Episode 155. Interlude – Snake Hunt

“Jade…?”

Professor Jade looked at Sophia with trembling eyes.

He seemed about to say something, but just as he opened his mouth—

Whoooosh!

“Ugh!”

The artificial holy mark engraved on his right chest flickered with a dark blue light.

From where the artificial holy mark was engraved, grotesque, root-like veins began to sprout.

“Huh…?”

Sophia turned to look at Professor Jade, who had collapsed with a pale expression.

“W-what? Wasn’t the artificial holy mark supposed to be complete?”

Although he had borrowed the power of a demon, Professor Jade himself had said that the artificial holy mark was ‘complete.’

“It’s not a problem with the artificial holy mark.”

I approached Professor Jade, who was clutching his chest and collapsed.

Placing my hand on the artificial holy mark on his right chest, I focused my mind.

‘As I thought.’

It was as I had suspected.

“If it’s not a problem with the artificial holy mark…”

“Then the problem lies with the magic stone the demon gave you.”

“……”

From the beginning, stabilizing the artificial holy mark was only a temporary effect, and it was designed to cause various problems as a side effect.

‘There’s no way the demon would genuinely help complete the research on the artificial holy mark with pure intentions.’

Most likely, the demon had some other scheme based on Professor Jade’s research.

“W-what do we do? Oh, right, didn’t you say you know the Saint from the Holy Kingdom? If we contact her…”

“No. There’s no need for that.”

I placed my hand on Professor Jade’s right chest and slowly summoned the ash fire.

If the demon had played some trick with the artificial holy mark…

‘Then all I need to do is burn it away along with the mark.’

Whoooosh!

The burning ash fire consumed the artificial holy mark on Professor Jade’s right chest.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

After all, the artificial holy mark was not a real holy mark but merely a fake imitation.

Even if I couldn’t fully control the Primordial Flame now, destroying the artificial holy mark wasn’t that difficult.

Sssssss!

The sound of burning flesh echoed as ash-colored smoke rose.

Professor Jade gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain.

But it was only for a moment.

“Ugh! S-stop! Stop it!”

Perhaps the pain was too much.

Professor Jade screamed and thrashed.

“Berald. Come and hold the professor down.”

“Y-yes.”

Berald hesitantly approached and grabbed Professor Jade, who was thrashing.

I placed my hand on the artificial holy mark again as Professor Jade struggled, drool dripping from his mouth.

Sssssss!

“Ugh! Cough! Aaaah!!!”

Another scream echoed.

About 30 seconds passed like that.

The ash fire completely burned away Professor Jade’s artificial holy mark.

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Professor Jade exhaled heavily, his face drenched in sweat.

He looked at me with trembling eyes and asked in a shaky voice,

“Have you… always endured this kind of pain?”

“……”

As he said.

The pain Professor Jade was feeling now wasn’t much different from the pain I felt when using Ignition or Intensification.

“How on earth…”

“I’m used to it.”

“……”

At my calm response, Professor Jade’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a similar expression to the one Professor Elisha had given me before.

A look of pity, as if staring at something utterly broken. I smiled bitterly and stood up.

“You should rest until your body recovers.”

“…I understand.”

Professor Jade nodded and slumped to the ground.

“…You.”

Sophia, who had been silently watching the situation, looked at me with trembling eyes.

“Just what are you?”

“……”

Well.

If she saw me easily overpower Professor Jade and even burn away an artificial holy mark, it was only natural for her to ask that.

“I’ll explain the details later.”

“……”

“Berald. Can you go with Sophia and call Iris for me?”

“Are you staying here, brother?”

“Yeah. I still have some things to do.”

Berald nodded and left with Sophia.

“……”

“……”

Only Professor Jade and I remained in the forest.

An awkward silence fell.

“There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“…What is it?”

“Why did you hide the artificial holy mark research from me?”

Professor Jade knew I possessed the Blessing of Resurrection.

If it was for the sake of the artificial holy mark research, it would have made more sense to reach out to me first rather than a demon.

Even if I died from the side effects, I would just come back to life.

“……”

Professor Jade let out a deep sigh at my question.

“If I said I didn’t think of that… it would be a lie.”

But.

Professor Jade smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“I didn’t want to see another precious student die in front of my eyes.”

Even if that student possessed a blessing that allowed them to come back to life.

“……”

A precious student.

I smiled faintly at Professor Jade’s words.

“I understand. Then I won’t pry any further.”

“…Where are you going?”

Professor Jade asked as I turned and walked deeper into the forest.

I glanced in the direction Serpente had fled and smirked.

“I’m just going to do a little snake hunting.”

* * *

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Serpente ran through the forest with hurried steps.

Her breath was ragged, reaching the edge of her throat.

A chilling fear spread down her spine.

‘What the hell is that guy?’

She recalled the burning ash fire.

A monster who crushed the descendant of the ‘Great Sage’ as if he were a child, with overwhelming power.

Of course, she knew that Jade Bastian was exceptional in magical theory and research, but his direct combat abilities weren’t worthy of being called a descendant of the Great Sage.

‘But there’s a limit to that!’

Still, he was fundamentally a master who had left his mark in one field.

Even if his combat abilities were lacking, it was only that they fell short of the grandiose title ‘Descendant of the Great Sage.’ He was still on par with a high-ranking hero.

‘And I even used the ‘Fragment of Corruption’!’

The magic stone she had given to Professor Jade.

The Fragment of Corruption, a magic stone imbued with Mephisto’s power.

‘But.’

She lost.

Not just lost, but was completely overpowered without even putting up a decent fight.

By a mere candidate.

“No, there’s no way that guy is just a candidate.”

Serpente flicked her long tongue nervously and frowned.

What kind of candidate could possibly possess the power of an archbishop?

‘I need to report this to Mephisto.’

She had heard about ‘Dale Han’ from Mephisto before.

But seeing him in person, he was far more dangerous than she had been told.

He might even become a major obstacle to Mephisto’s plans.

‘First, I need to get out of here.’

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she was being followed.

Serpente quickened her pace and dashed through the dense underbrush.

“Phew.”

After completely escaping the forest.

Serpente entered a derelict building in Valhalla City.

It was a hideout often used by demons on infiltration missions.

‘First… I need to report to Mephisto.’

Crack.

As Serpente touched the air, part of the space distorted as if a glass window had shattered.

She reached into the broken space and pulled out a crystal orb shimmering with a murky black light.

The only means to contact her master, the Archbishop of Corruption, Mephisto.

Just as Serpente was about to channel her demonic energy into the crystal orb—

“Well, well, you really thought to hide in this crumbling building. Is it because you’re a snake?”

A voice echoed from the darkness.

“When did you…?!”

Serpente turned her head in shock.

At the entrance of the hideout, a candidate with ash-gray hair was looking at her with a sly smirk.

“What, did you think you wouldn’t be followed?”

“You…”

Serpente’s eyes quickly scanned her surroundings.

Dale was standing at the entrance.

The only remaining escape route was through the window…

“Stay still.”

Whoosh!

The dark room was illuminated as ash fire flared up.

Serpente gulped as she looked at the fiercely flickering flames.

She was skilled at manipulating others from the shadows using the ‘Blessing of Whispers,’ but her actual combat abilities were among the lowest even among bishop-level demons.

There was no way she could fight a monster who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with an archbishop.

“W-what do you want?”

“Well. That’s something I’ll think about slowly from now on.”

Dale dragged two chairs from the corner and sat down, gesturing to Serpente.

“First, sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Ugh…”

Serpente, her face pale, trembled.

After a moment of hesitation, Serpente forced a seductive smile and whispered,

“How about we have a different kind of conversation… instead of talking with our mouths?”

A sweet whisper reached my ears.

I smirked and flicked my finger lightly.

Whoooosh!

The ash fire, no larger than a palm, instantly swelled and raged as if to devour Serpente.

“Kyaaah!”

Serpente screamed at the heat of the ash fire and fell on her backside.

It was a somewhat pitiful sight for an evil demon who had manipulated countless events from the shadows.

‘Well, her combat abilities were always terrible.’

While her infiltration skills and the Blessing of Whispers made her a troublesome demon, in terms of combat ability alone, she was far below even Bishop Harris, whom I had fought with Professor Elisha in a border village of the empire.

“Try any more tricks, and it won’t end with just a threat.”

“…Y-yes, I understand.”

Serpente hesitantly sat down on the chair.

“Let’s see…”

I turned on the Hero Watch.

‘Maybe I should record this too.’

It might come in handy later for blackmailing or provoking Mephisto.

Honestly, the chances of blackmail or provocation working on Mephisto were slim, but still, Serpente was one of Mephisto’s favored subordinates.

“Alright, then.”

After switching the Hero Watch’s camera to recording mode, I turned to Serpente, who was sitting demurely in the chair.

“First, look at the camera and say your name and age.”

“…Yes.”

Huh.

Something feels a bit off about this atmosphere.