Chapter 44

Even if every shoe has its match, isn’t Demona not even a shoe to begin with?

Meanwhile, the future Roan supported his forehead with one hand as if he had a headache and asked.

“Surely you didn’t forget you were married, did you?”

He actually did.

Even though it was the truth, acting was required to pass the trial.

“Roan…”

Roan, with Demona’s face, made a crying expression and tried to cling to the future Roan.

Demona’s reaction, which anyone could see, was incredibly touched!

Boom—

However, Roan instantly deployed attack magic and blasted Demona far away.

“Don’t come near me. It’s disgusting.”

“Hing…”

‘This crazy bastard!’

Roan cursed inwardly before he could even feel the severe pain.

Not just a slap on the back of the head, but blasting his friend with attack magic?

Yet, for some reason, Demona’s body was relatively fine.

It had seemed like quite a high-level magic.

‘By the way, seeing it through someone else’s eyes, I can’t tell it’s black magic at all.’

Was it because he was looking through Demona’s eyes?

“Open the box.”

“O-Oh, okay.”

Roan quietly picked up the box and checked the inside.

“!!!”

And he was astonished.

A brilliant light poured out the moment he opened the box.

The necklace beyond it.

‘The Eternal Faestal Amulet!’

The greatest relic from the age of gods, studded with hundreds of rare gems whose value could not be measured individually.

It was so rare that over time, the genuine article had vanished, leaving only replicas or paintings that copied its appearance.

How on earth had the future Roan obtained this!

‘B-But I shouldn’t recognize it, right?’

Even in a situation where his hands were trembling, Roan remained cool-headed.

There was no way Demona would recognize such a precious treasure.

Roan asked in a slightly trembling voice.

“W-What is this?”

It was the most humiliating moment for an all-clear player of “God and Devil.”

The future Roan frowned slightly but soon nodded.

“Right, I didn’t expect much. That is the Eternal… no. Just give it to your wife. She will like it.”

She will like it?

Even if she were the most demure lady, receiving a necklace like this would make her do three backflips!

Roan shuddered inwardly.

‘And if you got such an item, you should keep it yourself, you foolish bastard!’

Even by the stingy settings of “God and Devil,” the Eternal Faestal Amulet had numerous cheat effects recorded, such as ‘massive increase in mana, health recovery, maintaining eternal youth, and short-distance teleportation five times a day’.

Gulp—

Roan swallowed his saliva without realizing it.

‘Can’t I just keep it…?’

A supreme treasure that naturally made him think this way!

Of course, within this trial, no matter what he did, he could not take the acquired item outside.

In other words, it was pie in the sky.

‘I want to ask where he got it, but there’s no way Demona would ask that.’

Roan closed the box and grumbled with feigned indifference.

“Che, instead of this, bring me a black magic book.”

Saying this felt like crying tears of blood.

The future Roan chuckled.

“I figured you would say that. You haven’t changed.”

For some reason, that smile lingered in Roan’s eyes.

The future Roan wiped away his smile and stood up.

“Then, I must be going.”

“Yeah…”

Roan sent him off while holding the box tightly in his arms.

“Where are you going now?”

A minor curiosity compared to the Eternal Faestal Amulet.

How indeed would the future Roan be doing?

‘In the first place, is that Roan also in a state possessed by me?’

Probably Josephine, who was watching from the outside, wouldn’t be able to read the hidden implication in this question.

The future Roan hesitated for a moment before replying.

“North.”

“North? The Chase Estate?”

The Chase Estate was the northernmost part of the Empire’s territory, and because the area above it was so harsh, it was practically ownerless land.

The future Roan shook his head.

“No, further than that.”

“Hmm… The Teves Mountains?”

The future Roan shook his head once more.

Roan was horrified.

‘This crazy bastard, how far is he going?’

Further north than the Teves Mountains was the Belunga Polar Region, where active volcanoes erupted like local hills.

It was because he ransacked such a place that something like the Eternal Faestal Amulet turned up!

Going to Belunga, which even Roan, who boasted of doing almost everything in “God and Devil,” had given up on conquering?

‘Well, I suppose if you have time, you could do that.’

But Roan quickly accepted it.

Since there was no reason to live for thousands of years in the Holy Empire with a black mana talent of 100.

Given that he couldn’t clear the game anyway, there had to be at least some fun in exploring unknown regions.

Meanwhile, the future Roan suddenly turned his head, frowned, and spoke.

“I have no time. I really must go now.”

“What? Why no time— Whoaaaa!”

Roan could not properly brace his body against the energy suddenly exploding from the future Roan.

It was the Abyss, which he was also using now.

But it was no exaggeration to say that its level and density were of a completely different dimension.

“I haven’t come here. Instead, I’ll leave a substitute behind.”

“What on earth do you mean—”

What the future Roan meant was soon clear.

Rumbleeee— Crackle! Crash! Boom!

The future Roan randomly fired black magic, devastating the surroundings.

Surprisingly, it was true black magic of pitch-black darkness, seemingly not filtered through False Divinity.

It appeared the future Roan had even found a way to use magic without going through authority.

Meanwhile, the current Roan hid behind a sofa in the middle of that overwhelming magic storm, trembling.

‘They called it a bad ending, and they meant this!’

To think Roan became a true black mage; if this wasn’t a bad ending, what was?

Firing black magic like that in the Wicronon Mansion was impossible unless one had given up on life.

In an instant, the luxurious mansion turned into ruins.

And Roan vanished without a trace.

Instead, in that spot.

“…Are you the substitute?”

“Responding to the successor’s call… Who are you?”

A high-ranking demon, at least of Baron level, was kneeling to greet him, only to make an awkward expression.

At the same time.

Boom—!

“””Lord Wicronon!”””

Numerous paladins and battle priests appeared in a formation surrounding the two humans and the demon.

“Eh? Why did you guys come too?”

Roan tilted his head.

A paladin quickly pulled Roan back and explained.

“Roan Darc’s energy…! Are you alright!”

Roan’s mind spun quickly.

The future Roan saying there was no time, the sudden attack, the high demon he seemed to have summoned, and now the paladins.

Roan recalled Demona scolding the freshmen and spoke in a solemn voice.

“It wasn’t Roan. It was that demon’s doing. I have brought it to its knees, so clean it up!”

“You impudent bastard! How dare you treat Lord Wicronon like this! Attack!”

“??? No, wait! I responded to the successor’s—!”

“Shut up, you demon!”

The demon was certainly a powerful high-ranking being, but this was the Wicronon Mansion.

In a place where it entered with all sorts of debuffs to begin with, it could not possibly withstand the combined attack of numerous paladins and battle priests.

***

The underground dungeon of the Wicronon Mansion.

There, Roan was conversing with the captured demon.

“So, you came because Roan called you?”

The ‘successor’ the demon spoke of seemed to be Roan, given the circumstances.

“Indeed! Release me! If you do, I will never forget this favor!”

Roan chuckled at the demon’s rather desperate words.

“Wow~ How pitiful. I really want to save you~”

“You son of a Hiloa!”

“Yep~ Either way, this is the capital of the Holy Empire~ Even if I release you, a demon cannot leave here alive~”

Roan mocked the demon mercilessly, utilizing a light, mocking rhythm.

‘This is more fun than I thought.’

Now that he had transmigrated, rather than living his whole life as the heavy Roan.

He even felt it would be better to possess the carefree Demona.

The demon trembled, but there was nothing he could do.

“Should I call Hector? Want to be friends?”

“H-Hector! You mean the Demon Slayer!”

“…?”

Roan tilted his head at the demon’s violent reaction.

“Isn’t he just a professional crusader?”

“What do you mean! Anyway, please just don’t call Hector…”

It seemed Hector had grown up to be quite upstanding.

…Which was not very good news for Roan.

‘By the way, what on earth is the trial?’

Quite some time had passed, but because things were turning out so randomly, he couldn’t figure out what the trial’s content was.

So far, he seemed to have acted well, but in the end, it wouldn’t finish unless he resolved some incident properly.

“…”

“W-What are you trying to do!”

When Roan stared, the demon demanded, feeling needlessly poked.

‘Demona and a demon… Don’t tell me?’

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“Can you teach me black magic by any chance?”

“B-Black magic?”

Unless it was something like this, it couldn’t even be called a trial.

When Roan asked suggestively, the demon stuttered in confusion instead.

“I heard you are a Wicronon… why on earth would the family of sages learn black magic…?”

“Shouldn’t a sage know more?”

“I suppose so.”

“Then shouldn’t a sage know black magic too?”

“T-That is true, but…”

Demona’s unique speech style made it oddly impossible to find a counterargument.

Pondering for a moment, the demon flashed an extremely wicked smile, as expected of a demon.

“If you contract with me, and sacrifice just one offering, I can transmit an ancient, wicked black magic that even your successor wouldn’t know.”

“What? Really?”

Roan jumped to his feet.

It was actually possible?

And not just telling him about it, but transmitting it?

“Even though I’ve learned holy magic?”

“Yes. Normally it would be impossible, but you hold a very precious item.”

“A precious item?”

Roan fumbled around his body for a moment.

Grab—

There was only one thing caught in his hand.

Roan’s expression turned freezing cold.

The Eternal Faestal Amulet.

The demon’s wicked smile grew even deeper.

“Yes. That’s the one.”

“N-No, this is…”

Roan’s voice trailed off.

How did this demon bastard know the Amulet was precious!

“Why? When a guy like you spoke of black magic, it shouldn’t have been with ordinary resolve.”

“That is true…”

“Well, forget it if you don’t want to. But without an offering of that level, it will be impossible for you to use holy magic and black magic at the same time.”

The demon leaned back comfortably, acting as if the thirsty person had to dig the well.

Roan instinctively knew at that moment.

This was the trial!

The demon glanced at Roan and asked slyly.

“What will you do? Grand Sage Wicronon.”

***

Saaaa—

Back in the Garden of Dawn.

The silver fog wrapping around Roan gradually condensed and returned to the fountain.

Roan slowly opened his eyes.

In his pupils, the fires of hell were burning.

‘Kill, Demona, kill, Demona, kill, Demona, kill…’

How dare he hand over the Eternal Faestal Amulet to a demon just to learn some black magic?

Even though I personally gave it as a wedding gift?

Of course, Roan knew this was one of the bad endings, and though he had handed it over with his own hands.

This time, he could not hold back.

‘I didn’t even get to use it once!’

To pass the trial, Roan had ultimately had to give the Amulet to the demon.

The reason it was a bad ending was because Roan had openly used black magic and became a wanted criminal across the Empire?

No.

The supreme treasure, the Eternal Faestal Amulet, which he had gone through life-and-death struggles to obtain—though he didn’t know how the future Roan obtained it.

The fact that it had been handed over to a demon just to learn black magic was the reason for the bad ending.

The trial ended the moment the box was handed over.

But it was obvious how that conclusion would turn out.

‘I should give the wedding gift and immediately report him to Hector.’

Meanwhile, Josephine, looking at Roan who had escaped the trial.

“W-Who indeed are you? A-Are you perhaps the Demon God?”

She was already speaking with extreme honorifics.