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[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 38: Oh, you're preparing a special banquet for me? Such effort is truly admirable...
Though I've never actually learned magic, after getting beaten a few times, it sort of sinks in on its own.
Ah, that’s a spell, and that’s what it can do.
Even just seeing something fly from afar makes my body instinctively react.
It's a reality where I had no choice but to get hit, so eventually, it feels like it just sticks in my head.
Through this endless repetition, my resistance to magic increased, and I naturally learned how to counter it.
Among the spells, ‘Hellfire’ was a common one used by lower-level demons or demon worshipers in the early days of the hero’s journey.
It had decent destructive power, and since it left no trace of a body, it was quite useful for erasing evidence.
Though I’ve never used it myself, I think it would be handy if I ever became a criminal.
It’s the kind of romance one might expect from a man, or a firepower enthusiast.
When I first encountered the Hellfire spell, it had the same impact as an invisibility ability or teleportation—so much so that I thought I might want to learn magic myself.
‘But now that I look back, it’s just a fire starter.’
The name’s Hellfire, but it was basically just pulling a little bit of hellfire.
For me now, who has killed a demon lord, it feels a bit trivial.
The reason I was interrogating the mage who used this trivial spell was simple.
You see, this spell calls hellfire, so unless the caster made a pact with a demon or devil, it’s impossible to cast.
Which means the black mage in front of me was a true demon contractor.
This likely meant that he wasn’t just using black magic, but also possibly had demon blood flowing in his veins—magical blood, to be precise.
"You’d better talk quickly. If you tell me where you learned that spell and who you made a pact with… well, I’ll let you go before it hurts too much."
"You think I’d trust a scoundrel like you?"
"If you don’t, what will you do?"
"…I won’t! My pride and dignity as Erneon Schtenbert will not allow me to… aaaargh!!"
When I put the holy sword to his arm, the black smoke began to swirl, and Erneon screamed.
I nodded calmly as I watched.
"How does it feel to hear the words of the Holy Lawyer? Changed your mind yet?"
"...Huff! Huff! Ugh!"
"Hmm, you still haven’t changed your mind, I see."
"…Wait-! Ugh, just give me a moment… aaargh!!"
Even in the other world, there were villains hiding behind noble families, pretending to be calm.
A curse that let them take the appearance of those they killed?
They called it a blessing, I think.
I remembered this villain who always maintained a poker face, only for him to scream when I pierced him with the holy sword.
I asked him how much it hurt, and he said it felt like being crushed under a carriage.
‘Ah, I see.’
I’ve never been run over by a carriage, but it must be terribly painful.
I kept applying the holy sword until he spilled all his secrets.
It’s been a long time since I had a moment like this, and I couldn’t help but think of that time again.
"You’re still hanging on, huh?"
With a smile that was the very picture of a righteous hero, I watched Erneon Schtenbert, the black mage, tremble all over, shaking his head furiously.
"I… I won’t last any longer! I’ll tell you everything, just stop with that crazy sword!"
"Good. So who is the demon you made a pact with?"
* * *
Dr. Erneon, a renowned physician and alchemist in the underworld.
A mad scientist.
A mage who had gone beyond the ordinary limits of magic and made a pact with a demon.
With his impressive skills and countless titles, always maintaining a calm demeanor, he was now in a situation where he wondered if he had already descended into hell.
In fact, he almost wanted to believe it was just a nightmare spell, it was such a terrible situation.
'…Damn it.'
His precious Hellfire Scroll was gone, his mana drained completely.
He hadn’t even gotten to touch the forbidden word techniques, and he hadn’t even betrayed the mage tower.
Not only did everything go wrong, but now even his subordinate had been captured.
If the one who found him was someone from his past, it might make sense.
But this guy?
Where did he come from?
He was furious, almost beside himself.
'…Damn it, this is no longer worth it.'
While internally grumbling, Erneon glanced at the terrifying holy sword, still trying to think of a way out.
He wasn’t sure whether his opponent would even spare his life.
Relying on the mercy of others wasn’t something his pride allowed.
He couldn't just escape with humiliation, not when he, as a demon contractor, was considered part of the elite class among black mages.
So, he had to come up with something.
'If my own power isn’t enough… then, there’s only one way left.'
Black mages were known to prefer finding shortcuts to victory rather than rising to the challenge and fighting honorably.
When the unknown man asked about the demon he had made a pact with, Erneon, outwardly panicking, inwardly saw an opportunity.
"Borobofos! The true name of the demon I made a pact with is Borobofos!"
"Never heard of him. Are you sure it’s a demon and not a fake?"
"Y-Yes, I’m sure! He’s a demon with the title of ‘Baron of Hell!’"
‘As if you would know the name of my demon lord, you fool.'
Erneon bowed his head deeply, hiding his true feelings.
"Hmm, Borobofos, a duke of hell?"
Looking at him, the man appeared to be impatient and rash, not expecting a sudden attack.
This arrogant fool needed to be taught a lesson, even if it came at a cost.
"Yes, a demon worthy of a duke in hell! He has powers that transcend those of mere mortal mages! With a pact with him, even a swordfighter becomes a sword master, and someone who knows nothing of magic will suddenly understand its mysteries..."
Now, aren't you curious?
Those who displayed such arrogance were often deeply curious by nature.
Drunk on their own power, they would sometimes wish to witness the true form of a demon with their own eyes.
In some cases, their overflowing greed would drive them to seek a contract with the demon themselves.
Though affinity and compatibility were important for forming a contract with a demon, in this case, either outcome would be fine.
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[Translator - Night]
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‘I'll use the demon’s power to deal with him.’
More precisely, it was a method of offering this monstrous being as a sacrifice to summon a demon.
The idea was to coax the man into drawing the summoning circle.
If successful, there would be no need to pay the usual price for commanding a demon. Instead, he might even receive a reward—an all-around good deal.
While creating the summoning circle demanded pouring in an enormous amount of resources and would be a huge loss if it failed, this wasn’t a situation where such concerns mattered.
Besides, the monster in front of him would likely fetch a high price.
It would be good if he could at least recover some of the day's losses.
"He is a truly kind and mighty demon. Even S-rank Hunters have sometimes received enlightenment beyond their reach. If only I had had more time, I too would have surely reached the realm of a high mage…!"
Muttering half-truths mixed with genuine regret to bait the man, Erneon nodded fervently—and then suddenly met the man's eyes.
Their gazes locked.
The man looked down at him with an expression that was half interested, half fully aware of the scheme at play—an overwhelming, condescending gaze that made Erneon's heart thud.
‘...Don't look at me like that.’
Had he been given just a little more time and opportunity, he would have easily surpassed the limits of humanity.
And yet this ignorant fool, who knew nothing of higher realms beyond Earth, dared to look at someone contracted with a mighty being of Hell with such arrogance.
Fury boiled within him.
Clenching one hand into a tight fist, Erneon forced a smile and continued speaking.
"Perhaps you might be interested?"
When he asked that, the arrogant man in front of him smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm a little interested."
Perfect.
It was the perfect chance to kill this bastard.
Rejoicing inwardly, Erneon bowed deeply and continued coaxing the man to draw the demon summoning circle.
"Then, by all means, give it a try."
Good.
As long as the man didn't interfere, he would be able to summon a demon of Baron rank.
A monster that could easily kill even high mages or S-rank hunters with a mere snort.
Only an Archmage could barely protect themselves against it.
No matter how skilled the man was, he knew nothing of magic or demons; survival was impossible.
Erneon emptied his subspace pouch, pulling out all the necessary materials, and barely managed to complete the demon summoning circle.
With a face full of blissful excitement, he raised both hands high.
"O mighty demon! Baron of Hell, Borobophos! Please partake of the feast laid before you!"
At his cry, the summoning circle began to emit an ominous crimson glow, and a form began to materialize.
A writhing shadow.
An incarnation formed from condensed darkness.
The demon who emerged atop the summoning circle—the demon with the bull’s face, the Baron of Hell, Borobophos—exuded a grand and imposing presence as he looked around.
[Ohh, to prepare such a magnificent feast for me—such effort is truly commendable…]
His gaze then met the "feast"—the warrior holding a holy sword.
[...]
A brief, frozen silence.
"Come, indulge in the feast before you! And should you grant a small blessing to your loyal servant..."
The black mage who had summoned him was babbling something, but Borobophos couldn’t care less.
[You accursed—!]
Realizing the situation, Borobophos tried to cancel the summoning immediately.
But the warrior swiftly reached out and grabbed the demon by the scruff of his neck.
And just like that, the spell was effortlessly disrupted, leaving Borobophos utterly dumbfounded.
He frantically unleashed dozens of black magic spells and even invoked demonic powers in a desperate struggle.
But no matter how hard he thrashed and fought, he could not break free from the warrior's grip.
[Kyaaaagh—!]
The demon, caught and helpless, shrieked in agony.
Meanwhile, Erneon, the "loyal servant" who had summoned him, could only blink in stunned disbelief.
"...O mighty demon?"
Dazed by the completely unforeseen turn of events, Erneon stood frozen for a while.
When the summoned demon finally dropped to his knees, Erneon's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
[I surrender! I surrender!]
It felt like he had plunged straight into a waking nightmare.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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