SWNOVELXO Chapter 111
At the high place of the Inner Castle, in my room located in a secluded spot following my hopes.
For just a few days, that room which used to always fill with quiet music was now silent.
“Don’t be too tense.”
The only sound that reached my ears was the ragged breathing of two people.
Both were tinged with fear, but while one seemed to be trying to stifle their breaths, the other appeared to be suppressing their anger.
“What exactly is your purpose? Who are you and where do you come from?”
The sword resting on the neck of Priestess Grace was held by a knight from the Baron’s household along with Evangeline.
Xue’s gaze was directed toward Amelia, who was staring daggers at me.
She must have known there was nothing she could do.
Yet, she summoned her courage.
Courage always needs a reward. For example, truth or teaching.
“What you should be asking me is not that, Amelia.”
As I scratched her chin with my fingertip, Amelia retorted with venom in her eyes.
“Then, what should I ask you, you mysterious witch?”
In this world, “witch” is not simply a term for a female mage, but rather a derogatory term. It’s used to refer to women tainted by magic or fanatic believers in magic.
However, there is no reason for me, who is an existence beyond such witches, to feel displeased.
With a faint smile, I whispered in her ear.
“Do you really think I want to take the lives of you and your family?”
“…!”
Amelia’s eyes momentarily clouded with fear and a premonition of a dark future.
But a moment later, they sparkled again, with wisdom and courage.
“If that’s the case, there’s no need to go through such trouble to sneak in…!”
“There is. The demon clan loves souls laden with betrayal and hatred.”
Whether it’s consuming souls, using them as slaves, or employing them as emotional extraction generators.
The demon clan delights in souls twisted by intense negative emotions, especially those that start out noble.
I didn’t fully understand, but it seems such souls often stimulate the aesthetic sense or appetite of demons.
So, what I am doing right now to deceive this noble can also be seen as creating a sacrificial offering for the demon clan.
“Don’t move, Grace.”
“…!”
Hearing my words, the Priestess, who had been listening, hesitated as she reached into her bosom.
I turned my gaze to her, holding the jaw of someone who should have originally inherited this castle, and I could almost hear the color draining from her face.
“You don’t think I know of your existence while remaining unaware of what you’ve hidden, do you?”
“This, this is…”
I knew what Amelia and Grace were plotting.
At least one thing: in the worst-case scenario, they aimed to activate an emergency signal for the priest.
“I’ve prepped for this. No signal can escape from this castle. Don’t throw your life away for nothing.”
“Ugh…!”
Though Grace tried to glare at me like Amelia, her expression was disheveled and pale.
While she didn’t lack a sense of duty as a priestess, she seemed quite cowardly or overly concerned about self-preservation.
That was evident when she let her guard down as soon as Xue took that item from her.
“Here…”
“Thank you.”
Xue approached me, retrieving the signaling device from Grace’s possession.
Spark!
The object in Xue’s hand emitted a peculiar resonance, and when it entered my hand, it revealed even more intense currents, displaying its repulsion.
This was due to the presence of holy power.
‘Looks like an egg.’
Its shape and texture resembled something that would break if thrown to the ground.
Placing that which vibrated as if it could shatter at any moment onto the table’s handkerchief, it quickly regained stability.
I was curious.
‘Holy magic, huh.’
Anything related to magic always intrigued me.
Each aspect was new and enjoyable.
“It looks like some kind of egg.”
Grace’s face turned even whiter than before. Should I say she now resembled a vampire spawn or a zombie?
“…”
Yet, even with such a face, I could sense at least a determination that suggested she was ready for death.
Though it was weak, it seemed she needed to provoke something else.
“Answer my question. Before I torture you, not kill you.”
“That is indeed a Sacred Beast’s Egg…!”
As soon as I exchanged glances with the baron’s knight, he thrust his sword against her thigh, prompting Grace to instinctively open her mouth.
Does she know that her lack of resolve might save her?
Either way, my attention was drawn to the answer she spat out.
“Indeed. A sacred beast.”
“Yes! It is an egg laid by a dove raised with holy power. If broken, a chick returns to its mother, crying out with screams that can be heard for a distance.”
“Of course. A fascinating object, a living being.”
Spark!
As I placed my finger back on the egg, the sensation of resistance adequately stimulated my fingertips.
“…It wasn’t an illusion…”
Seeing that, Grace pressed her lips into a straight line.
The true meaning behind me casually touching this object began to strike fear into her expression.
This repulsion had enough force to shake the composure of even weaker demons or their followers.
“If I apply force to it, what will happen?”
“Uh, the holy power will greatly repel your kind’s power… It might break. In the end, it’s like activating it on my own…”
“Really… do you truly believe that?”
“No matter how strong your kind’s power is, our conviction will not yield…!”
“Hmm.”
‘It might work.’
With that, I lifted the egg that was said to be raised with holy power and drew power in two directions.
One fixed it to keep its surface and inner side from breaking, while the other allowed it to seep inside.
While suppressing the shock that felt like it would break due to the repulsive force created by the holy power and demon clan’s power, I delved deeper inside.
“It’s pointless…”
“Be quiet.”
Biiip…
In a moment of deep concentration, I marked coordinates within the spiritual world and transferred those coordinates to the negative realm.
Holiness and evil transformed, and the coordinates of essences and non-essences flipped, reversing the source of magic.
And as a result, when I finally released the grip I had on the egg’s shell, what emerged was—
– Caw…!
“It has turned into a crow.”
Not a dove of sacredness, but a crow. A crow with only a single purple feather on its head.
If the priesthood saw this phenomenon, believing they had an absolute advantage over the demon clan, they would’ve said, “Good has been reversed to evil.”
It’s absurd.
Determining good and evil based solely on racial differences.
– Caw caw caw.
“How cute. That guy.”
It looked up at me, its small face and deep black eyes filled with affection and warmth.
Crows are known to be intelligent, but creatures are not born with such high intelligence right after birth.
Yet, this little one had already recognized its master and had climbed onto my shoulder, displaying its charm.
It seemed to have inherited the sacred laws applied by the Grand Shrine to raise doves for communication.
‘To succeed on the first try, I’m lucky.’
This was the first time I executed a manipulation against the sacred laws.
It was an instinct that told me, “This is possible,” and following that instinct, it worked out.
It would take more time to work it into a theory.
“A female, huh? Let’s name her ‘Mary.’ Since she is a being born from the sacred, the individual name ‘Trickster’ would fit well.”
– Caw!
Mary’s name was derived from the Celtic goddess Morrigan.
The ‘Mor’ in Morrigan means fear and greatness, which coincides with the etymology of nightmare, ‘Mear.’
Moreover, crows can be regarded as sacred or ominous creatures depending on cultural contexts, and given her mixed birth of holiness and evil, the name ‘Trickster’ was fitting as well.
『Name – Mary』
『Title/Individual Name – Trickster』
『Race – Trickster: A term for those who stir chaos without distinguishing between good and evil. A demon shaped like a crow created by Dungeon Lord ‘Libertus.’』
As soon as I named the crow, the summon’s information automatically popped up.
『Congratulations on achieving a feat! You have changed a being that should be born as a sacred presence into a demonic one right from its birth!』
Though I hadn’t been waiting for it, this time a welcome message accompanied it.
『As a reward for your feat, your magical power and skill have increased! The newly birthed demonic being is affected by your trait, ‘Necropolis!’ A growth-type trait ‘Requiem for Holiness’ has been added!』
Thus, I received my second… no, my third achievement.
The message from the ‘Alpha Tester’ system congratulated me for having transmuted a beast born from sacred energy into a demon.
‘It seems rewards differ for each feat.’
『Alias – The Stainer』
I raised my finger to the “alias” section.
A message window that only I could perceive and touch quietly accepted my gesture.
‘The Stainer, huh…’
In that state, my gaze moved downward.
『Attributes – Health 43 Skill 57(◀ 55) Durability 46 Magic Power 66(◀ 64) Resistance 55』
『Requiem for Holiness – You have transformed a sacred being into a demonic one.
Opposing holy users will feel fear from your existence, and their magical power and skill will decrease slightly. Demon users will respect you.
The more beings you reduce to demons, the deeper you will become…』
This trait was quite favorable for us demons, who naturally exhibit weaknesses to holy power.
Although it was low in power due to being basic, it was called ‘growth-type,’ which meant if I repeated similar actions, it would have the potential to grow further.
This was also revealed through the next message.
『You have showcased one of the most wicked acts in the eyes of the earthly priesthood!
They will absolutely not tolerate your existence that stimulates their existential fears and tarnishes their salvation, and they will look to eliminate you before the threat grows…』
Reading that, I became curious about one thing.
If I were to change a human territory into a demon’s, would I also be rewarded with the fourth achievement?
To solve that curiosity, I would need to act more swiftly.
Now, nothing held me back.
“… What…?”
“That’s impossible…!”
Grace and Amelia, who had been watching my series of actions, couldn’t hide their shock.
“How, how…”
It was only natural for Amelia, who had a talent for sensing the events happening around, to be surprised, while for Grace, simply not fainting immediately showed her strength.
The common sense of the continent, which believed it had a definite advantage over the demon clan’s power, was crumbling and flipping.
Surely, the psychological foundation of thinking “they would eventually win” was being shaken from its roots.
“The distinctions you make between holiness and demon kind are not absolute indicators of good and evil.”
– They are not!
“Be quiet.”
The crow’s first voice was actually quite pleasant to hear. I had to admit, it held a surprisingly cute tone.
After following my words, the crow momentarily closed its beak at my insistence, so I gently patted its head with my fingertip.
Since it was still a baby, I needed to show that I wouldn’t hate it despite my caution.
The sight of it tilting its head and rubbing its head against my finger felt quite friendly.
“You’re a good one.”
– Each one.
After just a single word of caution, it even lowered its voice thereafter, showing its cute demeanor.
With Mary still perched on my shoulder, I walked over to one side.
Her birth was sheer luck, but there was someone who could consolidate this luck into a theory here.
“… Heeek…!”
The priestess trembled, letting out a high-pitched voice from fear.
It was Grace.