Chapter 34

"Aah! Shit!"

Maurice suddenly flew into a rage and threw the glass in his hand against the wall.

No matter how much he drank, he couldn't get drunk. Even if he couldn't get drunk, everything was at a standstill, and staying sober only made him feel more depressed. There was nothing left to do but indulge in carnal pleasures.

So, alcohol and women. Maurice had been doing nothing but that day and night lately. Even so, unpleasant memories would surface at unexpected moments.

Just when his new business was starting to take off, everything suddenly went wrong.

It all started when a group of adventurers were caught. They were thrown out of the harbor base in a panic. With no room to move, he couldn't dispose of or sell the adventurers and female monsters he had captured from the dungeon.

It wasn't just that. When he thought the heat had died down, he sent his second son to the academy, but he caused trouble on the very first day.

His opponent was a bastard son of the Gartner family. The head of the Silon family, who intervened, should also be considered an enemy. Or perhaps he was an enemy from the beginning.

The Gartner and Silon territories. That area was a major granary. Insulting the head of the Silon family over a farming mistake was probably a bit foolish. He intended to get back at him eventually, but he had no choice but to back down.

Because of all this, Maurice's mood was close to the worst it could be.

There was someone who watched him with a cold gaze and laughed.

"Please calm down, sir."

A voice like a bell rang out from Maurice's bed. It was a beautiful woman with red eyes.

Lynette Cardew. A female magician who had appeared at the Cardiff family estate about three years ago. Lynette was seeking a patron, and Maurice had responded to her request.

"Can I calm down in this situation! The inventory in the South District is just floating there, unable to move! Besides, it was your idea in the first place, wasn't it!"

"Oh, you were the one who agreed to my proposal, sir. You could gain a large sum of money with a little investment and risk, and I could make progress in my research with practical tests. In fact, it all went as planned, and it was a win-win situation, wasn't it?"

"Not if it had come to this!"

Maurice shouted, irritably pushing away Lynette, who had her arm around his shoulder, and left the bedroom.

The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"... Hmph. Now what?"

A smile appeared on Lynette's lips as she remained alone in the room.

It was a thin, crescent-moon-like smile that seemed to split her face to the ears.

"A pig, scared stiff."

Indeed, Maurice's way of thinking was often simplistic and based on the logic of power—however, if it was the logic of power, Lynette's companions were not much different. It was relatively easy to manipulate Maurice's actions.

The Cardiff family estate had been very useful as a base in the border city.

Research facilities, procurement of materials, and the patron's lack of ethics or foresight regarding what she was researching, as long as it could make money in the future.

She was a bit tired of the nightly visits, but it was an ideal symbiotic relationship.

However, the first problem arose when Maurice failed to manage the estate. If the Cardiff family's finances were in trouble, her research would also be delayed. She had suggested that by procuring adventurers and female monsters from the dungeon and selling them, they could make a profit comparable to slave traders.

She had also said that with the black transmigration stone she had created, if they were careful, the risk of being discovered was low. While it was a persuasive argument, she had not lied about the risks.

Maurice had jumped at the idea, and she had planned and set up everything from the facility to the operation.

If things had gone as planned, he would have been unable to pay back his debts, and this mansion would have been abandoned. After the Snake Bite incident, when the Cardiff family's servants were caught at the harbor, Maurice would have been caught as well. Avoiding that was her achievement.

But still. All of this was for the purpose of reaching the seal of the Moonlight Temple in the lower levels of the Border Dungeon, not for the sake of humans or the Cardiff family.

Rising to a high position in the Cardiff family and living a luxurious life was not Lynette's goal, so there was no reason to boast about it. Since there were people who knew that she had been involved with Maurice and conducting research, she was already in the same boat as that pig.

However, Lynette thought.

What was the reality? How much did the royal family and the Adventurer's Guild suspect the Cardiff family? If the situation was dire, she would have no time to hesitate, but she was reluctant to abandon her research results and the transmigration stones still in progress.

She had been sending her results and reports to her companions step by step. While they wouldn't be wasted, it was still a pity.

The research on the transmigration stone could only be done in Termwillis, but with the Cardiff family in this state...

"Perhaps it's time to move on."

At least for a little while. Until the next experimental results were available.

But if she was going to escape, she needed to do it quickly... However, it was not easy. The research on the transmigration stone and the transfer method was still incomplete.

The city, whether the dungeon or the outer area, was divided into several layers of barriers, which limited the use of transfer and summoning magic.

While the research had made it possible to transfer and summon within the barriers, to escape to the outside, she would have to walk through the main gate. If they were waiting for her to move, she would be captured as soon as she tried to escape.

Or—could she break the outer barrier by killing the priests and priestesses of the Moon Temple and escape by transmigration? Her trump card was still in the basement of this mansion, so if it caused a commotion, it should be considered.

The risk was high, but if she succeeded in breaking the barrier, it would not be a "fleeing" but a "triumphant return." She wouldn't have to face the likes of Valros with a lowered head.

To advance or retreat. She had to make a decision.

While she was thinking about this, the sound of people arguing and shouting came from downstairs.

Lynette left the room and peered down from the second-floor corridor to the entrance hall, where Maurice was arguing with armed soldiers at the door.

"You scoundrels! Do you know who I am!?"

"Sir Maurice, you are suspected of kidnapping and murder. Please come with us quietly."

"How should I know about that!"

"To clear your name—"

"Shut up! The Cardiff family is a noble house!"

That was the gist of the exchange.

It's over, Lynette thought.

How the situation had come to light was now irrelevant. If they weren't trying to buy time, she should have left the estate and escaped from the city before the situation escalated. She had to abandon her ongoing research.

Lynette was doing such calculations, but all of that—Maurice had ruined it.

"Rude! I told you to shut up!"

In a fit of rage, Maurice cast the water magic Ice Lance. A soldier was impaled through the shoulder by an ice spear, screaming and rolling on the floor, spilling blood.

Lynette leaned forward at Maurice's actions. Resisting would not improve the situation. It was a terrible move, perhaps the worst.

—On this day, what was unfortunate for the soldiers who came to the Cardiff estate—was that Maurice had lost control and his superior had been eager for success.

They had planned to work with the Adventurer's Guild, but the superior, feeling the pressure of not getting credit for the hostage rescue and having overlooked the Cardiff family's crimes, acted on his own.

The target was known to be a martial family, but they didn't always have private soldiers stationed in the mansion. Such complacency was also a factor.

"Using magic! Call for reinforcements! Call for reinforcements!"

"Resistance is futile, Sir Maurice! Why not admit to the charges honorably!?"

The soldiers were still saying such things. Perhaps they were hesitant because their opponent was the head of a noble family.

Lynette could only cover her eyes at the scene.

Maurice shook his head in disgust and shouted at the soldiers, who were brandishing their spears and shouting.

"Shut up! How should I know about that! It's all him! That woman! Lynette must have done it all!"

—That pig! You've betrayed me!?

What was the accomplice saying?

Lynette gripped the railing of the corridor in anger.

It was decisive. Even if he had patronized and kept her, such an excuse would not hold. Maurice was doomed, and she was now the prime suspect. It was a moment of realization.

This was terribly clumsy. To prevent the escape of a fugitive, the main gate would be closed. But...

"Ku, fu, fu..."

After a moment of intense emotion, a laugh escaped her lips.

It was absurdly ridiculous.

A suspect? Betrayed?

After all, demons and humans were incompatible.

Given the situation, there was no need to pretend to be weak and act cunningly.

A miasma rose from Lynette's body. It was time to use the one in the basement.

A magic circle unfolded at her feet.

"Rise."

"What, what is this!?"

A large tremor shook Maurice's mansion.

Something long and thin burst through the floor of the entrance hall. Not just one or two, but many.

"A Hydra...? But this...!"

One of the soldiers recognized it.

An ugly dragon-like creature. A multi-headed dragon with an abnormal regenerative ability.

However, it was not the same.

Chunks of flesh were missing, revealing muscles and white bones beneath.

—An undead. An undead Hydra.

"Ah!"

It lunged at the nearest soldier, shaking and slamming him to the ground before chewing on him.

At the same time, the Hydra's fallen flesh began to regenerate, incorporating the soldier's flesh and blood into its own body.

The soldiers were struck with terror at the horrific sight.

An undead that had lost its regenerative ability but could regenerate infinitely by consuming prey. It might be more dangerous than a normal Hydra, as it had no sense of pain or fear.

But it was not a natural creature. It was a creation that existed only through servitude. If so, its master must be somewhere.

"Lynette! Is it you!?"

Maurice called out, searching for the woman. Then he saw her.

Lynette was floating in the middle of the entrance hall.

He had forgotten what he had just said and was still hoping for something. He knew about the undead Hydra.

He thought she was planning to use it to escape from the city. He thought she would help him. That's what he thought until he saw her.

She was not the beautiful woman Maurice knew. She still had Lynette's features, but her eyes glowed a bright red, and her skin was purple. A miasma-like substance rose from her body—

"A demon... a demon?"

A creature that feeds on human negative emotions and uses them to empower itself.

"I've come to take my leave."

From this monstrous form, Maurice heard the familiar cool voice of the woman he knew.

"Your vile emotions were quite delicious. I enjoyed myself while I was here, but it's all over now."

Lynette paused, took a deep breath, and her mouth split to the ears, revealing a snake-like tongue.

"Ku, ku, ku!"

In the next instant, a compressed miasma bullet shot from Lynette's mouth, piercing Maurice's abdomen.

"O, o, a...?"

"Die, you scum! How dare you betray me, a demon! Gahahaha!"

While listening to Lynette's laughter, Maurice collapsed to his knees, clutching the tunnel in his stomach.

Lynette deliberately did not finish him off. The agony and despair of the dying Maurice were unbearably delicious.

"Monster!"

A fireball flew at Lynette.

But she deflected it with a miasma bullet and approached the soldier who could use magic. Her claws extended and sliced through the soldier's limbs.

"Guo!?"

She grabbed the soldier's hair and threw him towards the Hydra as if discarding a doll. In mid-air, the soldier was bitten and writhed in agony.

"Guahaaa!"

"No, no, wait. Not yet. Not yet—just a little longer."

Lynette smiled at the soldier, whose limbs were being chewed by multiple heads.

"Stop—"

"Enjoy your meal."

"Gi—!?"

With the soldier's screams as a background chorus, Lynette spread her arms towards the remaining soldiers.

"Well—"

She licked her lips and surveyed the soldiers, who were now cowering.

"Oh—how delicious. I wonder what the temple monks will taste like."

Riding on the back of the undead Hydra, Lynette advanced without hiding her true nature. The taste of despair and the liberation of her true nature, which she had not experienced in a long time, was unbearably delicious.

Compared to this, the fear and anxiety she had tasted from the captives in the dungeon were like a light snack.

Her goal was the entrance to the dungeon, the Moon Temple. The despair and pain of the priests and priestesses would surely be delicious.

"Ah! Ahh!"

Whether the soldiers resisted or fled, she made them offerings to the Hydra, feeding on their terror and listening to their screams as she advanced.

There were sporadic counterattacks, but they were insignificant. Humans were all like healing potions for the undead Hydra.

She could do it. It was nothing.

The border city, for all its boasts, was nothing when faced with a sudden attack from within, without proper preparation.

As she trampled the Hydra's massive body to the square near the temple, it came.

"What is this?"

Her skin prickled. Instinctively, she leaped off the back of the undead Hydra.

In an instant. A lightning bolt, powerful enough to turn the world white, pierced the back of the undead Hydra.

"O, o, o, o, o, o!?"

However, the powerful lightning bolt seemed like a mere scratch. A massive magic circle unfolded in the square.

In the center, Lynette saw a human boy. A boy with dark brown hair and eyes, dressed in noble attire.

The boy looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if looking at something trivial.

She instinctively understood that the lightning bolt was his doing.

"That boy—!"

Even with holes in his body, the undead Hydra still moved, smoking. Lynette, feeling a chill from the boy's expression and his inner thoughts, tried to urge the Hydra forward. But—

"You're in the way."

The boy moved with explosive speed.

"Devour it completely."

He approached the Hydra, raising his hand. As he spoke, a sealing array unfolded at the Hydra's feet.

As its body movement was completely immobilized, a terrifying brutality occurred within the sealing array.

Gri, gri, gri, gri.

The sound of chewing could be heard.

At the Hydra's feet, a swirling darkness spread. It had countless eyes and mouths. The darkness extended tentacles, binding and embracing the Hydra's body in layers.

The massive body was being devoured and eroded by the darkness.

The Hydra, regenerating with the flesh and blood of the victims on the way, resisted, trying to devour the darkness in return.

But it was futile. Like sinking into the depths of the earth, helplessly, the Hydra was devoured.

Eighth-class dark magic, Demon Eater. An advanced spell.

But Lynette could not witness such a scene. She could not take her eyes off the human boy who directed such intense hatred towards her.

Such negative emotions were usually the kind demons preferred—

Hatred. She understood that. She was used to it.

But, joy? What was this? The feeling of finding a prey it had been searching for. The kind a carnivore feels towards its prey.

"Demon—"

The boy's calm voice, looking straight at Lynette, could be heard.