Ch.240Chapter 240: Ominous Stirrings (1)

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Karl Ranos was now facing a difficult situation.

After the fierce battle with the incomplete incarnation of the Demon God, Desire, he had overexerted himself and fainted from exhaustion, barely regaining consciousness afterward.

He had hoped to spend tender moments with his beloved Liliansis while recovering his tired body.

However, his wish was soon thwarted by visitors who entered the place where he and Liliansis were alone.

Karl ended up spending a lively time with his lover, friends, and those around him.

While savoring the lingering victory, his urgent priority should have been contemplating how to respond to the Demon God who had begun activities earlier than before his regression.

“Your Highness, doing this where there’s a patient…”

“Quickly, promise to caress me when we’re alone. Please.”

Before he could even state the purpose of his visit, Karl saw Princess Lukius performing a not-so-comedic comedy with her ever-present shadow, so he set aside such serious thoughts for now.

“Let’s look over there.”

“…Okay.”

“Excel, stop laughing and turn your head in the same direction as us.”

For a moment, he focused on not disturbing the tender scene unfolding between those two.

The tranquility needed for contemplation had vanished completely.

The bustling atmosphere had taken its place, but Karl wouldn’t dislike this liveliness.

And rightfully so. Wasn’t this busy commotion also a trophy he had earned by achieving a small victory against the being that lurked to plant twisted principles in this land?

If the trophy he earned with his own hands was this warmth-filled liveliness, Karl would never dislike it.

Even if there was embarrassment from inadvertently spreading the warmth created when he and his lover caressed each other’s heads to onlookers.

The mere fact that he had moments to feel such embarrassment gave him great fulfillment.

Karl would cherish this time and grow his sense of duty toward what he needed to do.

Karl knew well what future awaited if he lost the battle against the Demon Realm—an opponent so weak it could barely be called a preliminary skirmish.

A future where light is swallowed by darkness, and smiles and laughter are consumed by sighs and screams.

That’s why, even as he blended into the liveliness created by those around him with a gentle smile, Karl made a vow.

For the sake of people who find happiness in this modest daily life.

For the sake of the precious person who feels happiness simply by having him nearby.

I will endure, persevere, and endure until the end to emerge victorious.

It was a small and modest, yet brilliantly shining pledge.

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Where there is light, there is always darkness.

While Karl Ranos was enjoying the joy of this modest victory and shining brightly.

It would have been nice if every place in the world was filled with the same radiance Karl felt.

Unfortunately, in this world, there is one place where darkness grows proportionally to the brightness Karl feels.

And that darkness will only deepen today due to Karl, who strongly felt the radiance blooming in his heart.

Let’s shift our location briefly to see how that darkness deepens.

The Central Continent, a land called blessed for its heavenly natural environment, has one place that did not receive such heavenly grace.

It is the Land of Darkness, accessible only by crossing the Dragon Claw mountain range at the northern edge of the continent.

In this land where a Demon God who effectively spread the evil of desire in people’s hearts a thousand years ago now sleeps deeply, bright light does not exist.

That’s not to say there is no light at all. There is.

If one can define as “light” the eerie glow created by obsidian that absorbs thread-like rays and reflects them as dark red light tainted with evil.

The sounds heard under this dark red sky of the Demon Realm are far from what one might hear in ordinary nature.

Guooooooo-!!

Uwoooooooo-!!

The monstrous cries of demon beasts born here, moving only by the instinct for struggle engraved in their nature.

Kurrrrrrrrrrrng-!!

Even the roaring sound waves of immense power that silence these embodiments of the fighting instinct.

In this Demon Realm dominated by bizarre sounds that could make an ordinary person lose their sanity just by encountering them, there is one place that maintains some semblance of quietude.

That place is a beautiful palace built using the abundant obsidian of this land.

Normally, one would witness the self-proclaimed mistress of this masterless palace suppressing the noisy demon beasts and creatures outside with her power.

“…”

However, the very person who should be doing all this was now maintaining a full prostration before the throne in the deepest great hall of the palace, not moving a muscle.

Guooooooo-!!

Uwoooooooo-!!

The creatures outside were freely(?) howling according to their instincts.

“…”

Despite hearing these roars even in the deep hall of the palace, Adorator, the mistress of the palace, did not rise from her bowed position nor say a word.

She maintained her completely stiffened expression as well.

What could make this semi-deity, whom one needs permission even to make eye contact with in this Demon Realm, bow her head and contort her expression?

Was it because her expedition to the Eastern Continent, where she personally went to plant seeds of evil to strengthen the Demon Realm’s power, ended in failure?

Or was it because Pale Sanguin, who went in her place for the annual southern expedition, failed much more miserably than last year when they had almost succeeded in conquering a fortress?

To find the answer, at least one word related to this would need to come from the mouth of the hunched Adorator herself.

“…”

But as no words came from Adorator’s mouth as she faced the dark red mist gathering on the throne, which could be well compared to the dark red sky of the Demon Realm, it seemed unlikely to learn anything through her.

However, just because she showed no reaction didn’t mean there was no way to solve this mystery.

Shuuuuu

The strange sound coming from the dark red mist on the throne that kept her in full prostration was inducing a change in Adorator.

The mist, which could hardly be said to have taken a definite form, gradually began to take shape.

At the same time, Adorator’s head, which had seemed like it would remain bowed forever, slowly began to rise.

“Ah…”

An exclamation filled with various indescribable emotions escaped her lips.

That exclamation functioned as a catalyst, changing the shape of the mist on the throne more rapidly.

As if it were trying to create a body to properly respond to that exclamation.

To prove this explanation was not false, the transformation of the mist was accelerating compared to when it first began.

Where the head of a seated person would be, the outline of a head reminiscent of an intelligent being was gradually being drawn.

On the armrests, delicate and beautiful arms that gave the impression of slenderness were being formed.

At the leg supports of the throne, two legs no less delicate than the arms being formed first were taking shape.

Despite being completed with beautiful lines, it was painted in an ominous dark red color.

A person with conventional aesthetic sense might not find the figure created by the mist entirely beautiful.

But that only applied to people with conventional aesthetic sense who weren’t present here.

After slowly raising her deeply bowed head,

“Ohhh…”

For Adorator, a twisted being who made sounds of ecstasy at the sight unfolding before her, such ominousness would undoubtedly feel incomparably beautiful.

Judging by the worship-like emotion flickering in her eyes, which had previously held a somewhat gloomy impression rather than just exclamations,

It was certain that she was delighted by the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Eventually, as Adorator’s boundless ecstasy began to subside slightly,

The body quickly crafted by the dark red mist in response to her exclamations was finally completed.

Despite being completed at a remarkably fast pace, the appearance of the body created by the mist was impressive enough to be striking even to those with ordinary aesthetic standards.

Of course, since it was made of dark red mist without life,

The body was permeated with a paleness devoid of any blood color.

Though beautiful, this body, essentially a statue, didn’t seem likely to exhibit movements like a living being.

However, as soon as the mist-created body was completed, Adorator’s slightly raised head fiercely descended toward the floor of the palace made entirely of obsidian.

Kuung-!!

As a result of this fierce action, a sound so dull that the word “dull” seemed insufficient reverberated throughout the great hall.

Normally, if such a sound were made by someone with a body of flesh and blood, albeit of a different kind than humans, anyone would worry about the condition of the person who made that sound.

Fortunately, the person who made that sound showed no signs of injury from such an impact.

“To the great master of desire, your humble servant Adorator pays her respects.”

She was offering an earnest greeting to the body seated on the throne.

As mentioned earlier, offering such a greeting to a body with no sign of life didn’t seem likely to elicit a proper response.

But the body seated on the throne, immediately upon receiving Adorator’s greeting, lightly raised its right hand from the armrest.

Then, spreading its palm wide,

“Raise your head, my faithful servant, Adorator.”

It delivered an appropriate response to Adorator who had shown respect.

The voice coming from the still lifeless, pale body was surprisingly bright and radiant, quite incongruous with the atmosphere of this place.