Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire Chapter 5

Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire

Chapter 5: The Strange Village (2)

“Hehe, these stupid humans. They fall for it every time.”  

A procession of the dead marched through the heart of the village.  

A woman with bloodstained wings and a long, swaying tail lured the corpses forward—her name was Trisha.  

Though born a half-breed of vampire and succubus blood, in this moment, she reigned as a queen.  

“Sweetie~ Why the long face? You’ve been sulking all day.”  

“Grr… Kirunga. Disappointed.”  

“Huh?”  

“Kirunga, very disappointed! Trisha is a slut!”  

“…What did you just say?”  

Trisha stopped in her tracks and glared at the ogre.  

When a stumbling corpse brushed against her back, she irritably swung her arm, decapitating the ghoul in one clean motion.  

“I told you not to call me that.”  

“Slut is still a slut even if you wash it! Kirunga hates dirty things!”  

“You fucking idiot. Did you think succubi were supposed to be elegant, noble ladies? We die if we don’t drain men’s vitality!”  

“Trisha. Ugly. Liar! Kirunga heard Succubus Queen doesn’t need that to live!”  

“……I can’t believe this moron is my partner.”  

“Kirunga’s ears are bad. Speak louder!”  

Trisha suppressed her anger.  

Despite his stupidity, Kirunga’s strength was at the level of a count. 

He was a monster who could effortlessly take on a dozen knights at once. 

She needed a bodyguard like him to accelerate her research.  

“Fine. I won’t sleep with any more random men, okay~? Happy now?”  

“Hmph. Kiss.”  

“Shut up and move. We still have work to do.”  

Trisha headed toward the Red Bear Inn.  

The village men she had slept with days ago were slowly turning into ghouls.  

In just one night, they had infected the women and children, and now the entire village lived out their dying days under the succubus’ hypnosis.  

All except one girl.  

‘That one was actually useful.’  

Even though the experiment was a success, she had stayed in the village because she’d found an interesting subject.  

For some reason, the ghoulification process was slower in that girl.  

‘Once I take her, I’m done here.’  

If she kept working at night, Kirunga would betray her.  

Besides, she needed a replacement womb anyway. 

As much as it pissed her off, that girl was prettier, she’d probably lure in more men.  

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”  

“Kirunga suspicious. Hiding man in house?”  

“You’re not seriously thinking of coming in with me, are you? With that huge body of yours?”  

“……Kirunga. Count to ten.”  

“Tch.”  

Kirunga began counting on his fingers. Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t get past double digits before starting over.  

‘What an absolute idiot.’  

Trisha entered the inn and climbed to the second floor.  

The stench of corpses hung thick in the air.  

The full moon peered through broken windows.  

Pale blue moonlight bathed the hallway.  

‘Come to think of it, an outsider did visit the village.’  

Even without a single candle, Trisha found the doorknob with practiced ease. 

The door creaked open—a chilling draft seeped out.  

“Tch. I even dressed her in lingerie, and he didn’t touch her.”  

Sonia lay asleep on the bed.  

Like a princess who had bitten the poisoned apple.  

“Did he figure it out and run? I should’ve just dealt with him myself.”  

If the Holy Kingdom’s hounds caught wind of this, it’d be trouble.  

Trisha hurriedly prepared to leave. 

Just the thought of the Holy Kingdom’s knights made her chest tighten unnaturally.  

It felt like her heart was being squeezed.  

She reached out toward Sonia.  

RUSTLE—  

“……?”  

A sound came from inside the room.  

The quiet flip of a page cut through the silence. 

Trisha tried to turn her head,

“I told you not to touch the humans.”  

“……!!”  

Her legs gave out.  

Trisha barely caught herself, knees buckling as she fought to stay upright. 

Her heart pounded violently.  

‘Wh-What is this? My body won’t… move!’  

She couldn’t even open her mouth to speak.  

The oppressive silence stretched on.  

Trisha, a prisoner of terror, focused on the sound.  

“Are you a traitor?”  

“Ghk…!”  

Her breathing suddenly turned ragged.  

Bile rose in her throat.  

‘What… is happening to me…?’  

She desperately twisted her stiffened body.  

Straining, she managed to turn her head, searching for the source of the voice. 

There, in the darkness, blue eyes glowed as they read a book.  

“You are—”  

“Quiet.”  

Her mouth snapped shut as if by magic. Trisha’s lips trembled, turning pale.  

‘Th-This can’t be… I’m a higher being!’  

She struggled to make sense of the situation.  

Was he a mage? No—she couldn’t sense any mana from him.  

There had been no warning, no preparation. 

Even as her mind raced, her heart pounded harder.  

“Those who forget their place and refuse to listen lead short lives.”  

“F-Forgive…”  

“Forgiveness is for those I expect to see again.”  

“Ghk…! Ugh…!”  

Pushed to her limit, Trisha clenched her teeth, stifling a sob.  

Because every time the man spoke, she was dying.  

Her body, unable to withstand the pressure, began to crack, slowly crumbling into ash.  

“I do not bother punishing insignificant rebellions. The reason you are dying is simply because you interrupted my leisure.”  

“U-Ugh…!”  

“Hmm, how to put it… Imagine driving down the highway, stopping at the first rest area, only to find they don’t sell udon. I was really looking forward to rest-stop udon.”  

“P-Please…”  

“They had kimbap and hot dogs, but no udon. I tried to smile, but then I found out the bathrooms were under construction, couldn’t even use them.”  

“Ghhh…! Kkhh…!”  

“Maybe it’s because I ate my hometown food for the first time in a while. I thought I’d forgotten, but memories of my past life keep resurfacing.”  

Still standing, Trisha coughed up blood.  

The more he rambled about things she couldn’t comprehend, the deeper her terror grew.  

Yet she didn’t dare interrupt him—so even as her insides ruptured, she could only wait helplessly.  

‘N-No… I’m going to die like this…! Kirunga! Why isn’t he coming?!’  

Instinctively, she sensed the man was a demon. He had to be. No human could do this.  

If she could just confirm his identity, she could explain—she was just following orders from a higher power! If he killed her now, it would come back to haunt him!  

“Ghh…! Ugh…!”  

Blood seeped through her clenched teeth.  

Trisha mustered all her strength to lift her head.  

And finally—  

“A… demon?”  

The moment their eyes met, her breath stopped.  

Even in the Demon Realm, true demons were rare. 

They weren’t born through reproduction—they were the reincarnated souls of fallen Demon Lords, naturally occurring vessels of power.  

300 years ago, there had been 72 demons.  

Now, only one remained.  

The demon who had slaughtered the 71 Demon Lords and conquered the Demon Realm the world knew him as the Great Altheron.  

“Y-Your… Majesty…?”  

Trisha immediately prostrated herself, forehead pressed to the floor.  

Once she realized who he was, her body felt as heavy as a mountain. No matter how hard she tried, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.  

Death was right in front of her.  

‘Why is the Demon Emperor in the Kingdom of Lodeland?!’  

It made no sense.  

The Emperor wouldn’t personally intervene for a mere traitor. There had to be another reason.  

‘Did he… find out about our plan?’  

THUD—!  

“……?”  

She lifted her head, ears twitching.  

A sound was coming from downstairs.  

THUD. THUD. THUD……  

‘No.’  

THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.  

‘No, no, no…! Don’t come…!’  

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!  

‘STOP!!’  

CRAAAAASH—!!  

The door and stone wall shattered as Kirunga burst into the room.  

“GRRAAHH!!”  

Snarling, the ogre scanned the area. 

When he spotted Trisha groveling and the man sitting calmly, he roared.  

“MAN HERE! TRISHA! YOU LIED AGAIN!!”  

In that moment, Trisha’s pupils dilated.  

She watched in horror as Kirunga charged at the Emperor.  

Even as the ogre’s fist swung down with devastating force, the Emperor kept reading—unfazed.  

And then, just before the fist could land—  

Kirunga’s body disintegrated into dust.  

“Hah…! Hah…!”  

Instead of a deafening impact, silence swallowed the world.  

It was erased.  

Kirunga, gone without a trace—reduced to a handful of ash.  

“P-Please… spare me…”  

She had no thoughts left, no will to flee.  

Trisha could only beg.  

Her body trembled uncontrollably.  

“I-I’ll give you anything! Please…”  

“You have nothing I lack.”  

“Hah…! Hah…!”  

“Then try running.”  

“……What?”  

“If you escape this village before I finish this book, I will pardon your crimes.”  

Trisha’s eyes widened, her mind blank.  

The pages kept turning.  

“There aren’t many left.”  

“……!”  

Like a dog kicked in the ribs, Trisha scrambled to her feet and hurled herself out the window.  

Her ankle twisted on impact, but she felt no pain. Limping, she ran for her life.  

“Ghh—! Agh…!”  

The desperate escape had begun.