Chapter 179: The Demon King's Bittersweet Hangover Teabag 1
"Hiccup... Hic...!"
Shia had mercilessly struck down the Demon King with one hand, but she was still heavily intoxicated.
The moment Shia, who had unleashed relentless violence, finally ceased her attack on the Demon King was only when she, exhausted by her drunkenness, collapsed on her own.
The Demon King, who had taken possession of Wang Soyeong’s shell, was left moaning on the ground in pain, surrounded by Lirisia, Yeonhwa, and Menelapie.
Having only a fragment of his power rather than his complete form, and after enduring a brutal beating from the Saintess of the Dead, Shia, he saw little hope of survival and let his body go limp.
"Before I destroy you, I have a few questions to ask."
[...........]
Meeting Menelapie's piercing gaze, the Demon King let out a scoffing laugh internally.
Ridiculous.
If he were doomed to perish anyway, what was the point of speaking?
Even though he had endured non-stop violence for what felt like hours, the Demon King, possessing only Wang Soyeong’s shell, ignored the pain and responded smoothly.
"However, depending on your answers, there may be a chance to spare your life."
[...I don't understand. The fact that you were the Witch of the Dark Star I can accept as a human trait, but a Hero and a Saintess of the Dead sparing my life? Stop the nonsense and kill me.]
"Well said, Demon King. Hey, Hero, are you in your right mind? Why in the world would you think of sparing this wretched bastard?"
At Lirisia's words, Menelapie shrugged her shoulders.
"Shia didn’t kill it."
[What do you mean by that?]
"All things in the universe are interconnected. Where there is a cause, there is an effect. Regardless of how drunk my Saintess may be, or how often she does things that confound me, the fact remains that she is still a Saintess."
"And so?"
"What I mean is, there must be a reason why Shia, my Saintess, didn't instantly obliterate the Demon King's fragment, despite her drunkenness. From what I’ve heard, Shia destroyed several of his fragments ruthlessly after arriving on Earth, yet she hasn’t wielded the Dead God's Royal Scepter against this one."
[.......]
At Menelapie's words, Yeonhwa glanced over at Shia.
A reason for sparing this fragment...
"Hiccup... Hehehe..."
Shia lay sprawled out on a pile of rocks, completely passed out, but even in her unconscious state, the moment she sensed the Demon King's presence, she had rushed over here in an instant.
If it had been the usual Shia, she would have come here to eliminate the Demon King, yet she hadn’t killed him.
Had she wanted, she could have crushed the fragment’s true form with the Dead God's Royal Scepter, but instead, she merely restrained him, delivering blows strong enough to weaken him without killing him.
To the Demon King, that relentless beating had been excruciating, but the fact remained that Shia, who could not tolerate the existence of the Demon King, had chosen not to obliterate him entirely.
She had even demanded, "Are you still going to be the Demon King? Or not?!" pressing him for a response, something that was unlike her usual self.
'Though, of course, that didn’t stop Unnie from continuing to hit him...'
Yeonhwa had often heard indirect information about the Demon King from Shia and Menelapie.
The ruler of malevolence.
A vile, despicable hypocrite.
The malevolence of all malevolence who had destroyed countless worlds.
Yet, in contrast to that information, the Demon King possessing Wang Soyeong’s shell seemed quite... human.
Of course, he was a being who abhorred intelligent life, including humans, and saw deceiving them as his life's purpose, so it was possible that this, too, was an act.
"Fragment. Do not disregard my eyes. The Demon King I knew wasn’t one to be tempted by the notion of having his life spared. Even if he were to perish himself, he would never let go of his hatred for humankind. Is it even plausible that you, now, are hesitant to die?"
[....]
"Let me start with a simple question. What exactly were you planning to do here?"
[Ha, talking amicably with such despicable beings as if we’re friends... The title of Demon King must be weeping.]
"Of course, it’s fine if you don't want to answer."
Clank!
With those words, Menelapie drew her sword from her waist.
The Hero’s sword shimmered with a golden aura as though ready to split the Demon King’s head in two if things went awry.
[...Ha, fine. It’s not as if I wish to die.]
The fragment pointed at himself.
[This body’s owner, Wang Soyeong, and I have been coexisting for over a decade. Among those who directly implanted a fragment within themselves, she and I likely have been together the longest. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but Wang Soyeong failed to complete a task her master had assigned her and was attacked by someone in Korea.]
"By whom?"
[That, I do not know. When in fragment form, I’m not always conscious. Each nation has its own power structures, so there must be influential forces in this country as well. Anyway, though Wang Soyeong didn't die, she suffered a severely fractured jaw and was barely surviving, skulking in the back alleys. If she were to be found again by her attackers, she faced a high chance of death.]
"A woman who bears the Demon King’s fragment almost died that easily? Hah, it must’ve been quite the dangerous situation."
At Lirisia's taunting words, the fragment straightened himself and leaned against the wall.
[Dangerous indeed. The reason Wang Soyeong came to Korea in the first place was connected to that Saintess of the Dead over there.]
"Shia...?"
"Unnie?"
[You didn’t know? To put it simply, we... that is, the Demon King's fragments, have been in this world called Earth for quite some time. And a few organizations or individuals on Earth, including the Mountain Guild to which Wang Soyeong belongs, have been cooperating with ‘us,’ pursuing their own desires or their respective plans.]
[In any case, with her severe injuries, Wang Soyeong couldn’t properly use her powers. She also ran the risk of the Saintess of the Dead coming after her with her mace at any moment. If she was ambushed by even a B-rank Awakened, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had died right then and there.]
"Why didn't she contact her homeland? Doesn't Wang Soyeong have the Mountain Guild? As I understand it, she's not just a regular member; she's actually a high-ranking executive within the guild..."
[The ability of Wang Soyeong's master is 'Replication' and 'Proliferation.' Even if a subordinate fails their mission and dies, the master can use these abilities to replace them in the same position with an identical appearance. After being attacked in Korea, Wang Soyeong realized she had no place to return to because she had failed every mission. Even if she did go back, she knew there was already a replacement waiting in her position. Thus, she had no choice but to hide in the shadows, nursing her broken jaw and stewing in pain.]
Her mission, of course, had been to kidnap Yoon-jung, known as the "Suitable One," and relay information on Shia, the Saintess of the Dead, to Cheon Dana, the Mountain Guild’s leader, but the mission ultimately failed from start to finish.
Yoon-jung had been rescued by Shia, who had smashed the Baek Weishen and Baek Cloud Corps. The tablet containing all the compiled information on Shia was also seized by the assailant who attacked Wang Soyeong.
Having failed her mission and lost her place to return to, Wang Soyeong had to hide pathetically in the back alleys, where the eyes of the Korean government, hunters, and guilds would not reach.
"So, was the attempt to brainwash the elves here with that brainwashing powder Wang Soyeong’s personal plan?"
[Of course not. Someone approached Wang Soyeong while she was recovering from her injuries in the back alleys.]
"Someone approached her? Not the Mountain Guild?"
[The Mountain Guild has no reason to reach out to Wang Soyeong. They don’t even know she’s alive.]
Hearing that someone other than the Mountain Guild was involved, Yeonhwa swallowed nervously, her face tense.
The very scenario Menelapie had hinted at earlier had come true.
"And who was it that approached her?"
[I don’t know.]
“.............”
At the Demon King's firm response, Menelapie drove her sword down into Wang Soyeong’s foot.
"Gah... argh...!"
"There's also a technique that involves slicing your legs bit by bit until you remember. Want to try it, fragment?"
[Damn... it... I already told you I don’t remember!]
"The Demon King doesn't remember? What nonsense is this, aren't you the one who transcended the limits of ordinary beings? And yet the Demon King forgets things like a human? Isn’t that absurd?"
“Urgh….”
The Demon King scowled in pain, gritting his teeth as the golden aura from the wound on his leg caused him immense agony.
[There... was a sorcerer.]
"Are you talking about the one who used memory manipulation on those Awakened ones up there?"
[I don’t know if he was a memory manipulator, but yes, that’s correct. And that sorcerer offered... no, proposed a deal to Wang Soyeong. I had been coexisting with Wang Soyeong for a long time, so it wasn’t easy to find a better host. Naturally, we accepted the offer.]
"And what was the deal?"
[He claimed that non-humans shouldn’t be allowed to thrive in this world. He provided us with these facilities, manpower, and brainwashing powder, urging us to corrupt the elves at all costs. And his target wasn’t just the elves. He was also after that Saintess of the Dead.]
"...Shia?"
"Unnie...?"
At the mention of a threat against Shia, Menelapie and Yeonhwa’s expressions turned cold.
The warm glow in the Hero’s eyes vanished, replaced by a dark aura, while frost gathered around Yeonhwa’s shoulders.
[We all share a common grievance against the Saintess of the Dead. After all, it was the Saintess of the Dead who destroyed us in the previous world... But the one who proposed the deal to me and my host seemed... different.]
"Different how?"
[Instead of wanting to kill the Saintess of the Dead... I can’t be certain, but it seemed like he wanted to possess her.]
“.............”
“.............”
Lirisia sighed, observing the murderous intent practically oozing from the two women.
These two always lose their minds the moment Shia is brought up...
Lirisia, still perplexed, questioned the fragment again.
"And what does that have to do with you not remembering who the sorcerer was? Answer properly. It doesn’t add up. You don’t really expect us to believe a mere human memory sorcerer manipulated the memories of a fragment, right?"
[Let me finish! The sorcerer had a fragment! One like me! Even though I’m a fragment, I remember his proposal, but I can’t speak of his identity. My brain… well, saying I have a brain is strange, but still—my mind was tampered with!]
"Oh, so... are you saying fragments don’t always agree or cooperate with each other?"
[Exactly. Finally, someone who gets it... ugh!?]
Menelapie, apparently satisfied with this answer, withdrew her sword, causing the fragment to groan in relief.
However, being a fragment, he quickly dismissed the pain and returned to a neutral expression.
"So fragments don’t cooperate with each other? Explain that."
[...The primary goal of fragments is to summon the true form into this world. However, each fragment develops its own personality, character, and identity, so there are those who work diligently to gather other fragments to summon the main body, while some... some act unpredictably. Some don’t even form personalities, while others scheme constantly.]
"You’re rather honest for a fragment. Almost too honest—it’s suspicious."
At Lirisia’s comment, the fragment twisted Wang Soyeong’s lips into a sneer.
[As I said, each fragment possesses its own personality, reasoning, and traits. And do you know what happens when enough fragments merge for the main body to manifest?]
"The Demon King is summoned?"
"When dirty, foul things combine, it just makes something even dirtier and fouler, doesn’t it?"
"A brat full of inferiority issues shows up."
[Hah…]
As if this were nothing, the Demon King snickered, continuing.
[When the time comes, we consume one another. The personalities, reasoning, and intelligence developed to ensure the survival of each fragment are all eradicated in the frenzy of consuming and being consumed, and the final surviving personality becomes the Demon King.]
"That’s the first I’ve heard of it."
"No wonder each fragment we’ve devoured has had a slightly different voice."
Remembering the fragments she had devoured in her time as the Witch of the Dark Star, Lirisia chuckled.
Now a human, she had consumed many as a witch in the past.
[We are simultaneously allies and enemies. And personally, I don’t care about summoning the main body—I just want to live!]
Hearing this, Lirisia and Menelapie, both familiar with the Demon King’s nature, found their expressions oddly shifted.
They had both fought against the Demon King for a long time, but this was the first time they had seen him like this.
Moreover, it was news to them that each fragment had its own personality and that they fought to consume each other to become the final personality.
[You may say I’m not like the Demon King, and that’s fine. But offering a deal to the former Witch of the Dark Star was just another means to increase my chances of survival.]
"And in the process, you’re saying it doesn’t matter what happens to humans or anyone else?"
[Don’t impose human ethics on me. Human ethics are the most incomprehensible thing to me.]
"Hey, unnie, can we just kill this thing already?"
"If Yeonhwa suggests it, it’s probably a good idea."
[You merciless wretches...!]
"Do you realize how absurd it sounds when the Demon King says that?"
[Sigh... stop talking nonsense…!]
In the end, the fragment sighed in Wang Soyeong’s voice, as though finally giving up.
"So what’s your decision? Will you destroy me? I told you what I know because I want to live. What else can I say? I can’t. That sorcerer and his fragment forced not only my host but me as well into brainwashing, so I know nothing further."
After a long moment of contemplation, Menelapie looked at Wang Soyeong.
The Demon King she knew would never act or speak this way.
This Demon King... wanted to live.
No, beyond simply wanting to live, he was disturbingly... human.
Perhaps he had learned human emotions over the decade of bonding with Wang Soyeong, who was a compatible host, but the Demon King Menelapie knew could never imitate such emotions, even as a pretense.
"Very well. For now, I’ll believe you."
[Really? Well, that's a relief.]
"But you do understand that I can’t just let you go?"
[Understood. I only need to survive.]
"Hah… This is the Demon King? Definitely a type of Demon King I’ve never seen before…”
"I agree."
Even Lirisia sighed as though she couldn’t believe it.
Things were getting more complicated by the minute.
It turned out the Demon King’s fragments weren’t exactly on friendly terms with each other and constantly kept an eye on each other while fighting. In the end, it was impossible to trace the one who had spiked the elf food with brainwashing powder any further.
With a sorcerer using a fragment’s power, digging into the memories of Wang Soyeong or the ones above who Lirisia had already consumed wouldn’t yield anything valuable.
Every memory was likely fabricated from start to finish.
"Agh… Ahhh…"
"Oh, Shia-unnie?"
Just then, Shia, who had collapsed in a heap, staggered over to the group.
She squinted as though her head hurt from the hangover.
Even as the Saintess of the Dead who could endure the pain of stabbing and burning, it seemed she struggled with the throbbing pain of a hangover tearing through her mind.
"Shia, are you alright?"
"Mm… yeah. Yeah... argh… my head… I need a hangover cure…"
"A hangover cure?"
Seeing Shia's grimaced expression, they felt like they should fetch her a hangover drink immediately, but unfortunately, they were in an isolated area on the city outskirts.
This place didn’t even have people, let alone a convenience store, just industrial fences surrounding the area to guard against monster attacks.
The distance was considerable, and it seemed like Shia might collapse again if she attempted to go there.
"Unnie, should I go buy something for you?"
"…Mm… Mm…"
Shia suddenly looked around.
All she saw was a half-destroyed underground facility.
Discarded brainwashing powder.
Yeonhwa and Menelapie looking down at her with concern.
Lirisia chuckling in disbelief.
And lastly…
"Uh…."
Shlip.
Suddenly, an idea struck Shia, and she licked her lips.
[Wha… What’s that look?]
The fragment spoke in a flustered tone, sensing a strange foreboding.
●●●●●●●
Sizzle
Sizzle
Bubble bubble
Shortly afterward, Wang Soyeong lay unconscious, as though she had fainted.
It made sense that she would fall asleep.
Letting the fragment take control of her body consumed a significant amount of energy and took a toll on her physically.
Once the energy that sustained her body’s form from the fragment wore off, her body naturally gave in to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
Bubble bubble
"Hehehe…"
"......"
"Unnie, are you sure that’s okay to… drink?"
"Yep!"
"Hey, let me try some too."
"Hold on, Lirisia. Shia should drink first, don’t you think?"
Bubble bubble…
Sizzle, sizzle.
Sizzzzle…
In the center of their group, in the middle of what seemed like a simple cooking operation, was a blazing hot fire lit with holy power and a temporary ice bowl crafted by Yeonhwa’s abilities.
As an S-rank ice user, Yeonhwa continually blew cold air into the ice bowl, maintaining its form while boiling the water inside without letting the ice melt.
"Hehe, thank you, Yeonhwa. The water is just right, thanks to you."
"No problem, Unnie. I’m glad I could help in any way."
"Indeed, come to think of it, Yeonhwa is an ice user, so creating water isn’t too hard, is it?”
"Hah, huff… my head…"
"Oh dear, Shia, does your head hurt a lot?"
"Mm…"
"Then, let’s turn up the heat a bit more."
Sizzzzzz!
[Gaaaah! You demons!]
And the thing boiling away in the ice bowl was, in fact, a fragment of the Demon King.
The dark red gem-like stone was submerged in water, bubbling as it boiled.
Of course, consuming a Demon King’s fragment directly would be dangerous.
For an ordinary person, it would be highly poisonous, and even for Shia, it wasn’t something she could drink without caution.
Teresa had once warned that if Shia consumed the Demon King, she might become the next Demon King. But that would only be a concern if she consumed the complete form, so it should be fine with just a fragment.
Sizzle!
[I curse you, Shia!]
"Hehehe… This looks delicious…"
The reason Shia was boiling the Demon King’s fragment was simple.
Like a green tea bag or black tea bag, she intended to steep the Demon King’s fragment in water as a hangover remedy.
And needless to say… the Demon King’s fragment was fully aware of being boiled alive.
[Aaaaaagh! Lower the heat! I said, lower it!!!]
"Hehe, no. Tea tastes better when it’s hot… A good hangover tea needs to be strong and well-steeped, doesn’t it?"
[Stop spouting nonsense!!!]
"............"
Yeonhwa couldn’t help but think, ‘Is this really okay…?’ but decided to focus on keeping the ice bowl intact for Shia’s sake.
Otherwise, things would get… unsettling.
[You said you’d spare me!! You said you’d spare me!!]
“I’m not killing you. I’m just letting my stomach have a share.”
[Don’t talk nonsense!!!! Gaaaaaah!!]