NOVPUBKairen was dead.
And so, Katria must not look back.
She clenched her eyes shut and started running.
That damned human city—Bondales.
Its filthy alleyways blurred past her.
And for some reason, visions of her homeland, Kehlin, began to overlay the scene.
She was sick of it.
Which was why she missed it so much.
The thought came without warning.
Why was she here?
How did things end up like this?
Her brother had vanished one day without a trace.
Then came the letter from him—light in tone, cheerful.
She had thought it was the start of a joyous, exciting journey—
But now, at the end of that journey, she had nothing.
Her beloved younger brother.
Her respected Kairen.
And even her old self.
"Ah...!"
Suddenly, both her vision and her thoughts came to a halt.
Something tripped her.
Slice.
And then something slashed at her ankle.
"Kyaaaah!!!"
The scream of a dark elf ripped through the slums of the human city.
Katria scrambled on the ground and flipped over.
And there—she saw her attacker.
"...!"
Not what she expected.
It wasn’t a human, but a fellow dark elf.
They extended not a hand, but a blade toward her as they spoke.
"Hand over the Hand of Verdandes, miss."
And just like that—Katria understood.
Why she was here.
How it had come to this.
...Just how foolish her blind hatred for humans had been.
***
[Thread Title: So I’m in the middle of that fate quest with this dark elf chick Katria, and I got questions]
Post: So why did her brother even leave Kehlin, which is a nice place to live, and go to the human world?
Surely it wasn’t just to get enslaved or something after discovering his “true self”?
Do demons get extra juiced up when they see a dark elf guy in chains or something? Wtf
Sealing demons? Needs regular maintenance.
Guess who’s magically linked to the seal? Katria.
= If Katria breaks, the seal breaks.
So they kidnapped her brother to mess with her on purpose??
***
[Thread Title: This fate quest is actually insane]
Post: I got used to the whole “That person you killed was secretly innocent and suffering” trope,
but this quest went full ghost pepper concentrate on us.
Like:
“That person you killed? Actually a tragic victim.
And the guy you helped? Yeah he’s about to go slaughter hundreds of innocents using your help.
Thanks for playing! 😘🔥”
Isn’t that, like... a bit much?
Even a franchise like You Died Tonkatsu wouldn’t go this far unless it became You Died, Chef Sir.
──────────
Like clouds blotting out the sky—
A yellow cloud of sand engulfed Kehlin.
Then, a thunderclap.
A deafening roar carried across the city on the storm.
—Bow your heads before the mountain of sand that veils the sun, you insects.
—The true master of this desert has returned.
The storm left behind chaos and sand, covering the entire city.
The night of the desert had fallen.
[Region: Kehlin]
──────────
"Ugh."
Lisir grimaced.
Meltas looked over at him in concern.
"What is it, Lisir?"
"It’s just... kind of loud."
"You mean the demon’s voice!? That’s terrible news! Let me warn you—never listen to them! That entity is not something a mortal mind can endure! Let your guard down for even a moment, and it will corrupt you with madness! Worse still, it will try to deceive you in every way it can! So, absolutely—when speaking to that thing, consult me first! Tell me everything it says, and we’ll discuss how to respond!"
"That’s serious, huh? In that case, should I tell you everything he’s said so far?"
"Yes, please!"
—You hear me!? At last!? You can hear my voice!?
"Hm?"
—Excellent! Insect! Bow before the mountain of sand that veils the sun! Answer your new master’s call!
"Hmm...!"
—Did I not tell you to answer me!? Hurry!!!
"Hmm?"
—If you don’t respond right now, I’ll see to it that the sand wind grinds your body forever!
You will feel your flesh and organs erode while still alive!
"Hmm...!"
—...Very well! Then just listen!
"Hmm?"
—Release me immediately!
If you don’t, everything you love will be buried and worn away by the sand!
"Hmm...!"
—No, no! I misspoke!
"Hmm?"
—If you release me, I will bestow upon you limitless power and glory!
Please!
I beg you!!!
KRAAAAAAGH!!!
You cursed worm!!!
What are you doing to me!?
Stop—PLEASE STOP!!!
"..."
"That’s... pretty much the whole conversation. I assume the ‘pathetic begging’ thing is just part of the act?"
"...Poor thing."
"...Wait, me? Did I already fall for something!?"
"No, I meant the demon."
"?"
"Demons are also known as Deceivers. They delight in manipulating mortals and watching them squirm."
"So all of that was an act?"
"And yet, demons are also creatures of immense pride.
Even at the brink of annihilation, they never bow to mortals."
"Wait... then what do you call this guy?"
"Hmm..."
Meltas fell into thought.
"Perhaps it’s because of your power—your purification ability."
"You mean... it’s so painful to him that even a proud demon ends up begging for release?"
"It’s ridiculous."
"Thought so."
"But you are Lisir, after all."
"?"
"Which is to say—it’s not entirely impossible."
"...What exactly am I to you?"
"You’re Lisir. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a stronger word than that."
With that, Meltas returned to thinking.
A named demon, bound inside a human and suffering.
As said—
The name “Lisir” was explanation enough.
But looked at the other way—
Without that name, nothing about this made sense.
As a scholar, Meltas tried to come to a rational conclusion.
"Maybe the texts were exaggerated."
"The texts?"
"Sometimes families exaggerate accomplishments to boost their prestige."
"Oh! So you’re saying, ‘A mighty demon who ruled the desert for centuries’ might’ve really just been a troublemaker who sat on a hill and blocked the road?"
"Exactly. A gap in the records, so to speak."
The two of them nodded at each other in satisfaction.
—Lisir!
—Lisir!?
—Lisir!!!
—...LISIR!!!
Like shedding the primitive mindset of a caveman’s linguistic structure and pursuing rational thought instead, he felt a sweet sensation—as if he'd become a true intellectual.
“Anyway, what the hell is going on here.”
Just then, the maid Tia stirred in her sleep on the sofa.
“A demon who should be in the far southern desert is inside your body. This is something even the three syllables Lisir can’t explain. You sure you don’t have any guesses?”
“Hm... should I ask the one concerned?”
The one concerned—Lisir meant Verdandes.
However, there was someone else who responded to that phrasing—
“I can explain.”
“Hm?”
A third voice cut in.
At some point, the maid Tia had awoken and was looking at them.
“Oh, Tia. You’re up. Are you feeling okay?”
“...”
***
Katria wobbled toward Lisir.
As she carefully reached up to touch his face—
"...!"
She suddenly recoiled in shock.
As if she couldn’t accept that her filth could make contact with something as pure as Lisir.
The look in Katria’s eyes as she stared at him was complex.
Too many emotions violently collided on the narrow canvas of her face.
“You’re asking if I’m okay—what about you—”
“Hm?”
“Are you... really okay?”
No. My stomach’s a little off.
Probably because I ate too much of Didoa’s sandwich earlier.
But I kept my smile, so I’m satisfied.
Lisir almost let that usual nonsense slip—but upon seeing her expression, his face turned serious.
He paused, grasped her intent, then answered gently.
“Yeah. I don’t know what you're worried about, but as far as I can tell, there’s nothing wrong with me.”
“...”
Katria’s elegant features twisted and crumpled moment by moment.
It was the kind of face one makes when holding back tears—or laughter.
Her lips trembled and flapped, over and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° over.
Thank you.
I’m sorry.
Which should she say?
“I did it.”
That was Katria’s choice.
She began confessing all the things she’d done to Lisir.
Feeding him Clouded Truth.
Forcing him to ingest Saebaekryeon.
Possessing him with a demon.
And that was it.
She didn’t speak of what had been done to them in the human world.
How they’d been treated.
What prejudices she’d developed toward humans as a result.
What assumptions she’d projected onto Lisir, and what mistakes she’d made because of them.
Nor how hard she’d worked to fix those mistakes.
She didn’t speak of any of that.
“...Why?”
“Is that important?”
Katria answered his question with a shameless smile.
He’s safe...
She had no intention of brazenly asking for anything more than that.
She didn’t want to interfere with the scorn that was sure to follow.
“Intent, reasons—what do they matter? In the end, all that’s left is the outcome.
And the outcome is: I tried to hurt you.”
“...”
“So then—what are you going to do?”
Katria believed she was prepared.
For him to scorn her.
To slap her, point fingers at her.
To say he would shackle her and make her pay.
She believed she would be purely satisfied by this chance to atone.
But the truth was different.
She was terrified of his gaze filled with contempt.
She feared being remembered as a monster in his mind.
If she could, she wanted to do anything to fix their relationship.
“What now? Just going to stand there? Like when you got hurt without even knowing what was happening?”
But on the outside, she wore that disgusting smile.
Trying to provoke his scorn.
A defense mechanism born of the belief that forgiveness was impossible.
So, Katria resigned herself—waiting for Lisir’s inevitable contempt.
***
The past few days.
While Katria had been busy in the tower trying to save Lisir, the Moonshadow Knight Commander Kairen had been combing through Bondales with slave trader Reisha, trying to uncover the truth.
“Here...”
“The mansion’s inner yard?”
“Yes... I stepped out in the morning, and that’s where I found Lord Drian... unconscious...”
So far, the circumstances were clear.
This wasn’t simply a case of Drian, the Sahila family’s third son, going rogue.
There had clearly been a third party involved—one with sinister intent. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
With Reisha’s cooperation, Kairen began collecting clues.
Then one day, a letter arrived at Reisha’s mansion.
—If you want to save Drian, come to the listed location.
It was an abandoned house in the slums.
In the basement of that house, a dark elf in a robe greeted Kairen.
Kairen knew her.
A woman named Kella—noble daughter of a prominent Sahila branch family and known companion of Drian.
Or so she appeared.
Kairen’s instincts screamed.
That wasn’t Kella.
Even at the level of the 7th Rank, the malevolent energy was too vast to fully gauge.
Kella’s crimson lips curved into a smirk.
It was a human-like smile, disturbingly unnatural.
“Congratulations. You successfully retrieved Drian.”
“...”
An infuriating line.
By this point, it was obvious.
She was the one who’d orchestrated everything.
Kairen wanted to sever her head right there.
But the unknown power gave him pause.
Her unsettling calm gave him pause.
Perhaps reading his hesitation, Kella’s smile deepened.
“Good choice. If you kill me now, you won’t be able to save the two Sahilas you serve.”
Two Sahilas.
That meant not only Drian—but that filthy hand had reached for Katria as well.
“See this?”
Kella pulled back her sleeve and revealed a topaz bracelet on her wrist.
It was the Eye of Verdandes, taken from the Sahila vault by Drian before leaving Kehlin.
If the Hand of Verdandes was a prison that held the demon, the Eye of Verdandes was a second lock sealing the prison.
“...!”
Kairen’s eyes widened.
The topaz was clouded—so murky you couldn’t see through it.
That meant Katria’s mental state, which bore the seal, was nearing collapse.
“Even with Drian back, she figured it out, huh.
That he’s not in his right mind.”
“...What have you done to him?”
“Who knows?”
Kella sneered darkly.
“Let’s just say he’ll never wake up—unless I give permission.”
***
A guest room prepared for dignitaries in the Magic Tower.
A dark elf who had been asleep for days finally stirred.
He sat up and stretched hard.
“Uuuugh~”
A perfect nap.
Drian woke up in an unfamiliar room and simply felt good.
***
“If we don’t save Drian, the Sahila heiress so revered by all dark elves will cross the river of no return.”
Kella flaunted the Eye of Verdandes as she spoke.
“So, Kairen—surely the Moonshadow Knight Commander will honor my request, won’t he?”
The falsely courteous tone, the blatant mockery—
Kairen’s expression was just about to contort in fury—
“?”
His face changed as he stared at the Eye of Verdandes.
Kella, sensing something, turned to look at it too.
“?”
Shimmer.
The once-clouded topaz now gleamed with a clear, dazzling light—
as if the murkiness had been a lie.
At this very moment—
Katria’s heart had found complete peace.
Neither of them knew why.
***
Finally, Lisir opened his mouth.
And Katria couldn’t believe her ears.
“What did you just...”
She let out a short laugh in disbelief.
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▷Fate 17: Loathsome Race – Deactivated.
Associated rewards have been granted.
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