Chapter 4: Demon

Seven Great Demon Nobles

Main Quest

The Demon King wants you to become a High-Ranking Demon Noble.

Pass the test within the time limit.

Time Limit: 3 Days

Reward: 3 Ciel Stones

Failure Penalty: Death

‘A High-Ranking Demon Noble test, huh.’

Unlike its grand name, it wasn’t a quest of particularly high difficulty.

Of course, that’s assuming one has prior knowledge.

Even so, isn’t it too brutal to have ‘death’ as a failure penalty for every quest?

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.

I felt a rather soft sensation.

There was a quest within the Demon King’s Castle that rewarded a residence, and it was fortunate that I had cleared it in advance.

It was a quest I had done without much thought.

“To think I’d actually use it like this.”

In fact, it was my first time in this room.

My character didn’t need to sleep, so there was no reason to come here.

By the way, the room was quite peculiar.

Everything was ash-grey.

Only the brightness varied subtly; the basic base was entirely gray.

‘Is this my future?’

It still doesn’t feel real.

The fact that I was dropped here, and almost died just a moment ago.

The difference between simply seeing things on a monitor and reality was immense.

Especially the killing intent Legideon unleashed before he died.

It was different from the killing intent Lashian showed when holding back.

Of course, I suppressed him with my aura.

But that was all.

The moment the aura’s duration ended, I would have been helplessly defeated right there.

It was incredibly fortunate that Lashian was by my side.

I needed a method.

A way to protect myself, even without my aura.

I blankly turned my head.

Then, I saw 3 Ciel Stones accumulated in one corner of my vision.

Ciel Stones.

A currency unit usable only in the character’s unique shop.

As soon as I thought of it, the unique shop window appeared in my mind, as if projected onto a screen.

The items in the shop were exactly as I remembered.

Valuable items, each possessing immense worth, were spread out.

“The problem is the price, though.”

Any item that seemed decent cost at least 50 Ciel Stones.

Even the quest where I almost died to Legideon only gave 3.

How in the world am I supposed to collect 50?

“Still, I have to do it.”

There was no reason to complain.

This shop wasn’t the main one; it was merely a bonus concept.

I just needed to find the standard way to grow stronger.

Of course, the situation isn’t great.

Possessing the burdensome position of the game’s final boss, the Demon King’s closest confidant.

Moreover, my combat power is almost zero.

At first glance, it seems like a truly frustrating environment.

However, there are definitely clear advantages compared to possessing someone on the Empire’s side.

“Hidden.”

Hidden items concealed in the game.

The places where such things exist are obvious.

Places difficult and tricky for players to reach.

It was common sense to hide hidden items in such places.

But where is this place now?

It’s the Demon King’s Castle, the final area of the story.

That meant hidden items were scattered nearby.

Some could even be obtained right now.

I scanned the quest window once more.

“Three days, huh.”

It was a fairly generous time limit.

The High-Ranking Demon Noble test could be taken at any time.

The test itself would probably only take about a day, even being generous.

I could definitely obtain at least one hidden item with the remaining time.

“Hoo.”

After lying down for a bit, my body’s condition had recovered somewhat.

My mana had also refilled by nearly half.

I immediately got up from the bed.

To survive, I had to move diligently.

****

Immediately after leaving the room.

I was met with a new quest.

Sub-Quest

Sepiron, one of the Seven Great Demon Nobles, desires minimal qualifications from you, who stays by the Demon King’s side.

Pass the High-Ranking Demon Noble test.

Time Limit: 3 Days

Reward: 3 Ciel Stones

Failure Penalty: Death

‘…This is a sweet deal, isn’t it?’

What appeared was a duplicate quest.

Identical in content to the one the Demon King had requested.

Just in case, I opened the previous quest, but it hadn’t disappeared or anything.

Double the reward?

This is truly a sweet deal.

The problem was the name written in the quest window.

“Sepiron.”

One of the Seven Great Demon Nobles. One of the strongest beings in the Demon Realm.

Along with the Demon King, he was one of the most troublesome named entities for the Empire.

But at that moment.

Whoosh!

I heard something flying towards me.

And the wind that came with it.

At that, I blinked without realizing it.

In that fleeting moment.

“…!”

A colossal greatsword was already pointed at my neck.

My body froze instantly.

Close enough to be beheaded with a slight movement.

I hadn’t felt any presence at all.

Moreover, no quest window had appeared.

Even with my aura, there was no way I could have reacted.

If I had taken even one more step forward, my neck would have been severed.

How long had it been since I escaped Legideon? I almost died again with just a slight misstep.

And this blue-glowing greatsword was probably…

“Yuriel.”

A greatsword larger than most people’s bodies.

One of the Seven Great Demon Nobles who had easily massacred hundreds of Imperial Knights on the battlefield with just that one sword.

And next to her stood Sepiron.

‘…’

Not one, but two of the Seven Great Demon Nobles.

I was in deep trouble right from the start.

Yuriel’s mouth slowly opened.

“You’re fearless, aren’t you?”

As she spoke, she pushed the greatsword closer.

It wasn’t that I was fearless.

I simply couldn’t react.

However, I couldn’t tell her the truth.

So I kept my mouth shut.

Since I didn’t react at all, Yuriel withdrew her greatsword.

Then she casually rested it on her shoulder.

“…”

Her dark blue eyes stared intently at me.

All I could do was meet her gaze.

What made that possible was…

[Your mind is unstable.]

[Overwhelming mental power corrects the unstable state.]

‘…my ‘mental power’.’

Then, Sepiron, who had been quietly observing, opened his mouth.

“He already knew.”

His voice was dry and devoid of emotion.

As if displeased by that, Yuriel’s lips pouted slightly.

“What are you talking about? Where did this guy even come from?”

“Watch your mouth. There’s always a reason why the Demon King keeps someone by her side.”

At that, Yuriel’s lips protruded a little more.

It was quite a bewildering sight.

The Yuriel in my memory was a crazy b*tch who massacred knights without a word.

“Reason? He doesn’t even have any demonic energy. He looks weak.”

It hit the mark.

I subtly glanced at Sepiron.

“Yuriel, didn’t you understand? He already knew we were coming.”

‘Me?’

That was news to me too.

I simply listened quietly to their conversation.

It didn’t seem like a good idea to open my mouth unnecessarily.

I also had a certain fallback.

Sepiron’s earlier quest.

He wanted something from me. That meant he had no intention of killing me right now.

Moreover, no sudden quest appeared indicating Yuriel was targeting me.

That also meant she had no intention of killing me right now.

For ‘now,’ at least.

Then Sepiron called out to me.

“Kyle.”

I feigned indifference and observed Yuriel.

A crazy b*tch who might do anything impulsive if something even slightly displeased her.

That was Yuriel’s general reputation.

She was truly a bundle of variables.

It was best to leave as soon as possible.

I calmly spoke without even listening to Sepiron.

“A High-Ranking Demon Noble, you say. I’ll do it.”

Then, I naturally turned my back.

As if my say was done.

I hastened my steps.

My back felt strangely prickly.

****

“What? How did he know?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Sepiron was displeased with this situation.

He thought Kyle would handle the problem himself.

And indeed, he had accurately grasped what they wanted.

It was as if they had just wasted time.

“Didn’t someone tell him?”

“If you’re so displeased, why didn’t you just cut him down? Or rather, couldn’t you cut him down?”

At his irritating words, Yuriel’s face contorted.

“It’s not that I couldn’t cut him down; it’s that I didn’t.”

Then a crooked smile appeared on Sepiron’s lips.

“Then what about him? Did he seem unable to dodge, or unwilling to dodge?”

“…”

At the question that hit a nerve, Yuriel, who had been growling, closed her mouth.

Yuriel recalled the situation from a moment ago.

Even with her attack, he hadn’t shown the slightest movement.

Even though the greatsword was almost touching his neck.

There were two possibilities.

He either thought her attack wasn’t even worth dodging.

Or he simply couldn’t react at all.

She was one of the Seven Great Demon Nobles.

One of the strongest in the Demon Realm.

Naturally, she took pride in her abilities.

Thus, she hadn’t even considered the former possibility.

“He just couldn’t react, right? You can see it too. He doesn’t have any demonic energy whatsoever.”

“Yuriel.”

But Sepiron cut her off, as if exasperated.

“Did you sense the demonic energy that spread in the training ground?”

At that, Yuriel’s face became sulky.

She was quite displeased that he kept interrupting her.

But her opponent was none other than Sepiron.

She suppressed her dissatisfaction and nodded.

“Wasn’t the Demon King training?”

Sepiron calmly corrected her words.

“I heard there was a spy targeting the Demon King.”

“What?”

Horror colored Yuriel’s face.

What lunatic dared to target the Demon King? Unless they were determined to die.

“I even heard that the Demon King herself didn’t immediately notice. That must mean the spy’s stealth was truly exceptional.”

“…So? Is she alright?”

The Demon King’s safety was the top priority.

For the fate of the entire demon race depended on her life.

“Yes. There was someone who captured him.”

“Who? Who could detect faster than the Demon King?”

Yuriel’s rapid-fire words stopped.

It was because she somehow anticipated the name.

She hadn’t thought it possible, but…

“Kyle. The one you just swung your greatsword at. He’s the one who captured him. And he even neutralized him cleanly.”

“…”

“That means his detection ability is superior to even the Demon King’s. Such a person, you’re saying he couldn’t react to one of your attacks just now?”

Sepiron sighed and continued speaking.

“He must possess a different kind of power. A power so great that demonic energy isn’t even necessary.”

Sepiron finished speaking and looked in the direction Kyle had disappeared.

But Yuriel’s rebuttal didn’t come. That wasn’t like her.

Sepiron glanced at her.

“…Yuriel?”

The left corner of Yuriel’s mouth was slightly turned up.

It was a habit that always appeared before she caused trouble.

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

Sepiron pressed his hand to his forehead.

He wondered why she was being so obedient for once.

“Yuriel.”

“It’s not like that.”

“What?”

“I just have a good idea.”

Yuriel’s eyes gleamed wildly.