265 – Dungeon and Nymph: The Journey of Nymph # 8
“This Inoi has captured the Demon King and brought peace to the pilgrims’ village and the world…! No Nymph could have achieved such a feat…!”
“Of course…! It is truly an accomplishment comparable to that of the SSR hero Hercules…! We celebrate the achievements of our Nymph sisters with a Nymph dance…!”
Doom chich doom chich-.
The Nymphs danced the joyful Nymph dance.
The Nymphs were a playful race who loved to dance, sing, and frolic.
Seeing this, the villagers of the pilgrims’ village also danced with great joy.
“Melody! You’ve returned! I thought you were dead after being taken hostage by the Demon King!”
“Mom! I’m back!”
“Darling, you’re… alive! I thought you were dead and have already remarried! I even spent the life insurance money… and used up all the savings you had….”
“What the…!? This is… Hell….”
People were joyfully reuniting with their family and friends who had been taken hostage by the Demon King.
Minstrels plucked the strings of their instruments, and young men and women sat around a large bonfire in the village square, chatting amiably.
I approached a steel cage set up in one corner.
Inside were the Imp Buruburu and the Demon King Barbatos, locked up.
“Please help release my master…!”
The Imp Buruburu kept making a racket, asking for the release of the Demon King.
Barbatos often declared, “I, Barbatos, am the greatest subordinate of the Demon King…!”
Unlike the generally free-spirited Nymphs, do Imps prefer to serve and be loyal to their masters?
“You’re Barbatos, right? You’re the one who used large-scale magic to create this rift. Could you dispel it and get rid of this rift? Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to eliminate you.”
The Demon King Barbatos seemed to be the core of this rift.
If I eliminated him, the rift would probably be gone.
But if someone were to ask if Barbatos was truly an evil demon, I wasn’t so sure.
After all, there were no casualties or tortured individuals among the hostages.
The hostages were simply locked up.
That much might still leave room for compromise.
“Don’t listen to those guys, Juuin…! I’ll save you somehow, no matter what…!”
Buruburu bit into the bars with his teeth.
Of course, it was impossible to break solid bars with teeth.
I looked at Buruburu and subtly spoke to the Demon King.
“Buruburu is so loyal to you. Wouldn’t it be better to go out into the world together? There’s your subordinate Barbar there as well. Barbar is still your subordinate, right?”
“What? Barbar is there?”
The previously silent blue-skinned Demon King Barbatos reacted strongly.
“Are you talking about Barbar Barnoi?”
“Yes.”
“Barbar Barnoi is an Imp whom I bestowed a name upon to achieve a special purpose…! If Barbar is in your world, that means my purpose has been splendidly fulfilled…!”
“Purpose?”
“The Midland where I lived was destroyed. Wherever there is an ascent, there must be a descent, and wherever there is development, there must be destruction. Moreover, I was the ‘Flame of Ruin.’”
What could the Flame of Ruin be?
It reminded me of the time I first encountered the Nymphs, Elves, and Amazons; encountering new civilizations always brought many unfamiliar and hard-to-understand things.
That was what made it enjoyable, though.
“Can you tell me what the Flame of Ruin is?”
“What? You don’t know what the Flame of Ruin is? It seems you come from a place with a very low level of civilization. Fine. I, Barbatos, shall explain!”
Hmph!
Despite being trapped in a cage, he scoffed and puffed out his chest like an Inoi who loves to show off.
His appearance was almost indistinguishable from a Nymph, save for the pair of horns protruding from his forehead.
“…But before I explain, bring me something to eat and give it to my loyal subordinate Buruburu. Buruburu has a three-meal-a-day rule, and he loses his strength if he misses even one meal!”
“Something to eat?”
I brought a basket filled with meat and fruit from nearby and placed it inside the Demon King’s cage.
Then, the Imp Buruburu hurriedly chowed down on the food.
“It’s delicious…!”
It was a sight to behold.
It reminded me of the first time Inoi, who had been rummaging through the trash, accepted food from me.
I said to the Imp Buruburu, “If you come with us, you can eat even tastier food. I’ll even cook ketchup ramen for you.”
The Nymphs had adapted perfectly to my 21st century, so much so that they said, “I don’t think about my hometown anymore…! I don’t even want to go back to my hometown…!” expressing their love for the 21st century.
Automatic water dispensers.
Showers.
Mysteriously magical induction flames.
Delivery sweet and sour pork.
Bburinkle chicken, among others, made them fully immerse in the 21st century.
The same went for the Imp Barbar, who was overseen by Haildo.
The Imp Barbar said, “Mhuu, I shall strive to become the Imp of this gas stove…!” while enjoying turning the gas range on and off.
Thus, I wanted to bring Imp Buruburu to the 21st century as well.
Seeing me, the Demon King Barbatos spoke.
“Aren’t you afraid of Imps? We are demons with tails. There are also horns on our foreheads. Yet, am I not frightening or disgusting to you?”
“Not particularly.”
“I see, I can understand why the Nymphs would follow you so… even though you are not an incredibly charming female. I may be called a Demon King now, but I was once a Nymph myself.”
“You were once a Nymph?”
“Yes, my name was Barnoi. I was a Nymph who lived long ago in Greece. But when destruction came to the world, I fell into this Midland. After that, for various reasons, I became the Demon King.”
What could have happened for a Nymph to become a Demon King with a tail?
I was very curious about that ‘various reasons,’ but it seemed he wasn’t keen on sharing.
“Haildo. Can you make a contract with me? I will take you and the Imps to a safe land. Then, I will reveal everything I know.”
“Alright. Let’s make a contract.”
“What?”
Barbatos seemed momentarily surprised after making the proposal.
“Haildo, it seems you’re unaware of this, but contracts with demons are far too dangerous to be taken lightly.”
“However, you don’t seem like a bad person who would betray me.”
# # #
“Haildo discovers a new civilization!”
“What is the Midland? Shedding light on the land of heroes and adventurers—Midland.”
“The President is scheduled to have lunch with the resident representatives of Midland—”
News and newspapers were buzzing.
It was because I had discovered a new continent within the rift.
Or rather, to be precise, it wasn’t a new continent.
It seemed that the patterns of ruins and abandoned castles that primarily appeared in Europe were traces of this Midland.
However, the only things appearing there were zombies, demons, and evil spirits—no humans could be found. Only rarely found books provided indications of its geography.
The land of magic and adventurers, “Midland.”
What could have caused such an incredibly magical civilization to become a land filled with ruins and zombies and ghosts within a single day—a question that sparked many people’s curiosity?
In that sense, our party was the first to discover survivors of Midland.
It was quite the significant discovery and gave my stock, which had been slightly stagnant after the A Rank battle, a boost again. Very good.
Anyway.
“Brother, look at this! I won a car! It’s an electric car! Isn’t it amazing! Dad bought it for me!”
Haildo parked the car in front of the wellhouse.
So Dad bought her a car after all.
Perhaps because he was a dad, he was quite lenient with his daughter Haildo.
“Oh wow, what is this! A friend that looks similar to Barbar! I know what they are! Imps! Imps! There are more Imps! This is awesome! Aruru, Garuru-!”
Haildo seemed almost half-crazy upon seeing the Imp Buruburu and the Demon King Barbatos staying at our house. I began to suspect if it was the nightmare raccoon possessing her again.
I said to her, “Haildo, I think you should take care of these Imps. It’s probably better for me to have them with me, but I already have Nymphs. Nymphs and Imps don’t mix like water and fire.”
I decided to be in charge of the Imps I brought from the rift in Midland.
However, the Nymphs kept saying, “We must pull their tails…!” whenever they saw the Imps, trying to tug on Buruburu’s tail.
By the way, the Demon King Barbatos said that an Imp whose tail was pulled would temporarily become a Nymph.
It was because Imps were originally beings that were Nymphs.
“Aah—! The Demon King Barbatos is here…! I wonder why the very large Imp called the Demon King Barbatos shrank down like this…! Even the tail has become shorter…!”
The Imp Barbar twirled around Barbatos, staring at the latter.
According to Seo Ye-rim, the Demon King Barbatos was originally a tall adult woman, nearly 177 cm tall, with a slender figure.
But after losing her ‘tail’ due to Seo Ye-rim’s attack, she became this small.
“The Demon King’s tail was longer, thicker, and more magnificent than anyone else…! For Imps, their tails are the most precious thing…! Losing it is no wonder that they shrink…!”
I see.
The “Imp Tail” grows based on the malice and magical energy the Imps possess, along with various nutrients and energy.
A splendid tail, therefore, is a great source of pride for Imps.
“Hieeeek…! I believe the Demon King was certainly attacked by a tail hunter…! Imps’ tails are the top magical material, so many hunters covet them…!”
“Barbar, I’m fine. My tail is short, but it will grow back soon enough. In about 500 years, it will return to its original magnificent form. I’ll recover all my powers too.”
The conversation of the Nymphs was hard enough to understand, but the conversation of the Imps was even more difficult.
However, Haildo seemed to be enjoying herself as she rubbed her cheeks against the Imps.
“Look at them! They’re so small and cute! Their tails are swaying! This one has horns on its head too! Brother, can I take them? Huh? I’ll be taking them!”
“Go ahead. I called you to take care of them in the first place.”
I was glad that Haildo was so enthusiastic about taking care of the Imps.
With an enthusiastic clap, Haildo exclaimed, “Awesome! It’ll be fun with the Imps swarming around! Hehehe, if I create a legion of Imps… Imp legion… waiting for the infernal spirit… the burning legion of the Eredar lord… hehehe-. From bones to flesh…!”
“…….”
Was letting Haildo take care of the Imps truly the right choice? She seemed weirder each time I looked at her, but thinking back, my sister was always strange.
In fact, strange was the norm.
Fortunately, the Imps liked Haildo.
“Juuin! This girl has great charm…! Kidnapping a high-charisma princess indicates the might of a Demon King…! Just like the Demon King Coupang who kidnapped Princess Peach…!”
“You’re right, Buruburu. But I currently lack the power to kidnap a princess. But this princess seems to have a tendency to lead the Imps, making me feel that she has the makings of a Demon King.”
“Oh, shit…! I can become a Demon King…!? I can also become a Blade Queen…!?”
Haildo raised her hands high in excitement.
Suddenly, Imp Barbar shouted.
“Since two or more Imps are gathered, let’s start the Imps’ Sabbath…!”
“That sounds like a great idea! Let’s dance in a friendly and revolutionary manner…!”
“Oh, shit…! Let me join too…!”
Doom chich-.
The Imps danced together with Haildo.
It was an oddly surreal and funny sight.
When the Imps’ dance ended, I asked the Demon King Barbatos.
“So, what exactly is the ‘Flame of Ruin’? Seo Ye-rim said that it resides in her too, right? Since I have safely settled you all into the 21st century, it’s your turn to keep your promise.”
“This 21st century is a good place. The land is more favorable to spirits, fairies, and minor demons than any other world that I, Barbatos, have ever experienced. Alright. As per our contract, I will share what I know.”
While demons are known for their deception, it is said they do not lie when it comes to ‘contracts.’
After that, I learned from Barbatos about the ‘destruction’ of the world.
“The ‘Flame of Ruin’ signifies the world’s end. Whether they want it or not, they will one day bring great ruin to the world. The end of all myths and civilizations always concludes with a great flame.”
