Chapter 418: That (3)

Chapter 418: That (3)

The stench of the deceased permeated the air.

It was no exaggeration by any means. Alphiero paused silently as he peered into the room.

Empty potion vials were strewn across the floor, among them some shattered to pieces. Dark blood-stained bandages were scattered here and there as well.

A soft, rhythmic breathing could be heard.

There lay Amelia Merwin in a half-reclined state.

She wasnt on a bed but rather in a piece of furniture resembling a bathtub. Inside it were various potions, unidentifiable liquids, and Amelias own blood. The tubes connected to her suggested that the liquid inside the tub was replacing her bodily fluids.

"It looks like youve even mixed in narcotics," Alphiero tsked as he stepped into the room filled with the smell of decay. It was reminiscent of a garbage dump.

Crunch.

He inadvertently stepped on a potion vial and broke it.

"Only things vile enough to even intoxicate a demon. But they dont seem quite effective, he commented.

Shhh... shhh.

There was even an oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth. Amelia Merwin silently gazed at Alphiero. Her eyes were clouded. Was she far gone? Or was her mind merely fogged by the drug's effects? Surely not. Alphiero shook his head as he approached her.

"No drug can truly alleviate the pain that tears one's existence apart, Amelia Merwin. From what I see, you are indulging in a futile endeavor. Changing all your fluids, severing all your nerves, even eroding your consciousness... none of that will change who you truly are, said Alphiero.

"Why are you here?" responded Amelia.

The response didnt come from Amelias lips but rather from a pipe protruding from the tub.

"Firstly, take my advice to heart. I am genuinely concerned about your downfall, answered Alphiero.

"Nonsense, retorted Amelia.

"As long as you are here, and as long as you are bound by a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Ravesta will always resist your very existence. You have but two choices. One is to leave Ravesta. The other is to break your contract with the Demon King of Incarceration and form a new one with the Demon King of Destruction, suggested Alphiero.

No response came from the pipe. It was for a simple reason: it translated Amelias thoughts into sound, and as such, it couldnt reproduce her scoff.

However, Alphiero could not have known this. As such, he continued, "You know as well as I that one can instantly form a contract by descending to the temple. Even if you did form a contract directly with the Demon King of Incarceration, it wouldnt be able to precede a contract with the Demon King of Destruction. Your relationship with the Demon King of Incarceration will naturally come to an end."

"You let me into Ravesta because you fear the Demon King of Incarceration. Stop pretending like you have any authority here, came Amelias response.

"You dismiss my goodwill, commented Alphiero.

"I know well that your words are not out of goodwill. I know you still despise me. You would prefer I left and perished, wouldn't you? Or perhaps you'd enjoy watching me succumb to pain and fear, pleading to the Demon King of Destruction?" Her voice was biting, yet Amelias form in the tub remained limp.

The liquid from the tub flowed through the tubes alongside a bubbling sound.

I have no intention of releasing anything from my grasp. If I need to endure, then I will endure however much I need to endure, said Amelia.

With a creak and groan, Amelia's form began to split apart. The fragmented remains of her body dissolved into the fluid.

Alphiero silently stared at Amelia's form. The body submerged in the fluid was bare; the right arm remained, but the left arm was gone, and there was nothing below her torso either.

Yet, she was alive. Even though most of her organs were gone, black magic sustained her barely living form. Even as her body continued to decay and rot, Amelia persisted.

Is that right? You have no intention of releasing anything from your grasp? Alphiero chuckled. He continued with a grin, Ignorance truly is amusing. Youve already lost so much, and yet you remain oblivious to that fact as you fuss about it.

What do you mean? Amelia quickly inquired.

Alphiero felt a twinge of pity that she couldnt express any emotion as he informed her of the events unfolding beyond Ravesta.

The Demon King of Fury had risen once more.

Eugene Lionheart had vanquished the Demon King of Fury. Sienna of Calamity had returned to the Magic Kingdom of Aroth.

Around the same time, Melkith El-Hayah of the White Tower had been indiscriminately attacking the dungeons in the Nahama desert.

The Sultan was hesitant to respond aggressively because he was wary of the continents gaze.

Even now, the forces you left in the desert Alphiero started.

Do you have any idea how many demons long for the days of war? The voice from the pipe interrupted Alphieros comment.

The current continent is at peace. Especially Helmuth. It has prospered so much that its impossible to even recall the traces of the warring era and the times before it. I never lived in that age, but you did, said Amelia.

.. A silence lingered.

But know this: no matter how advanced or convenient the world becomes, those living in Helmuth are still demons. While many have adapted to modern Helmuth and transformed into complacent pigs, there are plenty who could not. They have been cast into correctional facilities in the guise of camps or wander the slums, or worse, dwell in the very sewers beneath, continued Amelia.

Not all had suffered such a fate. The more quick-witted demons concealed their monstrous nature and wore masks befitting the age of peace.

The elite of Helmuth, the high nobles, mostly did so. Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabella were prime examples.

Do you know what Ive put most of my effort into in Nahama? It was completely seizing the desert dungeons and expanding them. As a result, Nahama now has more black wizards than Aroth. In fact, it has become the land with the most black wizards on the continent, explained Amelia.

All black wizards were born from contracts with demons, except for special cases like Amelia Merwin.

It was rare for one to aspire to become a black wizard and form contracts with demons from the beginning. Most often, ordinary wizards turned to black magic in their moments of despair over their lack of talents, when they were faced with the insurmountable wall of magic, or when desiring powers beyond what was offered by normal magic.

If Aroth's Black Tower was a verified collective of dark wizard researchers, Nahamas dungeon of black wizards was a more 'pure school' of magic. They treated the Dungeon Master as their supreme teacher and cultivated black wizards through an apprenticeship.

When regular wizards studied in the dungeon, they served under a black wizard master for several years before being introduced to a high demon to form a contract.

"Behind every black wizard, there's a demon. It's a well-known tale. Not all of them support the war I'm instigating, but of this, I'm certain: they all await the war."

The black wizards summoned to the desert had demon patrons in the shadows. These were the demons that had been marginalized.

While they still retained plausible posts in this post-war era, their positions in Pandemonium were unsecured. They were demons that either couldn't preserve their places in Pandemonium or rejected the peace proclaimed by the Demon King of Incarceration and plummeted in radical opposition. They were war heroes overshadowed by Noir Giabella and Gavid Lindman.

In addition, there were young demons who had not witnessed the Age of Wars. They lamented not being born during such tumultuous times and awaited the next great conflict.

"Even if you wage war through Nahama, those demons will not aid you, said Alphiero.

I possess means to persuade their cooperation," came the assured response.

They could become the Demon King.

This would be the temptation in play.

She had already verified the ritual Edmund Codreth had prepared through Vladmir.

While Amelia herself had no intentions of conducting the ritual, she knew that the prospect of sitting on the throne of a Demon King was a seductive allure for the demons yearning for war and greater power.

"The fact that Iris, that fool, could become a Demon King will surely lighten the hearts of the other demons. By obtaining sacrifices and fear through war and achieving ascension to a Demon King with the ritual I provide, I am certain I can muster numerous demons to my cause, explained Amelia.

.. Alphiero didnt say anything.

"How about you? You, too, desire war, don't you, Alphiero Lasat? Would you not wish to secretly partake in my war and ascend to be a Demon King? If you so wish and heed my request, I promise to grant you this first, even if it means offering all of the citizens of Nahamas capital as a sacrifice."

"I have no desire to become the Demon King," Alphiero declined, shaking his head. "What I... wish for is war. And to witness the Demon King of Destruction making his presence felt on the battlefield. To stand alongside him as his subject."

"And my request?" asked Amelia.

"I do have interest in the war you wish to wage," Alphiero said. Stepping forward once more, Alphiero perched on the edge of the bathtub as he locked eyes with Amelia. "What would you ask of me?" he asked.

"I intend to send my hound outside. I cannot leave, you see. I wish to negotiate with the demons through this hound and use him in various ways... Sadly, I'm currently in such a weakened state to even pull on a leash, she answered.

"And your point?" asked Alphiero.

"You know, the chained hound outside is a chimera mixed with vampire blood. So, I'd like you to let her drink some of yours, asked Amelia.

"You wish to control the hound through me, responded Alphiero.

"She's such a frail creature that I worry she might perish if I let her loose outside but if she drinks your blood, she wont be so weak, said Amelia.

"I will have a vampire from the clan look after her," Alphiero said after some thought.

Alphiero belonged to the Lasat clan, a vampire clan that thrived during the warring era. Even though the entire clan had retreated to Ravesta, their lesser clans were still active in Helmuth.

"You won't send out the other hound?" he asked.

"That wont end up being just a hound," Amelia replied. "To be frank, I dont know what to expect. I have no idea whats happening to it."