded by reeds.

In the middle stood an oddly cozy-looking cabin.

In front of it was a small brazier and a black cauldron.

The demon, meeting my gaze, stirred the cauldron and gave a warm smile.

“Come in. Have you eaten? I was cooking some stew in case you’re hungry.”

I flinched, startled by the demon’s appearance—not because it was grotesque, but because it looked so human.

Tanned, healthy skin and glossy, curly hair.

There were no purple skin, sharp wings, or red eyes typically associated with demons.

If not for the demonic aura, it would’ve been hard to tell he was a demon at all.

“I’m not hungry. You must be… Derix.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. I heard you wanted to meet me? I was delighted.”

“Why?”

“Why, of course, because I wanted to meet you too, Lord Polarin.”

I didn’t take my eyes off the demon.

Even as I raised my sword, he showed no signs of tension, casually stirring the cauldron with a ladle.

He even scooped some stew into a bowl, sniffing it.

“Hmm, smells good. I’m quite the cook, you know. Sure you don’t want some?”

I shook my head.

The stew did smell good, as he said.

But who knew what was in it?

Besides, I wasn’t hungry, having eaten a rabbit Arandir hunted not long ago.

Derix brought the bowl to his lips and took a sip of the stew.

I kept my sword aimed at him and asked,“Let’s get to the point.”

“Speak, whatever it is.”

He smiled amiably, but each time his lips twitched, a heavy demonic aura leaked out.

I had no desire to drag out a long conversation with a demon who could kill me at any moment if he chose to.

I asked the question I’d been wanting to ask.

“Did you also receive the message? The one saying I inherited Adjak’s fate.”

“Ha, maybe I should’ve said not to ask just anything?”

Derix grinned broadly, his smile almost reaching his eyes, looking eerie for the first time, like he wasn’t human.

I didn’t respond to his playful question and just stared at him.

“I received it. All demons probably did. The message about you inheriting Adjak’s fate.”

It matched the information I’d extracted from the lesser demon.

“Then why didn’t you inform Tello about it? I heard you’re cooperating with them.”

As soon as I spoke, Derix’s demeanor changed.

His wide grin vanished, his lips tightly closed.

He stopped smiling altogether.

“Do you think I didn’t tell Tello?”

He shot back, his tone laced with irritation.

His anger alone amplified his demonic aura, spreading and tainting the mana in the air.

“Two weeks ago, the message came. I immediately informed Tello. I told them you, Polarin, could be in danger.”

“…”

“Do you know how Tello reacted? They thought I was lying. I’ve never once given them false information, and yet…”

Derix continued, his earlier playful demeanor replaced by barely contained anger.

“I respect Lord Adjak. That’s why I’ve helped your family for 300 years and yet, even when I spoke the truth, they treated it as a lie and what was the result?”

His words didn’t speed up or rise in pitch, but his anger was palpable.

“Did Lord Nofen know too?”

“Of course. I told Nofen since the higher-ups wouldn’t listen.”

“…And Lord Nofen pretended not to know?”

“He seemed taken aback, but the result was the same. He said he’d report it to the higher-ups again.”

It was a confusing story.

If Tello knew about the message and hid it, why?

Because they didn’t trust a demon’s words?

Or because they didn’t care if I fell into danger?

Even Nofen hadn’t said a word to me.

Though our time together wasn’t long, I’d genuinely considered him my mentor, someone I’d carried out missions with.

I thought the Adjak family was my only ally in this world…

My heart pounded faster than before.

I didn’t fully trust the words of a demon I’d just met.

I didn’t even believe there was such a thing as a trustworthy demon.

But Derix’s reactions were too consistent to dismiss as lies.

His steady voice and unwavering gaze.

He seemed to have swallowed his anger and resigned himself.

My heart kept pounding—thump, thump, thump—pumping out mana.

The Dragon Heart began resisting the surrounding demonic aura, expelling its own mana to push back the corruption.

Even Derix’s thick demonic aura couldn’t taint my mana.

For a while, Derix and I just stared at each other in silence.

“Hm?”

A strange sound reached my ears.

Then, for the first time since meeting him, I brought my sword to Derix’s throat.

“Why are you lying?”

The Branch of World Tree, now transformed, its sharp blade dug into Derix’s throat.

[Cutting] was slowly manifesting at his neck.

Black, viscous demon blood dripped down the blade to the ground.

“Ha…”

Derix’s demeanor shifted again.

He wasn’t cheerful like when we first met, nor was he exaggerating a smile or showing anger.

“How did you know I was lying?”

He spoke formally again, as if he’d never used informal speech.

But he wasn’t being polite—just looking at me with curiosity.

Of course, I didn’t have a truth-seeing spell like Eidon, a Tune to discern truth, or demonic powers.

But once my mana fully dominated the surroundings, I knew for certain.

The more Derix spoke, the more erratic my heartbeat became.

But I no longer felt like respecting him.

“Your heartbeat. You couldn’t hide that.”

Derix could control his voice and gaze to avoid trembling, but not his heart.

Even a centuries-old demon couldn’t fully control their heartbeat, it seemed.

Of course, I knew a fast heartbeat didn’t necessarily mean lying.

But when someone could perfectly control their eyes and voice, the heart’s honest reaction stood out.

That’s why I was convinced—almost certain—that this demon was lying.

“Your heartbeat, huh… As expected from someone with an extraordinary heart. Sharp.”

Since being reborn in this world, I’d grown up listening to the sound of my own heartbeat.

When the Dragon Heart beat so fiercely it felt like it would tear my frail body apart, the thumping echoed as if my heart were right next to my ears.

It was only after performing Heart Predation that I began hearing others’ heartbeats.

I wasn’t fully used to it, but comparing them to my own was easy.

I learned how heartbeats quickened, slowed, or became irregular based on actions or emotions.

When my mana fully dominated the surroundings, all my senses sharpened to an extreme.

I could see everything—Derix’s gaze, the texture of the hair on his neck, and, of course, the sound of his heartbeat.

The situation had changed.

I’d already held a blade to his throat, but I wasn’t confident I could defeat a demon like Derix in a fight.

But if fighting wasn’t my goal?

Maybe it’d be fine.

He seemed far more interested in me now than at the start.

As I glared at Derix, the ground beneath my feet stirred.

Arandir was signaling me.

- I’m not hiding anymore.

I nodded to Arandir.

He erupted from the ground, a high-rank spirit glaring at Derix with fierce intensity.

But Derix remained unfazed.

I couldn’t trust Derix.

But I couldn’t just walk away either—he was the only one with information about the demons right now.

Yet, discerning truth from lies by listening to his heartbeat wasn’t easy. It would be exhausting.

It might be better to use the information Nofen gave me about Derix.

I lowered my sword.

Derix, without wiping the blood from his neck, kept his eyes on me.

He wasn’t playful like before, nor was he feigning anger to deceive me.

“I heard you admire Lord Adjak.”

“I respect him. Perhaps I’m more devoted to Lord Adjak and his family than even you are.”

That might not be entirely wrong.

I believed the current Adjak family was twisted.

I was sincere about Adjak himself, having vowed to follow his path in this life.

But that didn’t mean I had deep loyalty to the Adjak family.

Derix’s heartbeat had also steadied.

“You must have lived during Lord Adjak’s time. Have you ever seen him?”

I had no memory of a demon named Derix.

I asked in case he’d changed his face or name.

His heart began pounding—thump, thump—faster than before.

I thought he might be lying again, but that wasn’t it.

He gazed at the sky, his expression almost rapturous.

“I saw him from afar! That’s when I knew—Lord Adjak would reshape this world!”

I could tell Adjak was like a religion to him.

It seemed he’d never met him up close.

“And seeing you, Lord Polarin, I’m even more certain.”

“Of what?”

“That you are truly the one who inherited Lord Adjak’s will.”

Derix stared at me with blazing eyes.

Absurdly, it felt like pure, unadulterated sincerity.

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