How to Live the Life of a Demon Chapter 18 - Dream of a Dream Demon (3)

 

In the deep evening, soft lighting illuminated the room.

 

Lucius, who returned to his mansion while Lennox was asleep, was leaning on his office chair with his eyes closed.

 

Next to him were Hamel, who had arrived first to assist with the work, and Dummett, who was happy to see his son’s face for the first time in a long time.

 

As soon as Lucius arrived at the mansion, he took care of the backlog of work and told Dummett the whole story.

 

Lucius had no idea that only a few days would feel this long.

 

“It sure is strange. No matter how young you are, I’ve never heard of a demon suffering from nightmares.”

 

“I think I understand why Arnold cares about Lennox but leaves him alone. He couldn’t find a solution because he didn’t know why.”

 

“Even if he finishes growing, it’s still a problem. If he’s in that state, he won’t last long.”

 

Graduating from the academy and finishing growing up does not cause severe nightmares and insomnia to disappear.

 

Lennox probably knows that too.

 

Lucius recalled his original purpose.

 

At first, he tried to use negative rumors about Lennox to immediately create a positive impression.

 

All of the rumors currently spreading around the Academy were because Lennox did not show a clear position.

 

A good performance at this year’s Gustav Festival and a rumor that it was a simple accident would have been enough to change students’ perception.

 

But.

 

“It’s not as easy as I thought. I also wonder why a student named Edion went on a rampage.”

 

“What kind of student was he?”

 

“He was part of a tarantula tribe that lived in Granble, located on the northwest frontier. He had good grades and a good personality. Something that could cause his emotional condition to suddenly fluctuate greatly…”

 

“Granble. If you’re talking about Granble, it’s near Mist.”

 

Dummett, who was listening to the story, frowned.

 

There are several ‘demon beast zones’ in the Demon World, and Mist was one of them. The place was infested with demonic beasts as the fog of demons spread thickly.

 

At the sudden remark, Lucius tilted his head.

 

“Come to think of it, you went to investigate some time ago, right? Was there something?”

 

The demons living near Mist had a history of causing a lot of accidents. Many of them would go on rampages, causing destruction, and there were also frequent incidents of them violating contracts in the human realm and devouring their contractors.

 

There was speculation that it was due to the effect of the fog.

 

“It was as expected. The miasma there is stronger than anywhere else. There were also many evil spirits. It isn’t a good place to live.”

 

“It may have been unstable to begin with.”

 

Lucius nodded and smoothed his chin. Dummett looked at that and smiled slightly.

 

Dummett was very happy that Lucius told him about his experiences at the Academy and explained about the friends he met.

 

Dummett particularly enjoyed seeing Lucius pondering over what to do about Lennox, resembling an ordinary demon of his age.

 

“Hamel, what do you think?”

 

Hamel, who was sorting and organizing documents, briefly looked at Lucius in response to his question. Then, he resumed his work and spoke nonchalantly.

 

“I don’t know about other things, but I don’t want to go to Mist if possible. I can’t stand associating with them.”

 

“Were there a lot of Kelpies in that area?”

 

“Yes. These are guys who don’t know gourmet food, who rot their food and then eat it. It’s a good thing that they are herbivores.”

 

Hamel shook his head, adding that he didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if they were carnivores.

 

Dummett asked Lucius, who was deep in thought.

 

“What do you plan to do? For the sake of achievement, you could just stay with him for a year and then find another partner. He won’t last long, but… if he doesn’t want to live, it can’t be helped.”

 

As he spoke, there was no trace of a smile in Dummett’s eyes.

 

‘I guess it’s because he is from a shaman clan that commands evil spirits.’

 

When Dummett discussed death, he resembled a desolate desert.

 

Then.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Suddenly, a surge of heat shot up from his wrist. Lucius looked quite perplexed and rubbed his forehead in discomfort.

 

The magical pattern he had constructed seemed to be breaking apart. 

 

Lucius grimaced in pain.

 

“Lucius, that’s… Go quickly. It doesn’t look good.”

 

Lucius nodded and looked at Hamel.

 

Then, he looked straight at the gate that was opening and spoke.

 

“Dummett, that guy is my partner. I was the one who first nominated Lennox as my partner. I have to take responsibility.”

 

As Lucius carefully chose his words, he coughed and added, “And I might put Rudiger in debt as well.”

 

“Hehe. Is that so?”

 

Rudiger was terribly fond of his son, but he believed that in such matters, one had to overcome them on their own.

 

He might pretend not to know about Lennox’s situation, despite his deep love for his children.

 

Anyway, it’s probably enough to put him in debt.

 

Lucius jumped into the gate, leaving behind the smiling Dummett.

 

* * *

 

Lucius went straight back to his room. This was because Lennox’s magic response was still there.

 

He definitely summoned enough Pnan before he left.

 

As Lucius emerged from the gate, he opened his eyes to the sight before him and let out a bitter laugh.

 

Lennox was still in the room.

 

Surrounded by a cloudy black energy.

 

Hamel gave a short comment.

 

“It seems like more of an evil spirit than magic. With this kind of energy, the teachers will come running in no time.”

 

“I know that. The problem is, why did that energy suddenly stick to him? To a dream demon who is not a shaman.”

 

“Krrr…”

 

A cry like that of an animal.

 

Lennox’s eyes flashed blue.

 

The enveloping evil spirit grew even darker and soon became so dense that Lennox’s body was barely visible.

 

“Should that be considered possession?”

 

Hearing Lucius’ muttering, Hamel frowned and said.

 

“It’s my rotten luck. I understand what it is. That’s a Kelpie. It must have acquired a taste for demon. The cause… seems to be Ophelia.”

 

“No way. There was definitely nothing wrong.”

 

“It was sealed, so you didn’t feel it. Because of your power, the Kelpie must have hidden its body. Then it must have changed its mind about swallowing him up. It probably thought it was an opportunity while he was alone.”

 

“I guess so. Anyway, it’s amazing. Did Ophelia swallow the whole Kelpie when it tried to harm its owner?”

 

In that case, the nightmare that Lennox was suffering from must have been Ophelia’s request for salvation.

 

“So what Lennox killed was a Kelpie wearing Edion’s mask. Ophelia knew that and activated the barrier.”

 

His eyes turned to the sword Lennox was holding. The thick evil spirit aura surrounding Lennox’s body was constantly flowing out of Ophelia.

 

Lennox slowly raised his sword. Lucius clicked his tongue and created a barrier.

 

No one could deny the rumors about Lennox if others saw him like this. It was clear that even Arnold would no longer be able to protect Lennox.

 

And before that happens, half of this building will probably be blown down.

 

The chaotic energy was quickly concentrated on the tip of the sword. Lucius immediately contracted the barrier and ran towards Lennox.

 

“Hamel, you keep an eye on the teachers here. Arnold might have felt something. You can stop it on your own.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Hamel nodded lightly and hurriedly left the room. Lucius reached into the thickly enveloping evil spirit with his hand.

 

The evil spirit resisted and caused a huge spark. Despite the stinging pain on his skin, he grabbed Lennox’s arm and concentrated.

 

‘With this volume, there’s no way to escape without being noticed.’

 

He glanced at the thick concentration of evil spirit within the barrier.

 

‘There’s no other choice. I can only hope that Hamel will handle it well. The appropriate place is probably there.’

 

He guessed the coordinates in his mind and activated the spell.

 

Their appearance disappeared behind a barrier filled with the evil spirit.

 

***

 

The place where Lucius arrived was Mist, the Demon Beast’s lair located in the northwest corner of the Demon World.

 

‘It would be better to hide the evil spirit here.’

 

After confirming that he had arrived properly, Lucius took a breath and released the barrier. At that moment, the energy gathered at the tip of the sword exploded and swept the surrounding area, blowing away the energy.

 

After a moment of exhaustion, a headwind blew. Lucius clicked his tongue and spread a protective shield around Lennox.

 

“If you use magical energy with that kind of force, your body will be destroyed in an instant.”

 

“Kruk, kruk. Crrr. Crrrrr!!”

 

‘Should I deal with that first?’

 

The evil spirit that came out of the sword gradually began to take the shape of a horse. At the same time, a strange voice rang out.

 

“Keuuuuu!!”

 

“It’s noisy.”

 

Lucius gave Ophelia a glance. If he drops that thing, Lennox will be free from the evil spirit.

 

The problem is.

 

“I can’t cut off his hand.”

 

Usually, when an incident like this occurs, the first thing that happens is that the problematic items and demons are forcibly removed.

 

The most commonly used method in such cases was cutting.

 

But Lucius did not prefer it.

 

‘I have a lot of work to do and I can’t let him lose his hands.’

 

So what are the remaining options?

 

The corners of his mouth raised joyfully.

 

The Kelpie’s horn glowed as it ran straight, whipping its mane. At the same time, lightning struck from all directions.

 

Though he may have been unconscious, Lennox wielded his sword with a composed posture, as if his body remembered.

 

Lucius did not evade his sword strike. Instead, he grasped the end of the sword tightly with his bare hand and got close to Lennox.

 

Blood flowed profusely from his palm.

 

“Krrrrr!! Krrr!!”

 

With his remaining hand, he held onto Lennox’s other arm to restrict his movement. The Kelpie roared, gathering energy in its horn.

 

Lucius rolled his foot.

 

Thomp! Thomp!

 

An earthquake occurred, and various plants around them suddenly sprang up, attacking the Kelpie.

 

He put more strength into the hand holding the sword and said, “It’s mealtime, Ophelia. Eat them all.”

 

Hamel would be furious if he found out, but there’s no helping it. Fill your belly to satisfaction.

Lennox’s hand holding the sword trembled. Without flinching, Lucius supplied blood to Ophelia and kept an eye on the Kelpie.

 

‘Even considering that it has been weakened by the seal, it is powerful enough to attract attention from other demons. Ophelia is having a hard time.’

 

Lucius remembered Ophelia, who resonated with him when she smelled his blood not long ago.

 

‘Now that I think about it, was that also Ophelia’s request for help? She must have tasted my blood on the first day.’

 

Even if that wasn’t the case, she would have needed something that would give her strength in order to seal away the magical beast.

 

There was also a possibility that Ophelia sent the same signal to Lennox’s former partner last year. To students, it would just look like a bloodthirsty sword.

 

“K-k-kill… me.”

 

Lennox’s voice was heard, accompanied by a groaning sound from his throat. Lucius briefly took his gaze off the Kelpie.

 

A small beam of light shone in the blue eyes of the Kelpie, as Ophelia regained her strength and Lennox’s consciousness slowly returned.

 

Lennox trembled as he held onto the sword, groaning as if squeezing it.

 

“Kill me!!”

 

“You have quite the spirit.”

 

“Please… kill me… Lucius!”

 

“I won’t kill you.”

 

Lucius forcefully pushed away the sword he was holding onto. Lennox’s body fell backward accordingly.

 

‘This should be enough to drop it from his hand.’

 

Lucius struck Lennox’s wrist hard with the blade of his hand.

 

“Ugh!!”

 

Lennox dropped the sword as it was. Immediately, Lucius kicked him hard and sent him flying away from the sword.

 

“Ugh!! Cough!”

 

Black, dead blood flowed from his mouth. Perhaps because of the recoil, Lennox lost consciousness and fell down.

 

Lucius looked down at Ophelia, who was still in dire straits, and held it in his hand. And then he injected demonic energy all at once.

 

“Keeeek!!!”

 

Then a black sphere popped out of Ophelia. Lucius snatched it and held it in his hand.

 

It was the core of a Kelpie that had been sealed and dwarfed.

 

Crash.

 

When Lucius applied a little force, the core broke without force. At the same time, the rampant energy subsided and dispersed.

 

The dense aura that had taken on the appearance of the Kelpie was the same.

 

“Should we go back now?”

 

Lucius picked up the unconscious Lennox.

 

His body was a mess due to the aftermath of being attacked by the evil spirit, but Lennox was sleeping with a very peaceful expression.

 

‘All that’s left now is… Arnold, I suppose.’