277 Dekan’s Enemies and Friends
In the present world.
“※! I can’t believe this guy always pulls off these stunts!”
The audience originally thought that Dekan and his companions would bring about an incredibly thrilling comeback.
But the next moment, the situation took a bizarre turn.
And it actually worked!
“I feel like the Frenzied Bishop was also led astray by them. What’s wrong with these guys?!”
“Anyway, these four aren’t normal!”
“But they’re so cool! Can they form a group and debut?!”
Surprisingly, cheers for the Beautiful Soul F4 were heard in various places.
The audience watched as Dekan and the others kept pouring wine with powerful paralyzing effects on the Warden until she was unconscious.
Until the Warden finally fell onto the sofa, her eyes blurred.
The originally courteous four had expressions that turned mischievous.
It seemed like they’d been putting up with this Warden for a long time.
However, they chose not to seek revenge, nor did they hesitate much, and began signaling Cornelia to carry the Dark Saintess and flee.
The Warden’s hit points were too high; killing her would be too risky.
There was a high chance they might get wiped out if she woke up before she was killed.
Rather than that, they decided to take the opportunity to escape safely while they were sure she was paralyzed!
In the Dark Saintess’s disbelieving gaze, Cornelia carried her out of the Demon Realm’s prison and fled with the others.
Then, they began a ten-day escape journey in the Demon Realm…
…
Twelve days later.
The northern border of the Holy Country.
Even though it wasn’t winter, the northern climate of the Holy Country was still extremely harsh, almost always covered in ice and snow, with goose-feather-like snowflakes falling.
The northernmost part of the Holy Country was the farthest north for all human realms. Beyond the last few towns was a no-man’s land, a vast snowy plain where few demonic beasts even resided.
Further north lay the Demon Realm, an environment even colder and harsher.
Several figures walked on the snow, their footprints deeply sinking into it, their footsteps echoing across the vast and empty snowy plain.
Their figures gradually faded into the distance.
They were none other than the Beautiful Soul Squad and Frenzied Bishop Krey.
Dekan and his group spent ten days escaping from the Demon Realm.
It took them two more days to leave the frontlines and find a relatively safe main city-state.
Now they had finally arrived at a snowy hill not far from the city gate of this city-state.
During this journey, Dekan finally confirmed one thing—the Demon Realm bordered the Holy Country!
The Demon Realm’s and Holy Country’s worldviews were unified.
Or rather,
All four shadow worlds he had experienced so far were actually different historical periods of the same world!
Even the timelines followed an orderly sequence.
Because Dekan had found out that
In the third shadow world, [Holy Ritual Church Decay], where the Cardinal of the Holy Ritual Church had significant ties with Dekan and Master, Ruen was 25 years old.
Now,
Ruen is 37 years old.
12 years have passed.
Dekan didn’t know if the next shadow world he entered would still be a shadow world within the Demon Realm and Holy Country’s worldview.
If he could enter again,
How many years would it be later?
Dekan shook his head, no longer dwelling on the thought, and decided to finish the last task at hand.
To safely escort the Dark Saintess back to the human city-state.
In the group now,
Though the Dark Saintess didn’t speak, her expression was full of disbelief.
She would never have guessed that
The direction these people fled with her in the Demon Realm led to the Demon Realm’s border!
And they actually brought her across the Demon Realm boundary and into the territory of a human nation.
She couldn’t help but start to doubt.
Could it be that these demons’ hideout is actually hidden deep within the human territories?!
The Dark Saintess felt increasingly desperate and frightened the more she thought about it.
Bound by drugs, she had no chance of escape.
These people were a gang capable of physically overpowering even the Warden.
The Dark Saintess, knowing her limits, realized even if she were to fully recover her strength, she wouldn’t even reach the ninth tier.
She not only had no hope of sending back this critical information to the Holy Country but would also be subjected to a fate far worse than death.
“Bringing her here should be fine, right? If we take her into the city and she turns around and bites us, our only remaining day off will be ruined.”
Dekan and his companions discussed.
“Anyway, she should at least be back to fifth or sixth-tier strength now. She should be pretty safe.”
“The mission is over; who cares what she does?”
…
Dark Saintess: “???”
Listening to these people’s cryptic talk, the Dark Saintess was utterly baffled.
Were they going to let her go?
Although she had occasionally heard these people mention that they wanted to rescue her along the way,
She always considered their words as nonsense.
Would these people really let her go?
Impossible!
They must be mocking her!
“What is your true purpose?!”
The Dark Saintess shouted angrily and resentfully at Dekan.
Dekan, who was originally talking with his companions, turned his attention to the hostage Dark Saintess.
He turned around, completely unfazed, and responded:
“For love and peace.”
“You…!”
The Dark Saintess felt insulted again.
These words sounded extremely sarcastic coming from Dekan’s mouth.
As if he were mocking her ignorance.
“If you have the guts, let me go! Don’t underestimate me!! I will one day destroy the Demon Realm and kill you too!!”
The Dark Saintess’ voice cracked as she yelled angrily.
She knew she had comprehensively lost.
This was just empty boasting.
“Hmm? Alright.”
Dekan nodded and said.
Then Cornelia immediately untied her, while Chloix helped dispel the toxins.
In her bewildered expression, the Dark Saintess realized she might really be free!
Dekan: “You can go.”
The Dark Saintess quickly retreated, warily eyeing the group.
Because she knew that if these people didn’t want to let her go, even if she was untied and detoxified, she wouldn’t have a chance to escape.
These people likely intended to toy with her yet again.
Giving her a glimmer of hope only to snatch it away was the demon’s favorite tactic!
Naturally, Dekan understood the Dark Saintess’ reaction and sighed in regret:
“I thought after all our time traveling together, you’d at least start to trust me a little. We’ve treated you like a friend, despite making you look like we’ve kidnapped you for your own safety.”
“You… Treat me like a friend? Hahaha… What’s the point of saying these absurd things?”
The Dark Saintess, while cautiously retreating, coldly laughed.
“How is it absurd? I swear to you, we won’t see each other again. Go back to the human nation and don’t worry; you’re truly free now.”
Dekan seemed hurt by the misunderstanding and said sorrowfully.
After exchanging opinions with his companions, Dekan decided they would head to another more peaceful and wealthy city-state far from the battlefield.
So, they ignored the Dark Saintess altogether and walked away in another direction.
“…”
The Dark Saintess momentarily froze, unable to act.
She was really…
Free?!
The Dark Saintess thought the demon was beyond reasonable.
She still firmly believed that every act of demons was nothing but deception wrapped in disguise.
But she truly couldn’t figure out what his motives were.
Could it be he had previously shown her pure kindness?
If this were all fake,
What then was real?
Even her firmly held truth —— that demons could never be kind —— began to slightly waver.
“No matter if you’re playing a larger game or if your demonic brain is truly flawed, you’re too naive! I refuse to remember your favor, and I won’t let you exploit me!!!”
The Dark Saintess clenched her fists tightly and shouted furiously at Dekan’s group as they walked further away.
She felt tremendous pain.
She was someone who clearly differentiated between kindness and revenge.
But she never imagined,
The person who hated demons the most —— herself —— would one day be saved by a demon.
This was both an insult and a torment for her.
“Perhaps what I desired wasn’t peace but self-interest leading to all these actions. But I have never considered you an enemy; whether you believe it or not, that’s it.”
Dekan casually waved at the Dark Saintess as a final farewell.
He held a certain respect for the Dark Saintess, who was destined to become an epic hero in the background story set to save the human nation.
“Regardless of what tricks you plan! No matter how much you do! I won’t be stupid and believe in a demon! You’ll always be my enemy!”
The Dark Saintess shouted this, unsure if she was saying it to Dekan or maybe more to herself.
Dekan, hearing the Dark Saintess’ words, sighed helplessly.
Even hearing words like these hurt him.
Because he had already discerned whom the Dark Saintess represented in the modern world.
Dekan bitterly smiled and turned around, staring at the Dark Saintess from a distance,
“If being enemies means we can’t be friends, then so be it.”
The Dark Saintess: “Absurd! Enemies cannot be friends.”
Dekan: “Can’t enemies be friends?”
The Dark Saintess was momentarily speechless by Dekan’s counterargument, but quickly retorted,
“Demons could never be true friends with humans!”
“How not? Though there’s a risk of betrayal, if both sides refuse to change, the relationship will never evolve.”
As Dekan spoke, he seemed to reminisce about the days when he first found his “Master” years ago and had daily battles of wits with her. A hint of a smile crept onto his lips,
“Even if there’s a possibility of betrayal, I choose to believe in those I’m willing to trust. Over time, even if I am truly a demon, I will surely gain genuine friends, right?”
Dekan earnestly spoke this absurd statement with clear eyes, then turned around again.
This time, it was a true farewell.
“Naïve…!”
Looking at Dekan’s retreating back,
The Dark Saintess tightly bit her lips, her hands trembling involuntarily.
Her originally pitch-black eyes, dark as a abyss, were now filled with confusion and inner turmoil.
Right now, she didn’t know whether to call Dekan’s words naïve, foolish, crazy, or even dignified.
She didn’t understand and couldn’t distinguish what this demon truly wanted.
But,
If she followed her most sincere impulse at the moment,
This great debt of gratitude,
She couldn’t trample it underfoot.
Even if this were a conspiracy, even if this were a trap,
She should embrace naïveté once, foolishness once, craziness once, and display her dignity once!
Since she already admitted she didn’t understand anymore,
How could a creature she couldn’t possibly comprehend be deemed evil?
If she hastily concluded something, only to find that she herself had repaid kindness with enmity, failing to distinguish right from wrong, then it would be equivalent to her renouncing the fundamental principles she held dear!
“Tell me your name!”
The Dark Saintess shouted defiantly as if making a resolution.
“Tarlomati.”
Dekan lazily responded, focusing only on leaving without bothering to look back.
Thus, after dozens of seconds,
As Dekan and his companions’ figures were about to completely disappear from the Dark Saintess’ line of sight,
She started shouting out loud,
“Tarlomati! If one day I ever meet you again, regardless of whether we are enemies then, and regardless of whether you are a demon, I will choose to give you a chance to believe! Consider it a repayment of your favor, and we’ll be even!”
The Dark Saintess took a deep breath, her hand on her chest as if making a vow to the divine,
“I swear by the name of Miliya!”
…
In the distance.
“Hmph.”
Dekan just grinned and shook his head.
No longer responding to the Dark Saintess, whose figure was already out of sight.
This should truly count as doing a good deed, right?
No.
What was that even supposed to mean?
He’d consistently been doing good deeds!
Dekan thought to himself while walking, but he realized that Krey had started to wander away from their group, heading off in another direction.
“Hey, you can’t see the road ahead. Don’t go back to the Demon Realm!”
Dekan shouted to Krey.
Hearing this, Krey momentarily paused his steps.
“Our paths diverge. I’ll find a secure spot until the shadow world ends.”
Krey responded coldly.
However, Krey hadn’t expected that Dekan would quickly jog over to his side and cheerfully ask,
“Krey, want to come play with us?”
Dekan spoke as if inviting him to a celebration banquet.
Even in chaos, with their group’s abilities, they’d be the attractions wherever they went.
“Don’t forget, once we exit the shadow world, we’ll be enemies…”
Krey rudely retorted back at Dekan, but halfway through his sentence, seemingly recalling Dekan’s earlier dialogue with the Dark Saintess, furrowed his brows and asked again,
“Are you about to say something naïve like ‘enemies can’t be friends?'”
“Not quite, it’s actually a message sent to me by a friend.”
Dekan wagged his finger in correction.
“Hmph, whether you’re considered enemies or friends with me, you’ll regret it. Staying far from me is a favor to you while you still can.”
Krey continued to respond coldly.
“Haha!”
Hearing Krey’s words, Dekan seemed amused.
Indeed, the Frenzied Bishop would lead to his doom whether he was an enemy or a friend.
But to Dekan, Krey was unexpectedly someone valuable either as an ally or as an opponent.
“You’re actually quite interesting, Krey! Don’t worry; I’ve already cut off the live stream. Even if we go gamble together, the Kingdom Union won’t find out!”
To Krey’s surprise, Dekan suddenly placed his hand on Krey’s shoulder with a cunning smile.
In the other hand, he shook the bag filled with concentrated magical crystals, eliciting sounds that smelled of money, “Ding-dong, ding-dong.”
This was the extremely rare circulating material they had exchanged for before leaving the Demon Realm.
From the sound alone, it was obvious these magical crystals could be exchanged for a great deal of money, and it seemed they would have a fun time.
“…”
Krey fell silent.
But his silence clearly indicated he was touched.
Damn it!
How could he possibly refuse!
“Let’s be friends for one more day…”
Krey reluctantly stated.
“Oh oh, Krey, are you saying we’re already friends? Friends help each other out through thick and thin!”
“Go away!! I haven’t forgotten the time you three betrayed me! Don’t let me encounter you in the real world!”
“Ruee, you idiot, trying to catch me??”
“Come if you dare! Take my punch!”
The long journey
Came to an end amidst the laughter of the group and the playful banter between Dekan and Krey.
# Author’s Note:
I’m recommending a book, the new work of the author of “The Teeth of the Red Dragon.” Rarely seen high-quality true sci-fi in the Cat Café literature community~
【Illustration – Cornelia & Dekan】
This is an illustration added by Teacher Zui for this book, and I was deeply moved….
The moment I received this drawing filled me with joy and emotion, something that surpasses all — whether it’s the rapid upgrades at the beginning of this book, the exceeding of my expectations for the first subscription upon going online, or even its subsequent ascent to the top of the bestseller and monthly vote charts. None of these can compare to it.
When I first started writing this book, I dreamt of having it adapted into a manga one day because I wanted to turn some of the imagined scenes into visible reality.
However, now, I no longer wish for a manga adaptation. It’s not important. I’ve realized that what I truly desire isn’t manga adaptation, but rather getting struck deeply by even just one moment.
Just like sometimes a thousand words may not be as compelling as one statement, my dreams are much simpler than I imagined. At a certain moment, I felt that what I pursue in my writing has been satisfied.
Thank you, Teacher Zui, for this gift, and thank you all for your support that has made this book increasingly popular. I will continue to strive to make this book entertaining until its conclusion.
Evening power explosion!
