A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 144

“For now, I'm only telling you. A lot of things happened in the Darkest Dungeon.”

Shrug—

“It's a bit much to explain in detail, but one way or another… it seems I’ve become a Demon.”

“…A Demon?”

At U-jin’s incomprehensible story, Loxy asked back without realizing it.

“Yeah.”

“What in the world does that even…”

She was dumbfounded.

An acquired Demon.

She had never heard of such a thing.

Of course, seeing the unique aura of a Demon coming from U-jin, she could tell that some change had occurred in him.

That was why she had asked if he had defected in the first place.

In fact, that unique aura was so strong that until that moment, she had been wondering if this man had decided to join the Demon King's side.

But for a being who was human to be acknowledged by the Demon King and become a Titled Demon, and for a human to become a Demon, were matters of a slightly different dimension.

While a Titled Demon of human origin was extremely rare, that was, in the end, a title.

…It wasn't something without precedent.

Especially since the current strategist of the Demon King's Army was a human, and a former member of The Order at that, Loxy didn't think it was entirely impossible.

But.

For a perfectly normal human to become a ‘Demon’ was something that had never happened in the long history of the Demon King's Alliance.

It was, in a word, impossible.

She wasn't denying it simply because she had never experienced it; it was something that didn't make sense even when thinking logically.

For one’s bloodline to change was, in itself, an incomprehensible thing.

‘…….’

It was common knowledge that the Demonic Species were of the Demon King's bloodline.

Loxy herself was a branch so distant she felt it was too far to be proud of, but no matter how faint, she was a being who had inherited blood from the Demon King.

In the first place, such beings were what were called Demons.

But for the blood of the Demon King to suddenly flow in the body of a human who had been perfectly fine until a short while ago.

That was a story she couldn't understand no matter how she thought about it.

Therefore, she was about to retort, ‘What kind of bullshit is that?’

But.

Saaah—

“……”

Even while thinking that, she couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud.

The unique aura visible before her eyes was clearly a power permitted only to the Demonic Species.

It was the ‘Demon's Singularity’.

“Well… by any chance, did you get a bad blood transfusion somewhere?”

“Hmm. I don't think I have any memory of receiving a blood transfusion.”

“How on earth can a human…”

This wasn't something to be simply surprised about.

For a being other than a Demon to possess the power of a Demon was such a momentous event that it wouldn't be strange if the entire continent was turned upside down.

The ‘Demon's Singularity’ was that important of a power.

Not because it was an ability Loxy herself possessed, but because in the War against Demons, there was no power as efficient and potent as the ‘Demon's Singularity’.

Ignoring the magic system that The Order prided itself on and disrupting the order they prioritized to amplify chaos was the role of the Demonic Species in the War against Demons, and their specialty.

The very fact that The Order maintained a separate group called the ‘Exorcists’ to deal with the Demonic Species proved that the special power possessed by Demons was a threat to them.

…In the first place, the reason why the U-jin who had gone through Regression needed her was solely for the utilization of the ‘Demon's Singularity’, which was also due to its special nature.

Therefore.

Loxy found it even more difficult to believe what was happening before her eyes.

An acquired Demon.

If such a thing were possible, it would have been ‘mass-produced’ long ago, not now.

Having spent time in the Demon King's Territory, Loxy could be certain.

‘…….’

The Order’s faction might scoff if they heard it, but the Demon King's Alliance also had a proper society.

There was career advancement, there was status, and there was a livelihood.

Therefore, there were very many Magical Beasts who envied the power of Demons in order to achieve merit in war.

Since the status of a Magical Beast mostly depended on the power they were born with, the Demonic Species, who were born with the special power of the ‘Demon's Singularity’ even as a mere Magical Beast, had a slightly more open opportunity for social advancement.

For instance, Loxy herself.

Her mission, being dispatched to the Gateway Zone, was to secure a position for herself within the Demon King's palace.

Given the nature of a Succubus, which made it difficult to achieve special merit in conventional battles unless one reached a certain level, such an opportunity, or even an attempt, would have been impossible without the power of the Demon's Singularity.

‘…….’

And, the Demon King, too.

He was a being who would do anything to win the War.

The sheer length of the War against Demons, which had already lasted for eons, proved that.

Besides that, the rumors about the Demon King's personality that she had frequently heard during her time in the Demon King's Territory also proved it.

Loxy didn't know the exact details, but she had heard through rumors that the Demon King's personality was so cold-hearted that he could cast out a subordinate who had been with him for over a hundred years with a single stroke.

The mass production of the Demonic Species.

If such a thing were possible, he probably would have implemented it, no matter the risks.

Wrestling with a situation that was incomprehensible no matter how she looked at it, Loxy eventually gave up.

Hoo.

“…You’re not going to explain, are you?”

“…Well. Probably not?”

…In any case, everything she had experienced by this man's side was incomprehensible.

It would have been one thing if she had only heard about it, but this was something that had already happened right before her eyes.

It seemed U-jin wasn't going to explain this time either.

That part didn't really matter.

It wasn't the type of problem she could immediately understand and accept with a simple ‘Oh, I see,’ even if he did explain.

Was it because she had now grown somewhat accustomed to the ‘Seo U-jin style of development’?

Loxy, who had shown a face deep with resignation, cut the conversation short and asked him.

“So.”

“……”

“What is it that you want?”

There was no way he would have come to see her without a reason.

He was even less the type of person to first reveal the fact that he could use the ‘Demon's Singularity’ without any reason.

For him to come here and reveal it himself, there must be something else he wanted from her.

Smirk—

Sure enough, U-jin, raising the corners of his lips, brought the mana pattern he had summoned closer and answered.

“It seems you’re the only Demon around me.”

“……”

“Help me figure out which Demonic Species this mana pattern belongs to.”

* * *

Was it because the Demon King had lived for a long time?

Or was it because he had sown his seed here and there without any particular standard?

It was difficult to say for certain which had a greater influence, but countless Demons existed in the Upper Plane.

Demons with lizard skin on a human body.

Demons with a monkey-like head and the feet of a beast.

Demons with deformed wings.

Blood-red Demons reminiscent of the flames of hell.

Succubi, and so on.

There were a great many Demonic Species depending on their abilities or appearance, and unless one was part of a group that specialized in dealing with Demons, like the ‘Exorcists’, no one knew all of their defining names accurately.

Even the Exorcists themselves didn't have information on all Demonic Species, and they were still continuing their cataloging activities, recording information whenever they encountered a new Demon.

The title ‘Demon’ was created following that characteristic of demons.

Although they each had similar yet different appearances, there were so many types that it was difficult to distinguish and call them by name, so they were all lumped together under the term ‘Demon’.

And, the difficulty in clear distinction was not a story limited to just their appearances.

The mana pattern.

The mana pattern used by each Demonic Species was also difficult for ordinary beings to distinguish.

“A mana pattern?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

“Take a look. See if there's a Demonic Species with a similar pattern and color to this. I thought you might be able to tell.”

That was also the reason I had come to find Loxy.

‘…Just in case.’

This Demon's power, obtained by swallowing Quark's Source Stone, had a unique mana color, and when it mixed with my original mana pattern and the Demon's Singularity was activated, it drew an unfamiliar mana pattern.

It might not be important, but I thought it would be good to find out in advance in case there was a use for it or a point to be cautious about.

It seemed like I would have opportunities to encounter Demonic Species often from now on.

There was a somewhat ominous feeling about it, and it was too unsettling to just leave it be.

Of course, the experts who could distinguish Demonic Species to the point of writing a catalog were the ‘Exorcists’, and since I had just come from there, asking that Louis fellow, who had even earned the title of Specialist, would be the fastest and most accurate solution if it were possible.

But that was impossible.

No matter the circumstances, activating the Demon's Singularity in front of him and saying, ‘I think I’ve become a Demon, can you see who this resembles?’ was no different from a suicidal act.

I didn't want to be thrown back into the Darkest Dungeon I had just barely escaped.

As I was heading back here with that Tom fellow, I was contemplating whether I should just let it go.

Then, Loxy suddenly came to mind.

You know, there's that saying.

To a person's eyes, the faces and appearances of monkeys all look the same, and the different patterns on a peacock also look the same.

But among themselves, they distinguish beauty from ugliness and superiority from inferiority within those similar appearances.

The idea was inspired by that.

Since we were the same Demonic Species, I thought that perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult to identify someone from this mana pattern that looked all the same to others.

“At first, I tried to recall it myself, but I couldn't figure it out. And it's not like I'm lacking in experience catching Demons out there.”

“……”

“Well, I guess the ones who memorize every single mana pattern on a battlefield where your life is on the line from second to second are the real freaks.”

“…I understand for now.”

Loxy, who seemed to have roughly understood what I was trying to say, nodded and brought her face close to the mana whip I had manifested.

Then, with a low ‘Hmm…,’ she stared at the pattern and instructed.

“Try making the output a little stronger. It's a bit faint, so I can't see it well.”

“…Like this?”

“That’s good.”

After she stared for a few more seconds.

“This is…”

Her tightly sealed lips parted.