Chapter 152 : Chapter 152

Chapter 152: Poison Demon, Iscariot (2)

***

“Karim. It really was you.”

“Gack! Sir, Sir Bihen……! Let, let go of me……! If, if you provoke me any further……!”

Black veins surfaced on Karim’s face.

The veins bulged more darkly the more he squeezed his hand.

“You’re finally showing your true colors, Poison Demon.”

“Sto, stop……!”

The veins that had begun to appear at the edges instantly spread over his entire face.

It looked as if his face would shatter and crumble at any moment, like cracked glass.

Contrary to his words telling me to stop, Karim didn't move an inch.

I used almost no strength.

If he had wanted to struggle, he could have done so easily.

Thump.

As I loosened my grip, the man collapsed to the floor as if melting.

“Cough! Kugh, cough……!”

Karim coughed, sprawled on the ground.

Saliva dripped from below his lips and the black veins were receding again.

“Confess everything before you die. Where the rest of them are, what your real purpose is, everything you know.”

“……”

“……Right, I knew you’d be like this.”

I didn't want to torment him.

Considering he had saved Roberto, I wanted to let him go cleanly.

It might sound ridiculous, but if you looked at the persona of Karim alone, he was quite admirable.

“If only I could speak……”

Karim slowly got up, rubbing his neck.

A short cough escaped every time his fingertips brushed his nape.

I, holding the Heavenly Demon, watched him just by rolling my eyes.

“……I would have told you. Everything you are curious about, everything you want.”

Even though his identity was revealed, Karim still maintained that polite tone of his.

The sense of unease I was feeling now was probably nothing special.

I had never specifically thought about what each of the Eight Demons of this era would look like, but such a polite attitude was completely beyond imagination.

“I have sealed my authority. To be precise……”

Karim placed a hand on his chest.

“I put it to sleep, inside here. A very long time ago.”

“It sounds like you’re just making a long-winded excuse to beg for your life.”

Putting together what Kuhn and Bolero had said, each of the Eight Demons had placed their soul, will and mission into a Remnant Orb, continuing their eternal life by just changing bodies.

That was all I knew.

“Are you talking about the Remnant Orb that was in the demonic beast’s corpse in the mine?”

“That is the half I cut off and buried. The other half still remains here.”

I looked at the hand Karim had placed over his heart.

He gave a bitter smile.

“Just as a castrated creature loses its sexual desire, my will as the Poison Demon has now faded, and my identity remains like a vestigial organ. At some point, my memories became patchy, and I felt the Poison Demon separating from within me as if he were another person. The me of now, Karim, has filled that empty space.”

“……”

A strange mix of liberation and resignation was in Karim’s voice.

“That’s not to say the Poison Demon has completely disappeared. Just as lost memories can be revived by a strong stimulus, he will awaken someday, in some way.”

“So what is it you want to say?”

Karim lowered his hand back to its original position. He seemed to be getting nervous for some reason. I could even see Adam's apple bobbing.

“……Please give me a chance.”

“A chance?”

“A chance to live and die not as the Poison Demon, but as the physician Karim……”

Even before Karim could finish his words.

Suddenly, I felt an immense pressure on the back of my neck.

I don't know if pressure is the right word. It wasn't an action caused by some external force, but an incomprehensible sensation as if the entire space was compressing and crushing down on me.

Krrrrrrk─

As if someone was pressing down on my neck from behind, my upper body bent forward sharply.

My throat was so constricted that I couldn’t even speak properly.

It was absurd, even to me.

From the outside, I would probably look like a toy whose strings at the neck and waist had been cut.

‘What was I hit with?’

When on earth did it happen?

“Kughh……”

I squeezed out my strength, but my whole body just trembled and wouldn't budge an inch.

The spasm in my right arm was particularly severe.

I reflexively tried to correct my posture, but my arm wouldn't listen, and the sound of the Heavenly Demon clattering echoed pitifully.

“Sir Bihen! Don’t move!”

I heard Karim’s urgent shout.

His voice was filled with bewilderment, as if he weren't the one who had created this situation.

Damn it, this is frustrating.

My vision is fixed around my feet, so I have no way of knowing what’s going on.

“Poison Demon, have you no shame.”

A chill ran down my spine.

A man's and a woman's voice were heard as one.

“■■■■! When on earth did you……!”

I swallowed a scream.

My ears felt like they would tear from the sudden tinnitus.

A sharp noise that scraped my eardrums burrowed deep into my head.

“Poison Demon, you truly are out of your mind. Are you now spouting our true names carelessly in front of humans?”

Fortunately, the tinnitus stopped quickly. It was as if something had covered only the part that needed to be hidden and then was removed.

“Why did you appear like this? What is the reason for showing hostility!”

“Hostility. How truly loathsome. Have you already forgotten that I even granted your request to let you forget your mission for a while?”

“I, I was……!”

“The sin of neglecting your task, the sin of abandoning your mission, the sin of deceiving your brothers! And as if that weren't enough, you now go so far as to beg a mere human for your life! How much more patience do you expect from us?”

The heterogeneous voice was filled with a deep resonance.

A strong sense of revulsion washed over me at the sound that dug into my ears.

“It was you who said that brothers cannot interfere with each other’s authority! Stop this at once!”

“I haven’t done anything to you yet. Surely you’re not saying that to protect that child?”

Damn it, the situation is not good.

There’s no need to be rational about it.

I’m completely trapped and by one of the Eight Demons, no less.

“Who are. You.”

My lips barely moved. I spoke as if squeezing the words from my throat.

“……”

I felt a silence in front of me.

I couldn’t see, but for some reason, it felt like they were rendered speechless by the fact that I could speak.

“My oppression doesn’t work on him? No, that can’t be right.”

“Shut up……”

“Hah, I can’t believe it. How is that possible? Anyway, child, don’t struggle. It will be over soon.”

Let's assume the worst. No, it's not even the worst.

‘I could die here.’

This was the first time since my regression that my life and death were in someone else’s hands.

I hadn't been this helpless even against the Blood Devil.

Crack.

A piece of a broken molar rolled around in my mouth and my vision shook violently.

My eyeballs were spinning uncontrollably.

This ill-tempered body of mine had thrown reason aside and was straining with all its might to see the bastard, one way or another.

“The more I see, the more I’m impressed. Indeed, you are worthy of being the one who massacred the Poison Demon’s followers.”

“Shut that mouth! The Krause family are not such people!”

“It’s no use for you to deny it. It’s a fact that all the other brothers know. A bit of a shame. Those kids were useful in many ways.”

“……What?”

A sickening laugh scraped at my eardrums.

It felt like the entire space was laughing.

Now I’m sure.

The bastard’s real body isn't here.

Only a gaze that seemed to be looking down from somewhere was pressing down on my entire body.

“Brother who has broken your own will and placed a restriction on your authority, now receive your due. We shall rightfully share the task you bore, so put aside your lingering attachments.”

A series of sharp, metallic sounds rang out.

It sounded like chains being tightly wound around something.

Sweat poured down my face like rain. Not being able to see with my eyes was driving me crazy.

“……In the long passage of time, your imperfect struggle was a good spectacle to relieve the boredom. I really wanted to tell you that.”

A loud roar and a suppressed scream rang out. A gasp escaped my own lips.

“Rest in peace, ■■■■■.”

At the tinnitus that erupted again, I finally couldn’t hold back and let out a scream.

This time, an unidentifiable roar and a faint scream were mixed in.

All sorts of noises that flowed through my ear canals shook the inside of my head.

It felt like my brain was being swept away by a violent tidal wave.

Amidst it all, that creepy voice was heard clearly, as if it were being engraved.

“Child, do not be afraid. You will be at ease soon. Though you will forget everything and live again from the beginning, that too will have its own meaning.”

Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet split open.

The crack widened, forming the shape of a black puddle.

A large eye rose within it.

With my vision bound, I faced that eye from above and below.

“Consider yourself unlucky.”

The voice lingering in my head repeated like a hallucination before twisting into a scratching sound.

It was eerie enough to make me feel the illusion of small insects crawling from my ear canals into my brain.

‘If I lose my mind, it’s over.’

I caught my breath and calmed my consciousness.

The heat of the Ghost Eye slowly spread, and a dark, cozy abyss swallowed me.

·

·

·

Kiyaaaaaaa-!

When I opened my eyes, I was inside the passage leading to the Altar of the Abyss.

I took a breath amidst the overflowing Wraith Cries from both sides.

Suddenly, a gaze brushed past me.

It was a familiar sense of déjà vu. I had felt it once before.

[…….]

As soon as I turned my head, I saw it.

It had a human form, but no facial features.

It was a being that exuded an unparalleled presence even among the twisted forms of the spirits.

This was the second time.

The first was when I lost consciousness after fighting the Blood Devil.

Why do I feel like I’ve met its eyes, even though it has no facial features?

Just like last time, I get the feeling that it's smiling.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

The words that slipped out of my mouth were close to a mumble.

By the time I looked again, the spot where it had been was empty.

As I entered the Altar of the Abyss, Kuhn greeted me.

“I was also watching the situation.”

“I never thought I’d be so glad to hear those words.”

Fortunately, Kuhn knew almost everything about the situation in Aldenfort. There was no need for a lengthy explanation.

“By any chance, did you see the end? I mean the one with the creepy voice.”

“I did not see it either. I only share what you see, hear, and say, my lord.”

“That one is also one of the Eight Demons. Does anything come to mind?”

“What you suffered was a type of sorcery. There are many evil spirits who specialize in that area, so it's difficult to make a rash judgment.”

Well, I had expected that much.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I lay down on the spot. I placed the back of my hand on my forehead.

My gaze naturally went to the ceiling.

Seeing them after a while, the golden stars on the ceiling had noticeably increased.

‘…….’

As one lives, one tends to look up at the sky less often.

I was watching them when I muttered in a dazed voice.

“Karim, no, the Poison Demon… he was annihilated, wasn't he?”

“Yes, circumstantially. I did not know there was a schism among the Eight Demons.”

Schism, internal strife, I’m so sick of it all now.

As I closed my eyelids, I felt Kuhn’s presence approaching.

“You’ve worked hard, please rest for now.”

She gently covers me with a blanket.

A soft touch settled over me.

To think I’d feel warmth in the Altar of the Abyss.

Not bad.

***

The morning of the day the trial by combat was to be held.

The Easton Guard had gathered in the training grounds of the Aldenfort mansion.

“Has everyone settled their minds?”

“Yes, Captain.”

Determined gazes were exchanged.

In truth, the situation that had befallen them one after another was chaos itself.

It was surprising enough that Ayan had summoned a Spatial Transfer Gate, but what they faced as soon as they crossed it was the middle of a touch-and-go conflict.

In the midst of that, they were pointed out as one of the factions in the dispute by the Imperial Capital Knight Order and had to stand in a trial by combat, and with Bolero and Maserin collapsed, it was difficult to even collect their thoughts.

They only learned the detailed inside story of the Gunbel Trading Company dispute later.

Once the situation was somewhat sorted out, it was only natural to feel wronged and dumbfounded.

“As you all know, the Imperial Capital Knight Order has the right to intervene in all disputes that occur in the Kingdom. If there is a request and permission from a feudal lord, that authority is absolute.”

The Imperial Capital Knight Order was not interested in the Gunbel Trading Company's squabble.

Instead, they elevated the Krause family, who was behind Administrative Officer Max, and the Conwell family, who had come to support Vice-Leader Jewelina, as the main factions of the dispute.

“The trial by combat is sudden, but we came here prepared for a military clash from the start. We should rather consider it an opportunity to finish the mission cleanly.”

There was no opportunity to explain.

But there was no reason to complain either.

Political maneuvering was not their part.

Now, they were not destitute guardsmen, but a knight and the warriors who followed him.

Only the duel before them was their mission, and they just had to prove everything with its result.

“That’s right-!”

Janson answered in a loud voice.

It was for Ayan’s sake.

Ayan was blaming himself, thinking that his inexperience in opening a Spatial Transfer Gate there had put his comrades in trouble.

“B-but where did Bihen go? I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”

Bill raised his hand and said.

He had momentarily forgotten, with his mind completely preoccupied with the trial by combat.

“Sir Jayden!”

Just then, an urgent voice was heard from one side.

It was the lord of Aldenfort.

He came running, gasping for breath.

He was alone, having left his vassals behind.

“Pant, pant……! Bihen?! Wasn’t he with you?!”

“We were just looking for him ourselves. Have you perhaps seen him, Your Excellency?”

The lord’s mouth fell open blankly.

He, who had only been panting, barely managed to continue speaking.

“The Imperial Capital Knight Order is searching the entire city, saying they’re going to catch Bihen!”

“Pardon? Bihen? Why……”

“They say the Krause family was massacred.”

At the sudden news, everyone was at a loss for words.

They couldn’t understand what was going on at all.

“And they say the culprit is Bihen Benkou.”

Bill let out a hiccup.

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