episode_0059

‘Make a choice? Should I save one person’s life and kill everyone else, or should I kill one person and save everyone?’

My mind is confused by the suddenly presented options.

“Please explain in detail.”

“ I looked into this demon’s head, and the situation is a bit more serious than I expected.”

Goat Legs fell to the floor with his neck grabbed by Deshade and struggled for a while, but he completely fainted the moment God touched his head.

“As you know, it was originally said that taking medicine would gradually kill the devil’s blood itself.”

“That’s right. At least Astesia knew that.”

That’s all the information I knew and what Deshade got into my head, assuming that the story I heard from Astesia was true.

“Should I say that I knew that would happen since they are demons? Anyway, this medicine does not do that, it is a medicine that makes the blood thicker for a while. It is not a medicine that slowly awakens the devil over time, but rather accelerates the awakening time. In the end, it seems like they were trying to bring down Asmodeus.”

In the end, imagining the worst did not go astray.

‘Demons are like that. As expected, they even deceived their own people.’

But that actually makes a corner of my heart feel relieved.

Astesia is the only Demon Irregular, and the demons I have dealt with so far are just as I have seen them.

To begin with, they are the ones who habitually violate agreements. So, at some point, communication between humans and demons completely disappeared.

However, there was still something that Deshade said that I did not understand.

“But isn’t it the same whether the devil wakes up or not, if he takes the medicine, he dies due to excessive blood loss? Why does that mean Astesia can come back to life when the devil wakes up?”

“It seems that the devil’s thoughts have changed. It is said that the bloodline is so strong that it would be too wasteful to end it by using the runaway to descend a demon. It seems that it is difficult to create demons that possess such a strong level of demonic magic, even intentionally.”

‘It’s a waste?’

Are you thinking of using it like that and using it again?

“Then?”

“He said that he would first summon the devil by giving him medicine and making his blood flow, drain his magic power, stabilize it, and then retrieve the remaining shell and use it as the mother body of the next devil king.”

“Yes?”

For a moment, I wondered if I had heard wrong. But Deshade told me the same story again in more detail.

“The Demon King judged this succubus to be a vessel worthy of receiving his blood and an equal mother body. Well, if you look at the contents alone, it is an enormous vessel that is similar to, or even surpasses, your own. It’s worth coveting. So I ordered this man to bring him alive.”

What did I hear?

Does a demon called the Demon King actually think that way?

Or does the entire demon race have the characteristic of trying to exploit and exploit others to such an extent?

“What else?”

The Master walks in front of Astesia holding the esterk and stops.

A poor succubus whose entire body is wrapped in black cloth with letters engraved on it, and whose mouth is forced to open.

Master tried to cut the black cloth with Estherk, but failed as an invisible force immediately emerged and crushed Estherk.

“It is difficult to defeat Asmodeus with my current strength. However, if the devil has not yet descended, the descent can be prevented by killing the succubus. To tell the truth, another strong god would be able to deal with at least one demon, but it’s not enough for me right now.”

“Can’t we just take him in this situation?”

I was hoping that something would happen if I removed the restraints. But that was just a very naive thought.

“It is impossible because it is the final stage of consciousness. There is no change in the fact that the acceleration has already begun and the devil descends with or without medicine. The only difference is whether the time will be advanced by an hour or not. At least with that strange cloth wrapped around my body, I can avoid bursting to death.”

Deshade stands up from the body of the goat leg that was sitting on it and creates a long, shining golden cloth.

“This is a small consideration I can give. If you wrap this around the succubus’ neck and cut it, you can let it go without pain. Now is the last chance to stop the advent with one person’s sacrifice. Or just let the devil descend. If I were to fulfill my duty to God, I would choose the former, but I will follow your choice to the extent possible. I said I would grant your wish. If the devil comes out, well, the other gods will take care of it.”

“I am so grateful for that.”

Receive the shining cloth from Deshade.

You have to make a choice.

Actually, the answer is there.

When the devil descends, it means that everyone else dies.

And that means that everyone who had a relationship with me, including Enin, will die.

What have you been fighting for until now?

At first, they may have had nothing to do with me, but now there are ten people I know.

Me, Master, and Noan will come back to life in a spare body that will be in a different corps than here, and Peria will also follow me, but the rest will die if they die.

Unlike us, it doesn’t come back to life.

It is absurd to cause many more people to die in order to save a succubus that one has only met once.

He approaches Astesia and wraps the shiny cloth around her neck.

A piece of cloth that can be wrapped around a thin neck twice.

A thin neck that would easily break if someone grabbed it and tried to break it.

The devil is trying to trick this child and use it to his own taste, and if that’s not enough, he wants to take it for himself.

‘You pervert.’

Next, remove the mouth opening.

“Collok. Collock.”

Astesia coughs, probably because her throat hurts from keeping her mouth open for a long time. Then he greeted me in a hoarse voice.

“Again… Cough, you’re here.”

“Yes. Somehow.”

A simple, meaningless greeting.

Astesia cleared her throat for a moment and spoke.

“Do I have a choice?”

“… What are your thoughts.”

Astesia was listening to our conversation.

Did I finally feel scared of dying?

“Well, I think it would be better for me to die in this situation. We can’t let other people die.”

‘Is it like this?’

It hasn’t changed.

She just repeats the story she told when they first met, even though the circumstances have changed.

We are only thinking about causing as little damage to as many people as possible.

No matter what the cost,

Even if I kill myself,

Choose the option of taking your own life.

And that choice is the same story as the choice I would make.

Only by killing Astesia can I stop the evil coming from the people I am trying to protect.

but

‘But I don’t like it.’

I don’t like it.

So, I ask you again.

“It’s the same question I asked before, but I have to ask it again. Aren’t you scared of dying?”

This would also be the same answer. And the prediction was correct.

“It’s scary. But there is no other way, right? Because it won’t end unless I die.”

‘It’s consistent. What an exemplary answer.’

He has the same mind as a saint.

It shines so brightly that it makes me, a selfish person, vomit.

‘Wait, what if you do that?’

Suddenly a good idea occurred to me.

“Yes, then there is the place where there is no one you mentioned before. land of death. Wouldn’t it be possible to transfer there and resurrect the devil? Just tell me the exact location. If you just tell me the location, won’t the devil come out and go somewhere or go find it after it quiets down?”

Even when I think about it, my head immediately spins to the point where I don’t know why I’m so desperate. There is no benefit to me.

“It’s impossible. I don’t know what happened outside, but the castle was so badly destroyed that I lost all the coordinates I had registered to transfer the castle. The only place left is the Demon King’s Castle, but I don’t want that.”

But even that was denied.

“Why! Why do I hate that! Just throw it out there! Because you don’t want that demon lord to die? Because you don’t want the guy who betrayed you and tried to use you to die? Are you willing to kill yourself to save even a guy like that?”

A sharp shout coming from inside a heated body.

Astesia trembled at the sharp voice that came out of my throat like a knife.

“…I’m sorry. I can’t do just that. Because there are many people living in the Demon King Castle.”

“Shut up!”

Angry.

‘As expected, I hate this woman.’

I hate it so much.

It’s like a play where everything has a set order. A skit that I can’t touch, happening right in front of my eyes.

A touching story of saving many people by sacrificing oneself.

People may be moved to tears by someone who chooses to sacrifice. However, these common and small stories are only forgotten as time passes.

And some people might even curse her for putting themselves in that situation because she was alive. They should have killed him before something like this happened.

In my view, it is a heavy choice that brings no benefit to oneself. I don’t understand that way of thinking.

‘Why don’t you struggle until the end?’

Even though I think I don’t want to die, I try to choose death for the sake of others.

This is hypocrisy enforced in the name of rational judgment.

So I want to change it at will.

I want to see the despair on this woman’s face because they didn’t grant her wishes and let her live as she pleased.

But even in those thoughts, a cold heart still remains.

‘Then the people I knew will just die.’

So we have to kill Astesia.

He brings the magic sword to her neck.

I press the magic sword against the golden cloth and press it hard, but it doesn’t make any painful noise. It really seems like he doesn’t feel any pain.

But still,

Even though there is nothing stopping me anymore, my hands no longer move.

“If you can’t do it, tell me.”

Master is watching my choices from behind.

“I will bear your choice at any time.”

“… No. This is what I have to do.”

Now, this is not something worth burdening others with.

Now I know for sure that if I don’t make my own choice, I will regret it for the rest of my life.

But why is there so little strength in my hands?

At that time, something black appeared in front of my eyes, blocking the view between Astesia and me.

“If only I had a little more strength.”

Deshade came towards me and blocked the magic sword with his gauntlet.

“Yes?”

“If I had a little more power, I could have solved it by twisting the consciousness itself. Ah, I don’t have much power because I don’t have enough believers.”

‘What are you saying? Why are you doing this all of a sudden, you god?’

Before making the once-in-a-lifetime choice, Deshade suddenly began to lament his situation.

It’s like a drunk guy running in from a funeral and talking about his business. A person who is not good at understanding the atmosphere.

However, Deshade looks at me and Master, who have rotten expressions on their faces, and says his words without any hesitation.

“I want to somehow grant human wishes. Even as we watch the choice to set aside God’s responsibilities. But we lack strength and believers. If there were just two more believers, I would have enough strength to solve the current problem in a different way.”

“… Two people?”

“Yes, there are two people. Just two people.”

Deshade points his finger at me and my teacher.

“What is it like? If you join the school, there will be another way.”

——————————-

“From now on, we will perform a ritual with Deshade to prevent the coming of the devil. So please take care of others. Please tell them to stay as far away as possible.”

“Okay.”

Ask the soldiers remaining outside the door to move the other fainted people.

“You never know what might come along the way, so I’ll follow you.”

“It would be even better if the teacher came with me.”

“Because I don’t want to talk to that gangster anymore. Really, the way you use your head when you know nothing about humans except their appearance is as weak as a human. They used that as an excuse to have us join the church.”

“Still, I can’t not say I have another option. This is also the answer I was looking for.”

“Thanks to you, I ended up joining a cult-like religion because of a disciple I trusted? I have lived my whole life without ever serving or even thinking about serving God.”

“Sorry about that, but please think of it as granting at least one wish of your student.”

A third method came to mind at the end of my worries.

Deshade waited without telling us until it was a close call.

On purpose, until I made up my mind.

The teacher said he hated Deshade’s bad taste until the end, but eventually, when I begged him, he agreed to admit me.

‘I don’t want to belong somewhere again, but I hate the other side even more.’

At first, I thought Deshade’s words were absurd and had no intention of joining the school.

However, seeing Astesia giving up everything and trying to die, I thought that I liked it more than joining the church.

So, I make a decision to save everyone. I will struggle to make a better choice than that of the sage-like Astesia.

‘I’m different from you who gave up and accepted everything.’

So in the end,

Astesia created a choice that could not have been made.

Master looked at my stern face and said his final goodbye.

“Phew… Do whatever you want, my disciple. Even though I’m begging Master, even holding on to his trouser legs, I can’t stop the man from moving forward. Expand your will.”

“No, when did I grab my pants… Anyway, I understand. Having come this far, we have to see it through to the end.”

With those words, Master lifts Peria and Enin and walks toward the hallway with the other soldiers.

I wait until everyone is gone and then go inside, closing the door into the hall.

“Hmm. Is it over?”

“Yes. Everyone was bitten.”

“Then let’s get started.”

Astesia’s body is slumped forward, as if Deshade had put her to sleep.

“What are you going to do?”

“You just have to answer what I say. The ritual will begin, so take up your sword.”

Raise the magic sword and place it crosswise in front of your face.

In the middle of a cold hall, completely destroyed by the aftermath of the fight, Deshade and I make eye contact across the throne where Astecia is sitting.

Even the moonlight no longer comes through the broken ceiling, so only the outlines of each other are visible.

And the moment Deshade opened his mouth, it felt like all the air stopped.

Unlike the atmosphere just before, the atmosphere of Deshade makes you feel solemn at this moment, as if you were entering a huge and majestic cathedral.

Every time I feel this moment that makes me look different in an instant, I realize in a new way that I am God.

and

I heard God’s voice.

Deshade was not a being I knew, but a voice greeting wandering humans as a god.

“Human. Why did you talk to me?”

“I did it to fulfill the desire I had deep in my heart.”

It is the desire to act as if one is the master of every situation, to compromise, and to be grumpy at the demon who gave up.

“Human. What do you want?”

“Everyone finds a way not to die. Including this woman.”

I have no desire to live in a world that someone created by sacrificing themselves. That’s something I don’t like.

“Human. How much do you crave it?”

“For that, I would change my lifelong beliefs.”

If it’s religion, I’m embarrassed. But more than that, I didn’t like Astesia’s choice, so I was even prepared to join the school to change it.

Whatever you say you want to do, you do it until the end. If I don’t like something, I will change it as I please.

“Then what will I offer in return for listening to it?”

“I will offer you the one sword I have.”

The only magical sword that can truly be called my property.

I politely offer the magic sword to Deshade.

“It is impossible to take away one’s property. Tell me what you can do with it.”

“Then I will cut down your enemy with this sword.”

“My enemy is an enemy that has existed longer than me. Can you face such an enemy? I will probably face death someday.”

“Death is just a moment of pain to me. I will choose to cut off regrets that will last a lifetime.”

death? For me, a person suffering from a mental illness, I am no longer afraid of death. I’m just trying to avoid it because it’s painful, but I’d rather cut down a future that will make me frustrated for the rest of my life.

“I pledge.

I am,

I will become the sword that cuts down the devil that will descend on the earth.”

Shin heard my last answer and stretched out his hand toward the magic sword.

“I received your prayers. You will take on the role of my advisor and I promise to give you the position of bishop as you have sworn to cut down my enemies. So from now on, I will grant your wish.”

‘what? bishop?’

“If you trust me, stab this succubus with your sword.”

Before I had time to ask a question, wondering if I had heard wrong, a white sphere came out of Deshade’s body and wrapped around the magic sword.

A magic sword that shines with divine power.

“This is a feat that you and I create together. It will be the first day. Do it.”

I receive God’s command and lay down my sword.

and,

He stabs the magic sword into the cloth covering Astesia’s neck.

phut!

At the same time, Astesia’s back explodes.

Black liquid pouring out as if an oil field had exploded.

If it were said to have come from the body of that small succubus, an amount of liquid that no one would believe would come out and begin to flood the huge hall.

‘Is this a normal situation?’

“Do not be afraid. Trust in me and your beliefs and persevere.”

I try to look in the direction where Deshade is, but I can’t open my eyes because of the black liquid that quickly fills up.

Although it is clearly liquid-like, it feels like a slight moisture to the touch, like fog.

However, it is difficult to breathe to the point that I wonder if I am drowning like this.

Unable to figure out how the situation is going, I end up closing my eyes tightly and waiting for time to pass.

While I was sitting still without even realizing how much time had passed,

“Open your eyes. Oh human.”

I open my eyes hearing two voices coming from me.