“Mother, the vitality and blood of demons serve as impeccable nourishment. I wish to continue indulging in it.”
“……”
I hadn’t realized when it was just growling mindlessly. The White Tiger could speak so politely and intelligently.
As a Pope, it was something to welcome, but as its owner, I felt a bit disappointed. Our White Tiger’s charm lay in its cuteness.
‘It would have been better if it just stayed ignorant…’
It seemed it had absorbed Rodwell’s ability to think just okay.
Its intelligence must have improved, leading it to talk all of a sudden.
It wasn’t a bad change, but it felt a bit strange.
“The Demon World is much clearer now than the Void I used to dwell in. Is it because there are many demons to hunt? It feels like a cozy sanctuary.”
…How could it be so eloquent?
I wished it would just speak innocently like a child, but the White Tiger was too intellectual.
Speaking of which, the White Tiger wasn’t originally a baby tiger.
It was a Void Monster that had its Holy Body forcibly reduced.
Until Wip transformed its appearance using Void energy, it had been a large tiger.
Despite its appearance, it implied it was quite old.
“White Tiger.”
As I gently patted its head and opened my mouth, the White Tiger looked up at me with a lovely face.
“What is the reason you called for me, Mother?”
“…How old are you?”
“That is a rather difficult question to answer.”
The White Tiger, pondering as it wagged its tail, took a moment before answering.
“I do not know. A long-forgotten time lies deeply asleep in my mind, so a dullard like me has no means to ascertain it. Please think of it however you find most comfortable, Mother.”
In that case, I would decide it how I liked.
“Let’s say you are two years old this year.”
I decided to consider it a particularly clever young tiger.
Not particularly unpleasant, the White Tiger slowly nodded its head.
“Two years…. In truth, I am living my second life, so I do not think that perspective is incorrect.”
“And starting today, please keep your sentences as short as possible.”
“I understand.”
The White Tiger answered politely as it rubbed its head against me.
Its actions remained adorable, but its speech was in a distinctly polite mismatch.
It felt quite unnatural. It might need some time to adapt.
At least a week seemed necessary.
“Your Holiness.”
As I gazed down at the White Tiger with mixed feelings, Reeve approached with her shield tucked under her arm.
“What will you do now? Your location is being tracked in real-time.”
Now my location was continuously being relayed to the Generals.
It wasn’t particularly troublesome. I intended to go find them anyway.
However, it wouldn’t be safe to sit still, so I needed to devise a countermeasure.
I had somewhat sketched out a plan, but since it was still lacking, I decided not to act hastily.
“First, let’s move quickly.”
“Where to?”
“I haven’t decided on a destination. I’ll sort my thoughts while we move.”
I lightly tapped Reeve’s shield and requested Wip.
“Please prepare the fastest Void Monster.”
It was time to get moving.
*
-Kieeek!
We were flying on the back of a monster bird with three pairs of wings.
As we ascended, the bloody drizzle began to pour more heavily.
Unlike rain, the stench of iron filled the air, making for a double dose of discomfort with a shower of blood.
Thanks to that, my entire body was drenched in blood.
Disgusting, yet no one voiced their complaints.
Well, one person did grumble.
“Ugh, no way. Blood? Gross. Machines. Worst situation.”
“Shut up, tin can.”
Reeve, holding her shield as an umbrella, coldly shot down Kim Ji-yeon’s complaints.
It looked like she was not in a good mood after her excessive use of power had thrown our plans off track from the start. I felt the same way.
“Please don’t fight.”
I intervened to stop Reeve’s irritation for the sake of harmony and called my AI.
“Witness.”
-Did you call?
Before long, a translucent holographic humanoid, Witness, appeared before me.
However, for some reason, its appearance had changed slightly.
A pair of mechanical horns rose on its head, and it had black wire wings on its back.
It looked like a robot in a devil costume.
“What’s up?”
-While wandering through the Demon World Net, I felt like putting on a little show and dressed up.
Witness smiled brightly and spun in a circle in front of my eyes.
I smiled slightly at its cuteness and asked, “Have you finished surveying the domain?”
-Yes. I just completed it.
Witness waved its hand in the air, projecting a translucent map before me.
It looked like an oval-shaped area enlarged from Jeju Island.
Is this the Domain of the Great Demon?
After a quick look, I frowned slightly.
“How big is this?”
-About the same area as the entire Japanese archipelago. It wasn’t originally this large, but it was expanded after the war with other Great Demons.
I thought it was just a demon making noise on a live broadcast, but it was surprisingly capable.
“What should we watch out for?”
-There are three things to be cautious about.
With a screech, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 appeared in the air.
Witness touched number 1, enlarging it as it continued to speak.
-First, monsters made of bones and flesh inhabit the entire domain. Based on the level created by the entity [Witness], they are powerful monsters ranging between level 10 to 13.
That level didn’t pose a serious threat to us.
Then, number 2 increased in size.
-Second, the thick red acidic fog that becomes denser each night. They say it spreads at night and can dissolve your entire body if you’re not indoors.
“When does night occur?”
-There’s about six hours left.
So we still had plenty of time, which made me feel relieved.
-Finally, the third. This is the most important.
Witness colored number 3 in various shades and made it sparkle.
Then it leaned in with a serious face and warned me.
-The blood that falls from the sky is, in fact, a form of poison that accumulates in your body. Be careful.
“…How much exposure is dangerous?”
Witness replied cheerfully as if trying to reassure me.
-About a day’s exposure could be fatal.
“……”
I immediately ordered Yao to use a mana shield to block the blood.
Zssss.
After Yao conjured a large blue umbrella, I felt a bit more at ease and spoke.
“Any other useful information?”
-Unfortunately, documents about the Great Demon Rema and below were absent from the Demon World Net. There are indications that everything has been intentionally erased.
Could it be an attempt to hide its identity?
Typical deceitful behavior for a Great Demon.
-However, I managed to gather information on the Generals. Hostile forces had spread it all over the Demon World Net. I will show you right away.
Before long, profiles of the Generals, including the unicorn centaur we had eliminated, appeared before my eyes.
Appearance, names, abilities, weaknesses.
All information was detailed, including their secret sexual preferences.
“…Why is there stuff like this?”
-I don’t know either. I just thought it was entertaining to bring along.
“It is indeed interesting.”
I meticulously read the profiles of the Generals.
I analyzed their tendencies and pondered how they might react in various situations.
Then I smiled lightly.
“By any chance, is there such information on the Demon World communication network?”
While petting the holographic head for no particular reason, Witness nodded enthusiastically.
-Yes, there was.
“That’s great.”
It was the final piece I needed to complete the plan.
Clap.
I immediately clapped my hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, I’d like to share how we will hunt the Great Demon’s army from now on.”
As I briefly summarized and explained the plan, faint smiles appeared on the expedition members’ faces.
It was a silent approval that I could do as I pleased.
*
General Zirta couldn’t hide his anxious heart.
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1YzZXTnBybXZWL3JGRE1OYkZxc2NEVjlWTjZHWitYOTJBRGhHMlllZzNZQg
He double-checked the location information before him.
‘It hasn’t changed.’
A single pink dot marked around the western area of the domain.
It signified the location of the human who dared to assassinate the Great Demon.
Currently, all Generals were pursuing this human.
There was a message stating that a reward would be given to the demon who found and killed this human first, so everyone was excited, except for Zirta.
To be precise, he had been bursting with enthusiasm earlier, but not now.
The human’s commander had been in the same spot since earlier.
‘It’s a trap.’
It was a cunning human ploy.
They would undoubtedly be prepared and waiting. It was an obvious trick.
Though other Generals had noticed this, they were leading the army forward blindly.
They thought that sheer numbers would make it impossible for the few dozen humans to handle it.
While that was theoretically true.
He felt uneasy. For some reason, it was foreboding, and he didn’t want to rush toward it.
It would be wiser to observe how things unfolded. That seemed to be the most reasonable choice.
Just as he thought that, suddenly,
“G-General!”
His aide approached with a flustered expression.
“What is it?”
“W-well….”
After hearing the aide’s explanation, Zirta let out a chuckle in disbelief.
“Does that even make sense?”
“I couldn’t believe it either until I saw it myself.”
“……”
This was nonsense.
It must be a delusion.
Trying to dismiss it, Zirta accessed the Demon World Net via the Demon Stone.
And soon, much to his surprise, he witnessed the scene his aide had described.
A live broadcast screen appeared.
[The Great Demon Rema Teachings Broadcast]
-Hail the Sun!
On screen, there was a grey wall of an unknown origin.
Before long, a cheerful voice rang out.
-“From now on, we will broadcast the real-time demise of the deceitful and corrupt Great Demon Rema…”
Such absurd tricks were being pulled.
He didn’t know what the intention behind it was, but it was bound to fail. Demons would never watch a live broadcast conducted by humans.
But just then, Zirta inhaled sharply.
‘…As long as it doesn’t show a face, it doesn’t matter, right?’
As long as the broadcaster’s appearance wasn’t revealed, there would be no way for viewers to realize that the host was human.
Moreover, even if they managed to figure it out midway, they could just pretend not to notice.
The downfall of a Great Demon.
This was the kind of pleasure that was uncommon in the Demon World.
Sure enough, soon the chat began to explode with excitement.
[Love Betrayals] : Haha, this is good?
[Murdering King] : Oh yeah!!!
[Queen’s Daughter] : Please kill it!
[Head Collector] : Broadcast the slaughtering scene!
What irritating individuals, just like a proper demon.
Fury ignited within Zirta, and he immediately typed in the chat.
[Wise General] : Would you be willing to spare the subordinates who surrender?
It was a rational decision based on the gathered information.
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.
