[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-Whispering Leaf. Looks like things got lively while I was away?
Suddenly, the Great Demon revealed itself. Not in person, but as a supporter.
“…Great Demon.”
As Wip muttered with a stiff face, the chat was thrown into chaos.
-???
-That’s the Great Demon?
-Wasn’t that the one who was causing trouble last time?
-Who is this guy?
-I thought he was a regular supporter…
Both those who remembered the nickname ‘Lerorna’ and those who did not were bewildered. It was easy to see why—the infamous Great Demon mentioned directly in the President’s address had shown up.
To prevent the atmosphere from turning too heavy and serious, I spoke up quickly.
“Yes, it’s the Great Demon. That’s the demon we’re going to catch on this Demon World expedition. It will just be a shard, though.”
Once I revealed the truth, Wip quickly added, “And he was the one who drew aggro during the last Tower of Hell incident and commanded me to capture the Pope.”
As I kept talking, the delicate face of the Dark Elf gradually hardened. Memories of living under the grip of the Great Demon seemed to resurface, swirling in her head.
Trauma caused by wounds that were beyond my ability to heal.
In such cases, Sacred Power was meaningless, but I had another method of healing on hand.
Warm words and graceful dignity.
For now, that was enough.
“You’re okay.”
I gently placed my hand on Wip’s shoulder and continued softly.
“Don’t worry. The Great Demon isn’t here, and he can’t enter Korea. Liam is here, after all.”
“…That’s true.”
While it was something anyone could say, maybe it was reassuring enough that the once-tight Wip slowly began to regain her composure.
In that moment, the Great Demon sent me a supportive message aimed directly at me.
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-Pope. Did you think you won? No. Our demons never give up until the last moment.
How ridiculous for such a scoundrel to pretend to have a strong will while focusing only on tormenting others.
I couldn’t help but scoff at the absurdity.
“Yes, very scary indeed.”
As I responded casually, I focused my thoughts for a moment.
‘Did he send another shard already?’
Being skilled in deception, he could have slipped into Korea without Liam sensing him.
So, I decided to keep my outer expression neutral while trying to convey my intentions to my demigod husband connected through my mind.
That was when it happened.
[(☆)riamclytia: Oh that jerk showed up again.]
Liam, who seemed to have just entered the broadcast, expressed his displeasure in the chat.
[(☆)riamclytia: Just wait a sec.]
[(☆)riamclytia: I’ll go meet him right now.]
[(☆)riamclytia: If he hurts innocent people again, I’ll make him suffer worse than last time.]
A cold warning from the demigod. For someone who had already experienced being smashed once, it felt like a death sentence in the chat.
But, demons are notoriously foolish, learning nothing from their past.
Like they had completely forgotten the memories of being thoroughly beaten, the Great Demon began to taunt again.
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-Fool! Do you think I came to Korea again?
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-I’m abroad. This time, I’m hiding even more secretly.
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-Can you find me? Hehe.
A classic provocation that made even a record of demons’ misdeeds.
Of course, he had the supernatural talent for infuriating people. Even though it wasn’t directed at me, I could feel my frustration rising.
I wondered just how Liam, a guy who easily got heated, would react.
He was probably over there, grumbling and trying to find out where the jerk was hiding.
But it wouldn’t be easy. Even I, as a Pope, couldn’t sense a whiff of the Great Demon possessing an ordinary person, Kim Yi-jeong.
I frowned and tapped my fingers on the desk.
‘I wanted to set a record…’
Why did he have to show up just when the audience was most curious about the story?
It felt deliberate.
The Great Demon was always like that.
A collection of malevolent thoughts that ruled returnees purely for the enjoyment of tormenting others.
He knew exactly how to make someone else suffer, making his very existence a disaster.
And so, I was off on a journey to the Demon World.
In the meantime, a notification chimed, and this time it was from another viewer, not the Great Demon.
[ksy11’s 1,000 won!]
-But last time you sent fifty thousand, why just one thousand today? Did you go broke?
Quite a sharp observation.
“Now that you mention it, it’s odd that he’s only sending one thousand today unlike last time.”
Thanks to the sharp-eyed viewer, an opportunity to counterattack emerged.
I seized the chance and responded casually.
“Where have all the collected funds gone? Don’t tell me you lost everything when the last shards were annihilated?”
The way to annoy the enemy was directly taught to me by the Great Demon himself.
The key point was to “gently poke but not overdo it.”
“Oh dear. That’s unfortunate.”
I spoke genuinely as if I truly felt for him and lightly tapped Wip’s arm with my elbow.
At that, the delicate Dark Elf gave a light laugh.
“But it’s kind of funny. The Great Demon is broke.”
“Absolutely.”
I also chuckled, continuing my speculation aimed at the Great Demon.
“Maybe he went to a sparsely populated area so that he wouldn’t be caught by a returnee specializing in detecting demonic energy. Such a coward.”
“He’s always been a coward anyway.”
“Average for a demon. In all my life, I’ve only met one nice and brave demon. Learnt about him not long ago.”
“Then he’s definitely not the Great Demon.”
“Please don’t state the obvious.”
A polite exchange between the respectful Pope and the courteous Dark Elf.
Both of us maintained a polite tone, but the content was nothing but ridicule and belittlement.
This would surely infuriate him twice as much.
Additionally, there were viewers around ready to join in on the fun.
-Coward !ㅋㅋㅋ
-Is that really a Great Demon…?
-Maybe he got scared after being beaten once?ㅋㅋㅋ
-So he got wrecked by the Great Demon hero, huh?
-If that’s the case, go be a Lesser Demon.
-Demon Squad!ㅋ
This was a public humiliation scene.
The one getting pelted with verbal abuse while tied up was none other than the Great Demon.
He was such a notorious scoundrel that not even guilt could creep in, no matter how much he was maligned and mocked.
Moreover, there was no risk of being sued, so truly, the perfect target for scorn.
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-You bastards…
Shortly after, the Great Demon threw a fit and sent another donation, but I ignored him and continued the conversation with Wip.
“Pope, by the way, I haven’t yet explained what kind of being the Great Demon is to the viewers?”
“Oh, I totally forgot. He’s so insignificant that I lost track.”
“Same here.”
“Could you introduce us to the Great Demon, Wip, who knows him best?”
“Understood.”
The Dark Elf nodded and with a strange smile, emitted a bizarre aura of purple and navy-blue from her hand.
Void Energy.
The sinister force mingled with Wip’s will, forming letters in the air.
The title and name of the Great Demon appeared.
[The Great Demon of Deception and Corruption]
[Regi the Trash Fool]
“This is the name of the Great Demon we will face. We decided to call him ‘Regi’ for short.”
To a demon, a name is their very identity.
Perhaps that’s why when I revealed the name we casually labeled him with in the last meeting, the Great Demon showed extreme fury.
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-You motherfuckers!! What have you done to my true name!!
Like last time in the telepathy chat room, he was screaming like a kid throwing a tantrum again.
It was a reaction offering the hyena pack of the chatroom another excuse to pounce.
-How is a demon’s name Regi the Trash?ㅋㅋㅋ
-That’s fitting.
-LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-So was the Great Demon, a kid? Why does it feel so juvenile?
-Wow, so scary~
-The reporters are probably debating how to write about this.ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[1,000 won like a sprout from Lerorna!]
-My name is Regidro Reuenna!!!!
So irritated was the Great Demon Regi that he raised the amount to emphasize his true name.
But even five thousand won had little impact.
“Reg… I forgot again.”
“Just call him Regi the Trash.”
“I suppose so.”
I figured we could stretch this out just long enough.
Having sufficiently provoked him, it was now time to silence the Great Demon.
“Everyone, I will temporarily raise the donation limit.”
To protect our poor Great Demon’s finances, I raised the minimum donation amount to fifty thousand won.
As a result, the continuing stream of donations ceased, growing eerily quiet.
[(☆)riamclytia: Are you waiting for me?]
Just in time, Liam reappeared in the chat.
He then delivered the long-awaited news.
[(☆)riamclytia: I found it.]
[(☆)riamclytia: It wasn’t hard because I got that poison from him last time.]
My husband truly was reliable.
“Liam, where is the shard of the Great Demon now?”
I asked leisurely, smiling as Liam promptly replied.
[(☆)riamclytia: America.]
America.
That was a country where I couldn’t easily issue an order to go destroy the Great Demon’s shard.
Unlike the case with Haoran during the Burning Association incident, where we had a solid justification for taking him down, that wasn’t the case now.
Of course, it wasn’t as if there were no methods.
“Liam, please contact Quick Eagle.”
If it was infiltrated in America, I could leave it to a returnee in the US.
[(☆)riamclytia: Understood! I’ll share the exact location.]
It seemed I wouldn’t have to worry about that side anymore.
After flashing a gentle smile for the Great Demon Regi, I turned to Wip.
“Wip, as a member of the Demon World expedition, please declare a challenge to the Great Demon.”
“Alright.”
I thought the cool-headed Dark Elf would hesitate, but surprisingly she accepted it immediately.
Then Wip looked into the camera and said seriously,
“I will make you wear a dog collar around your neck and take you for walks with my Void Monsters.”
That was an unexpectedly satisfying declaration of war.
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