episode_0193

Memories of the past passing by like a flashback.

It’s different from just ‘seeing.’

Velpegor’s experiences are flowing into me.

Demons and humans are completely different in terms of physical structure and mindset.

But as a demon, the senses and experiences flow directly into me without any filtering or interpretation.

Filled with things I can’t understand.

But one thing is clear.

The emotions Velpegor felt.

That much has been clearly conveyed to me.

This is Velpegor’s trauma.

A painful past that has become her shackles and filled her inner world.

“I roughly understand.”

From the moment Velpegor arrived in the present, what unfolded was quite predictable and easily foreseeable.

People’s reaction to an incomprehensible demon appearing in the present world would naturally be to rush to kill it.

So Velpegor attempted to communicate.

But with language barriers beyond comprehension, there was no way to get through.

To humans, Velpegor would have just appeared as a mindless demon trash.

So Velpegor ran and ran, avoiding the knights chasing her and hiding from people’s eyes.

Slowly creeping into darker and gloomier places.

There was no choice for Velpegor, weakened by having her powers as a Greater Demon taken away.

Just running away until she was cornered and about to be caught.

But there was someone who reached out to her again.

“Draken…”

The one Velpegor reveres and calls ‘that person.’

Draken’s power began to be injected into Velpegor in earnest.

With that newfound strength, Velpegor managed to escape the human encirclement.

“There’s nothing more to see.”

What comes next is truly predictable.

Although there are still hundreds of years left in terms of time.

It would be days of dedication to the one who saved her and loyalty to help with the coming of the Great Demon.

Traces of Transylvania’s face and Luna’s past flickered by briefly, but I decided to pass over them without much interest.

Because right now, there’s something urgent…

“Tsk. She’s out of it.”

“Ah…”

Did I inadvertently bring up too many memories for the newcomer to the inner world?

Velpegor, with vacant eyes and absent-minded, stood still.

No response even when flicking fingers in front of her.

Not even a twitch when playfully lifting her skirt.

It seems like she’s either lost her mind or on the brink of losing it.

Just then, the world’s landscape began to blur and the ground started shaking.

If she continues like this, she’ll collapse and die deep into the ground.

In a world where magic and mana are unattainable, surviving such a disaster in a world that embodies Velpegor’s trauma seems impossible.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay.”

“…”

I hold Mijung’s hand and look around.

There’s only one way to leave here.

Velpegor has to pull us out.

Velpegor is the owner of this world.

While destroying the world or changing the terrain is impossible.

At the very least, the owner should be able to come and go as they please.

“Velpegor. Snap out of it. Do you want to die here?”

“Maybe… dying… is better…”

“Hey.”

Meanwhile, from the deep abyss, a giant black figure emerges.

Anger, Satan.

Although he clearly resembles Satan, unlike the Satan I’ve seen before, he is creeping closer with a disturbing smile and a low bow.

Damn it.

If Velpegor doesn’t snap out of it, she’ll be dragged away by that unsettling Satan and trapped in the abyss.

“Where are you going, daughter! Let’s sacrifice together! We will become eternal heroes of the underworld together!”

“Velphigor!”

“······?!”

Crack!

I grab Velphigor’s face tightly with my right hand.

As I apply a strong force as if to crush his face, a faint vitality begins to show in his eyes that can be seen between my fingers, as if he is coming to his senses.

“You’re okay with dying like this? Was your life so worthless that it ends in a place like this with no regrets?”

“That’s not······ that’s not true······.”

“Then let’s go.”

“H-how······?”

Velphigor looks at me with teary eyes.

His face resembles that of a child asking an adult what to do now that they’ve reached a dead end.

Leaving his tears to flow, I quietly whispered.

“It’s about acceptance. This place represents your true nature, and the fact that you are nothing more than a powerless resident here.”

“I am already powerless-”

“No. You’re wrong. You’re just trembling with fear right now. Admit it! This is not just a simple memory projection, but a vast world!”

“······!”

An infinitely vast and expansive world.

A world so huge that beings like us appear as insignificant specks of dust.

The moment we acknowledge that, we become infinitely small.

And paradoxically, infinitely powerful.

|Kwaaaah!|

Velphigor’s eyes clear up.

In an instant, as Satan’s hand approaches Velphigor’s head, it disperses into black mist.

He did it.

Velphigor has finally awakened to how to manipulate this world.

This vast world is mine.

I am the master of this place.

Realizing that, Velphigor becomes not only a powerless resident but also the all-powerful god of this world.

“Phew······.”

“Are you calmer now? The more you fear, the more this world will try to consume and destroy you. It’s a world based on your trauma, you see.”

“I think so······. But I still don’t want to stay here. I want to leave.”

“Wait. Before you go.”

“······?”

Velphigor takes a deep breath with closed eyes to leave.

But there is something I need to do before that.

Kneeling in front of Velphigor, I take out a high-quality potion from my pocket and generously apply it to his stomach and waist.

This is the last potion left.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Just stay still.”

“Ugh?!”

Despite not being able to move at my command, Velphigor seems to be shivering, unable to stay still.

This should be enough.

The moment I signal that it’s done.

Velphigor, with a face reddened as if in shame, closes his eyes, and the scenery around him changes in an instant.

“Uwaaack······! Argh! My stomach! Damn it! It hurts! Aaargh!!!”

We’re back.

To the present, or rather, the underworld.

As Velphigor rolls around clutching his stomach on the ground, the black mist that had become Satan’s hand scatters into pieces.

“Well done.”

I accidentally separated his upper body.

I thought that if I entered the inner world and applied the potion while it was intact, it might heal cleanly, and it actually worked.

Although there were minor scars around his stomach and waist, it was a perfect treatment with no major issues, except for the trivial problem of not being able to wear a bikini.

“Stop being so dramatic.”

“Argh! You crazy bastard······.”

“Get up.”

“It hurts so much, what the hell······.”

“Get up.”

“Ugh······.”

A command without the power of magic.

Reaching out his hand and saying so, Bellpegor, who shed a few tears, grasps that hand.

And then he suddenly stands up in front of me.

Standing tall, Bellpegor looks up at me.

There seems to be a strong determination in his eyes.

“You said you don’t regret what you’ve done.”

“Of course. You saw it too, so you know. There was no other path for me. Regret? That’s for those who have an abundance of opportunities or for fools. If I hadn’t walked this path, I wouldn’t even be here. I would have been trapped in that abyss or dead long ago… So, I don’t regret. No, I can’t regret.”

“…”

For Bellpegor, regret is an impossible word.

Regret can only exist when one can make a different choice when looking back at the past.

But for Bellpegor, the only other path was one leading to death or sealing.

Even if that path was tainted.

The fact remains that Bellpegor has survived by making what he believed to be the best choices.

‘Was that it.’

That is the difference between him and Luna and Cali.

Whether or not they regret when looking back at the past.

Whether they have lived a life they believe to be the best.

Bellpegor is satisfied with both.

And to someone who has lived such a life, he believes they should be given the opportunity to choose.

“Choose, Bellpegor.”

“What? Ugh…!”

With a swift motion, I grab Bellpegor’s face and exert pressure.

Bellpegor grimaces in pain, his forehead creased with the pressure that feels like it could crush his bones.

But I have no intention of showing mercy.

I am prepared to crush him to death if necessary.

“First option. You die by my hand here. Then, your painful life will end, and under the guidance of the god of the afterlife, you will face the judgment of justice. You won’t have to struggle to live anymore.”

“Don’t make me laugh…!”

“Second and final option. You return with me to the mortal realm.”

“…”

“Return and atone. I heard from the god of the afterlife that the conditions for repentance of sins are the penitence of the perpetrator and the forgiveness of the victim. But with the amount of evil you have committed, I don’t know where to start or how to fulfill those conditions… At least there is a possibility. If you endure hundreds or even thousands of years of reincarnation, you may receive less punishment in the afterlife. The choice is yours.”

“…”

Setting aside the personal emotions that have accumulated over the 12 rounds, I offer Bellpegor a new opportunity.

Not necessarily for Bellpegor’s sake.

Just because it seems possible to persuade him.

If successful, I can transform the great demon who came to destroy the mortal realm into an infinite servant machine.

“Fine.”

“What did you say?”

“I… I’ll return to the mortal realm… To the place tainted by my vile past…”

With lowered eyes, Bellpegor whispers quietly.

For the first time in a life that had only one path, he faces a crossroads.

There, Bellpegor did not choose to flee.

He chose to confront his sins.

And his vile past.

For the first time, he took a step forward on his own.

I release my hand from Bellpegor and gently stroke his face, leaving behind red marks.

Looking at him like this, his face is quite handsome by human standards.

I wonder how demons would see it…

“Why? What’s wrong? Is there something strange about my face?”

“No… It’s not that…”

Bellpegor tilts his head in confusion, as if I’m the one who’s strange.

This face.

What should I call it?

Something…

|Haha! Impressive! As expected of you!|

“······?”

Laughter and applause resounded loudly.

Anger, Satan.

He twisted his voice and clapped his hands together with a resounding sound.

It was truly a scene that couldn’t help but look eerie.

|With such immense power to control even a tenth of the underworld! Truly a familiar presence to death! While everyone may have doubts, I believed firmly like no other! Even though you may have a human body, you will surely succeed! Of course, I did not expect you to go this far! Haha!|

“What on earth are you talking about? A familiar presence to death?”

|Don’t worry about it! Just think of it as your innate talent! You have honed that talent to the point where you can control part of the underworld and even tame Belphagor as your wife! Every demon looks up to you with admiration and respect that is not unworthy of a king! It would be too much of a waste to return to the mortal world!|

“What kind of nonsense are you trying to feed me with-”

|Therefore, I, the Great General of the Underworld, hereby appoint the great human who has come to the mortal world as the Chief Judge of the Underworld!|

“Wait a minute······!”

At that moment.

The sound of chains being filled echoed.

A tremendous pressure began to weigh down on my body.

“Aaargh!!!”

In an instant, a snowy landscape unfolded before my eyes.

In that snowy landscape where a blizzard raged.

There was a massive throne placed…