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Chapter 02
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Dhiope slowly closed and opened his eyelids. No matter how you looked at it, this entity seemed peculiar. There was no trace of the eerie energy of demons.
‘Can it conceal its unique energy?’
A demon that speaks without opening its mouth.
It was certainly like a variant demon.
Connie Heart.
The evolved demon in the form of an animal claimed to be a divine being. However, Dhiope didn’t trust those words at all.
A divine being emitted a golden energy around its body. So even ordinary people without divine power could sense it.
But the creature in front of him wasn’t like that at all.
This variant demon was far from the majestic divine image imprinted on the minds of the imperial citizens.
‘A demon evolved to the point of concealing eerie energy…’
It looked small and frail, almost unable to exert any strength, but it was indeed a demon of the Barun Mountain.
But why did the pain suddenly halve?
Dhiope blinked in confusion. Upon reflection, he realized he hadn’t even performed blood magic. Strangely, the clearer his mind became, the more impossible it was to move his body. His limbs were still as heavy as soaked cotton.
‘Why?’
This morning’s incident involved escaping the pursuit of an assassin and falling victim to a dark magic mind-control spell. If not for a teleportation mishap and an incorrect set of coordinates, he wouldn’t have ended up at Barun Mountain.
‘I definitely got stabbed while running away.’
Examining his palm with a puzzled expression.
His gaze lowered as he lay there.
Surprisingly, the torn palm was cleanly regenerating.
‘This can’t be.’
Dhiope was taking special potions to conceal his identity, maintaining the appearance of a child of around seven years old.
The wound from the blade was undoubtedly significant. However, watching the palm heal perfectly left him speechless.
‘…’
It was an unbelievable phenomenon even when seen with one’s own eyes.
Could it be an illusion caused by that creature?
[But you know, Lava fruit, can I have some?]
The variant demon mimicked a pleading human expression. The cute blinking eyes, like a docile animal, were repulsive.
‘Where did this imitation come from?’
Dhiope’s forehead wrinkled slightly.
‘Trying to deceive people with a cute face.’
Almost instinctively, he was about to swallow the fruit following that voice. Dhiope exerted all his strength to push the fruit out of his mouth, but it was blocked by powerless wings.
[Lava fruit isn’t harmful to the body.]
Unaware of Dhiope’s thoughts, Connie Heart forcefully pressed the fruit, pressuring him to swallow.
[Why won’t you eat it?]
Her eyes narrowed in thought, and a hint of hostility appeared momentarily in the boy as he pondered the reason.
Connie Heart finally reconsidered her actions.
[Sorry. I must have looked strange to your eyes.]
After a brief contemplation, Connie Heart ambitiously opened a spatial pocket.
The item she retrieved triumphantly was a glass bottle, the same holy water Dhiope had used.
[Look closely. This is holy water. When divine beings cry, holy water comes out of their eyes. I saved you with this.]
The blue holy water rippled mysteriously in the glass bottle.
The next item she pulled out was the Lava fruit, which she had coerced him to swallow.
[And if you eat this, your energy will recover, and fatigue will vanish.]
Connie Heart forcefully burst the fruit with determined eyes.
[Moreover, if you apply Lava to your skin, your body will be cleansed as if you’ve just taken a bath.]
‘Who does she think she’s fooling?’
Dhiope grumbled inwardly.
Seeing her desperate persuasion, it was likely a fruit infused with poison.
After showing the illusion of healing through hallucination, instilling reassurance, and then maliciously introducing a poisonous element.
Indeed, it was a peculiar evolved demon.
The variant demon before him undoubtedly harbored the intention to revel in the sight of Diope suffering from the spreading poison.
So, he had to find a way to prevent that creature from getting any closer.
‘Damn it.’
It seemed that the injuries concealed by the illusion were too severe.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t repel the creature.
In the end, Dhiope couldn’t even mount a proper rebellion until a transparent liquid was smeared on his skin.
[Look at this. When Lava touches you, the blood on your body disappears.]’
The words of the squishy demon were indeed true.
As the juice touched his flesh, a refreshing sensation ensued, and the coagulated blood and cold sweat were completely gone.
‘This must be another hallucination.’
It was clear that tricks were being employed to deceive humans.
A divine being in the boiling Barun Mountain with an evolving demon was absurd.
It was not amusing.
[Doesn’t it feel refreshing when Lava fruit touches you? But why aren’t you eating what’s in your mouth? Is it because you don’t have the strength to chew?]’
The variant demon grabbed Dhiope’s lower lip.
‘What are you trying to do?’
The question didn’t last long. The Lava fruit was firmly pressed against his even teeth.
The crushed fruit flowed out mercilessly.
[Is it okay now? Since most of the wounds have healed, endure a little longer. When all the impure blood in your body is purified, then your energy will overflow.]
Suddenly, a fierce wind swept into the cave. In the momentary chill, Dhiope involuntarily hunched his shoulders. With his clothes torn, his lips trembled in the cool air.
[Why are you trembling? Is it because it’s cold?]
Connie Heart observed the boy attentively. Clear breaths were escaping from her mouth.
Being a divine being capable of regulating her own body temperature, Connie Heart wasn’t affected by the cold at all. However, the young boy seemed to be in a different situation.
[If it’s too cold, should I bring you a robe?]
While his body would recover soon, the cold was another issue. It seemed impractical for the young child to venture into the snow with only a single layer of clothing.
The robe would provide insulation with its thick texture.
Connie Heart stood up abruptly, putting the rippling holy water back into her pocket. Considering that no one had entered the cave so far, it seemed safe to assume that there were no hostile beings nearby.
Even if a demon suddenly appeared, it wouldn’t be a problem. She deliberately left the empty glass bottle on the ground after pouring holy water for the boy.
Demons feared the holy water of divine beings. The empty glass bottle still emitted a sacred energy, and the boy was in the midst of purification. Even if there were demons nearby, they wouldn’t be able to approach the cave.
[Wait here for a moment. I’ll fetch some clothes quickly!]
***
[Huh? There it is!]
The robe lay awkwardly in front of a rock, quite a distance from where it was initially discovered. It seemed like the wind had carried it even further.
Connie Heart, spotting her target, lit up her eyes like a predator with its prey in sight. Then, she dashed towards the robe at full speed.
Her legs sank into the deep snow, indicating how much had accumulated. Despite the slow progress due to sinking in the snow, Connie Heart ran as fast as she could.
Now, the boy’s footprints were obscured by snowflakes, leaving no trace behind. Only Coni’s small footprints remained on the white plain.
[I should put the clothes in the spatial pocket and take them with me.]
Connie Heart stopped in front of a massive rock. As she was about to bend her round body in half and reach for her waist…
“……. Ki-kki-kki-kki-ki.”
Unexpectedly, a sinister laughter echoed.
[Who’s there!]
Connie Heart went on high alert, scanning the area ahead. Suddenly, behind the rock, a horse with only one eye peeked out.
“… Hey, is that my lost head?”
The black horse blinked its grape-like eye gently. Curiosity gleamed in its clear, innocent eyes.
[Who said anything about your lost head?]
Though she responded with bewilderment, something was off.
“……. Ki-kki-ki-kki. Nice to meet you, my head.”
A chilling voice that seemed both excited and grating, as if scraping metal.
“Don’t be scared. We’re one. You’re me, and I’m you.”
Connie Heart’s heart started pounding rapidly.
It was undoubtedly not the voice of an ordinary human. As she listened, the speech pattern was peculiar and strange.
Could the owner of this eerie voice be the one who harmed the boy? Considering it was hiding near the robe, it seemed like a reasonable suspicion.
Connie Heart held her breath and brought wings from the spatial pocket.
“…… But why did my head only appear now?”
Emerging majestically from behind the rock, the undead demon, Duraan, appeared. The formidable warrior of darkness joyfully leaped off his black horse.
“Do you have any idea how much I’ve searched for you during this time?”
Duraan wore a helmet with holes for eyes, nose, and mouth, but there was no face inside.
[The undead knight demon riding a horse! That’s Duraan.]
Duraan was much stranger than imagined.
How could he wear a helmet when his head was cut off? Usually, he used his severed face as a shield on his side, but where did it go?
And why couldn’t one sense any special energy?
There were many questions, but curiosity was a luxury.
Connie Heart calmly opened the spatial pocket. She thought he might charge at her aggressively.
However, Duraan began gesturing gently, as if persuading a sobbing child.
“My valiant head, come here without fear. Come.”
The smooth black plate armor seemed to deflect even the pouring snowflakes.
[Why do you keep insisting that I’m your head?]
Connie Heart confronted Duraan, holding the holy water. At this point, she even considered using the holy water and fleeing. However, the knight demon touched the area around his helmet as if contemplating.
“Well, my head got pretty angry, you see. What should I do in a situation like this?”
The smooth helmet crumpled under his powerful grip.
Was this current appearance just a performance, or was he genuinely suffering?
Connie Heart observed Duraan, ready to throw the holy water if necessary.
“Ahaha?”
Duraan, having twisted his head, suddenly burst into laughter.
Then, in a comical manner, he wobbled towards her, shaking his arms and legs.
Even as he approached Connie Heart’s nose, the controlled and modest steps continued.
[What’s going on…?]
Perplexed, Connie Heart looked up at Duraan.
His feet firmly pounded the ground at regular intervals. His armored arms swung in sync, reminiscent of a marching knight.
However, it was undoubtedly an inappropriate action for the situation. Why was he behaving like this?
“Dare an insignificant body like mine command the head to come to it! My head must be angry because I ordered it, so the body can only stroll up to the head.”
Outwardly, he appeared to be an emotionless knight with no apparent flaws. The sharp helmet and sleek, sturdy armor showed no signs of deviation.
[Could he…]
Has he lost his head and become partially insane?
Winterwind’s seagull deity, Mu, once mentioned that those who appear harmless on the outside can be genuinely frightening.
“Hahahaha…!”
And what Duraan was doing seemed seriously lacking somewhere, almost comically so.
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