Chapter 70
Demon Core
“Please devour my familiar, Mapheltan—Thirteenth End.”
Still kneeling on one knee, Ilea wore a tranquil smile.
Deep bewilderment appeared on Mapheltan’s face.
He did not know how to interpret the situation.
Ilea’s actions had been far too sudden. How was he supposed to respond to her? His mind refused to work properly.
Composing his expression, Mapheltan said,
“I cannot begin to understand what you’re thinking.”
She was normally playful, but she seemed different now.
It did not feel as though she were joking.
Then was she sincere? But a witch serving a god was simply inconceivable. Any reader of the Chronicle of Humans and Demons would agree with Mapheltan.
Ilea said,
“I already told you. I’m considering accepting you as the god of witches. I meant exactly what I said.”
Mapheltan shook his head.
“Witches do not serve gods. No, it would be more accurate to say that they cannot. Witches instinctively reject being bound to anything, do they not?”
Ilea did not deny it.
“That’s right. Even this world feels like a prison to me.”
Every witch had only one long-cherished aspiration.
To uncover the secrets of this world and ascend to a higher realm.
They dreamed of what was known as Transcendence.
Their goal was to surpass even the gods and venture into the vast universe.
Mapheltan said,
“Your ancestors were the same. Your kind has used everything in this world as a tool in pursuit of Transcendence. Yet you intend to serve me? Frankly, I find that difficult to believe.”
Ilea smiled faintly and released a quiet sigh.
“Transcendence… You truly know everything, Mapheltan. You probably know more about this world than I do. I envy your wealth of information. If I form a subordination contract with you, your memories and knowledge will be shared with me. That is why I wish to serve you as my god.”
Through subordination contracts, witches could peer into the memories of the other party.
They could absorb every experience accumulated by their familiars.
Every demon Ilea had contracted until now had become part of her accumulated experience.
Mapheltan frowned.
“For your reasoning to make sense, you would have to make me your familiar, not your god.”
Ilea shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter which of us is the master. As long as we establish a subordination contract, I can access the other party’s inner world.”
That information had never appeared in the original novel.
There had never been a case in which a witch willingly placed herself beneath someone else.
Mapheltan said,
“I think I understand. Since there is no chance of me becoming your familiar, you would rather place yourself beneath me.”
Ilea’s lips curved into a gentle arc.
“Precisely. It would not be a bad proposition for you either.”
Mapheltan chuckled incredulously.
Just how powerful was her obsession with Transcendence that she would defy her own instincts and willingly submit to another?
He found it difficult to comprehend.
Although he could not fully understand her, Ilea’s proposal was extremely attractive from a practical perspective.
He would gain a witch as his servant.
That would prove enormously helpful in everything he did from now on.
He could not help feeling tempted.
The strange sense of unease was another matter.
Mapheltan spoke.
“Then let me ask a few more questions. First, what did you mean when you told me to devour the World Tree?”
“As you know, witches can break down their familiars into units of demonic energy. The demon core created from that energy is the finest elixir a demon could consume. The moment you ingest the World Tree’s demon core, you will obtain a tremendous amount of growth. Consider the core a token of my sincerity and accept it without feeling burdened.”
That was the part that bothered him.
The World Tree was not so insignificant that it should be consumed merely to create a demon core.
There were undoubtedly far better uses for it.
In fact, Ilea had originally intended to use the World Tree to accomplish something else.
Mapheltan spoke.
“The World Tree is far too valuable to waste on making a demon core. Surely you know that. Do you have some other motive?”
Ilea answered calmly,
“Calling it a motive sounds too sinister. Let us call it my ultimate objective.”
“And what is that?”
“I want to offer all the world’s evil to you. Devour every demon in this world and be reborn as the Mother of All Evil, Mapheltan.”
In the original novel, Ilea had gathered countless demons together and created a single embodiment of malice.
That entity was the Mother of All Evil.
It was the primordial darkness—a blind and absolute evil. That horrific being had granted the witch power equal to divinity.
The Mother of All Evil was the foundation for her Transcendence.
Mapheltan laughed hollowly.
“In other words, you need a tool masquerading as a god.”
Ultimately, the Mother of All Evil was nothing more than a means to achieve Transcendence.
It would merely be exploited and discarded, just as it had been in the original novel.
For the first time, Ilea’s smile vanished.
Looking somewhat flustered, she said,
“A tool? I sincerely—”
“I refuse your proposal. Use the World Tree as you originally intended.”
In the original novel, Ilea had sacrificed the World Tree to open a gate to the Lower Realm.
She had done so to find a vessel for the Mother.
The imp Nahagrem.
Originally, he had become the Mother of All Evil.
Ilea lowered her head slightly.
“I don’t understand. This would benefit both of us, so why reject it so decisively?”
“If I continue devouring all evil, my identity and humanity will eventually disappear. Only blind malice will remain. I do not want that ending.”
“I can remain by your side and help you preserve ‘Johan.’”
“Furthermore, the very idea of you seeing all my memories makes me uncomfortable.”
Just how much would she be able to see?
She might even discover everything about his life before possessing this body.
Perhaps he was overthinking it, but the possibility undeniably existed.
Naturally, Mapheltan found the idea deeply uncomfortable.
Ilea said,
“…You tried to share it with me before.”
Mapheltan had once attempted to tell her about the Chronicle of Humans and Demons. At the time, however, a restriction had prevented him from speaking.
“That was different. How can selectively sharing information be compared to allowing you to inspect every one of my memories?”
Ilea slowly rose from her kneeling position.
Her expression had become somewhat somber.
“I understand what you mean.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“A little. Still, I understand. I suppose the time has not yet come.”
“Thank you for understanding. It is best for our relationship to remain one between equals.”
Ilea took something out.
“Then I’ll consider this a gift for my partner.”
A pitch-black sphere gleamed in her hand.
Mapheltan furrowed his brow.
“Ilea, don’t tell me…”
It was a demon core.
She had already transformed the World Tree into a demon core.
Malice continuously poured from the black sphere.
“I was a little hasty. I should have asked for your consent first. But please accept it anyway. Don’t feel burdened.”
She was telling him to consume the World Tree for free.
It was impossible not to feel burdened.
After anxiously studying Mapheltan’s reaction, Zalkarin spoke.
“I-if it makes you uncomfortable, then this wicked servant will…!”
Raguel, who had been watching, released a long sigh.
“Use your head, you idiot.”
He swiftly snatched Zalkarin’s tiny body away.
Ilea approached Mapheltan.
“If you refuse even this, I think I will genuinely be hurt.”
With a resolute expression, she held the demon core out to him.
Mapheltan found himself in a difficult position.
Any demon would sell their soul to obtain this core. It was not something he could accept without offering compensation.
He let out a contemplative hum.
“I will warn you now—I have nothing to give you.”
“I told you it was a gift. I’m not expecting anything in return. If it truly bothers you, then you can give me a present someday.”
Mapheltan silently studied the demon core before speaking.
“I will try. But do not expect too much.”
Almost nothing could equal the value of this demon core.
There was a high probability that Ilea’s investment would never be repaid.
She nodded.
“Understood. Now swallow it. I created it from a World Tree that had already been reduced to little more than a stump, but its effects should still be considerable.”
Even the evil deed obtained by destroying an entire city and slaughtering all its inhabitants would probably fail to match the growth offered by the World Tree’s demon core.
For Mapheltan, quietly accepting and consuming it was the correct decision.
He was not in a position to be selective about methods of growth.
Taking hold of the demon core, he said,
“Thank you, as always. I will do my best to repay you.”
He immediately brought the core to his mouth.
He felt no psychological revulsion.
He could not afford to be overcome by something as trivial as disgust or unease.
His circumstances were far too desperate.
Without hesitation, Mapheltan swallowed the demon core.
The reaction was immediate.
His crimson eyes flashed. Pitch-black smoke erupted from every opening in his body.
Concentrated malice coursed throughout him.
Pleasure and agony struck simultaneously.
There was no possible way to remain sane.
To keep from losing himself entirely, he chose madness.
Mapheltan collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been severed.
Even after he fell, the convulsions continued.
“Guh—haaagh!”
Johan abruptly sat upright in bed. As though he had suffered a nightmare, his entire body was drenched in sweat.
Breathing heavily, he examined himself from head to toe.
It seemed the sun had risen.
Johan was back in his human body.
Moreover, he was inside his bedroom at the lord’s castle.
He could not remember anything that had happened afterward.
Just as his head began throbbing, a familiar, melodious voice reached him.
“You woke up sooner than I expected.”
Ilea was sitting at the table beside his bed.
The moment he saw her, memories of the previous night flooded back.
“What happened? What about Mapheltan?”
Ilea pretended to ponder the question.
“Hmm… How should I put it? He has become rather imposing.”
“What?”
“Congratulations. Mapheltan is no longer an adolescent demon.”
She meant that he had evolved into a fully mature demon.
He had obtained several years’ worth of growth in a single instant.
It was extremely welcome news.
“…Honestly, I can hardly believe it.”
“You can examine him yourself later. I’m certain you’ll be satisfied.”
“How long until nightfall?”
“You’re certainly impatient. It is still morning, so you should rest for the entire day.”
Johan shook his head.
“There is still work to be done.”
“If you mean the entrance to the Abyss, I cleaned everything up.”
Once the Church caught wind of what had happened, it would eventually dispatch an investigation team to the Valley of Death.
If they detected the changes in the Abyss, Johan would find himself in a difficult situation.
They needed to disguise the site to some extent.
It seemed Ilea had taken care of it without needing to be told.
Johan spoke.
“Well done. Then all that remains is to meet Count Staviana.”
Ilea tilted her head.
“Right now?”
Johan climbed out of bed.
“We have no time to relax. You should prepare as well.”
This time, Ilea would accompany him.
She released a quiet sigh, as though he were beyond reasoning with.
“Couldn’t we rest for just one day…?”
“If we delay, we may invite a counterattack.”
There was a high probability that the count would connect the attack on the royal capital to the Abyss.
That would be disastrous.
Before anything like that could happen, Johan needed to make the first move.
Ilea rose from her seat as well.
“There truly is never a moment to rest.”
Johan nodded.
“I’ll give you all your vacation time at once later.”
Without realizing it, he was treating Ilea like a subordinate.
She stared at Johan incredulously.
“I thought we were equals.”
Johan did not hear her quiet mutter.