Rupert and Cedric infiltrated Filat while taking care not to be seen by anyone.
This was because Rupert was a Cockatrice Demon, and Cedric was an Alraune Demon, with appearances unfit for humans.
Though it was humiliating for them, they told themselves it was just a temporary measure until Demon King Zagan’s resurrection.
Once Demon King Zagan was resurrected, the era of humans would surely come to an end.
Cedric believed they should prioritize dealing with Marius for that very purpose, but Rupert had a different opinion.
“We could just make Marius a sacrifice for Lord Zagan. I heard he gets grumpy if there aren’t any challenging enemies. Lord Franklin told me so.”
“It kinda sounds like Lord Zagan wouldn’t be happy even if he was resurrected,” Cedric muttered with clear dissatisfaction.
“Shhh!” Rupert didn’t deny it but simply shushed him.
He harbored similar thoughts himself.
They endured humiliation for what felt like an impossibly long time according to their senses, finally reaching a place called the “Lake of the Abyss.”
“Is this it? It doesn’t seem like there are many living creatures around. And the ones here are just weaklings.”
“That’s why, right? If there were something like a dragon, we might accidentally wake up Lord Zagan.”
They searched for the sealing location while exchanging such words. Gerik had only pinpointed the general area through his information gathering; they didn’t have the exact current location. However, they were confident in their sharp perceptive abilities, so they didn’t find it bothersome. And it was precisely because of this that they immediately noticed something was wrong.
“What the hell is this…?”
The two widened their eyes. The naturally calm and harmonizing magic of the area was in disarray due to the residual traces of someone’s potent magic. Furthermore, trees were toppled, and ashes remained, presenting a scene that could only be described as environmental destruction.
“Everything’s a mess… who could have done this?”
“It’s like that Marius fellow just randomly unleashed magic everywhere here, isn’t it?”
“No, that’s unlikely, even for him.”
They were unknowingly close to the truth. The problem for them was that their perceptive abilities were rendered useless.
“So, where do we start searching?”
“Well, if it’s sealed, it’s probably in a place no one would approach, so maybe the deeper part?”
They headed for the depths without hesitation, their brows furrowing as the residual magic grew denser and the devastation worsened.
“Isn’t this too much? Could it be something to interfere with breaking the seal?”
“It’s possible. Humans seem to like things like ‘seiri seiton’ (tidiness and order). Making a mess like this and just leaving it… it must be some kind of ploy.”
It was all Marius’s doing, but they had no way of knowing that. If Gerik or Zofi, who had actually experienced Marius’s magic, had been present, they would have recognized the residual magic in the surroundings as Marius’s. But it was impossible for Rupert and Cedric. Thus, they overthought the situation.
“Then, if we lie in wait here, someone should come, right? If we squeeze them, we can get information.”
“That’s right. This is apparently the country of Filat, and that Marius person is also here in Filat, so let’s get information out of him.”
“That’s a good idea. We can always revive Lord Zagan afterward, and if we bring back information about Marius as a souvenir, he might be pleased.”
And with that, the two made a choice that would have sent Gerik into despair and clutching his head.
“Gerik is useless, isn’t he? His strengths are his skills and information gathering, yet…”
“Don’t blame him. He’s got no talent.”
To the two martial-minded individuals, someone with low combat ability was an easy target for contempt. They only kept their disdain hidden because they feared Rubens.
“Speaking of Marius, Zofi should be there by now, right? Is he still alive?”
“He’s alive, I’m sure. Whether he’s a shell of his former self or suffering from kidney deficiency, I don’t know.” They said this and laughed. They had no doubt about Zofi’s success. The two lay down on the ground in broad daylight. Normally, the terrifying beings for demons were other demons of equal standing or Demon Lords, and Heroes who possessed the power to defeat them. The Black Owls and Lake Snakes that inhabited the area were cowering and fleeing at the demonic aura. However, they kept their presence moderate, as exuding too much aura might agitate humans.
“Well then, shall we sleep until someone comes?”
“I hope they come soon. If it’s too late, Lord Rubens will scold us.”
They slept in their human forms, letting out snores just like humans. They intended to lull their opponents into a false sense of security. Little did they know it would be a fatal miscalculation.
The Demon Lord and Demon Hunter squads instantly reached their destination through Marius’s mass teleportation magic. The party consisted of Marius, Zofi, Barra, Yaders, Lucas, and Nilson. This was the group chosen because Marius didn’t mind if Zofi’s true identity was revealed. As Marius was about to set out to find their enemies, Zofi stopped him.
“Rupert and Cedric are quite powerful, but they are also prone to carelessness. If we can catch them off guard, we can gain the advantage immediately.”
It was a sound opinion, so they decided to conceal what they could. They layered “Silent” to mask sound, “Deodorant” to mask scent, and “Stealth” to conceal their magical presence.
“Is there any chance they’ve noticed us now?”
“If they had, they would have charged at us already,” Zofi replied crisply to Marius’s softly spoken question. Her attitude suggested that she would have counterattacked if they had charged. In fact, she might have been prepared to be used as bait. The one they needed to be careful of was Cedric, or more precisely, the skill “Deadly Shout” that Cedric likely possessed. It was a signature move of the Alraune, capable of instantly killing opponents with a certain level difference. Even if it didn’t kill them outright, it inflicted massive damage, along with complete confusion and a forced drop in all stats, making it a fearsome skill. However, it could be defended against, and its effect was halved if one didn’t hear the full shout, so it wasn’t classified as an exceptionally powerful skill.
“I’ve found them. They are about a kilometer away,” Zofi announced. The sense of smell of a Succubus, while not as strong as a dog’s, was quite remarkable. Furthermore, Zofi was a Demon, and her other senses were also enhanced.
“Shall we go defeat them then?”
“No. That is not necessary,” Zofi stated firmly.
“They appear to be asleep.”
“Huh…?” Marius’s eyes went wide. Weren’t these demons here to resurrect the Demon Lord? He had no idea what was going on. He wondered if this was a common occurrence in this world and looked at the others, who all wore expressions similar to Marius’s. Zofi was the only exception; she surveyed their surroundings before offering her opinion.
“It seems to be a trap.”
“A trap…?” Zofi explained to the bewildered group.
“The area around the sealing site está in an unbelievably dire state, making it difficult to break the seal. It is likely they mistook this for sabotage and are waiting in ambush for anyone who comes here.” Zofi accurately discerned the two demons’ intentions, likely due to their shared nature as demons, even though she had not interacted with them extensively.
“Whoa, it really is terrible.”
“Who would do such a shameless thing?”
“Scum of humanity… scum of living beings, this is.”
The members of the party noticed the surrounding scenery and began to voice their condemnations one after another. Marius, the true culprit, decided to feign ignorance. Barra and Zofi seemed to vaguely sense the culprit but also chose to remain silent.
“Upon resurrection, the Demon Lord should only possess power comparable to a Demon. Their ambush is likely intended to prevent interference before the Demon Lord is fully resurrected.” Marius nodded in agreement with Zofi’s explanation.
“If they are intentionally lying in wait, let’s proceed with caution.”
“No, that is not necessary.” Zofi denied him again.
“If those two are asleep, leave it to me, Master.” With a confident smile, Marius nodded, recalling Zofi’s skill. “Pleasure,” which allowed her to enter opponents’ dream worlds and drain their vital energy, might be effective even against Demons. Even if it didn’t work, she could attack before the two noticed them.
“Go ahead and try, Zofi.”
“Yes!” Zofi used “Pleasure.”
Rupert and Cedric were in a dream world.
“Why are you here?” They spoke simultaneously and then clicked their tongues simultaneously.
“Because I called you,” a woman’s voice said. Startled, they turned around to see Zofi, who was supposed to have been attempting to entangle Marius.
“Zofi, what is the meaning of this…?” Rupert tried to shout, but then he noticed the abnormality in his own body. Cedric did too. Their entire bodies flushed with heat, their lower halves became aroused, and an urge to assault Zofi, who stood before them, surged through them, yet their bodies wouldn’t move. They realized they had fallen victim to “Pleasure.”
“Rupert.”
“Yeah.” The two punched each other with all their might, but it had no effect.
“You won’t escape my ‘Pleasure’ with that,” Zofi declared triumphantly, mocking them. They glared at her, but their anger vanished in an instant, replaced by lust.
“It’s my first time using this on a Demon, but… you guys are surprisingly weak.”
“D-damn it…” Even their curses turned into pleasure. They struggled desperately but couldn’t escape Zofi. The desire to not escape, to savor it more, grew stronger.
“No. My Master is too strong. Not the Demon Lord, but my true Master.” Zofi dreamily recalled a “passionately hot night” but quickly refocused on her current target. Vitality flowed from the two into her, transforming into her power. At this point, it was Zofi’s sole domain, but she didn’t want to keep her precious Master waiting and decided to end it quickly. Their downfall was their failure to anticipate Zofi’s betrayal.
Marius, who had approached to provide support, watched in astonishment as Rupert and Cedric dissolved into death by depletion.
“At least wake up…” The others looked at Zofi with awe.
“As expected, invincible in the dream world…” Lucas and Barra wore grim expressions. Sensing the mood, Marius hesitated whether to ask a question, but decided it was too late and posed his doubt as a soliloquy.
“It was broken so easily. I never expected it to work on a Demon…” The others were astonished by this statement.
“Eh? You mean you won in the dream world? You didn’t wake up, fight, and defeat them?” Even Barra looked perplexed. Lucas and the others exuded an aura that screamed, “Why is this guy still alive?” Marius felt slightly awkward. To Marius, “Pleasure” was not a frightening skill. It drained stamina, magic power, and spirit, and even after waking up, one remained charmed. While the effects weren’t weak, if you fell asleep, you could just have someone wake you up, and being punched would break the charm. In an MMO game where playing with companions was the norm, “Pleasure” was merely a harassing skill. But in reality, it was a fearsome skill depending on how it was used. If used in a situation where companions couldn’t wake you, it could inflict massive damage, and possibly because the user was Zofi, it was effective even against Demons. Moreover, to awaken oneself with magic required an immense amount of magic power. In other words, Marius was simply its absolute nemesis. Marius, having learned the ferocity of a Succubus’s “Pleasure” from Barra and Lucas, realized that Zofi might have been an unexpected treasure. The returning Zofi shyly offered two objects to Marius.
“This is the Cockatrice Heart and the Soul of the Demonic Flower.” Marius confirmed their authenticity with magic and accepted them. Barra was shocked that Zofi, whom she had thought of as just a flirtatious demon, had defeated a formidable enemy with a trick, and was also skilled at appraising items.
(S-such a formidable opponent…) she thought, stamping her foot in frustration internally, but her expression remained unchanged. Marius, too, couldn’t hide his surprise at Zofi’s high performance, but he hadn’t forgotten their original objective.
“Let’s search for the Demon Lord’s seal.” Marius, who had expended almost no energy due to the unexpected turn of events, was brimming with enthusiasm.
“Ah, it’s probably this way.” Zofi demonstrated her excellence once again and led Marius. Barra felt a genuine sense of crisis. She had tagged along unnecessarily to show Marius her usefulness, but Zofi was about to take all the credit. After walking for nearly an hour, they reached a cave.
“I can smell the Demon Lord from here.”
“We’re finally going to confront Demon King Zagan… but before that, there’s something we need to deal with.” The cave had collapsed. The culprit, needless to say, was Marius. Zofi tilted her head.
“That’s strange. If the cave has collapsed, the seal should have been broken…”
“Don’t tell me he’s already revived…?” Marius’s walking speed increased.
“Everyone, please wait here.” If Demon King Zagan had revived, everyone except Zofi was likely to be a hindrance. The group nodded and stopped.
“From what I’ve heard of his temperament, if he had revived, some country would have been wiped out…” Zofi couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“First, let’s clear this rubble. 【Exharatio】” White flames incinerated the debris. Zofi narrowed her eyes, blinded by the brilliant light and intense heat.
“Amazing. To unleash the firepower of a high-level demon without chanting.” Marius wasn’t listening to the praise from his Familiar. He was focusing on a faint scream, like that of a dying man, that he thought he had heard.
“Did you hear something?”
“…It wasn’t a hallucination then.” Zofi seemed to have sensed something and wore a tired expression. Marius, on the other hand, was filled with disbelief. Charcoal and something else remained at the site.
“This is the Demon Lord’s heart.” Apparently, the truth was that Marius had just obliterated Zagan, who had been buried alive.
“No way…” It was something that could only have happened because of his weakened state immediately after revival, a situation so comical it was more like a joke than a miracle – and it had actually happened.
