“Is there a demon smell coming from a human?”
For a moment, I thought this jerk might be a comrade with a body constitution similar to mine. But it’s different. I don’t emit any demon smell. My inner power is clean and releases in the form of aura.
There’s no way we’re the same.
So, why does he smell like a demon?
Is it because he’s a demon?!
Could he be a demon-human?!
“…”
I followed him like I was bewitched.
Always on guard, ready to draw my sword.
Of course, this could be a misunderstanding. Just how strong has my sense of smell gotten that I can detect a demon? Right now, I’m more focused on smelling my wives’ breasts and butts.
But my instincts as a martial artist are sharp.
Something’s up.
—Step, step.
The closer I followed him, the more accurately I sensed the demon smell. Could it be that different species share a specific aura?
At this point, I was certain.
He’s a demon disguised as a human.
I’d heard that several demons could shapeshift into humans. Their common trait is strength. Shapeshifting is a mystical technique, and you must be strong to use it.
What could it be?
“Little rat.”
Seeing that rat-like face, something came to mind.
The demon rat, Great Monster, evolved into Seosengwon. Seosengwon hides and infiltrates human society, climbing to high positions and ultimately causing terrible calamities. I heard he can control rat hordes and spread plagues.
He’s a wicked one.
Though his combat power isn’t as strong as other demons, I’d heard to be wary of his cunning. With that brilliant brain, he easily deceives people.
They say if you kill him, a large rat carcass is left behind, but you could also end up capturing innocent humans and getting imprisoned if you fall for his schemes.
Alright.
Let’s go.
The Screaming Banishment, Kim Geunhyeop doesn’t let such evil beings run free.
“Hey there.”
Having made up my mind, I approached the little rat and spoke.
“Hmm?”
I sensed the aura more closely.
The unpleasant smell was getting quite strong.
“You… you have a tail!”
“Ugh?! What the hell!”
As soon as I mentioned the tail, he jumped and checked his backside. Of course, there was no tail.
It was just a lie.
“What! Who are you! Why are you suddenly talking nonsense!”
He was flustered and shouted loudly. Having brought up the tail threw him off completely, making him suspicious.
“Heh heh heh, I was just trying to start a conversation.”
“That’s a terrible joke. I’m busy, so I’ll be leaving.”
“You. You’re not a local, are you?”
“…Is there a problem?”
“A problem.”
I stared intently at him, dragging out my words. Right now, he was the one in a hurry, not me. As I gazed at him meaningfully, he fidgeted, trying to turn away.
“I-I’m leaving!”
“If you have a long tail, you get caught.”
“What…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. You know there’s chaos happening in this city.”
“I know.”
“So, the city is in bad shape. There’s no way an outsider would come here. What brings you here?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“No, it is your business.”
“…”
I could see anxiety creeping up on him.
It was apparent.
“I am Kim Geunhyeop, the Screaming Banishment. Taking advantage of the chaos in the city, outsiders from the Sahwa faction have been sneaking in.”
I had to calmly assess how much power he possessed while speaking and observing his demeanor.
“Are you saying I could be from the Sahwa faction? I don’t have any weapons! I’m offended by your suspicion!”
“To blend in as a commoner, you must hide your weapons.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“Come with me.”
“I have no reason to!”
As he abruptly turned, I grabbed his arm. I was measuring his strength at the same time. He wasn’t strong enough to shake me off.
“AAAHHH!”
“Why are you screaming? I’m just confirming if you’re from the Sahwa faction or not.”
“Why would I trust you to follow you! Let me go!”
I completely seized him.
“Huh? What’s this? Is that a tail?”
I feigned surprise.
“What?!”
“Tail! Let me grab your tail! Stay still!”
“No, no way!”
I pretended to grab an imaginary tail while holding him tight so he couldn’t turn around. Just as I expected, he couldn’t shake me off. His strength was lacking.
It was then.
“You jerk!!!”
He let out a shriek, and suddenly black fur began to sprout from his skin! The human was transforming into a rat!
So he really was a Seosengwon!
“You crazy rat! You’ve revealed your true colors!”
“EEEK!”
Still holding on, I jumped up.
“Stunner!”
“Thud!”
—Bang!
As I slammed the Stunner down, he screamed. At that moment, rats started pouring in from all directions. Is he trying to summon rats? Not happening on my watch!
“Where did you summon those rats from! You’re done for!”
“EEEK! EEEK!”
I swung Seosengwon’s tail like a flail and slammed it into the ground. With that overwhelming attack, the swarm of rats fled in panic.
“EEEK! EEK! Please! Save me! Please save me!”
“Bwahaha! The rat is begging for its life! Look at this! I’ve captured the demon Seosengwon! Check this out!”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Ahhh!”
As I ran around, proclaiming I caught Seosengwon, the people nearby gasped and screamed.
“I’m the Banishment! The Banishment has captured Seosengwon!”
“That rat is huge!”
“AAAHHH! It’s a rat!”
His true identity had already been exposed.
“EEEK! Human…! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”
“Heh heh heh, let’s talk about that later.”
The gigantic rat was squealing in my grip, but it was clear I had won. I wasn’t scared at all. Besides, I had taken him alive.
From this point on, the one who should be afraid is you.
“I have a lot of questions for you little demons. Want to have an honest chat?”
“EEEK? EEEK?”
I headed for the Banishment headquarters.
* * *
Interrogation Room.
Actually, it was a remodeled warehouse. A place that should function like a prison cell had to exist. Seosengwon was restrained inside.
“What do you want, human!”
“I hear your Seosengwon are called the ‘Cunning Ones’ among demons, right? Very cunning, they say.”
“EEEHK!”
There’s one more thing about Seosengwon.
He’s also known for being well-informed about the whole demon society. One could call him an information broker in the demon world.
Not surprisingly, rats are everywhere.
Seosengwon can communicate with the rats and uses them all as informants. Thus, he gathers information not just from the human world, but the demon world as well. He’s quite the schemer.
That gave me an idea.
If I captured Seosengwon, wouldn’t I be able to extract that information?
It could be extremely useful.
“EEEHK! You intend to trade with me!? My information is expensive! I want human flesh, human flesh!”
“Stop with the nonsense.”
“Here?”
—Creeeak.
The door opened, and Hayoung walked in.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“What? Is that really Seosengwon? You captured it?”
“Yup!”
“Goodness, you recognized it right away? Capturing Seosengwon is quite the luck. What are you planning to do?”
“They say Seosengwons are well-informed about various information, so I thought I’d extract some. If I can get information about the demons, it’ll be quite handy in taking them down.”
“Yeah, you really do think ahead. Good. I’ll help.”
Having a sage around is incredibly convenient.
“But right now, that guy is demanding human flesh for information.”
“Tell him to quit with the unpleasant demands. Give him this.”
Hayoung handed me a talisman.
I took it and approached Seosengwon.
“Hey, Seosengwon? Do you know what this is?”
“EEEK! EEEEH! Stop! Stop!”
—Slap.
As soon as I stuck the talisman on his body.
—Sizz.
Smoke began to rise from the talisman.
“EEEK!”
Seosengwon screamed like a tortured rat, shaking its head.
“This is rat poison for demons.”
“Heh heh heh, Hayoung, that joke is hilarious. Rat poison for Seosengwon.”
“Is that what you are saying? Heh.”
So we tortured Seosengwon for a while.
“EEEEEK… I’ll tell you… I’ll do what you want…”
That emaciated rat, seemingly devoid of will, spoke that way. But I didn’t fall for it. This guy’s head is full of schemes.
“Even if you say that, I know you’ll just give me false information. We should break his spirit a bit more.”
“EEEK! Don’t! I won’t! I’ll give you accurate information!”
“Is that so?”
Let’s see if his words prove true.
“Let’s hear what you have to say and verify it. So, Seosengwon, guess what I’m curious about?”
“Demons! Information about strong demons taking residence nearby! That’s what I want!”
“Correct.”
Not a bad start.
If I break his will, it’ll be easier to deal with him.
“I have information! I’ll give it! So please stop hurting me!”
“If the information is accurate, you won’t feel pain, and you can eat as you wish.”
“EEEK! There are strong demons nearby! Shihan!”
Shihan?!
That’s a subordinate of the Four Fairies!
“Shihan? Are you talking about that monster that caused this chaos?”
“That’s right! He’s hiding in a cave!”
If this information is true, it really has value.
Shihan is a priority target.
Who knows what he’ll do if left alone.
“Which cave?”
“I know the direction!”
“Which cave?”
This guy still isn’t catching on!
“EEEK! How can I describe the location of the cave in the mountains!? I only know where it is!”
“Okay, okay. You can communicate with rats, right? Command one to guide us. Otherwise, I can interrogate you some more.”
“EEEEK! I understand!”
“Alright. Prepare it. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, I finished the conversation and left.
“Galbi, keep an eye on that demon. He’s quite clever, so make sure the kids can’t communicate with him.”
“Is it alright, Geunhyeop? That guy is a demon who commands rats. No matter how guarded we are, how can we stop every rat from roaming around?”
“Don’t worry, our Jwaohwa method has set up barriers to protect us. We just need to keep an eye on him.”
“Got it…”
Shihan.
Let’s hunt him down.
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