Ch.99Abaddon (5)

# Abadon (5)

When Hero Esmeralda decided to set aside the complex relationship between Garnet and Lug, and as the summit between the two kings in the demon realm was coming to an end.

The Legion Commanders, who had to temporarily withdraw from the Demon King’s castle for the summit, were given a rare vacation.

First always rested at his mansion when on vacation. And unusually, someone had come to visit First’s mansion.

“How do you think it will turn out?”

“…Are you asking me right now?”

“Who else is here besides you?”

First was hosting Second, who had suddenly visited his mansion.

It was quite surprising.

Until now, Second had been openly hostile toward First.

This was partly because his race, werewolves, had traditionally been enemies with vampires, but also because his personality simply didn’t match with First’s.

That’s why it was surprising.

He had come all the way to First’s mansion and was speaking to him rather than picking a fight.

Since they weren’t close enough to engage in casual conversation, First looked at Second with rare confusion before answering indifferently.

“…Whatever the conclusion, I will simply follow His Majesty.”

“Oh, really? So if His Majesty orders the destruction of Abadon, you’ll do it?”

“That would be the case.”

Second glared fiercely at the still expressionless First, then grinned and said:

“That’s a relief. I was wondering if you were still a fool with lingering attachments to your former master.”

First didn’t harden his expression at Second’s blatant provocation.

It was a story everyone knew.

High-ranking demon vampire.

Among them, the Tzepesh clan, considered a privileged class.

First, who had been an outcast of the Tzepesh clan, was saved by Leviathan.

He had been imprisoned, considered repulsive even by his own kind, when Leviathan made him his subordinate.

Second was pointing this out. It was something he hadn’t given much thought to before, but it was a suspicion that had sprouted from a recent argument.

“I hope your resolve doesn’t waver.”

“The same goes for you.”

“Huh?”

First was a vampire who lived life with complete indifference to everything, but he wasn’t the type to let provocations slide.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to keep a closer eye on Third? It seems he’s disappeared again.”

First pointed at the chain Second had been dragging along.

Unless he had some sadistic tendencies, First couldn’t think of any other reason why he would be carrying a chain.

“What’s it to you… Wait, that bastard disappeared again?! Damn it! If you knew, you should have said something earlier!”

“I don’t wish to meddle in affairs that aren’t my concern. And I couldn’t immediately understand the situation either.”

Second was in charge of the unpredictable Third.

Belphegor had assigned him a handler, impressed by Third’s crazy tendencies.

Without a handler, Third would have been purged long ago.

And that handler could only be Second, who had known Third from before. In reality, only First and Second among the demons could manage Third, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Tsk! Enjoy your vacation! You damn mosquito!”

Second hurled insults at First while rushing out urgently.

He prioritized Third over provoking First.

And such behavior was quite unfamiliar to First.

First shook his head at Second’s rapidly changing attitude.

Yes, something incomprehensible to him.

“A friend… Even a mad dog becomes docile. What an incomprehensible existence.”

That was the existence of a friend.

***

After fleeing from the cabin, Garnet was in a state of self-loathing, holding her head in her hands.

“Ugh…”

For a moment.

Yes, just a moment.

Really just a moment.

Truly, really just a moment.

…For that brief moment, she had judged Lug to be a decent person.

Certainly not handsome or deserving of gratitude or anything like that.

She had merely judged him to be a decent person.

That could happen. It wasn’t a big deal, was it?

“I-It could happen.”

For someone claiming it could happen, Garnet agonized as if she had experienced something impossible.

Pretending to be composed, with her back straight, Garnet began walking.

No one would know why she suddenly started taking a walk.

“Eek?!”

Thwack!

Garnet collided with a tree branch.

Lost in thought, she bumped into a branch right in front of her and fell backward with an uncharacteristically cute sound.

“…”

With her self-loathing deepening, Garnet was able to calm down.

It was possible because the thought of wanting to die overshadowed emotions like embarrassment, gratitude, or worry.

“What am I even doing…”

Garnet sprang up and dusted off the dirt from her clothes.

Then she started moving again. With nowhere to sleep or stay, she had no choice but to wander around. Fortunately, she could go without sleep for days, so she planned to roam around Lug’s vicinity for a while to assess the situation.

“Huh?”

Thwack!

Garnet collided with a tree branch again. Self-loathing crept up to just below her throat.

“But I wasn’t distracted this time…”

She had been looking straight ahead while walking, yet she still collided. Was she that severely impaired?

Garnet slumped to the ground.

“…”

After sitting there for a while, staring at the ground and collecting her self-loathing, Garnet felt her mind gradually clearing.

And only then did she realize.

‘Why did I collide?’

Something was strange.

She thought she had been looking straight ahead while walking.

She wasn’t distracted.

It wasn’t an excuse; she really had been watching where she was going.

Realizing this belatedly, Garnet felt a chill down her spine.

“This is…”

If she had truly collided with a mere branch despite not being distracted, it meant there was a problem with her.

“My vision…!”

Looking around, Garnet finally noticed something was wrong.

The space was strangely distorted.

Trees growing sideways, rocks embedded in the sky—a nauseating sight. Garnet knew someone with such abilities.

It was the most peculiar and strange being among the Legion Commanders.

“Third?!”

“Wahahahaha! Correct! Correct!”

Clap clap clap clap clap!

The moment Garnet identified her opponent, with a “pop!” sound, a girl in a clown costume appeared in mid-air.

Not through brute force, but a master of hallucinations and psychological warfare through unique abilities.

A high-ranking demon, the most alien clown among the Tricksters.

“…How did you get here?”

“Obviously, I came to see you~!”

Third smiled brightly and spread her hands wide, producing flowers from them.

Not magic, but a magic trick. Third’s proud sleight of hand.

Garnet couldn’t help but be confused, not knowing how it was done.

Yes, the most frightening thing about Third was that she was unpredictable.

Her thought process, behavior patterns, and even when her abilities activated.

“I knew you’d be alive.”

“Why?”

“This morning, the Jaws Chicken laid three eggs!”

“…Still an incomprehensible reason.”

Five raised her tension as if facing an enemy rather than greeting an old colleague.

She had been dismissed from her position as Legion Commander. And the Demon King’s army doesn’t forgive deserters.

Although they might turn a blind eye to ordinary soldiers, it was different for an executive like her who possessed numerous confidential information.

In other words, it wouldn’t be strange if an assassin came for her.

And only another Legion Commander could handle a Legion Commander.

‘Can I handle this crazy woman?’

Third was weaker than her.

She was probably the weakest among the Legion Commanders in terms of raw power.

But there was a clear reason why she was Third.

Her ability was to create illusions that seemed real.

In a sense, it was an omnipotent ability.

Therefore, unless you were the non-standard First or Second with his near-future prediction level senses, no one among the Legion Commanders could defeat Third.

Even if they all attacked together.

That’s how powerful and difficult to counter Third’s ability was.

“Flower! Won’t you take it?”

“Knowing what it might turn into the moment I accept it?”

The illusions she created all had abilities equivalent to the real thing.

It was unclear what the limits were, but if the flower turned into a venomous snake or handcuffs the moment she accepted it, it would just be troublesome.

“Ah, what an unresponsive audience. If the response is this poor, even a magician like me gets discouraged, you know?”

Despite Garnet’s blatant reaction, Third merely shrugged as if disappointed.

“Then I’ll just throw this away.”

The moment Third threw the small flower she was holding into the air.

What had been a single small flower transformed into an enormous amount of cherry blossom petals, pouring down enough to obscure vision.

“…!”

Garnet flinched in surprise and prepared for an attack, but petals were just petals.

They simply fluttered beautifully.

However, the real trick was elsewhere.

In the moment when the cherry blossoms obscured her vision, Third had disappeared.

Garnet was on guard, not knowing where Third might pop out from, but…

“Whoo~”

“Gah?!”

It was impossible.

Garnet was startled and retreated when she found Third right beside her, blowing breath into her ear.

“Ahahahaha! What? What? Were you that surprised? Your reaction is really funny!”

“…Third, what did you come here for?”

“Hm? Me? I told you earlier. The Jaws Chicken laid four eggs.”

“…Wasn’t it three?”

“Was it? What does it matter? Why would such a thing be important?”

Third wiggled her body, dancing, then hooked her foot on a rock that was stuck in mid-air and hung upside down.

As Third’s body swung like a pendulum while hanging upside down.

Third smiled broadly and said:

“His Majesty chased me out because an important guest was coming, so I just came here!”

“…”

Feeling an indescribable uneasiness, Garnet ignited flames.