201 Fear versus Wish
“Leave it there; this belongs to my son… that’s all I request of you.”
Upon hearing the murmur of the demon asking him not to take the Jungle Lord Core, Luke felt a wave of explosive anger, and it had been a long time since he had experienced a similar feeling, at least since he first fight against Beherith. At that time, the anger was created from a series of events and sensations during a stressful month. This time, it wasn’t so different, because Masink and Marie had killed dozens of people, destroyed the happiness of the residents of Latgor, and ruined their land, but still Masink had the audacity to beg for something.
However, Luke wasn’t a foolish man, so he breathed deeply and decided to blackmail him.
“All right, I can bury this Monster Core here or give it to you if you tell me everything you know about the First Servant.”
Hearing the grand demon’s title, Masink for the first time since he vomited the black liquid, had the strength to raise his head a little.
In his eyes, the red color of which was being accentuated by his pale skin, the half-wolf saw the purest expression of fear.
“How do you know this title?” Masink asked with his voice a little shaky.
For Masink, it would be somewhat normal to hear about the First Servant within Melki’s territories; however, it was certainly a wonder to hear it in the confines of the Broteforge Empire.
Luke smiled briefly at being asked and shook his head negatively. “It’s only natural that I know at least the title of the person who wants me dead, right? So don’t waste my time and tell me something, or I will eat it here.” The half-wolf positioned the small black and green sphere over his own tongue.
“No! Don’t do that, please!” Masink tried to extend his arm to reach the half-wolf, but he couldn’t move it by even a little more than a centimeter.
“Tell me something, or I will eat your son!” Luke spoke, already touching the Core with his tongue.
The demon bowed his head, disappointed, and this time his long hair partially covered his face.
“You don’t understand… I can’t say anything. I would be sentenced to death if I said anything.” He spoke, with his voice a little hoarse and melancholy.
“If you are so afraid of him, why do you protect him so much?” Luke prodded the man further to answer, taking advantage of the fact that he seemed to be shaken.
“I can’t say… I can’t say… I can’t say…”
“Come on, answer me why you demons are obeying him with such esteem!!!?” Luke inquired, and he stood.
Masink’s hands were shaking, while he tried to get the strength to bring them up to his head and cover his ears. “I can’t say… I can’t say…”
Luke walked over to the demon, grabbed his black hair, and made him stand by force.
“I won’t insist one more time, so tell me now what I need to know, or I will give your son’s Core to a friend who wants a Gene Skill Ability very much.” Luke said, looking him deeply in the eye.
Of course, he wasn’t going to give the Jungle Lord’s Core to Ynosuke, but that threat came into his mind at that moment.
“You don’t understand. He is a God in flesh, bone, and metal. He is the only living demon who has ever fought against each one of the Four Heroes and survived… People like you and me aren’t worthy of not following his wishes.” There was a deranged smile on Masink’s face and insanity in his eyes.
The half-wolf looked at that expression with contempt, considering that just a short time ago, Masink had seemed like an unwavering, noble, and cold figure. Luke let go of the hair of the demon, making him fall to his knees on the ground again.
“Dignity is merely a fancy word that many snobbish adventurers use. For me, the concept of dignity doesn’t exist. If I want something, I do everything possible and impossible to achieve it.” Luke said, while turning on his back.
“Hahahaha!” Masink laughed frantically. “Look at you, looking so proud for defeated a demon or maybe two if Marie can’t break free from the sealing! You have no idea of the power of the grand demons; you have no idea of the power of each of the Servants!”
“Hmm… if they are stronger than you, I am even more reassured. That means I still have a lot of progress to do.” Spoke Luke in a serene voice, as he listened in the background to the slight humming that was emitted from the sealing cube where it was Alexis.
Hearing the half-wolf’s modest response, the crazy smile faded on the demon’s face, and he thought:
‘Is this guy really serious that he will pursue the First Servant? Is he dumb at all? Why doesn’t he live in a house with a wife in the far reaches of the world? He would be able to live a good life until the Demon Inquisition.’
However, Masink didn’t know Luke yet, didn’t know that he was only doing this because he was provoked, because his friends were threatened, because to Masink, this was just some half-beast who knew too much.
‘Anyway, I won’t stay here with a weird guy like that, I will use <Autodestruction> to kill this fucker, and I will free my soul. One day, I’ll rescue Marie, and maybe we can live together when the whole world is under the rule of our race!’ The demon continued to think.
The arrogant, sadistic smile appeared on his face again, at the same time as such a massive black aura began to tear at his skin. Luke had his back turned and wasn’t even looking behind him, so this was the perfect opportunity for the demon.
However, Luke didn’t have his back to the demon for anything. He turned his back on purpose to open the <Normal Inventory> and pick up an empty white cube without the demon could see it. As soon as he heard some energy being condensed in the air, he turned back and immediately touched the cube to the demon’s forehead, who was surprised.
“You were already getting ready for me…”
Luke couldn’t hear the rest of Masink’s sentence, because suddenly, an exorbitant flash took over his vision. Meanwhile, in the deepest region of his mind, he heard a beautiful voice, this voice that was the same one he listened to the day he discovered he was cursed, except this time the woman was singing a song.