Chapter 48 - A Curious Friend

 

Having returned from the void, Jae “woke up” inside the inn’s rented room. Glancing over, he immediately spotted the sun beginning to appear over the distant horizon, and the peaceful faces of Bailey and Rena, deep in slumber.

“......”

Readying himself for the day, he quietly thought about the conversation with the Sinful God. There was a lot he needed to spend more time processing and chewing over, but the most notable thing had to be that.

Seronia... I didn’t think I would ever go back. But, what do you know?

Even if, for some reason, Jae needed to travel through Seronia―perhaps to reach another country on the opposite side―he never once considered the possibility of revisiting the capital city. Alas, thanks to what the Sinful God seemed to have a lot of fun mentioning, Jae found himself with little choice in the matter.

Greed Dungeon, huh... Is it a coincidence?

The fact that Greed was located in the heart of humanity’s fourth largest city―the main city of the nation that summoned him to this world to begin with.

...It can’t be. In the first place, why did they even summon us? If I were to guess, it was probably to build up their military might. The fact that Greed is there... It’s rather fitting.

Of course, Jae was still under the impression that each personified sin was once a different kind of monster, but perhaps that was incorrect.

Maybe it'll turn out that Greed was human... Well, either way, I’ll find out when I clear the thing.

Outside of what to do when he inevitably encounters one of his old classmates, which he decided to deal with when the time came, there wasn’t much else to discuss. Unfortunately, after letting Jae know of Greed’s whereabouts, the conversation soon came to an end as the Sinful God claimed to want to hide their clandestine meeting from the other gods. It was awfully suspicious, but as He was the one supporting Jae, as well as the fact Jae couldn't do anything about it anyway, he decided to leave it.

In the end, after claiming that they would talk again after Jae cleared the next Dungeon, the ‘dream’ ended.

“Now... Time to find that Devil...”

As it was still early dawn, Jae expected the main hall downstairs to be relatively empty; descending the stairs, he quickly found himself to be proven correct. Not spotting the Devil from last night anywhere, he approached the receptionist.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, good morning, sir. Did you have a pleasant night?”

It was the same woman as yesterday―having a couple of questions to ask, Jae replied with a smile.

“Yes, thank you. Can I ask how long the room is rented for?”

“Of course. You have those kids with you, yes? Don’t worry, they can sleep for a while longer; single-night rentals take effect until noon, so you have plenty of time. Would you like to order breakfast service? Because you already provided us with so much, sir, the cost will be included in yesterday’s pay.”

Breakfast...? Hm...

Jae couldn’t remember the last time he had a proper meal that was cooked by someone else, and the offer was certainly tempting.

I mean... It’s free, so why not, right?

As for the additional nights, there was nothing to gain from idling around in this small city, so he felt reluctant to do so.

“If it’s alright, I’ll just have breakfast... Actually, sorry, there’s something I need to do, so I’ll have it when I come back. Do you know where the Devil of the South is?”

Faced with Jae’s sudden question about her boss, the receptionist seemed slightly taken aback. Before she even had time to reply, however, someone’s voice called out from behind him.

“Say, were you asking about me?”

“!!”

Instantly turning around, Jae’s eyes turned wide.

I didn’t even sense him... What is with this guy...? Don’t tell me he can read my mind too...

“Hey. It might be sudden, but I have something I want to ask, and from the looks of it, so do you. So, wanna chat outside for a bit?”

Gesturing with his thumb towards the door of the inn, the Devil spoke with what appeared to be a warm smile. He didn’t seem to show any hostility, and he was right that they both had questions, but even still, Jae couldn’t let his guard down. At the very least, he didn’t seem able to read minds... But could that really be considered a silver lining?

“...Sure. Let’s talk.”

“Magnificent~ Come, walk with me.”

Immediately after hearing Jae’s confirmation, he started walking away.

“......”

Giving the receptionist a final glance, Jae noticed that she appeared shocked and confused, turning her head left and right as if looking for something.

Hm? What's that about...?

Tilting his head at the strange action, he followed the Devil outside.

 

---

 

Walking side-by-side through the early morning marketplace, the Devil of the South began.

“You're the one who paid a gold coin for a single night, yes? We don't exactly need donations, so if you want the money back, take it."

"Ah... You can keep it. Just use the remainder of the money to improve the services or something."

It's a pain to go through all the effort of giving back the exact amount of change. If I need money, I'll just sell some monster parts in the market.

"Mmm~ Well, I appreciate that. So, first of all, I suppose introductions are in order.”

Although the day was still young, the marketplace was thriving―however, despite strolling alongside a local celebrity, Jae noticed that no one seemed to pay any attention to them.

“I’ll start. My name is Nazar 'Itrai-Aram' Faisel. Of course, around here most know me as 'Devil of the South' or 'Southern Devil', but that’s no more than an epithet. Call me what you wish.”

Glancing at the Devil’s outwardly smiling face as he talked, Jae couldn’t help but notice now that he was close.

Hm... This guy is damn good-looking. What the hell?

He didn’t know if handsome was the right word, as something along the lines of ‘beautiful’ might be more accurate, but either way, the idea was the same, even to the extent that Jae almost doubted his own eyes. Still, having spent multiple years by the side of Aphy, whose human form was incomparable to any model, Jae was more than used to such faces.

“I’m Jae. It’s nice to meet you.”

In any case, he introduced himself curtly; thankfully, Nazar didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh, most certainly, the pleasure is mine. Now, I realise you have questions for me, as do I for you. So, how about we take it in turns to ask something about the other? Of course, you may go first.”

Jae thought about the deal for a moment and nodded his head.

“That’s fine with me. Then...”

The thing he was most curious about at this very moment.

“How are you preventing my skill from working?”

Jae’s blank eyes scanned the wall of System notifications that had been sitting in his peripheral vision, gradually stacking up ever since he first laid eyes on Nazar this morning. In response to his question, Nazar smiled broadly. Stopping in his tracks, he looked Jae in the face.

“Haha. I thought you would ask that. You see, I am from an ancient tribe known as the Aram, originating from one of the oldest indigenous lands of Laquada and also known to classical historians as the Southern Devil Tribe.“

Everything Wrath said yesterday was true, provoking questions about the source of Wrath’s knowledge. As he did not seem to be present, however, those questions would have to wait for another time.

“We, the Aram, are most notably known for a special characteristic―”

Suddenly, Nazar locked eyes with Jae, causing a chill to run down his spine.

“―An innate trait others have dubbed with the name ‘Evil Eyes’.”

In that instant, the world slowed as everything ground to a halt:

The citizens scouring the marketplace for fresh goods;

The birds of dawn swooping through the air in search of food;

And even the untouchable clouds drifting through the atmosphere far above had stopped, as though some celestial existence had pressed the 'pause' button on the world.

“......”

“It’s not a very well-documented ability, so I'm sure you haven't heard of it, but it allows for feats like what you see before you.”

Feeling as if he was experiencing a forbidden, forgotten moment in the history of the world, living in the gap between two instants, Jae could only keep his gaze pinned on the Devil’s piercing eyes.

Those inexplicable, overwhelming eyes seemed to penetrate the soul.

Eyes so profound they were comparable to a dragon.

And then―

...Ah.

―Just as abruptly as it stopped, the world thawed, returning to normality.

“Anyway, I think that sufficiently answers your question? Now comes my turn.”

Nazar’s changing of the topic quickly brought Jae back to reality, upon which he almost instantly began to grow anxious about what question the Devil might ask.

“So. What’s with the kids? Pardon me for assuming, but none of you appeared to be related through blood, and it’s rather peculiar to see someone so young wandering around with two differently-raced children under their wing.”

“...Does it matter?”

“Oh, not at all. I merely spotted something I found interesting and am feeding my curiosity. Will you indulge me?”

Perhaps due to overthinking too much recently, Jae didn’t know whether to believe or suspect Nazar’s claim. Regardless, it wasn’t such an important question that he needed to hide the answer―and answering with a half-truth was still telling the truth in some regard, anyway.

“...One of them wants to be an adventurer so I’m training him, and the other is on her way home under my protection.”

“Hmm~ Alright. I get the feeling you’re hiding something, but that’s okay. It was a satisfactory enough answer...”

“Then, is it my turn to ask something?”

“Is that what you want to ask?”

“No...”

Hah. Does this guy think he’s funny? Ah, wait, now that I think about it, I should use this opportunity for something.

“Actually, I’m planning on visiting the Southern Continent sometime soon. Since you’re from there, would you be willing to show me around?”

At that suggestion, Nazar’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh...? Does that mean you wish to visit the home of the Aram?”

“More or less, that’s right.”

“I see...”

A few moments of silence passed as the two continued to walk, Nazar deep in thought about something, when he suddenly nodded his head with the same smile as before.

“Alright then. I’m spending one week here to take care of some business regarding the inn, and after that I have some urgent follow-up business in Onyxia; I don’t yet know how long that will take to resolve, but as soon as it’s over, Jae, I can take you to my homeland.”

“Sounds great. Onyxia’s the capital city, right?”

“Hm. I’ll give this one to you as a freebie, but yes, Onyxia is the capital city of Asphal, home of the Demons. This nation's largest city.”

“Okay, I thought so. What kind of urgent business have you got going on there, then?”

“Mmm. There is a lot I could say in response to that, but I don’t recall it being your turn to ask, sorry. My question to you pertains to the intent in searching around my homeland.”

Pausing momentarily and wondering how to respond, a smirk was quick to rise on Jae’s face.

“There’s someone I have to beat up.”

Hearing an answer that was nothing at all like what he had expected, Nazar blinked twice before bursting out. “What? Hahahaha! That doesn’t tell me anything, does it? Though, it's fine. If that’s how it is, I won’t pry any further than that. Beating someone up... I hope you have fun.”

“I hope so too. So, what business do you have in the capital?”

“You really want to know? Actually, this is confidential information I’m not supposed to share with anyone, but I’ll make an exception for you, Jae, out of good faith. See, the Demon Queen is my acquaintance, and she has requested my presence for an undisclosed important matter.”

“Your friend?”

He knows Rena’s mother...? But, he didn’t seem to recognise Rena, so they can’t be that close, right? Either that, or he didn't realise... Or, he's pretending not to know.

“Mhm. If you want to borrow a future question, would you like to know how that story happened?”

“Are you sure that’s the question you want to ask?”

“Mmh~ hahaha, oh, now that’s sly. No, I’ll ask something else, thank you. Then, where are you headed? Once I’m finished in the capital, I’ll need to find you, or you, me.”

Where am I going...

“That makes sense. Well, I’m also going to the capital for now, so don’t worry. I’ll probably be going on a brief trip after I get there, but I might return if you’re still here.”

Once I drop Rena off with the queen, I guess I can help solve the problem with the extremists to ensure her safety. After that, I’ll need to visit Seronia to acquire Greed, and finally, Laquada for Wrath... When he thought about it, there was a whole lot of junk filling up the to-do list all of a sudden. Hmm... Well, I guess I can only take it one step at a time. I’ll focus on Rena’s case for now, until all risk of her being targeted again disappears.

“Is that so? What a coincidence. Should you take the ordinary methods of travel, it will take around a week to arrive if you leave today, so I suppose I will see you then. Would you like to do one more round of questions before we call it quits? If you’d like, I would be happy to continue our conversation later.”

“One more round... Sure. Since it’s my turn, then, I’ll ask... Hm. How much do you know about the gods?”

The way Reius was acting was suspicious, even if he is the reason I am who I am now. He also mentioned something about a conflict with the other gods; I could be in a dangerous spot if it’s found out that I’m His Apostle. If I want to stay safe, I’m going to need information.

“The gods? Hmm...”

Gazing subtly into the sky, Nazar placed a hand on his chin.

“I wouldn’t say I know that much more than the next person. It isn’t something I’m particularly interested in, after all... Although, of course, there are certain things I’ve picked up over the years, but... Nothing that would be useful to you, I think. If you want to learn about religion and the gods, your destination should be Theosse in the northeast.”

Something about the way he said "Nothing that would be useful to you" felt off to Jae, but as it was his last question for the time being, he knew it was futile to speak up.

“Now, my turn. Hmm, on the topic of 'gods', should I ask something I’ve been most curious about since before...?”

Muttering to himself, Nazar halted in his tracks, followed by Jae. Turning to face Jae directly, he opened his mouth with a smirk.

“Who is the Sinful God? I’ve never heard of that one before.”

Yet again, Jae froze.

...What? How does he--

“Oh, by the way, I don’t mean anything sinister by it. As I said before, I’m only curious.”

Although Envy wasn’t working, Jae could sense the honesty in Nazar’s eyes. At the very least, he could be relieved that there likely wasn’t anything to worry about.

Let’s hope that curiosity is all it is...

“...I know I don’t have any questions remaining, but can I ask why you brought that up? Or rather, how you know?”

“Of course. The answer is the same as before―my ‘Evil Eye’. See how I have two eyes? Truthfully, each of them has a different power. Not all of my people are as blessed as me, of course.”

In the end, the answer turned out to be something similar to Envy; by using the eye with a power related to the soul, Nazar could both peek into the Soul State of another whilst simultaneously blocking their intrusion into his. Presumably, his second eye was related to stopping time.

“I see... That’s a powerful thing. Anyway, to answer your question, I don’t know who He is.”

“Oh? Is that the case? Even though you are His Apostle?”

“...That is the case, yes. I can't blame you if you don't believe me, but that's how it is.”

“Hmm~ Now, that’s very interesting indeed... I’d love to find out more, but as we’re both out of questions, I suppose I’ll wait until next time.”

“You don’t think I’m lying?”

“Why would you lie? I can see that you are an honest man with good qualities. I like that.”

"Uh... Oh. Thanks?"

“Of course. In any case, I’m sure you’d like to make sure those kids aren’t getting up to anything mischievous, so I’ll let you be for now. It was my great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jae. I hope we can get along in the future.”

Saying that, the Devil of the South stuck out his hand for a handshake. Facing Nazar’s charming smile that seemed genuine for the first time today, Jae felt odd, yet somewhat satisfied, as if he was in the process of making a new friend.

My secret got out, but... I'd rather it be him than someone else. I'll choose to trust him.

“The pleasure was mine.”

Accepting the handshake, Jae nodded, to which Nazar’s smile grew as he gave Jae a pat on the shoulder.

“Then, I’ll see you in a week. Take care, Jae... And, don't get yourself in trouble. No offence, but you look the type of person to find yourself in a pinch quite often.”

Leaving those words behind, Nazar vanished.

“......”

Bewildered at the Devil’s instant disappearance, Jae awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t even been given a chance to say anything in return, and now, he found himself alone in the bustling morning marketplace.

“Damn time control...”

Muttering under his breath, Jae sighed.

...Was it that obvious?

 

---

 

Thanks to Jae's decision to speed up the process, the group were able to reach Onyxia, Asphal’s capital city in just three days. Put simply, by carrying Rena in one arm and Bailey in the other, Sloth did the rest of the work.

“Waaa~! Jae, Jae! I see home! Bailey, look!”

“Y-yes, I see it... Uh. Master. This place... Is this what a ‘city’ looks like...?”

Hearing Bailey’s astonished voice beside him, Jae scratched his cheek while glancing around the “futuristic” city.

“Um... Well, I certainly wouldn’t expect most cities to look like this...”

Not the ones in this world, anyway...

Unbelievably tall buildings shimmered under the setting sun and made up most of the central city area with the Demon Queen’s Castle plastered in the middle. Between these plots that reminded Jae of city skyscrapers, the magic holograms that hung on the side of them, and the innumerable horseless magic carriages, Jae couldn’t get the idea out of his mind that he had just landed in the middle of a 21st-century city from Earth.

Skyscrapers, modern-style magic lamp posts, all kinds of automobiles, advertisements―aside from the plentiful magic being utilised in every which way, it didn’t feel like a fantasy world at all. Of course, all of it was made possible only due to the combination of magic and technology that Demons appeared to be so invested in, but even when recalling what little of Seronia he knew, it couldn’t be compared.

This place is amazing... I’ve never been to a megacity like London, Tokyo, New York or Shanghai, but is this what it’s like...?

Looking towards the very centre of the city, Jae spotted the massive fortress that was the Demon Queen’s Castle. It was far bigger than he imagined it to be, and somehow, it was entirely black.

I mean, I’m sure she isn’t actually evil, but it certainly gives off the impression of a real Demon King’s home, doesn’t it?

Looking at it reminded Jae of that magic-absorbent substance he had encountered a few times. At the thought that they might have built the entire castle out of that unknown material, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

It wasn’t that strong physically, but if you ground it down and mixed it with bricks, wouldn’t it give quite the resistance to magic? If that’s how they did it, the castle might as well be immune to outside magic attacks... Well, that’s probably why they did it, right? I wonder how expensive it would be to get that much, though... Even Gadeun’s basement barely had a thin layer of film to cover the walls.

Realising that he was in the middle of the world's biggest Demon city, he suddenly recalled something Aphy told him a long time ago.

A Demon's horns exist to counteract their vast innate pool of mana; because Demons are born with an incredible affinity for magic, I think she mentioned them having some kind of magic-absorbent property to remedy the problem of over-saturation of magic energy within a growing Demon's body. I don't know if this property remains even after the horn is removed, but if it is, couldn't that mean that the black material I've been seeing all over the place has been condensed Demon horn this entire time...?

Part of himself found it naturally disturbing, but it also made sense. Although using horns to create an entire castle may not be realistic for a normal creature, considering it was the Demons making it, it could have been the case that only the horns of criminals were used. However, the more likely scenario was that they built the castle out of a normal material first, then coated it with horns afterwards.

Still, considering that he had witnessed many Demons along the way, many of which appeared to have some kind of malformation or deformity with their horns, and some who didn't possess any horns at all, they clearly weren't something that was necessary for an adult Demon to live. However...

"Jae, Jae! Look, it's home! Do you see?"

"Haha, the castle? Yes, yes, I see it. It's really cool, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"......"

Glancing at the head of the cheerful Rena, it was still missing that horn. When he asked her about it before, she said a piece of rubble fell from the ceiling within the basement during the monster drake attack and impacted her horn at an awkward angle, causing it to snap off. She'd carried it with her in her pocket ever since, and Jae hadn't thought much of it before, but now that he was thinking about the potential consequences, he felt uncertain.

It's not just a matter of her mother shouting at me for failing to protect her. Rena's magic is bound to be a hell of a lot stronger than any ordinary Demon since she's half-Spirit. Of course, she might be fine because of the same reason, but it just might also cause some considerable trouble. If she grows too quickly, her mana pool might get so big that the single horn she has left can't handle it any more...

Eventually, he decided that all he could do was inform the Demon Queen about it when he spoke to her.

In any case, gazing at the castle in the distance, Jae thought for a moment about the contrast between such a grand, imposing castle and the contrasting city surrounding it before pushing the matter aside. Even with Sloth, it took a long time to arrive due to the Skill’s insane mana cost, and because of that, night was already growing close. He had trouble deciding if they should go straight to the castle now or if it would be better to wait until morning.

“Hm... It looks like they’re closing the gates now. They’d probably let us in if I explained the situation, but... Well, we’re not in that much of a rush, and I don’t want to look like a suspicious person coming in at this time. I’m sure you guys are hungry, too, right?”

We should go and find a place quickly before it’s too late.

Thus, they did just that; after finding a place not too far away to eat and sleep, the three all woke up early and quickly made their way towards the castle. On the way, Jae noticed the colour slowly begin to drain from Bailey’s face upon truly realising that the owner of said castle was Rena’s mother.

Did he not process it until now? Hah. Well, that's understandable.

“Hey, buddy.” Giving his shoulder a gentle pat, Jae spoke softly. “There’s nothing to worry about, okay? If you ever get scared, just stay near me.”

“Mm... Okay...”

With that, they approached the castle's front gate, where numerous armed guards stood watch. Spotting Jae’s group, they appeared to converse among themselves.

Finally... We’re here.

After a long time, they were finally at their destination, and now, it was time to finish it.

Spotting several of the guards begin walking towards them, Jae felt relieved that they didn’t appear hostile despite seeing Rena’s face.

Phew. I seriously thought something bad might happen when we got here, but it looks like that won’t be the case.

When the guards came closer, Jae called out to them.

“Hello--”

Alas.

“Sir, you must come with us.”

Huh...?

Halting, the guards abruptly thrust their magic staves and spears forth and proclaimed.

“You are under arrest for suspected crimes against the royal bloodline. Don’t resist and come with us for questioning.”

“...What?”

What the hell is going on now...?