Empty House (2)

‘First…’

Ian first checked the condition of Kargon, who was lying on the floor.

He felt for a pulse, then placed his hand under Kargon’s nose.

‘… Thank goodness. It’s not serious.’

Although Kargon was unconscious, neither his pulse nor breathing presented any serious issue.

However—

‘He needs first aid.’

Kargon’s mana circuits were contaminated by turbid demonic energy.

‘If left untreated, it could be dangerous.’

Demonic energy, in itself, is no different from an extremely harmful poison.

It rots the flesh and blood of living beings, and sickens the mind.

Severe inflammation had already appeared on Kargon’s body.

His blood vessels were swollen and bulged purple.

Around them, small blisters had appeared.

If left unattended, necrosis would soon set in.

If treatment was delayed, he could end up either feeble-minded or crippled.

‘Still, treating this isn’t difficult.’

It only required cleansing the demonic energy with aura.

― Swish.

Ian laid Kargon straight and placed his hand over his dantian.

The process of cleansing demonic energy is similar to purifying turbidity from the body.

Normally, it’s not easy.

Furthermore, cleansing demonic energy from someone else’s body, not one’s own, is even more difficult.

But—

For Ian, who possessed the enlightenment of a peak-stage swordmaster, it wasn’t that difficult.

― Fwoooosh…!

Ian gently infused aura into Kargon’s dantian.

Extremely delicately, so as not to damage the dantian or the mana circuits by mistake.

He carefully traced along Kargon’s mana circuits, dissolved the demonic energy stuck like clots, and gently expelled it through Kargon’s breath.

“Ugh… nngh…”

Soon, Kargon’s face noticeably relaxed.

Though the swollen blood vessels and blisters had not subsided yet, now that the source of inflammation was removed, these would soon heal.

With Hisperion’s blessed recuperative powers, he would greatly improve after just one day.

‘Alright, that’s the first aid done.’

Now, what remained was to plunder the spoils in this area—

And to return safely to Hisperion.

‘First, let’s check the portal. See if it can be reopened.’

If the closed portal could be reopened, then returning to Hisperion would not be a problem.

“……”

Ian picked up the portal artifact from the floor.

Two fairly thick, flat stone slabs.

‘Ah… damn it.’

He had half-expected it, but indeed—

It looked like returning through this portal was out of the question.

This portal device was a demon artifact Ian often saw in his previous life.

It was a magic tool set that came in pairs.

You would install one at each desired location, infuse demonic energy, and a portal would form linking the two slabs.

In other words, for both slabs to be together in one place…

‘Those demon bastards must have retrieved the portal stones when escaping from the uninhabited island.’

Did these guys not have the faintest sense of camaraderie?

By taking the portal stones, they surely knew the comrades left behind on the island would have no means of escape, and thus be doomed.

“Tsk.”

Well… then again.

Demons would hardly have that sort of comradery.

They would betray or sell off anything for their own desires.

That is how they live, stealing the world’s precious treasures to offer to their wicked demonic cult.

Truly the enemy of humanity and the world.

The cancer that eats away at humanity and the future.

Trash that must be thoroughly eliminated.

“Haah…”

Ian let out a short sigh.

‘Still, just in case…’

Might as well check.

The two may not be a set.

They could each be connected to different locations.

Ian tried activating the stone slabs with demonic energy absorbed into Vladiark.

― Zzzaaaak!

“Ah.”

But indeed, as expected.

Two portals arose simultaneously on the stone slabs.

They were definitely a set.

‘Shit…’

Returning through the portal was now certainly impossible.

Getting home had become much more troublesome.

‘Well… it can’t be helped. I’ll have to find another way.’

Ian accepted the situation.

‘First, I should figure out where this place is.’

He hoped he wasn’t too far from Hisperion.

‘Let’s grab whatever is here and get out quickly.’

Ian had traveled every corner of the continent in his previous life.

Just stepping outside and seeing the natural features or building styles, he might be able to guess where he was.

‘I have to return to Yuria and Sophia as quickly as possible.’

He was anxious about having left them back on the deserted island.

‘By now, Aris should have sorted out the island’s situation, so that place should be safer than here…’

Still, unless he was by their side himself, he couldn’t feel at ease.

Especially with the sly Aris near them—it was unsettling in itself.

Of course, if Aris truly intended to do anything to them, whether Ian was there or not, she would’ve acted long ago, so if there had been no trouble so far, there probably wouldn’t be any for a while.

‘Still, I’m anxious.’

It was impossible to be complacent when it came to matters concerning them.

Ian decided to move quickly.

‘First, find their vault.’

If this was a demonic hideout, there should be plenty of demon artifacts stored.

Among them, there might be something that could help him return to Hisperion.

For example, an artifact that made one’s body feather-light, or allowed one to breathe underwater.

If he could get even one such item, the way back home would be much easier.

Moreover, they would be handy for future battles with the demons.

Of course, a lot of luck was required to find such useful artifacts.

‘Gotta hurry.’

First, he needed to get out of this musty, humid room.

― Swish.

Ian hoisted Kargon onto his back and walked into the deep darkness toward the doorway.

* * *

Exiting the room, he found himself in a dark corridor.

The only light came from faintly glowing stones set in the ceiling.

It was very dark, but at this level, Ian could easily pierce the darkness with aura.

― Thud. Thud. Thud.

Ian moved, carrying Kargon on his back.

There were two other rooms along the corridor.

― Creek…

He opened the doors: one was a barracks with beds lined up; the other was tightly locked with a thick padlock.

‘This isn’t an ordinary lock.’

It was a padlock reinforced with dark magic.

Apparently, there was something important in this room.

― Kwajik!

Breaking the padlock was no trouble.

Ian smashed it with Vladiark—dark magic or not, it split cleanly in two.

― Creek…

The door opened, revealing a trove of treasures.

“Oh…”

The locked room was the demons’ vault for valuables.

‘Just as I thought. Something like this had to be here.’

On crude wooden shelves, there were gold bars, statues, weapons and armor, and artifacts on display.

‘Most of it’s low-grade, though.’

More than half was low-quality stuff he wouldn’t use even if given for free.

The displayed weapons weren’t much better than stuff from ordinary shops, and the artifacts looked like the sort of junk that would fool only amateurs.

This was only a small demon group led by a early-stage Master-rank leader, so it made sense they wouldn’t have anything great.

‘So, nothing in here will help me get home.’

― Disappointed.

Unlucky.

‘… But there are still some things worth taking.’

Ian quickly gathered only the useful items.

Gold bars and gems that could be used for travel expenses.

A simple forearm guard and pauldron for temporary use.

The armor contaminated with demonic energy was purified with Vladiark before he put it on.

There were also demonic energy orbs, the demons’ exclusive elixirs.

― Clang!

Ian immediately fed all the demonic energy orbs to Vladiark.

― Wriggle wriggle!

Vladiark consumed mana and demonic energy indiscriminately.

It would probably feed on holy power used by clerics just as eagerly.

‘In all sorts of ways, this greatsword perfectly matches the Authority of Projection.’

Since the Authority of Projection can use any type of energy—mana, aura, demonic energy, holy power—for fuel, storing demonic energy in Vladiark would allow for future use as needed.

‘That should be enough.’

The rest were of dubious quality—miscellaneous weapons, artifacts, crude poisons.

Taking them would only be a burden, so he ignored them all.

‘Now then…’

Just as Ian was about to leave the room—

― Clink clink…

“…?”

A faint sound of chains.

So faint that only Ian’s keen hearing could have picked it up.

“……”

Ian looked toward where the sound had come from.

The very end of the vault.

The sound came from under the floor beneath a weapons chest.

‘What is that?’

― Thud. Thud.

Ian approached.

― Clatter! Crack!

He moved the chest aside.

“Huh?”

An exclamation slipped out involuntarily.

‘W-what is this?’

A secret door was hidden in the floor.

A bizarre secret hatch, plastered with talismans.

‘This is…’

Ian knelt on one knee and examined the talismans in detail.

‘These are for concealing magic power.’

He had used these talismans often in his previous life.

‘What could possibly be down there?’

What was hidden below, that they’d have to use so many talismans to conceal its magic?

― Tear! Rip!

Without hesitation, Ian tore off all the talismans.

“…!”

Once the talismans were removed, a surge of overwhelming energy burst from below the hatch like spring water.

‘This is…!’

At least Grandmaster-rank energy.

‘But it’s not demonic energy.’

There was none of the telltale musty stench of a demon.

Instead, it felt denser, fishier, sharper, and colder.

‘A vampire.’

Vampiric energy mixed with magic power felt just like this.

― Clank!

The chain sound again.

It came from right under the hatch.

‘… Should I check it out?’

There was definitely something big down there.

But—

‘The energy is very strong.’

Checking it out could be a life-or-death matter.

‘Still, it’s not completely beyond my power.’

The pressure was at about Grandmaster rank.

Comparable to Aris Hisperion.

‘With Flostilla and Vladiark at this level, I should be able to manage.’

Ian wasn’t on the low end even as a Master, and with the Authority of Projection’s accumulation of various traits, plus doping from things like Elder Vampiric Sense, he wasn’t without chances against the unknown being below.

‘Alright. Let’s check it out.’

What were the demons hiding here?

It might even be an opportunity to eliminate an important figure for the Demonic Race.

If it wasn’t an enemy, but a prisoner, it could be a chance to rescue a Grandmaster-rank captive from the demons.

Either way, this was an opportunity—

And opportunities like this couldn’t simply be ignored.

This was a risk well worth taking.

Opportunities always come with risk.

― Creeeak…!

Ian carefully opened the trapdoor.

― Whoosh…!

A thick smell of mold, and a powerful surge of blood energy.

‘C-crazy…’

Now that the door was open, the pressure was clearer and stronger.

It seemed the presence below was much closer than he’d thought.

At this distance, the being below must have already sensed Ian as well.

‘Let’s try going down carefully…’

It was too late to turn back.

Ian slowly climbed down the ladder leading below.

“… Ho.”

About a third of the way down, a voice echoed up from the deep darkness below.

“… Back already?”

An alluring woman’s voice.

But it sounded weak, as if exhausted.

“What…?”

At the sound, Ian unconsciously let out a small exclamation.

‘Th-this voice…!?’

It was a voice Ian knew.

The voice of a comrade who had fought with him until the very end in his previous life.

‘S-Scarlet!?’

It was the voice of one of the many heroes who had thrown themselves with Ian against the Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm in humanity’s final war.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

Damn it, it’s getting closer and closer to becoming a harem…

I am not amused…

【(⩌‸⩌ )】

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