LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 112
112. It’s The Demon King’s Command
I was traveling through the wasteland on the outskirts of the royal capital.
As the rough ground crunched beneath my feet, I recalled what had just happened. A dark feeling welled up inside me.
──After parting ways with Lilith and the others, I received a new request at the guild. I went back to the inn to prepare, and that’s when I found the note in my room.
‘We have Alice and Lilith. Come alone to the specified location. If you don’t, we can’t guarantee their safety.’
A cowardly, kidnapping threat.
“Who… could it be…?!”
Without thinking, angry words slipped from my mouth.
Is this a prank? Or have Lilith and Alice really been kidnapped?
Worry gnawed at my heart.
I’ll never forgive them──. Driven by boiling anger, I stomped the ground hard.
“What the…?!”
Suddenly, the sensation under my feet changed.
From the gritty sand, it now felt like I was stepping on solid stone.
Confused, I looked around and realized the scenery had completely changed.
I had been walking through a barren wasteland, but──. Now, I was standing on a plain, shrouded in a pale blue mist.
“Welcome, Haruto Riva.”
The air ahead of me shimmered like a mirage.
“…!?”
Instinctively, I braced myself.
From the distorted space emerged a human-like silhouette.
Silver hair, flowing down to her waist. Crimson eyes. A beautiful girl dressed in a black Gothic Lolita outfit.
“You’re──”
My face stiffened.
“As expected, you came. Did you not think it was a trap? You’re far too trusting.”
She──Meriel smiled.
“Well, that softness of yours is something I had accounted for in my plan. You read the letter, didn’t you?”
“…Where are they?”
I glared at Meriel.
“Why did you kidnap them──”
“It’s the Demon King’s command.”
“…!?”
Her words left my mind blank.
For a moment, my thoughts froze. I couldn’t comprehend what she just said.
“The Demon King…?”
No way.
Sweat beaded on my skin. My heart pounded, gripped by an overwhelming pressure. The girl before me exuded an impossibly intense aura.
Could she really be──?
“‘The Thousand Mage’──one of the Six Demon Generals, Meriel. That’s what they call me in the demon realm.”
There was a rustling sound. Black, membranous wings sprouted from Meriel’s back.
“One of the Six Demon Generals…?”
I groaned.
“Shall we have a little chat?”
Spreading her wings, Meriel floated gently into the air.
“Do you know why demons attack humans?”
Hovering above, she gazed down at me and asked.
“What?”
Her sudden question threw me off.
“It’s because humans are food.”
Meriel answered quietly.
“And──it’s also to oppose the gods.”
What is she…?
I thought she’d attack immediately, but instead, she seemed to want to talk. What’s her aim──?
“The source of the gods’ power is human faith. The more filled with love and hope the human world is──the more peaceful the world, the stronger the gods become.”
“Human… faith?”
“Negative emotions feed demons, while positive emotions fuel the gods. In a way, humans are nothing more than food and energy sources for both gods and demons.”
Meriel smirked.
“That’s why demons seek to drench this world in fear. The more the human world is consumed by negative emotions, the weaker faith becomes, and the gods’ power wanes as well.”
“…So, humans influence the balance of power between gods and demons?”
Despite my confusion, I found myself drawn into the conversation.
Maybe it’s because I know her. Even though she’s a demon, I can’t fully process that.
“Correct.”
Meriel smiled like a teacher praising her student.
“I sought to understand humans. To learn where their fears come from and how they arise. So I could more efficiently harvest ‘negative emotions.’”
She continued talking.
“And in doing so, I discovered the method for demons to survive in this world. How to control malice toward humans──how to manipulate negative emotions.”
Her story was interesting enough. But I didn’t understand why she was telling me all this now.
Is this part of a battle tactic? Is she buying time for some reason?
Or──.
Is she actually interested in humans?
“Controlling malice is crucial. Demons can’t stay in this world for long, you see.”
Come to think of it, Greed said something similar.
“Ever since the Great War between the gods and demons, we’ve been cursed with a ‘restriction’──the more malice we harbor toward humans, the less time we can remain in this world, and if we exceed that limit, the demon vanishes.”
Meriel explained.
“So even if a powerful demon descends upon this world, it’s difficult to destroy many humans or drench the world in fear. That’s why low and mid-level demons and beasts are sent as vanguard forces, attacking sporadically, killing and devouring humans, slowly spreading fear.”
She fixed her gaze on me as she spoke.
“The Demon King sees you──no, those who wield the power of the gods, as a threat. That’s why, even with the risk of disappearing, he commanded me to eliminate you.”
“…If you try to kill me, won’t you vanish too?”
Like the Demon General Gyrasvrim I fought before.
“If I fought you directly, that’s what would happen. The more malice we harbor toward you, the less time we demons have in the human realm, and ultimately, we vanish.”
Meriel let out a small sigh.
“To avoid that, the Demon King prepared a special ‘arena’ for us. That’s why I brought you here.”
“A special… arena?”
“It doesn’t eliminate the risk of vanishing, but it greatly reduces it. Here, I can fight you with everything I’ve got.”
With a flap of her wings, Meriel ascended higher into the sky.
She hovered about ten meters above me, perfectly still.
“If you went to all this trouble, you must be serious.”
I clenched my teeth.
“Lilith and Alice both thought of you as a friend.”
I knew there was no point in saying this to a high-ranking demon. I knew it was far too naïve.
But I couldn’t help myself.
Thinking of Lilith and Alice’s heartbreak at being betrayed, I just couldn’t stay silent!
“And yet, you betrayed them. Trampled on their feelings──”
“Did you really think demons could be swayed by human emotions?”
Meriel’s eyes were cold. Too cold.
“I know this much. You’re terrible at lying.”
I locked eyes with her once again.
“That attitude──you really feel no guilt for betraying Lilith and Alice?”
“…You’re being awfully persistent.”
Meriel’s cheek twitched slightly.
But that was all.
It seems there’s no choice──.