Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 125
EP.125 Play Part 6
Jeong-hyeon couldn't hide his bewilderment as he stared at the black horn extended toward him. He never imagined that Shin Si-ah, the Demon King, would offer her own horn and tell him to take it. As he pondered what to do, an old saying from his ancestors came to mind: "Never refuse a gift from an elder." So, he grabbed it without hesitation.
"Hyaah!?"
Shin Si-ah let out a strange moan, trembling as she quickly spoke up, her voice shaking.
"Y-you know what, I take it back. I can't give you this..."
Isn't it too much to take back something once given? Jeong-hyeon looked at Shin Si-ah, who was suddenly trying to retract her offer, and in protest, he tugged and fiddled with it. Shin Si-ah squeezed her thighs together, desperate, and shouted.
"No, don't!"
She was so frantic that she even dropped her usual polite speech, trying to escape his grasp. Seeing her desperation, Jeong-hyeon couldn't help but feel mischievous. He decided to tease her further. As his fingers danced around the horn, he could hear Reltra and Betica reacting behind him.
"To think you would do such a thing outdoors... You're quite bold, Hero," Reltra said, her voice blushing with excitement.
Betica, on the other hand, covered her eyes with both hands, unable to bear the sight. Realizing things were starting to spiral out of control, Jeong-hyeon grinned. "Teasing her is so much fun," he thought. It was rare to have the opportunity, so he took full advantage of it. Shin Si-ah let out a scream, "Kyaa!" and collapsed to the ground, covering her chest with both hands, her voice quivering.
"This... this kind of thing... should only happen after we're dating..."
Jeong-hyeon didn't fully understand her words, but he realized that pushing her further might cause real trouble. So, he immediately let go and apologized.
"Sorry."
"..."
Shin Si-ah glared at him, her face flushed, then whined as she shouted.
"I'll make sure you take responsibility for this..."
With that, she ran off, disappearing from sight. Jeong-hyeon stood there, staring blankly, when Reltra nudged him playfully.
"You're quite the sadistic type, Hero. To do such things to the Demon King, who's still a maiden, outdoors... I've seen a new side of you."
Jeong-hyeon pushed Reltra’s forehead to stop her teasing and decided to focus on finishing the Pope’s matter.
"I need to turn her into a chimera and take her with me."
Determined, Jeong-hyeon walked forward, ready to put an end to the ordeal.
***
As Jeong-hyeon approached, two things immediately caught his attention: Lea, holding the holy sword, was peeling off the Pope's skin, and the Pope’s form was gradually deteriorating. From the perspective of a hero of justice like him, it was a brutal sight.
"If I don't finish this, no one else will."
Jeong-hyeon thought as he pushed forward. Despite his discomfort, he needed to see this through. Both Lea and the Pope flinched as he approached, and Jeong-hyeon spoke in a calm but firm voice.
"Demon! How dare you try to become human by transforming yourself with magic! But the blue blood flowing from you still proves you're a demon!"
The Pope, clearly feeling wronged, didn't have the luxury of expressing her protest—Lea had gagged her with cloth. Jeong-hyeon didn't care, though. Just like no one had acknowledged him when he had been a holy power bomb, he intended to ignore this as well.
"And you're still bleeding blue blood! Filthy demon! You have no intention of repenting! Your sin deserves death, but the Goddess of Mercy still doesn't wish for your death!"
The Pope shed tears of blood and struggled, but Jeong-hyeon continued undeterred, his words cold.
"So, to ensure you truly repent, I'll impose another form of punishment on you."
At these words, both Lea and the Pope turned pale, visibly shaken. Jeong-hyeon couldn’t help but find the situation thrilling. He was enjoying the revenge, and he explained what he was about to do next.
"But before that, I don't see why a heinous demon who betrayed humanity needs eyes, a tongue to speak, ears to hear, or limbs to move."
He looked at Lea, instructing her to remove all unnecessary parts before turning away.
"Is it because I have a soft heart? I can't watch something so cruel."
Feeling a little guilty but not enough to stop the proceedings, Jeong-hyeon decided to leave the beginning, the torture, and the conclusion to Lea. Any issues later on, he figured, could be pinned on her.
As he walked away, he began to think about what to do next.
"So then... what should I do with the remaining cult?"
Absorbing them to confront the kingdom’s forces would be ideal, but the problem was that absorbing them would take time, making it difficult to accomplish more pressing matters. So, Jeong-hyeon decided to shift his focus from absorbing them to 'using them.'
'Using them...'
Jeong-hyeon’s thoughts swirled as he pondered his next move. The idea that had crossed his mind was brilliant: if he used the remaining cult forces in the right way, they would likely become hostile to the kingdom. This would create a perfect opportunity to leverage their power. Smiling at the thought, he returned to the Pope and Lea.
"...... Sniff... Hic."
It seemed that the punishment he had ordered for the Pope hadn’t been carried out yet, as she still looked whole. Jeong-hyeon let out a sigh of relief, not too late to act. He leaned in and whispered to the Pope.
"I have a proposal for you."
The moment she heard the word "proposal," the Pope trembled violently, coughing up blood in the process. Jeong-hyeon stepped back quickly to avoid it, then cautiously approached her again. This time, his voice was calm but firm.
"If you look at the magic stone and say, 'I did all this under the kingdom's orders,' not only will I stop the torture, but I'll also spare your life. How about it?"
The Pope seemed hesitant, the weight of his words settling in, and it was clear she hadn’t expected such an offer from him. Jeong-hyeon leaned in closer, offering her more proposals she couldn't afford to ignore.
"In addition, I'll fully heal your body."
Jeong-hyeon knew he’d need to heal her in order to turn her into a chimera, so this offer was a natural part of his plan.
"Once this situation is resolved, I'll ensure you can live as a hero, not a criminal."
He wasn't lying—he planned to make her a chimera, an asset to his side, and he would let her live as a hero, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. Watching her contemplate, Jeong-hyeon smiled gently and whispered again.
"If you don't want to, you don't have to. I can always resurrect you as an undead and make you say those things."
Finally realizing that she had no choice, the Pope hurriedly agreed.
"I... I'll do it."
Jeong-hyeon nodded and grabbed her head, turning it toward the magic stone. He then turned to Lea, who stood beside him.
"The Pope has something to say."
Lea flinched at his words, clearly uncomfortable, but nodded, unable to refuse. Jeong-hyeon, now in full control of the situation, addressed the Pope once more.
"So, who ordered all this? The Demon King? Or the Demon Realm's Duke?"
The Pope hesitated, then closed her eyes tightly, her voice shaking as she shouted.
"... N-no. All of this was orchestrated by the kingdom."
Jeong-hyeon acted shocked, deliberately raising his voice as if to confirm what he had heard.
"What? The kingdom ordered you to do this? To a demon like you?"
Although everyone could see through his intentions, the Pope’s statement was shocking enough that it diverted attention away from Jeong-hyeon’s actions. He kept his mouth shut, but leaned in closer, whispering to the Pope.
"If you don’t do it properly, the deal ends there. So, you better get it right."
Holding all the power, Jeong-hyeon’s whisper sent a tremor through the Pope, who agreed, her voice trembling as she cautiously spoke up.
"I'm saying this because... I've repented thanks to the merciful Goddess's grace."
Perhaps, because Jeong-hyeon had earlier promised to spare her life if she repented, she emphasized her remorse, claiming this was the truth born from her regret. Jeong-hyeon wasn’t fully satisfied with her words, but they were good enough for now.
"I'll keep the promise I made earlier, so don’t worry."
He watched as the Pope's face filled with relief. Jeong-hyeon silently noted to himself:
‘Considering the Paladin's dunking incident or the terror attack, they should realize something’s off with my words. But they don’t notice.’
Whether it was due to her brain being overwhelmed by pain or because she still held preconceived notions of what a hero should be, Jeong-hyeon decided it was time to follow through with his plan. He stood up and spoke to the Pope.
"Get treatment from Lea for now. Or do it yourself."
Perhaps overwhelmed by relief, the Pope writhed in pain, more than during the torture itself. Jeong-hyeon clicked his tongue, irritated by her grotesquely twisting body, before turning away.
'Then it’s about time to return to the dormitory.'
He had someone to see and needed to check on the bait he’d set, like the cult and news about the previous principal. It was essential to return to the academy and gather that information.
'Oh, right. And.'
Jeong-hyeon realized there was one more thing on his list—the Paladin. He had gained a powerful asset in the form of the royal ragged corpse golem, the Paladin, and the Pope. They would be useful in the coming battles. A feeling of satisfaction washed over him as he added them to his collection.