Chapter 93
“Ah.”
Tesilid recognized them first and let out a small exclamation.
And the others, upon recognizing him, reacted just as intensely.
Like this:
“Y-you, you’re…!”
“Hiiiiiik…!”
“Y-you were alive…?!”
“H-how…?!”
At a glance, they were clearly the Chanyeong Knights.
[“The Word That Builds Worlds” is intrigued.]
[“The Scales That Judge Souls” gleam with anticipation.]
Tesilid turned to look at me.
“I have a favor to ask, Ailet.”
“What kind of favor?”
With a faint smile, he leaned close to my ear.
“—.”
What I heard was a single, concise sentence.
“…What?”
I looked at him, unable to hide my disbelief—but he didn’t even wait for my response before walking toward the Chanyeong Knights.
With a polite, almost mechanical smile, he greeted them.
“Greetings, Commander Gedvil, Vice-Commander Lecto.”
For some reason, it felt like the beginning of something very frustrating.
✠
Commander Gedvil, lacking leadership but full of ego.
Vice-Commander Lecto, who harbored deep inferiority toward Tesilid as a tank.
The two true powers of the Chanyeong Knights could never forget what happened fifteen days ago.
Near Greenwall Village, an A-rank dungeon called “The Sculptor’s Atelier” had been discovered.
There, they encountered a man who stood at the pinnacle of evil.
With a mere gesture, he caused the dungeon’s forces to swell and trigger a burst.
He wielded transcendent dark magic without even casting it.
His presence alone made one feel compelled to kneel and bow.
The man with long black hair seemed like the incarnation of a demon god.
Overwhelmed, the Chanyeong Knights didn’t even dare lift their heads to look at his face.
Trembling, they heard the dungeon’s master—the “Demonic Sculptor”—grovel before him.
—To think that Chaos Evil would first descend upon my domain! It is an honor! I shall create a masterpiece with the fresh materials that entered today to celebrate your arrival!
The “fresh materials” referred to the Chanyeong Knights themselves.
They trembled violently.
Whether they would die or not was no longer the issue.
The question was how they would die.
And judging by the “artworks” decorating the dungeon, they knew their deaths would be horrific.
Their spirits completely collapsed.
They made animal-like noises, clawed at their own faces, and even lost control of their bodies in terror.
—How dare you show such disgrace before Chaos Evil!
Just as the Demonic Sculptor revealed his fury—
—Choose your materials carefully.
The voice of the man called Chaos Evil shook their very souls.
It was too beautiful to belong to something called “evil.”
—Do you wish to live?
The knights realized he was speaking to them.
They instinctively raised their heads—but his face remained hidden in deep shadow, like a mask.
Still, he felt decadently, overwhelmingly beautiful.
Then he made them an offer.
—Hand that one over to me, and I’ll spare your lives.
His elegant fingers pointed at Tesilid Argent.
At that moment, a glimmer appeared in the knights’ eyes.
A shameful, desperate hope.
Sensing their hesitation, Chaos Evil pressed further, almost playfully.
—If giving him up for free feels wrong… selling him isn’t a bad option either.
Clink.
Gold coins rolled across the floor—one for each person.
—Oho! As expected of Chaos Evil! Fine materials deserve proper payment! What a splendid idea!
At the sculptor’s flattery, the knights’ eyes lit up.
A contract with a demon was absolute.
And a “transaction” was the simplest and most fundamental form of contract.
If they picked up the coins and handed over Tesilid—their lives would be guaranteed.
So what did they do?
—I-I’m sorry…
—P-please, Tesilid…
—Y-you just have to sacrifice yourself!
—I-it’s better than all of us dying!
Hope turned into madness.
Avoiding his fragile sea-colored eyes, they obeyed evil’s demand.
They dragged their own comrade and offered him up.
Tesilid was forced to kneel.
The hand of Chaos Evil dug into his silver hair like claws.
—I’ll borrow the studio. I feel like painting.
Screeeech.
Dragging him by the hair, Chaos Evil entered the room.
Tesilid, too shocked to resist, was pulled along like a lifeless body.
Through the slightly open door, they saw him begin to paint.
Red “paint” splattered across the atelier.
The sound of canvas tearing echoed.
The knights turned away.
—Chaos Evil seems to be enjoying himself. Don’t interfere—leave.
Soon after, a burst gate opened in the dungeon.
The Chanyeong Knights were expelled along with a flood of monsters.
Strangely, the beasts did not attack them.
Only later did they realize—it was because of the gold coins they still clutched.
They saw Greenwall Village being destroyed like a black avalanche.
But having barely survived, they had no room to care about others.
“R-retreat! All units, retreat!”
They shattered a teleportation stone and fled to the Holy Empire.
Gedvil and Lecto were investigated.
They couldn’t confess the truth.
Making a contract with a demon would mean heresy judgment—worse than death.
So they chose survival.
“Those who live must go on.”
They coordinated their lies.
They blamed everything on Tesilid.
They claimed he entered the dungeon alone, trusting in the holy sword, and triggered the burst.
Their conscience made no protest.
If he had sacrificed himself anyway, wasn’t it only right to “complete” that sacrifice?
The investigation ended.
Tesilid’s funeral was held.
The Chanyeong Knights were conveniently assigned another mission and didn’t attend.
Everything went smoothly.
They believed they could start anew.
They even resolved to live well—for Tesilid’s sake.
But there was one problem.
“The coins… we can’t get rid of them!”
No matter how many times they threw them away, the coins returned.
Like an inescapable nightmare.
And now—
Something impossible had happened.
“Greetings, Commander Gedvil, Vice-Commander Lecto.”
“……!”
He was alive.
Tesilid Argent.
How?
Why?
Their minds went blank.
Ignoring their panic, Tesilid spoke calmly.
“It’s good to see you again.”
“G-good…?”
Gedvil stammered.
“When I came to, I was alone deep in the mountains. I remembered nothing after entering the dungeon. I blamed myself, thinking I was the only survivor. I’m glad you’re all safe.”
“You… don’t remember?”
Hope flickered again—
“Yes. But my memories are gradually returning. So don’t worry.”
—and was crushed instantly.
Cold sweat ran down their backs.
Gedvil thought:
If he regains his memories and returns to the Holy Empire… everything will be exposed!
Lecto thought:
We’ll be judged as heretics… tortured to death!
Their conclusion was the same.
Tesilid must not be allowed to live.
The first betrayal is the hardest.
The second is easy.
And this dungeon—
Was perfect for killing someone marked by a holy stigma.
A plague dungeon where survival without healing was impossible.
✠
<Wow… that killing intent is intense. Scary.>
“Indeed.”
<They’re completely set on killing him.>
I watched from a short distance as the Chanyeong Knights surrounded Tesilid.
They looked ready to draw their swords at any moment.
Yet they believed they were hiding their intentions well, forcing smiles onto their twisted faces.
<So, what will you do?>
“For now… I think I’ll do as Tesilid asked.”
<Ha…>
Agnes let out a dry laugh—completely understandable.
She asked again:
<Then what about those Chanyeong bastards?>
“Chanyeong…”
I smiled faintly.
“I can handle them however I want, right?”
