Chapter 350
Chapter 350: This is Certain. (3)
Edwin’s momentum momentarily weakened as he looked puzzled and asked, “What is that…?”
“It’s an exorcism tool, you know? One could say it’s a device for treating your and Edwin’s weak minds. Physical treatment is the best for a fragile mind.”
“Rude brat… How dare you, in front of me, a great being of the demon realm…”
“You’re not even from the demon realm, are you? You’re barely hanging on because you can’t control it anyway, right? If you could control it, you would be acting all nice instead.”
Edwin paused momentarily at Ghislaine’s sudden remark.
But he quickly regained his composure and exuded a fierce aura of magic.
“It seems you haven’t tasted hell. The goddess’s divine power has no effect on me. How do you think such a thing could possibly deal with me…?”
As the tingling magic touched Ghislaine’s body, he waved his hand and brushed it away.
“Where are you mimicking and pretending to be a demon? You’re quite an entertaining fellow.”
Edwin gritted his teeth at Ghislaine’s relaxed demeanor.
He was the son of a powerful count, and until now, everyone who had approached him had treated him carefully and with caution.
So why was this guy reacting like that?
And he dares to treat him like this to chase him away and ‘heal’ him? He was the heir of the count. There’s no way he could be killed or crippled.
Count Mobray had once swung a club at him too. But he never crossed a certain line.
“Hmm… You’re quite amusing. The pain of mere mortals means nothing to me…”
In the end, losing a fight would just mean Edwin’s body would suffer. They could share the pain together, but it would just be the pain of a mere human.
To one whose mind had been consumed, that couldn’t be a fundamental fear. After all, he could block most shocks with his own power.
That was just bravado. He was really thinking of himself as a human being and threatening him out of that bravado.
Since divine power and magic didn’t work, it seemed Count Mobray was resorting to such childish methods. It was almost laughable.
“Such threats only work on those who can be intimidated by them… Something so childish…”
Ignoring Edwin’s words, Ghislaine took out a pair of finger knuckles from his bag and carefully slipped them on.
Then, after shaking his wrist a few times, Ghislaine grinned and said, “Let’s take it easy today since it’s the first day. Hold on tight.”
“Such bravado…”
Smack!
Before Edwin could finish his sentence, Ghislaine’s fist struck his face.
“Gah!”
Edwin’s head turned and stopped.
He couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
Is he really hitting me? I’m the heir of a count! This isn’t divine treatment, is it? What kind of treatment is this? Is this real physical therapy?
At that moment, Ghislaine’s voice echoed again.
“Head back to position.”
“You scoundrel…!”
As Edwin turned his head back in anger, another fist flew from the opposite side.
Smack!
“Gah!”
Edwin could not regain his senses. He shouldn’t be in pain, yet it hurt. It hurt incredibly.
‘What… what is this?’
He was wrapped in his own magic, so it was normal not to feel pain.
Even if the opponent used mana, only someone with quite a high level of skill could injure Edwin’s body.
But now, he felt the pain of a human directly.
No, it was understandable if someone stronger could do that. But something incomprehensible was striking at his core.
Ghislaine packed mana into his fist, hitting Edwin with the energy that was devouring him, but the demon did not realize that.
“Graaah! You dare! Now! To me!”
Smack!
“Gah!”
Even amidst the pain, Edwin felt an enormous rage surging within him. How dare a mere human hit him like this!
And how dare he put his hands on his body, the heir of the count!
It was a mix of emotions from both the demon and Edwin that manifested chaotically.
“You scoundrel! You dare! I will curse you! My authority will devour your soul! All the creatures of the heavens will descend upon you, tearing you apart, and all the beings of the earth will capture you, dragging you into the flames…”
“What are you saying?”
Smack!
“Argh!”
It hurt so much that Edwin couldn’t help but yelp. He had no idea what was happening.
Why was he feeling such pain from a mere human’s punch that seemed like a mere casual hit?
It felt like his very soul was being struck. A chilling energy was tearing and piercing through his body.
“Graaah!”
Clang!
Filled with anger, Edwin reached out to grab Ghislaine.
Though chained up, he still had enough movement to make the minimal gestures needed for eating.
Grabbing the opponent right in front of him should have been easy.
But who was Ghislaine? Every single motion was at the pinnacle of finesse.
Flick.
With just a gentle swish of his arm, Edwin’s hand was batted away before it could even touch Ghislaine.
With Edwin being weak due to lack of training, there was no way he could contend against Ghislaine. Even boosted by magic, it was the same.
Even if he focused his energy and tried to unleash it, Ghislaine effortlessly swatted it away like a fly.
‘What… what is this? Who is this guy?’
He was neither a priest nor a mage. He knew he was using mana, but he couldn’t figure out what he was doing.
It was just that he was getting hit, but he never imagined he would feel this kind of pain.
Edwin wasn’t the only one who was flabbergasted. Arel, who was nervously watching from the side, was equally dumbfounded.
‘Is this what an exorcism is…?’
He had thought it wouldn’t be easy and had geared himself up for it. Upon hearing that they were catching a demon, he had resolved himself stronger than anyone else.
But now that push had come to shove… they were just beating him up.
Can demons be caught like this? Is this correct? His prior understanding was crumbling.
Suddenly, he remembered Ghislaine’s words from before entering the tower.
— You shouldn’t be surprised by anything you see from now on. Got it?
‘Aha.’
Arel finally understood the meaning behind Ghislaine’s words.
While Ghislaine energetically pounded Edwin, Arel took out a notepad and scribbled down notes.
‘Demons… can be beaten… note…’
He was diligently jotting down each lesson from Ghislaine so he wouldn’t forget. Studying was just a bonus.
His dedication to emulate and follow every aspect of his master was truly the mark of an excellent disciple.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Gah! You! Dare! Graah!”
The physical therapy seemed endless. Ghislaine was fully committed to his strikes.
Not only was he hitting him, but each blow was infused with mana, targeting the hidden energies within Edwin’s body.
With the sheer finesse of striking, Ghislaine only delivered pain without breaking any of Edwin’s bones.
In the end, Edwin was screaming at the top of his lungs.
“Graaah! I am! This body is! The son of a count! The heir here! You think you can treat me like this and still walk away unharmed?!”
“Oh, that’s fine. You just can’t die.”
As long as he didn’t die, they could keep beating him until he surrendered. He’d never seen a situation that didn’t resolve that way.
In response, Edwin began to rage even more.
“Is there no one outside! Someone! This fool is trying to kill me!”
“Yep, no one is here.”
Having cleared everyone out already, it was impossible for Edwin’s cries to reach anyone. Even if someone were to die here, nobody would know.
Filled with rage, Edwin’s black eyes shone menacingly as he shouted.
“You! Don’t you fear my curse! I will surely…!”
Smack!
“Gah!”
Ghislaine couldn’t care less about such cursing. He knew all too well that this guy had no such abilities.
Thus, Ghislaine continued to pound Edwin for several days. Every meal, Arel went down to retrieve it.
True to their noble house, every meal was a lavish feast.
“Wow, this is delicious. Let’s eat quickly and digest.”
Ghislaine didn’t waste time even in these moments. From the next day on, he began teaching Arel as he pummeled Edwin.
“Now, see. If you hit here, it’ll make it hard to breathe, thus changing your posture like this.”
Smack!
“Gah!”
“This spot is a critical one, but if you don’t deliver a proper strike, you may get counterattacked.”
Smack!
“Gah!”
“The stance during an attack is also important. You must be able to respond immediately when the opponent dodges or blocks.”
Smack!
“Ugh!”
Arel nodded diligently, taking notes. Ghislaine was pleased with Arel’s dedication as a disciple.
“Why don’t you give it a try?”
“Yes!”
When Ghislaine handed a club over, Arel diligently swung it according to what he learned. Of course, he couldn’t strike the hidden energy like Ghislaine could.
He was merely practicing.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Right, good job.”
Ghislaine smiled, watching Arel train hard.
Edwin couldn’t help but think.
‘Just what the hell are these guys?’
Everything felt completely wrong. It felt like he might really die, but not quite dying was pushing him towards madness.
That guy hardly ever sleeps. Just when it seemed like he might stop, he shut his eyes for just a few minutes before suddenly standing up again. This is not what a human would do.
Rather, the disciple beside him was sleeping more than he was.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
‘When will this end?’
Eventually, he started getting hit even while eating. The disciple was hitting alongside him. There was no time to rest.
At a certain point, fear began to creep in. It was beginning to feel like it would never end.
He desperately wanted it to stop now. He couldn’t endure this pain any longer.
Even the demon that had consumed Edwin’s body and mind couldn’t hold out any longer. Gradually, Edwin’s original consciousness began to awaken.
‘Ah, no… I don’t want to wake up…’
The demon had already absorbed Edwin’s memories and mind, merging them as one. They shared those emotions.
Edwin’s heart was filled with gloom, anger, and despair. It was because of that that he had been raging and acting so ferociously.
The burden felt as the heir of the family.
The difficult lessons and studies of being an heir.
He didn’t want to do any of it nor follow through.
That’s why he was always being reprimanded by his father, and over time, he lost his confidence.
As an heir to the territory, he had access to only the finest foods and clothing, could have whatever he wanted.
But what was the use of all that?
He envied the free commoners playing outside, farming.
He didn’t need a good family or environment. He just wanted to run away from his strict and terrifying father.
— You are the heir of this territory! You are the one responsible!
‘I hate it…’
He truly despised that voice. He didn’t want to take responsibility for anyone or lead anyone.
He just wanted to live freely and comfortably.
— You pathetic fool! You still dare to call yourself a noble!
The more he felt like that, the harsher his father’s scoldings grew. Suffering from the possibility of being scolded, his mistakes increased. He became incapable of doing anything well.
He felt like he was becoming a fool. It was as if the whole world was mocking him.
He wished he could abandon everything and run away, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.
He felt like he might go crazy. No, perhaps he was already insane.
Then one day, a voice came to him.
— Accept me… I will free you…
Having already given up on life, Edwin accepted the being approaching him without hesitation.
Having already thought that he was crazy, he had no reservations at all.
Thus, they became one, and that state had been reached.
Edwin found comfort in it. He could express his rage without restraint and say what he disliked. He poured curses upon his father and his retainers who had looked down on him.
“Ah! So this is liberation! I have finally regained my freedom!”
It felt refreshing. It was so good. He wanted to live like this forever. His body didn’t hurt, and he was always comfortable. A strange energy protected him.
He wanted to live comfortably and without a care in the world just like this.
So he entrusted everything to the demon, falling into a deep sleep.
He only desired a release of the accumulated anger and grievances he had built up.
But now…
He was experiencing pains he had never felt in his life.
Even when beaten by his father, it had never hurt like this. Even when reprimanded, it was never this torturous.
He wanted to escape this pain. He thought, perhaps, the past was better.
At least there hadn’t been this kind of pain back then.
Eventually, Edwin’s mind, which had completely entrusted itself to the demon, awoke fully.
This pain would be too much for him, the demon, and nobody could bear it.
Thus, he uttered a line he never thought he would say in his life.
“Father! Please save me! This guy is trying to kill me! Someone, please rescue me! Father! Father!”
Thud.
At that moment, Ghislaine’s fist stopped.
