Looking down from the high cliff, only the dark abyss awaited below. The sight sent chills down my spine. If one survived a fall from such a height, they would surely be akin to the sun god Solarun or the demon god Barbatos.
“Hoo…”
I took a step back from the edge of the cliff. Seeing the slimy substance trickling down the ground where I had just been standing made me chuckle. It seemed they had been experimenting non-stop. To collect this much residual spirit…
I glanced down. My clothes weren’t some garish fluorescent or pink outfit but rather a coat that adhered to a semblance of normalcy. Thanks to that, while I couldn’t say I ‘liked’ it, it was at least at the level of ‘acceptable for a human being.’ However, the residual spirit had damaged it here and there.
‘It’s not something I treasure, but it was a luxury item among luxury items. This is annoying.’
I still couldn’t understand the fashion sense of someone who adored anything labeled as ‘luxury,’ regardless of personal taste.
‘Why am I still fine despite being covered in residual spirit?’
Aiden’s final move had been a surprising trump card even to me. The resentment and toxicity harbored within the ‘spirit’ were potent. Just coming into contact with it would warp an ordinary person’s mana pathways, contort their body, and corrupt them from within, turning them into a demon or, worse, a frenzied demon.
A system message I hadn’t noticed earlier appeared in the corner of my vision.
[The attribute <Vessel of the Demon Lord> has protected you from contamination.]
So that’s why. Reading the message once, I vaguely understood why I was unharmed. If I had known for sure, I wouldn’t be spouting nonsense about ‘self’ or such. It was the rambling of someone who didn’t even know the ‘phi’ in ‘philosophy.’
“I must not let my guard down to prevent this from happening again… Hm?”
Why was I suddenly using formal speech? Shouldn’t the character of ‘Black Knight’ take precedence over formal speech?
“Ugh…”
As I groaned and held my head, I realized why. The mask had cracked. It was cracked enough that I could feel the skin beneath it.
“What the hell is happening to this thing?”
The mask made of ‘Sombra’ was no longer maintaining its previous hardness. Some parts of the ‘Sombra’ had already started falling off, becoming more like mud, and were being absorbed into my shadow.
[Sombra has protected your body from demonic energy.]
[Sombra is undergoing reconstruction.]
On closer inspection, Sombra had deployed a thin layer over my skin to shield it from the residual spirit. Even so, it was strange. No matter how much of a villain’s fate I bore as the <Vessel of the Demon Lord>, it shouldn’t have been able to prevent physical damage from the residual spirit.
‘This thing is definitely alive.’
Since feeling a threat to my life in the Holy Nation, I’ve had this thought. It acted on its own to protect me, even though I hadn’t commanded it. It seemed it acted independently to protect its own life, though.
‘Still, it’s a selfishness that helps.’
Though the weakened Sombra would heal over time, I had no idea how long that would take.
Quick recovery method.
‘I know one.’
One of the ways a demon heals wounds is through “cannibalism.” But no matter how crazy someone might be, who would eat a demon? Except for the ‘northern barbarians,’ there’s probably no one who would do such a thing.
‘Ugh.’
Just the thought of putting that slimy body in my mouth made me feel nauseous. Even Julian, who disliked many things, seemed to shudder at the thought.
‘I have no choice but to use the soul stones to heal slowly.’
Although it wouldn’t be as revolutionary as “cannibalism,” it would still shorten the recovery time. Fortunately, I had some extra soul stones. I obtained them from the Holy Nation.
Now that the situation was under control, should I head back to the mansion and prepare? I need to be ready for whatever happens next…
“Sir Black Knight?”
As I was trying to clear my head, I heard Aileen’s voice. I almost instinctively turned my head naturally.
‘Darn it!’
My mask was damaged by the residual spirit. I stopped myself just in time before I turned my head without thinking. My face was exposed, and if I spoke, formal speech would surely slip out.
“Ugh…”
At that moment, I heard a startled voice from behind. She must have discovered the residual spirit on the ground.
“Where is Lord Aiden?”
Considering the person she had been fighting with for a while had disappeared, it was a natural question. Because of the foggy smoke created by the residual spirit and Sombra, Aileen couldn’t see the situation clearly and kept asking questions.
I wanted to answer her.
‘Ugh…’
I realized the formal speech was about to come out again, so I couldn’t open my mouth recklessly. What should I do? I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t turn my head. In this frustrating situation, I resorted to the universal language of body language.
Swoosh.
I pointed towards the cliff with my hand.
“I see.”
Even though it was a simple gesture, she seemed to understand, and I heard a bitter voice from behind. Meanwhile, the mask made of Sombra started to slide off my face.
Splatter.
As the slimy Sombra hit the ground, it echoed through the underground.
“Blood… Are you hurt?”
No, don’t come closer. Don’t come any closer! To stop her from approaching, I raised my sword without turning around and pointed it at her.
“If you’re hurt, you need treatment! There’s demonic energy swirling around here!”
She’s saying the demonic energy could seep into the wound and make it more dangerous, but…
‘No, you’re more dangerous than the demonic energy.’
In front of me was a cliff, behind me was Aileen. I couldn’t reveal my identity. Damn it! I’m in a tight spot.
“Come out quickly! The amount of residual spirit is increasing!”
Just as she said, the amount of residual spirit leaking from the hole in the ceiling was growing.
“I can’t understand this. Really! I’ll just come to you!”
No, don’t come!
Too startled, I opened my mouth reflexively.
“No need…”
Formal speech was about to slip out.
“Ugh!”
I bit my tongue to stop my treacherous mouth from moving.
Although I stopped speaking, even the Sombra wrapped around to conceal the Moonlight Sword began to lose its shape.
Please… Why are you doing this to me?
In a hurry, I sheathed the resplendent jeweled sword to hide it and took a step towards the cliff.
‘If this place connects to the dam, then there must be a passageway below… There it is!’
“Wait, what are you doing…!”
As I prepared to jump off the cliff, I heard Aileen’s bewildered voice. I must look like a madman. Even I couldn’t believe what I was about to do. Hastily, I sheathed the Moonlight Sword and jumped down.
Catching the edge of a hole leading to another passageway below, I quickly slipped inside to escape.
“……!”
***
As Aileen approached the cliff where the Black Knight had fallen, she covered her mouth due to the stifling demonic energy and took a step back.
He didn’t jump to his death. There must have been a reason for his decision. But why?
Although she couldn’t be certain what the liquid that had splattered on the ground was, she suspected it was blood.
“The wound looked deep, so why did he insist on escaping?”
I don’t get it. Until a moment ago, he didn’t avoid talking to me.
“Did he flee because he was injured?”
He was someone who hid his identity enough to wear a mask all the time. Someone like that would likely distrust humans and would never show their vulnerability to others.
“Stubborn, really.”
When they encountered each other in the underground waterway, he even lowered his sword enough to give her trust despite pointing it at her. But in the end, she couldn’t gain any trust from him, which made Aileen feel unnecessarily irritated.
After all, he’s just another person.
Trying to clear her negative thoughts, she turned her gaze towards the cliff where the residual spirit was flowing.
“Lord Aiden.”
She couldn’t get close, but she could tell it was incredibly deep. Although the Black Knight had jumped, she was sure he would somehow survive. But she had no such confidence in Aiden.
With his frail wizard’s body, surviving in this deep place would be tough.
Probably.
***
After arriving at the mansion, I washed up with hot water and changed into suitable clothes. A servant informed me that a guest had arrived.
When the door opened, a familiar face entered.
Korund?
“I-I apologize, Sir Julian!”
Without warning, he bowed his head and started apologizing.
“Because Aiden returned midway, I couldn’t disable all the magical devices…!”
Although I sighed, I appreciated his honesty. It showed how much he feared Julian.
“It’s fine. The matters I had planned were mostly ‘settled’ anyway.”
“Settled… you say?”
“Are you curious? I can tell you if you wish.”
At the mention of ‘settled,’ a look of ‘fear’ spread across Korund’s face.
“N-No, thank you!”
“Raise your head, Korund. You did make an effort, after all.”
At my words, Korund cautiously lifted his head from the ground.
“Effort… So, you’re going to spare me?”
Whether to spare him or not, I had never really given Korund much thought in the first place. So why was he so terrified? Ah, Pintel…
“Whatever Sir Pintel might have said, it’s fine. We’re both Bishops, after all.”
“Th-Thank you…!”
In truth, leaving him terrified and unable to act might have been the best course, but I felt a slight twinge of pity.
‘When I first saw him, he was definitely quite plump.’
Perhaps he had been so stressed that he lost his appetite, as he seemed a bit thinner now. A fear diet… it’s surprisingly effective, isn’t it?
“You’ve done well, Sir Korund. Now, would you please leave? I have some personal matters to attend to.”
“Understood!”
Korund nodded hurriedly, bowed politely, and left. It seems Bishops have been visiting the mansion quite often recently. Anyone would think I’m the Grand Archbishop or something.
…Should I give it a try?
***
After Korund left, I instructed the butler to ensure no one entered the office and to turn away any visitors. Then, I took out a small jewel box from the drawer. Inside was a soul stone.
It belonged to Idel, the Tri-horn demon who had driven me to the brink of death in the Holy Nation.
‘If I feed this to Sombra, it should recover somewhat.’
The soul stone, a terrifyingly dark red, brought back unpleasant memories of being covered in residual spirit in the underground waterway, causing a slight aversion. It wasn’t the demonic power inside that repulsed me but a physiological aversion.
After all, it did ruin my clothes!
“But how do I give it to him?”
Should I put the soul stone in a bowl and tell Sombra to eat it? I was beginning to recognize Sombra as a kind of living creature, but that seemed too much like treating it as a pet. It’s not a companion demon, after all.
“Eat this.”
Placing the soul stone in my hand, I recalled how Sombra had absorbed it before and guided it to do the same.
At that moment, Sombra, which had been dormant, began to stir. Indeed, a demon moves desperately when there’s something to eat.
Swoosh.
Sombra circled around the soul stone, prodding it as if inspecting it, then stopped and began to return to my body. It felt almost like it was pouting.
What the… Could it be…
“Are you being picky about your food?”
Cliche Novel 