WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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Chapter 204: An Unexpected Encounter (3)
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Demons broadly fell into two categories.
The first were the kind that disregarded their own bodies, breaking, tearing apart, and destroying everything in sight.
The second took pleasure in toying with and deceiving humans, and cared far more about their own safety than the first.
The Jester Demon naturally belonged to the latter.
The reason it had survived in the human world for over two thousand years without perishing or fleeing back to the Demon Realm was its extreme instinct for self-preservation.
‘...I might really die this time.’
The Jester Demon, newly awakened in the southern Ancient Forest, thought to itself.
It loved the human world. It loved it dearly.
It was a true demon, one that delighted above all else in watching humans fall into despair and frustration at the mere wave of its hand.
That was why it had not returned to the Demon Realm despite its terrible wounds.
It wanted to recover somehow in the human world and continue its days there. It had believed that dream would soon come true.
But it had not.
Because of those hero brats who had stumbled into its hideout, brats it could chew to pieces and still not satisfy its hatred, it had suffered tremendous damage once again. In the end, it had no choice but to abandon its main body and escape into a Dummy.
The problem was that this did not seem like the end of it.
‘That black-haired woman... she was from the Holy Kingdom, wasn’t she?’
Even now, a chill ran down its spine.
When the Aura and holy power unleashed from that woman’s sword pierced its body, the shock had been immense.
Someone that remarkable might have survived even its attack.
No, even if she had not survived, things would become troublesome if another human informed the Holy Kingdom.
The paladin forces, far stronger than before, would scour the continent and smash the Dummies it had scattered across it one by one.
‘The best option would be to retrieve the Dummies and restore my strength before the paladins move... but that seems unlikely.’
The Jester Demon looked over its condition.
Its body had been made from the corpse of a fellow demon it had played with fifteen hundred years ago, so it was badly damaged in several places.
It could not travel the continent in a body like this while gathering strength. It was far more likely to be discovered and meet its “real death” first.
If that was the case, it would be better to fully release the Dummies and let them run wild as they pleased.
That would cause tremendous chaos across the continent, opening the tightly sealed Dimensional Rift.
‘If I return to the Demon Realm through that rift, I can survive well enough. I won’t be able to recover my demonic aura, but...’
The Jester Demon’s worries deepened.
It knew. It knew very well.
Rationally, abandoning its power and leaving the human world for the Demon Realm was the right choice.
Yet the precious memories it had made here, along with its instincts as a demon, made the choice difficult.
It had endured a thousand years for moments of joy. Returning home without properly indulging in them was something the Jester Demon could not accept.
“I need your help.”
“...”
Then, a human suddenly appeared.
And not just any human.
The pure white priestly robes and ornament around the man’s neck symbolized the humans’ god.
Still, the Jester Demon could not possibly think this mysterious priest was human.
It watched the man for a long time, observing him.
At times, it released thick demonic aura. At others, it thrust its face close as if it would bite him, circling around him again and again.
Then it suddenly came to its senses and realized it was juggling in a surprisingly comfortable atmosphere.
The Jester Demon nodded, then trudged back to its seat.
“You’re a demon too.”
“Yes.”
“I thought there might still be a few others besides me, but I never expected to see one in a place like this. Mm, yes. As you can see, I’m not in very good condition. My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, my chest hurts. Hm? Of course my head hurts too! That’s probably why my senses have gone strange. Isn’t that funny? A demon that can’t even recognize its own kind. Heehee, huhuhu...”
“...”
“Not funny? I thought it was.”
“I’m not someone who laughs often.”
“Yes, that does seem to be the case. Still, that’s good. At least it doesn’t seem you came here to hurt me!”
The Jester Demon sprang from its chair and fiercely hugged its fellow demon. Even so, the priest made no move.
Did this one truly come here to ask for help?
The Jester Demon considered this behind its mask, then dropped its playful tone.
“What do you need help with?”
“Do not return to the Demon Realm.”
“What?”
“Your exposure has put me in a difficult position. The Holy Kingdom will soon tear through the continent, and I will be caught up in it as well.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t you clean up your own mess? Do not leave. Release the Demonoids or act yourself, but draw the Holy Kingdom’s attention until my work is complete.”
“Hah, seriously!”
The Jester Demon gave a hollow laugh. So dumbfounded that it clutched its forehead, it fell backward.
Instead of dust, star-shaped effects burst out. Crash! An exaggerated sound effect came with it.
Anger? Annoyance?
It felt neither.
The other demon spoke so boldly that the Jester Demon could not help becoming curious.
Grinning, the clown rose to its feet.
Looking straight into the Priest Demon’s eyes, it asked,
“I’ll be honest. I can draw their attention. I was already planning to cause a big scene, just as you said. I’ll scatter the Demonoids I’ve made pacts with, along with the Dummies I’ve planted around the continent.”
“That is fortunate.”
“And when the Dimensional Rift opens in the process, I’ll flee to the Demon Realm.”
“That would be inconvenient. There is one more thing I would like to ask of you.”
“There’s more? Is that related to what you’re doing too?”
“Yes. I am raising a human.”
“Ha...”
The Jester Demon shook its head.
Of course, no demon was better than it at manipulating people. Aside from Karen Winker, the man from a thousand years ago, it had never failed even once.
It laughed because the Priest Demon’s ambitions were far more insignificant than it had expected.
But then...
“Of course, that is not the end of it.”
“Hm?”
“Through the flower that blooms with your help, I will turn this place into somewhere like your homeland.”
“...”
After hearing the Priest Demon’s next words, the Jester Demon had no choice but to completely change its mind.
“You’re not even human, yet you’re suffering from delusions.”
It circled a finger beside its head.
Just as human society had myths and tales of heroes, demons also had stories passed down since ancient times.
They could throw the human world into chaos, but they could never bring about its destruction.
This was not some absurd tale floating around like a legend. It was an undeniable truth.
Humans could ruin the continent, but demons could not.
That was the fate beings not born in this world had to accept.
‘Every fool who defied that fate met a miserable end.’
It remembered there had been a few before it entered its hideout, and a few after. The Dragon King was a prime example.
As though heaven would not tolerate excessive greed, heaven sent forth a hero, and the demon perished without fulfilling its ambitions.
The Jester Demon had no intention whatsoever of ending up like that.
This one probably knew that as well.
Which made this even more absurd.
It could understand destroying a couple of kingdoms, or driving a wedge between humans and starting a war.
But Demonification of the human world?
The ridiculous claim made it frown. Its interest gone, the clown clicked its tongue.
No, it was just about to.
A black line flowed from the priest’s body and entered the clown’s mask.
“...”
It did not contain much.
Perhaps the Priest Demon’s heart was as dark as the Jester Demon’s own. It concealed everything tightly and revealed only one fact.
But that alone was enough.
The Jester Demon smiled faintly, nodded, and muttered,
“I see. So that was it. My senses weren’t broken. You were special. I should have realized when you spoke of your homeland...”
“...”
“A demon not born in the Demon Realm... I failed to recognize such an honored guest! Hehehe.”
The Jester Demon smacked its lips.
It rubbed its hands together like a mosquito and stamped its feet in excitement, like a child.
Seeing that, the priest nodded. Smiling for the first time, the priest offered a handshake like a human.
“Hehehe.”
Clasp.
The Jester Demon, wearing an innocent smile, reached out and took the priest’s hand.
* * *
A week passed.
The weather was still chilly, but Airen Farreira’s days were so intense that he barely noticed the cold.
Joshua Lindsay was no ordinary Sword Master.
One of the ten greatest swordsmen on the continent personally sparred with him every day.
To call them instructional spars was generous, since the atmosphere was extremely harsh and violent. Still, Airen learned a great deal from them.
He could not help but work hard.
‘Wind...’
On his way to meet Joshua, Airen recalled Joshua’s sword.
The Sky Sword was truly unique. It was swordsmanship unlike anything he had ever experienced.
His friend Illia Lindsay’s swordsmanship was fierce and sharp like a storm, but she had not yet reached Joshua’s level of truly controlling the wind.
‘How can I last longer?’
He did not dare think of defeating Joshua.
He would have nothing to say if someone asked whether he was admitting defeat before the fight had even begun, but Joshua’s sword was that strong.
At close range, persistent winds disrupted his posture and strike points. At a distance, savage sword winds pouring down on him left him dazed.
Airen could swing his sword all day, yet when he sparred with Joshua, he found himself exhausted in less than thirty minutes.
But he had no intention of letting that happen today.
‘This time, I’ll last more than an hour!’
Airen exhaled and looked ahead.
Lost in thought, he had already reached their meeting place.
Expecting Joshua to be standing in the middle of the training ground as he had been yesterday, Airen summoned his Greatsword.
But that was all he could do. He could not bring himself to approach.
“...”
Someone had arrived first.
Ignet Crescentia.
She had already recovered from her injuries.
The continent’s greatest genius, the one who had driven Carl Lindsay into despair.
She swung her fierce sword at Joshua Lindsay, who had been called the greatest genius of the previous generation.
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