Chapter: 439
Silence falls as I meet the gaze of the Demon Emperor.
The particularly bright purple eyes and the magic energy floating in the air felt heavy.
The Demon Emperor’s gaze shifts from me to the Demon Sword Master.
“Vice Captain.”
“…Huh…”
“Explain.”
What a crazy guy, speaking like a dog.
I almost frowned without realizing it, but I managed to hold it together with tremendous patience.
Why does he look like crap and have that tone?
Was I the only one who noticed? The reactions from those around me were eerily quiet.
It was a succinct statement, but its meaning was clear enough. After hearing that, the Demon Sword Master looked at me and casually said a word.
“…Newbie.”
“Newbie?”
“Yeah… Our new recruit…”
The Demon Emperor’s gaze turned back to me.
Interest sparkled in those purple eyes.
Knock knock.
Then, the guy sitting on the throne slowly rose from his seat.
The magic lingering in the air quivers once more.
‘…Oh, this.’
Instinctively, I sensed something was off.
There’s only one thing a fool like me can do in a situation like this.
“Because I’m a newbie…”
The Demon Emperor, who was looking down at me.
Pop—
Disappears right in front of my eyes.
I tensed my body, preparing for anything.
I might have missed him in the blink of an eye, but I knew exactly where he would appear.
Right in front of my nose.
The Demon Emperor materializes before me.
“Gah…!”
He grabs my neck and lifts me effortlessly.
It was expected, considering that this crazy bastard’s temperament.
“Who sent you?”
“Urgh….”
The murderous intent in his voice sends chills down my spine.
The Demon Sword Master just watches, seemingly unconcerned.
‘Ah… This damn fool, really…’
Is this what it’s like to have someone spit in your face?
The more I look at him, the more I want to curse.
“It’s clear you’re a demon… but your level isn’t ordinary.”
Crack.
“Gah…!”
The pressure on my neck intensifies. I sense it and realize.
This idiot thinks I’m a genius, so his self-righteousness seems to be kicking in.
“I’ll ask again. Who sent you?”
I feel heat radiating from the point on my neck where he holds me.
If my answer takes even a moment too long, I’ll probably just get burned.
Struggling against the pressure, I barely manage to speak.
“The leader… sent… me…”
“The leader?”
Hearing that, the grip in his hand loosens slightly.
Once he knows it was the Celestial Demon who sent me, suspicion fills his eyes, and questions begin to surface.
Just then, the Demon Emperor swings his arm and hurls me straight into the wall.
Bang—! Crash—!
“Gah…!”
As I fly through the air, I smash into a pillar and, as if that wasn’t enough, crash into the wall.
My body trembles from the shock.
Even though I had anticipated this and focused my energy, I couldn’t defend myself properly.
I barely managed to gather my senses and opened my eyes slightly, only to see the Demon Emperor looking down at me.
“The leader… sent you to me…”
Thud.
He extends a foot and lifts my chin.
“You?”
I feel quite uncomfortable about this.
“…Yes… The leader… told me to join the Black Flame Corps and follow the lord’s orders…”
“Tell me your name.”
“…”
I flinched at the Demon Emperor’s question.
Ah, damn it.
I haven’t picked a name yet.
Cold sweat trickles down my face.
What should I say?
I had no time to hesitate. If I wait too long, I’ll be dead.
This idiot will certainly kill me if he suspects I wasn’t sent by the leader.
What a crazy bastard, treating life like this. His personality is clearly warped.
“The reply is taking too long…”
“Uh… It’s… Palm Leaf.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted out my answer.
I felt compelled to say something, anything really.
‘Ah… What the hell? Why did I say Palm Leaf? Palm Leaf….’
In my rush, I must have messed up my words.
I tried to say something like “Red Leaf,” but since I didn’t think it would work, I scrambled to change it right as it came out.
What ended up coming out was “Palm Leaf.”
And then…
‘…This.’
Clearly, that was a mistake.
Did I really just name myself that? No, that wasn’t the mistake.
It’s the openings I revealed in that brief moment.
The minor hesitations. The expressions on my face in front of that bastard.
All those things I couldn’t control because I was distracted.
They must have served as fodder for suspicion for the guy in front of me.
I understood that all too well, simply because I was me.
Tap tap.
My fingertips move slightly.
This was a situation where making a mistake could get me killed.
Before that guy ignites the fire.
I pressed on and said to the Demon Emperor.
“The leader… asks that I convey this in case the esteemed lord finds it hard to believe.”
Thud.
The body of the guy trying to move momentarily stops.
Maybe because I risked my life for it, he didn’t reply, but I could feel it in the Demon Emperor’s expression.
Those eyes seemed to say, “Say something more.”
Swallowing nervously, I blurted out.
“…There are only two promises left… I think that would suffice…”
“…”
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.
‘Damn.’
A mad murderous aura enveloped the Demon Emperor as he processed my words.
To ooze that much murderous intent for merely saying something.
How can he survive when he puts out that much vitriol, this idiot?
With such a foul temperament, I wondered how he had been raised.
But that’s kind of where it ends.
He won’t attack me.
Suffice to say, this indicates that the Celestial Demon holds me in some regard.
Only the Celestial Demon and the Demon Emperor know about the promise.
Having learned about this immediately, the suspicion would grow, but at least I was safe for now.
After issuing the standby order, the Celestial Demon didn’t look for the Demon Emperor until the Demon Sword Master was dead.
Conversely, it was impossible for the Demon Emperor to seek out the Celestial Demon before then.
That ought to sound like a decent excuse.
Even though I’m boiling with rage and want to kill, the Demon Emperor won’t kill me.
As I locked eyes with the Demon Emperor in a moment of silence, I let out a sigh.
Whoosh.
The Demon Emperor turned his back to me first.
Phew.
It was just as I expected.
Though it doesn’t mean my situation is improving, at least for the moment, I feel a bit relieved.
Hack.
A short cough, mixed with blood, escaped my mouth.
It seems the force of that last attack had upset my stomach.
‘That fucker….’
How can he treat people like this?
As I spat out the remaining blood, the Demon Emperor spoke to the Demon Sword Master.
“Vice Captain, you should report to the Lord’s office afterward.”
“…Understood…”
After confirming the Demon Sword Master’s response, the Demon Emperor left the battlefield. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.
That jerk left because he couldn’t contain his temper and feared he might kill everyone.
‘What a punk.’
None of his actions sit well with me.
Phew.
I expectorated a bloody mix of saliva on the floor and then rose to my aching body.
Every joint screamed in protest.
Crack, crack. Just as I was trying to ground myself and calm my nerves, someone approached me.
He was an unusual man with brown hair and black eyes—a face I recognized well.
‘Silent Fist.’
Muk Kwon Hwangbo Seon.
A member of the Hwangbo family and someone under my command.
It’s nice to see him under these circumstances.
Suddenly showing up, Muk Kwon scanned me from top to bottom.
“Follow me.”
He curtly ordered and started to walk away.
‘…’
What a strange feeling it is to be treated like this by that guy.
Immediately after the Demon Emperor vanished, those in the hall began to exhale deeply, rising one or two at a time.
I contemplated my options, but without any alternatives, I decided to follow Muk Kwon for now.
At this moment, I was oblivious.
Until we skirted the rubble and exited the main battlefield.
For some unknown reason, the Demon Sword Master was staring at me intently.
The place we arrived at, following the Silent Fist, was a gathering of houses.
This was also a place I knew all too well.
It was only natural, as it was the residence of the Black Flame Corps.
‘…’
Black Flame Corps, what a ridiculous name.
I found myself bitterly muttering it without thinking, and for a moment, I felt an odd sense of familiarity.
That thought vanished in an instant as disgust settled in my gut.
Entering my quarters, I shook off my old clothes and changed into fresh ones.
It seems this would be my lodging. Aside from me, it appeared that a few others would be sharing the space.
‘…It doesn’t matter. They will mostly be wandering around outside anyway.’
Whoosh…
As I changed clothes, the Enemy Investigator peeked out from my arms to greet me.
I chuckled at that sight. It was amusing how the guy showed up right after everyone else cleared out.
“I guess you were quite frustrated, huh?”
The Enemy Investigator had also fallen into this world alongside me. I realized this during the brief absence of the Demon Sword Master.
Until then, he had been holding his breath and concealing his presence within my arms.
Was it fortunate that I ended up coming with the Enemy Investigator?
I thought it might be slightly troublesome, but on second thought, it might not be too bad.
After all, I had managed to survive, thanks to this guy.
‘Now that I think about it…’
In this world, it should be around the time that red monsters are appearing continuously.
‘There’s no point in getting the magic stones here, is there?’
If this is a fake world as I suspect, any stones I obtain would be meaningless.
‘Still, better to be safe than sorry. Maybe I’ll try to get some later.’
Whether I have enough time for that is another question entirely.
‘Best case, I’ve only got a few months tops.’
I don’t know exactly what time we’re currently in, but I can’t hang around like this for much longer.
‘He’s probably already started putting the pieces together.’
That guy named Nara is particularly suspicious at this time of year, and compelled by curiosity, he’ll undoubtedly want to uncover who this “Nara” is that suddenly mentioned the cult leader’s name.
Oh, can’t that jerk just let it go?
‘I doubt that….’
I know him.
He would never let this slide.
‘Sigh….’
The one small mercy I can cling to here is.
‘He hasn’t seem to realized I’m here.’
More precisely, he hasn’t detected the Gu Flame Wheel Technique within me.
That detail was pivotal.
What worried me most was what would happen if he found out.
-I am actually you.
-I came here due to these circumstances and I hope you can help me.
How would that play out?
‘What would happen?’
It was clear that I’d be dead before I could say anything.
Even if I showed him all the evidence in the world, he wouldn’t readily believe it.
Instead, he might treat everything as an illusion and attempt to burn it all down.
‘How he’d react is beyond me.’
Though he is the Demon Emperor, at that time, I was in a very twisted state of mind.
I wouldn’t be able to trust it.
Thus, I needed to hide it for now.
‘…If possible, I should avoid drawing suspicion.’
This power of mine is too obvious—it would be hard to conceal.
It even earned me a nickname that stands out like a sore thumb.
Oh, just thinking about it makes me mad again.
I managed to suppress my emotions and ponder the future.
‘Let’s say I hide my power… Then what do I do now?’
I tried to think of my next steps, but only felt utterly lost.
What on earth does this world expect from me?
How can I complete this trial?
Amidst my intense contemplation, I felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation.
Why did I end up in this hellish world…?
‘Who can I blame for this? My obsession with the Dokcheon-dan, I suppose.’
The rewards were ridiculously great; had I known it would lead to this, I wouldn’t have touched the Dokcheon-dan or whatever else.
Sigh…
As I exhaled deeply, my expression morose, I caught a hint of an unfamiliar presence from afar.
‘Hmm?’
Curious, I turned my head toward the source of the feeling.
Boom—!
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crash.
What the hell is going on now?
Then someone stepped inside the room.
“Hey, youngest!”
‘What now?’
As I focused on the rough voice, I realized it wasn’t just one person.
In the lead was the guard who had been watching the door earlier, along with a few others behind him.
Each of them wore broad grins, beaming with joy.
Their smiles strangely irritated me.
The doorkeeper, noticing I had changed clothes, chuckled and spoke to me.
“Our youngest, I know it’s your first time here, but usually on the first day, you have to undergo some important ceremonies, right?”
“Ah.”
With that remark, the current situation clicked into place.
An initiation ceremony all recruits at the unit undergo just once.
Additionally, they performed tacit beatings to clearly establish the superior-subordinate relationship.
From the looks of it, these guys seemed intent on performing that on me now.
“Hah.”
Without realizing it, I let out a dry laugh.
Did my laughter annoy them? The guard’s expression soured.
“This kid is laughing? He doesn’t seem to know what’s coming.”
“This kid is funny. Isn’t he funny?”
“What? This little punk…”
“What’s your name?”
I intercepted the guard and asked for his name.
Intrigued, the men behind him, including the guard, frowned deeply.
“My name is Seok Do-ah. Remember it well.”
Seok Do-ah? Hearing that name made me scowl as well.
“That name? Never heard of it. Not only can’t I remember it, I genuinely don’t know who you are.”
“What’s this guy on about…?”
“The world is in chaos. I’m being disrespected by some kid I don’t even know.”
Frustration boiled inside me at my wretched situation.
I can’t believe I’m being treated like this by some subordinate whose name I’ve never even heard of.
With annoyance in my gaze, I glared at him.
“Initiation ceremony? Yeah, damn it, let’s do this initiation ceremony.”
I took a step forward, releasing my aura.
I filled my body with magic, entwining it within my heart. My eyes blazed up instantly.
The demons froze in shock at my essence.
Seeing their reaction, I grinned slyly.
“Why don’t you give it a go?”
This might work out better than expected.
Just when I needed an outlet for my frustration.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.