Acting as a Slit-Eyed Villain Perfectly

Chapter 225

Chapter 225. Ominous Will (2)

When I read the last journal left by 'Milena', I was taken aback.

Until now, I had no idea what the 'Ominous Will' mentioned in her journal referred to.

I merely assumed it was something the northern sorcerers, like the 'Witch' or the 'Queen of Thorns', referred to, or maybe it was some kind of dialect.

However, upon reading the phrase "It was instilled in Yulian", I started to grasp what it could be.

'Was it referring to the possessed?'

There were several contexts from which I could deduce that the 'Ominous Will' referred to the 'possessed'.

The subject would lose their memory, or they would engage in unusual activities.

Moreover, whenever the 'Ominous Will' appeared, the 'Demon King' would also emerge.

These were the sorts of implications.

'If, as I expected, the possessed are akin to players in this world.'

Then, there must always be someone who opposes the 'Player'.

'I understand Milena's fear of the possessed and the ominous will.'

Without players, there is no Demon King. That is to say, where there are players, a Demon King must exist.

This is the structure of the game and the design of this world.

Games, movies, even books—stories need an audience to unfold.

She had vaguely noticed the structure of this world.

Whenever the 'Demon God' resurrected, there was always a 'Demon King', which only emerged because of the player, the 'Ominous Will'.

【As the Queen of Thorns, I must cut out every budding seed of the Demon God. The Demon King and the Ominous Will must be erased from this world.】

Thus, she aimed to eliminate not only the vessel of the Demon King but also the 'possessed'.

'But someone appeared who inevitably weakened Milena's resolve.'

Yulian Cryphart Frason.

Though a fool, the one beloved by Oben, and the result of that love.

Her son had become the 'Ominous Will', and had to be removed before the contrary 'Demon King' emerged.

'That's why she coordinated the witches and strove to eliminate the anomalies born on the continent.'

However, she couldn't fulfill her duty as the 'Queen of Thorns' to eradicate the 'anomalies' of the continent.

The fact that I am alive proves this.

'So, Milena was dying not because of demonic energy.'

It was indeed a strange thing.

If she were truly a being carrying out the duty of the 'Queen of Thorns', she should be far beyond ordinary sorcerers.

Her adaptability to demonic energy should have been formidable enough to endure the demonic energy emitted by a bi-horned demon, yet it wasn't the case.

'Because she denied her own calling...'

I've thought for a long time that this world exists in the ambiguous middle ground between 'game' and 'reality'.

Even though the Sword Saint abandoned his calling and left, the 'Black Knight' still appeared.

The Sword Saint, thought to have betrayed, eventually became a 'hero' as envisioned in the 'trailer', dying at Yulian's hand, strengthening that belief.

And, according to its ambiguous setting...

'Milena lost her power because she couldn't fulfill her role as the Queen of Thorns.'

By denying her 'duty', the world no longer recognized her as the Queen of Thorns.

Milena, the sorcerer who lost her power, was left with only the traces of over a hundred years and the amassed demonic energy from those years of existence.

She could never endure with an ordinary body.

'Tsk.'

Resolving unnecessary guilt, I thought I might have devoured a part of the Cryphart family like a tumor.

But that guilt quickly subsided.

'It's better than indiscriminately slaughtering and becoming a Demon King.'

Yulian becomes the Demon King.

Thinking it better than ending with such a conclusion, I turned the page.

【I understood. I wasn't such a rational person. Even towards my son, I couldn't apply the standards of the Queen of Thorns, so I am indeed an emotional person.】

One question arose as I read.

According to Milena, if a 'possessed' person appears, there's a corresponding emergence of a 'Demon King's vessel.'

Who is the 'Demon King' corresponding to Yulian?

【Even if unavoidable... The 'Demon King' arising from Yulian must be dealt with by my own hands.】

One more page.

【I'm sorry, Yulian. This was the only way.】

― I'm sorry, Yulian. This was the only way."

Suddenly, a monologue witnessed in 'Milena's' memories resurfaced.

When those words surfaced, I realized what she had done in the end.

'Yulian wasn't made a vessel because he was born with a weak body.'

I had thought Milena imbued him with 'demonic energy' because he was so weak that he was dying, but it was not the case.

A 'Demon King' to counter the 'Player'.

A 'Player' to counter the 'Demon King'.

Creating this cycle, they eliminated the 'Demon King' selected because of 'Yulian'.

'Who was this journal intended for?'

For Yulian?

Or perhaps for someone possessing that body.

Thinking that far, my head began to hurt. I decided to regard it as merely having happened.

Whoosh!

The moment I realized there was no longer any business with the journal, it caught fire.

Perhaps Milena had cast a spell so that no record remained 'after reading'.

'Hm.'

Opening and closing my fist repeatedly, I began to sense the flowing mana within me.

'The ambiance here aids in quick recovery.'

Thinking this, I glanced at the 'Demon God's head' lying nearby.

Although the 'residual thoughts' did not remain because someone took the horns, a formidable air still lingered.

"This is..."

Inside the 'Demon God's head,' I noticed a strange emblem engraved.

'The Empire's emblem.'

Specifically, it's one used only by the imperial family, precisely by the 'royalty'.

"Could it be, that the imperial family ordered the head to be moved...?"

Crash──!

A sound of something breaking.

Startled, I turned my head to see there...

'What, what is that!?'

Angelica was chewing and eating away the 'head of the Demon God', blinking her eyes.

Hey, don't eat that!

"Stop, Angelica, stop!"

I spoke instinctively as if admonishing a child, but Angelica kept chewing.

Was it her instinct to draw toward this place to absorb the 'Demon God's head'?

===

⇒ Trait 〈Angelica〉's ferocity has strengthened!

⇒ Trait 〈Angelica〉's ability has been enhanced!

⇒ Trait 〈Angelica〉's transformation has been strengthened!

⇒ The power of 〈Quasi-Demonic〉 has become stronger.

⇒ You can now subdue hornless demons!

===

I was surprised by the degree of influence just from eating a hornless head.

Rumble──!

The moment Angelica bit into the 'Demon God's bone', a tremendous vibration began to occur in the surroundings.

I didn't even need to check with my eyes.

'Is it collapsing perhaps!?'

The roaring sound seemed to get closer to me.

Moreover, cracks began to appear in the ceiling, and the tiny beam of light started becoming larger.

'If something happens to the Demon God's remains, does it automatically collapse?'

The 'royal emblem' shimmered in my eyes, but my first instinct was that I needed to get out of here.

At this rate, I'd be buried.

No matter how strong the body of 'Yulian' may be, if it gets buried underground, it wouldn't emerge unscathed, right?

"Angelica?"

At that moment, Angelica, who had taken a bite of the 'Demon God's head,' began climbing up my back.

Caught off guard by her sudden action, for a moment,

Whoosh!

'Angelica' spread her body wide.

"Wings..."

It resembled a bird spreading its wings, about to glide.

"It's quite lacking though."

However, the shape looked terribly lacking. The color was dull black, and it was riddled with holes.

― Krrrrk.

Despite that, it seemed confident it could fly as Angelica began inflating her body.

Alright, go ahead and give it a try.

As permission was given, Angelica began fluttering her wings wide.

"Oh."

Pushing off the ground, a sensation of buoyancy enveloped my body.

My body rapidly soared upwards, fearlessly heading towards the ceiling where a shaft of light descended.

The thought of flying, and realizing a pure childhood dream, was enough to hear the once silent thudding of my heart.

The problem was,

'......it flutters too much.'

Honestly, it looked terribly off.

Whether it was my modest 'aesthetic sense' at play, or the 'artistic sense' from Yulian emerging, the sight was grotesque enough for me to close my eyes tightly.

Even so, while it wasn't precisely 'flying' in the sky, it seemed to greatly assist in jumping and gliding.

Nonetheless, it allowed navigation to the seemingly unreachable high ceiling crack.

It allowed an escape through that gap.

'So that's what it meant by transformation being strengthened.'

The level of Angelica's transformation was nothing more than extending or shrinking.

Previously, when trying to take on more significant forms, it often distorted beyond recognition.

However, considering this size and weight, even without particularly high intelligence, Angelica seemingly understood the role of 'wings' perfectly.

'Whose influence is this artistic sense?'

Whoosh──!

Exiting through the crack in the ceiling, a crashing sensation of the ground sinking below with a roar was felt.

Had I stayed there, I wouldn't have been merely injured.

"Whoo."

Looking around, it seemed like a forest with many intertwined trees. Leaning against the largest one and breathing a sigh of relief, I felt the tension easing.

"Well done."

Creak.

Angelica, who had returned to her recovered form, appeared now vividly more vibrant than before.

"Still, don't just pick up and eat anything."

The result seemed to have emphasized her gloomy appearance even more than before.

'But more than that.'

I once again recalled what transpired inside.

'According to Milena, the Ominous Will was instilled in Yulian before he was born.'

There's a slight contradiction. I gained consciousness as 'Yulian' after he had become an adult.

'Does it take time for the awareness of the possessed to awaken?'

A part of the possibility.

'I see.'

I didn't particularly feel anything else.

What was filling my mind was that the 'Demon God's horns' were absent, that there was a 'royal emblem' engraved in the remains,

And.

'Ornn.'

How much hatred must he have harbored to send a mage of "Three Colors"?

I know all too well that conversing with him is futile. Until now, I had only avoided confrontation due to his backing.

'It seems he's crossing the line.'

Thinking thus, I swept my finger once over my lips.

Clacky's Corner:

Next target: Ornn