The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family – Episode 44
It was one week before Park Ki-hyuk’s expedition would clear the Gate. The children at the Happy Orphanage were spending a day just like any other.
“Let’s play tag! Gather here!”
“Me! Me!”
“I want to play too!”
“Can we play hide-and-seek? I’m tired of tag!”
“Okay?”
“If we do, let’s play cops and robbers instead. That’s way more fun.”
“Yeah… that might be a good idea…”
Amidst the lively running and playing, Spring sat alone on the swings as usual, watching the older siblings play.
Hugging the stuffed bear that her uncle had gifted her, labeled “Love Filled Teddy.”
“Uncle, I miss you.”
She murmured, remembering what she’d been told— that if she counted thirty nights, he’d return.
Spring awkwardly counted on her fingers.
“One, two… five. One, two… five.”
Wrong… Not enough…
Spring looked longingly at her fingers as if blaming them for her confusion. Nearby, older girls noticed her.
“Spring, what are you doing? Why are you sitting alone?”
“Are they not playing with you? I’ll go scold them.”
“Spring, do you want to play with us? We could go buy some chocolate?”
“Will they have milk chocolate?”
“Yes, milk chocolate.”
“…Can I have two pieces?”
“If you brush your teeth well, I think it’s fine.”
“Okay, let’s go!”
Spring, holding onto both hands of the older girls, left the orphanage together.
That day, Spring never returned.
Not the next day either.
Or the day after that.
“Big Brother!!”
“It’s our fault. What can we do? Spring, what should we do? Waaaah!”
“Big Brother, what if something happens to Spring? Sobs…”
“It’s alright. Stop crying. I’m here. Everything will be fine.”
As he gently consoled the crying children, he heard the story of what happened.
The children had gone to a nearby convenience store to buy chocolate. The distance between the store and the orphanage was less than 100 meters, and they were familiar with the employee there.
Following the director’s instructions to always be polite, they greeted the part-time worker before buying a few snacks and two milk chocolates that Spring liked.
Then…
They fell asleep.
No one knows why, but they fell asleep. When they woke up…
Spring was gone.
“…You said ‘fell asleep.’ What do you mean by that, literally?”
“Yes, we all fell asleep, including the convenience store worker.”
Just as the information I received when I arrived suggested.
This is magic. More specifically, it’s a supernatural abduction.
Even so, I came here because there was something specific I wanted to verify.
Why did they only take Spring?
To be coldly honest, if the reason was to demand ransom or involve human trafficking,
“They should’ve taken the rest of you too, right?”
But the culprits left these children untouched; they didn’t even touch them.
That’s what puzzled me…until now.
It’s age. All of you are at least middle schoolers.
“The culprit needs younger children.”
Why children? I’m not asking out of ignorance.
It’s not about having a “bad” thought…no, it’s far worse than that. There are various ways children could be misused…
And then, just as I thought this, my phone rang with more unwelcome news:
– Young Master, we’ve confirmed a large-scale string of abductions in the Incheon area. The targets are children between the ages of three and ten. The local branch is desperately trying to keep it under wraps, but the scale is unimaginable. We may have to make a public announcement soon.
“Hmph…”
Why is it that ominous feelings are always correct?
I quickly gathered the children and stepped out of the orphanage. In front of the gate, the sign read “Happy Orphanage,” and next to it was another sign that read “Officially Sponsored by Optimum Agents.”
“How careless.”
Optimum, one of the world’s top five agents and the representative of Korea.
Who would dare to bother with such a prominent institution?
And yet, this still happened.
This is clearly my responsibility. Trusting in “Optimum’s official sponsorship” turned out to be a grave error.
“I’m angry.”
With myself.
And my past self, who let down my guard and indulged in comfort.
– Young Master, we’ve checked CCTV and black boxes in the vicinity of the orphanage, but there’s no evidence at all. It appears that a high-level ‘Anti Field’ was used. As of now…
No evidence?
No information?
…
The last safety pin blocking me snapped at that moment.
“I’ll do things my way now.”
Anti Field.
A barrier magic designed to obscure or conceal someone’s presence. Technically, it’s a type of sensory magic that corrupts human senses—vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—deleting any traces of information.
So, here’s the question.
Does this mean Anti Field is truly undetectable?
Of course not.
Even without information, there are always traces left behind.
Magic is, fundamentally, a transaction—a deal between me and the world. In this analogy, mana serves as currency or goods, and magic acts as the product of the transaction.
If we reverse the process, we can trace the magic.
Which magic was used? A deal was struck, and a product was sold.
It may be clandestine or sold through secret channels, but ultimately, “if something is sold,” there must be payment.
Mana.
All magic leaves traces of mana; it’s unavoidable.
Because that’s the world’s order.
“…I’ve found it.”
Sitting on a park bench with a bunch of canned coffee for two hours, I read all the mana traces from the past week.
And finally—I’ve found it.
Anti Field and Sleep Magic.
“Now then.”
From the dimensional pocket, I took out a magic gem.
A mid-tier gem obtained after capturing Kumus.
Despite its inferior quality, it was a decent size, worthy of powering machinery or power plants.
This will be the offering.
Crack. Grind-grind!
The magic gem turned black, shaking violently as if begging for mercy before…
Crackle!
It melted away.
The gem turned into an oil-like black liquid and was quickly absorbed into my hand.
Soon…
My eyes turned dark.
Pitch black. Darker still.
Black as a black hole swallowing light.
‘Time to show me… your traces.’
The world flipped.
A world filled with deep darkness, where everything was pitch black, replaced the park and the convenience store.
And then, the park and convenience store reappeared in my vision.
This is the past. The space from a week ago.
Every action in time disrupts the order of the world. Naturally, I faced the world’s resistance.
Static-like distortions filled my sight, buzzing warnings in my ears, and my body felt pressure as if crushed in a press.
I clenched my teeth.
‘Little one, just a bit longer. Just hold on for a second!’
As I endured, the convenience store door opened, and the children began leaving.
My vision distorted, blurred by the noise, yet Spring’s cuteness cut through the chaos, bringing a smile to my face despite the seriousness of the situation.
But the smile quickly faded.
The flow of magic surged, and the children fell unconscious. Just then, a car parked nearby, and a man in casual clothing stepped out.
He picked up Spring and got in the car, driving away…
That’s enough!
“Ughhh!”
Returning to the present, I spat out black bl**d.
“Keugh, ugh… Wuuuu!”
d*mn it. This world of yours is too expensive. We weren’t like this before, right? Mother, what’s the deal? We weren’t supposed to be dealing with this nonsense!
“Excuse me, what’s this… Huh? Is that bl**d? Is that really bl**d?!”
“Help! bl**d! Mom, this person is spitting bl**d!”
“Don’t look! Someone, call 119!”
With everyone gathering due to the sight of a grown man spitting bl**d in broad daylight, I assured them I was fine before leaving. I didn’t forget to compensate the convenience store employee for the cleanup.
Sorry for troubling you.
Anyway, the thing I needed to find, I’ve found.
I picked up my phone.
“Secretary-General, please arrange a black sedan for me. The license plate number is 0286.”
Back when I was known as a Demon Lord in the Empire, there was an incident similar to this.
Back then, I had announced the “Prohibition of Human Experimentation Act” in the name of the Demon Lord.
The gist was something like:
Don’t mess with kids.
Avoid experimenting on living humans.
If there’s any necessity, experiment on the deceased in a painless manner.
Isn’t that common sense here on Earth?
However, at the time, such a common-sense measure was groundbreaking in the Empire, and it drew fierce opposition.
Human experimentation is a necessary evil for the advancement of magic.
The Black Tower has always been the most active with human experiments. Now that you’ve announced this law, what’s going to happen to other magical research towers?
You’re attempting to dismantle the ladder of progress.
Of course, I wasn’t particularly surprised, having anticipated such reactions. It’s not a bad thing for people to express their opinions. I’m no dictator, and I wasn’t about to execute people for disagreeing with me.
I was prepared to reason with them.
But one particular schemer crossed a line.
Not only did he protest against me, but he warned me by harming those around me.
Indeed, the orphanage I sponsored.
He messed with innocent, unknowing children.
And what happened as a result?
“I wiped them all out. Every single soul was sent straight to hell.”
As I moved, a faint cry of “Please save me!” reached my ears.
The garbage clutching at my hair was speaking?
Interesting, but it made me uncomfortable.
A void tore open as a Skeleton appeared, severing the garbage’s legs.
“Arrrghhhhhhh!”
“Feel better?”
I threw the mutilated body into a corner of the warehouse. The heap of garbage lying there cried out in unison.
But none pleaded for mercy.
Those who had begged for salvation had already lost a limb.
With a snap of my fingers, a throne made of bones emerged.
I leisurely sat on the bone throne.
“Seventeen. Seventeen pieces of garbage assembled. Now, speak. Share everything you know. If what you say is useful, ‘I’ll let you d*e.’ Yes?”
At the words “Let you d*e,” the garbage swallowed saliva nervously.
Do they think I’ll simply grant them mercy?
The moment their feet stepped on this soil, the option of mercy disappeared. Their souls were so worn down, tattered like rags—clear evidence of their heinous deeds.
“…I-I don’t know what you’re looking for… B-but we know a lot. We’ll share money, information—just spare our lives…”
“Garbage is garbage. You can’t understand human speech. So, you claim to know a lot, do you? Let’s see how much you truly know.”
As the garbage spoke, Baphomet tore a hole in space and appeared above him.
And then…
Rip! Crunch! Gnash!
The trash was devoured alive.
As its existence faded, its memories grew clearer. Through Baphomet, I sifted through the memories, taking what I needed and discarding the rest.
Underground casino, President Kim, the Evolutionary Group?
The Evolutionary Group? Isn’t that the organization claiming humanity must evolve to prevent the world’s destruction? World-class lunatics who butcher humans indiscriminately?
“You all were part of the Evolutionary Group, weren’t you?”
“No!!”
“Absolutely not! We know nothing about them!”
Garbage, still clinging to the hope of survival, loudly denied.
Criminals are always quick-witted. At this point, they must realize associating with the Evolutionary Group means certain d*ath.
A foolish gamble they’re making.
In this situation, dying cleanly is a blessing they don’t yet understand.
“Trash, it seems like you still don’t understand. You need to plead for d*ath. Otherwise…”
Baphomet mocked the dense garbage as it opened another void.
Through the void,
Keheheheheheeeekkk!!
The soul of the man eaten earlier wailed in agony.
“You’ll end up like that, neither dead nor alive, serving forever as a plaything for my right hand.”
d*ath is the end?
That’s amateurish punishment.
There’s no pain worse than d*ath?
There is. Definitely.
After the body is completely torn apart and dissolves, their soul is captured and tormented endlessly.
Until the very last drop of existence is squeezed out while pleading for mercy.
By the time that happens, d*ath will no longer be painful.
It will be rest and a blessing.
In my punishment as the Demon Lord, there’s no d*ath.
Only pain beyond measure. Endless, eternal pain.
“Final chance. If you want to d*e, speak.”
The garbage started divulging everything they knew in haste.
