DEB 58

“So you lost them again.”

Blood-soaked fingers slowly brushed the armrest of the chair. The throne he sat on, the steps leading up to it, the carpet below, and even the windowsill bathed in the crimson light of the demonic moon were all stained with blood. 

The Duke’s clothes were also drenched in the thick blood of demons, causing the smell of blood to permeate the entire space.

The Baron, holding his breath, tried to steady his trembling shoulders while bowing his head. The Duke watched him with a gaze that was both hot and sharp. If he looked up, he feared that what would fall to the floor wouldn’t be his sweat but his head. The Baron clenched his hands by his thighs, his teeth chattering, and managed to open his lips.

“…I seem to have lost one of the bait while setting the trap.” 

“The one whose presence you felt?”

“…Escaped, it seems.” 

“Hmm.”

A languid voice echoed in Baron Cherban’s, ears. Despite the cold sweat soaking his jaw, he couldn’t lift his head. He desperately hoped the overwhelming fear consuming him would subside. 

Cherban knew all too well how cruel his lord could be. After all, the corpses of other Barons who had failed to track the powerful presence were scattered all around.

This incident alone had resulted in the deaths of twenty demons, including servants. His lord could harness the power of slain demons and wield it as his own, so their deaths weren’t in vain. 

They had all contributed to his strength.

However, Cherban had no intention of sharing their fate.

“…”

Quietly, as if ready to accept any punishment short of death, Cherban endured with his head bowed. After a moment of silence, the Demon Lord exhaled softly.

“Baron Cherban. It pains me to say that you seem incapable of doing anything right… I’m at a loss as to what to do with you.”

With genuine annoyance, the Duke raised his bloodstained hand and caressed his cheek, shooting a reproachful look at Cherban. 

Immediately, Cherban dropped to his knees with a loud thud and pressed his head to the floor.

“I apologize. I will capture them next time for sure….” 

“No.”

“…Pardon?”

The Duke hated stupid demons. 

Though Cherban knew this better than anyone, he couldn’t help but ask. 

With blood-red eyes shining under the demonic moonlight, the Duke smiled benevolently.

“I’ll go find him myself.” 

“My Lord, what do you mean…!”

“Are you defying me?” 

“…I made a mistake.”

As soon as Cherban raised his voice in panic, a murderous gaze whipped across his back. 

Realizing his blunder, Cherban pressed his head even lower. 

Only then did the Duke turn his head towards the large window. 

Beyond the bloody handprints on the windowpane, the red moon shone.

The Duke’s eyes gleamed greedily as he gazed at it.

“Yes, I should meet him myself. It seems the presence was ‘his’ after all.”

“…”

“Since I have returned, he must have as well. I need to ask him what it felt like when I took my last breath.”

Despite his beautiful face and gentle smile, it was more chilling than warm. Cherban pitied whoever was caught in the Duke’s sights, but he played the role of the loyal servant and bowed.

“Everything will proceed according to your will, my Lord.”

“Release the hostages and send them through a convenient portal. They will continue to search for them otherwise. But make sure it’s not easy to find them. It’s always more touching when a reunion is long-awaited.”

Cherban suppressed a sigh at the suggestion of such a cruel joke, bowing his head in acknowledgment. 

The Duke waved his hand, dismissing him.

“Thank you for your mercy, O Pride.”

Relieved to have survived, Cherban left the audience chamber without raising his head until the end. The old door closed with a harsh creak. Until then, the Duke had not spared a glance at Cherban. After the Baron left, the Duke wiped the blood from his face and savored the scent.

Taking a deep breath, the Duke’s eyes grew cloudy.

 As if recalling old memories, his gaze became unfocused.

“We will meet again.”

Even now, he couldn’t forget the moment of his death. The radiant brilliance and the overwhelming power that seemed unattainable. Having lived his whole life as the Lord of Pride, the humiliation and awe of being crushed like an ant before such immense strength were unforgettable.

Even as his head was being crushed, the thrill that filled his mind seemed to transcend life and reach his new body. 

The Duke trembled slightly and clenched the wet handkerchief before letting it fall to the floor.

“Yasha.”

The name of the one who had taken his life lingered on his tongue as the Duke leaned back on his throne and smiled.

“I look forward to our next meeting, with my power fully restored.”

It would surely be delightful. 

As ideas of how to find and exact revenge on Yasha began to flood his mind, the Duke laughed in ecstasy and quietly closed his eyes.

To properly execute the future he had planned, it was best to gradually gather strength first.

“The demon realm should remain quiet for a while, Baron.”

This joy he felt after such a long time shouldn’t be easily shattered.

***

“Ugh….”

His body felt heavy. Like a giant cat weighing over 20kg was lying on his chest, making it hard to breathe, Huiyun groaned and shifted his body, trying to find a more comfortable position. Just when he thought he had found some peace, the oppressive weight returned, making it impossible to ignore.

“Ugh, come on…”

Huiyun mumbled and tried to push whatever was on top of him away. His hands met something soft and squishy, and it wasn’t just in one spot—his entire body felt encased in this strange texture. He jolted awake, startled by the increasingly clear sensation of something heavy and squishy pressing down on him.

What the hell is on top of me this time?

It seemed his previous life wasn’t as Yasha but as a bed. 

Why else would strange things keep happening every time he tried to sleep?

If sleep is supposed to be a remedy, someone must have spiked mine with poison. How else could he be losing sleep every other day? 

Huiyun scanned his surroundings to assess the situation. He expected to find a giant person on his bed but was instead greeted by the sight of massive slimes. They were transparent and would have been difficult to see without their grayish outlines.

One, two, three, four, five.

There were five massive slimes wriggling around freely on Huiyun’s bed. One of them slowly crawled up his leg and flopped over. He recognized the familiar weight. Realizing what had been pressing down on him earlier, Huiyun touched the slime.

It was soft and cool. 

“…It feels oddly nice.”

It felt like touching a giant water jelly. Huiyun continued to squish the slime, enjoying the sensation, and eventually hugged one of the slimes like a cushion. 

Looking around, he realized he wasn’t at the Ash Guild.

This place was more familiar, comfortable, yet not entirely welcome.

Suil Hospital.

The place where he had spent half his life.

Seeing the hospital gown he was wearing, Huiyun sighed. 

“Am I hospitalized again?”

He didn’t think his condition was that bad when he passed out.

Did he have some kind of seizure after losing consciousness? It hadn’t even been a day since he left the Ash Guild, and if Huigang heard about this, he would probably faint from shock. As Huiyun was contemplating this, the door to his room opened, and Huigang walked in, looking like he hadn’t seen Huiyun in ages. 

Huigang shot a sharp glare at him, closed the door, and approached him quickly.

“Oh…”

The determination not to leave him alone was clear in Huigang’s demeanor. Huiyun tried to avoid his gaze, knowing he was about to get an earful. But instead, Huigang, with a stern expression, grabbed Huiyun’s shoulders and then slumped, burying his face in Huiyun’s chest.

“There’s more!”

“…What?”

“There’s more of them! It used to be three, but now four of them are here. And the new one is some miracle shaman from Thailand. Why do you keep bringing strange people here? Is it because of your inherited powers again?”

Huiyun could tell that Huigang had been through a lot dealing with his disciples. For the first time, instead of worrying about Huiyun, Huigang vented about his own troubles, shaking Huiyun lightly. 

His voice was tired. Huigang, who usually always kept his composure, was clearly at his limit.

A miracle shaman from Thailand?

If there were four now and one of them was a shaman, it was obvious who Huigang was talking about. It had to be Vita. Huiyun patted Huigang’s head and apologized. Huigang sighed deeply and looked up. His voice had sounded teary, but his eyes were dry, though filled with a fiery intensity.

“This won’t do, Huiyun.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s run away.”

It was hard to tell how long he had been unconscious, but it had been about a month since he first met Yasha’s disciples. 

The cohabitation plan had stalled at day one because of his fainting, and now Huigang was the first to raise the white flag.