# Chapter 463: Side Story 136
The palace rear garden.
Queen Serena and the nobles still couldn’t say a word.
They simply listened to the conversation between Count Yurik Delian and his vassals.
“Aigo, how did you know that Demon God bastard’s true identity?”
“Wasn’t it obvious just by looking?”
“Kyaa! As expected of Summoner Bong-nim.”
“What? So you’re not calling me Count Yurik Bong anymore?”
“That’s gone down the drain. They won’t think of Summoner Bong-nim as Yurik Delian either.”
That was true.
That man was Count Yurik Delian?
Not a chance.
Until recently, he was a young man bedridden waiting to die, but suddenly he recovered and resumed monster hunting, even developing a Magic Stone mine.
Was that all?
At the count title succession ceremony, he presented a precious Mana Elixir as a gift, held hands with a High Elf, and even summoned the Wind Spirit King.
It was definitely not Yurik.
Then who?
Ju-hyeok also casually turned his head to look at the queen and nobles.
Judging by their expressions, the power fantasy arc was over.
“Well, there’s no reason to hide my identity anymore anyway.”
He had caught the Demon God, after all.
Now all that remained was having a quiet chat with him somewhere private.
“Still, it’s a shame.”
What was?
“There were still 10 more fantasy power fantasy cliches left, and we only got to do the broken engagement one.”
There were that many?
“The cliche where a jealous high noble’s reckless son charges at Count Yurik Bong and gets beaten, the cliche where the princess watching falls for Count Bong, the king falls for him too, noble ladies fall for him too, and then the former fiancee who broke off the engagement writhes in regret, eventually becoming the kingdom’s most popular person….”
Enough.
“Oh! Mari-ssi, did you get to talk with the World Tree much?”
“…N-no. Because of that d-damn De, Demon God bastard.”
Oh dear.
People can hear you.
A High Elf-nim shouldn’t be using such language.
“I’ll give you plenty of time next time. There’s something I need to do right now.”
“Okay.”
Sillaiel had already returned to the Spirit Realm.
She must have used a lot of power dealing with the 1/10th Demon God.
Ju-hyeok slowly approached the queen and nobles.
Their emotions rising on the King Status Window.
The majority was fear.
It’s okay.
I won’t eat you.
I’m a good person, you know.
Queen Serena didn’t know what to do.
The nobles were the same.
Why is he approaching us?
Did we see something we shouldn’t have?
Is he trying to silence us?
Dead men tell no tales, after all.
“C-Count Yurik Delian, I don’t know who you are, but….”
At that moment!
“GAL!!!”
Kozak beside him suddenly bellowed in anger.
“Address him properly! He’s not a count. You’re still going to say that after seeing everything?”
How should she address him?
“He is the head of Rabong Trading Company, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Daebong Empire, Master of the White Tower and Sect Leader of the Black Tower, a Dimensional Investigator who has come to Skaldion by request of the Main God.”
Serena was flustered.
Which one was she supposed to pick from all of these?
Ju-hyeok spoke first.
“Hello.”
“…Yes.”
“As you’ve seen, I’m not Count Yurik Delian.”
Then, with a solemn expression.
“Yurik has already passed away. He’s probably in heaven with his parents now.”
A moment of silence.
When Ju-hyeok paid his respects, Serena awkwardly followed suit while gauging his reaction.
“Oh! I didn’t kill him. It was Yurik’s uncle, Tallik Delian, who did it. I have both a confession and evidence.”
-Srrrt!
Ju-hyeok reverted to his true appearance.
“This is me. My name is Bong Ju-hyeok.”
Black hair and black eyes, a pure-blooded Korean.
At that, Queen Serena flinched!
She was startled.
Could he be a Dark Elf?
But they should be in the Demon Realm.
“I’m an investigator who came to catch the Demon God by request of the god Wignar. The thing inside here is the Demon God.”
Queen Serena’s eyes wavered.
A request from the Main God?
A Demon God?
Should she believe this?
“I understand. You can’t believe it yet.”
“……”
“I’m busy right now so I don’t have time for a detailed explanation, but I’ll tell you later.”
“……”
“Well then, goodbye for now.”
See you later.
Or I might just leave.
Let’s enter the White Tower.
To interrogate the 1/10th Demon God, he’d need to take him outside.
In a strictly controlled location.
‘Enter.’
-Spat! Spat! Spat! Spat!
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings vanished.
“Huh.”
It happened in an instant.
Queen Serena and the nobles stood there blankly like mutes who had eaten honey.
There was nothing else they could do.
Ju-hyeok returned to the White Tower.
“Alright everyone, it’s all over.”
At that, the summoned beings who had been eagerly waiting and wondering when they’d be called were startled.
“What, already? This old man didn’t even get to see that dimension?”
“Kyuluk?”
“I didn’t even get to launch a satellite….”
“Master, are the elves prettier than me?”
Reactions of disappointment from the reinforcement team.
It’s over without even getting to go out?
This isn’t fair.
The advance team had things to say too.
“You think we were satisfied? Just as we were about to advance to the capital and the cliches were about to start, it’s over.”
Other summoned beings as well.
“It is because the Young Master’s abilities are too exceptional. It will continue to be like this.”
“Warrior still hungry. Caught a few ogres and it was already over.”
“Hoe!”
“Light! This humble servant….”
“Holy Knight Bardin, please be quiet. At least you got a taste of the Demon God.”
“Well, that’s not wrong.”
What’s with all of you?
It’s good that it ended quickly.
Dragging it out just makes things tedious.
Sometimes fast pacing is necessary.
Appropriate tempo control.
What’s left now?
Interrogating the Demon God to find the 9/10ths divine status.
Ju-hyeok pulled out the knockoff Hongholro.
The White Tower’s summoned beings all crowded around.
“I’m going to let him out.”
Whispering toward the Hongholro’s opening.
“Kallihar, come out.”
-Shwoook!
Kallihar came outside.
The bewildered 1/10th Demon God Kallihar.
He turned his head this way and that for quite a while, observing the White Tower’s environment.
Then he looked at Ju-hyeok, examined each summoned being’s face one by one, and after that.
“…Haa.”
He let out a deep, soul-crushing sigh.
“Did the Main God Wignar give you this task?”
“Rather than giving me a task, it was more of a deal.”
“I see.”
His expression was one of utter despair.
Resistance abandoned, white flag raised.
He must have realized this wasn’t an ordinary place.
He must have checked the summoned beings’ abilities too.
With just 1/10th of divine status, he must have instinctively realized he couldn’t beat even a single one of them.
That’s a good attitude.
Then let’s make this easy.
-Swoosh.
Ju-hyeok pulled out the Judge’s Mallet.
Flinch! Kallihar’s face went pale.
“…Wait, let’s stop this. Haven’t I been hit enough?”
It must have really hurt.
“You won’t need the mallet. Ask whatever you want. I’ll answer everything.”
Tsk tsk.
How pitiful.
That’s what you get for running away.
If you’re a god, you should have stayed quietly in your place like a proper god.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hit you.”
“Th-then why the mallet?”
“If I explain what this is….”
Ju-hyeok gave a brief explanation about the Judge’s Mallet.
“It’ll be much simpler than explaining everything verbally.”
“Oh.”
“Just don’t resist. When the Underworld Energy enters, relax and let your body go.”
“……”
“Deal?”
Two emotions reflected in Kallihar’s eyes.
Fear and curiosity.
“Can I see too?”
“Yes. As much as you want.”
He pondered briefly.
“Alright. I’ll accept.”
Curiosity must have won out.
“I’ll begin.”
-Tssssrit!
Underworld Energy extending from the Judge’s Mallet.
Could he see a Demon God’s past too?
Of course not.
How do you judge a god?
He wasn’t a sinner.
He was also a master of laws who governed a world.
But if the subject himself consented, it would work.
And he had agreed to it.
-Tstststs.
Underworld Energy enveloped Kallihar’s body.
“Did you feel it?”
At Ju-hyeok’s question, he nodded.
“So this is how it works.”
“Yes. Accept it.”
“Very well. But I’ll only show you what I want to show.”
Hmm.
That was a problem.
“It’ll be fine. Everything you want to know should be in there.”
Well then.
“Let’s do it that way.”
-Spat!
An image appeared behind Kallihar.
It started with the continental war between humans and elves.
The war that had engulfed both the Mortal Realm and Divine Realm.
But why show this? It’s not really what I wanted to see.
Something that happened a thousand years ago, at that.
“…Just wait. Isn’t context important for everything?”
That was true.
Just boring, that’s all.
‘An exposition freak?’
Let’s give him this much.
The images progressed.
The bloody struggle between humans and elves, pushing and being pushed.
But then another force joined the war.
It was the Demon Realm.
War had broken out, right?
In this chaotic continental situation, the Demon Realm needed to take advantage of this opportunity to grab what it could.
Actually, Demon God Kallihar hadn’t wanted to participate.
Why bother?
What good would it do if the Demon Realm’s power grew?
It would just be annoying.
But the Demon Kings prayed at the temple every day.
Please let us go outside.
Demon God Kallihar was irritated.
So he issued a divine revelation: do whatever you want, whether you fight or not.
And so the demon army also joined the war.
Using all kinds of manipulation and curses, they corrupted the souls of humans and elves, expanding their forces.
Time passed and the war ended.
Victory for the elves.
What happened afterward?
Coexistence between humans and elves.
Skaldion continent became a multi-species society.
Changes appeared in the Demon Realm too.
Similar to what had happened in the Mortal Realm.
The birth of a new demon species.
Dark Elves.
Elves corrupted by dark curses had flowed into the Demon Realm and formed their own faction.
“Whoa! Black elves.”
Hey!
Watch your words.
What era do you think this is?
“Call them Dark Elves.”
“Yessir! …But are they pretty?”
“I don’t know. Their faces haven’t shown clearly yet….”
“There they are!!!”
“Oh!”
The Dark Elves appeared.
Black hair, black eyes, pitch-black skin, various tattoos drawn on their faces and bodies.
“They have a strange charm.”
With the Dark Elves joining, another demon kingdom was established.
The Demon King was also a Dark Elf.
A thousand years passed since the war ended.
The Dark Elf demon kingdom flourished again and again, expanding its power.
Now it had become one of the top three most powerful nations in the Demon Realm.
Anyway, when’s the 9/10ths divine status coming up?
Don’t tell me he’s stalling for time?
Because he doesn’t want to tell?
“Phew, it’s coming up soon.”
Alright.
Quick progress.
The screen transitioned.
A relatively recent story.
Kallihar sitting on his divine throne in the Demon Realm with a bored expression.
His inner thoughts?
A world he was sick and tired of.
There was no entertainment whatsoever.
The Demon Realm was also a place where sentient beings lived.
No different from human society.
Nations and civilization.
Cities and countryside.
A class society composed of nobles, commoners, and slaves.
But the Demon Realm had a stark difference from the Mortal Realm.
The logic of power, survival of the strong.
Whoever was strongest took everything.
Constant fighting all day long.
Demons obsessed with war.
Only destruction and plunder.
Given this, there was no way civilization could develop.
From the Demon God’s perspective, it was truly pathetic.
Did these demon bastards have nothing in their heads but fighting?
No interest in developing civilization?
They could live peacefully, cooperating with each other to make the Demon Realm a nice place.
It was frustrating.
Being a Demon God meant being bound by given restrictions, unable to intervene directly.
War at every opportunity.
Fighting in the middle of eating.
Damn creatures.
He had completely lost any affection for them.
There was a limit to patience.
If only he could, he wanted to leave the Demon Realm.
Demon God?
He didn’t need to do that.
“Yes yes, I heard your complaints.”
“It’s not a complaint….”
“But why does the story keep going off on tangents? When’s the 9/10ths divine status you hid coming up?”
“J-just a little, it’s almost….”
The screen transitioned again.
Kallihar was observing the Dark Elf kingdom through the Demon King’s eyes.
The most promising Dark Elf race among the ignorant demons.
They were new blood from outside.
If he empowered them, the Demon Realm’s future might change.
But the Dark Elves were no different from other demons.
These bastards also fought every single day.
Just as he was about to give up hope!
-Ziing!
It appeared.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“Whoa.”
“That?”
“Wow.”
A dimensional gate appearing in the Dark Elf kingdom of the Demon Realm.
“…A dimensional traveler?”
That’s right.
It was the dimensional gate they opened.
At the same time, the one who emerged through that gate was….
“An elf?”
Indeed.
An elf had opened a dimensional gate and crossed into the Demon Realm.
A dimensional traveler who happened to be an elf.
That elf charged into the royal palace.
Lightly subduing the Dark Elf warriors blocking her way with her sword.
“My word, that sword technique is…?”
Gwangma exclaimed in admiration.
“The Crouching Tiger Sword Technique of the Ami Sect. The mastery is impressive.”
A dimensional traveler elf performing a sword technique unique to the Ami Sect of Gangho.
Had she bought it at the Dimensional Auction House?
Or she might have gone directly to Gangho to learn it.
Finally, the two elves faced each other.
One was a female High Elf dimensional traveler. The other was a male Dark Elf Demon King.
‘Hello, it’s been a while, Kadian Artia, my little brother.’
‘Nerian Artia, so you were my elder sister.’
Artia?
Same family name as Queen Serena.
Anyway, the two appeared to be siblings.
‘It’s been a thousand years since we parted.’
‘Hm, has that much time passed? By the way, how did you come to the Demon Realm? Elves from the Mortal Realm shouldn’t be able to come here freely.’
‘I gained the ability through a chance opportunity.’
‘Is that so? Congratulations.’
An utterly dry conversation between the two.
‘Anyway, what’s your business?’
‘Will you come with me?’
‘To the Mortal Realm?’
‘No, not to the Demon Realm but to another world. To an entirely new dimension, not Skaldion.’
Kadian Artia flinched in surprise and asked.
‘You mean leaving this dimension?’
‘That’s right.’
‘I-is that possible? It should be something even gods can’t do.’
‘But I can do it.’
‘Haha.’
‘I can also remove the curse of corruption. I’ll free you from being a Dark Elf.’
Demon King Kadian scoffed.
‘Hahaha! Corruption? You’re saying I’m corrupted?’
‘If not corruption, then what?’
‘Let’s call it evolution. And I’m a Demon King. Abandon my kingdom and go somewhere?’
Changed brother.
Likewise changed sister.
Both wore complicated expressions.
‘Yes, I see. Too much time has passed.’
‘Only now you realize that?’
‘I understand. Then….’
-Jiing!
Nerian Artia opened the dimensional gate again and continued.
‘I’ll be going back. Take care. I don’t know if we’ll meet again.’
‘Farewell.’
-Shwoook!
Nerian disappeared into the dimensional gate.
Kallihar, who had watched the entire scene from his divine throne, was shocked.
Leaving the dimension?
To an entirely new world, at that?
That meant escaping the Main God Wignar’s watchful eye.
Leaving this suffocating Demon Realm—no, Skaldion entirely.
He could feel it instinctively.
Her words were truth.
From this moment on.
Demon God Kallihar’s purpose in life changed.
Escaping the Demon Realm.
Through that, complete freedom.
Goodbye everyone. I’m casting off all the chains and shackles of this world to seek happiness.
The method?
Become a dimensional traveler, or receive help.
Either way, he absolutely had to meet Nerian Artia.
Having made his decision, he acted quickly.
Seeing her name, she seemed to be connected to the Artia royal family of the elven nation.
He would cross over to the Mortal Realm.
To do that, he had to abandon most of his divine status.
Kallihar began the work of separating his divine status.
Keeping only 1/10th of his divine status, he dumped the remaining 9/10ths in some dungeon in the Demon Realm.
Anyone could come take it.
Whoever did could become the Demon God in his place.
“…That’s how it happened. And hoping Nerian might visit Artia Kingdom, I waited quietly in the palace.”
This was the past that Kallihar had shown.
Truly, it was too long.
He was one terrifying exposition freak.
“So you’re saying 9/10ths of the divine status is in the Demon Realm?”
“Correct, I stored it in a dungeon.”
“Geez, you should have just said that from the beginning.”
“W-well, the reason is important….”
Either way, this meant he’d have to go to the Demon Realm to retrieve the 9/10ths divine status.
‘The Demon Realm.’
A different dimension from the Mortal Realm.
‘This changes things.’
Terms modification.
A single fragment of attribute-less divine status wouldn’t be worth it.
“Excuse me, I’m going to the Dimensional Management Bureau and back.”
“Yessir!”
Time to renegotiate.
And if they don’t agree?
Just hand over Kallihar and end the mission.
-Spat!
Ju-hyeok vanished.
Kallihar, left behind.
He felt awkward.
At least it was fortunate he didn’t have to go back into the gourd….
But the gazes of the other humans surrounding him were unsettling.
Their expressions said they wouldn’t let any funny business slide.
And then.
“Exposition freak Demon God.”
“…What?”
“Curious about other dimensions?”
“O-of course.”
“Then want me to play a movie?”
“Movie? What’s that?”
“I’ll show you. A hit from Parallel Earth 1001,
An image began playing on the large screen installed in the White Tower plaza.
The 1/10th Demon God Kallihar stared blankly, completely entranced and lost in the movie.
