Chapter 93
I stared for a moment.
“No, I was just curious about how you only have a neck…”
I muttered evasively, turning my head away.
A strange thought had crossed my mind for a brief instant, but I wouldn’t go into details.
It felt a bit embarrassing, and besides, it wasn’t that important.
Regardless, it was indeed fascinating that he only had a neck.
The thick magic emanating from him and the fact that he could speak perfectly well in that condition made it clear he was not human.
He even introduced himself directly.
He claimed to be Barbatos, the Demon of the Eighth Rank.
It had been quite a while since I encountered a demon after Dantalion.
The first thing that struck me was his rank.
‘Eighth Rank…’
That’s pretty high.
Of course, I knew that the ranks didn’t solely measure strength.
After all, didn’t Dantalion show a slightly greater strength than others?
But still, there was an intimidating weight that came from the numbers.
And even if it wasn’t that, thick magic was overflowing from him. So much that it spilled out of the cave.
Just from that, I could guess he was quite powerful.
‘Hmm… I wonder if I put something into that neck, would it come out of the mouth? Wait, what does the cut side of the neck even look like?’
Well, it didn’t spark much tension given he only had a neck.
I left him and took a moment to look around.
As my vision adjusted, the underground scene became clearer.
There were giant lines etched into the ground like a magic circle, and a peculiar pattern in the center.
Although I had never seen it myself, I had heard enough to realize what this place was.
‘Is this an altar…?’
The Forbidden Forest is circular in shape.
When you ride through the wide plains of the Empire, you suddenly come across a lush forest. A dangerous forest that occupies quite a vast area.
Because it is circular, many wonder what lies at the very center of the forest. And today I would uncover that mystery.
At the very core, there was the Demon’s Altar. It makes sense why Lemegaton would come this far.
“Hmph, how rude. When one introduces oneself, courtesy dictates that introductions should be reciprocated, don’t you think?”
As I pondered, Barbatos frowned and said this.
I responded casually.
“Ah, right. Nice to meet you, I’m Yor.”
“No… Fine. You clearly have no sense of courtesy. But then again, what can you expect from a human?”
He said that, then sighed.
His tone was very authoritative, but given he only had a neck, it didn’t convey much majesty at all.
He was definitely a demon, but there was no threatening aura about him.
It seemed there was no need to fight at all, so I decided to just have a conversation.
“So… why do you only have a neck? I know this is an altar, but…”
“Call me Lord Barbatos, you rude one. And do you really think I’ll answer you just like that?”
First, he showed a rather prickly attitude.
Despite having only a neck, his ego appeared to be quite strong. It seemed he wouldn’t engage in proper conversation if I didn’t address him appropriately.
Of course, my personality wasn’t the type to steadfastly adhere to that.
“Hey, I think you’re mistaken. Who’s the one in the superior position here? Unlike you without limbs, I can deal some damage and even destroy the altar.”
I said with a teasing tone, thrusting a spear close to his face.
It was basically a threat. A warning that I could resort to violence if he didn’t cooperate.
Since he only had a neck, I figured he couldn’t resist easily anyway.
In fact, even as the spearhead approached his neck, he offered no resistance at all.
“Hah, how reckless. Well, go ahead and do as you please. It might even be better to return to the Demon Realm that way…”
No, he even seemed to show a kind of nonchalance.
As if he didn’t care whether the altar was destroyed or not.
Surprisingly, the tiredness in his green eyes seemed to imply he secretly wished for just that.
“……”
And I found that oddly intriguing.
To be honest, I thought it might be fine to destroy the altar like this.
After all, he was a demon, and considering my position as the wielder, demons were beings that had to be dealt with.
I had plenty of ill feelings towards him. I was surely holding onto hatred because of that damned Demon’s Blood every month.
But this time, things felt a bit different.
Whether it was a high-level rhetoric or genuine feelings, I just wanted to converse a little.
Besides, I had reached the core, and had nothing much to do for a while.
“Hmm… I’m done.”
Thus, I quietly lowered the spear and plopped down on the ground.
Seeing that action was quite unexpected, a spark of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“You’re… quite interesting. I’ve heard that usually humans get frightened or prostrate themselves when they see a demon.”
I didn’t bother to reply. I wasn’t sure how to approach a demon with just a neck, anyway.
Instead, I continued with my questions.
Just because he remained silent didn’t mean I couldn’t gather any information. I could deduce things from his gestures or hesitations.
If it came to it, using Dantalion’s ears might also be an option.
“Is the thick magic in this forest, and the excessive number of monsters, because of you?”
He had introduced himself as the Demon of the Forest.
Looking closely at the words, they referred to woods and meadows.
In other words, he was directly stating that he was a demon related to the forest. The magic that spread throughout the forest and what I inferred was overwhelming.
Surprisingly, he readily admitted it.
“That’s correct. It’s my doing. I can freely modify and rule over the forest.”
It seemed that putting the spear away and stepping back helped soothe him.
He didn’t stop there and went on talking.
“Mainly, it was an act to protect the altar. It seemed better to wrap the surrounding area like a fortress rather than just leaving it underground. I thought I could buy some time until I descended.”
“So you haven’t descended yet… but can you use your powers in that state?”
“Indeed. Just like my current form, if I partially descend, I can use my power even while being trapped on the altar. Although it is only a part of my strength.”
“……”
Hearing that, I nodded quietly.
This was a new piece of information. So it’s possible to use power while on the altar.
Of course, she mentioned it was just a portion… but it wasn’t something to be dismissed lightly.
Saying that she created this vast forest with just that portion of strength?
And in a way, it was thanks to this forest that I had survived until now.
Although, it might not have been intended. Therefore, I simply admired her.
“Impressive…”
“Fufufu, that’s my greatness.”
She lifted her neck proudly. Even so, being just a neck doesn’t convey much majesty.
But that only lasted for a moment; she soon sighed deeply and said,
“However… it’s getting a bit tiring now. I did manage to manifest my head using some mana gathered at the altar. I thought I could gather the surrounding mana and descend quickly, but I never expected it to take this long…”
She continued.
“It has been a long time since I manifested in this way.”
Suddenly, I thought about when this forest came into existence.
I didn’t know when it began, but it was clear that such a massive forest couldn’t sprout overnight. Trees must have slowly grown, slowly spreading their territory.
I couldn’t pinpoint an exact date. But surely, it must have been over a hundred years.
I briefly imagined her appearance. Alone for centuries in this dark cave, existing with only a neck…
‘…Hmm.’
Having spent ten years alone, I felt quite lonely, so even as a demon, it probably wouldn’t be all that different.
I asked her with a hint of sympathy.
“Isn’t there a way to release your manifestation or temporarily return to the Demon Realm?”
“It is possible. However, if I were to return like that, the other demons would surely catch on. If I manifested my head, intending to expand my influence, and then return without any results… I would definitely hear complaints from the king I serve.”
“……”
I didn’t know about the ecosystem of the Demon Realm. To be honest, I didn’t care that much either.
But from what she said, it seemed living there wasn’t easy either.
The way she seemed on edge and was afraid of reprimands struck me as strangely pitiable.
As I pondered, she continued.
“Well, even so… being here isn’t so bad. I can command the animals and enjoy their performances, and above all, I don’t have to worry about the king.”
Before I knew it, our conversation had morphed more into her lament than a dialogue.
It seemed like she had accumulated many feelings during her stay here. Perhaps some of those feelings started in the Demon Realm.
Since I had nothing better to do, I listened to her with a blank expression.
Contrary to her excessively formal speech, she was quite emotional and talkative.
Despite the fact, she seemed to keep her guard up, so I didn’t receive much concrete information.
‘Now that I think about it…’
But as I listened, a sudden thought hit me. It was rather out of the blue.
‘What’s the weather like outside?’
We had planned to clash with the Knights the day after it rained, after all.
But the rain hadn’t stopped as quickly as I expected.
I was starting to worry that the Knights might reach here first.
Thus, I intended to check the weather and stepped outside.
However, just as I did, she asked me abruptly.
“Where are you going?”
“…Ah, I just need to check on something.”
“You’re not planning to leave after saying that, are you?”
Hearing that, I silently gazed at her. I couldn’t quite gauge her intentions.
Regardless, Barbatos continued with her words, wearing a sulky expression, as if she were a petulant child.
“At least have a proper conversation before you go. I’m quite bored.”
At her words, I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.