Chapter 84

"Is there really a cure?"

The first to respond was King Velence.

Elric smiled silently at him, then turned his gaze to Prime Minister Norus.

The focus was returning to the pupils that had lost their sharpness.

"When I was young, I was intoxicated with power. It was when the previous Tiger King, whom I trusted, passed away, and there seemed to be no more hope for Anthromorph."

Everyone's eyes naturally turned in that direction.

"So I thought I must gain power somehow. Just as the Magus of Star saved Anthromorph… I, too, wanted to save Anthromorph. Then, by chance, I learned about something called the Demon Tree."

『Hah! The Demon Tree?』

[Isn't the tree that conceives demons?]

『That's right.』

[Impressive. How did he find it?]

Demons are beings born from the unknown and the irrational, so it wasn't strange for them to be born anywhere.

The Demon Tree was one of the most notable places where demons were conceived.

It grows by consuming demonic energy, and demons hang from it like fruit.

For a Melvinger, this was absolutely unacceptable, so as human continental exploration intensified, the number of Demon Trees drastically decreased, to the point of near extinction.

『It is said that the Demon Tree exudes such ominous demonic energy that even most monsters dare not approach it. Does it remain in the Black Snowfield?』

Elric thought that Mephisto's speculation was probably correct.

"And as you guessed, I found the Demon Tree and ate all the fruits hanging from it. I heard somewhere that if you become a demonic beast, you inevitably become stronger. And indeed, I became stronger."

Of course, this led to many regrets later on.

Prime Minister Norus added this remark.

"As you have already seen, I am almost completely assimilated with this demon. Even now, it is constantly seeking to devour my mind. If I don't stay vigilant, my ego will soon be consumed. Then a 'real' demon will be born."

Prime Minister Norus's eyes sank deeply.

"But I don't want that. I fear becoming another being even as I age. So, I wish to die. If I do, then this damned demon will also wither away without a host, suffering until it perishes."

Thump!

Thump!

Was it because the demon could read Prime Minister Norus's intentions?

His heart started pounding again.

It might be a warning not to try any futile tricks.

Of course, Prime Minister Norus simply ignored it.

"But you say you can cure me? Don't even think about doing something foolish. You might end up causing even bigger trouble by meddling recklessly."

There was an aura of authority about Prime Minister Norus, indicating that he wouldn't stay silent if someone attempted any foolish tricks.

But Elric didn't miss the glimmer of hope buried within.

[Is it true?]

『Why? Are you getting scared?』

The cure was what Mephisto had mentioned.

Mephisto snorted with his arms crossed.

[If it's wrong, I'm the one who will suffer.]

『Then it might be even better for me, right?』

[You have been acting all high and mighty lately. Do a tap dance.]

『Don't worry. Did not you ask your master for a favor? And if anything, your master will tear them all apart, so what's there to worry about?』

The cure was very simple.

Pour immense mana into Prime Minister Norus to forcefully extract the demon from within.

However, the point to be careful about was that the soul of the demon and Prime Minister Norus were closely linked, so precise control over mana was needed to sever the ties one by one.

It goes without saying, but there was no one other than Augustine who could perform such meticulous work.

Elric, with his Mind's eye, didn't know if it would be possible given enough time.

Since he didn't know how the demon would react, he needed someone with overwhelming power to crush it if necessary.

Moreover, Elric had other things to attend to.

"Master, please do me a favor."

"Oh, yes. You had only one favor to ask. I never thought you would resort to such tactics."

Augustine, who had already picked up on Elric's intentions, stepped forward with a smile.

Prime Minister Norus frowned momentarily, not understanding what Elric was up to, but soon had to suppress a hollow laugh after hearing all the methods.

"Ha! Is it really possible with such a thing?"

"It's possible."

"How can you be so sure?"

Prime Minister Norus smirked at Augustine.

During the battle with the Fury, Augustine and Gility didn't show any remarkable feats.

Surely, he suspected there was 'something,' but since he couldn't confirm it, he just regarded them as Elric's party for now.

"My grandfather who came to Anthromorph forty years ago would not be compared to my master now."

"...Is that true?"

The faces of King Velence and the officials, including Prime Minister Norus, became unbelieving.

The legendary figure, Usdun Melvinger, who protected Anthromorph from the threat of the Fury, was still being remembered like a legend.

"Heh! How pitiful it is to be compared to an inspiration that has long since disappeared. In the end, the shadow he left behind will never be erased in a lifetime."

Despite his snorting as if he was offended, there was a hint of bitterness in Augustine's face.

"Anyway, as you are now, there's nothing you can do, isn't that right? So, wouldn't it be better to try something and then die, rather than doing nothing?"

Prime Minister Norus had to glance at King Velence for a moment.

King Velence was firmly holding his hand. And behind him, his daughter, Irina, was nodding, pleading with him to do so.

'My life is no longer my own.'

Prime Minister Norus nodded heavily.

* * *

"Please just sever the link connected to the heart. I'll handle the rest."

"Oh, yes. I have a rough idea of what mischief you're up to, but still, be careful."

"Thank you."

Elric smiled calmly.

Augustine was both excited to see what his disciple would show him and worried about what might happen.

"Let's begin then."

Augustine turned around to Norus and placed his hand on his back.

Thump, thump!

The sound of Norus's heart beating roughly could be felt even from here. It was evident that the demon was sensing something amiss and was restless.

Of course, Augustine paid no attention and poured out his mana.

"...Hmph!"

For a moment, Norus felt as if a huge wave of rage was rushing through his body.

An endless expanse of ocean... It lay beyond.

His own existence, and the demon parasitizing his heart, were nothing more than a small sailboat that would capsize with just one sway in front of it.

'Is, is this really the power of a single person...!'

Norus was astonished, realizing how confined he had been in a narrow well all this time.

Even the formidable Blood Wolf King, whom he thought he could never defeat, seemed insignificant compared to this person!

[Pull yourself together!]

For a moment, Norus felt dizzy, but he quickly regained his senses upon hearing Augustine's voice.

In the meantime...

Kye-eek!

The demon let out its first scream.

He struggled and thrashed, demanding to be released or to be left alone, but ultimately couldn't resist the powerful mana.

Thud, thud, thud!

Norus felt as if the rings connected to his heart were all being severed at once.

In an instant, his body felt hollow.

Kyaah!

A demon floated above the Prime Minister's head.

How dare you! How dare you!

Forced out and driven away, the face of the expelled demon was contorted in agony.

A demon who has never had a proper sense of self, so the only thing he can do is show off his instincts.

However, its amount of demonic energy was substantial, and it seemed it wouldn't pale in comparison to most mid-ranking demons.

『Quite an ugly fellow... Hm?』

Mephisto, who had been silently observing the demon, suddenly tilted his head.

There was something about it that piqued his interest.

Given that the demon hadn't even lived for a hundred years, it was unlikely that Mephisto knew him, but what could it be?

However,

Elric, oblivious to Mephisto's curiosity, reached out towards the demon.

"[Absorb]."

Swish, swish, swish!

The demon was torn apart into demonic energy and sucked into Elric's grasp.

It was a very simple plan, and he had killed two birds with one stone.

Elric repaid his debt to Anthromorph and replenished his demonic energy.

To kill... Crack!

Tee-hee-hee! Looks like we have a tasty new recruit. Can I eat this one?

The unnamed demon struggled but froze stiff in the horrifying presence of a demon king, akin to a mouse caught before a cat.

Though its outward appearance indicated it was a grown demon, its essence was only that of a precious-level, and Yu, who was left with nothing but resignation, was still only in the 'normal' level.

However, its power and fierce temperament set it apart.

The demon was nothing more than a feeble nuisance to Yu, whereas the remnant of Yu were of demon king-level, not to be trifled with by even the mightiest of lesser demons.

Rank didn't matter.

What mattered was where one stood in life, how well they wielded their power.

'Eat.'

Thus, Elric saw no need to restrain Yu this time.

Attempting to forcibly tear apart a still living but immature demon would be nothing but bothersome, so he simply requested Yu to consume it whole.

It was also a form of payment for the shadow step taught to him, a bribe of sorts for future lessons of similar nature.

'But leave the seal.'

As you wish. I shall gratefully partake!

Yu began to devour the immature demon with a wicked and eerie laughter.

Swish!

Much like a cat toying with a mouse before slowly devouring it, Yu leisurely consumed the immature demon.

The more it went on, the more the seal of ferocity changed in shape little by little, emitting a bright ray of light.

Reaching 10-stars, achieving the "completion of the framework," it swiftly surpassed that stage, forming a new "framework."

Evolution.

It was the phenomenon that occurred when the seal gained power and surpassed its original framework.

Elric could feel the nature of the ferocity becoming more brutal and violent.

Maleficence.

Yu's seal could now emit such intense bloodlust that it seemed to scorch even the surrounding air.

-Hehehe! Yes, indeed. It feels like I'm finally alive. It's been too suffocating until now, don't you think?

It was a request for more power to bolster himself further, but Elric didn't pay it any mind.

'What's this?'

The seal of the immature demon that Yu had swallowed before spitting out... Because Elric was suddenly being sucked into the seal of original sin!

Elric tried to intervene, suspecting some trickery from Mephisto, but oddly, he couldn't bring himself to act.

『What in the world...?』

Furthermore, Mephisto seemed surprised by the phenomenon and seemed to have no understanding of it.

In that moment,

Click-

Elric felt as though an invisible link had formed between his soul and the seal of original sin.

Though he had held it before, it had always felt distant, but now he could slowly "sense" it.

And beyond it, he could even sense Mephisto's presence.

The issue was that Mephisto seemed to be sensing Elric's presence in the same way.

Click-

Click-

An invisible link between the two was gradually being established.

"…!"

『…!』

Elric and Mephisto stared at each other, their eyes widening in unison.

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