Chapter 61: Sloth (4)

The Demon of Victory had betrayed them.

An unthinkable sight.

The black magicians, who had sacrificed everything they owned, even committing murders to earn the right to summon a demon, stared in disbelief.

What was happening?

Had it really betrayed them?

Could it be that it’s called the Demon of Victory because it always takes the side of victory?

If this had happened during a fight, that would have at least made some sense.

But there was no fight now.

Their eyes had merely met, and that was all!

Even if the battle had been clearly one-sided, one could have understood a shift in allegiance.

But betraying before a fight even started?

What kind of demon did such a thing?

Are all demons like that?

Little was known about demons.

Not even in ancient texts, nor among the black magicians who offered up their souls for greater power.

Information about demons was tightly controlled.

And even when obtained, most of it was either wrong or outdated.

I should never have summoned a demon…!

The black magician Fabian’s face stiffened.

Just how powerful was this demon to dare to betray its own summoner?

Or was that simply its nature?

But no—its aura was far too overwhelming for that.

It felt strong enough to even face off against Innocence and put up a good fight.

And this wasn’t even its true body—just one of its fragments.

Fabian stared intently at Evan, his face tense.

The expressionless face.

That face that resembled Fabian’s own—it was now utterly terrifying.

This monster…! 

What kind of freak are you?!

How strong are you?

And when did you even tame a demon?!

“…Don’t move.”

“Sh-shouldn’t we run?”

“I know. But…”

Fabian ground his teeth.

“If we move carelessly, we’ll all die.”

“……!”

“So stay still! Until that demon lets its guard down or looks away… Or until we can sacrifice a few of us to escape.”

Damn it.

Even as a seventh-tier black magician, he never thought he’d end up in such a ridiculous situation.

Fabian kept his wary gaze fixed on Evan, silently praying that the monster before him wouldn’t take offense.

Evan slowly turned his head.

Behind him stood the Demon of Victory.

Its entire body was blood-red and enormous—every bit the picture of a demon.

Thick iron chains wrapped around its arms.

One swing of those, and a human body would likely split clean in half.

Clank!

The Demon of Victory smiled brightly, as if telling Evan not to worry.

Was it insane?

Evan was at a loss for words.

When had they even met?

Why was it acting like they were acquaintances?

Who was this thing?

Why is it acting like this?

The Demon of Victory wasn’t supposed to behave this way.

It was a battle-loving demon, one of the more commonly appearing ones across the continent.

No matter how strong its opponent, it would always fight first.

If the situation turned unfavorable, it would then use its unique authority to turn the tide.

That was all.

But betraying someone before a fight even began?

Never.

Evan felt his blood rush to his head in exasperation.

Damn it… they’re looking at me weird now because of you!

“Evan…”

“?”

Lapis looked up at him, eyes filled with awe.

“Don’t tell me—you already subdued a demon beforehand? Amazing!”

“…That’s not it.”

“So that’s a demon?”

Aegis tilted her head upward.

“It’s big, at least.”

Clang—

The Demon of Victory nodded proudly at her words, showing off its bulging arms and throbbing veins like a bodybuilder flaunting muscle.

Evan pushed its arm away.

The demon looked dejected and withdrew its arm reluctantly.

…I can’t exactly tell it to leave now.

Turning an ally demon back into an enemy?

Sure, there wasn’t any confidential information exposed yet, but…

The problem was the demon’s strength.

A demon could never manifest its true body in this world.

Its strength depended entirely on the summoner or the offering used.

Judging by this one, it must have involved human sacrifice.

And yet—could he really just send it away?

If the Demon of Victory grew angry and charged at him, Evan wouldn’t stand a chance.

He’d just die and go straight to hell.

…Alright. Calm down, calm down.

Evan took a deep breath.

Not because he was afraid, of course.

He just needed to understand why this sudden… “ally” had appeared.

“What do you want?”

The demon shook its head, as if that wasn’t what it came for.

Please. Just talk, for once.

Evan simply stared.

The demon, under his silent gaze, awkwardly averted its eyes.

Not fear—just awkwardness.

Maybe even confusion.

Then, quietly, it moved its finger.

It pointed at Lapis.

Then at Pigritia, slung over Golem No.5’s shoulder.

…Don’t tell me.

It sided with me because it recognized the Sins?

Evan’s shoulders slumped.

Well… that actually made sense.

Demons were inherently evil beings.

It wasn’t strange for one to be drawn to beings destined to destroy the world.

Those “Sins” were walking disasters—living anomalies.

It was believable that a demon might be lured to their side.

Evan nodded slightly, convinced.

So, he didn’t notice—

that the demon’s finger, after pointing at the two Sins, had turned slightly toward him as well.

Because the real reason was not them, but the one who led them.

Evan looked down at the black magicians again.

All of them were staring up at him, eyes wide.

Were they trying to intimidate him?

…Tch. Creepy.

Not scared, just… uncomfortable.

Those gaunt, skeleton-like men glaring at him made him instinctively want to shrink back a bit.

But he couldn’t show that.

His goal was to quietly lead them to Innocence.

Aegis. Send the message.

Got it. Don’t worry.

While Aegis contacted them, Evan decided to stall for a little longer.

Then he’d run.

That was the plan.

That was definitely the plan.

“Would you all consider surrendering?”

“…Surrender?”

“I do not wish for battle.”

Murmurs broke out among the black magicians.

They clearly didn’t believe him.

Were they chanting a spell?

Evan tensed, but the Demon of Victory frowned instead.

Step.

It walked forward, raising the chain wrapped around its arm.

Then—whoosh!

BOOOOM!!!

The moment the chain struck the ground, a massive explosion blew through the area, scattering black magicians like trash.

“Aaaargh!”

“Spare me!”

“Demon…”

Evan quickly stopped it.

“Stop.”

The Demon of Victory froze instantly at his words.

It looked at Evan for a moment, then obediently stepped back with a grin that seemed to say, “You wanted to have fun too, didn’t you?”

I swear, I want to punch that grin right off.

Evan swallowed down the violent impulse boiling up inside and looked down again.

“Spare us!”

“Please, spare us!”

“Duke Kabaro! Please, have mercy!”

…Duke Kabaro?

Why bring him up here?

“I am not the Duke.”

“Th-then who…”

“My name is Evan Alkart.”

He could say that much, right?

After a short pause, he continued.

“I am the second son of House Alkart.”

“Please! Spare us!”

“I have no intention of fighting you.”

“Yes! Peace! We love peace!”

“Peace! Love peace!”

“We’ll follow you!”

No, no, no!

Evan bit back a scream.

Being treated like this by strangers—especially by black magicians who offered human sacrifices—was infuriating.

But he held it in.

They’d all be executed once Innocence got them anyway.

“Raise your hands and kneel. If you do, this will end peacefully.”

“Yes!”

“Loyalty!”

Thud! Thud-thud!

All of them dropped to their knees.

Their hands stretched high above their heads.

That way, they couldn’t even move suspiciously.

They were surrendering too easily though.

Were they hiding something?

“…By any chance, are you hiding something?”

“Gasp!”

“Gasp!”

Wait. For real?

The black magicians exchanged nervous glances.

The Demon of Victory tapped its fingers—tap, tap—and that alone was enough to make them break.

“W-we’ll tell you! Just please! Spare our lives!”

…Fine. Think whatever you want.

Evan gave up on trying to reason with them.

Lapis looked at him with that usual “I knew this would happen” face, and even Aegis was staring like, “Really? Again?”

Might as well stop arguing.

He’d get more answers by just letting them talk.

“So, what are you hiding?”

“Offerings!”

“Cursed objects!”

“Entrance to the black market!”

Wait, what? What did you say you’re hiding?

Did he hear that right?

Evan stared at the seventh-tier black magician—the strongest among them—who still had a glint of power in his eyes but was speaking meekly.

It was the kind of truth Evan wished he hadn’t learned.

“The Black Market,” the man said, voice low and trembling.

“There’s a hidden passage to it here.”

Evan froze.

Should he just pretend he hadn’t heard that and leave?

***

The Black Market.

A place directly run by Duke Alkart—Evan’s father.

It had existed since the Empire’s founding.

A place where anything could be traded.

Even the nobles and royals were tied to it.

It was a necessary evil that could never truly be destroyed.

And Duke Alkart personally managed it, making his infamy all the greater.

To inherit the title of Duke, one had to earn an important position within the Black Market.

No help was allowed from the Duke himself, and every child of the family was required to enter the market.

Right… I’ve been there before.

About a year ago, maybe?

Back when he was desperate to survive, searching for elixirs and strategies.

He hated relying on this family, but he had to take the test.

That led to all sorts of misunderstandings and rumors.

He survived, sure—but sometimes he wished he’d been thrown out instead.

A dark chapter of his life.

But why is there an entrance here?

This is the desert!

Evan glanced at the Demon of Victory.

In matters of battle, what mattered most was truth and falsehood.

The Demon’s ability was to discern truth—to see whether someone was lying or not.

The Demon nodded.

So it’s true? 

Seriously?

Unbelievable.

“Where is this entrance?”

“Please, follow me…”

The black magician began to lead the way.

Evan looked at him for a moment, then gestured to Golem No.5.

The golem carried Evan down and followed the man.

On its other shoulder, Sloth lazily turned her gaze.

She usually found everything bothersome, yet now she was paying attention?

“Yaaawn.”

Sloth yawned widely.

Then she waved her hand lazily toward the black magician’s back.

A puff of black mist appeared—whoosh—and vanished.

“…?”

What was that?

What did she do?

Evan checked himself but felt nothing different.

Maybe I should just ignore it.

“Uuugh… how bothersome…”

Sloth slumped weakly.

The black magician glanced back at her, his eyes trembling violently.

Did he twist his ankle or something?

“Keep moving forward.”

“How did she undo my spell… No, never mind. I’ll move.”

The black magician bowed his head and continued ahead.

Maybe he was just unstable.

Evan didn’t think much of it.

If the man had tried anything, Evan figured he’d have noticed immediately.

“Ah, Demon.”

“?”

“Could you tie his wrists with your chains?”

Just in case, might as well cuff his hands together.

…Definitely not because he was scared.

Still, the demon wouldn’t already have done that, right?

Come on.

The guy wasn’t that stupid.

He wouldn’t use a spell that wouldn’t even work.