Ch.137137. Accident

As I approached the classroom where Serath was attending a lecture, a voice came from inside the amulet.

[Well, it’s not exactly new for you to be doing dangerous things.]

[Why don’t you try having some self-awareness?]

“Excuse me?”

[Putting two Demonic Vessels together and expecting nothing to happen seems overly optimistic, don’t you think?]

I sighed as I responded to Calivan’s voice.

“…It’s just about sticking together during the exam. I don’t see any major issues.”

[The other person is a Demonic Vessel. Don’t you remember what happened when you messed around with them before?]

“…”

Well, I did get split in half.

To be honest, I somewhat agree with this person’s concern.

Not for any other reason, but because of this:

< Gift-Related Person Alert >

▼ Faynol Leiphec

[ No Affection Level ]

[ D-5 Until Related Event ]

Five days from now—the day of the practical exam.

Something’s going to happen with this guy then…

“…I don’t think it will reach a serious level.”

[You always think that way and then get blindsided—]

“No. Not with Faynol. That absolutely won’t happen.”

I cut off Calivan’s suspicion with a firm response.

[What makes you so confident? Didn’t you say he’d be the most dangerous if he went berserk?]

“…He’s a bit special.”

Considering that a demon’s rampage heavily depends on the vessel’s ‘mental state,’ this makes even more sense.

Someone who can’t feel any emotions essentially has no conditions for going berserk in principle.

[Then why are you running around trying to fulfill his request? Couldn’t you just leave him alone?]

“If I don’t listen to him, the thing inside will start acting on its own.”

I sighed as I answered.

Having all three fragments means there’s already a ‘complete’ demon inside his body. That makes him completely different from ordinary vessels.

Considering the Red Demon’s nature, it’s surely trying to descend into the material world through Faynol even now.

‘…The Demon of Hatred.’

I frown as I think of its epithet.

True to its name, the Red Demon is based on blind hatred toward living, sentient beings.

Thanks to that, it’s simply evil compared to other demons with their complex elements. When it goes berserk, it tries to burn and kill everything around it.

The problem is that the Red Demon, along with the Grey Demon, is one of the only demons that ‘forcibly’ goes berserk within the game scenario.

And Elia with the holy sword subduing it is the central content of Chapter 4.

So.

The one-month timeframe Faynol gave me is, well.

It’s an ultimatum period until that ‘predetermined’ rampage.

He’s saying that if I don’t kill him within this time, something terrible will happen.

“…”

What a tragic guy.

Having to die forcibly to avoid killing others.

Being a Demonic Vessel isn’t something he chose for himself either.

[…]

“You seem somewhat displeased.”

[Precisely.]

Calivan answered with a slightly subdued voice.

[You, are you showing sympathy for that guy?]

“…”

[He’s the main culprit behind the Red Night incident. That woman.]

Well.

It can’t feel good to see me seemingly taking the side of someone who killed him.

And besides that, as Calivan said, Faynol is someone who caused a catastrophe that engulfed tens of thousands.

But.

“…I won’t deny it.”

[What?]

“Faynol is a pitiful guy. The bad one is the ‘entity dwelling’ inside him, not Faynol himself.”

Faynol, I guarantee.

Is actually the most pitiful vessel in this entire game.

Dying once and being revived was definitely not his own will. The demon forcibly revived him.

Though his outward attitude doesn’t give that impression at all, knowing his ‘background,’ I can’t help but say so.

“So, yes.”

I scratch my cheek as I continue.

“This might be an unpleasant thing to say to you, but I do want to help him. Because he’s pitiful.”

[…]

Calivan remained silent for a while after my words.

[…You must have your reasons for saying that.]

“I’m sorry.”

[It’s fine. Just make sure you explain properly later.]

I smile slightly at Calivan’s disgruntled voice.

This person really has a big heart.

No matter how long we’ve been together, trying to understand even after hearing such words.

‘So…’

This ‘event’ will likely be the starting point for awakening Faynol’s affection level.

In my experience, when something appears as a related event like this, it’s highly likely to be related to the target’s affection.

I know his settings from A to Z. If I handle the situation well, it won’t be difficult to act according to my purpose.

‘…The obstacle would be.’

This guy.

▼ Serath Evatrice

[ Curiosity Level 5 ]

[ Rewards available. ]

The Violet Demon dwelling in this guy’s body is, how should I put it.

A bit peculiar.

It’s not as overtly dangerous as the Red Demon, but given its nature, it’s extremely toxic to me.

[Come to think of it, wasn’t it called the Demon of Submission or something?]

Calivan asked with a puzzled voice.

[Why does a demon have such… an ill-fitting epithet?]

“…Oh, that?”

With epithets like the Demon of Rage, the Demon of Obsession, the Demon of Hatred, and other ominous names, having one called ‘Submission’ does seem strange.

But.

“It’s exactly as the name suggests.”

[What?]

“It’s like… optimized for servitude. It’s a demon that seeks someone worthy to serve.”

It sounds like it would only be helpful rather than harmful.

But there’s a reason why Serath was considered the ‘number one landmine’ among Savior Rising players.

Blindly loyal to its master, which is good, but.

“…It’s optimized for causing trouble.”

The direction of that loyalty is a bit.

Terrifying.

[What?]

Thinking about its behavior in the game, it will ‘voluntarily’ commit various acts for the one it’s loyal to.

The problem is that for the recipient, it’s almost like pressing a self-destruct button.

[…I don’t quite understand.]

“Let me give you an example.”

I scratch my head as I continue.

“Right now, I’m carefully walking a tightrope trying not to get caught managing multiple demons, right?”

[That’s right.]

“If that guy knew this fact, he’d go to the other demons and say ‘Don’t try to monopolize the master, join the harem!’ and stir things up.”

[…]

“Without exception, he’d meet every single vessel and do exactly that.”

After a long silence, Calivan spoke.

[…I understand. Touch it wrong once and you’re dead.]

“Right?”

Even this person immediately understands how dangerous it is.

Truly terrifying, the Violet Demon.

[Then why are you deliberately going to meet that guy now? Shouldn’t you avoid him as much as possible?]

Calivan asked with a puzzled voice.

While I had sent Talion to call Faynol, I was heading to the building where Serath was attending a lecture.

There are several reasons, but…

< System Log >

[ Target ‘Serath’ wants to learn more about you actively! ]

[ Frequency of contact with you will increase significantly! ]

Once something like this appears, completely avoiding him is out of the question from the start.

Contact is semi-confirmed, and with my constitution, we’ll inevitably become deeply entangled.

So I need to formulate a solution accordingly.

“Like with other demons, leaving them alone actually makes things much worse.”

[Isn’t it the Demon of Submission? Can’t you just order it to stay put?]

“If you don’t give it any tasks, it goes berserk, saying it has no reason to serve.”

[…This is really troublesome.]

“…”

It doesn’t feel right to speak so lightly about demons, but I agree with the sentiment.

“…Anyway, maintaining an appropriate distance is best.”

Close but not too close, precariously.

Like a friend but not quite a friend, that kind of appropriate distancing is key.

With my constitution, it’s inevitable that it will cling to me to ‘submit,’ but I need to maintain a proper distance to prevent my sensitive information from flowing to it.

If I push it away completely, it will go berserk, and if I keep it too close, it will cause all sorts of trouble claiming it’s for my sake.

Forming a team for the exam this time is also to properly instill that sense of distance in this guy.

To take control of the relationship, it’s better for me to proactively manage the situation rather than having spontaneous contact.

“…Alright.”

Standing in front of the classroom where Serath is attending a lecture, I take a deep breath.

The ideal base is a relatively friendly but clearly defined business relationship.

As I’m thinking this.

Suddenly, a scream erupts from outside the classroom.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Someone quickly go get help!”

“…”

Hmm.

I get the feeling something has gone terribly wrong from the start.

Hurriedly pushing open the classroom door and entering.

The scene before me makes my head spin.

Serath standing in the center of the lecture hall holding a bloody dagger.

In front of him, a man collapsed in a pool of blood.

I don’t know exactly what happened, but the circumstances clearly indicate that Serath stabbed this man.

And a system window appears before my eyes.

< System Message >

[ Target ‘Serath’s’ mental state is extremely unstable! ]

[ An emergency event is being created! ]

!Emergency Quest!

[ Target ‘Serath’ is in trouble! ]

[ Affection will increase significantly if you rescue the target! ]

[ The exclusive quest ‘Betrayal’ will begin if you rescue the target! ]

[ If rescue fails, the ‘Violet Demon’ will go berserk! ]

“…”

Right.

It’s me after all.

Things were never going to be easy.