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Episode 100: Mephisto and Venénum
Little by little.
I sat quietly, listening to the hooves of the horses pulling the carriage.
‘Where the hell are we going?’
Seeing the carriage running down the unfamiliar forest road slowly made me anxious.
Besides, the state of Sislin was

‘Today, he really looks like he came out of a R19 work.’
The man who sat next to me with a body like a giant beast’s had his red, cloudy eyes somehow blurred in focus.
Like a person who had just been drugged.
Or as one who was enduring any pain or impulse.
I asked carefully.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
“

.”
Sislin’s eyes, which were deeply buried and darkened, moved briefly to Annette.
Annette.
It was only after he captured her in his view that his hazy eyes were clearly focused. He was always like this when she saw her. Despite any sort of pain.
So he went

“It’s okay.”
—No, actually, it was not okay.
This morning.
Owin secretly summoned a doctor from afar for the sake of his master, the crown prince.
He was a doctor that specialized in the treatment of ‘Mephisto’s bloodline’, the bloodline of Sislin’s mother.
The heirs of the family who awakened Mephisto’s strong powers often suffered seizures, which they called ‘blood disease’.
Even Sislin, who awakened his ability in the Forest as a child and forcibly strengthened his ability in the Crevasse, could not avoid the disease.
The power called ‘the devil’s power’ grew stronger as if it grew using the body as a host.
The stronger he got, the more it corroded his mind and made his senses more sensitive.
―His maternal grandfather, who suffered from this blood disease, eventually lost his ability and went wild, killing his wife, whom he treasured like gold.
And after his senses returned, he suffered from an extreme sense of shame and ended his own life.
The attending doctor, who was familiar with such history, looked worried.
“Recently, your symptoms have gotten worse. You were definitely getting better, but I don’t know why
”
Owin asked.
“Do you have any idea?”
“You’ve become stronger than ever. After coming to this ‘Bayonaire Island’. It’s a bizarre phenomenon.”
What is here in Bayonaire? The doctor’s wrinkles deepened.
At that time, Sislin, who had not been able to get out of bed since morning, opened his mouth.
With a cracked voice like the sound of iron.
“If the abilities exceed the limit
 I’ve heard that his damn disease can be contained.”
“You’re right.”
The attending doctor replied.
“A long time ago, one of Mephisto’s ancestors was successful.”
“

.”
“Mephisto’s ability is called ‘Wild Devil’.”
The doctor’s voice deepened.
“Many were swayed by that power and eventually lost all control. However, if you ‘complete’ a more powerful force
 Eventually, you will reach the level where you can call the devil like a servant.”
Completion of a greater power.
The state of wielding the power of the devil as one’s own servant.
It meant that the disease could be suppressed once it reached its peak.
―Sislin was well aware of how to perfect a more powerful force.
“I should go to the Crevasse.”
“

!”
Owin was startled, startled.
“Absolutely not! Your Highness the Crown Prince, have you forgotten all about your last experience?”
The last time he went to the Crevasse, Sislin came back with a very miserable figure.
The sight of his master coming out of that dreadful pit of hell was terrifying. Even now, a long time later, that figure often appeared in Owin’s nightmare.
—Such pain was not something humans could tolerate.
“Crown Prince.”
The attending doctor said, looking at him silently with the wrinkled eyes behind the glasses.
“If you go to ‘Crevasse’ this time, you will surely go crazy. No, actually
”
“

.”
“I can’t guarantee you’ll ever come back alive.”
It was a hell of a pain that caused others to completely lose their minds even after just one visit.
It was already unusual to have been there several times.
Usually, one would go crazy or die in it.
Hence, Sislin was the only ‘survivor’.
“Even going through that kind of pain could be a great danger to the present Crown Prince.”
“

.”
In front of the silent prince, an old and worried loyalist bowed.
“Please be careful.”
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Gerard’s Palace in El Dorado.
Gerard sat still in his wing chair for hours.
Like a lifeless still life.
Standing beside him was Avilus, lost in thought. He asked his master, who was probably thinking the same as he was, about the biggest ‘problem’ they now face.
“Prince, even if you were to find the girl, would Crown Prince Sislin leave you alone?”
“
He will go crazy.”
He was a man who started a war to find a woman.
He was also a person who had tenaciously pursued for over 10 years.
What would happen if he tried to take Annette from such a prince?
Even without thinking deeply, he could guess how that ‘Monster of Crevasse’ would come out.
Gerard finally opened his mouth.
“If we, here, don’t do our best, we won’t get her.”
“If.”
“Do ‘activation’.”
“

!”
Gerard headed to the detached palace. It was as black as the devil’s den, a deserted palace where no one goes.
It had been a long time since the door to that space where even the vines had dried up and turned brown, where no life could be felt, where only the old stone statues were placed in a gloomy manner, had been opened.
Gerard stretched his arms into the air. As the veins moved like separate living creatures, he swallowed painfully.
“VenĂ©num.”
Shhh—
Soon after, to the sound of the contractor calling him, the ‘Cursed Sorcerer’ immediately responded.
The soul that was parasitic from Gerard’s body quickly slipped out and took the form of a black snake with thick scales.
The snake with its dark red tongue was smiling for some reason.
[Gerard, you stupid. You’re not strong enough to handle me yet, are you?]
“

.”
The snake’s eyes narrowed.
[Did I not tell you? You can deal with me only if you use that girl’s power to strengthen your power
 Otherwise.]
“It will crumble like it is now.”
After signing a contract with a cursed sorcerer that Gerard couldn’t afford, he was rotting from the inside out.
With only a brilliant thought in mind that one day he would be able to wield that power.
In fact, when he discovered Annette, the plan was on the verge of success.
Gerard’s future seemed plausible until he put the child in the ‘Forest’ and raised her safely in his own cradle.
―Until that girl disappeared like smoke in the middle and drove multiple people crazy.
[You’re so weak right now. So you can’t use my power, Gerard.]
The snake sneered at the ‘Cursed VenĂ©num’.
However, there was a certain determination in Gerard’s eyes.
The determination that he would surely possess the long-awaited Annette, and that he would pay any price for it.
“If I burn my life as fuel.”
[

]
“You said I could use your power.”
Shhh—
Although the snake had no expression at all, it seemed surprisingly happy.
Its vertical gold pupils were clearly enlarged.
[Then you will die soon? Unless you can rebuild your decaying body with the power of ‘Exordium’.]
“Anyway, I’m still dying.”
Gerard was holding his last rope at the entrance to Hell.
“I will bet my life and death on this.”
[Kekekek, well thought out! In fact, she has awakened the power of the sorcerer!]
“

!!!”
Gerard’s eyes widened.
“Why, now
 Why didn’t you tell me?”
The snake responded by sliding up and down the entire body of the moss-covered statue of the goddess, with a petulant flexibility.
[Isn’t it fun?]
That you alone are desperately struggling, conflicting, obsessed, and falling apart.
—My foolish human contractor.
‘This son of a bitch.’
Gerard’s teeth gnashed. But at the same time, a strange excitement arose.
That was the thrill of making the right choice.
[Yes, what’s the first curse that gnaws at your life?]
VenĂ©num’s curse was largely divided into two categories.
‘Mind control’, and ‘Time.’
Gerard chose

“Sislin, I will make that bastard go back to ‘the most painful time’.”
—Brother, you’ll end up in the Crevasse again.
‘In it, you will go crazy and die forever.’
‘I will bring back what’s ‘mine’ that I should have.’
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
“Are we still far away?”
It seemed like we had come a long way, but we hadn’t reached our destination.
So I asked Sislin, who was constantly looking at the outside scenery of the carriage through the forest.
“The perfect place is far away.”
“

.”
‘Perfect place?’
‘What are you looking for the perfect place for?’
I replied with a smile.
“At this point, I am even more curious. Why are you bringing me there?”
At that moment, Sislin quietly grabbed my hand.
‘His body temperature is like a ball of fire.’
His red eyes met my green ones, and he whispered.
“Do you want me to tell you in advance?”
“Yes.”
“We are
”
Just as Sislin tried to speak, his expression instantly hardened and he hugged me tightly in his arms.
“Close your eyes.”
—Bang!
The impact was strong enough to destroy the carriage.