Episode 199. The Temple of the Abyss – The false saint,
the succubus Gremory, opened her eyes in the dark.
The demon’s unique eyes quickly regained their vision, but the mind, which had been immersed in a dream for a long time, could only find a sense of reality after a long time.
After a long time passed, Gremory came to his senses and slowly stood up from the bed and took a step forward.
The slightly cool sensation of touching bare feet suddenly wakes up my still somewhat dazed mind.
Gremory quite liked this feeling.
For her, who spends more time swimming in her dreams than in reality, this sense definitely provides a sense of reality.
Gremory walked while enjoying the sound of footsteps, washed her body with cold water, dressed up, and put on her usual nun uniform.
Things that can be replaced with illusion and magic if you want to.
It is an extremely inefficient behavior to waste time and effort on something that can be solved with a simple gesture.
Still, Gremory loved moments like this.
As if I miss my lost innocence.
After finishing grooming himself, Gremory left the room at a leisurely pace.
Although it is a rather luxurious and magnificent mansion, it has almost no signs of popularity.
That’s because her relatives usually stay in their dreams longer than she does.
her clan.
Gremory secretly smiled self-mockingly.
First of all, I think so, but I’m not sure if she’s in that position.
Gremory was born approximately 430 years ago in Franzia, which was burning with a long war.
To be exact, in the area occupied by the Demon Lord’s army of Pandemonium.
Succubi usually swim around in dreams and devour the vital energy of humans, but since they are such a species, even if they dislike them, they understand humans to some extent and have a slight emotional connection with them.
There are times when you become quite affectionate towards ‘livestock’.
The succubus that created Gremory was of that type, and Gremory’s father was human.
The lucky thing was that the succubus who acted on her whim was a fairly high-ranking demon, and thanks to her actions in accepting her father’s plea, the village treated her fairly well.
The bad luck was that the succubus died before Gremory could even grow up.
As a result, Gremory was neglected for a while so he could be raised by his father.
The father devoted quite a bit of affection to his daughter and taught her many things. Young Gremory grew up learning human values and culture.
When she was young, Gremory was closer to a human than a succubus.
Was that why?
Even to Gremory now, the fact that God answered his earnest prayer to save his father, who was dying from a plague, was almost a comedy.
Gremory was very happy to save his father, but still, human time is fleeting.
Only 30 years later, when his father died from the inevitable limit of his lifespan, the only thing left for Gremory was to leave his hometown.
Her appearance, which had not changed for decades, clearly revealed that she was a child of the demon race, and Gremory’s values were in vain as she lost her father and was no longer human to the residents.
Gremory, who was born from a high-ranking succubus, possessed vast magical power, so the Demon Lord willingly accepted her and taught her the skills of a succubus.
However, funny enough, it did not take long to realize that since Gremory could use divine power, it could not use the dark power of a demon.
He acts like a human and the only thing he can use is to save his human enemies and, on the contrary, provide fatal power to demons.
It was natural for such a half-demon to be alienated from the demon king’s army, where power was everything.
Gremory decided to take this situation as comfort.
Because she had spent more time as a human than as a succubus, she was more reluctant to receive orders to slaughter as the Demon Lord’s army.
Another 30 years of being treated like a low-level succubus who simply collects energy and magical energy.
In a war that lasted for nearly 90 years, countless humans and demons died, and while the front lines were repeatedly pushed and pulled, Gremory’s hometown was burned to the point that not even a trace remained.
I remember how the friends I got along with as a child became increasingly wary and cynical when they saw her not growing up, and I also know that they almost kicked her out after losing her father.
Nevertheless, Gremory secretly shed tears in her hometown, where not even a trace remained.
I cried sadly without knowing why.
It was around that time that I first met Bael.
-Are you the succubus Gremory? I heard that he grew up among humans, knows them well, and can use divine power. They say they are sick of war with humans.
-…So? What business does a supreme high-ranking demon have with a half-succubus?
-Speak bluntly. I want to end this war. Are you interested in cooperating?
Bael said there was no reason to continue this war any longer.
The human nations dare not compare to the power of Pandemonium, but the crusade from the entire Central Continent somehow held on despite piling up mountains of corpses.
During that long war, countless demons are dying while fighting against them and there is no progress, but the demon king views this war as nothing more than a form of entertainment – so he kills the demon king and ends this war.
However, the power of the Demon King is extremely strong and the size of his royal family is too large to do that right now.
-There is no hope for a head-to-head match right now. So for the coup to succeed, you need to distract the devil. Therefore, we must support humans to disperse the power of the Demon King’s army.
-Human? I know this because I grew up among them, but in their eyes, all demons are equally targets of hatred? Are you the enemy of your enemy and do you think we will join hands?
Even in her hometown where she was born, raised, and stayed for decades, she was ostracized as a child of the devil?
Bael ordered Gremory, who could not hide his doubts.
-I will leave that role to you. We will help you secretly, so lead them as humans, Gremory.
Thus, the succubus, who grew up as a human, was ostracized by humans, and was completely unsuited to the demons, hid from them again as a human.
Six months to use divine power to heal and help humans.
It was not long before humans began to regard her as a symbol of hope and call her a saint.
As a saint, Gremory led the human army to fight against the demon king’s army.
In order to change the sluggish war situation by defeating the Demon King’s army and force the Demon King, who had no choice, to send his royal forces to the front lines.
A role created simply out of necessity.
She was a false saint from beginning to end, starting with deception and ending with deception.
nevertheless.
The hope that overflowed in all of their hearts.
Everyone’s adoration is so overwhelming that it feels like it’s about to explode.
Even the impure desires of those who harbored them secretly, even though they could not bear to reveal them to the saint.
To her, a succubus, those waves of countless emotions were like drugs.
Suddenly, the purpose was lost and the means became the end.
Those who praised and thanked her for her salvation became her joy, and she shed tears for those who fainted due to lack of strength.
He sincerely struggled to save them and desperately fended off the devil’s army, singing hope.
However, no matter how happy a dream you have, you are bound to wake up someday.
When Bael defeated the Demon Lord and her role was no longer needed.
She eventually had to wake up from the dream.
Gremory walked slowly down the hallway, turning his golden eyes to look at the sword lying on one side of the wall.
A sword that other succubi consider a trophy from the Hundred Years’ War.
-I will remain loyal to the Virgin Mary until the end of my life, and even after that.
The knight’s sword with which she swore an oath that she would remember forever.
Memories are eternal, but articles are no longer there.
At the moment of receiving his oath, there would have been no succubus Gremory, but only a human saint.
The overwhelming emotion and tear-filled joy soon dispersed.
400 years have passed and all that remains in my heart is a faint remnant.
Gremory slowly looked away, stepped out onto the balcony,
spread his wings, and flew up.
-The safety of the demons is not important to the demon king. The author has no qualifications to be king.
The demon ‘hero’ who stood up for the demons spoke.
Cutting through the sky filled with gloomy purple fog, Gremory looked at the soulless dolls filling the city and the ‘gate’ being built in front of them.
There is not even a trace of emotion felt in the doll, which has already lost its life long ago and only moves based on magical power.
Humans, Orcs, Elves, Beastmen…
or can they be considered a race?
Is such a classification worth it to those who are already dead pieces of meat?
Even among those dolls.
Even the corpses of demons who have flaunted their superiority by looking down on the races of the continent are also present.
In the same way, the scarecrow, which has all its magical power sucked out and stands empty, looks no different from the demon.
Gremory flapped her wings and accelerated to the highest spire in the center of Pandemonium – to face her hero.
“You’re here, Gremory.”
Bael crossed his arms and looked at her with pupilless eyes and spoke softly.
Gremory tried to find in that face the passion and faith he had shown when they first met, but failed.
After 400 years, they were washed away and all that remained was obsession and pride.
“Ahaha, I overslept ah-”
Gremory spat playfully, as if to hide his soggy and gloomy thoughts, and flapped his wings and landed behind him.
“Why don’t you hand over ‘Rust’ to me and take ‘Sloss’, Gremory?”
“It’s no fun if you keep overstepping Rust’s authority, Paimon.”
Gremory, who glanced at Paimon’s trembling voice as if looking at an insect, frowned at the fuss coming from next to him.
“I thought I was going to lose my mind while waiting! “LAS is protesting against Rust!”
“Haa Barbatos….”
Wouldn’t it be better if I could just empty my head and live like this idiot warmonger?
After thinking about nothing, Gremory turned his gaze back to Bael.
It’s obviously the same light. Gremory felt like seeing something completely unfamiliar.
A symbol of the hero who liberated the demons from the demon king. The Demon King’s split crown that adorned both of his shoulders is no longer there.
Instead, it has become one again and is placed over his head.
Gremory slowly closed his eyes.
Just as the false saint and the knight who protected her no longer exist.
There are no more warriors who fought against the oppression of the devil.
Gremory watched Bael pull out the sword that slaughtered the Demon King.
The one who led the demons to end the war.
“As of this moment, the Abyss Corporation is entering a war against the Eastern Empire.”
He is leading the demons and starting a war.
“Finally, finally! War! Finally war! Let me tell you that Barbatos of Rassa cannot hide his joy!”
“Ah, finally. This damn order is coming to an end. Ahahaha….”
Gremory couldn’t be as happy as Barbatos or Paimon.
She’s just a harmless, funny, stupid succubus with a stupid fake smile on her face.
The armies that filled the square, motionless as if dead, began to creak and move in unison.
The demons that followed the demon warrior whom the demon warrior protected 400 years ago are also there.
After 400 years, those who rebelled against him and were reduced to soulless puppets advance.
Gremory slowly turned his gaze to look at Bael.
A person who once fought for the demons.
The new Demon King was smiling with an arrogant face, as if he was satisfied.
