Chapter 139 - Do You Like a Little Thrill Too?

The Sage of Water, Hellus Fovidas.

A Sage of exceptional ability, yet famous for living in a small village without belonging to any organization.

He claimed it was to preserve his humility, but in truth, it was born from greed and survival instinct.

The source of the knowledge that allowed him to be called a Sage was none other than a small blonde girl.

Without the wisdom of that girl, now known as Mori, Hellus would have been nothing more than a slightly above-average middle-aged man.

His source of knowledge had been taken away from him, and he had tried to get it back.

The result, however, had been disastrous.

Instead, he had been kidnapped by Ferda, and the Witch’s brand had been engraved on the back of his hand, leaving him with a secret he could never reveal, even in death.

So what had happened afterward?

Nothing.

Surprisingly, absolutely nothing had happened.

After replacing the maid he had killed with someone else, he continued receiving the same support as before, using it to enjoy fine food, liquor, and women.

"Ghh... This is driving me crazy."

Even so, Hellus suffered from an unquenchable thirst.

He continued his life as a Sage by borrowing Mori’s wisdom, but the limit of only three questions in total irritated him endlessly.

If all three questions were wasted on meaningless matters, then when an important one finally came, he had no choice but to wait until the next day.

And that wasn’t the only problem.

By the time he waited, even more questions would pile up, continuing to roll over until there was a backlog of nearly three months’ worth of inquiries.

He only needed to pick out the necessary ones, but Hellus had neither the eye to judge them nor any desire to learn.

As a result, he had no choice but to process them one by one in the most foolish manner possible.

This is all because of that damned Regent.

Hellus resented Ferda.

It wasn’t enough that he had stolen something that originally belonged to him—he had even claimed Hellus could use it freely, only to place a limit on the number of questions.

His irritation flared.

Almost reflexively, Hellus picked up a cookie from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

Using food to relieve stress, he had noticeably gained weight during that time.

Thanks to the sticky sugar flowing through his veins, his mood improved considerably.

Still... he probably doesn’t know I tried to steal her back...

Having made a terrifying contract with a Witch, there was no way that madman would dare act recklessly.

That line of thinking itself was the wisdom Hellus had come up with.

That insane Regent couldn’t possibly have spared me out of kindness.

He believed this was a conclusion born from his own wisdom and proof that he was growing.

Praising himself inwardly, he busied himself stuffing his stomach.

Still... I can’t stay like this forever.

He had to get Mori back.

His daily life hadn’t changed, but he couldn’t tolerate the anxiety of not knowing what might happen in the future gnawing at his nerves.

How could he take that brat back?

Maybe I’ll think about it tomorrow.

Now that he had eaten his fill, drowsiness washed over him.

Thinking he would sleep first and worry about it later, he was about to lie down on the bed.

That was when it happened.

Creeeak.

The door opened without any warning.

"What the hell? Who opens a door without even knocking?"

He snapped in annoyance, and someone appeared.

Blonde hair.

Blue eyes.

The moment Hellus saw that face, his expression brightened.

"Olivia. What are you doing here?"

It wasn’t the real Olivia.

She was a prostitute who had taken the Imperial Princess’s name.

If a blonde woman was even remotely pretty, just about anyone used the stage name Olivia.

The prostitute merely poked her head through the doorway, staring at him expressionlessly.

Hellus felt that something was strange, but before that thought could settle, another part of his body reacted first.

"What’s wrong? Do you want to have some wild fun with me today? I’ll definitely satisfy you this time!"

"..."

"Darling? Are you really okay? Why aren’t you saying anything?"

The door opened a little wider.

At the same time, Olivia’s head dropped to the floor.

Quite literally, it fell like a ball.

Thud.

Roll...

The cleanly severed cross-section entered Hellus’s view.

"Huuh!?"

Still lying on the bed, Hellus let out a dumbfounded sound before finally realizing what had happened.

"G-Guaaah!"

He yanked the blanket toward himself as an utterly pathetic scream escaped his lips.

While he was frozen in terror, someone walked inside.

"What’s wrong, darling? Why are you making that face? I like having wild fun too."

The voice was seductive, but it couldn’t hide its rough masculine tone.

Black skin.

Black sclera with crimson irises.

Sharp fangs gleamed inside his mocking smile.

He grinned.

Then smeared the blood on his hand across his lips.

"G-Guards! Guaaaards!"

Hellus screamed at the top of his lungs.

Normally, servants would come running the instant they heard his voice.

Now there wasn’t the slightest sign of anyone.

Naturally.

The man had walked in carrying Olivia’s severed head.

There was no way anyone inside the mansion was still alive.

Hellus’s complexion turned deathly pale.

"Y-You... who are you...?"

"My, my. Even after seeing all this, you’re still clueless enough to ask?"

The man of the Demon Race smiled with feminine eyes.

His pointed fingernails gleamed ominously.

"I absolutely can’t stand men who pretend to be oblivious."

"S-Spare me, sir!"

Driven by instinct, Hellus immediately surrendered.

"I-I’ll give you anything you want! If you want treasure, it’s in the basement! If you want this land, I’ll even give you this mansion! Just... please spare my life...!"

The demon man’s face twisted in disappointment.

"Hmm... Something feels off..."

Staring at Hellus with eyes that were nothing but black, he tilted his head.

"The man called the Sage of Water shouldn’t be this disappointing... Lord Curved Demon even said he was dangerous enough to rank among at least the second tier..."

The man realized that something wasn’t adding up.

He grabbed Hellus by the collar and yanked him upright.

"Tell me. Who are you?"

"I-I’m Hellus Fovidas..."

"The Sage of Water, the one whose ultimate wisdom created breakthroughs, couldn’t possibly be someone as spineless as you. You don’t look like you have any wisdom at all. Hmm... In that case, you must be..."

As though realizing something, the demon grinned broadly.

"Hmm, that must be it. You’re Fovidas’s stand-in, aren’t you?"

"T-That’s not it..."

"It’s fine. So what if you’re a stand-in? Tell me where the real one is. Find him for me, and I’ll let you live. Sound good?"

Hellus couldn’t bring himself to answer.

He could simply claim that the real body was somewhere far away, then escape afterward.

That would probably be the best improvisation possible.

Yet Hellus said nothing.

His survival instinct warned him as though it had seen the future.

The moment he denied it, he became convinced that the demon would kill him.

"I-I am Hellus. P-Please spare me..."

He declared his identity once more, but the demon refused to believe him.

"Ah, stubbornly insisting on it... that’s no fun. Then..."

Hellus’s hair fluttered.

A passing gust made his ear turn ice cold.

Then came a sharp burst of pain.

And a warm liquid trickled down his cheek.

Hellus realized what had happened.

The demon had attacked just now.

His ear had been sliced off.

"AAAAAAAH!"

Hellus screamed in absolute terror.

"Come on. You’re the stand-in, aren’t you? Right? Admit it now, and I’ll give you a clean death. Just whisper the location."

"AAAAAH! I am Hellus Fovidas! I really am! Please believe me!"

The demon threatened him in an attempt to uncover the truth, while Hellus desperately screamed the truth itself.

In the absurdity of a situation where even sincerity failed to reach the other party, tears streamed down Hellus’s face.

"S-Someone save me! Anyone! Please save meee!!"

Naturally, there was no one left who could come to his rescue.

Boredom settled over the demon’s face.

Hellus Fovidas wasn’t here.

Having reached that conclusion, he was just about to kill the stand-in—

Crash!

The wall was pierced apart.

At the same time, a streak of light shot between Hellus and the demon.

As though perfectly aimed, it pierced the hand gripping Hellus, sending him crashing onto the floor.

"Guaaah!!"

Hellus didn’t waste the opportunity.

He immediately scrambled backward.

Instead of finishing Hellus off, the demon stared at the hole that had pierced the wall and let out a slow breath.

"Hmm... Which little rat dared interrupt my happy time?"

Bang!

The door burst open as several young men charged inside.

With swords drawn, they pointed their blades at the demon.

"Release the Sage, you filthy monster!"

Five handsome young men.

Overflowing with the fearless spirit of youth—and nothing more.

Not a single one of them could use magic.

Then who had cast that spell?

The owner of the magic appeared a moment later.

Gray hair.

Blue eyes.

His calm demeanor was hard to believe for someone so young and full of vigor.

The demon knew exactly who he was.

"So it was you... the handsome big brother Regent who fired that shot?"

The demon spoke with a smiling gaze.

Ferda answered with open disgust.

"A grown man talking like some little girl. Aren’t you embarrassed?"

"Aww, don’t be like that. You should learn to respect someone’s preferences."

"Sure. With tastes like yours, it’s no wonder you became one of the Demon Race."

Ferda continued mocking him, deliberately provoking the demon.

The demon only laughed as though thoroughly entertained.

"What a shame, what a shame. That sharp tongue is exactly my type. If only your body were a little fatter..."

The demon glanced at Hellus and smiled.

Watching that look, Ferda spoke in utter revulsion.

"I’ve seen plenty of men who swing that way, but your tastes are uniquely disgusting."

"Disgusting? This is the realm of gourmet appreciation, you know. There are flavors you simply don’t understand. That rich scent of body fat... it’s a delicacy that only fat men can produce."

The color drained entirely from Hellus’s face.

"Don’t look so disappointed, darlings. It’s not like I only enjoy killing fat men. Killing itself is plenty enjoyable."

"You filthy demon! Do you think we’ll allow that!?"

One of the young noble heirs, his arrogant blood boiling over, charged forward.

"Your atrocities shall vanish like dew upon my blade!"

Ferda didn’t even have time to stop him.

The demon raised a finger.

A flash of light streaked through the air.

"Huh?"

He could no longer feel anything below his neck.

The only thing he saw was...his own body....his body was charging forward bravely, while his vision rapidly sank toward the ground.

He understood.

He had paid the price for his arrogance.

Roll...

Thud!

"L-Lord Dmitri!"

"H-His head...!"

The spirited young noble heirs’ expressions instantly turned to despair.

Unable to follow the attack with their naked eyes, they looked back and forth between the two with complete confusion.

"I don’t like impatient men."

The coy way he acted only made him even more terrifying.

The young nobles tightened their grips on their swords.

It was their first time facing one of the Demon Race.

Their first time witnessing such overwhelming strength.

Once again, they realized that this war was no game—it was a battlefield where slaughter reigned.

"As expected of our Regent. Most people would be trembling like those boys after seeing something like that."

"I’ve seen tricks like yours countless times. It’s hardly surprising."

Although he said that, Ferda was just as shaken as the young nobles.

This is becoming troublesome.

He had never underestimated the abilities of the Demon Race, so there was nothing shocking about them.

The problem was the young noble’s behavior.

Who could have expected him to get carried away and practically commit suicide?

If the matter turned into one of responsibility, it would become an annoying headache.

"Still, I didn’t expect you to arrive this quickly. I thought you’d show up after I’d had a little more fun."

"You speak as though you knew I was coming."

"The Demon Race has quite an impressive intelligence network. We have plenty of ears listening."

The demon tapped his own ear.

Ferda already knew there were demon sympathizers among the nobility.

Could there really be one among those participating in the Festival of the Beginning of Spring?

People really aren’t worth trusting.

He snorted to himself.

Then again, when had he ever trusted people that much?

Ferda decided to make use of that fact.

"Hey, you disgusting bastard."

"What is it, darling?"

"Forget these pathetic hostage games. Why don’t you fight me properly?"

One of the demon’s eyebrows shot upward.

"Hmm? What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Aren’t I your real target? Then I’ll give you the opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"The chance to kill me."

The demon let out a laugh.

"Why are you so adorable? People must’ve told you that you’ve made plenty of women cry."

"I’ve seen women cry. I didn’t enjoy it."

"Oh my, that’s not what I meant. Honestly, this is why men can be so hopeless."

Clicking his tongue in mock disappointment, the demon smiled with his eyes.

"Fine. I’ll let the small fry go. Killing them would be fun, but if you’re willingly walking into your own grave, that only makes me happier."

While they talked, Ferda looked toward the young nobles.

After witnessing Dmitri’s death, they had completely lost their fighting spirit.

They looked as though they wanted nothing more than to escape immediately.

Men who had lost their will to fight were useless.

Worse, they only got in the way.

"You lot."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Take the Sage and leave."

"B-But won’t you be outnumbered...?"

"You really don’t listen. You’re in the way. So get lost."

Ferda’s order carried unmistakable killing intent.

Crushed beneath the pressure, the young nobles chose to obey.

These were not the kind of people he would entrust with guarding his back.

As for Hellus, the one standing closest to the demon, all he could think about was how to escape alive.

"You go too. I don’t need a stand-in."

"Y-Yes, sir!!"

Rolling his heavy body as fast as he could, Hellus hurried over to the young nobles, and together they fled the room.

The sound of them rushing down the stairs echoed through the mansion.

Now only the two of them remained.

"So even though your mouth is rough, you’ve got a warm heart? Men with that kind of gap really make my heart flutter."

"I have no idea what nonsense you’re talking about. I simply need witnesses."

"Witnesses? Witnesses for what?"

"Five young nobles entered this room. One of them bravely committed suicide. Who would ever believe that?"

"Hahaha! You’ve got a point!"

The demon burst into laughter.

The only ones capable of testifying to this absurd situation were those four young nobles and Hellus.

"Besides, I don’t have time to play around with someone like you."

"You’re awfully confident for nothing more than a Four-Star Mage, big brother."

His opponent was a Knight-class demon—a Butcher type specialized in speed.

The proper way to deal with such an enemy was to use binding spells or wide-area slowing magic.

To do that, he needed a front line to hold the enemy back.

But with the four young nobles gone, Ferda was effectively standing completely exposed.

"I wonder how long that prideful expression of yours will last."

"Hard to say."

He added calmly,

"But at the very least... after this, there won’t be anything left for you to know."

Smirking, Ferda reached inside his robe and pulled something out.

The demon had expected it to be a magic tool.

It wasn’t.

It was a Magic Circle.

He stored a Magic Circle inside his robe?

Impossible.

At least, no mage he knew was capable of such a thing.

Yet there was no other explanation.

There was no way an intricate Magic Circle, one that normally required a lengthy incantation, could simply appear in Ferda’s hand fully formed.

"Such a cowardly trick...!"

The demon tried to sneer.

But the words caught in his throat.

Crackle!

What formed in Ferda’s hand was lightning.

But instead of the familiar blue-white glow, it burned crimson.

Even without knowing it was Reverse Heaven Lightning, he could tell at a glance that this was no lightning born from the natural order.

Magic that defied the natural order was, without exception, overwhelmingly powerful.

Seeing the demon’s expression change, Ferda asked,

"Do you like a little thrill too?"

***

Meanwhile, outside the mansion, at the entrance to the village.

"Monsters approaching!"

"Defensive formation! There aren’t many of them! Even without the Regent, we can handle this ourselves!"

There were only ten beast-type monsters—half the number from the first attack point.

With so few enemies, they shouldn’t have posed much of a threat.

Yet, strangely, the battle felt far more difficult.

They searched for the reason.

Is it because we’re missing five men from the front line?

That was their first guess.

But they immediately dismissed it as ridiculous.

Those guys were nothing but dead weight.

People born into privilege who had spent their entire lives looking down on others.

Their status only made them more of a burden than an asset on the battlefield.

No... it’s because Regent Ferda isn’t here.

His tactics were completely different from those of ordinary mages.

Instead of having the Three-Star Mages draw Magic Circles, they created spheres of mana and threw them to him, allowing Ferda to hurl the completed attacks himself.

In practice, only one mage was actually moving.

That single mage controlled the entire battlefield.

Even when facing twenty monsters, it had never felt difficult.

Now they were struggling against only ten.

The difference was painfully obvious.

All they could do was hope he finished quickly and returned.

"The young masters are coming out!"

Someone in the rear shouted after observing the situation.

Turning around, they saw exactly what he meant.

The young noble heirs were rushing out of the mansion.

One of them was Hellus.

In effect, they had lost two more people.

"D-Dmitri is dead..."

"W-What? Dead? Then... what happened to the Regent?"

"The Regent is fighting one of the Demon Race! There’s a demon inside!"

A demon!

That certainly explained why they were so terrified.

After all, beings from the Demon Race were so rarely seen in the current era that they were practically creatures of legend.

But that wasn’t the real issue.

"So you’re saying the Regent is fighting it by himself?"

"Y-Yeah..."

It was unbelievable.

They should have been joining forces against such an opponent.

Instead, all four young noble heirs had fled, leaving the Regent to fight alone.

We can somehow manage the monsters...

Should they rush back immediately and support Regent Ferda?

Political calculations and the current situation tangled painfully in his mind.

Just then—

A crimson light flashed through one of the mansion’s windows.

That ominous glow gradually shrank.

Rumble...!!

As the light diminished, the ground shook more and more violently.

It wasn’t weakening.

No...

It was being compressed.

Compressed to create an explosion too immense to withstand.

BOOOOOOM!!

A deafening explosion battered their eardrums.

The released shockwave rattled their defensive formation, and even the attacking wolf monsters instinctively recoiled.

The building at the center of the explosion failed to endure the impact.

It collapsed completely.

"M-My..."

Staring at the place where everything had been swallowed by light, Hellus screamed in despair.

"My house...!!"