“Alright, let’s begin the special lecture for Zerato.”
“During the process of turning a human into a demon, an enormous amount of mana is released. As this mana is injected into the person all at once, it drives them insane. Meanwhile, evil and demonic energy infiltrate, starting from the brain and spreading through the body.”
“What are you trying to say?”
What am I trying to say?
Seeing Zerato’s increasingly uneasy expression, I decided to play the teacher for a moment.
***
“Simply put, if we look at the corrupted demon stone, not the fragments, the process of turning a human into a demon is as follows: First, the demon stone fuses with the body around the area where it’s embedded. Second, the body’s mana clashes with the demonic energy within the stone, causing it to go into a rampage. From here, either the mana overflows, or the demonic energy begins to consume the body. Third, the demonic energy that has invaded the brain ultimately corrupts the human, turning them into a demon.”
Usually, during this process, the person is consumed by the demonic energy without any deviation.
A new self, full of malice for humans, is born.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“In this process, the only chance to stop the corruption from the demon stone is in the second stage. If the victim regains their senses and absorbs all the rampaging mana, the demonic energy will be consumed by the mana instead.”
If they can endure this, the one who absorbs the corrupted demon stone will become stronger.
In fact, their immunity to demonic energy increases, and they develop resistance to most demons.
“You dare teach me? Your body is no different from that of a witch! And that’s a fragment of the Demon King! There’s no way to stop the corruption!”
Well, that’s true.
Indeed, my skin has turned whiter, and it feels as if my whole body is burning with intense heat.
My chest is tight, pounding, and I can feel my ears itching as they start to change.
The structure of my cells and organs is shifting.
Wizards should always strive to pursue knowledge.
So this is the principle behind it.
It’s an unpleasant transformation, indeed.
At this point, people often experience pleasure.
As if the sensation of becoming a demon is being revealed to me.
It gives an intense pleasure to the person.
I heard it’s even stronger than sexual pleasure.
I think the feeling is more intense than I imagined.
Most of all, since my body is in a state of mana fusion, I actually feel rather indifferent to the physical changes caused by the demonic energy.
However, This is actually more fitting for my body.
“It’s a gamble, but it’s still possible to resist the process of corruption. Unfortunately, Olivia’s body is a bit too fragile for this… Yeah, you’re right. It’s a fragment of the Demon King. So, if I choose to absorb the second stage, it’ll be hard even with a body that has undergone mana fusion. That’s why, for demonization, when the demonic energy forcibly injects mana and takes control of the human body, that’s the opportunity.”
The change in the third stage is truly a gamble.
It’s about maintaining one’s sanity when nearly the entire body is consumed by demonic energy and turning into a demon.
“You say you can stop the Demon King’s fragment from corrupting you? If you fully absorb it, you’ll become the Demon King. You’ll probably attack the Zodiac!”
‘Is he really that stupid?’
Looking into his eyes, I could already tell he had lost it.
Yeah, that idiot always gets drunk on the atmosphere when things don’t go his way.
“Watch closely, Zerato. Even if you want to experiment, you’re too much of a failure to even fuse mana, so it’s an impossible experiment.”
“Since I have already fused with mana, I can suppress all of this.”
“I just need to endure and suppress the intense pleasure that threatens to pierce through me.”
“I cover the demonic energy that has infiltrated with my mana.”
“By doing this, the mana, which was once howling and being consumed, will reverse. The demonic energy is swallowed, its information is passed to my mana, and it dissolves into it.”
“You, what are you…!? What, are you going back to being human?”
The fact that Zerato is shocked proves it.
“Ultimately, it’s a battle of willpower. It’s a struggle between whether the corrupted power of the Demon King’s fragment can suppress my mind or not.”
“That’s impossible. That’s a fragment of the Demon King!”
Ah, this guy really is an idiot.
“It’s a fragment of the Demon King. But it’s not the Demon King himself. Anyway, didn’t I say it? If the subject can endure, they can gain immense power. Now, what do you think will happen if I absorb this fragment, which has an immense amount of malice and demonic energy, compared to a normal corrupted demon stone?”
“Will you gain more power?”
Well, at least he has enough brains to figure that out.
“Exactly. Looks like your brain is finally working. Also, because of the demonization, I can use the enhanced physical abilities that are superior to normal humans. So…”
Zerato’s face twisted in discomfort.
He shook his head as if to say “Don’t say it.”
But, I don’t like Zerato.
Strangely enough, seeing him as a noblewoman feels more realistic.
He’s the kind of trash who makes men embarrassed.
So, I’ll just tease him even more.
I grinned.
“Thanks for the tonic?”
“It was delicious.”
With this, I’ll probably be able to breeze through the training.
“That’s ridiculous. If we follow that logic, doesn’t that mean you’ll eventually become a demon?”
“You’d have to call it a half-demon, I guess. But it’s fine. Demonization is something I can control.”
I changed my body on my own.
My skin turned white, and I could feel changes in my eyes and ears.
Even though I couldn’t see it in a mirror, Zerato would know.
“Just how could a mere noblewoman…!”
Does he still think of me as just some noblewoman?
This is really troublesome.
“Actually, the people of the Land of Ruin have always been like this. I’ve been trained in the art of demon stone infusion since I was young.”
“Wait, weren’t you Ashtar?”
“Me? Yeah, I’m Ashtar. The noblewoman of the Ashtar family, Olivia.”
“And Noah.”
“Now you’ve probably figured out who I am, right?”
He shook his head in disbelief.
He just couldn’t accept this nonsensical reality.
‘But, isn’t this exactly how it is?’
“What will we do about our poor Zerato?”
“No. That’s impossible. He’s dead. How could—?”
I took a slow step forward. Slowly.
Zerato, on the other hand, started to step back.
How disgusting.
“Just die here already. Why are you embarrassing yourself like this?”
“I can’t say everything in detail, but anyway, my body is Olivia’s. So, should I say, ‘Nice to meet you, I am Olivia Rapha Ashtar, the eldest daughter of the Ashtar family’?”
“Wh-what… Why are you interfering with me, Noah?!”
“I’m Olivia, you know? Noah is dead.”
“Why keep calling the name of someone who’s already dead? It just brings bad luck.”
The idiot started to look like he was about to cry.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re some Ashtar bitch or Noah! Why are you interfering with my grand plan?! My goal to destroy the Empire?!”
‘Is he an idiot? When we were in the Hero Party, the Empire was necessary to get support for the Kingdom, and now that I’m part of the Empire, it makes sense, doesn’t it?’ “Hmm, wait a minute.”
“I see now. So that’s what it was.”
Thinking about it, I don’t remember seeing him around the Kingdom much.
‘Why did I just realize this?’
‘I’ve seen him a few times in the Empire, and he’s been spotted in places like Seven Stars and other regions of the Empire.’
‘So, has he been trying to destroy the Empire all this time instead of the Kingdom?’
Ah, now all the pieces are coming together.
I clapped my hands and laughed.
“So, what did you figure out this time? Why is it that every time I say one thing, you figure out ten?”
“I’ve never directly acted in the Kingdom, but I’ve used the Kingdom as a perfect laboratory for black magic. And with the hero party and the small Kingdom, I was more frequently spotted in the Empire. I’ve been hindering the Empire’s support for the Kingdom and trying to weaken its national power.”
Thinking about it, he had tried to stir conflict between the noble factions, too.
He had tried to incite border military families with black magic.
Though that was stopped by me.
Now that I think about it, all the magic rituals he used were always ancient ones.
No, wait. Looking at his attire, it’s different from what the Empire or the Kingdom would wear.
“So?”
“You’re not just some demon lord’s army. You’re someone who distrusts the Empire. So, where is it? There are many nations that have been dragged into the Empire’s influence, but few countries would seek to earn the Empire’s hatred. The Church has a neutral relationship with the Empire, and the ancient Carth Kingdom descendants’ nation, Pastia, might have a grudge against the Empire, but after fifteen hundred years, they wouldn’t join the Demon Lord to overthrow the Empire. Anti-Empire factions… Or wait, there’s no need to go that far. The human nations themselves don’t have the strength to fight the Empire, so they wouldn’t want to split the Empire.”
There had been attempts, but they were all foolish.
Some nobles and madmen tried to use the Demon Lord’s power to divide and conquer the Empire.
The problem is, all of them got crushed by me.
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw something when the fragment was corrupting me earlier. I was laughing like a madman while killing people. But along with that disgusting laughter, I heard your voice: ‘Until the day Armeria falls, I will serve you.’ Armeria can refer to the Empire, and it’s also called the ‘Fon Empire.’ So you specifically referred to Armeria with hatred, not just the Kingdom. That means there’s one thing that ties all of this together.”
Ancient rituals that only appeared during the Carth Kingdom era, hatred for the Empire, an obsession with the Empire… Putting all of this together…
“Are you a descendant of the Carth Royal Family?”
“Seeing your face, it’s true. No wonder you don’t look kindly on Atelina or the nobles of the Empire. Now that I think about it, you’ve been the one stirring up anti-Empire sentiment.”
Wow, this bastard’s got quite the backstory.
“Yeah! That’s right! I am the last royal heir of the Carth Kingdom! And the current Empire, Armeria, is the family of traitors who betrayed the last holy king of Carth and trampled over our land! Olivia, if you’re from Ashtar, you must know the history of the Empire. Queen Armenia became the Empress and handed over the Empire to the Fon family trash, who sullied Carth’s sacred bloodline! All your major noble families in the Empire used to be short, savage thieves!”
Hmm, he’s listing facts, but it’s still all bullshit.
That’s right.
The descendants of traitors were short, with black hair, rough features… but now, all the people of the Empire look just like the bloodline of Carth’s royals.
I suppose that’s unavoidable; bloodlines mix over time.
“How can a ‘whore’s family’ possibly seize global dominance? It’s impossible!”
I’d say the same about you, though.
“Are you over fifteen hundred years old? Or are you a king from Carth who was betrayed by Armenia back then? Do you really carry that grudge for over fifteen hundred years?”
That’s ridiculous. The Carth Royal Family wasn’t some god-sent race. And besides, Queen Armenia didn’t just grab power for herself—she united the Kingdoms with the help of Elfrik, the Demon Lord.
The fact that she received that offer led to the eventual formation of the Armeria Empire.
That means, in the end, the positive effects outweighed the negative ones.
They managed to build the great Empire after much struggle.
“You don’t understand! This grudge runs deep within my bones!”
“I don’t know, and I don’t plan to. Your words are getting on my nerves. So, you’re a traitor, huh? Quietly surrender.”
“Dammit!”
He spat out all his fifteen-hundred-year-old grudge before turning his back.
‘Was he going to run?’
“Trying to run again? With your body, you can’t even teleport, and you can’t use any spells, right?”
He couldn’t use magic, so maybe he was planning to use a corrupted magic stone.
He wouldn’t be able to teleport or cast any spells.
“Noah! Have you lost your mind since becoming a woman? The mana circuit was fixed by Clanis! And this place isn’t just the 5th floor! It’s got 7 floors!”
Whether you’re Olivia or Noah, stop calling me by both names!
“Anyway, in the end, you’re just running away.”
He confidently fled down a side path at the edge of the 5th floor.
He was probably planning to hide in the 7th floor until he recovered his mana, then teleport away.
Or maybe he was just waiting for Clanis to help him, thinking he’d show up.
I realized the 7th floor was incomplete since the core hadn’t been installed there yet, and this battle had taken place without it.
“There’s no need to go further down.”
I may have gained power, but I needed to stabilize my body, and more importantly, I was just annoyed.
There was no real reason to chase him down, so I left the dungeon.
That doesn’t mean I was giving up.
I could still find a way to kill him outside.
Normally, someone holed up like that would have to come out on their own.