episode_0116

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The coastal village of Mora, nestled on the southern tip of the Empire.

Blessed with both a beautiful beach and abundant mountains, it boasts breathtaking scenery. However, its remote geographical location, combined with the numerous islands and reefs in the surrounding sea, has hindered maritime trade, leaving it a quiet fishing village.

The most secluded Monastery within the Goddess Order was located on an uninhabited island near this village, making it one of the most isolated places from the world’s attention where humanity has lived.

But that was only the case when the world was functioning normally.

Now, Mora was closer to being a “ruin” than a “scenic rural village.”

The monsters that destroyed the world had mercilessly trampled even this small village.

The village was filled with the smell of rotten fish and collapsing houses.

Nevertheless, at this moment, it became the most closely watched place by the devils.

The reason was the four people residing in this village: one Priest and three Nuns.

Unfortunately, they had no particular talent for cultivating and restoring the village.

A Priest who had fought devils his whole life, and three Nuns who had spent most of their lives confined to an island, engrossed in theology, were unlikely to be skilled in construction or repair.

In the first place, how limited could the things that just four humans could do in a destroyed world be?

The few houses and facilities used by the Nuns and the Priest were more or less maintained, but traces of collapse were easily noticeable in the empty houses and every corner of the village, untouched by human hands.

As such, the village was originally eerie, but now it was even more desolate because even the Priest and Nuns were away from their posts.

The sea fog rolling in from the sea covered the village in darkness even in broad daylight, and instead of the cold receding as the snow melted, the smell of salt and rotten fish stung the nose everywhere in the village.

On the muddy dirt road that cut through the empty village.

A black cat was walking slowly on it.

It was Kunat.

“To try to claim that this ruin is a village for people, Billy is a strange human being.”

The black cat twitched its whiskers and chuckled.

“No, in the first place, with devils wandering around, it’s not a village for humans.”

Kunat scoffed at Billy’s contradiction and stretched slightly.

“He must know it himself. How ridiculous his stubbornness is.”

Kunat recalled what the Priest had said.

He had said that he was holed up in the village simply because he did not want to move according to the devil’s intentions.

In fact, as there is a saying that the best way to win a game with the devil is not to try a game with the devil in the first place, the Priest’s actions were a sufficiently plausible choice.

However, that was only the case when the world was normal.

As the current miserable state of this village proved, his stubbornness was bound to collapse someday.

And knowing that fact well, Kunat did not bother to urge him.

“Hmm, now that I think about it… the remaining Nun is not visible. That tomboy.”

Kunat muttered quietly and moved his feet, following the scent left in the air.

The light footsteps of the black cat gracefully crossed the collapsed stone walls and moss-covered debris, heading towards the most secluded beach in the village.

Sola, a teenage girl with red hair fluttering in the wind, was standing blankly on that beach.

Sola, sensing Kunat approaching, slowly turned her head.

“Hi, Kunat!”

Sola said, brushing back her hair fluttering in the sea breeze with her hand.

The round and playful face of the young girl was brightly revealed.

“Heehee,”

Sola smiled, revealing her teeth, and squatted down in front of Kunat, slowly stroking the cat’s head.

In fact, Kunat sometimes accepted her stroking without a word.

This was because the original owner of this cat’s body was Sola.

It was a kind of ritual, not for Sola’s consideration, but to stabilize the connection between the cat’s body and the devil’s soul.

Frankly speaking, Kunat found Sola’s touch unpleasant.

Whether she knew Kunat’s feelings or not, Sola giggled and carefully tickled Kunat’s nape.

It was a slightly different, calmer touch than usual.

Kunat wagged its tail and quietly looked at Sola.

“…”

Sola.

Even in Kunat’s eyes, she was a very strange child.

A personality immature for her age due to not having properly experienced the opportunity of socialization,

But a girl whose pure and mischievous childlike aspect was rather lovely.

That is why the other Nuns and Father Theodore would scold her, but would not try to change her.

But Kunat could tell.

She was changing.

Sola was also growing up.

Her height may have stopped, but the youthful energy was gradually disappearing from her face, and above all, those eyes.

The green eyes that resembled a fresh meadow were now being dyed blood red.

It was because of the devil hidden inside her.

Besides, that devil was no ordinary devil.

One of the only six Kings of Hell.

Something old and evil that even Kunat could not dare to approach.

Only the Goddess and Angels, and that Priest, could deal with it.

Was it because she held such a devil, Sola’s face looked unusually calm today.

Somehow, a little bit mature.

“Hehe, it feels good to touch Kunat.”

“…,”

Or not, is she the same as usual?

At that moment of confusion,

Kunat suddenly felt goosebumps all over its body.

Even though it was a cat’s body, it felt as if cold sweat was seeping through the fur.

Kunat slowly stepped back and looked at Sola’s face.

Sola tilted her head slightly and looked down at him quietly, as if nothing had happened.

“Ha…”

Kunat let out a small hollow laugh.

Why didn’t I notice?

“Since…when…”

“…”

Sola lost her expression.

Having instantly removed the smile that had been full on her face until just before, she whispered with a expressionless face that revealed nothing, to the point of being horrifying.

“I got caught.”

“Your Highness…”

Sola, or rather, the Devil King, quietly opened her mouth.

The voice was clearly Sola’s, but the atmosphere and tone, and the overwhelming presence that radiated from it, were completely different.

“Don’t pretend to be polite. Kunat.”

The cold tone that had never been felt in Sola’s voice continued to flow out.

“I’m trapped in this body because things went wrong trying to stop your plan, but there’s no point in you acting like you’re loyal to me now.”

“That’s…”

“Besides, I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

Kunat lowered her head.

No, her head was plunged towards the ground on its own.

An oppressive feeling, as if being crushed by a huge lump of iron, weighed down on her whole body.

She even felt like her neck muscles were not following her orders.

No, it wasn’t just her neck.

Her whole body was not listening to her, like a broken machine.

For example, her legs were twitching as if trying to get out of here right away, but at the same time, she could not move even a little, as if heavy molten metal had been poured on them.

Since when was it?

Exactly when did Sola’s consciousness disappear and her body become dominated by the King?

The Devil King opened her mouth again.

“Answer. How did you notice?”

“…”

“I will not allow silence.”

In an instant, Kunat’s body emitted a red light and shed its cat form.

It wasn’t her will.

She was forcibly revealing her true form as a devil with red skin.

Kunat immediately knelt on one knee at Sola’s feet, lowered her head, and carefully opened her mouth.

“…Sola doesn’t call me Kunat… She used to call me… Meow.”

“Huh, Meow?”

“I couldn’t possibly let her call the devil’s true name so easily.”

“Isn’t the name Kunat not yours anyway? That guy was devoured by you and had his name and body taken away.”

“…”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

Kunat bit her lip and changed the subject.

“And that young Nun doesn’t… touch me so skillfully. She used to knead my face with both hands.”

“Ho, I see, I thought I was imitating this immature female enough, but this red-haired bitch is a dumber idiot than I expected.”

“…”

“But,”

The Devil King sighed with a look of disgust.

“Couldn’t you have just pretended not to notice? I put up with the shame and acted, and you ruined it…”

“I… I’m sorry…”

“Shall I send your soul back to Hell as it is? There are a lot of devils who want to see you…”

“Please… save me…”

A squeezed word of apology flowed from Kunat’s throat.

The Devil King narrowed her eyes and looked down at Kunat.

“You know it yourself.”

“What are you talking about…”

“I didn’t bother to pay attention to your shallow tricks, but this time you’ve gone too far.”

“…”

“Do you think that Priest will move according to your will? Do you really think you can manipulate that Priest?”

“I can… To that end, I’m… gradually corrupting him… Didn’t you see it in that Nun’s body, the Priest is still slowly giving in to temptation…”

“Nonsense.”

The Devil King put her foot between Kunat’s two horns and stomped on her head.

“That Priest is dangerous. Even if you look through the entire history of mankind, there has never been anyone who has made devils tremble in fear as much as him.”

“…Ah, I know.”

“Besides, the Goddess is not dead. She has only lost the ability to intervene in the world.”

“That’s why we have a good opportunity…”

“But if you think this situation is an opportunity, you are stupid. Young devil.”

The Devil King stomped on Kunat’s head even harder and continued to speak.

“The fact that the Goddess does not interfere in the world… means that no matter how corrupt the Priest is, his holy power will not be taken away. That whore doesn’t know what’s going on in this land.”

“…”

“You couldn’t have not known that, so you must have been trying to use the Priest to gain an advantage over other devils.”

“…That’s right.”

The Devil King quietly lifted her foot and said.

“But your plan ends here.”

“…”

“The Priest will die soon.”

Kunat bowed her head, but secretly ridiculed the Devil King.

The Priest is going to die?

Father Theodore, Billy?

The King brought her subordinates, even the Thorn Lord, but didn’t he lose to him?

The devil cannot defeat Father Theodore.

This was what she, who had been beaten by him so many times, knew best.

Whenever the Priest was truly angry, Kunat had to endure the feeling that her body was being torn apart and her soul was being kicked out to Hell.

In fact, there were times when she was in a really dangerous state.

She was enduring it with the thrilling thrill of being ejected to Hell if she made a mistake, and the pleasure of watching all of the Priest’s emotions being poured out on her.

His power was something that the devil could not overcome.

If the devil was fire, the Priest was water, and if the devil was a tree, the Priest was an axe.

She quietly shook her head and recited.

“The devil… cannot defeat that Priest.”

“…”

Kunat was surprised by her own words that popped out without her knowing, and tried to fix the situation.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to offend Your Highness, but…”

“Stop.”

“…”

Contrary to expectations, the Devil King surprisingly accepted her words in a cool tone.

“I know. We devils can’t beat that damn Priest. He can’t be seen as human. He may actually be closer to an angel.”

“…Yes,”

The Devil King slowly reached out to the sandy beach.

Sola’s unique red, disheveled hair all soared into the air at once and then slowly writhed ominously.

The sandy floor of the beach pointed to by her palm slowly began to sink to the bottom.

Eventually, a large, deep hole appeared in the middle of the sandy beach.

“…Ah,”

There was a corpse in the hole.

It was Paolo.

Only then could Kunat realize.

When the King took over Sola’s body, how Paolo could have disappeared without a trace.

And what the King’s plan to kill the Priest was.

“As you said, the devil cannot defeat that Priest. But, humans cannot defeat monsters.”

“…”

Paolo’s body was covered in numerous spores.

The King glared at Kunat and said.

“I will not allow interference.”