Late at night, Alderp's mansion lay shrouded in deathly silence. Only the occasional flicker of candlelight along the corridors cast grotesque shadows across the walls.
Kōichi Hayashi was hovering in a light sleep somewhere between waking and dreaming when [Breeze Sensing] suddenly detected an extremely unusual disturbance.
It was not an enemy's killing intent, but a strange magical presence mixed with expensive perfume, cheap alcohol, and something that somehow felt both sacred and stupid.
"Kōichi! Kōichi! Wake up! Something terrible happened!"
A frantic pounding came from the door, followed by a small blue head squeezing through the gap.
Aqua's pretty face was streaked with tears and filled with terror, making her look especially ridiculous beneath the moonlight. She was even missing one shoe as she stumbled over to Kōichi Hayashi's bedside.
"Waaah! Kōichi, this place is terrifying! I was wandering around the back garden looking for something to drink when I smelled this super disgusting, super filthy Devil stench! It was like someone stuffed rotten natto inside a dirty foot towel!"
Aqua grabbed Kōichi Hayashi tightly by the collar of his pajamas and shook him with all her strength.
"And the smell is coming from underneath this mansion! There's definitely some incredibly despicable Devil living down there! It must be after this Goddess's beauty and planning to drag me away as a sacrifice! Hurry up and purify it!"
Kōichi Hayashi's head spun from the violent shaking. Whatever sleepiness remained vanished instantly beneath Aqua's screams.
He planted a hand on top of Aqua's head and forcibly made her calm down, then glanced over at Kazuma, who was still sleeping like a dead pig nearby and even mumbling, "Long live lace..." under his breath.
"Calm down, Aqua. Are you sure that's the smell of a Devil and not wine you spilled on yourself and left to ferment?"
Kōichi Hayashi lowered his voice, though his gaze had already sharpened.
"How rude! There's no way this Goddess could ever smell like that!"
Aqua stomped her foot angrily.
"I'm serious! That evil aura is incredibly strong! That fat pig of a lord is definitely suspicious. The smell on him is exactly the same as the one coming from underground!"
Kōichi Hayashi fell silent for a moment.
If he had merely been suspicious before, then Aqua's instincts were practically undeniable evidence. As the Goddess of Water, she was extraordinarily sensitive to Devils.
That fat pig Alderp was actually keeping a Devil right in the heart of the Royal Capital?
"Looks like the Devil possession story we made up on the spot actually turned out to be true by accident."
Kōichi Hayashi rolled out of bed, quickly changed into Adventurer gear suited for movement, and grabbed the staff resting beside the bed.
"Aqua, lead the way. Since this Devil has volunteered to become our witness, we might as well drag it out into the open. This is our best chance to clear ourselves of those pervert accusations."
"Huh? We're really going? Down to a creepy place like that...?"
Aqua shrank back nervously.
But after seeing Kōichi Hayashi's calm expression, she forced herself to gather some courage and puffed out her chest.
"Fine! Since you're begging me so desperately, this Goddess will reluctantly accompany you! If that Devil dares show itself, I'll use God Blow and punch it into the sky like a shooting star!"
The two quietly slipped out of the room and avoided the guards patrolling the corridors.
Kōichi Hayashi used [Breeze Sensing] to suppress the sound of their footsteps. Guided by Aqua's flickering Goddess radar, they gradually ventured deeper into the mansion's western corridor, which had been completely swallowed by darkness.
The smell of sulfur grew stronger with every step, while Aqua's expression gradually changed from fear to outright physical disgust.
When they reached the heavy iron door leading into the basement, Kōichi Hayashi stopped.
He could feel an extremely twisted and powerful negative energy building behind it.
A dull grinding of stone suddenly echoed through the corridor.
The seemingly impenetrable iron door slid smoothly to one side like a well-oiled drawer, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.
While nervously feeling around the wall, Aqua had accidentally pressed a concealed lever. The door silently opened, exposing a path toward an altar below covered in sinister runes.
The two carefully descended the eerie staircase.
Dark red liquid seeped from the stone walls on either side. Along with the overpowering smell of sulfur, the air carried another nauseating sour stench, like salted fish that had been left fermenting for half a year.
When they finally reached the bottom and hid behind a massive stone pillar, the sight before them made Kōichi Hayashi's eye twitch.
At the center of the vast, hollow basement, a huge purple Magic Circle glowed with an eerie, cold light.
Alderp, who normally strutted around his territory with all the arrogance of a tyrant, was now kneeling before the altar in an ill-fitting silk nightgown.
He looked like an enormous lump of melting gelatin.
Layers of fat trembled with every ragged breath he took, while his fleshy face was twisted with a sickening mixture of fanaticism and fear.
At the center of the Magic Circle, a shadowy figure slowly materialized.
Pitch-black mist coiled around it, barely revealing a pair of grotesque horns and two deep crimson eyes.
The oppressive presence made even the surrounding air feel thick and heavy.
This was definitely something on the level of a Demon King's Army General.
No.
It might even be something higher.
A Demon Duke.
"G-Great... Great Duke-sama!"
Alderp's voice was shrill and hoarse as he repeatedly smashed his forehead against the stone floor.
"The Divine Treasure has already failed! Those damned Adventurers... they must have discovered something! Please grant me even greater power! As long as you can make Her Highness Iris fall in love with me, I'll pay any price! Even if I have to sacrifice half the population of the Royal Capital to you, I won't hesitate!"
"Kuhehehehe..."
The Devil's shadow let out a deep laugh.
The sound was so unpleasant that it almost felt as though it were scraping directly across one's eyes.
"Greedy human... your soul has rotted so thoroughly that even I find it delightful. But my descent will still require time. Until then, you must first deal with the troublesome little rats getting in the way..."
Its crimson eyes shifted toward the massive stone pillar.
"For example, those two hiding behind that pillar who reek of cheap stupidity and scum."
Kōichi Hayashi's heart skipped a beat.
Before he could even complain that this Devil had a nose sharper than a dog's, Aqua beside him completely lost it.
"Waaah! It found us! Kōichi, it called me stupid! How dare some mere Devil from the Lower Realm insult this Goddess!"
Aqua had been trembling in fear just seconds earlier, but the moment she heard the word "stupid," her inexplicable pride somehow overwhelmed that fear completely.
She leaped out from behind the stone pillar and pointed straight at the enormous demonic shadow.
"You horned pervert stalker! How dare you plot to kidnap a beautiful young girl in broad daylight... No, wait, in the middle of the night inside a basement! And you're even planning to sacrifice innocent people! Did you ask Aqua-sama, the Great Goddess of Water, for permission?!"
Kōichi Hayashi covered his face in agony.
This idiot.
Failing at stealth was one thing, but why did she have to announce who she was too?
Alderp suddenly whipped around.
His eyes, twisted with greed and fear, locked onto Kōichi Hayashi and Aqua.
"It's you two?! You damned, Devil-possessed perverts! How dare you trespass into my forbidden sanctuary!"
"Hey, fat pig. Aren't you getting something mixed up here?"
Seeing that hiding was pointless now, Kōichi Hayashi simply stepped out in the open.
He tapped his staff lightly against his palm and gave Alderp his usual wicked smile.
"Who exactly is making deals with a Devil right now? We only came here because we were tracking down the Devil that supposedly controlled us. And now we've caught you red-handed. Once I report this to Lady Claire, how many death sentences do you think all that fat of yours will be enough for?"
"Death sentence? That assumes you'll live long enough to leave this place!"
Alderp screamed and threw both arms toward the Magic Circle.
"Great Duke-sama! Kill them! They're the appetizer I prepared for you!"
The crimson glow around the Devil's shadow suddenly intensified.
An overwhelming gravitational force swept across the entire basement in an instant.
Cracks began spreading across the surrounding stone pillars.
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