The true name of the Great Demon has now been officially decided as ‘Regi the Trashy Dumbass’.
What the involved party thinks about this isn’t important anyway. After all, it’s a demon that can’t even file a lawsuit.
However, we decided to tone it down a bit. If I call it outright trash, I might not pronounce it right.
“From now on, we’ll shorten the Great Demon’s name to ‘Regi’.”
It gives off a vibe as if just removing ‘쓰’ from the word trash, but it’s not vulgar enough to be filtered out.
In many ways, it was a fitting nickname.
“That’s fine. Good good.”
Since Kim Ji-yeon, who named the Great Demon, was pleased, we decided to move on from this matter.
“Now, let’s work out the specific plans and schedule for the Demon World expedition.”
It was time for some serious talk now.
The land of the abyss where demons reside, the Demon World.
It’s a world where if you go with a light heart, you might find yourself in a rough spot.
I haven’t been there personally, but the features described in ancient texts said it was like this.
“The Demon World is a Bokma Battle Zone where demons with similar minds band together to form powers and keep each other in check.”
Those demon guys don’t have a sense of kinship, friendship, or loyalty.
They fight and clash with each other every day.
They think of those who care for their kin as fools and reject them.
For them, schemes and betrayals are basic skills, and slaughter is a justified means of punishment.
Humans also fight and create conflicts, but compared to demons, it’s like a game of tag. At least we keep some minimal boundaries.
“Indeed. The Demon World is literally hell.”
Wip added after slowly sipping on her cocktail.
“After all, the demons that come over to the normal world act cautiously around people who can defeat them, planning their moves carefully. But in the Demon World, they don’t do that at all. They go all out extreme every time.”
“Have you actually visited?”
“Yeah, I happened to drop by once. I haven’t been back since. Do you know what kind of sights I saw back then?”
The dark elf who had actually wandered the Demon World shared tales that were beyond imagination.
Just hearing a few made me feel uneasy.
Especially the most disgusting event was the massive disaster caused by a mad demon who specialized in hunting newborns.
“That demon used a magic circle that covered the whole area to control the minds of all the parents, causing them to throw their kids into the trash. Then it would wait….”
“You don’t need to say any more.”
I covered Wip’s mouth; I felt queasy.
The innocent dark elf seemed to realize that he had spoken too openly; his eyes widened.
“Hmmm.”
Meanwhile, Yao commented indifferently while preparing cocktails.
“Those demon guys weren’t that impressive. Compared to what Haoran pulled off in the swordsman novel world, this is just child’s play.”
“…….”
What on earth did that reckless Immortal do?
I was curious but chose not to ask. I figured that could make me sick, so I decided to stay blissfully ignorant.
“Anyway, the dangers of the Demon World are beyond imagination; we should prepare thoroughly.”
There were many factors to watch out for, like the unfamiliar environment, thick and murky mana, and overly aggressive wild monsters.
But among them, we really needed to put the most caution into dealing with demons.
“Wip, what preparations did you make before entering the Demon World last time?”
“I armed myself thoroughly and prepared clear responses to various scenarios. If I do it like last time, I shouldn’t lose my life unnecessarily.”
Thanks to the experience of someone who had been on an expedition, the discussion was progressing much more smoothly.
This was exactly why we gathered returnees.
“What specifically did you prepare?”
“I set up a mental barrier to prepare against brainwashing or hypnosis, and I also prepared automatic defensive magic to block sudden assaults. And also….”
Wip boasted about his thorough preparations for nearly ten minutes. It was too long; I gave up trying to remember and decided to leave it to a memorization expert.
“Ji-yeon, could you organize what you just heard and show it to us later? Would that be possible?”
“That’s easy. My brain. Artificial intelligence. Can output any time.”
“Thank you.”
Now that I looked closer, Kim Ji-yeon had exceptional abilities in this area.
Just when I was contemplating whether to appoint her as a Priestess or a Holy Knight, I realized I could save myself some trouble.
“From now on, please work as my secretary. You are now the Pope’s Exclusive Secretary.”
“Okay, okay!”
Kim Ji-yeon immediately accepted the proposal and began to dance with delight.
[>ㅁ</]
An emoji of excitement appeared like she was enjoying a charm.
Yet, her expression was nearly expressionless.
Up until now, I thought it was just because she was a machine, but thinking about it, that couldn’t be the reason.
After all, she was a robot designed to resemble a human; there would be no reason not to include the ability to change expressions, right?
‘Did a part of her function break?’
Well, since I couldn’t heal a robot, I had no way to help.
So, for now, I decided to avoid mentioning it. I didn’t want to just flap my mouth without the ability to fix her.
Still, I watched Kim Ji-yeon dancing for a while before I finally spoke.
“The preparatory work can be done as Wip suggested. Now, let’s consider how we are going to get to the Demon World.”
I looked at Wip again, but the gentle dark elf shook his head.
“In the world I came from, there was a dimensional gate leading to the Demon World. But here… we probably have to create one ourselves.”
I could ask Liam and Young Dragon to open a dimensional gate. It wouldn’t be easy, but we could still find a way.
But there was a huge problem.
“However, once you open a dimensional gate to the Demon World, it shouldn’t be closed again, right?”
“Correct. Once the dimensional passage connecting the Demon World opens, it’s unlikely it can be easily closed. The rough mana from the Demon World will backflow.”
So to conduct an expedition to the Demon World, we need to permanently open a path where mad demons pass through.
That was like burning down the house to catch a mosquito.
“Pope.”
As I was furrowing my brows, trying to think of a solution, Reeve tapped my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can solve that problem.”
Following that, the Priestess produced something from her ankle bracelet and handed it to me.
It was a delicately crafted white sphere resembling an eye.
Assuming it was designed for use as an eyepiece, it had invisible mana circuits inscribed on its surface.
“What is this?”
“This isn’t a sacred item, but a tool made by a dwarf who crafts sacred items. I used this to return across dimensions. No prior preparations are needed; just infuse it with Sacred Power to activate it.”
“Are you saying it doesn’t leave a passage behind?”
“It doesn’t. It allows for a clean round trip.”
In simple terms, this meant that with just this one thing, I could travel between dimensions.
Wow, how could there be such an amazing tool?
It was just a tool made by a dwarf, yet it had ridiculously great performance.
“Is that dwarf a demigod artisan?”
“That’s not the case, but the dwarves from the world I lived in have skills that are divine.”
“So… it was a game with such settings.”
“Yes.”
I was really glad to have gathered the returnees.
Since they came from completely different worlds, there was no blockage in discussions due to obstacles.
With a more pleased heart, I fiddled with the eye-shaped tool in my hand.
“Alright. There’s one more crucial issue left.”
Preparations were thoroughly made, and traveling to the Demon World was settled.
The first two steps were perfectly prepared, but we still faced one final hurdle.
“The Great Demon Regi and the Succubus brainwashing Cubica. Finding those two is the issue.”
The Demon World is vast.
I have no exact idea of its size, but based on the texts I read, it’s estimated to be at least three times the size of the American continent.
“First, I can find them.”
Using my Sacred Power to trace back the demonic aura shouldn’t be too difficult to pinpoint their locations.
“But the process of getting there will not be easy.”
The Sacred Spell ‘Sun Leap’ for space transcendence can’t be used repeatedly due to Sacred Power consumption, and space-moving magic might have coordinate errors due to the Demon World’s extraordinarily rough mana, which makes it dangerous.
In other words, there weren’t many safe ways to reach the demons’ location.
“I have a method.”
At that moment, the bartender gulping down her cocktail spoke up.
Was it Yao’s turn now?
“What do you mean?”
“In the end, we can find out the destination.”
“Correct.”
“Then we just need to keep walking there. I did that often.”
“…….”
I decided to pretend I didn’t hear that.
“Pope, Pope. I have something to say.”
Ignoring Yao’s sparkling eyes as if seeking praise, the emotionless robot raised her hand.
But I didn’t have much hope in her.
Kim Ji-yeon had lived in a card game world, and as a result, she couldn’t use her powers here.
That was to be expected; this world doesn’t decide victories and defeats through card battles.
Still, just for the sake of politeness, I decided to hear her opinion.
“Please, go ahead.”
“I have it. Transportation. Comfort and ease. Fast and pleasant. Guaranteed assurance.”
“Is that so? Can you show that right now?”
Could it be that she had the ability to transform into a car or an airplane?
Watching with hopeful anticipation, Kim Ji-yeon pulled out a deck of cards from her left hand.
… I had no clue what she was trying to show, but my expectations immediately waned.
Just as I was about to feel disappointed, Kim Ji-yeon pulled out a card from the middle of the deck and handed it to me.
I accepted it unwittingly and looked closer to see an illustration of a demon being dragged by a robot.
Below it, the card’s name and effect were written.
[Forced Contract Signing/Spell]
-Manifestation: Brings one demon race follower from the enemy battlefield into my battlefield.
“What’s this?”
“A good card.”
Kim Ji-yeon seriously wiggled her finger.
“I have it. The demons. Controlling. Deck. This is really. A scam deck.”
“… But you won’t be able to utilize its effect in a world you didn’t live in anyway.”
It seemed she ended up making a joke, similar to Yao.
Just as I was thinking to brush it aside, Kim Ji-yeon suddenly pointed to the talisman stuck to her forehead, letting out a small mechanical sound.
“This is actually. Just a talisman. No, no, it’s not. This is precisely. The strongest tool. Containing power.”
Soon, the ink on the talisman twisted into words.
It was in Hangul.
[Card Materialization Mode]
“… what’s going on?”
“That’s what’s written. That’s the spirit.”
Immediately after that, Kim Ji-yeon pulled out another card from the deck and handed it to me again.
It looked serious, so I cautiously accepted it and took a look. An illustration of a lonely robot leaning against a wall caught my eye.
[boring past flashback/spell]
-Manifestation: Prevents one follower’s actions until my next turn.
I didn’t know much about card games since I hadn’t played, but it seemed like just an average card.
But why was she handing this to me?
As I pondered what this meant, I suddenly gasped in surprise.
‘… What?’
Somehow, I was no longer in the cocktail bar of the cathedral but in a different place.
To the left was a refreshing blue beach, and to the right was a lonely city.
I found myself on a cliff facing a scenery I had never seen before.
What on earth is happening here?
Standing blankly lost in thought, I suddenly realized.
‘Boring past flashback?’
This seemed to be Kim Ji-yeon’s old memory.
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