Ch.207Chapter 207: The Devourer (2)

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“AAAAAAHHHHH!!”

A scream.

The sudden, involuntary cry that a living being makes when faced with a threatening or frightening situation they cannot endure.

A scream that perfectly matched this dictionary definition was now reverberating loudly throughout the restaurant.

And as the volume of this scream increased, the tense atmosphere that had permeated the restaurant seemed to dissipate, as if a taut string had been cut.

One might argue that a scream should actually intensify the tension, not relieve it.

But screams come in different varieties.

This particular scream was coming from the very person who had caused the tension in the restaurant.

So naturally, the tight atmosphere that had enveloped the place was dissolving in an instant.

I didn’t need to look far to confirm this.

From the kitchen, where the chef and cooking staff had been forced to prepare food under the demon’s captivity, I could hear—thanks to my well-trained hearing—faint but unmistakable sighs of relief.

And from the regular employees closer to the banquet hall we were heading toward, the cheers erupting were loud enough to hear without even focusing my hearing.

All this confirmed once again that the being letting out this scream was failing to live up to its fearsome reputation.

A demon.

A being that instills fear and terror in people through its mere presence.

A dangerous entity that could rightfully be called the embodiment of evil, possessing not just an intimidating presence but the actual power to act on it.

Yet the holy sword in Shizu’s hand—which she had drawn without hesitation upon identifying the demon—had the power to make even such a demon scream in terror.

However, there should be limits to how one expresses fear, even when faced with overwhelming power.

[Tsk… Even young girls don’t scream like that, you know.]

If even Fafnir was clicking his tongue and making such remarks about the scream…

Well, it goes without saying how ridiculous this demon’s scream sounding throughout the restaurant truly was.

While I couldn’t deny how absurd it was, if the creature inside was who I thought it was, I couldn’t simply dismiss it as laughable.

So I maintained my vigilance, just in case.

*Click-!*

I released the lock on my dragon sword with just my will, without touching it.

Ready to draw it at any moment, I followed Shizu into the banquet hall, only to witness a spectacle that was even more ridiculous than I had anticipated.

[This is truly pathetic.]

I could understand why Fafnir, who rarely expresses his opinions during crucial moments, would say such a thing.

“Hey, hey, could you please… please put away that vicious blade during this pleasant mealtime? I’m… I’m begging you.”

The demon, unable to enjoy the mountain of food before him due to frustration, was now facing overwhelming power that blew away even that frustration.

Yet true to his innate nature, rather than showing hostility, he was stammering a request to Shizu not to interfere with the simple act he had been trying to perform.

Meanwhile, Shizu, seeing this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, was intensifying the radiant light emanating from her holy sword.

The demon’s face was turning deathly pale in real-time at the sight of this light, creating a scene that went beyond comical.

It would surely leave even veteran clergy of the state church, hardened by countless encounters with demons, feeling utterly dumbfounded.

For me, along with that sense of absurdity, this scene was conveying several facts.

What facts, you ask?

Judging by his current state, this fellow hadn’t fully regained the power he possessed when I first encountered him before my regression.

If he had recovered his full strength, he would have fled this situation even at the cost of taking damage, but his inability to do so made that clear.

That’s why, abandoning all the dignity of a demon whose job is to instill fear in others:

“Please… Just let me finish my meal.”

He was begging Shizu so pathetically just to let him eat.

By this point, even Shizu, who would normally cut down a demon with her holy sword without question, seemed perplexed.

She stood there, neither swinging the holy sword she had drawn upon confronting him nor returning it to its scabbard.

“…”

Silently, she turned her head toward where I was standing.

Seeing her initially expressionless face gradually fill with desperate plea for help, I realized she too had come to understand that mindlessly cutting down this demon might not be the best course of action.

Seeing Shizu’s inaction and my mere observation of the situation, the demon seemed to think he had found a chance to escape safely.

“You humans have a saying about not even bothering a dog while it eats, yet you dare to disturb ME! ME, who possesses intelligence and power far beyond your comparison!! With just!! A holy sword!! How dare you intimidate me like this!!”

He began to raise his voice, the veins in his neck bulging as he tried to pressure Shizu and me.

Compared to his initial panicked scream, there was a certain dignity in his voice now.

Yet the undisguised fear of the holy sword still evident in his eyes gave him the appearance of a frightened puppy—barking defensively while simultaneously evoking both cuteness and pity from people.

[You’re insane. Completely insane. You find that pitiful?]

Fafnir threw a playful jab at me.

I only felt that way because I knew his true nature.

Of course, I had no intention of breaking the tense(?) atmosphere by laughing out loud.

“You’ve got guts. Showing yourself openly in the middle of the Empire without even trying to hide your identity, and causing this commotion. I hope you’re prepared for the consequences?”

Intending to put this demon in his place as he brazenly confronted us both, I revealed the white blade of my dragon sword, which I had already unlocked and could draw at any moment.

While it might be slightly inferior to the holy sword in terms of both the weapon’s caliber and the wielder’s status, I judged it would be sufficient against a demon who hadn’t fully regained his power.

This judgment proved correct when I saw his face turn as pale at the sight of my dragon sword as it had at the holy sword.

“Walking around this empire without even bothering to disguise yourself—you’d have no right to complain if you were exterminated right here and now.”

As I taunted him while suppressing a laugh, I could see his already pale complexion losing even more color.

Faced with a holy sword that has absolute advantage against beings tainted by demonic energy, this was the best way to keep his mind from wandering elsewhere in this desperate situation.

Having cornered him this much, I waited for some kind of reaction from him.

A reaction that would differ from the two typical responses demons show when confronted by Shizu with her holy sword.

Usually, demons either flee immediately, not even wasting time to scream, or they charge forward recklessly like they’ve encountered their parents’ murderer. These were the patterns I’d observed during my time with the Imperial Knights.

If my prediction was correct, this cornered demon would show a unique reaction that belonged to neither category.

And my prediction was proven correct not long after.

The demon, whose expression had regained composure as if his earlier scream had been a lie:

“Hey! What’s the big idea barging in while someone’s eating? Even demons need to eat to live!!”

Instead of fleeing or resorting to violence, he protested in this manner.

In simple terms, it was a bizarre hybrid of the two typical reactions.

He was terrified of the holy sword and harbored a certain level of hostility toward Shizu who wielded it.

But rather than expressing that hostility through a display of power, he voiced his objection with what he considered reasonable arguments—showing more decorum than many citizens of the empire.

…Though according to imperial law, pure-blooded demons (not half-breeds) could be attacked without reason in the middle of the empire without legal consequences.

So unfortunately, his protests could rightfully be dismissed as nonsense.

Regardless of this obvious fact, it was impossible not to be taken aback by his behavior.

Since I knew who he was and understood his tendencies like the back of my hand, I was only outwardly surprised by his unconventional attitude while remaining calm inside.

“…”

But Shizu, still holding her holy sword silently, was clearly bewildered by this demon’s unprecedented response.

While she might show some restraint when dealing with humans corrupted by demonic energy, she typically swings her holy sword first when confronting demons born of demonic energy. The fact that she was just staring at her opponent revealed her confusion.

When she had looked to me for help earlier, there had been some optimism in her expression, but now it showed only perplexity at how this complicated situation might unfold.

Perhaps emboldened by Shizu’s expression, the demon displayed a haughty confidence as if he had never feared the holy sword:

“Get out! Holy sword or whatever, how dare you interrupt a pleasant meal? I’m in a good mood today because of the food here, so I’ll let you go just this once—now scram!!”

He threatened us to leave, his voice tinged with subtle anger.

…Though I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the contradiction between his threatening words and the fear of the holy sword still evident in his eyes.

[What a ridiculous fellow. He’s terrified of the holy sword but also annoyed at having his meal interrupted, so he’s determined to eat the food in front of him first?]

‘That’s pretty much it.’

[…He’s insane beyond help.]

How telling that Fafnir, who had assessed the demon’s character at first glance, would react with such disbelief when I confirmed his assessment.

Insane—yes, that’s exactly what he is.

A demon who, despite being born with an inherent hostility toward humans as his species’ destiny, loves human culture and civilization to an excessive degree.

So much so that he forgets his own nature and indulges in it.

He was a being who had earned enmity both in my life before regression and within the demon realm, where he was even marked for execution.

If anything, he was a being that existed in a gray area.

Before my regression, this demon named Lust had personally destroyed the demon realm’s vanguard that was attacking the empire, furious that they were trying to destroy the city he loved.

As his name derived from desire suggests, he was once a great demon who monopolized the love of the demon god Desire.

Despite being among formidable demons, he had rightfully earned the position of agent through bloody competition.

Yet he was an eccentric among eccentrics who voluntarily gave up his position as an agent because he couldn’t bear to see human civilization crumble due to conflicts with humans.