༺ Trouble (1) ༻
[Anyway, I know it isn’t really a surprise that you’re thinking of doing something dangerous again, but…]
A voice resounded from inside the amulet.
[Please try to have a little awareness of what kind of bullshit you’re trying to pull.]
“Excuse me?”
[Just think about it. You’re trying to put two Devil’s Vessels together, and expecting nothing bad would happen. That’s just borderline delusional thinking.]
I responded, sighing at Caliban’s words.
“…They’d only be together for the duration of the exam. Surely nothing bad will happen from that.”
[Those guys are still Devil’s Vessels. Did you not remember what happened to you the last time you did this?]
“…”
Yeah, I got split in half.
Honestly, I kinda agreed with his concerns.
Not for any other reason, but because of this.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Faenol Lipek
[ No Favorability Level ]
[ Related Event Occurs in D-5 ]
Five days later, that was the exact day of the Practical Exam.
This meant that something related to this woman would be shoved right up my ass, but…
“…Even so, I doubt it’ll be anything big.”
[You kept on saying that, but—]
“No, really. Since the person in question is Faenol, something like that won’t happen.”
I decisively cut off Caliban’s doubt.
[What makes you so sure? I thought you said that she’s the most dangerous one out of them all if she were to go berserk.]
“…Well, she’s a little special.”
Considering that a Devil going berserk depended greatly on the ‘mental state’ of the Vessel, this was even more true.
In the first place, she couldn’t feel any emotion. Which meant, she had lost the trigger to go berserk.
[Then why are you running around trying to fulfill her requests? Can’t you just leave her be?]
“Because if I do that, that thing inside her will start acting up on its own.”
I responded with a sigh.
Possessing all three Fragments meant that there was already a ‘complete’ Devil inside her body. In short, she was different from ordinary Vessels.
Knowing the Red Devil, it was a certainty that she was trying her best to descend into the Material Realm by using Faenol as a medium.
‘…Devil of Hatred.’
As her alias came to my mind, I furrowed my brows.
Just like what her name entailed, she possessed a blind hatred towards all sentient and intellectual living beings.
Compared to other Devils who possessed various complex elements… To put it simply, she was just evil. If she were to go berserk, she’d go around to burn and kill everything within her sight.
The bigger problem here was the fact that she, along with the Grey Devil, were both unique Devils that could ‘forcibly’ go berserk.
Suppressing such an existence with the Holy Sword that Iliya wielded was the main content of Chapter 4.
That was why…
The one month time limit Faenol had given me…
It was kinda like a notification, a time limit until the ‘scheduled’ berserk happened.
Basically, she was saying that if I didn’t kill her within this period of time, something horribly wrong would happen.
“…”
Such a tragic heroine, wasn’t she?
She had to end up bearing such a fate; Having to die so that she wouldn’t be able to kill others.
And it wasn’t like she chose to be a Devil’s Vessel or anything.
[…]
“You seem a bit displeased.”
[Obviously.]
Caliban answered with a slightly low voice.
[Are you actually feeling sorry for her?]
“…”
[Did you forget that she is the main culprit of the Crimson Night Incident? Have I not made myself clear enough?]
Well, it was understandable for him to act like this.
It looked like I was taking the side of the person who killed him, so there was no way he would feel happy about it.
And aside from that, as Caliban said, Faenol was someone who caused a cataclysm that affected tens of thousands lives.
However…
“…I won’t deny that.”
[What?]
“It’s the fact that she’s pitiful. But remember that the bad guy here is ‘the one dwelling inside her,’ not she herself.”
I could definitely guarantee that much.
Faenol was actually the most pitiable one of all the Vessels in the game.
In fact, she getting resurrected after dying once wasn’t because of her own will. The Devil in her body forcibly did it to her.
Although she didn’t feel that way at all from the attitude she showed outwardly, knowing her ‘background’ as I did, I had no choice but to admit it.
“So, yeah.”
Scratching my cheek, I continued.
“I feel bad for saying this to you, but I do wish to help her… You can say that I pity her.”
[…]
After hearing my words, Caliban went silent for a long while.
[…I’m sure you have your reasons for saying that.]
“Sorry.”
[Forget it. Make sure to explain properly to me later.]
I chuckled at Caliban’s voice that sounded a bit disgruntled.
This person really was quite open minded.
To think that he would try to understand me after hearing such things. Even if we had been together for quite a while now, that was no easy thing to do.
‘Anyway…’
This ‘event’ was likely to be the official starting point of awakening Faenol’s Favorability Level.
After all, based on my experience, a Related Event was highly likely to be something that would involve the target’s Favorability Level.
I knew everything about her settings, from A to Z. It wouldn’t be difficult to act appropriately according to the situation.
‘…If there is any obstacle…’
It would be this woman.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Seras Evatrice
[ Curiosity Level 5 ]
[ Rewards Available. ]
The Purple Devil inside her was, how should I put it…
A bit unusual.
To put it simply… Despite her seemingly not as dangerous as the Red Devil at a glance, she was actually an extremely troublesome existence for me.
[Come to think of it, you mentioned about Devil of Obedience or something, didn’t you?]
Caliban asked, as if finding something strange.
[So, why does a Devil have such an… Out of place alias?]
“…Ah, that?”
It did seem a bit strange to have the word ‘Obedience’ when the rest of her fellow Devils possessed ominous aliases like the Devil of Wrath, Devil of Obsession, or Devil of Hatred.
However…
“It means exactly as said.”
[What?]
“You see, it’s in her nature to become one’s confidant… To put it simply, she’s a Devil that seeks a worthy master to serve…”
It might sound harmless, even helpful, but…
There was a reason why Seras was ranked as the ‘No. 1 Landmine’ by Savior Rising players.
Blind loyalty to her master was something good and all, but…
“…She’s prone to causing a lot of trouble.”
That same loyalty was a little…
Dreadful.
[What?]
In the game, she would ‘voluntarily’ do various things for the one she served.
The problem was that, from the perspective of the receiver, it was almost akin to pressing a self-destruct button.
[…I don’t quite understand.]
“I’ll give you an example.”
Scratching my head, I continued.
“To sum up my situation right now, I’m trying my best so that I won’t get caught playing the field with a bunch of Devils at once, right?”
[Kinda, yeah.]
“Now, if she knows of my situation, what she’d do is she’ll go to the other Devils, saying something like, ‘Know your place! Don’t try to monopolize Master and just join the harem!’ and stir shit up.”
[…]
“She’ll do this to everyone without exception, she’ll actually walk up to every Vessel and try to put them in their place… Or something similar to that…”
After a long silence, Caliban spoke.
[…I understand. One wrong step means death.]
“Exactly.”
To think that the perils were so extreme that even this person could understand it at once.
What a truly terrifying existence you were, Purple Devil.
[So why are you going out of your way to meet her now? Shouldn’t you be avoiding her as much as possible?]
Caliban then asked in a puzzled tone.
After all, during the time I sent Talion to call for Faenol, I was moving towards the building where Seras was attending a lecture.
My reasons? There were a lot of them, but…
System Log
[ Target ‘Seras’ becomes more proactive in learning about you! ]
[ The frequency of contact with you increases significantly! ]
Since this kind of thing had popped up, avoiding her was out of the question from the start.
Contact was basically guaranteed and given my disposition, it was all but confirmed that I would get deeply involved with her.
That was why I needed to find a solution corresponding to such conditions.
“Just like the other Devils, if she were to be left alone, things will actually get much worse.”
[Isn’t she the Devil of Obedience? Can’t you just command her to stay quiet?]
“If I don’t give her any tasks whatsoever, she would go berserk on the spot. While saying she has no reason to be of service.”
[…What a hassle.]
“…”
I didn’t feel like it was right to speak so lightly of a Devil, but I agreed with his sentiment.
“…That’s why it’s better for me to keep some distance with her.”
Keeping an ever so delicate balance, as if on the very precipice of falling.
Maintaining just the right distance was key, like we were friends, but at the same time, not.
Because of my disposition, it was inevitable that she would cling onto me to be ‘obedient’, but it was vital to keep a proper distance to prevent my sensitive information from flowing into her.
If I kept her too far, she would go berserk, and if I kept her too close, she would cause all sorts of trouble, thinking that she was doing it for my sake.
Forming a team and taking the exam together was also to properly inject this sense of distance into her.
To take control of the relationship, it was easier to actively steer the situation than to have accidental contact.
“…Now then.”
Standing in front of the classroom where Seras was attending her lecture, I took a deep breath.
For now, the base of our interaction was to have a somewhat intimate, but clearly defined business relationship.
Just as I was thinking this…
Suddenly, a scream erupted from outside the classroom.
“KYAAAAAAAAK!”
“Someone go call for help quickly!”
“…”
But…
It felt like something went terribly wrong from the very start.
When I hurriedly opened the door of the lecture room and entered…
My head started spinning upon witnessing the scene unfolding before my eyes.
Seras stood in the center of the classroom, holding a blood-stained dagger.
In front of her lay a man, covered in blood.
I wasn’t sure what happened, but the situation clearly indicated that Seras had stabbed this man.
And a system window appeared before my eyes.
System Message
[ The mental state of ‘Seras’ is highly unstable! ]
[ Related Event is urgently created! ]
! Emergency Quest !
[ Target ‘Seras’ is in trouble! ]
[ Aiding the target will greatly increase her Favorability Level! ]
[ Aiding the target will start the Exclusive Quest ‘Treachery’! ]
[ Upon failing to aid her, the ‘Purple Devil’ will go berserk! ]
“…”
Yeah.
Just my luck.
No way in hell everything would ever go smoothly.
༺ Trouble (1) ༻
[Anyway, I know it isn’t really a surprise that you’re thinking of doing something dangerous again, but…]
A voice resounded from inside the amulet.
[Please try to have a little awareness of what kind of bullshit you’re trying to pull.]
“Excuse me?”
[Just think about it. You’re trying to put two Devil’s Vessels together, and expecting nothing bad would happen. That’s just borderline delusional thinking.]
I responded, sighing at Caliban’s words.
“…They’d only be together for the duration of the exam. Surely nothing bad will happen from that.”
[Those guys are still Devil’s Vessels. Did you not remember what happened to you the last time you did this?]
“…”
Yeah, I got split in half.
Honestly, I kinda agreed with his concerns.
Not for any other reason, but because of this.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Faenol Lipek
[ No Favorability Level ]
[ Related Event Occurs in D-5 ]
Five days later, that was the exact day of the Practical Exam.
This meant that something related to this woman would be shoved right up my ass, but…
“…Even so, I doubt it’ll be anything big.”
[You kept on saying that, but—]
“No, really. Since the person in question is Faenol, something like that won’t happen.”
I decisively cut off Caliban’s doubt.
[What makes you so sure? I thought you said that she’s the most dangerous one out of them all if she were to go berserk.]
“…Well, she’s a little special.”
Considering that a Devil going berserk depended greatly on the ‘mental state’ of the Vessel, this was even more true.
In the first place, she couldn’t feel any emotion. Which meant, she had lost the trigger to go berserk.
[Then why are you running around trying to fulfill her requests? Can’t you just leave her be?]
“Because if I do that, that thing inside her will start acting up on its own.”
I responded with a sigh.
Possessing all three Fragments meant that there was already a ‘complete’ Devil inside her body. In short, she was different from ordinary Vessels.
Knowing the Red Devil, it was a certainty that she was trying her best to descend into the Material Realm by using Faenol as a medium.
‘…Devil of Hatred.’
As her alias came to my mind, I furrowed my brows.
Just like what her name entailed, she possessed a blind hatred towards all sentient and intellectual living beings.
Compared to other Devils who possessed various complex elements… To put it simply, she was just evil. If she were to go berserk, she’d go around to burn and kill everything within her sight.
The bigger problem here was the fact that she, along with the Grey Devil, were both unique Devils that could ‘forcibly’ go berserk.
Suppressing such an existence with the Holy Sword that Iliya wielded was the main content of Chapter 4.
That was why…
The one month time limit Faenol had given me…
It was kinda like a notification, a time limit until the ‘scheduled’ berserk happened.
Basically, she was saying that if I didn’t kill her within this period of time, something horribly wrong would happen.
“…”
Such a tragic heroine, wasn’t she?
She had to end up bearing such a fate; Having to die so that she wouldn’t be able to kill others.
And it wasn’t like she chose to be a Devil’s Vessel or anything.
[…]
“You seem a bit displeased.”
[Obviously.]
Caliban answered with a slightly low voice.
[Are you actually feeling sorry for her?]
“…”
[Did you forget that she is the main culprit of the Crimson Night Incident? Have I not made myself clear enough?]
Well, it was understandable for him to act like this.
It looked like I was taking the side of the person who killed him, so there was no way he would feel happy about it.
And aside from that, as Caliban said, Faenol was someone who caused a cataclysm that affected tens of thousands lives.
However…
“…I won’t deny that.”
[What?]
“It’s the fact that she’s pitiful. But remember that the bad guy here is ‘the one dwelling inside her,’ not she herself.”
I could definitely guarantee that much.
Faenol was actually the most pitiable one of all the Vessels in the game.
In fact, she getting resurrected after dying once wasn’t because of her own will. The Devil in her body forcibly did it to her.
Although she didn’t feel that way at all from the attitude she showed outwardly, knowing her ‘background’ as I did, I had no choice but to admit it.
“So, yeah.”
Scratching my cheek, I continued.
“I feel bad for saying this to you, but I do wish to help her… You can say that I pity her.”
[…]
After hearing my words, Caliban went silent for a long while.
[…I’m sure you have your reasons for saying that.]
“Sorry.”
[Forget it. Make sure to explain properly to me later.]
I chuckled at Caliban’s voice that sounded a bit disgruntled.
This person really was quite open minded.
To think that he would try to understand me after hearing such things. Even if we had been together for quite a while now, that was no easy thing to do.
‘Anyway…’
This ‘event’ was likely to be the official starting point of awakening Faenol’s Favorability Level.
After all, based on my experience, a Related Event was highly likely to be something that would involve the target’s Favorability Level.
I knew everything about her settings, from A to Z. It wouldn’t be difficult to act appropriately according to the situation.
‘…If there is any obstacle…’
It would be this woman.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Seras Evatrice
[ Curiosity Level 5 ]
[ Rewards Available. ]
The Purple Devil inside her was, how should I put it…
A bit unusual.
To put it simply… Despite her seemingly not as dangerous as the Red Devil at a glance, she was actually an extremely troublesome existence for me.
[Come to think of it, you mentioned about Devil of Obedience or something, didn’t you?]
Caliban asked, as if finding something strange.
[So, why does a Devil have such an… Out of place alias?]
“…Ah, that?”
It did seem a bit strange to have the word ‘Obedience’ when the rest of her fellow Devils possessed ominous aliases like the Devil of Wrath, Devil of Obsession, or Devil of Hatred.
However…
“It means exactly as said.”
[What?]
“You see, it’s in her nature to become one’s confidant… To put it simply, she’s a Devil that seeks a worthy master to serve…”
It might sound harmless, even helpful, but…
There was a reason why Seras was ranked as the ‘No. 1 Landmine’ by Savior Rising players.
Blind loyalty to her master was something good and all, but…
“…She’s prone to causing a lot of trouble.”
That same loyalty was a little…
Dreadful.
[What?]
In the game, she would ‘voluntarily’ do various things for the one she served.
The problem was that, from the perspective of the receiver, it was almost akin to pressing a self-destruct button.
[…I don’t quite understand.]
“I’ll give you an example.”
Scratching my head, I continued.
“To sum up my situation right now, I’m trying my best so that I won’t get caught playing the field with a bunch of Devils at once, right?”
[Kinda, yeah.]
“Now, if she knows of my situation, what she’d do is she’ll go to the other Devils, saying something like, ‘Know your place! Don’t try to monopolize Master and just join the harem!’ and stir shit up.”
[…]
“She’ll do this to everyone without exception, she’ll actually walk up to every Vessel and try to put them in their place… Or something similar to that…”
After a long silence, Caliban spoke.
[…I understand. One wrong step means death.]
“Exactly.”
To think that the perils were so extreme that even this person could understand it at once.
What a truly terrifying existence you were, Purple Devil.
[So why are you going out of your way to meet her now? Shouldn’t you be avoiding her as much as possible?]
Caliban then asked in a puzzled tone.
After all, during the time I sent Talion to call for Faenol, I was moving towards the building where Seras was attending a lecture.
My reasons? There were a lot of them, but…
System Log
[ Target ‘Seras’ becomes more proactive in learning about you! ]
[ The frequency of contact with you increases significantly! ]
Since this kind of thing had popped up, avoiding her was out of the question from the start.
Contact was basically guaranteed and given my disposition, it was all but confirmed that I would get deeply involved with her.
That was why I needed to find a solution corresponding to such conditions.
“Just like the other Devils, if she were to be left alone, things will actually get much worse.”
[Isn’t she the Devil of Obedience? Can’t you just command her to stay quiet?]
“If I don’t give her any tasks whatsoever, she would go berserk on the spot. While saying she has no reason to be of service.”
[…What a hassle.]
“…”
I didn’t feel like it was right to speak so lightly of a Devil, but I agreed with his sentiment.
“…That’s why it’s better for me to keep some distance with her.”
Keeping an ever so delicate balance, as if on the very precipice of falling.
Maintaining just the right distance was key, like we were friends, but at the same time, not.
Because of my disposition, it was inevitable that she would cling onto me to be ‘obedient’, but it was vital to keep a proper distance to prevent my sensitive information from flowing into her.
If I kept her too far, she would go berserk, and if I kept her too close, she would cause all sorts of trouble, thinking that she was doing it for my sake.
Forming a team and taking the exam together was also to properly inject this sense of distance into her.
To take control of the relationship, it was easier to actively steer the situation than to have accidental contact.
“…Now then.”
Standing in front of the classroom where Seras was attending her lecture, I took a deep breath.
For now, the base of our interaction was to have a somewhat intimate, but clearly defined business relationship.
Just as I was thinking this…
Suddenly, a scream erupted from outside the classroom.
“KYAAAAAAAAK!”
“Someone go call for help quickly!”
“…”
But…
It felt like something went terribly wrong from the very start.
When I hurriedly opened the door of the lecture room and entered…
My head started spinning upon witnessing the scene unfolding before my eyes.
Seras stood in the center of the classroom, holding a blood-stained dagger.
In front of her lay a man, covered in blood.
I wasn’t sure what happened, but the situation clearly indicated that Seras had stabbed this man.
And a system window appeared before my eyes.
System Message
[ The mental state of ‘Seras’ is highly unstable! ]
[ Related Event is urgently created! ]
! Emergency Quest !
[ Target ‘Seras’ is in trouble! ]
[ Aiding the target will greatly increase her Favorability Level! ]
[ Aiding the target will start the Exclusive Quest ‘Treachery’! ]
[ Upon failing to aid her, the ‘Purple Devil’ will go berserk! ]
“…”
Yeah.
Just my luck.
No way in hell everything would ever go smoothly.
