Chapter 95
[But I cannot simply grant that request. Did you truly think you could so arrogantly summon me and walk away unscathed?]
At his single word, the atmosphere around me turned cold and heavy.
The disgusting aura that the Heavenly Demon had been suppressing began to crawl up my body once again.
The Heavenly Demon said nothing.
So this was her way of saying—handle it yourself from here on.
Of course, I hadn’t called him relying solely on her.
I immediately bowed my head.
“I apologize. I had no intention of showing disrespect to Lord Biden. Nor did I summon you with the thought of pestering you for her by borrowing my master’s authority.”
[……It seems you’ve prepared something. Speak.]
The anger laced in his voice softened ever so slightly.
Now came the crucial part—
presenting a reward tempting enough for him to bite.
“I heard that Lord Biden’s deepest wish is to reclaim a living, breathing body.”
[That is true. But do not dare bring up my wish in jest, thinking to talk your way out of this.]
“How could I ever attempt to deceive Lord Biden with half-truths? Please, hear me out first. If my words displease you, punish me as you wish.”
[……What is it?]
Got him.
A smile crept across my lips.
You underestimated a veteran player’s information. That’s your mistake.
“The body Lord Biden seeks cannot be just any living vessel, can it? A great necromancer like yourself could easily create such a thing.”
[……You seem to know much.]
I carefully continued, matching his tone.
“You seek a great body capable of containing both immortality and the vast knowledge of your soul, correct?”
You abandoned your own flesh for power, and now you long for life? Hypocrisy at its finest.
[Indeed. But every attempt has failed. I’ve experimented on countless heroes and villains. For a brief moment, I could seize their bodies, but even then, no vessel could endure two souls coexisting within one flesh.]
The reason his experiment failed was simple.
Only one soul can inhabit one body.
It’s like two people trying to wear the same shirt.
Even if it fits, it’ll tear apart.
And worse, that shirt wasn’t even tailored for the second person—it doesn’t fit at all, yet he tried to force it on.
“I know of a potential vessel—one that may serve as the living body Lord Biden seeks.”
[Are you telling the truth?]
“Of course. How could I ever lie to you, my lord?”
[If your words prove true, I shall grant you a worthy reward.]
Well, that’s a win for me.
I shared the piece of information he’d been dying to hear.
“Are you aware that Pandemonium has been creating a replica of me?”
[A replica?]
“Yes. Out of concern that something might happen to me, they are crafting a vessel capable of containing the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.”
Biden appeared genuinely surprised.
Well, that was understandable.
Why make a spare when the original vessel—me—was perfectly fine?
And a spare like that was more of a plan B or C—nothing that a high-ranking executive like him would bother with.
“If those replicas were created as vessels to contain the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, then perhaps they might also serve as suitable vessels for Lord Biden’s soul.”
[…….]
He fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
His mind must be spinning right now.
Go ahead—think it through.
In truth, this card cost me nothing to play.
That experiment ends in total failure anyway—and not long after, the entire lab blows up.
How do I know?
Because the final playable character in Become a Hero was that very experimental subject who killed every researcher in the facility and escaped.
In other words, his wish was doomed from the start.
But that was all in the future.
The lab blowing up, the experiments dying…
None of that was my fault, right?
I just had to get what I wanted and walk away.
After a moment of calculation, Biden let out a sinister chuckle.
[Heh heh heh heh… You make a compelling point. If those vessels were created to contain the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, then even my soul and knowledge should fit within them.]
“Are you satisfied with the information I’ve provided, my lord?”
[I shall see that you are properly rewarded.]
I clenched my fist quietly.
With this, I had prevented Joo Sarang from being sacrificed in Berid’s scheme.
Now all that remained was to sit back and watch Berid make a fool of himself.
He must already be furious after Yoo Iseo’s recent remarks.
I could hardly wait to see his face when he lost his subordinate as well.
But then—
Someone who had remained silent until now suddenly spoke.
[……They’re creating your replica?]
Ah.
I turned my head toward the Heavenly Demon in alarm.
If Biden hadn’t known of the plan, then naturally, neither had she.
“Yes. I heard about it by pure chance.”
[I see. I’ll confirm it myself.]
And with that, the Heavenly Demon abruptly hung up.
Biden, looking somewhat flustered, followed suit and ended the call.
He must be panicking now—
since that short-tempered Heavenly Demon might storm into the lab and destroy his precious replica.
Well, that’s his problem, not mine.
When night fell, Berid and his subordinates gathered together.
Their faces, cloaked in darkness, carried the same heavy gloom as mourners at a funeral.
An unbearable silence hung in the air.
Even Berid himself, who had called this meeting, said nothing.
Everyone there, except for Joo Sarang, was watching his expression nervously.
Joo Sarang, however, was enjoying the silence.
To begin with, there wasn’t a single person here she actually liked.
They all pretended to be normal students at the Academy—but in truth, every last one of them was insane.
And now, those lunatics were all pale and trembling like they were waiting to die.
She’d never had good feelings toward Pandemonium anyway, so seeing this sight delighted her.
Of course, she wasn’t foolish enough to openly show it, so she simply stayed in her seat, concealing her feelings as best as she could.
Berid, who had remained silent until now, finally opened his mouth.
“I assume everyone here understands the current situation. Because of your incompetent handling, our trail has been exposed.”
“……”
“No one’s speaking. Have your tongues gone numb? Shall I tear those mouths open for you?”
“S-sorry, sir.”
Pathetic. To think that fools who could only offer such pitiful apologies were his subordinates.
Berid felt the urge to rip the heads off his useless underlings.
He had swallowed his pride as a Demon, even joining hands with a Villain.
And not just any Villain—one who once ruled the city’s underworld with immense influence.
Naturally, the price for that alliance had been disgustingly high.
Still, it had been worth it.
All for their grand cause—and to hunt down that damned traitor.
If it had succeeded, it would have been a price well paid.
‘Then why did everything go wrong again?’
The traitor they were supposed to expose never appeared, and instead, Yoo Iseo showed up.
He knew she’d been neglecting student council duties lately due to her Association work, but…
Of all things, that “Association work” had to involve the Honey Jack Club.
If she had mentioned even once that she was involved with that assignment, this mess never would’ve happened.
‘Come to think of it… when was the last time I actually spoke to her?’
Before Seo Da-hee’s death, no matter how busy they were, they always shared the day’s events and Association affairs.
But after Yoo Iseo’s death, when was the last time they had a real conversation—just the two of them?
He couldn’t recall any recent personal talk—only discussions strictly about work.
And now, he finally realized why she had gathered them earlier today and brought up Honey Jack.
‘We’re being suspected.’
Not only him, but all the Student Council executives.
She probably wasn’t certain yet.
But if that Villain in custody decided to talk—?
He didn’t know whether her suspicions were true or not, but they couldn’t afford to sit idly by and take the risk.
They had to silence the Villain before he could speak.
Having made his decision, Berid turned his gaze toward the nine subordinates seated before him.
“Our trail has been exposed. It would be troublesome if the Villain captured by the Association starts spilling information about us.”
“Are you saying…”
“One of you will have to go and deal with him.”
The eyes of those gathered changed instantly.
He might as well have told them to go die.
The Villain was currently imprisoned at the Association headquarters.
To kill him, they’d have to infiltrate that place alone.
And did anyone think the Association would sit quietly and allow it?
No—it was certain that security would be tighter than ever.
Such a mission would be near impossible, even for a high-ranking Demon.
One of the Demons spoke up in a trembling voice.
“It’s too dangerous a mission. Setting aside the difficulty… if any of us were caught…”
With their current level of skill, they wouldn’t even get close to an assassination—they’d just be captured.
And if that happened, Pandemonium’s infiltration of the Student Council would be exposed.
“It might be better to… request assistance from the Devil Knight…”
Puhwak!
A terrifying wave of demonic energy burst out from Berid.
“Did you just tell me to beg the Devil Knight for help?”
“I-I didn’t mean…! Forgive me!”
“…No, you’re not wrong. I know well enough that what I’m asking of you all is absurd.”
The oppressive aura surrounding them slowly faded.
“But I have no grounds to ask the Devil Knight for help. Haven’t we already received his aid multiple times? There’s no guarantee he’d grant us another favor.”
As Berid spoke, his eyes turned toward Joo Sarang.
Feeling his gaze, Joo Sarang clenched her teeth hard.
“You’re not seriously suggesting I should ask the Devil Knight to eliminate that Villain, are you?”
“If you would, we’d be grateful.”
“And why should I?”
“Would you rather send your powerless comrades to commit suicide in enemy territory? If any one of them is caught, we’ll all be under suspicion.”
Joo Sarang bit down on her lip until it bled.
‘So that’s what this bastard was aiming for from the start.’
He’d steered the conversation this way just to corner her into making that offer.
She squeezed her eyes shut without realizing it.
‘What should I do…?’
If she refused, she’d immediately be branded a traitor.
She already knew Berid was looking for any excuse to get rid of her.
Just as her thoughts deepened, Joo Sarang’s phone began to ring.
Berid’s face twisted in irritation.
“In such a critical situation, you didn’t even think to put your phone on silent?”
“Wait a second.”
After checking the caller ID, Joo Sarang silently raised the phone and showed it to Berid.
His face instantly stiffened.
“Lord Biden?”
“Should I not answer?”
“What are you waiting for! Answer immediately! Don’t you dare keep him waiting.”
Rather than feeling relieved at escaping Berid’s pressure, Joo Sarang was overwhelmed by fear at the sudden call.
Lord Biden had never once contacted her first.
When she answered, a chilling voice echoed through the phone.
[So, you are Lilith.]
“Yes, my lord.”
Joo Sarang’s voice trembled.
All the Demons in the room went deathly silent, not daring to breathe.
[Is that Berid beside you?]
“Yes.”
[Put him on.]
Joo Sarang handed the phone to Berid.
He accepted it respectfully with both hands and brought it to his ear in silence.
Moments later, after the call ended—
His face twisted into a demonic scowl.
Clenching his jaw, he turned a furious glare toward Joo Sarang.
With a crack, the phone in his hand shattered into pieces.
“You… what exactly did you tell him…?”
Having no idea about the deal between Biden and Seongwoo, Joo Sarang could only stare blankly at her broken phone, destroyed before their contract had even ended.