Her eyes felt like they were spinning. The dizzying vertigo broke, and Adelaide’s slender body collapsed.
‘No, it can’t be.’ She muttered desperately.
But with every word she uttered she got more and more breathless. It felt like something was blocking her throat.
Someone grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her.
“Adelaide!”
Hard hands with only bones left. It was the Skeleton Captain.
“Get a hold of yourself. Calm down and get in here!”
He ordered in a firm voice. Adelaide looked at where he was pointing with a blank look on her face. She saw a black trash can. Another skeleton was holding the lid to make it easier for her to enter.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She never imagined she would be using it herself. Not too long ago, she swore that there would be no need for her to use it.
Heavy guilt weighed on Adelaide’s shoulders. It was all her fault that Greenville was in danger. She had blind confidence that the Legend wouldn’t come here. She shouldn’t have sent Lisianthus away. No, if it wasn’t for her hair and eye color in the first place, the Legend would have never come. So it was she herself who put everyone in danger.
She said that she would treat him with respect. She said that she’d be nice to him. She couldn’t believe that this would be the end of it all. She felt like she was choking again. The area around her heart continued to ache. A hoarse voice leaked from between her chapped lips.
“No, I… I’m okay. You go in.”
“I can’t go in anyway! We have already lived a long time, and we have no more regrets!”
“And we are your demon family. Of course we have to protect you!”
The Skeletons nodded their skulls with solemn faces. Pia, who was standing next to her, continued speaking with a soft smile.
“Don’t worry about us and go inside. Nothing will happen.”
“… Yes. Go in and wait.”
Raham held Pia’s hand strongly and sympathized. He met this tragedy not long after coming to Greenville, so he might resent Adelaide, but she could not find such a sign.
Their kindness made Adelaide even more distressed. She couldn’t stand it and raised her voice.
“No! I’m not going in! Hurry… Anyone come in!”
Anyone.
Who the hell should she put in a barrel that could only fit one person? The rest who can’t get in might die. Thick tears flowed down. She felt bad that she got angry. Even though it was her own fault, the image of her demons trying to protect her seemed to scratch at her heart.
“There’s no helping it then.”
Raham shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned his head and beckoned to the other Durahans. The Durahans immediately understood the meaning and rushed to Adelaide.
“W-What are you doing…!”
“I’m sorry, Adelaide!”
“Please stay calm so that our efforts will not be in vain!”
Together, the Durahans lifted Adelaide’s body and threw her into the trash can. She struggled recklessly, but they didn’t stop even as their faces got hit by her feet.
“You get in here too!”
The Skeleton hurled something into the trash can, where Adelaide had gone in. Adelaide reflexively grabbed it. It was Bell. Bell didn’t even know why and only raised his ears.
“Wait…!”
They closed the lid without giving her time to speak more.
Click. She heard a clicking sound. It looked like the trash can had a lock.
“No! Let me out!”
Adelaide hit the wall inside the large barrel. The inside of the barrel was much deeper and wider than she had thought. Two people still wouldn’t be able to fit but Adelaide and Bell could nestle comfortably in it. Boom-boom, every time she pounded on the wall, a sound rang out.
However, instead of listening to Adelaide, her demons took the barrel and moved it to a place that was not in view. The room she had used for the interview was nearby. When they left it between a table and a chair, it really looked like a trash can.
“Wow, that really looks like a trash can. You’d have no idea that someone was inside. It’s not a B-grade for nothing.”
“Besides, I can’t hear anything. The soundproofing seems to be good.”
She heard her demons’ laughter as if they were trying to reassure Adelaide. They continued their conversation as if they couldn’t hear her voice at all.
“What a life, really. Who’d have thought we’d ever meet two devils, and even a legendary warrior?”
“We’re probably the only demons who have had this kind of experience.”
“Of course. There also aren’t many demons who have played dungeon matches, right? Now that I think about it, it was really fun.”
The content of the conversation was light. However, in the background was the death that would soon come to them. Instead of uttering words of despair or sadness, they decided to die while recalling fun memories.
“Let me out! I’m going out too…!”
“Woof! Woof!”
Adelaide wiped away her tears and continued to hit the lid with her fist. But it was of no use because it was locked tightly.
The sound of them talking became smaller and smaller. Her demons had left for another room in order for Adelaide’s location to not be discovered. She could only confirm that they were safe from the sound of their faint voices.
Then after a while. It had become completely quiet outside. Their voices were no longer heard. Adelaide, trapped in the barrel, could also understand why. A great energy approached. The energy was not from Caladium.
Beyond the door, from the hallway, the sound of heavy footsteps and the rustling of metal was heard. Amid the suffocating silence, a terrifyingly low voice resounded.
“You were here.”
Thud. Her heart sank.
The Legend had come all the way here, but the fact that Caladium didn’t follow…
‘Are you really dead?’
Caladium’s face was drawn in the darkness. His playful smiles, bluffs, and passionate kisses, all of which she had become accustomed to, flashed in front of his eyes.
‘Again, because of me…?’
Tears dripped down. Caladium’s afterimage overlapped with her memories from the past.
A child with blonde hair who smiled as bright and as warm as the sunlight. She couldn’t remember his face, but the fluffy atmosphere was still vivid. Those precious days also ended in her hands. All that was left was a sea of blood.
Was it the same this time? Was she killing a friend again? An excruciating sense of guilt shot through her body. Her pale-white face contorted.
“Lick…”
Bell carefully licked her cheek. Adelaide lowered her head and murmured in a weeping voice. Please let me go out too. If you must die, then let me die with you too. With her despair, Bell put on a sad expression on his face. The little dog’s body immediately trembled with black energy.
“Let’s go out.” Bell, who had transformed into a boy suddenly said.
His eyes were a clear red.
“Let’s go, Adela.”
“We can do it.” Bell whispered in a tone that wasn’t slurred at all.
Confidence filled Adelaide’s face. She stared up with scorching eyes.
“Okay, let’s go.”
‘I can’t just cry like a fool.’ She clenched her fists tightly.
***
“Where is the succubus?”
The last room in Greenville. The Legend who looked around briefly asked quietly. His voice was as low and as cold as a dungeon alarm. Although it was very low, there was a strange echo, which gave them goosebumps.
Gulp. The Skeleton captain swallowed dry saliva and answered confidently.
“No!”
It was very brave not to be intimidated in the face of the great Legend.
“… I don’t like to say things twice.”
Step. The Legend took one step closer to where the demons were. Raham hurriedly stood in front of Pia, and the Skeletons trembled, but they did not back down.
“There will be no mercy shown to demons.”
He created a sword above his left hand. The demons, who saw the shape of the sword, gasped involuntarily. The energy that flowed over the black sword was too unusual to even look at. An ominous and vicious energy that gave you goosebumps. It was more ferocious and intense than that of any other demons.
‘How can he be a human?’
The Skeleton captain contorted his eye sockets. Even if he was a legend, can a human body emit such energy? He had little memories left from when he was an adventurer, however his remaining soul and bones remembered that such a thing was impossible for humans, even if that human was an adventurer in the Demon Realm. There was something strange about the hero in front of him.
“I will ask one last time.”
The adventurer indifferently grabbed the handle of his sword and opened his mouth.
“Where did the succubus go?”
It was a clear threat. A threat to kill them immediately if they don’t spill it.
The adventurer narrowed his eyes. Usually, when he said this, he would get an answer right away. But strangely, the demons in this dungeon all kept their mouths shut. They feared death, but there was no sign of wavering.
The Skeleton Captain broke the silence again and raised his voice.
“Mannerless j*rk.”
This was a reaction that his fellow demons did not expect. The Durahans were surprised and stared at the Skeleton Captain.
“Where have you been, threatening, and informally, to your seniors like that? My memory is hazy, but my ranking was in the top 100!”
“Yes, when I was your age! Oh! I couldn’t even dare to speak in front of high-level seniors!”
“Yes, even worse. I couldn’t even blink without their permission.”
The Skeleton made use of his memories before he died as much as he could. His attitude was so calm that even the members of his group were embarrassed, but the bones of his fingers holding the weapon were trembling.
The barrel where Adelaide was imprisoned was not far from here. Even for Adelaide who might have been listening to the conversation, or for the sake of a precious companion who would have returned to the arms of the Demon God, he couldn’t show his frightened face in front of this cheeky j*rk. As soon as that thought came, everyone agreed without a word.
“…You must be anxious to die.”
The adventurer seemed to have no intention of showing mercy. Peter contemplated if it would be better to lie that she had run away from the dungeon, but then gave up on the idea. The situation was over anyway. If nothing changed even if they tried harder, it would be cool to accept it resolutely.
Demons were a race that lived in style and died in style. The moment they died would be the most important scene in their lives. So in order for that last scene to come out beautifully, they couldn’t be pathetic.
“If that’s what you want.”
Their death sentence had been declared.
***
Her eyes felt like they were spinning. The dizzying vertigo broke, and Adelaide’s slender body collapsed.
‘No, it can’t be.’ She muttered desperately.
But with every word she uttered she got more and more breathless. It felt like something was blocking her throat.
Someone grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her.
“Adelaide!”
Hard hands with only bones left. It was the Skeleton Captain.
“Get a hold of yourself. Calm down and get in here!”
He ordered in a firm voice. Adelaide looked at where he was pointing with a blank look on her face. She saw a black trash can. Another skeleton was holding the lid to make it easier for her to enter.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She never imagined she would be using it herself. Not too long ago, she swore that there would be no need for her to use it.
Heavy guilt weighed on Adelaide’s shoulders. It was all her fault that Greenville was in danger. She had blind confidence that the Legend wouldn’t come here. She shouldn’t have sent Lisianthus away. No, if it wasn’t for her hair and eye color in the first place, the Legend would have never come. So it was she herself who put everyone in danger.
She said that she would treat him with respect. She said that she’d be nice to him. She couldn’t believe that this would be the end of it all. She felt like she was choking again. The area around her heart continued to ache. A hoarse voice leaked from between her chapped lips.
“No, I… I’m okay. You go in.”
“I can’t go in anyway! We have already lived a long time, and we have no more regrets!”
“And we are your demon family. Of course we have to protect you!”
The Skeletons nodded their skulls with solemn faces. Pia, who was standing next to her, continued speaking with a soft smile.
“Don’t worry about us and go inside. Nothing will happen.”
“… Yes. Go in and wait.”
Raham held Pia’s hand strongly and sympathized. He met this tragedy not long after coming to Greenville, so he might resent Adelaide, but she could not find such a sign.
Their kindness made Adelaide even more distressed. She couldn’t stand it and raised her voice.
“No! I’m not going in! Hurry… Anyone come in!”
Anyone.
Who the hell should she put in a barrel that could only fit one person? The rest who can’t get in might die. Thick tears flowed down. She felt bad that she got angry. Even though it was her own fault, the image of her demons trying to protect her seemed to scratch at her heart.
“There’s no helping it then.”
Raham shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned his head and beckoned to the other Durahans. The Durahans immediately understood the meaning and rushed to Adelaide.
“W-What are you doing…!”
“I’m sorry, Adelaide!”
“Please stay calm so that our efforts will not be in vain!”
Together, the Durahans lifted Adelaide’s body and threw her into the trash can. She struggled recklessly, but they didn’t stop even as their faces got hit by her feet.
“You get in here too!”
The Skeleton hurled something into the trash can, where Adelaide had gone in. Adelaide reflexively grabbed it. It was Bell. Bell didn’t even know why and only raised his ears.
“Wait…!”
They closed the lid without giving her time to speak more.
Click. She heard a clicking sound. It looked like the trash can had a lock.
“No! Let me out!”
Adelaide hit the wall inside the large barrel. The inside of the barrel was much deeper and wider than she had thought. Two people still wouldn’t be able to fit but Adelaide and Bell could nestle comfortably in it. Boom-boom, every time she pounded on the wall, a sound rang out.
However, instead of listening to Adelaide, her demons took the barrel and moved it to a place that was not in view. The room she had used for the interview was nearby. When they left it between a table and a chair, it really looked like a trash can.
“Wow, that really looks like a trash can. You’d have no idea that someone was inside. It’s not a B-grade for nothing.”
“Besides, I can’t hear anything. The soundproofing seems to be good.”
She heard her demons’ laughter as if they were trying to reassure Adelaide. They continued their conversation as if they couldn’t hear her voice at all.
“What a life, really. Who’d have thought we’d ever meet two devils, and even a legendary warrior?”
“We’re probably the only demons who have had this kind of experience.”
“Of course. There also aren’t many demons who have played dungeon matches, right? Now that I think about it, it was really fun.”
The content of the conversation was light. However, in the background was the death that would soon come to them. Instead of uttering words of despair or sadness, they decided to die while recalling fun memories.
“Let me out! I’m going out too…!”
“Woof! Woof!”
Adelaide wiped away her tears and continued to hit the lid with her fist. But it was of no use because it was locked tightly.
The sound of them talking became smaller and smaller. Her demons had left for another room in order for Adelaide’s location to not be discovered. She could only confirm that they were safe from the sound of their faint voices.
Then after a while. It had become completely quiet outside. Their voices were no longer heard. Adelaide, trapped in the barrel, could also understand why. A great energy approached. The energy was not from Caladium.
Beyond the door, from the hallway, the sound of heavy footsteps and the rustling of metal was heard. Amid the suffocating silence, a terrifyingly low voice resounded.
“You were here.”
Thud. Her heart sank.
The Legend had come all the way here, but the fact that Caladium didn’t follow…
‘Are you really dead?’
Caladium’s face was drawn in the darkness. His playful smiles, bluffs, and passionate kisses, all of which she had become accustomed to, flashed in front of his eyes.
‘Again, because of me…?’
Tears dripped down. Caladium’s afterimage overlapped with her memories from the past.
A child with blonde hair who smiled as bright and as warm as the sunlight. She couldn’t remember his face, but the fluffy atmosphere was still vivid. Those precious days also ended in her hands. All that was left was a sea of blood.
Was it the same this time? Was she killing a friend again? An excruciating sense of guilt shot through her body. Her pale-white face contorted.
“Lick…”
Bell carefully licked her cheek. Adelaide lowered her head and murmured in a weeping voice. Please let me go out too. If you must die, then let me die with you too. With her despair, Bell put on a sad expression on his face. The little dog’s body immediately trembled with black energy.
“Let’s go out.” Bell, who had transformed into a boy suddenly said.
His eyes were a clear red.
“Let’s go, Adela.”
“We can do it.” Bell whispered in a tone that wasn’t slurred at all.
Confidence filled Adelaide’s face. She stared up with scorching eyes.
“Okay, let’s go.”
‘I can’t just cry like a fool.’ She clenched her fists tightly.
***
“Where is the succubus?”
The last room in Greenville. The Legend who looked around briefly asked quietly. His voice was as low and as cold as a dungeon alarm. Although it was very low, there was a strange echo, which gave them goosebumps.
Gulp. The Skeleton captain swallowed dry saliva and answered confidently.
“No!”
It was very brave not to be intimidated in the face of the great Legend.
“… I don’t like to say things twice.”
Step. The Legend took one step closer to where the demons were. Raham hurriedly stood in front of Pia, and the Skeletons trembled, but they did not back down.
“There will be no mercy shown to demons.”
He created a sword above his left hand. The demons, who saw the shape of the sword, gasped involuntarily. The energy that flowed over the black sword was too unusual to even look at. An ominous and vicious energy that gave you goosebumps. It was more ferocious and intense than that of any other demons.
‘How can he be a human?’
The Skeleton captain contorted his eye sockets. Even if he was a legend, can a human body emit such energy? He had little memories left from when he was an adventurer, however his remaining soul and bones remembered that such a thing was impossible for humans, even if that human was an adventurer in the Demon Realm. There was something strange about the hero in front of him.
“I will ask one last time.”
The adventurer indifferently grabbed the handle of his sword and opened his mouth.
“Where did the succubus go?”
It was a clear threat. A threat to kill them immediately if they don’t spill it.
The adventurer narrowed his eyes. Usually, when he said this, he would get an answer right away. But strangely, the demons in this dungeon all kept their mouths shut. They feared death, but there was no sign of wavering.
The Skeleton Captain broke the silence again and raised his voice.
“Mannerless j*rk.”
This was a reaction that his fellow demons did not expect. The Durahans were surprised and stared at the Skeleton Captain.
“Where have you been, threatening, and informally, to your seniors like that? My memory is hazy, but my ranking was in the top 100!”
“Yes, when I was your age! Oh! I couldn’t even dare to speak in front of high-level seniors!”
“Yes, even worse. I couldn’t even blink without their permission.”
The Skeleton made use of his memories before he died as much as he could. His attitude was so calm that even the members of his group were embarrassed, but the bones of his fingers holding the weapon were trembling.
The barrel where Adelaide was imprisoned was not far from here. Even for Adelaide who might have been listening to the conversation, or for the sake of a precious companion who would have returned to the arms of the Demon God, he couldn’t show his frightened face in front of this cheeky j*rk. As soon as that thought came, everyone agreed without a word.
“…You must be anxious to die.”
The adventurer seemed to have no intention of showing mercy. Peter contemplated if it would be better to lie that she had run away from the dungeon, but then gave up on the idea. The situation was over anyway. If nothing changed even if they tried harder, it would be cool to accept it resolutely.
Demons were a race that lived in style and died in style. The moment they died would be the most important scene in their lives. So in order for that last scene to come out beautifully, they couldn’t be pathetic.
“If that’s what you want.”
Their death sentence had been declared.
***
