The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 140



Only Krnovel

Episode 140. The Devil and the Archmage (2)

In a corner of the waiting room, Kadim sat face to face with the magic tower lord.

The lamp burned its last flame and faded to insignificance. Instead, Kadim took out ‘Atala’s Judgment’ and aimed it at the Matapju’s forehead. As soon as it shows signs of changing its mind, it is ready to strike down like a spearhead.

Of course, this was just a precautionary measure just in case. It seemed like the Mage Tower had already given up all will to resist. It was hard to tell whether he was young or old, but only a distorted smile with mixed emotions was displayed.

Kadim’s face hardened darkly.

There were so many things to ask. It was immediately questionable why this guy changed his attitude so suddenly. But there is an order to everything. First, we selected the most important questions and asked them.

Why did you say you came only now? What is the identity of the great magic that Melissa devised? Perhaps it has some kind of connection to the devil’s infestation?

Is Melissa still alive?

Of those, only one question received an answer.

“Melissa is still alive… …. That tomb is just a camouflage that she asked for. But I can’t answer your other questions.”

“… … .”

Kadim suppressed. The inner turmoil that arises like a turbulent wave.

Not yet. It’s still early. I shouldn’t lose my cool until I find out everything. The string that was about to come loose was tightly tied back.

“… …Why can’t you answer? Are you trying to pretend you don’t know?”

“No, that’s… … I mean it literally. No matter how much I want to tell you, I can’t reveal the answer.”

“… … .”

“… … I won’t just tell you, I’ll show you.”

Matapju clenched his teeth and clenched his fists. He opened his lips, steeling himself.

“That great magic that depleted the ancient mana… … .”

KOO – Yeah!!

“… … Ugh!”

There was a dull noise, and a magic circle resembling a lock appeared in the air. The magic circle forcefully shut the mouth of the magic tower master and then disappeared like an afterimage.

The seal was so rough that his lips were completely torn. Matapju wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and explained to Kadim, who was frowning.

“… … This is one of the restrictions that Melissa placed on me before leaving the Magic Tower. I can’t answer those questions in any way. “If you speak, your mouth will be blocked, if you write, your hand bones will break, and if you send a sound, your demonic energy will be erased.”

“… … .”

Kadim doesn’t believe in demons. But demons can’t lie when it comes to proposals and contracts. Perhaps those restrictions are due to his contract with Melissa.

Soon, the questions that had been buried in the back of my mind swelled to great proportions.

What on earth does this demon have to do with Melissa? What on earth happened that made the wizard who hated demons so much make a pact with him and make him his successor?

I wondered what would happen if there were restrictions on even answering that question, but fortunately that wasn’t the case. Upon hearing the question, Matapju let out a mixed sigh and began to tell his story.

“… … Melissa and I first encountered each other about 300 years ago in the Demonic Land. Melissa took me in, a low-level demon who was on the verge of extinction. But the reason was never… … “It wasn’t something as warm as sympathy.”

Melissa wanted to experiment.

Indeed, is it possible to make a demon human?

So, ultimately, can we twist the nature of all the evil left in the world so that there is no need for suffering and despair?

Melissa, who returned from the Demon Realm, built the ‘Magic Tower’ at the eastern end of the continent. She called together magicians from all over to teach them magic and had them help her with her research and experiments. The most passionate thing about it was the study of ‘Ancient Great Magic’, and the next most passionate thing was the ‘experiment to make demons human-like’.

“As a result, the experiment was half successful… … No, it was only half a success.”

I was lucky that the type was a ‘possessed species’. Melissa split the devil’s thoughts and placed them into the bodies of deceased humans, using countless training and mind control methods to humanize them. And finally, it succeeds in making the ‘split body’ think and act like a human.

“‘Acula.’ That’s the name Melissa gave me the day I first started thinking and speaking like a human. I’m one of the few demons who… …got a name before I became a ‘high-ranking demon.’”

But the result was far from being a success.

The human-like characteristics were limited to the ‘split body’, while the ‘main body’ still desperately yearned for pain and despair. The split body subordinate to the main body could never be free from its aftereffects. The thoughts that Melissa had put all her effort into humanizing were prone to becoming contaminated like the devil again after just a little time had passed.

In the end, Melissa takes special measures.

“She completely sealed the ‘main body’ and left only me, the ‘split body’, outside. Not feeling reassured by that, she placed numerous restrictions and prohibitions on me.”

By doing so, the ‘split body’ succeeded in maintaining the human’s inner self and form, but it was difficult to universally apply this result to other demons. Matapju wiped the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled bitterly.

“The experiment that tried to see a positive possibility in the devil only ended up making us more distrustful of the devil. It is a being that is rotten to the core, and cannot even be purified in part without isolating the main body.”

“… … .”

“This restriction is not a product of a contract. Melissa never made a contract with the devil in her entire life. From the day she brought me to the day she left the tower… … she never for a single moment believed in the devil or lost her hatred for the devil.”

“… … .”

“So, I received more attention from her than anyone else… …but I never once, for a single moment, repaid her favor.”

It was a completely unexpected story. I knew Melissa had planned various experiments, but I never thought she would do something like this.

Kadim was at a loss for what to say or what expression to make, and his expression was crumpled. Only after washing his face dry did he finally come to his senses and open his mouth.

“So anyway… … you’re a demon, but you think and act like a human?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s a crazy story, hard to believe. Wasn’t he just doing all kinds of devilish things just a moment ago?”

“… … That was an extremely exceptional thing. Someone trespassing here is an unexpected emergency. “Unless there is something special going on, I never use my demonic powers like that.”

Kadim’s eyes narrowed like blades.

“Then, is it humane to replace one’s body to extend one’s life, or to mix demons and human chunks to use magic?”

“Yes, it is a humane thing to do,”

“… … .”

“You know that well, Kadim. For a purpose, how evil can humans become… … “Wow!”

A deadly grip tightened the neck of the magic tower lord with the force of breaking it. She made red bloodshot marks on the whites of Kadim’s eyes and scolded him in a tone that made him sound like he was going to chew him to death at any moment.

“You dirty devil bastard, how dare you talk nonsense? If you call inhumane acts humane, then there is nothing you can’t do. Why shouldn’t I kill you right away?”

“Kekeke, that’s right, that’s right… … . Kkeke, but, I couldn’t help it, I couldn’t help it… … . Melissa, kek, because of another mission she gave me… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim released his grip for now. Breaking the neck or swinging the axe at him was something he could do after hearing the whole story.

“… … “Tell me what mission that is.”

“Kuluk, kuluck, before that… … before that, I have something to tell you… … .”

Matapju barely cleared his throat and spoke in a more subdued tone.

“Didn’t I say earlier that the thing Melissa was most passionate about… was research on ‘ancient magic’?

“……however.”

“The reason she started the research in the first place was to find ‘you.’”

“… … !”

Kadim opened his eyes wide. A worn, desolate expression appeared on the corners of Matapju’s mouth.

“When I first met her, she had already wandered all over the continent, looking for you who had suddenly disappeared. But she could not find any trace of you anywhere, and eventually came to some absurd conclusion… .”

Khoo – Woah!

“… … Ugh! Ugh… … I can’t even tell you this much. Anyway… … After many years of research, she finally completes the ‘great magic’ that seemed impossible to implement with human power, created for the purpose of finding you.”

Melissa decides to leave the Magic Tower for a while to test out her completed magic. At that time, ‘Akula’ was successfully blending in with the magicians by imitating humans. He was also Melissa’s confidant who understood her teachings the best, so he was naturally chosen as her successor.

But even so, the root of it all is the devil, and Melissa, out of concern, placed numerous restrictions and these missions on Acula.

To protect magic and wizards under all circumstances.

If a devil appears, do not compromise and kill it unconditionally.

And when your colleague returns, you will be guided with all your heart.

There was no veto for the main demon on the leash. Thus, Acula began his life as the next Magic Tower Lord.

And Melissa leaves the magic tower and casts the great magic.

All ancient mana is depleted, and demons become rampant.

The continent that had overcome the threat of the Great Demon was once again faced with the crisis of destruction. Furthermore, the aftermath of this incident on the Magic Tower was even greater. The wizards who had lost their mana were worse than goblins, and could not possibly stand up to the powerful demons.

However, Acula was already bound to those missions. To protect magic and wizards, and to subdue demons, he devised a method that went beyond common sense.

“Like the devil’s hex, it was to use ‘magic energy’ as a new magical power source. Then, it becomes possible to catch the devil, obtain a power source, and use that power source to catch the devil again, and so on. However, the problem was that if ‘magic energy’ was used raw, the wizard would become possessed and lose his mind. So inevitably… … “The human body, along with special materials, were used as cushioning material.”

Acula named the source of new magic ‘Mana’. The demons were suppressed by the wizards who regained the mystery, and new wizards were born based on their corpses. Gradually, the chaos calmed down, the system stabilized, and the Magic Tower began a full-fledged revival.

Melissa came to the tower for the last time.

“Melissa looked as haggard as a dead corpse. He said this before I could ask what happened. He wants everything about him to be forgotten so that no one can find him… … .”

“… … .”

“So I, following her orders… … erased all traces of her from the Magic Tower. I erased her accomplishments, distorted her life, and even created this fake tomb to make it look like she was already dead.”

“… … .”

“But even in all that, she couldn’t let go of her lingering attachment to you. She scattered fragments of her illusions here and there before leaving this city of miracles, thinking that you might come here someday.”

“… … .”

“While you were in this city… … did you ever see visions that were more vivid than reality?”

Kadim did not answer.

Instead, he raised his gaze high.

Many questions were resolved, but there was no relief. A pressure like the pressure of the deep sea pressed heavily against my chest. There was a sigh that could make even the bones of Kang-gol twist in his tight grip.

However, Kadim was not immersed in dark emotions. There were still things he had to do, missions he had not yet completed, on his shoulders. He postponed all these leaden emotions until later, and slowly lowered his gaze to face the demon in chains.

“So where is Melissa now?”

“… … .”

Matapju remained silent and pointed to his lips. Even the content was restricted, and the furrow between Kadim’s eyebrows deepened. However, after a while, Matapju began to make gestures in the air, and he realized what he was trying to say.

“Melissa’s location, the ancient magic, and… the blank pieces of your story are all written in Melissa’s records.”

“… … Yes that’s right.”

“Where are those records?”

A thin finger extended, its tip pointing towards the mortuary.

“When you open the coffin lid, an entrance to a magical space will appear. She herself had sealed her own records therein. But unfortunately, accessing it may not be easy. “There is a very dangerous guardian guarding it so that no one can see it.”

“… … “What kind of guy is he?”

“This is my body. “A ‘high-ranking devil’ with no mission or restrictions at all, but who has built up deep malice deep down over the long years of being sealed.”

As Mabju said that, he made an expression like a plaster mask.

The high-ranking demon is a being that has reached the threshold of transcendence. The sorcery that he displayed as a ‘split body’ was nothing more than childish tricks compared to that of the ‘main body’. Considering that he had reigned as the absolute ruler of this tower for hundreds of years with just that, it was virtually impossible for a human to stand against the main body.

Even if it were the warrior who was the archmage’s colleague in the distant past and had subdued him through mysterious means, I would have thought he would hesitate or hesitate this time.

Kadim reacted in a completely unexpected way.

He pulled up the corners of his mouth, and gave an expression more horrifying than the ravings of any vicious demon.

“That’s good news to hear.”

“… … .”

“It would have been a bit disappointing if there were only records, but it came with such a high-quality blood bag. “Melissa prepared a pretty nice gift.”

Those who stand on the border between demon and human are at a loss for words.

A primal fear that takes control of every nerve in the body. My hair stood on end and my stomach tingled. In order not to show unfamiliar fear, the magic tower owner had to quickly turn around and say that he would lead the way.

Kadim followed Matapju into the funeral parlor. He removed the flower arrangements decorating the tomb and opened the coffin lid without hesitation.

Khoo – Woah!

Indeed, a deep staircase appeared instead of a rotting corpse. Every step of the stairs was filled with so thick a demonic energy that it was soggy. All the magic energy that spread throughout the waiting room originated from here.

The puzzle of the truth was being completed. Since we had come this far, there was no reason to hesitate. I was trying to indifferently step onto the stairs, feeling like a grave robber entering a cursed tomb.

A suspicion suddenly creeps into my mind.

Kadim turned his head towards Matapju and asked in a gloomy voice.

“By the way.”

“… … .”

“When you first met Melissa, you were a low-level demon, but now that you are a ‘high-level demon,’ that means you have been suffering and despairing all this time.”

Whew – wow, wow!

A throwing axe that sank into the ground like a wall. Matapju avoided having his instep split in two by just a hair’s breadth.

“The mission mentioned above is all a deception, and wasn’t that actually their intended purpose? Magicians who had to fight against demons, humans who became the raw material for mana… … “It would have been great if all the pain and despair had been combined.”

Matapju looked quite surprised by the sudden attack. However, he quickly calmed himself down and gave a calm answer.

“I am… … Like other demons, he did not intentionally try to cause pain and despair. Not only are there restrictions preventing that from happening… … “Even if I only accepted from the one person who gave me permission to supply, I already received a large amount that was almost overflowing.”

The abyss-filled eyes wavered vaguely. A look in his eyes that guessed something, but didn’t want it to be right.

But such ominous guesses are usually wrong.

The magic tower lord nodded bitterly and struck a chord.

“Yes that’s right. “Melissa, the pain and despair she experienced turned me into a high-ranking demon.”