The Priest of Corruption

Chapter 58: Flicker.

The dim light cast upon the dark passage reflected off the blade of a swirling dagger.

Clang!

"Damn it!"

Hilden, the Eastern District Chief of Ilech, deflected the dagger aimed at his throat with a soft curse. His body, inactive for over five years, groaned under the strain. Despite his protesting body, he was more than capable of handling the assassin sent to kill him. After all, he was a man weathered by this line of work.

"Die!"

Thud!

Hilden's dagger found its mark in the assassin's chest. Out of habit, he twisted the dagger half a turn before yanking it out. The heat of battle, a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time, left his mind dazed.

Realizing his victory, Hilden raised both hands in triumph.

"Yeah, damn it! I'm not dead yet! This Eastern District Chief Hilden is still alive! Whether it's a hundred or a thousand assassins, I'll take them all on! Hahaha!"

Around the laughing Hilden, three corpses lay on the ground. As his excitement subsided, his rational mind began to grasp reality.

The assassins had broken in out of nowhere, calling him a traitor and attacking. Hilden quickly grasped the situation with the extraordinary intuition that had kept him alive in the underworld.

'That lizard prince's request has gone completely to shit! Before hiding and covering his tracks, he attacked both me and the lizard prince in a final act of revenge. The lizard prince must be under attack right now. If he sent three assassins after me, I can't even imagine how many he sent after the lizard prince.'

Having made his decision quickly, Hilden kicked off the ground and ran out of the broken door.

'The lizard prince is in danger! I need to save him quickly...'

He stopped dead in the middle of the corridor as he was running out.

"No, why the hell should I go save him? What's so special about him?"

lust then, a group of people noticed Hilden standing still in the middle of the corridor.

"There! Hilden is still alive!"

"That bastard who threw shit at headquarters is still alive! Kill him right now!"

Hilden realized he was screwed, just like the request, as he heard the shouts coming from all directions.

"Shit, shit! I'm not Hilden! I just look a little like Hilden!"

A vehement denial. But of course, no one fell for Hilden's lie.

"Hilden is talking nonsense! Rip out that bastard's tongue!"

"Charge!"

Hilden ran back into the room he had just fled from as people swarmed in from all directions.

"Hilden! You bastard! There's no use hiding! There are no windows to escape from in this basement... Ugh!"

Hilden, who had been waiting by the door, stabbed the first man to enter in the throat with his dagger. Blood gushed from the spot where the dagger had been pulled out. Hilden kicked the dying man and shouted.

"Shit, shit! I'm not going alone! I'm definitely not going alone! Come on! Come on! You bastards!"

As if they had been waiting for his words, the agents of the headquarters began to pour into the room. Hilden fought back fiercely, but clear wounds began to appear on his body.

In the face of death, Hilden thought of his wife, who was as big as a bear. She had been a fox before they got married, but after marriage, she had gained weight and turned into a complete bear. He gritted his teeth, thinking of his wife.

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"Argh! May the strength of a bear surge within me! Shit! Someone, please save me! Please! Really, please! I'll even kiss your ass if you save me! Really!"

Then, a loud noise echoed down the corridor.

"Argh!"

"Crazy!"

Crash!

A man walked in through the broken stone wall. Blood dripped from his entire body. All of it was someone else's blood.

The bright yellow scales that stood out all over his skin, the sharp claws that protruded, the eyes that were split like a reptile's.

The appearance of Batis Draco, the third prince of the Dragon Kingdom, who had undergone a reverse dragon transformation. Upon confirming his arrival, Hilden's eyes burned with hotter hope than ever before.

"Did you, by any chance, come to save me?"

"Die! You damn lizard!"

Thud!

Batis Draco's fist, which shot out like a ray of light, burst the head of a man who was charging at him. He glanced around with an annoyed look in his eyes and brushed back his blood-soaked hair.

"Or do you think I came here to play? Shut up and follow me. Quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

Hilden, with a broad smile, quickly ran towards Batis.

I take back calling you a lizard! Really! Long live the prince of the Dragon Kingdom!'

In reality, Batis Draco was the root of all this chaos, but Hilden, teetering on the brink of death, didn't have the luxury to ponder that far. He was simply overjoyed to see the prince who had arrived to rescue him.

"Stay close to me. I'll personally eliminate anyone who attempts to hinder us, so prepare to escape swiftly."

"Yes!!! Prince Batis!!!"

Batis slightly furrowed his brows at the fervent response and retorted.

"If you ever try to kiss my ass with your filthy mouth, know that I won't hesitate to kill you too."

***

I stared at the ancient script shimmering on the blade of the Butcher, surprised by this unknown feature.

"Are there any other hidden features besides this glowing script?"

Writhing Curiosity examined the Butcher before handing it back to me.

"I'm not sure. But considering my daughter's nature, she might have designed it to interact with her other creations. She's quite fond of 'transformations' and combinations'."

I stowed the Butcher in my two-slot inventory, then a question crossed my mind.

"Why don't you desire my sword, yet you treasure the items your daughter made?"

The demon grinned.

"It's simple. As you said, what I cherish are the gifts' my daughter gave me. The other items were made by my daughter hoping someone would use them. If I forcibly collected them, I wouldn't use them out of regret and would just store them away. I know better than anyone that this isn't what my daughter wanted."

The cookie bowl was empty. Mother, having devoured all the cookies, poked the chin of Writhing Curiosity with her finger.

Kill...?'

"She's asking if there are any more cookies."

"Really?"

The demon smirked and pointed to a corner of the kitchen.

"There's a drawer full of cookies over there. Feel free to take as many as you want!"

Mother glanced at the demon's face.

Kill...'

How dare she treat me like a child...'

Mother grumbled, but still took the empty bowl and hopped off the demon's lap to refill it with cookies.

The demon watched Mother's retreating figure with a beaming smile.

"She's really cute, isn't she?"

"Yes, Mother is indeed adorable."

"But I'm not sure how to express my gratitude to you."

Writhing Curiosity pondered as she neatly packed the items into the box-shaped holy relic.

The demon's eyes softened.

"Shall we have a go without Mother knowing? I'll treat you really well. Seriously."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I must firmly decline. Please don't suggest that in front of Mother. It would cause a commotion."

At my refusal, Writhing Curiosity covered her mouth with her fingers. Her moist lips changed shape slightly along her delicate fingers.

"Really? That's a shame. I was joking last time, but I'm a bit serious this time. If you change your mind, let me know later. I'm okay with it."

She was quite cheeky. I quickly cut off the temptation that was sprouting in my heart.

The demon still had her lips pursed and was deep in thought.

"Then what can I give you as a reward... Hmm, do I have anything suitable to give you among the things I've collected...?"

Thud.

A towering pile of cookies. Mother returned with a mountain of cookies, greedily filled with desire. She placed the full bowls on the table and was about to naturally sit on the demon's lap again when she stopped abruptly.

Kill...!'

Realizing there was no need to sit on the demon's lap again, Mother quickly took a chair and sat down, starting to munch on the cookies.

The demon refilled the empty teacup and continued to ponder.

"I was thinking of following you around and helping a bit, but I don't really enjoy fighting. As you can see, or rather, even without seeing, it's clear that your journey as the Son of Corruption will surely be accompanied by a river of blood."

Mother, who had heard the demon's pondering, shouted with her cheeks full.

Kill!'

I chuckled and relayed Mother's words to the demon.

"She says if you're grateful, you should repay her with a pile of gold coins as big as these cookies."

The demon looked at Mother's face and chuckled.

"I like that our Mother of Corruption is so practical. I like it. But I have a lot of expenses coming up, so giving money is a bit... I have to think about how to handle the halfdestroyed Underground Arena, and fixing this damaged eye will cost quite a bit too."

Writhing Curiosity, who was chattering away, subtly reached out towards Mother's head.

Slap!

Mother's fierce slap, as soft as cotton candy, halted the demon's gesture. Rubbing her slapped hand, she laughed.

"I'd rather not give you money that will just disappear. I want to give you something more special, something memorable. Let's see... Ah!"

The demon, who had suddenly stood up, showed a happy smile as if she had solved a difficult problem.

"lust wait here for a bit. I might have something to give you."

Writhing Curiosity strode away. Mother, who had returned with a mountain of cookies, didn't care about the demon's departure and continued to ruthlessly devour the cookies.

She looked so cute that I teased her.

"Are they that delicious?"

Kill! ! !'

A resounding affirmation. Mother quickly drank her tea. I refilled her teacup while watching her chew on the cookies with her cheeks full. Even though I couldn't taste it, I could feel the taste of the cookies just by looking at Mother's happy face.

If I had known she liked to eat this much, I would have bought her lots of delicious food earlier.

Thanks to the money I won in the illegal arena, my pockets were quite full. I firmly resolved to buy her lots of expensive and delicious food in the future.

Kill.'

A soft murmur echoed. I flashed a bright smile at Mother.

"Why so softly?"

Mother quickly scanned the surroundings, ensuring the demon was absent. She spoke in a voice quieter and smaller than anyone else's, even though the demon wouldn't have heard her even if she had spoken directly to her.

Kill, kill.'

Earlier, when she had opened the kitchen drawer, it was filled with these cookies. Mother cautiously expressed her true feelings.

Kill...?'

She wondered if I could ask the demon to pack some cookies for her when we departed later. Her innocent question prompted me to nod in agreement.

"I'll ask her separately later."

Kill!'

Only then did Mother begin to smile contentedly, pushing the snacks back into the bowl. I quietly savored the peaceful moment, filled only with the sound of her munching on the cookies.

After a while, Writhing Curiosity returned, holding a small object in her hand. She extended it towards me with a broad smile.

"I've been holding onto this, planning to sell it to the right person for a fair price. I forgot to sell it because the right person never showed up, but I'll just give it to you. I think this will be a sufficient reward for you."

I accepted the key' that the demon handed over. The key' that could unlock the door to the ruins of the ancient empire. I immediately grasped the significance of this key'.

"Could it be a ruin that contains another of your daughter's masterpieces'?"

The eyes of Writhing Curiosity curved softly. Her mole shifted gently.

"You're quick to catch on, which I like. But I don't really know what's inside the ruins, is that okay?"

Considering the Butcher's significant contributions so far, there was absolutely no reason to refuse.

I grinned at the demon.

"This is truly a perfect reward. I'm already looking forward to it."