Ch.391EP.81 – They Should Have Seen Where They Were Lying (3)

Ihan’s warning was quiet, yet it carried a heaviness that made listeners’ knees weak enough to collapse.

– Lion’s Roar.

One of Ihan’s specialties, originally a technique that pressures opponents with a massive roar, but always seeking improvement, this kind of growth became possible.

Now he could emit a low roar.

Though it couldn’t burst eardrums, the pressure in his voice made the atmospheric pressure heavier.

As a side effect, it wasn’t easy to control, making even the user’s body feel heavy like being pressed by lead…

Thud!

Ihan wasn’t one who had cultivated a weak body that would collapse from mere atmospheric pressure increased tenfold.

His expression remained unchanged.

Unlike him, who showed not even the slightest wrinkle, the mercenaries found it difficult to breathe, struggling in agony as they couldn’t even exhale properly.

Ihan paid no attention to the mercenaries writhing in pain.

Rather.

‘Why is the reaction so intense?’

While the mercenaries were suffering under the pressure, the demons were different.

It was strange that they were swelling up and dying just from being pressed down by him.

He wondered why this was happening, but Ihan soon found the answer.

Wooong-.

‘Ah, was it because of this?’

Banya Great Ability, Ihan’s life force that devoured holy power and became his unique fighting energy.

Though an alien energy, true to its name, it had the power to suppress and purify beings belonging to the demonic realm, and this energy was naturally mixing with his Lion’s Roar as it reacted to the demons.

Or in a sense.

‘Has the [True Lion’s Roar] been completed?’

Considering that Lion’s Roar was a martial art meant to subdue demons, Ihan wondered if he had truly mastered it.

Though it wasn’t intentional.

“Well, that works.”

Since the result was good.

Splat!

Watching the demons’ bodies burst like crushed tomatoes, Ihan smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

‘What did I just witness?’

Oberon Huang, captain of the Oberon Mercenary Group, trembled but his mind was racing.

It had been 15 minutes.

No, exactly 14 minutes and 25 seconds.

Just enough time to leisurely eat a meal, yet what happened during that time defied Oberon’s common sense.

His comrades had died.

A witch appeared.

Demons appeared.

…Finally, the demon died.

‘Is this real?!’

Even the eyewitness denied the reality.

It was all too fast.

In reality, it took about ten minutes for his comrades to die and gather people, and in the remaining 4 minutes and 25 seconds, the witch died with her skull pierced, and the demons, presumably summoned by the witch, also died leaving only bloody chunks.

If he told this story to other mercenaries, they would think he was crazy.

They might suspect he was on drugs…

And this was somewhat accurate.

It was indeed an unrealistic scene that could be mistaken for a drug-induced hallucination.

However…

“You there.”

“Y-yes!”

“Are you just going to stand there?”

“?”

“Well, if you want to die, you can stay like that, but I think you’re too young to die.”

“????”

Before he could say “What does that mean?” Oberon felt a chilling sensation and rolled across the floor.

With a clatter, Oberon tumbled ungracefully, but sometimes looking ridiculous was better.

[How dare a mere human!!]

To survive, that is.

Beast-like mouths began to form on the inn’s walls and floor, emitting a terrible stench.

“C-captain…”

“Save me…!!”

Crunch!

Some mercenaries couldn’t avoid these mouths in time and had parts of their bodies torn off or their heads completely removed.

Three people died instantly.

Oberon was shocked by his comrades’ deaths, but what shocked him even more was.

“W-what is this?!”

Hadn’t the demon died?!

“Seems like a parasitic magical beast.”

Unlike Oberon who was speaking in terror, he muttered quietly.

As if comparing it to knowledge he possessed.

However…

[You dare compare me to a mere magical beast!!]

The demon was enraged.

In the face of that anger, the stench grew worse, and at some point, the smell of sulfur also rose thickly, making Oberon unable to stop retching.

…Nevertheless.

“Not planning to quietly return to hell, I see?”

[Arrogant human. I can see you’re quite strong. But you cannot dare to dismiss us!]

He remained calm. How could he be so relaxed despite the situation, even if he was confident in his abilities?

[I only intended to fulfill the contract with the witch! I will surely kill you!]

Surprisingly, the witch who summoned the demon was indeed the innkeeper’s daughter.

Unlike other mystical races, witches were born using human wombs.

But because of that.

[The witch was an abused being who hated humans. To the point of wanting to sacrifice all humans!!]

Even without revealing their identity as witches, they are rejected by humans.

Even their parents don’t show affection, and often abuse them…

So the witch hated humans, and hated her parents most of all.

Those who abused her.

The witch summoned them from hell and ‘demanded’.

[A cruel end to the humans targeting her!]

Demons are beings who unconditionally keep their promises in exchange for receiving human souls.

No matter how malicious and cruel, the promise is surely fulfilled.

Boom!

[The same goes for you who killed the witch!]

The demon’s mouth grew larger, and fierce flames rose.

For the destruction of those who targeted the witch…!

“Hmm… So it was wearing the innkeeper’s skin? I didn’t know that.”

[…..]

“What?”

[…Insolent bastard…!]

“…No, I was genuinely surprised… Why are you angry?”

[Kahaaack!!]

The demon charged forward in even greater rage.

* * *

‘Why is it acting like that?’

Ihan could only shrug his shoulders.

He wondered why it was so angry.

Even so.

‘That’s an incredible transformation technique. I really didn’t notice.’

To be honest, while Ihan immediately knew something was suspicious about the waitress, he had no idea that a demon had disguised itself as the innkeeper.

This wasn’t because his senses had dulled, but rather evidence of how remarkable the demon’s transformation technique was.

Well.

‘Having been in human society for thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years, it’s no wonder their transformation techniques are advanced.’

They were truly indistinguishable from humans.

He realized something fascinating.

At the same time…

‘Could this be why the South is such a mess?’

Demons tend to thrive in chaotic times, and if they can disguise themselves as humans so naturally, they could easily transform into nobles or warlords.

While Ihan suspected that the current chaotic situation might be accelerated because of them, he moved his feet.

Brrrrrrrat!

The demon’s fangs sprayed toward him like machine gun fire.

Not a single one hit Ihan’s body, but he couldn’t avoid them forever.

The area infested by the demon was gradually expanding, swallowing more than half of the inn.

Creak! Crunch…!

The building had now transformed into something like a living organism.

Yet Ihan remained unconcerned.

‘The maid is sleeping well.’

His ears were focused only on the room where the maid was soundly sleeping.

It was surprising how she could sleep so well amid this noisy scene, but well…

‘That’s the maid for you.’

Still.

Ting!

“Hmm.”

There was nowhere left to dodge, and finally, a fang hit Ihan’s body, but upon contact, it fell helplessly to the floor.

[??]

The demon tilted its head in confusion at what it had just seen, but regardless of the demon’s surprise, Ihan spoke calmly.

“…I’ll say it again, I originally had no intention of fighting you. But it was you who showed hostility first, remember that.”

[Nonsense!]

“It’s not nonsense. I may dislike spellcasters, but why would I bother with a witch and demon that have nothing to do with me?”

[…..]

Ihan wasn’t good at lying.

People who constantly lie eventually lie habitually, even to themselves.

He also didn’t kill beings indiscriminately just because society deemed them evil.

He preferred not to interfere unless they directly pointed blades or guns at him.

…But now it’s different.

“You gave me justification.”

Whoosh!

Ihan clenched his fist.

And then…

Crack!

—The air distorted.

[???]

…The demon saw it.

The sudden distortion in space.

Just because a human clenched his fist, just because his expression became slightly fiercer…

Just that, and everything changed.

The demon wondered what this was.

Formidable!

Boom…!!

A [Power] pressed down on the demon.

“One hit.”

[!]

“I’ll hit you once with full power. If I hit more than once, I’m afraid…”

Whoosh…!

“—The village might disappear.”

[………Ah.]

…In an instant, the demon realized.

Whether he had been intentionally hiding it or not, the moment he revealed his power by clenching his fist, the demon saw the ‘warrior’s caliber’.

It was just a glimpse of his caliber, but seeing it, the demon knew.

[Y-you! W-what have you been hunting!!]

This human was a being that a mere demon could not handle-

But unfortunately.

Crunch!

…The demon realized this too late.

* * *

Patter….

“……..”

“What happened to that?”

“Was there an earthquake yesterday?”

When the rain stopped and the bright sun came out, the villagers blinked in confusion.

For good reason.

“Where did the inn go?”

…More than half of the inn building had disappeared without a trace.

Not just the building was gone.

Even the ground was deeply hollowed, about 8 meters deep.

For them, it was a scene that could only be attributed to a natural disaster!

The villagers wondered what on earth had happened last night.

Had some giant stomped through?

“…I need to retire.”

The only mercenaries who knew the truth of this disaster were trembling as if they had suddenly developed palsy, maintaining only pale expressions.

*

*

*

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes! I feel refreshed! I guess people need to sleep in a comfortable bed occasionally, hehe.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Oh, but Sir Knight. Did something happen yesterday? Why did the inn end up like that?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Huh?”

“…Would you like some cheese?”

“Yes!”

Ihan lightly changed the subject and played dumb.

It would be better if she didn’t know.

‘That guy, why was he so weak?’

He had hit the demon with considerable force, but he didn’t expect it to be finished with just one hit.

Are demons usually that fragile?

‘Probably not. That one must have been particularly weak.’

Ihan simply thought the demon was pathetic.

So the collapse of the inn wasn’t his responsibility!

…That’s right.

“Ahem.”

Somehow his conscience hurt, but dismissing it as his imagination, Ihan moved quickly.

‘The next village won’t be like this, right?’

He thought. He hoped he could get a good rest in the next village.

Unless the world was conspiring against him, he wouldn’t encounter any more demons.

…He thought positively.

One month later.

Though entirely unintentional on his part, the fame of the [Wandering Knight] who had hunted more than a hundred demons echoed throughout the South.