Chapter 79
I had seen many monsters until now.
Beast-like monsters, plant-like monsters,
and even slime-type liquid creatures that were neither one nor the other.
But a humanoid demon race—this was my first time seeing one like Hypnosian.
As expected of a demon, his skin was dark.
Not the sun-tanned bronze typical of people in this region,
but more like… a bluish, bloodless gray.
And he had no whites in his eyes—only pure, pitch-black spheres, distinctly inhuman.
Reptile-like scales sprouted across parts of his skin, and a pale lavender horn jutted from his head.
His face was just as androgynous as Cassie’s—impossible to tell whether he was male or female.
“You’re actually pretty attractive in your own way.”
I meant it.
He looked different from humans, but demons definitely had a unique charm.
“W-What kind of nonsense is that…! I’m your enemy!”
Hypnosian snapped furiously.
All I’d done was answer the question he himself asked—”Aren’t I hideous?”—with honesty.
I felt unfairly accused.
“Ugh, you ruined the mood…! My original plan was to put everyone to sleep, lure you out alone, and take you with me…! But I didn’t think you’d have an anti-sleep potion ready. I’m leaving.”
And just like that, complaining loudly, he leapt out the window.
“What the heck was that?”
Darren asked in a dumbfounded tone.
“Uh… probably a succubus-type monster?”
I answered with the same bewilderment on my face.
Why run away saying it’s “not fun anymore” without even introducing yourself?
That never happened in the game.
In the game, he always put the whole party to sleep, then gave the protagonist an enticing smile as they panicked.
Then he’d say, If you want to save your friends, follow me, and jump out the window.
“…We should track him.”
Adrian spoke stiffly, still clearly startled.
The others nodded and stood up.
The antidote must have kicked in—no one was staggering anymore.
And just like that, the succubus-hunt quest I was supposed to do alone began.
Once we stepped outside, we saw that not only the royal guards but all nearby residents were fast asleep.
Hypnosian’s curse had spread over the area.
“T-There! Up there!”
Darren pointed at the palace rooftop.
Hypnosian stood there, watching us.
“…Are you trying to chase me?”
“Of course! You damn monster…! Come down here! Fight fair and square!”
As Darren bellowed, Hypnosian snickered and wagged a finger side to side.
“No can do. If you want to face me, you’ll have to defeat my underlings first.”
The moment he said that—
rustling sounds echoed around us.
Before we noticed, we were surrounded by monsters.
“What the—are those skeletons?”
“Let’s just take them down first. That’s the only way we can chase the succubus.”
Skeletal corpses wielding swords and bows… a grotesque sight.
“All right, bring it on!”
Darren drew his massive battle-axe and charged into the skeletal legion.
While he blocked their attacks, Lena and I took down enemies, and Leo supported us with healing.
As expected of a party that had fought together many times—our teamwork was smooth.
Whew… good thing I prepared that anti-sleep potion. If the others were out cold, I’d have to defeat all these monsters alone.
I thought this as I fired a mana bullet toward a skull.
With a clatter, the head rolled across the ground.
We kept defeating the endless undead and continued chasing Hypnosian.
“You’re persistent.”
He summoned more monsters.
How many times had we repeated the same cycle—defeat monsters, chase him again?
“…This place is…”
Hypnosian stopped in front of a ruined building.
It was the ancient hero’s ruins—the site Adrian and I had visited yesterday.
“Hello. Do you know where we are?”
Hypnosian asked with a gentle smile.
Darren answered between heavy breaths.
“Where the hell are we?”
“This is… the ruins where, a thousand years ago, the goddess-chosen hero fought against Demon King Fonerus’s forces.”
Adrian answered instead.
“Correct. You’re well-informed.”
Hypnosian clapped lightly, pleased.
Darren scoffed, arms crossed.
“So? Why bring us here? What, do you want us to defeat you here like the heroes did a thousand years ago?”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Hypnosian nodded calmly.
As if that had indeed been his intention.
“W-What are you talking about?”
Darren was at a loss for words.
To bring us here hoping we’d defeat him?
It made no sense.
“You came to defeat me, didn’t you? Isn’t that right?”
“…”
Everyone fell silent.
In the game, Hypnosian behaved the same way.
If you defeat me, the desert’s darkness will disperse. So go on—defeat me.
Back then, I thought it was just provocation for the player.
But experiencing it now felt different.
His low confidence, his strangely lethargic demeanor…
It made me feel like defeating him here would be wrong.
Come to think of it, you don’t often get to talk with a member of Demon King Fonerus’s side.
Most monsters couldn’t speak at all.
Humanoid demons who thought and behaved like humans were rare.
If things could be resolved peacefully by talking, why fight?
“You seem like you have something to say. Go ahead.”
I took a cautious step forward.
Leo looked worried and tried to stop me, but I shook my head.
Besides, Hypnosian wouldn’t fight seriously today anyway.
The real battle would be inside the dungeon.
“…”
But now that he had the opportunity, Hypnosian hesitated.
He fell deep into thought before finally speaking.
“I was here a thousand years ago too.”
…Wow.
That was a shocking way to start.
I expected a long lifespan since he wasn’t human,
but not that long.
“Back then too, humans—the goddess’s chosen hero—came here to defeat me. They had to defeat me to lift the darkness covering the desert.”
Hypnosian gave a lonely smile.
Then he looked up at the star-filled sky and said:
“Why do demons even exist?”
“…?”
Uh… a philosophical question? Right now?
It wasn’t just me—everyone stared blankly at each other.
“When the goddess’s hero struck me down, I thought it was the end. But I revived. There was no such thing as an ‘end’ to my life. Can you imagine what that’s like?”
His voice was exhausted.
The life he described was horrifying.
A life of waiting endlessly to be slain again by a goddess’s chosen hero.
How unbearably tedious must that be?
“Are demons born only so the goddess’s heroes have something to defeat? Sometimes I can’t help thinking that. Hahaha…”
He laughed bitterly.
Then without warning, he lunged toward us.
We grabbed our weapons too late—
but he didn’t attack.
He simply pressed right up against Adrian and touched his face with slender fingers.
“What do you think?”
“…Why ask me?”
Even with razor-sharp nails near his throat, Adrian’s expression didn’t waver.
“Hmm… I don’t know. I just feel like you might understand how I feel.”
Hypnosian smiled seductively, brushing Adrian’s hair behind his ear.
Leo immediately looked away, coughing awkwardly.
His ears were bright red.
Wait—hold on…! Doesn’t Leo see Hypnosian as me because of the illusion?
So in his eyes, I’m the one pressing against Adrian like that?
So right now, from Leo’s perspective, I’m clinging to Adrian, smiling seductively, brushing his hair back…?
Even though I didn’t actually do it, I wanted to scream.
Get off—get off him right now, you damn succubus!
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Adrian’s expression remained unchanged.
And suddenly, curiosity crept into my mind—
What did Hypnosian look like to Adrian?
No, no! Why am I thinking about this?! This is not the time for pointless curiosity!
I shook my head hard to scatter the intrusive thoughts.
But curiosity rarely obeys reason.
While I silently battled my own brain, Darren cautiously raised his hand.
He clearly had a question.
“Hm? What is it, little chestnut head?”
“I, um… I was just wondering—
if you don’t want to be defeated by the goddess’s hero, couldn’t you just… not create darkness?”
An unexpected question—
but a very logical one.
