Episode 280: Countless Secrets (1)
As Vahel was completely obliterated, Cheongyeom gathered his divine power.
“Phew.”
Catching his breath, Cheongyeom turned to look at Damian. The fierce expression he wore, like that of a demon, suddenly softened into a broad smile.
“Sir Damian! Thank you so much for your help!”
Cheongyeom dashed towards Damian. Though it seemed like a light jog, he was in front of Damian in an instant.
“I was about to burst from frustration, trapped behind that barrier, but thanks to you, I could smash that fiend to pieces! It’s like a weight I’ve carried for ten years has finally lifted!”
Cheongyeom grabbed Damian’s hand and shook it vigorously. His grip was so strong that even Damian staggered a bit.
“Sir, are we invisible to you?”
“Exactly. We came to rescue you too, you know.”
Gwangmyeong and Nokpung spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“Of course, I’m grateful to you both as well! To have two of the Five Great Sages come to my rescue—what a rare honor!”
Cheongyeom burst into laughter, and only then did Gwangmyeong’s expression soften.
“Come to think of it, the demon was already in tatters before I even fought it! I feel like I intruded unnecessarily. You all could have handled it on your own.”
“Ah… if you’re talking about the wounds on its body, we didn’t cause those.”
“Then who managed to half-destroy that tough creature?”
Gwangmyeong shifted his gaze to Damian.
“It was Sir Damian’s doing.”
”…What?”
Cheongyeom’s face was a picture of shock.
“You did that alone? How on earth?”
“I just kept hitting it with everything I had until it broke.”
Damian brushed it off casually. He couldn’t very well admit to using forbidden techniques in front of Cheongyeom.
But Cheongyeom wasn’t easily convinced. He still looked puzzled.
“But the marks on its body…”
“Sir, you heard it at the main hall. Sir Damian tracked down and defeated Sla on his own. He must have some hidden tricks.”
Gwangmyeong’s explanation left Cheongyeom with a reluctant expression, but he didn’t press further.
“Then, Sir Damian, how did you dismantle the barrier? Even with my skills, I couldn’t make a dent.”
Cheongyeom’s question drew the attention of Gwangmyeong and Nokpung, who were also curious.
“I used a treasure from the Empire.”
Damian lied smoothly, without missing a beat.
“Once they knew I had a grudge against Pandemonium, His Majesty gave it to me as a precaution.”
“Such a precious item, given to you? Can I see it?”
“It was a one-time use, so it vanished without a trace after I used it.”
Damian feigned regret.
“Oh dear… to use something so valuable for my sake! Don’t worry! I’ll speak to His Holiness and get you something just as good!”
“I’ll count on you, Cheongyeom.”
In truth, Damian hadn’t lost anything, but he was grateful for Cheongyeom’s generosity.
“More than that, Sir Damian, you’re truly remarkable. To hold your own against a duke-level demon…”
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, and Damian felt a chill run down his spine, as if facing a formidable foe.
“You’ve become quite the skilled warrior. When I heard Sla was dead, I was skeptical. Not that I doubted your talent, but Sla was no ordinary opponent.”
At first, Damian thought it was a misunderstanding. But seeing the gleam in Cheongyeom’s eyes, he realized he wasn’t mistaken.
“I’m truly impressed. So, how about it? Care for a spar?”
Cheongyeom’s entire body radiated a fighting spirit.
It was clear from his face. Cheongyeom was itching for a match with Damian.
But Damian’s mind was still tangled with the words Vahel had spoken.
Moreover, he knew from past experience how persistent and troublesome a battle-hungry Cheongyeom could be.
“Sir, I’d love nothing more than to spar with you.”
“I knew it! Then grab your sword!”
“But I’m utterly exhausted from the battle with the demon. I don’t think I can fight anymore.”
“Haha, Sir Damian, enemies won’t wait for us to be at our best. We can’t always fight in perfect condition. There’s a certain thrill in fighting while tired, don’t you think? So, pick up your weapon.”
You’re not an enemy; you’re an ally.
…was what Damian wanted to say, but he held his tongue.
“The battle with the demon left me with severe internal injuries…”
“Don’t lie. You look perfectly fine.”
“That’s just how it appears.”
“Come on, just a quick spar, just for a moment.”
Cheongyeom was relentless. Damian wore a weary expression.
“Sir, by the way.”
At that moment, Gwangmyeong offered a lifeline.
“His Holiness was worried about you.”
“His Holiness? It’s all my fault. I’ll visit him as soon as I return to the main hall…”
“And he was furious.”
Cheongyeom’s face froze at those words.
“He specifically asked me to tell you. He said you should have gone with another of the Five Great Sages as he advised, instead of rushing off on your own and getting into trouble.”
“Ah, no… it was an urgent matter…”
“He said to prepare yourself for when you return. You’ll be doing paperwork for three months, so don’t even think about going out into the field.”
“Wait! Please, anything but paperwork…!”
“There’s no point in telling me. You’ll have to plead with His Holiness.”
“Ugh.”
Cheongyeom pounded the ground with his fists in frustration. He really seemed to hate the idea of paperwork.
”…By the way, did you not see anyone else?”
Cheongyeom’s question left everyone puzzled.
Damian had a suspicion and asked Cheongyeom.
“Who else are you talking about?”
“When I arrived here, there was a lich with a skeletal appearance beside the demon. I was trapped behind the barrier right away, so I couldn’t get a good look.”
”…!”
A lich with a skeletal appearance.
Dorgo.
It was unmistakable. The only lich with such a form was Dorgo.
Damian felt a chill run through his body.
“It was concealing itself, so I couldn’t identify what it was. But it felt ominous, as much as the demon beside it.”
It was the moment Damian finally caught a trace of the elusive Dorgo.
Instead of joy, Damian felt a pang of regret.
If only he had arrived a bit sooner, he might have been able to kill Dorgo, but the opportunity slipped away.
“Ah, and come to think of it, there was someone else besides the lich.”
Cheongyeom added, as if just remembering.
“There was a man with bat wings on his back. His limbs were unnaturally long, and his skin color was strange. He didn’t seem like an ordinary human, more like a chimera.”
A man with bat wings.
Damian immediately thought of someone who fit that description.
But he quickly dismissed the possibility. That creature wasn’t supposed to appear now.
Iota.
One of the Four Demon Lords created by Dorgo, specializing in aerial combat as an undead.
The Four Demon Lords were masterpieces, hailed as the greatest and strongest among the undead Dorgo had created.
All four were formidable, making significant impacts during the War of Destruction.
Of course, their achievements and reputation were recognized by everyone except Damian.
At the time, Damian was considered a being of a different caliber even among Dorgo’s subordinates.
The Four Demon Lords wouldn’t have existed without Damian.
‘Dorgo created the Four Demon Lords using the knowledge he gained from analyzing my soul.’
Dorgo had completed the bodies of the Four Demon Lords early on but couldn’t create suitable souls for them.
Then, by analyzing Damian’s soul, he acquired the necessary knowledge.
Thus, Dorgo split his own soul to create the souls of the Four Demon Lords.
Even so, the Four Demon Lords never came close to Damian’s level.
‘Dorgo hasn’t captured me yet. So the Four Demon Lords can’t be complete. Then who did the elder see?’
While Damian was deep in thought, Cheongyeom spoke up.
“Sir Damian, let’s return to the main hall. I’ll make sure to tell His Holiness all about your achievements.”
Cheongyeom said, getting up from the ground.
At that moment, a forgotten face flashed in Damian’s mind.
“Oh!”
When Damian raised his voice, the other three gathered around in surprise.
“Sir Damian, what’s wrong?”
“Is there a problem?”
Damian wiped the cold sweat from his brow and spoke.
“It’s not that… I left something behind.”
“What did you leave behind?”
Cheongyeom asked, bewildered, as Damian sighed.
”…I left Sir Agnes behind.”
The group hurried back to where Damian had left Agnes.
Fortunately, Agnes was unharmed. In fact, she was more than fine.
“You filthy heretics! It’s time to pay for tormenting the innocent!”
Agnes was single-handedly dealing with the demon worshippers occupying the area.
Having reached the high-class level, there was no one among the demon worshippers who could stop her.
“Master! You’re back safely!”
Agnes exclaimed with joy upon seeing Cheongyeom.
“Lady Agnes, I’m truly sorry. I left you alone in enemy territory…”
“It’s alright. You were caught up in the demon’s magic; there was nothing you could do. I’m just relieved you made it back safely.”
Agnes didn’t blame Demian in the slightest.
Her understanding only deepened Demian’s guilt.
In truth, Demian had deliberately allowed himself to be swept up by the demon’s magic to meet with Vahel.
“Sir Demian, please return with the others. Guangming and I will stay here with the paladins to clean up the remaining filth.”
Cheongyeom, Guangming, and the paladins he brought along decided to stay behind to deal with the demon worshippers.
Thus, Demian, Agnes, and Nokpoong headed back to the main camp.
“What do you think, Elder?”
After the trio departed, Guangming turned to Cheongyeom.
“About what?”
“Do you believe Sir Demian’s story? He claims the Empire gave him a treasure to break the barrier, but… I find it hard to believe.”
It seemed unlikely that the Empire would so easily hand over something capable of nullifying a duke-level demon’s power.
Even if they had, it was strange. As far as Guangming knew, there was no item that could simply be touched to dispel such power.
“Demian Haxen is hiding something from us.”
“So, what do you propose?”
“We need to find out. By any means necessary.”
Guangming’s eyes glinted dangerously, as if he were ready to interrogate someone who had just been an ally.
Cheongyeom wasn’t surprised or critical. He had anticipated Guangming’s reaction.
“I have no desire to do that.”
“Elder.”
“It’s true that Sir Demian is keeping secrets, but he’s never acted against us. In fact, he’s helped us.”
Cheongyeom spoke firmly.
“If he hadn’t used that ‘secret,’ we would all have perished at the hands of that demon.”
Cheongyeom had been isolated by the demon’s power, and Guangming and Nokpoong were on the brink of death. Only Demian had been able to confront the demon and turn the tide by freeing Cheongyeom.
“If we force him to reveal his secret and he turns against us… Let’s not discuss this further.”
“If that’s your decision, Elder, I’ll hold my peace.”
Reluctantly, Guangming agreed and left to continue the fight against the demon worshippers.
Left alone, Cheongyeom gazed at the distant sky and murmured to himself.
“Guangming, the Holy One said he trusts Demian Haxen.”
The Holy One possessed a mysterious ability to see into the essence of people.
What he saw in Demian Haxen was a terrifying and monstrous being. Yet, he didn’t consider Demian a threat.
He merely expressed pity.
Cheongyeom trusted the Holy One’s judgment. She was far wiser than he could ever hope to be.
“Next time we meet, I must ask him about that.”
Cheongyeom recalled the scars etched into Vahel’s body.
At first, he doubted his own eyes, thinking he must have been mistaken.
But the more he fought Vahel, the more certain he became.
The blow that shattered Vahel’s body—it was unmistakably ‘Destruction.’
Why was Demian Haxen using a technique of his own level?
No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t find an answer. Cheongyeom forced his burning curiosity into a mental box and locked it away.
“Sir Demian, next time we meet, I must uncover that secret.”
A smile crept onto Cheongyeom’s lips.
It was the smile of a predator who had found a worthy adversary.