Chapter 480 - Libereas (2)
Severance of space.
Ark blocked all external factors with layers upon layers of massive spatial distortions, and before their eyes, Libereas reproduced a similar phenomenon with the authority of an Archdemon.
The principle was different.
Yet the fundamental idea was the same.
'...Why?'
Unable to take his gaze off Libereas, Verden furrowed his brows.
Confusion.
Questions sprouted like weeds, impossible to suppress.
'Oldarc, what are you?'
The similarity between the Archdemon's refuge and the Sky Island of the Ark could not possibly be dismissed as coincidence.
The parallels were too stark.
Perhaps the Sky Island influenced Libereas, or perhaps Libereas influenced the Sky Island.
If not, maybe both were created at the same time.
'Surely the first Demon King couldn't have been an Archdemon... no, that's far too much conjecture.'
Verden shook his head inwardly.
He could say for certain.
The very existence of the Administrator, the fragment of the Demon King, and Alpha proved that they had not been influenced by demons, those abnormal species.
'If there had been even the faintest, the most tenuous of connecting threads, I would have noticed it long ago.'
To assume that something hidden from even the Transcendent's insight lay within Alpha was not worth considering.
Forcefully stringing together fabricated clues would only lead to endless delusions.
The golem laboratory, the Ark, the Great Forest──Verden's conclusion was that the traces of the Demon King he had discovered so far were completely unrelated to demons.
'Save for this place, Libereas.'
That was the problem.
'This isn't something to take lightly.'
He knew there was something between the World Tree and the first Demon King, and though he lacked clear evidence, he could accept it.
At the very least, they shared the common denominator of magic power.
But demons?
What possible overlap could there be between a race that feared light and the Demon King?
'The Demon King and the World Tree... if other elements get involved here, the background inevitably becomes immeasurably vast.'
To rationalize why demons had entered the picture, he would have to bring in other concepts related to demons to explain it.
That would inevitably spiral into a scale far beyond what an individual imagination could conceive───
"...Lord?"
At Isabella's call, Verden was pulled from his thoughts.
"What is it? Something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
Verden hid his turbulent thoughts and stepped forward.
Standing on the edge of the rock, he once more turned his gaze toward Libereas.
'From now on, I'll have to learn about demons as well.'
It was no longer just Leira's task to gather information about demons.
There was no helping it.
Simply ignoring it wouldn't unravel the tangled thread.
Another unresolved matter had been added to the road ahead.
Whooong.
Verden summoned the hood of [Ainber], concealing his appearance, then used
Isabella too pulled her robe low and donned a mask-shaped magical artifact prepared beforehand by the Society to conceal her face.
They were heeding Cayman's warning that wandering Libereas in their plain human appearances would only invite trouble.
Of course, Alpha remained as he was.
Cayman spoke.
[ I shall go and re-examine the residence where you will be staying. In the meantime, a demon will be dispatched to guide you through Libereas. ]
Cayman would have liked to introduce the demon city himself, but having visited Libereas only a handful of times, he was unsuited to act as guide.
"..."
Verden narrowed his eyes.
Cayman, oblivious to that faint gaze, looked about.
[ They should arrive any moment now... ]
No sooner had the words left him than the sound of footsteps faintly echoed from afar.
Someone was walking alone along the rocky path.
A neat tuxedo.
The nose was gone, nothing but traces left, and the eyes and mouth were sewn shut with tight, intricate stitching.
At the center of his throat, a large eyeball was embedded.
High-ranking demon, Geras.
[ Once again, honored guests have come to Libereas. ]
A voice resonated from within their minds.
The demon, his mouth sealed, was speaking through thought.
[ Welcome to the reverse side of the world. Truly. ]
Geras bowed with a slightly exaggerated courtesy.
The eye in his throat gleamed with a peculiar light as it fixed on Verden.
***
The society that made up Libereas was split broadly in two.
Simply put, the high-ranking demons were the class that ran the city, while the rest were citizens.
[ The sole master of Libereas is Lord Noxias. We merely manage and live here. ]
In Cayman's absence, Geras took the lead, guiding them through the central district of Libereas.
A space devoid of light, yet perfectly visible, stretched out before them... a world of demons who had fled the continent filled their sight.
Verden subtly lifted his gaze.
'Their appearances are diverse.'
Thud... thud... thud...
A massive demon, the size of a small building, lumbered past nearby.
A pack of small demons, not even reaching Verden's knee, darted about playfully together.
Their physical structures varied just as much as their sizes.
Some were close to humanoid, others had multiple eyes and limbs, or none at all. Such forms were commonplace.
'The variance is large... but perhaps not so strange. Humans too are born with widely different appearances.'
So there was no need to be startled at the sight of a demon with an octopus face, walking briskly on two tentacles sprouting from its temples.
Hmm.
After carefully observing the series of scenes, Verden came to a judgment.
'Too ordinary.'
Remove the haphazard architecture and the demonic inhabitants, and there was little to distinguish this from any other city on the continent.
As Cayman had said, it was within the bounds of common sense... no monstrous "demon-like" behavior could be seen.
It was then.
[ Setting aside the transcendent existence beside you, I must say, I've never before seen one of your kind──a being so purely close to human in form. It does not seem you are mimicking. Are you parasitic? ]
Geras turned slightly, still keeping pace, his mental voice now directed at Isabella.
Her eyes twitched at being asked if she was a parasite.
"...This is my true body."
Isabella gave a curt denial.
She could have argued further, but bit her tongue.
[ I see. My apologies. I had never imagined an abnormal species could be born with such a human appearance. Remarkable. The world is indeed full of wonders, is it not? ]
"A demon with an eyeball stuck in his throat doesn't seem the right one to say that."
[ Is that so? ]
When he returned the question so innocently, she was left speechless.
Isabella glared at Geras briefly, then changed the subject.
"By the way, I thought with so many demons swarming around, it would reek of chaos and danger... but it's rather quiet. The streets are even clean."
Demon worshippers performed human sacrifices, demons devoured humans and other living beings.
They made offerings.
But here, there was no trace of humans, not even animal meat, and not a single store selling wares of any kind.
"So they feed on souls after all...."
[ Souls? ]
"There's a belief that demons consume human souls. Well, I don't even know if souls truly exist."
The scripture of the Luas Church spoke of the human soul, defining demons as beings that defile those souls.
Considering the appetite and brutality of demons, the story that they fed on souls held more than enough plausibility.
...Step.
Geras halted his stride.
At the same time, he turned back, stepped up close to Isabella, and thrust his face toward hers.
[ We do not eat souls. ]
"...What?"
[ So do not speak so harshly. Never again...!! ]
The demon's eyeball rolled wildly, countless blood vessels bulging forth.
Just as Geras struggled to suppress whatever was surging within him, Verden intervened.
"Enough."
At the commanding voice, Geras instantly regained composure.
A quiet stillness hung in the air.
In that moment, Isabella, having calmed her bewilderment, fixed her gaze on Geras.
"I don't know what I touched upon... fine. I won't speak of it again. Then what exactly do demons feed on?"
There was nothing resembling food to be seen among the demons of Libereas.
So what sustained their lives?
[ Power. ]
"Power?"
[ The same force you know, or vaguely understand, as magic power, and life force. Demons, having no fixed lifespan, must consume those, or they will inevitably starve to death. ]
Isabella rested her chin on her hand.
"So that's why demons recklessly devour humans and other creatures. And why demon worshippers perform rituals?"
[ Sacrificial rituals associated with demons serve to amplify a demon's power. It has nothing to do with sustaining life. ]
The knowledge spoken by a high-ranking demon was information unavailable in the outside world.
It was likely the truth.
There was no reason to deceive on such a matter.
Alpha, who had been perched on Verden's nape listening, suddenly spoke.
His single eye gleamed.
[ Query. Wish to know method of demon reinforcement. ]
[ Demons do not increase their numbers through reproduction. They simply appear. Thus, a demon that does not receive offerings, and only sustains life, does not change. Just as a small demon remains small, they live exactly as they were born. ]
This time, Verden asked.
"What do demons arise from?"
But Geras stepped back.
[ Who knows. ]
***
After touring Libereas thoroughly, they arrived at the residence Cayman had prepared.
A distorted building on the outskirts.
Climbing twisted stairs, they reached the eighth floor, where Verden's group began a late meal. They had stored food in subspace, so demons had not needed to prepare anything.
After finishing the simple meal, Verden leaned his body against the oddly warm window.
In the distance, he could see the massive temple occupying the heart of Libereas. The place where Noxias was regaining his strength.
'Some sense is being blocked, so his presence cannot be felt....'
Even Verden could hardly believe that the Archdemon from the Scripture of Light was right nearby.
At that moment, Isabella approached, seating herself by his side.
"Lord, I've been thinking.... doesn't this place feel strange?"
"In what way?"
"Well, um, this is just my personal thought...."
She touched her lips.
"To be honest... I can't really tell what makes these demons here different from humans."
Of course, she wasn't denying all the harm demons had wrought upon humanity, nor equating them with humans outright.
She merely meant that the way of life of the demons in Libereas seemed that way.
'Humans, is it.'
Verden gave a slight nod.
"Alpha, stay by Isabella's side for a while."
[ Acknowledged. ]
Alpha hopped onto Isabella's shoulder.
Immediately, Verden turned his gaze away from Noxias temple and set off walking.
"Huh? Where are you suddenly going?"
"To have a conversation."
***
[ I was told you summoned me. ]
Verden had called not Cayman Vermont, but Geras.
Less than two minutes after the message was delivered, the high-ranking demon arrived.
Whoooosh!
Verden sealed off the surroundings.
Now, nothing spoken here would leak outside.
Geras quietly awaited Verden's voice.
"Let me get straight to the point. Do souls exist?"
[ They do. ]
Geras answered immediately.
"Then what price did Cayman Vermont pay in exchange for using the power of a contracted demon?"
Just as swiftly, Geras answered without hesitation.
[ His soul. ]
"So it was a lie, that you do not consume souls?"
[ Souls were not created for such a purpose. ]
The great eye in Geras's throat blinked twice.
[ Demon contracts are centered upon the soul, and in common perception, a contractor is viewed as nothing more than a puppet bound to a demon. ]
"..."
[ But that is mistaken. In reality, the more a human forcibly draws upon a demon's power, the more ownership of their soul is gradually stripped away. Only once the soul is completely stolen, only then does one become a puppet, under total domination. ]
"How much of Cayman's soul has been stolen?"
[ This is the last. The moment you move to the place called the Grand Hall of the Black Hour, Cayman will lose his soul. ]
Verden lowered his gaze.
"Does anyone else know?"
[ Cayman did not wish for this truth to be known. Thus he asked me to lie. He wished to deceive Melard Tastienne, who had sought him out. His wish was fulfilled. Though her suspicions lingered, after more than ten years, they faded. ]
Cayman would become a demon's puppet.
Verden pondered.
How should he intervene in this matter?
It was then.
[ Shall I release Cayman's soul constraint for you? ]
"What?"
[ I am not the demon with whom Cayman contracted, but I can free his soul nonetheless. I could even lend him power without demanding any price. If you so desire. So simply speak the word. ]
The demon's goodwill overflowed.
So pure, it was eerie.
You can read more chapters in organised way on my website:- https://revengernovel.com