Chapter 70

Chapter 70: The Masked Figure (1)

Valak, who confirmed the Pocket Watch through my eyes, snorted.

-Ha! I knew it. You are saying you will give me a price with this tiny little watch? Are you trying to deceive me again?

No, this time, it was real.

-Do you not trust me too little? You are a High-Rank Demon, so why are you this suspicious?

-Who do you think made me like this?!

-Ah, good grief, you are noisy.

Roughly ignoring Valak’s roar, I tapped the Pocket Watch.

-Enough. Demonic Aura is spread around here, is it not? Gather just a little of it and put it inside this Pocket Watch. You are a High-Rank Demon, so you should be able to do that much, right?

Jaeger had said he did not know what this core part was, but to be honest, there was no way he could know.

The driving force that moved this artifact was Demonic Aura.

However, because it was an artifact, inserting Demonic Aura required a precise process.

For now, borrowing the power of a High-Rank Demon who could handle Demonic Aura freely was the best option.

Of course, this bastard Valak would not want to listen to my request.

-If you think I will obediently do it for you, you are gravely mistaken…….

-If you do not want to obtain a price, then forget it.

-Aaaagh……!

Valak seemed as if his blood pressure had risen, but that was none of my concern.

-Whew……. Fine. I will do it as if I am letting myself be deceived.

-Wait.

I took out a Black Robe from the Subspace Bag I had brought and wrapped it around my entire body, hiding my appearance.

I also took off the Pendant and returned to my original appearance, then gripped the Pocket Watch in one hand.

-Good. I am ready.

-Why are you suddenly removing your disguise?

-Well, you will understand once you see it.

-Hmm…….

At the same time as my Frontal Lobe went numb, the Demonic Aura spread around the area began to creep toward me.

The Demonic Aura, which had gathered like dark clouds, shrank in volume and condensed into something small before taking on a definite form.

A black droplet.

A single pitch-black droplet, about the size of one piece of candy, floated in the air.

-You want me to put this inside the Pocket Watch?

-Yes.

DRIP.

When the droplet fell onto the Pocket Watch, the second hand of the motionless watch began moving with a ticking sound.

The edge of the Pocket Watch shone, and purple strings of text appeared before my eyes.

[High-Rank Demon Authority detected.]

[Beginning authentication procedure.]

The corners of my mouth curved upward.

As I had thought, even if it was a prototype, the effect itself was similar to the completed version.

After confirming that it was operating normally, I lightly tossed the artifact forward.

This artifact was an artifact for handling a demon’s power.

And right now, I had reactivated the artifact using the power of Valak, a demon.

It was a situation where the members of ‘Abyss’ who had created that artifact had no choice but to notice.

TICK.

The artifact stopped in midair, ignoring the laws of physics.

Rather than floating, it seemed as though it had actually stopped in place.

{Oh… ooooh……!}

Before I could finish thinking, an exclamation came from the artifact.

It was a strange voice, cracked and fractured, impossible to identify as male or female.

SSSSSS…….

Starting from the floating artifact, an unknown figure gradually took shape.

From a form as indistinct as a ghost, it slowly became clearer.

“When I detected a signal from the Artificial Rift, I wondered what it could be…….”

A Black Robe identical to mine, and even a White Mask that indicated they were a member of Abyss.

“I did not expect to meet Aron Bayonel, Direct Line of the Four Great Houses, like this.”

The figure wearing a White Mask with smiling eyes and a smiling mouth bowed to me all the way at the waist.

“…No, should I say you ‘were’ Direct Line?”

“That sort of thing does not matter, does it?”

As expected, the moment they saw my face, they treated me quite favorably.

After all, the current me was a wanted criminal who had fled the Dark Empire.

And  members of the Abyss were the bastards who had worked behind the scenes to summon a demon in Saengterminum.

They surely thought I was one of their kind.

That did not mean that person was a fool.

“However… where did you obtain this artifact? There should be few people who even know the proper method to activate it…….”

The Smiling Mask looked down at the Pocket Watch they were holding and asked.

If I simply pretended not to know here, it would be difficult to avoid suspicion.

“Why should I tell you that?”

“…Pardon?”

“You covered even your face with a mask, yet you dare try to pry information out of me? Did you think acting polite with words would settle everything?”

When I acted aggressively from our first meeting, the Smiling Mask’s tone also lowered.

“Ahem, well now……. You truly are Aron Bayonel. I was rude.”

“That is how you should be. Now we can finally talk.”

Thank you, past delinquent me.

Thanks to that, avoiding suspicion had become much easier.

-Wow… that, that madman…….

Valak’s Thought-Message clicked his tongue in disbelief, but I roughly ignored it.

“I know that you are ‘Abyss.’ That much should be enough of an answer for now, should it not?”

“…It is surprising that you even know the name of our Demon Order. However, it is difficult to trust you based on that information alone.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Let us see if you can still act coy after hearing this.

GRIN.

I twisted the corners of my mouth viciously.

“I heard you were going to summon a demon in Saengterminum, so I thought I would help……. Will you still not believe me?”

“……!”

I heard the sound of breath being swallowed beyond the mask.

“You knew… even that?”

“I want to join the ‘Abyss’ you belong to. I liked the part about rampaging on a grand scale in Saengterminum with a demon.”

Abyss was a Demon Order that would only begin its activities five years later.

Until then, even its name had not been properly revealed, so it could be said that its secrecy was certain.

In other words, for now, it was better to stay close to Abyss.

If I came into contact with Abyss, I would be able to learn more specifically what those bastards were planning to do.

It meant that changing the wretched future would become even easier.

“Hu hu, you are bold. Well, considering you have that sort of personality, I suppose it makes sense that you even declared right in front of everyone that you would kill Student Yulia of the Holy Magic Department. I like it.”

Mm… How should I put it? 

That had somehow ended up happening.

Still, since Abyss viewed it positively, it was not entirely bad.

“Moreover, you dealt with Student Lucia and her parents when they went berserk because of Demonic Aura, and you even succeeded in escaping. Since you caused such an incident alone, we should also treat you with respect.”

“…You knew?”

Well, it had been a fairly large incident even in Saengterminum. 

It would not be strange for that person to know that information.

“Would I merely know?”

“Hm?”

“We were also observing the Fallen Cult Leader who was here with great interest.”

“…What?”

…What did that bastard just say?

The Smiling Mask looked around.

“Your choice of location is quite nostalgic as well. After all, this is where the Defectors and the Fallen Cult Leader were.”

“…It seems very familiar to you.”

“That is right.”

“…I investigated separately too. Did you do something to the Fallen Cult Leader who was here?”

“Heh heh, that is correct. In the first place, could a Fallen Cult Leader whose reason had been broken, and who had no deep knowledge of Black Magic… have taken Student Lucia’s parents out through the barrier?”

I had felt slightly doubtful about that as well, but I had not thought that deeply about it.

The more deeply one was contaminated by Demonic Aura, the more impossible it became to predict changes in one’s behavior and abilities.

But that had been because of you people?

The Smiling Mask laughed faintly.

“I merely pushed the Fallen Cult Leader’s back a little. By providing a formula that allowed one to pass through the barrier without being detected.”

“Ha, that is rather surprising.”

A hollow laugh escaped me on its own.

“Why did you do such a thing?”

“I was curious.”

“Curious?”

“The moment I saw the Fallen Cult Leader, my desire for inquiry boiled over. I wondered whether a Fallen Cult Leader, who was not a formal Demon Cult Leader, could truly summon a demon… My curiosity welled up.”

“…….”

“Though I heard he died before he could even attempt the summoning.”

Should I say this was only natural for a member of a Demon Order that served the Seven Deadly Sins? 

Their way of thinking itself was twisted.

A being who lived solely for pure curiosity.

That was not merely pure. It was curiosity close to madness… an inquisitive spirit that would stop at nothing to research Black Magic.

As a Black Mage, it was not that I could not understand that feeling at all.

I had once nearly ended up with that kind of narrow perspective as well.

However, even that had its limits.

One corner of my mind grew cold.

“Since we also have our procedures, I will lightly test your skill. There is plenty of residual Demonic Aura nearby, so this place is perfect for a test.”

“A test?”

“It is simple. Please eliminate all the monsters that appear from now on.”

Following the Smiling Mask’s hand gesture, the lingering Demonic Aura seeped into the waterlogged swamp floor.

“Please be careful, since they are not ordinary monsters.”

BOOM! THUD! CRUNCH!

Water sprayed up here and there from the muddy water, and monsters boasting large bodies rose from various places.

GRRAAAAAAAH!

Alligator-Type Mid-Rank Monster, Alliito.

Among the monsters that appeared in this area, it was the strongest if one judged by grade.

Even at a rough glance, there were more than ten of them.

Since they had even been corroded black-red by Demonic Aura, their actual grade was likely higher than Mid-Rank.

To think they had Corrupted more than ten Mid-Rank Monsters all at once. 

As expected of a member of ‘Abyss,’ which served the Seven Deadly Sins.

The Corrupted Bodies that had emerged from the swamp crushed the surrounding trees and immediately approached me.

If I stood by and did nothing, my body would be split in two before long.

However, amusingly enough, I had been waiting for this situation from the very beginning.

For the situation where a member of ‘Abyss’ would come to test me and send out Reptile-Type Monsters.

‘…It is worth trying.’

Coming into contact with ‘Abyss’ was only part of the plan.

If I could subdue that person here immediately, things might proceed even more smoothly.

I raised one hand upward.

‘Authority Activation.’

Valak’s authority, Reptile Domination.

It was Valak’s most primal authority, allowing him to control reptiles.

However, because it was an authority, its effect was absolute.

GRRRR…….

GRRK……?

All the Reptile-Type Corrupted Bodies stopped moving at once and looked at my hand as if they had been bewitched.

Lowering my hand, I pointed at the Smiling Mask across from me.

“Bite them apart.”

“What……!”

No sooner had I spoken than the Corrupted Bodies that had been heading toward me turned toward the Smiling Mask.

Undead Serpent, summon.

The undead that rose from beneath my feet launched itself toward the Smiling Mask.

Shadow Spear, Single Forging.

I also covered my right arm in Demonic Armament, gripped a Shadow Spear, and pulled my arm back.

Then I threw it in a straight line toward the Smiling Mask’s abdomen.

BOOM!

Ripples spread across the wide, damp swamp floor.