Chapter 200

"Some books mention magic... well, they're poorly judged and malicious. They portray magic as an ambiguous, morally ambiguous gray area, rather than the evil and darkness we know it to be. We can't let such books poison the minds of the Demacia people and lead them to mistakenly believe that magic is... some kind of neutral power."

"You mean the Mageseekers have to review my collection first, otherwise the library won't be allowed to open?" This person's shamelessness was simply unbelievable. Lestara was certain that the Mageseekers had no right to make such a demand, let alone to a nobleman.

"Let me remind you, I am still Lady Lestara Buvelle, the head of the Buvelle family, and my daughter will inherit this position in the future. This family has a long and distinguished history, and the King may not necessarily—"

"Issue a coercive order?" Eldred interrupted, that repulsive smile returning to his face.

"Oh, haven't you heard? It was a Noxus mage who breached the Gate of Mourning. Who do you think the king will punish?"

"Noxus, of course," Lestara said firmly, but a sense of unease was creeping into her heart.

And Eldred confirmed this unease—

He shook his head and smiled:

"It's a mage."

Chen Ce was a little suspicious that the demon Raum was exaggerating—perhaps it was some kind of childish prank? That would certainly fit its demonic identity.

He waited for several days but the "being equal to me, the same demon" that Raum had spoken of never appeared.

Every time you ask it, you get a short and ineffective answer: I don't know who that demon is, but I just know it's coming.

Um...

If what Raum said was true, then Chen Ce hoped it was false; if what Raum said was true, then Chen Ce hoped that this stupid demon who only knew how to "play pranks" would quickly get a beating from the demon that was on its way.

If a demon is truly coming...

Demon...

The demons of Runeterra, aside from Azakana who only operates in the Spirit Realm of Ionia, and a few "reclusive demons" who generally don't move, leave only a few possibilities --

The first is a demon known to roam Demacia —there is concrete evidence that it has ravaged innocent villagers within Demacia's borders. It brings darkness, fear, and death, and is one of the most elusive demons, as well as the youngest of the demons.

[Nightmare - Nocturne]

The second possibility... another demon, which also roamed Demacia, but the panic it created was far less than that of the other demons—it clearly preferred individual suffering to widespread panic. That gave it pleasure.

Its appearance forged a new [hero] —Vayne. It had murdered Vayne's parents on a night many years ago.

[Embrace of Pain - Evelynn]

The third and final possibility... is that it is the most elusive and purest demon. It can appear in any corner of Runeterra at any time, and the fear it instills is greater than all other demons combined.

It is the most ancient and terrifying demon, and also possibly the most powerful demon.

[Ancient Fear - Fiddlesticks]

The image of Fiddlesticks. Some people also simply call it "the eerie Fiddlesticks in the field".

Chen Ce really couldn't figure out which demon was the one who said "I'm coming to your doorstep right away."

He couldn't even be sure if a demon was really coming.

Until... the third night of waiting.

Late at night, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Ce had considered that the person coming to visit might be Garen, Lux, or Sona, but it wasn't practical this late. He also thought it might be that demon. He cautiously gripped his longsword.

But when he actually opened the door, he saw the face of Jonathan, the Mageseekers squad leader—a serious, ashen face.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ce silently sheathed his longsword.

"The situation is getting worse..." Jonathan's tone was uneasy. "There have been dead bodies in our jurisdiction... several. Their deaths are extremely bizarre, definitely not the work of ordinary people."

"You mean... a magician?" Chen Ce asked.

"To be precise, a ruthless and powerful Black Mage."

Should we set off to investigate now?

"That's why I've come to bother you in the middle of the night." Jonathan gripped the brim of his hat tightly and took out a silver-white stone from his belt.

"Petricite, you recognize it? This thing can protect you from magicians, keep it safe. Also... tonight's situation is really tricky, we're a bit short-handed, could you come with us?"

To be honest, Jonathan would normally not let "Chen Ce, who has connections and background," get involved in such dangerous matters. His main purpose in coming was to give Chen Ce a Petricite and ensure his safety.

But given the current situation... that damned Black Mage is far too cunning, and we're severely short-handed, so we have no choice but to ask Chen Ce to join the investigation.

If we let that Black Mage continue causing trouble... Great City is the capital of Demacia!

If he were to kill several people in one night, and also kill one or two nobles... then these Mageseekers could pack their bags and leave tomorrow—no, that would be the least of their worries, they might even be exiled!

Neglect of duty, incompetence... and so on. The duty of the Mageseekers is to apprehend the Great City that plagues Demacia, not to watch them wreak havoc.

"I shouldn't have disturbed your rest time, but now... I'm really sorry, I hope you can understand." Jonathan's humble manner was more like a subordinate asking a superior for a favor than a captain ordering his team to work.

"It's alright, it's my duty." Chen Ce quickly put on his coat, ready to go out and carry out his mission.

Jonathan didn't waste any words and immediately led the other person outside.

The Great City eerily quiet in the dead of night; not even a drunkard could be seen—such a person would be sent home by patrolling soldiers rather than by their Great City.

Dark clouds in the sky obscured the bright full moon, and even the shadows in the darkness became blurred.

The two quickly crossed several streets and soon encountered four Mageseekers the spot.

They surrounded a corpse.

She was a woman. Her clothes were simple but very clean, and she had a pretty face and skin, so she must have come from a well-off family.

She was already lifeless, her already pale skin turning even paler. Her bloodless lips parted slightly, from which flowed a strange black liquid... not blood, but something else... some kind of...

"We can't find any wounds on her body," Jonathan said briefly, gesturing for Chen Ce to come forward and examine her.

The latter slowly squatted down, and the first thing he noticed was those wide-open eyes.

Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets; they were bloodshot.

Just like...

"Like they were scared to death," Jonathan stated, echoing his and several other Mageseekers' deductions—which sounded somewhat far-fetched.

"Hmm..." Chen Ce nodded, then looked down along the corpse's arm.

The woman's clothes were loose... it was because her body had "shrunk"... but her body wasn't dry at all... it wasn't the kind of feeling where she felt "sucked dry"...

It is indeed a bit strange...

"No one but Black Mage could do this—no one else could do this." Jonathan was certain of the killer's identity.

"There were three more victims on another street, their deaths were roughly the same..."

"Hmm." Chen Ce nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

He secretly channeled a wisp of demonic power.

Used to awaken the spying demon, Raum.

Before he could even ask a question, the latter spoke up in a teasing tone:

Yes... you guessed right... it's it... it's here...

Chen Ce nodded expressionlessly.

Then I asked myself, "Why do I feel like you're so happy? Your tone... it sounds a little excited?"

[Because I can't wait... I'm so eager to see that beautiful scene... you entangled with the demon...]

"So you want to watch a show?"

[Yes of course...]

"So I'll get entangled with the devil, and then what?"

[Then it will teach you a lesson... You'll know how terrible the devil is... You'll understand how valuable your deal with me was... Yes, you got the better deal, you should be grateful...]

"Oh... so it taught me a lesson, and then what?"

[Then it will find me... it will be surprised, astonished, and then angry... it will feel like it's been tricked...]

"And then what?"

[And then it will try to take everything from me... the laws of demons... yes, it will try to take everything from me...]

"It can take everything from you, but you don't even have a physical form now, so what can it take from you?"

That's of course...

The demon Raum suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

[It's just that... only... is...]

Chen Ce couldn't help but laugh, "You only have me, it will take me away, right?"

[Hmm... yes... probably...?]

"So, let's break it down—the devil is coming, it will take me away—maybe by killing me, or maybe by forcing me into a new pact with it, to work for it. In short, it's going to take me away, right?"

[...]

"Then, think about it again... Do you still want it to come?"

"No!" The demon Raum's voice rose, from hoarse to somewhat shrill.

[It can't... You are my contractor... Your life belongs to me... Human...!]

A surge of frenzied demonic power suddenly erupted.

It nearly had a direct and substantial impact on the material realm.

[Demon... you can't possibly...!]

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Roast Chicken Demon!

It seems like Demon Raum's CPU is fried... at least that's how Chen Ce felt.

Ever since it figured out what the arrival of another demon would cause, it had been muttering to itself, saying things like, "A host can only contract with one demon," "Don't even think about taking what belongs to me," and "A demon's contract is above all else."

Chen Ce ignored him and continued to follow Jonathan, the leader of the Mageseekers squad, to investigate the clues left by the demon.

It killed many people in Great City overnight.

Without exception, the deaths of those innocent victims were all extremely bizarre and similar—there were no obvious wounds on their bodies, and everyone's eyes were wide open, as if they had suffered some unbearable and intense pain before they died.

But... is it just pain?

Chen Ce used demonic power to [peep] at these remains.

He discovered another previously unknown commonality—"pleasure".

Yes, this is a word that seems to have nothing to do with death—in fact, it could be said to be the opposite of it.

These deceased individuals... all experienced a brief but intense "pleasure" before death and before suffering.

It's like...

The drunkard drank the finest wine, the scavenger found the most valuable gold coins, the poor woman gained her freedom, the humble beggar received respect... and so on.

Yes, before they died... they all got what they wanted most.

It was as if that demon could transform into anything... the thing that humanity yearned for most deep within... perhaps an illusion... that it gave them...

Only at the very last moment of death will the demon reveal its fangs and claws, its ugly face... its true nature.

"It's not just fear and pain...nor is there any darkness that makes people despair..." Chen Ce looked up at the sky. The gloomy atmosphere that had been bothering him had dissipated, and the bright moonlight shone on the earth.

He already had a vague answer in his mind.

"I think I know who it is..."

[Who...] The demon Raum's voice sounded somewhat gritted, as if it hated the demon who tried to "take everything away from it."

"Evelynn ..." Chen Ce responded inwardly to his contracted demon, "Evelynn, the Embrace of Pain... This style of 'hunting' is so similar to hers."

[She?] Raum noticed a key phrase, [How dare you assume the gender of a demon...]

"No, you misunderstand. Evelynn doesn't have a fixed gender; she just always presents herself as a seductive human woman... it makes it easier for her to hunt humans, regardless of gender. No one can resist her bewitching charm—she knows what humans like. She can directly see into the deepest desires of a human's heart."

[Peeping into secrets...]

"No, it's a little different—you're better at this, Raum."