episode_0016

Taking Ilene, I headed towards the location of the demon’s residence that I had seen in the original work.

From the demon’s perspective, who needed to move covertly, they would have put considerable effort into hiding it, but unfortunately, they couldn’t escape my eyes, empowered by the original work.

“Well, even without the original work, I could find it with my detection ability.”

Thanks to the original work, I had saved a significant amount of time, which was quite advantageous.

“This is…”

Ilene furrowed her brow.

She seemed to have sensed the magical energy as well, showing a rather displeased expression.

“Nevertheless, time has passed, and things have changed. Is this it?”

In the past, upon feeling the magical energy, she would have been consumed by madness, like a crazed dog, eager to kill demons. But now, she was calm, unlike before.

“There are plenty of lunatics in the world, and it doesn’t matter if they are filled with the desire to kill demons. However, the problem lies in how that desire is directly linked to the loyalty directed towards me.”

While Ilene harbored disgust towards demons themselves, she expressed anger towards those demons who obstructed her path, behaving as if they were mentally unstable.

Moreover, not only towards demons but also towards those she perceived to have caused her even the slightest harm, she attempted to kill them indiscriminately.

“Yet, despite other Paladins intervening, major incidents did not occur.”

Just once.

There was an occasion where she crossed the line to a point where even the Paladins could not stop her.

As a result, she never called the Paladins again.

After three years, it seemed that she had somewhat improved.

“If it continues like this, I can call for help whenever needed.”

However, complete peace of mind still eluded me.

I couldn’t guarantee that those outbursts from back then had completely disappeared.

Human nature doesn’t change easily, and even though three years had passed, it was hard to believe.

“Still, it seems certain that there has been some improvement.”

At least, I thought I wouldn’t cause trouble like I did three years ago.

I turned my gaze away from Ilene and looked into the empty space.

Faint magical waves in the void.

I reached out into the emptiness and grasped it.

And then…

Rrrraaah!

As I tore through it, a portal appeared in the void.

It was a portal connected to the demons’ residence.

I stepped into the portal.

Following me, Ilene also stepped into the portal.

A pathway connecting spaces.

For ordinary people, the time spent in the passage was so brief that it would simply feel like a flicker of sight, but not for me.

As I traversed space, I swiftly captured the changing landscapes in my sight.

Although the flowing time was fleeting, less than a second, I had enough leisure in my cognitive world.

Having observed various scenes, we arrived at the rooftop of a rather desolate building.

Ilene, who followed behind me, glanced around and wrinkled her nose.

“The smell of demons and blood is disgustingly strong.”

Ilene had an exceptionally keen sense of smell.

To the extent that she could distinguish people by their scent alone.

Hence, she particularly reacted strongly to things like the scent of demons or blood.

“But if Ilene dislikes it to this extent…”

It was evident that demons had resided here for quite a long time, harming people.

“Let’s go down for now.”

“Okay.”

Opening the rooftop door and descending, we were met with a spacious area.

The ceiling and walls were stained with blood, and monsters were scattered around, gnawing on something.

Growl.

Monsters.

Referring to creatures distorted by magic, the monsters here all took the form of wolf-like creatures.

“I will take care of them.”

“Alright.”

Ellen stepped forward and drew her sword.

Despite being somewhat peculiar, she was known as a paladin—a formidable warrior.

Her skills could not be underestimated.

“She’s amazing.”

It had been three years since I last saw her, but even then, my admiration for her skills was undeniable.

Considering how much she must have improved over the past three years, anticipation naturally welled up within me.

With some expectations in mind, I watched Ellen closely.

She began to observe the wolf demons with a stoic expression.

However, beneath that facade lay a strong determination.

“You beasts. How dare you bare your fangs at anyone.”

As she shouted, her aura spread out.

While the demons seemed slightly intimidated by her presence, they remained vigilant.

“If these were ordinary monsters, they would have already fled.”

Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, magic exuded an overwhelmingly intimidating energy.

Though the risks associated with it were real, demons were inherently born with magic, making it inherently unfair.

“However, they do possess a fatal weakness called sanctity.”

A hero does not wield power comparable to an emperor for no reason.

They are beings with the power to defeat the Demon King and possess vast sanctity.

Naturally, their value is immense.

“And the same goes for paladins.”

Not just anyone can become a paladin.

They are individuals who have achieved countless feats and are deeply devoted to their faith.

Moreover, possessing a sanctity that is fatal to demons, they stand as beings that most demons cannot even challenge, elevating their status.

Personally, if I had to choose the strongest among the paladins, there was only one person I could think of.

“Ellen.”

With her sword poised, she advanced towards the demoralized demons.

At least in my opinion, she was the strongest among the paladins.

That’s why she was brought here.

“One of Ellen’s notable traits is her keen sense of smell.”

It wasn’t just about smelling things; it was more like a heightened intuition.

Being able to predict an opponent’s attacks based on scent alone to a level close to foreseeing the future made her arguably the strongest among the paladins.

“For the demons, there’s no way out.”

Already at a significant disadvantage, imagine facing someone who can read and counter your moves in advance.

It would likely drive them insane.

Although demons may not entertain such thoughts due to their lower intelligence, I slowly observed Ellen raising her sword.

Realizing that now was their only chance, the demons lunged with sharp fangs, but Ellen swung her sword even faster.

To the casual observer, it might have seemed like she was swinging at thin air.

But I could see that the demons had been cut down with incredible speed.

It was as if they hadn’t been sliced at all.

“It’s over.”

As the lifeless bodies of the demons fell, blood splattered around, revealing their insides in an instant.

Ellen sheathed her sword back into its scabbard.

Her eyes reflected a deep-seated hatred towards the demons and the forces of darkness.

“Let’s move on.”

Descending to the next level, we encountered more demons.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the way they ascended the tower.

“It’s different.”

In the original, this place was a series of interconnected caves.

But the current location was different from what it used to be.

“Perhaps they’re a different kind of demon.”

Or maybe they had altered the structure of their dwelling compared to before.

“Regardless, our mission remains the same: we must capture them.”

The demons here must have known that intruders had entered, so we needed to break through quickly.

I wondered if I could simply descend, but an unknown barrier blocked my way.

“I can break it if I want to.”

Still, considering the effort and strength required, it was more efficient to kill the monsters on each floor as I descended rather than breaking through.

There were no particularly difficult creatures, just demons, after all.

I commanded Ellin standing beside me, “Ellin. Deal with them quickly.”

“Yes.”

Ellin swiftly killed the monsters on the floor with a single swing, without wasting any time.

She continued down, repeating the process of killing the monsters on each subsequent floor.

As we descended, the number of monsters increased, and stronger entities appeared. However, even the formidable demons couldn’t stop Ellin, who dispatched them effortlessly.

Descending rapidly, we finally reached the very bottom.

The bottom was an empty space with nothing in sight.

“Did they escape?”

Ellin seemed to share the same thought, irritation evident in her expression.

“I think they escaped. The scent has faded.”

“Let’s pursue them.”

Normally, there would be no way to track them, but Ellin’s sense of smell was sharp enough to be considered a sixth sense.

If there were traces left behind, pursuing them wouldn’t be a problem.

Suddenly, sensing numerous movements and intense energy, I paused for a moment.

Thud. Thud.

Footsteps echoed from all directions, their sheer number making it impossible to estimate.

The seemingly empty space seemed to crumble away, revealing the presence of numerous children.

However, I realized that these were not ordinary children.

“Human experiments.”

The viscount’s human experiments.

The reason behind the viscount’s human experiments was to raise children as secret weapons.

But what differed from the original was that each child harbored magic and vitality within them.

In essence, they were now in a state where death seemed inevitable.

Seeing the children, I felt my blood run cold.

“These damn bastards.”

Judging by their condition, these children had been in this state long before I became aware of the situation.

Grasping this, I stepped forward.

Though only children were present here, I could sense it.

The demons were not far from this location.

With a chilling voice, I said to her, “Ellin. Take care of the children. I’ll start with the ringleaders.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Make sure they don’t suffer. They’ve all been used.”

“Of course.”

I heard Ellin’s reply.

Without further hesitation, I unleashed my power.