LGHTNOVELBOOK chapter 142
141 – Where Evil Dwells, Light Shall Inevitably Grow Great
The hour when a thick
darkness still clung to the land.
Within the Order’s halls, the
lights still burned bright.
For of late, demons had been appearing
one after another within the Empire.
The demon that appeared
within the Academy, last time.
And this time, a demon arose
from the very house of a Duke, no less.
Demons were not so
easily encountered.
Only those who could accept
the magic of a demon, demonic energy,
into their bodies and adapt
to that energy became demons.
The process was one of
inevitable, agonizing pain,
and should one lose their
reason in that torment, they would become not demons, but fiends.
‘Right…surely becoming
a demon is such a
difficult thing…?’
Seeing them appear one after another lately,
one might be forgiven
for thinking otherwise.
Meeting a demon was as hard
as plucking a star from the sky…
And all these people, were
they all suited to demonic energy?
That all this was
merely coincidence, a
Was it something one could even *do*?
Truly?
All of this?
‘…Perhaps, from the very beginning, there were people capable of accepting the Magick…’
“So, what are your
thoughts on this method?”
*Thump.*
The table reverberated.
Thanks to one bishop’s
ardent continuation of his argument.
Who was it who said it?
Where there is evil, the light naturally grows greater.
“..Is there even room to think and speak?”
“Indeed, Bishop McHinna. It seems that method is…”
“No, what are you all even agonizing over?!”
Now is precisely the moment to elevate *His* prestige!
It seemed that statement was
more than likely the truth.
*
Meanwhile, those who escaped the crimson sphere.
Where, then,
and what, were they doing now?
“..Hey.”
“….”
“Hey, aren’t you going to answer?”
Visible at a single glance,
to a degree
with the murky, dark backdrop
and the crystals embedded between.
Clearly, far from any lighthearted atmosphere, this place reeked of gloom,
It was Jennison’s inner world.
And also, where Ibedia
was currently residing.
Her reason for dragging
Jennison to this place was nothing special.
The places she
could go to now
were limited, after all.
At least to the place
she was most familiar with.
Just brought him along, is all.
And here, at least, one could hold a conversation.
“Hey, goddamn… if I hadn’t
saved you back there, you’d be dead, you little punk.”
“….”
“You gotta know that much, don’t you.”
Of course, Jennison knew.
Even if he’d fought with that b*tch
a little longer,
the end result would have been
him collapsing anyway.
He knew that, for sure, absolutely.
“…Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
“….”
But that’s precisely why.
He didn’t want to admit it.
Ever since coming to this place,
not once had he seen her.
Every time, accumulating
resentment and grudge after grudge,
he thought and worried endlessly
about what he should do
if he ever met the b*stard
who sent him to a place like this.
And then, finally.
Today, he finally met
that b*tch.
And yet, he couldn’t do a damn thing.
He didn’t want to admit it, even if it killed him.
“No, why the hell should I be here like this after saving you?!”
But the Grey Dragon’s heart
wasn’t generous enough to
understand and accept even that.
On the contrary, she thought
he should be grateful just for being alive.
If she had been even a little late.
And it wasn’t an empty threat,
if she had been just one single second late,
he, that existence, would have vanished from this world.
As though it never even
existed to begin with.
To be marked by a god,
that’s precisely what it meant.
“…I intended to die there.”
“Yes, you intended to die. A dog’s death.”
“….”
“You seem to value
your own life so cheaply?”
Yes, he was like that from the first time I saw him.
Not caring how much
he was hurt each time,
carving away at his own flesh
to achieve what he desired.
This was a common trait among most of the strong, and
also the quickest
shortcut to ruin.
“Don’t you know what would happen if you died there?”
“That is, I… I do.”
He’s quite old, yet
whining like a child.
Disgusting to watch.
Still unable to
compose his anger,
unable to accept
rational judgment,
just like that, a mere child.
“..I know roughly what you’ve been through, I do know.”
But I try to understand.
That ashen dragon,
a creation of humanity, no less.
This one, at least,
deserved it.
In the memories of his
that I happened upon,
the suffering he’d endured fell short of
what I’d experienced, but
they were undoubtedly things a human mind would struggle to withstand.
To have gone through such things and still
not forgotten his hatred for the gods…
As a quiet tribute to the child’s stubborn endurance.
“If you die there,
everything will go as he wants.”
“….”
“Wouldn’t that be unpleasant, eh?”
Soothing, cajoling.
Just like dealing with a child of that age.
Like it or not, now he was
the contractor of his,
so for a fleeting moment,
he could become a human support.
Yes, for a fleeting moment.
“Done thinking?”
“..Yes.”
“The answer?”
“Thank you, for saving me.”
For a short while,
the head that had been lowered
slowly lifted again.
Not perfect yet,
but like he’d seen before,
with eyes that had grown mature.
“Alright, and I have something to ask you too.”
“Yes?”
“Kkamang!!”
“Who is this little brat, huh?!”
“…?”
From behind the woman of ash,
appeared a woman with black hair.
Just now, she had
appeared and disappeared in an instant, that girl.
≪You have awakened a spirit long dormant.≫
≪The spirits are beginning to feel friendly towards you.≫
“..A spirit?”
“Mama!!”
“I’m not your mama!!”
*
Darkness.
The streets of the underworld.
Of all the rooms, the deepest and darkest.
Invariably, a shadow sits there.
No, soon there will be
Multiple shadows.
*Shooosh* ─
Space momentarily fissures,
And from within,
An old man and a girl,
A mismatched
And bizarre pairing, emerge.
The expressions spread across their faces
Are also polar opposites.
“I’m baaack…”
“..Tch, how many times does this make today?”
The old man’s
Voice, as it leaves his lips, is filled with discontent.
There was no one
To welcome the old man.
Except for a single voice.
“..Late, Lou.”
“There’s no need to arrive early, as I am coming for *that* one.”
A steadfast voice
Echoes through the darkness,
And the old man
Gruffly retorts to such words.
Truly befitting the phrase “like cats and dogs.”
“And do not speak
My name so casually, [Gluttony].”
“….”
“There is only one who is permitted to speak my name.”
“..Understood.”
*Thump* ─
The old man falls, as if collapsing, into his seat,
And of the seven seats,
Only four have found their masters.
“So, that wretch is
Not coming again?”
“Yes, he said he would not be coming this time either.”
“Huh?! Despite a [Revelation] being delivered?”
“Aye, just as always,
Ranting with a temper like wildfire.”
“..The audacity soars beyond the heavens…!!”
Snap, snap, crack─
From the old man’s teeth,
A sound never heard before.
Even in the battle just moments ago,
He hadn’t betrayed even a flicker of excitement.
“Pfft…!!”
And as if mocking the old man,
A snicker echoed from beside him,
Though she too was veiled
In the darkness, her form unseen,
The old man’s ire swelled at her voice alone.
Though no hint of ridicule
Showed on her face.
“What’s so amusing, harlot.”
“Oh, I’m not a harlot, remember?”
“Would you prefer I call you
A vulgar wench, then?”
“For a dog who tucked tail and ran, you’re still quite the talker, aren’t you?”
“..Who are you saying
Tucked tail and ran, now?”
“Oh my, did I strike a nerve, old-timer?”
Rumble─
The inky backdrop
Behind them wavered,
If only for a fleeting moment,
And at the very same time,
The two of them began to inch closer,
Glaring at each other as if ready
To kill each other on the spot.
“Vulgar wench.”
“Senile son of a b*tch.”
Flutter, flutter,
The old man’s body sounded like it was about to fall apart
ominous sounds
The betting had begun.
Crack, crackle, cra-ackle,
The woman’s form, too, was drifting further from human semblance.
“Enough,”
And between them, then,
A man slotted himself with sudden speed.
Just moments ago, he was called [Gluttony].
“No more strife will be tolerated.”
“Do not interfere, [Gluttony].”
“Yes, even if I do think highly of you…let us not cross the line, hm?”
This is our affair.
It was only at times like this,
When they found themselves in agreement,
That [Gluttony] turned the pages of his book, one by one, with a relaxed air.
“Will you act this way even before His revelation?”
A sentence they could never,
Absolutely never, ignore,
He spoke it with exceeding slowness.
“Did He send it now?”
“..It arrived? Just now?”
“Indeed, just now it arrived.”
“Waaah…quickly…let’s listen…”
“I was thinking just that.”
As soon as the words left his lips,
Something sprung from the man’s book.
Many languages,
Written at length and suspended,
A single, long scroll of paper.
Whether it was made from some creature’s hide,
One could not be certain,
But it was not like the common paper one knew.
A more supple feel, and
A moistness well-preserved,
If one were to be particular, it was closer to cloth than paper.
“Hmph, what is it that He imparts?”
“Wait, I shall inform thee.”
“I…don’t want to work…”
“Nor do I, I am busy enough searching for men, no?”
“Ha, behaving like the harlot you are, as expected.”
“..You know what, you’re hopeless. Come with m─”
“That day draws ever closer.”
“..Huh?”
“My children, gather the ebony shards.”
A peculiar resonance accompanied it,
and with that, [Gluttony]’s words ceased,
the shadows vanishing the instant they did.
None among them bothered concealing their pervasive smiles.