Chapter 328

〈 Episode 328 〉 Murderous Impulse

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[Warning! Evil Energy has been detected! Citizens, please evacuate to the bunkers immediately.]

[Warning! Evil Energy has been…]

Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

As the siren, more piercing than an air raid alarm, blared, citizens rushed in droves toward the underground bunkers.

The bunkers installed beneath the roads opened like drawbridges, allowing vehicles to enter.

Though the appearance of demons had become routine, humans were still thrown into chaos.

Some pushed the elderly aside to save themselves, while others trampled over people without a care… reinforcing the theory of inherent human evil.

Once this appearance ends, humans will likely kill other humans.

As usual.

Paaat!

Watching the desperate struggles of these insignificant creatures, I snapped out of my thoughts as a bright light flashed inside the fighter jet.

Silvia, who had just emerged from the portal, immediately asked, “Where’s the Doctor?”

“In the lab, monitoring.”

“Really? What’s the demon’s rank? Still below B-class?”

“Yes.”

“Easy. No need to call Adeline. But why such a low rank? Lately, it’s been mostly A-class or higher.”

Why? For the experiment, of course.

Yuria caught the little bastard attached to Malphas during reconnaissance, and we’re preparing to bring it down now.

The one about to appear is a test subject to see if it can absorb Adeline’s magic.

We’re testing whether Adeline’s corrupted divine power can strengthen it or not.

If it works even on non-subordinates, it’s a green light for suppressing rebellions.

Even if it doesn’t, I’m not disappointed.

Why? I’ve already gained Adeline, a powerful Evil Valkyrie, and I plan to gain Silvia soon.

“Something must have happened to Tairat.”

“I hope it’s something bad. I hope he just drops dead…”

Tsk tsk… You shouldn’t say things like that.

“We’ll capture him. Remember that.”

“Do we really need to?”

“Huh?”

“Last time, we tried using a demon as an energy source and failed. If it’s not a viable resource, why bother capturing it? Leaving loose ends isn’t a good idea.”

Silvia.

I appreciate your initiative, but for now, just follow my orders.

“Demons each have unique traits. Their blood colors differ, and the components within vary. That makes them worth researching. Do as I say.”

“Fine. Just keep it alive, right?”

That was a chilling remark.

I nodded with a proud smile as I watched Silvia, who had become increasingly ruthless.

“Yes, just don’t kill it.”

Hovering the fighter jet, I got up and adjusted Silvia’s suit before the demon appeared.

“Come back immediately after this. No detours.”

She blushed and grumbled, “What detours would I even take…?”

“Answer.”

“Ah, fine… I’ll come right back… Oh, and… did you handle Heeyeon? You didn’t meet her, right? You only called, like you promised?”

“What if I did meet her?”

Silvia’s eyes darkened.

I could sense her willingness to kill Heeyeon if necessary.

She resonated with Adeline’s magic, and her aggressive side was appealing…

Seeing her reaction, I felt it wouldn’t be long before she started pretending to be nice.

Let’s keep this up.

I smiled reassuringly and comforted her.

“Don’t worry. I handled it over the phone.”

Sccccreeeech!

As we chatted, the demon’s maw opened.

From the gaping hole dripping with sticky saliva, a demon covered in wounds emerged.

A humanoid demon. One of the two horns on its head was shattered.

Likely hit by Yuria’s arrow.

As I examined its face, I slapped Silvia’s butt hard enough to make a loud *smack*.

She jumped and shouted, “Ah! Hey! Why’d you do that?!”

I tilted my head and asked, “Why me too?”

“Ah, it’s nothing… I’ll be back.”

Silvia opened the fighter jet door herself and stepped out.

She soon turned into a crimson light and shot toward the demon.

**

“Poor thing…”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I looked at the demon captured in the secret base.

Its condition was beyond terrible.

Not only were its facial features gone, but its limbs had also been severed.

This was thanks to Silvia’s cruel hand.

During the fight, she deliberately prolonged the battle.

She slowly tortured the demon, as if performing an interrogation.

She only kept it barely alive, as I had ordered.

Even though she had embraced malice and become wicked, I hadn’t expected her to be this brutal.

And that made it even better.

Feeling sorry for it? That’s a lie.

Why? Because it’s the little bastard that betrayed me and sided with Malphas.

As I watched the demon writhing in pain through the monitor,

“Is this Jihyuk’s secret base?”

A portal opened behind me, and Adeline and Minji appeared, making me turn around.

Come to think of it, this is Adeline’s first time in the secret base.

I smirked and answered, “Yes, it is.”

“So this is where you reached out to me and my sister…! Such a gloomy place…”

Oh, Adeline, what should I do?

Before this, I had already made Sehwa, Yuria, and even the Doctor mine.

The Doctor might have vaguely expected it, but the other two seem completely unaware…

They might throw a fit when they find out later.

“The air here is so foul… It stinks…”

Adeline kept grumbling.

She must really hate that Silvia and I had a relationship.

After muttering for a while, Adeline gave Minji an order.

“Priestess Kim Minji, bring the deodorant.”

“Huh…? Deodorant…?”

“Priestess Kim Minji, you’re starting to resemble Jihyuk. You’re not catching on. I don’t like it.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. The deodorant… I’ll bring it right away.”

“Never mind. It was just a passing remark. Go back to the temple and prepare some food.”

“Ah, yes…! Then…”

Minji immediately opened a portal and disappeared as if fleeing.

Adeline’s tantrums are hard to handle.

I understand her feelings, though.

I gently stroked Adeline’s head and asked, “Does it really stink?”

“…No. But I hate this place. It’s too empty.”

Empty?

Well, the vast interior has no demons, after all.

Wait, there’s one in the medical room being treated…

“Just for today. I won’t ask you to come here again.”

“Okay… What should I do?”

“Come this way.”

I led Adeline to where the demon was.

“Eeek!”

She gasped and hid behind me, making me puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

She leaned her head against my back and shouted, “It’s disgusting! Get rid of that demon right now! It stinks! It’s awful!”

Ah… So it’s just gross to you?

Our Adeline is too immature.

“There’s an experiment I want to try. Could you infuse your magic into that demon…”

“No! How dare you ask me to infuse my sacred magic into that thing!?”

“Adeline, please.”

“…..”

A serious tone always works on Adeline.

As expected, she sighed deeply and stepped forward, chewing her lips.

With a pouty expression, she huffed.

“If… if this is over…”

“I’ll grant anything you want.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“O-okay… Then… what should I do? Just infuse my magic?”

“Exactly. Just like when you infused your magic during Priestess Kim Minji’s baptism, do the same for this demon.”

Adeline stood far from the demon and tightly closed her eyes.

She must really not want to get close to it, even if it’s dying.

Gooo…

Soon, a purple energy emanated and flowed toward the demon.

As if reflecting Adeline’s feelings, the magic paused near the demon before entering through its wounds.

And moments later,

­Grrrr… Grrr! Grr!

A grotesque scream came from the demon’s mouth, now missing its lips.

Its body, reduced to just a torso and head, twisted violently.

As if writhing in pain.

Black blood, which had stopped flowing, poured like a waterfall from its wounds, soaking the floor.

Soon, the demon’s body went limp.

It was dead. Pathetically.

‘Hmm…’

Its life force had been fading, but judging by the excessive bleeding, its metabolism must have accelerated…

It seems it couldn’t fully adapt to Adeline’s magic.

I’ll need to check the monitoring results for details, but the conclusion is clear.

Adeline’s magic can’t be absorbed by non-subordinates.

If it had worked, the wounds would have healed, and the internal power would have grown stronger.

I picked up Adeline, who was still keeping her eyes closed.

“Good job.”

“Is it over? Can I open my eyes now?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. Get me out of this stinky place quickly. I’m exhausted from all this work today. So, I want strawberry milk and…”

Adeline began listing dozens of demands.

I chuckled and carried her out, indulging her.

＠＠

After finishing her prayers at the cathedral, Silvia gasped at the sight of the piled-up snow.

Snow was always beautiful.

It made you forget the harsh reality, even if just for a moment. It brought a sense of peace.

As she stood there, admiring the vast expanse of snow, the priest approached with a snow shovel.

“Hello, Father. Clearing the snow, I see?”

“Yes. Did you pray well, Sister?”

“I did. Thank you as always.”

“Don’t mention it… By the way… Did you hear the news? A monster appeared in Daejeon this morning and was defeated by Beast Slayer Caroline.”

She was the one who defeated it.

Silvia smiled inwardly and replied, “Of course I heard. Why do you ask?”

“It might be presumptuous of me to say this, but… you resemble Caroline.”

Silvia stiffened.

Her appearance before and after transformation wasn’t that different.

At most, her hairstyle and eye shape changed.

She had worried that someone might recognize her eventually… and now it had happened.

Of course, Heeyeon had figured out her identity, but that was inevitable.

With Jihyuk’s arrangements, she wasn’t worried about being exposed.

But this priest…

‘Useless meddling…’

For a moment, Silvia’s expression turned sharp.

But it was brief.

Before the priest could notice, she returned to her polite demeanor and said, “It’s an honor to be compared to Caroline. But I’m not her. I do get that a lot, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Red hair is rare, so people often mistake me.”

“That makes sense.”

“I’ll be going now. Take care.”

“Be safe.”

Leaving the cathedral, Silvia pulled her hat down low.

She had thought that even if someone recognized her, it wouldn’t matter as long as she didn’t care…

But now that it had actually happened, it was quite bothersome.

If a short conversation could cause this much trouble, what would happen if her face became widely known…?

“…..”

That priest is kind and talkative to everyone.

Though it’s a small cathedral with few visitors on Sundays, having a talkative priest is quite annoying.

He might blab about a woman who looks like Caroline to others.

He might even use it to attract more people.

Should I just silence him? Like Heeyeon?

Or, as Jihyuk suggested, just kill…

“Ah!”

Silvia flinched at her own violent thoughts.

She stopped in her tracks and reflected.

Lately, she had been showing quite a hot-tempered side.

­Honest emotions suit you, Silvia.

As she pondered her values, Jihyuk’s gentle voice echoed in her mind, dispelling her thoughts.

That’s right, as long as Jihyuk loves me, isn’t that enough?

This personality disorder-like behavior is definitely influenced by Tairat…

But as long as Jihyuk is here, as long as Adeline is here, and as long as they keep loving me…

I can be myself.

Crunch!

Stepping on the fresh white snow on the sidewalk lifted her spirits.

I should transform when I get home.

To expend some Aiter energy and to find some peace.

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