Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 476

Episode 476 Cayman (1)

Demons are one of the species classified as heteromorphic, and have been regarded as a symbol of fear to mankind since ancient times.

Human sacrifice, delusion, cannibalism, death… … .

Up until now, the number of victims who have directly or indirectly lost their lives and families to the devil, and whose souls have been defiled by offering up their corpses as sacrifices, is incalculable.

The devil worshippers contributed greatly to that cruel history.

They gain power and knowledge through rituals that worship and glorify demons, and some even perform bizarre abilities by making various types of contracts with high-ranking demons.

In fact, they were beings who not only rejected the doctrines of the Luas Church, but were also its complete opposites.

But despite the notoriety it has built up over the years… … from the perspective of an ordinary citizen, the danger of the devil doesn’t feel that close in modern times.

Because the power of the world religion, Luasism, is growing stronger day by day, the balance of power has been broken.

sanctuary.

The church pushed the devil into darkness, and the light burned the darkness.

All the demons hiding in society were weeded out in the name of the holy war, dragged out, and executed.

The devil worshipper was buried in the square after being made into a corpse with both hands and throat cut off and undergoing a ritual of purification to receive divine powers.

Or be burned in fire and reduced to ashes.

'It was said that eventually, one of the three great demons… …was defeated by the saint, saintess, pope, and highest paladin of the time, and the demonic powers began to decline.'

Verden reflected on the devil, recalling the content of the Luasian scriptures he had once read in the Bohemian Tower.

What kind of anomalous species is the devil?

I have a rough idea of what it looks like from the pictures in the book, but it's probably very different from the real thing.

'According to Leila and Jose, it seems like a creature filled with quite a bit of malice. But is Jose's case different?'

The devil who approached Jose's wife said that he only gave her medicine for her sick son and did nothing else.

Of course, that alone was enough evidence for the cold-blooded Inquisitor to label her a devil worshipper.

“Hmm.”

Verden walked through the dense forest, gathering his thoughts.

A few days after my meeting with the Society, I was on my way alone to meet the first member that Melad had mentioned.

The location is the northeastern tip of the central continent.

Melad sent a message through Hares, stating that he had already made arrangements and enclosed a letter detailing his friend's location.

The letter, having fulfilled its purpose, was consumed in flames.

Wheww.

As we left the forest edge, a rolling meadow filled with lush green appeared.

The cliffs along the coast were not very high, but because they were right next to the sea, strong winds often blew.

'It's a small town.'

On the fields that filled the space between the forest and the sea, there was a tiny village surrounded by a crude wooden fence.

The population is probably around 100 people.

In the distance you can see a ranch raising sheep.

Some villagers who had gone down the cliff were fishing.

Judging from his expression, it seems like it's more of a livelihood than a hobby.

It's a pastoral scene.

Sabak, sabak.

Verden headed to the village with his <Veil> obscuring the world's perception.

Even though he was walking openly, the young man who was standing guard on the wall did not notice him.

Verden sets foot on the cliff village where the devil's contractors are hiding.

* * *

The streets of the village were quite ordinary.

To be more precise, I would say it is primitive.

The transactions that took place in the marketplaces centered around wells involved more barter than money transactions.

Fish, lamb, fur, boar meat, fishing rods, etc. are traded back and forth.

'Being accustomed to self-sufficiency at the village level means that there is not much interaction with other villages or cities… … .'

It is an isolated village.

Above all else.

'There is no resident who carries the symbol of the Luas religion.'

People's faith and trust in world religions are deep.

It wasn't the result of building up in a day or two.

Who can deny the contributions that the Luas religion has made to humanity?

Just as every human nation on the entire continent takes Luathism as its state religion as a given, the majority of people believe in the Light.

It was almost standard to carry the orthodox cross, the symbol of the Luasian faith, whether it was a necklace or a ring.

It's that common.

So much so that it would be quicker to count the people who don't have the symbol of light.

So, this town is bound to feel unfamiliar.

“…….”

We arrived at a house decorated with dried herbs, observing the residents living ordinary lives.

There was a white flag next to the door.

'It's the same characteristic that Melad told me about.'

In addition, a person whose presence is incomparable to that of the residents of this place is detected inside the house.

Verden stepped inside, passing through a door that was still open.

The sight of a gentle-looking man wearing glasses taking care of a boy with moist eyes was reflected in my eyes.

“Sniff, therapist… Am I, am I not going to be able to walk anymore?”

“Haha, how could that be? I just tripped over a rock and fell. I’ll get over it in no time.”

“But it hurts so much… sniffle.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll cure you. So just hold on for a little longer. Be strong. Okay? Stop crying!”

“…Sudden.”

The healer skillfully soothed the boy and applied a mixture of finely crushed herbs to the wound on his knee.

A white bandage wrapped the bruised and scraped wound tightly.

“Okay, stand up.”

The boy hesitantly got up from his chair. His legs, which had been aching just a moment ago, felt fine.

“Huh? Therapist! It doesn’t hurt at all!”

“I told you I would make you better. But it would be good to rest for a day or so, so try to walk around as much as possible today. Do you understand?”

“Yes! Thank you! Therapist!”

The boy greeted them cheerfully and headed outside at a quick pace.

Then, perhaps feeling frustrated, he hurried to his friends, jumping up and down using his uninjured left leg.

It was a naive and innocent idea.

"haha."

The therapist smiled faintly and collected the remaining herbs to store them away.

That was when.

Verden lifted the <veil> and revealed his true form.

“A remedy made mainly from Larne leaves, the main ingredient in high-grade potions. What a unique combination. And also excessive.”

For a moment the therapist flinched in surprise, then nodded.

“This is the recipe that my friend Harkan taught me a long time ago. Instead of eliminating the instant effect, I increased the scope and depth of the treatment. It may be used only for serious injuries, but isn’t a child’s laughter just as important?”

“Are those your values?”

“Hehe, it’s not like I’m going to dress it up in a grand way and call it a value system. I just want to help those I want to help… By the way, I heard you can use long-distance teleportation. I didn’t know you’d come this quickly.”

The therapist took off his glasses and placed them on the desk.

A sharp gaze that wasn't there before was turned towards Verden.

“Sorry for the late greetings, Transcendent One. My name is Cayman Vermont.”

The first member to escape the Great Hall of the Black Hour in the past──the last survivor, greeted Verden politely.

* * *

All the doors on the first floor were closed.

He lowered the white flag outside the door to notify guests that he was away so that they would not be disturbed.

And the building is already thoroughly secured by Verden.

“This way.”

As we descended the hidden stairs, a fairly large, dark basement was revealed.

Hwaak.

As Cayman gestured, the candles decorating the walls and tables lit up.

Verden narrowed his eyes.

'It's not magic.'

It is true that the phenomenon was caused by Cayman's own magical power being consumed, but the process itself was completely different, only the resources used were the same.

Is it the power of the devil?

Verden sat down on the old chair, secretly interested.

Cayman, who had brought out moderately warm tea, sat down across from Verden at a table with candles on it.

“I’m sorry to have to invite you to such a shabby place. There’s no other good place around here. It’s fortunate that there are still some delicious tea leaves. Oh, but how should I address you……”

“Call me whatever you want.”

“Then I will also call you divine like Melad.”

Cayman Vermont.

His appearance, dressed like a pharmacist, suggests that he is in his early 30s.

Even though he must be around the same age as Melad or Harkan.

'How strange.'

Looking at his true nature, it seems that he has a deep connection with the devil… … The attitude he is showing is no different from that of any other kind-hearted person in the village.

As I realized, there was no lie in dealing with the injured child or with Verden.

'Except for his youthful appearance… …what makes him different from a human?'

As Verden pondered the matter in his head, Cayman smiled and said,

“It seems like you have a lot of questions for me. Please tell me. I will answer anything I can.”

“Are you okay with the devil?”

“Of course. If I were to explain in detail how to infiltrate the Great Hall, I would inevitably have to explain about the demons. Please don’t decline.”

"then……."

Verden took a sip of tea and asked the first question.

“There is not a single resident in this village who has a symbol of the Luasian religion. Not even a single person says the common prayer. Is this because of the devil?”

“Indirectly, yes. This is a village formed by the families of those who were accused of being devil worshippers and executed by the Luas Church, gathering together one by one.”

The Luas Church does not practice guilt by association for devil worship.

But it's a completely different story with neighbors and human society.

Those who believe in the light abhor the existence of the devil, and fear and avoid anything even remotely related to it.

This was the reason why he showed contemptuous gaze and cold attitude not only to devil worshippers but also to their families.

Those who were thus ostracized had only two choices.

Unable to endure it, they commit suicide or leave their home in tears.

This was the community home created by the victims belonging to the latter group.

'So, you're saying that it's a kind of shelter where people in similar situations as Jose gather.'

I understand why people are avoiding the Luas religion.

Even if you believed in it in the past, you can no longer look favorably on a religion that executed your family members in front of everyone.

“But why are you staying here? As a therapist, at that.”

“I became a therapist by accident. It just happened naturally as I looked after people’s illnesses and wounds.”

and.

“It’s natural for me to be here. Well, no. Now that I think about it, it’s not natural. Unlike them, I’ve made a contract with the devil to survive… so even if I’m captured by the Luas Church and killed right now, I have nothing to say.”

Cayman laughed at himself.

“But I heard from Melad… It seems that the Divine does not really fear the devil.”

“Well, it would be more correct to say that I have never properly encountered the devil, so I have not had the opportunity to judge it.”

Verden's gaze lowered.

“So, I wish you could show me the guy who’s been hiding in the shadows.”

“……As expected, you are a transcendent being.”

Cayman nodded without hesitation, feeling an eerie sensation as if his inner thoughts were being revealed to him.

LOL.

The long shadow of the cayman, cast by the candle, moves.

A slimy darkness crawled out and took on a human form.

“Individual name: Shadow Demon. As the name suggests, it is a demon that lives off of shadows. You could say it is a liaison and a bodyguard.”

The shadow demon's body was made of something like dark fog.

The head had only two round, white eyes.

“What a strange species.”

“……Don’t you find it disgusting? Especially those two eyes that are fixed on you.”

"at all."

Compared to Gluttony, who creates bizarre creatures by attaching and removing various things based on humans, it's cute.

While Verden was observing closely, his eyes met the shadow demon's.

Swish.

The shadow demon lowered his eyes.

“……? Huh? Why did it suddenly go down?”

Cayman couldn't hide his bewilderment as he watched the Shadow Demon's reaction.

Regardless, Verden asked the following question:

“Is that the devil you made a contract with?”

“Oh, that’s not it. The demon I made a contract with… is of a high rank. Summoning a shadow demon is only a small part of its power.”

Cayman rubbed my stomach.

“It was the power of the high-ranking demon that allowed me to recover from a fatal injury where half of my body was destroyed and my internal organs eventually burst and leaked out. Even maintaining this youthful appearance and life. Should I say that I am like a puppet? If the person controlling me lets go of the strings, I will collapse.”

He drank the tea in one gulp.

“Ahem, sorry. Let’s leave the next question for later. Can we talk about the Great Hall first?”

“If that’s convenient.”

"thank you."

The conversation briefly returned to the main topic.

“As Melad said, there is only one way to invade the Great Hall. Observe the spatial coordinates from a place the Great Hall does not recognize, and then attempt to teleport there.”

Cayman clasped his hands together.

“And that place has a very deep connection with the devil, because it is a space that the devil created to separate the world.”

He spoke softly.

“I will now explain about the Great Demon’s Refuge, ‘The Other World, Libereas.’”