NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Demon Conversations and the Real World
It took a while for Antendeixis to finally leave my body.
He seemed to have quite enjoyed himself. Meanwhile, being the host, I was absolutely miserable. I was tormented by an indescribable feeling of foreignness.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it eventually.”
“I don’t want to get used to this sensation!!”
It felt like a burp that was stuck in my throat. When I told him that, he was incredibly offended, but I thought it served him right. Perhaps because I had committed the taboo of mocking a Demon God, my power had slightly increased.
But because of that, I ended up nearly suffocating from the forbidden sensation of not being able to breathe for a while. Isn’t it unfair that he felt fine while inside me…?
After leaving the palace, I crossed the desert of black sand under a red sky.
The journey there felt fleeting, but the return felt endless.
“It feels pretty far.”
“Isn’t it about this far? Was it quicker on the way here?”
“That was instantaneous… maybe because the guiding demon showed me the way?”
“Ah, that would be the eccentric Odigos.”
“You know him? And eccentric?”
I was surprised. I had assumed that Antendeixis, being a high-ranking and seemingly ancient Demon God, wouldn’t know specific names of demons wandering around.
“Odigos may not match the Demon God’s rank, but he’s quite an ancient powerhouse.”
Ah, so Odigos isn’t just any “run-of-the-mill demon.”
“The fact that Antendeixis calls him an ancient powerhouse means he’s quite the old-timer.”
“He has been around since the dawn of the Demon World.”
…Doesn’t that mean he’s been around since the very creation of the world?
“He’s a rare neutral demon. He survives in the Demon World by guiding and showing the way for others… but alas, there are hardly any wanderers in the Demon World.”
Antendeixis commented that if one has the will and power, they can go just about anywhere.
“Despite being from the dawn, he’s had no opportunity to grow his power?”
“Or perhaps, he might be the one who welcomes visitors the most.”
“If that’s the case, he should just contract with someone and head out. In the real world, there are plenty of lost souls to guide.”
“It seems his own power led him right to the portal. Whether guiding visitors is in his best interest or if he just hasn’t met a worthy contractor yet… well, he wouldn’t know either,” Antendeixis shrugged.
“Plus, in terms of rank, he’s rather high, you see. It would cost a considerable amount of magic power to employ him. I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to contract with him.”
“Then what about a contract favoring Odigos?”
“That would end up leading and guiding lost souls, one after another. Do demons have such unusual types?”
“None that I know of.”
I could say that with confidence. Poor Odigos.
Who would have thought that I, a Hero of the Human Race, would end up feeling sympathy for a demon?
Odigos was… how do I put this, oddly natural.
I felt no hint of malice. He seemed even more harmless than Sophia.
“I let that slip, but what exactly is a ‘neutral demon’?”
As we crossed a dark river, I asked.
What flowed in that river wasn’t water. It was something thicker and dirtier, and weirdly, we could walk normally over it.
“There are three types of demons. Those that govern the concepts of virtue, neutrality, and vice.”
“Are there demons of virtue?”
“They’re mostly extinct, but a few have survived. Loyalty, honesty, courage, that sort of thing. The first two particularly involve contracts, so they can be quite powerful. If you search, you might find one around.”
Ugh, a world where you could easily find powerful demons if you just looked…
“But guiding the lost sounds like a virtue.”
“Odigos guides equally, whether they’re good or evil.”
“I see, so that’s how it is… by the way, Antendeixis, which one are you?”
“Hah. Do I look like a Demon God of virtue?”
I just asked casually, I whispered.
The endless barren land stretched out.
So far, I hadn’t encountered any other demons.
Maybe it was because I had a monster like Antendeixis beside me or maybe because I didn’t want to encounter them.
“By the way, Odigos has seen my form. Is that bad?”
Maybe while traveling, the possibility of demons spotting me without me realizing it existed. The fact that a mysterious human is wandering in the Demon World isn’t something that would attract attention, is it?
“It means your identity might be revealed. Well, it should be fine.”
Walking along, Antendeixis replied with his arms crossed behind his head.
“First, Odigos won’t speak unless asked, and the flow of time between the Demon World and the real world is ambiguous. I doubt there’s anyone who can link you to the prince. While it’s rare, it can happen that humans wander in—due to misfired summoning magic, for example.”
So it should be fine.
“…I’m looking forward to it.”
Suddenly, Antendeixis wore a wicked grin.
“What are you looking forward to?”
“I’m looking forward to seeing how you’re managing to live like a demon with that expression on your face.”
“…Please don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“Don’t worry. If your identity is revealed, I won’t be able to receive my payment.”
Those brightly shining, multi-colored eyes.
“I will be your absolute ally until the contract is fulfilled. So relax.”
…It’s certain that the destruction of the Dark Portal will be the last thing to happen.
After walking for a long, long time, I finally spotted the Dark Portal.
In the mostly dark-colored Demon World, a pitch-black circle might easily blend into the background, but its overwhelming presence made it impossible to miss.
“Farewell, Demon World—! Until we meet again—! Hahaha!!”
Antendeixis, holding my hand and skipping along, seemed to have been pretty bored.
But… returning to the real world alongside a Demon God, huh.
You never know what life has in store for you…
“Shall we go?”
I led the Demon God and passed through the portal.
†††
The scent of wind. Sounds. The concept of weight returning to me.
Looking up at the sky, a blue sky with the sun shining.
Oh, so this is what light looks like.
The existence of a physical body felt distinctly real.
…Perhaps a bit too real.
What should have felt familiar now felt strangely cramped in this moment.
“Ah, right, this is what it felt like.”
I looked next to me to see Antendeixis stretching.
Since returning to a demon body in the real world, I could now perceive his magic power.
…I can sense the swirling magic power, but it’s elusive.
Sophia and the imps were much easier to discern. They felt like small whirlwinds or gusts of wind.
But this guy… Antendeixis? It felt like a stable existence rather than a demon. He even had modest horns growing from his head, so someone naive might mistake him for a devilkin.
But with utmost attention, by keen observation, I understood.
The magic power was condensed too densely.
So it felt like steel rather than wind.
The moment I realized that, I felt a chill. He was a high-ranking demon disguised as something else.
The reality was even more sinister than that.
“You’ve done well to suppress it.”
With such a small extent.
“Just a mere toe.”
Antendeixis grinned. I wondered what exactly it meant to lower a part of himself into the real world. It’s something I’d never comprehend as a mortal…
“Well then, I must introduce you to my mother.”
“Your mother, huh? I’m looking forward to it…”
Antendeixis chuckled ominously. Please… for the love of all that is, don’t do anything unnecessary…
I looked around again. The demon and devilkin town, “Cosmolodge”—since it’s a facility where demons stay and devilkin wait for their families to enter the Demon World, the area around the portal was surrounded by shops and cafes.
I figured Platy might be around here somewhere…
“Oh, there she is.”
A devilkin woman dressed in riding attire was slouched over at a table on the patio of a shaded cafe. Could it be that she had grown tired of waiting? It was so unlike Platy, who usually held herself upright with such poise, to appear so relaxed.
Still, the real world feels so suffocating… I thought while stretching my shoulders, feeling tight all over.
“Mother, I have returned.”
As I called out, Platy jolted and sluggishly lifted her face.
I was taken aback.
Platy’s once-cold, beautiful face looked gaunt, with dark circles under her eyes—a truly terrible sight.
“…Who?”
I was even more shocked. Platy asked, her expression vacant.
“Eh, Mother!? It’s me, Zilbagias!”
I can’t joke about my mother losing her memory after coming back from the Demon World. What would happen to my standing in the Demon Lord Castle?
“…Eh.”
For a moment, Platy seemed bewildered, but soon life returned to her eyes. With her eyes widening, displaying a series of strange expressions—some curious, some serious, some skeptical—she finally asked,
“…What is the name of your demon attendant?”
“Uh, Sophia.”
“Who did you get into a fistfight with first?”
“That too, Sophia.”
“What was the reason you fought?”
“Because I didn’t study.”
Clatter! Platy kicked over her chair and stood up, trembling as she walked over.
Huh? Did Platy… shrink…?
The height of her gaze felt odd…?
“Is it really you…? Zilbagias…?”
Platy grasped my shoulders.
“Y-Yes… that’s right…”
As I wandered with confusion in my gaze, I suddenly glanced at the crystal-clear window of the cafe and was shocked.
My reflection looked back at me.
Like a polished blade.
A sharp and striking aura radiated from the devilkin boy.
I looked around 15-16 years old by human standards.
Moreover, I was wearing clothes that were way too tight and ragged.
“…I’ve grown so tall!!”
I exclaimed in disbelief.
“Is that really you!? Truly!! It’s you!! Zilbagias!! Thank goodness!! Zilbagias—!!”
Platy clung to me tightly and shouted.
What’s happening?! All the demons and devilkin around us turned their gazes toward us.
“It seems the effects have started showing, Zilbagias.”
Antendeixis grinned wider than ever.
…Could it be that a considerable amount of time passed since I entered the portal?
Could it be several years? Did my body grow because of that? No, even so, Platy’s outfit was the same as when I departed.
“Zilbagias—! I’m so glad—! Zilbagias—!!”
And more than anything, what am I going to do about this…
While holding onto Platy’s shoulders as she cried into my arms, I could only feel utterly lost.