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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Twilight settled over the demon realm.
We arrived without fanfare, the absence of humans a welcome relief.
Demeri fanned herself with her hand.
“Even for the demon realm, I didn’t expect such rugged terrain. How much further do we have to go?”
“Just a little longer.”
I offered encouragement, though I shared her sentiment.
We had been traversing the demonic valley for half a day, aided by magic, yet our destination remained out of sight.
“We’re here.”
Ruin murmured, placing her hand on the ground.
A magic circle flared to life.
In an instant, the valley vanished, replaced by an entirely new landscape.
“What was that…?”
“Ancient runes.”
“You were willing to show us an ancient rune magic circle?”
Runes were a largely unexplored field of magic, their secrets closely guarded.
Ruin’s willingness to reveal hers was surprising.
She smiled brightly.
“Yes, considering their value, showing them is a considerable loss. But you saved my life, Jekkiel. So it’s alright.”
“…I see.”
Demeri interjected.
“I wish your benefactor felt the same way about Jekkiel… I hear he’s quite difficult.”
“He cares for me deeply. I’m sure he’ll welcome us.”
We continued our trek, eventually reaching an overgrown garden.
Ruin looked slightly embarrassed.
“My apologies, the garden has been neglected while I was away. I’ll tend to it once this is resolved.”
We passed through the garden, more akin to a small forest, and arrived at a dilapidated workshop.
“Here it is.”
“Hmm.”
Demeri looked taken aback by the state of the building.
It was, to put it mildly, extremely run down.
As we approached, a small attached dwelling came into view.
Ruin held a finger to her lips, then bowed respectfully before the door.
“Sariel.”
There was no response.
The dwelling seemed devoid of any presence.
“Sariel!”
Ruin called again, louder this time, but still no answer.
She gestured for us to follow, and we stepped inside.
The scene that greeted us was… chaotic.
A demon with white hair and goat-like horns lay sprawled on the floor, face down.
Regita, silent until now, sniffed the air.
“…A corpse. He seems dead.”
“No, no! He’s always like this.”
Ruin, looking flustered, shook the demon’s shoulder.
He didn’t stir.
When she rolled him over, a strand of his own hair was clutched in his mouth.
He looked, undeniably, like a corpse.
Regita sniffed again.
Her dragonkin senses were far more acute than ours.
“Alcohol?”
She muttered.
Simultaneously, a bottle tumbled from a nearby wardrobe.
Then, with a crash, the wardrobe doors burst open, revealing a mountain of bottles within.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Amidst the mess, Sariel stirred.
He clutched his head, groaning.
Ruin bowed deeply.
“Sariel! It’s Ruin!”
“…Water. Bring me water.”
“Yes, of course.”
The bottles looked recently emptied.
He had consumed an astonishing amount of alcohol in a short time.
Ruin conjured a large amount of water, practically enough to bathe in.
He gulped it down, then finally looked at us.
“Ugh… my head.”
“Sariel, I’m back. It’s Ruin.”
“Ruin?”
“Yes. Ruin, who used to live with you.”
Sariel stroked his chin, then snapped his fingers as if remembering something.
“Bring me some alcohol. My head isn’t working without it.”
“More… alcohol?”
“What are you waiting for? Bring it!”
“Yes, sir.”
Ruin hurried upstairs and returned with more bottles.
Before she could even set them down, Sariel shattered them in mid-air with telekinesis, pouring the contents directly down his throat.
“Ugh…”
He slumped back into his previous corpse-like state.
“Sariel, will you listen to us now?”
“Don’t know… sleepy…”
“We’ve brought an important guest. Jekkiel.”
“Jekkiel…? Who’s Jekkiel…?”
“The former Sin of Pride. A vampire. You crafted Thanatos, remember? He’s the one using it now.”
“Thanatosh?”
Sariel coughed.
“Did I make that…? Hiccup.”
My, Regita’s, and Demeri’s expressions soured.
This was not the master craftsman we had expected.
He was, simply put, a drunkard.
Demeri tugged at Ruin’s sleeve.
“Excuse me, Ruin.”
“Yes, Demeri?”
“…Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
“This is Sariel, I assure you.”
“Is he always like this?”
“Ah… not always. There was an incident… after which he started relying on alcohol. But this is definitely Sariel.”
Despite Ruin’s assurances, our expressions remained grim.
“I’ll ask him myself.”
Jekkiel stepped forward, bypassing Ruin.
Sariel was already dozing against the wall.
Jekkiel bowed slightly.
“Sariel, we require your expertise in handling Ermetellen, a material of the highest quality. As you know, there are few capable of working with it, and we believe you are the only one who can.”
“Ermetellen? Ermetellen, you say?!”
Sariel bolted upright.
As expected, the mention of Ermetellen roused him.
“Ermetellen…!”
He repeated the name, his expression serious.
I nodded.
“I have it in my possession. Would you be willing to undertake this task? I’m prepared to offer any compensation you require.”
“Ermetellen… it’s very expensive.”
“Yes, I’m aware. But we’re not concerned about failure. We simply ask that you attempt to work with it.”
“Ermetellen is very expensive…”
Sariel’s head bobbed, and he started to doze off again.
“…How many bottles of alcohol could I buy with that? Amazing! Alcohol! Bring me alcohol!”
“……”
Jekkiel looked bewildered.
Demeri stepped in, grabbing Ruin by the collar.
“Are you sure this is Sariel?! He looks like a drunkard! He’s talking about selling Ermetellen! How can he possibly work with it in this state?!”
Ruin, sweating profusely, covered Demeri’s mouth.
“How dare you speak like that in front of Sariel! He might banish us from this place…!”
“He looks like his mind is already banished…! Oh, what are we going to do?! Am I stuck with that crazy dragon forever…?”
Demeri was near tears.
If Regita remained in this state, it would fall to Demeri to monitor her, search for alternative treatments, and manage her care.
“This is insane! How are we supposed to fix this?! I want to die!”
Just then, Sariel’s gaze focused on Jekkiel.
A spark of recognition flickered in his otherwise unfocused eyes.
“Wait… Jekkiel… Jekkiel…”
He repeated the name, then suddenly stood up, staring intently at Jekkiel.
“You… could you be…”
“Yes?”
Jekkiel looked puzzled, but Sariel pointed a trembling finger at him.
The tremor didn’t seem alcohol-induced.
“Christine.”
He uttered the name.
“You… you’re the one who imprisoned Christine, aren’t you?”
A strange tension filled the air.
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