"Hmm. You said to make sure to retrieve the Demon's corpse."
Hassent pulled a large sack from the shadows.
As he stuffed the Demon's head into the sack, he noticed something moving quietly near the Demon's legs. It was the Demon, now shrunken to the size of a child's palm. Its body was pitch-black, with two horns on its forehead and a tail wagging behind it.
Taking advantage of Hassent's distraction, the Demon began to quietly flee into the forest.
Heh heh heh. This is my true form. I can always create another body like that.
Thwack!
A sudden kick sent the Demon flying backward, crashing into a tree.
"Ugh! H-how?!"
The Demon stared at Hassent with wide, astonished eyes. Why was this man, who should have been cleaning up corpses behind him, standing right in front of him?
"Parasitic Demon Sapin. The Young Master ordered me to capture you."
Hassent held a glass bottle in his hand.
Given that Sapin's true form had the physical capabilities of a small animal, the bottle alone would be sufficient to contain him.
"W-what do you plan to do with me?!"
"..."
Hassent didn't answer. He didn't know either. He had simply followed Sung Yujin's orders: collect the Demon-corrupted corpses and capture the Demon's true form.
Hassent grabbed Sapin, stuffed him into the glass bottle, and sealed it tightly. With shock-resistant magic imbued within, there was no way Sapin could escape.
"To know the demon's identity, name, and even its abilities... As expected, the Young Master has been chosen by Serion."
Hassent, newly impressed by Sung Yujin's capabilities, prepared to depart.
I stared at the glass bottle on the desk. Inside, a pitch-black demon sat slumped against the bottom, its eyes fixed on me in utter resignation.
What was that thing called again...? Homun... Homunculus! It looks just like that.
I remembered seeing a drawing of a tiny person trapped in a glass bottle while browsing the internet. It was called a Homunculus, or something like that. The drawing had been quite well-done, which was why I remembered it.
Low-Grade Demon Sapin.
A demon with parasitic abilities, referred to as a Parasitic Demon in the original work.
This demon can parasitize humans and certain other creatures, including some monsters.
The conditions for parasitization are relatively simple: it must enter the host unnoticed. However, the host must be unable to sense Mana and possess a weak mental fortitude.
Once parasitized, the human's consciousness is gradually suppressed until the demon completely takes control. The human body then slowly transforms into the demon's physical form.
This particular demon had been parasitizing human bodies for over 200 years. During this time, it occasionally devoured humans or killed them for no apparent reason.
In the original story, Sapin incites the villagers to rebel against Count Pruker's Household. The rebellion is swiftly crushed, and Sapin dies while fleeing from the protagonist, Kyle.
The episode itself was uninteresting, but it foreshadowed the demons that would appear later in the story.
A demon I could have safely ignored.
A Low-Grade Demon, whose direct combat abilities were extremely weak. If it fought a child, the child would likely win.
There were two reasons I captured this creature.
First, I needed to remind Hassent of my value.
Humans grow complacent over time. Even if they initially swear loyalty to me in a moment of excitement, doubts inevitably arise as time passes.
This incident must have reminded Hassent that I am the one chosen by Serion. Everything I said the demon's name, its location, its appearance came true exactly as I predicted.
The second thing is this bastard's value.
He's a Low-Grade Demon, but he's still a demon.
And a captured one at that.
I could sell him to the Magic Tower or the Order for a hefty sum. I don't know the exact market price, but I estimate I could get at least 20 billion Ner.
If Sapin had been a Mid-Grade Demon instead of Low-Grade, his value would have increased tenfold.
The problem is that this thing can speak human languages. That means information about Hassent could leak out.
Hassent has been meticulously concealing himself for decades, adhering to the assassin's cardinal rule: never be discovered. He's a paragon of assassins.
"Just 20 billion Ner for that information? That's ridiculous. It doesn't add up."
If only I could control Demons... but that's obviously impossible.
Demons aren't called Demons for nothing. They're creatures you shouldn't even attempt to bargain with.
Killing it would be a waste.
That leaves only one option: draining this Demon's blood. In other words, a blood donation.
In this world, Demons are both humanity's enemies and magical materials with immense magical power. Demon's Blood is a top-tier ingredient that can be sold for a fortune at the Magic Tower.
But this one's so small. There's a limit to how much blood I can draw in a day. Will I even get 100 million Ner a month?
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock echoed through the room.
"It's Yuria."
"Come in."
Yuria opened the door and entered the room, carrying a tray in both hands. The tray held a teapot, teacups, and some simple snacks.
She skillfully set the teapot on the table and prepared for tea time.
It was tea time.
"Master, are you troubled by something?"
"Yeah. It's this damn demon. To extract its full value, I need to draw a certain amount of blood daily... but it's not easy."
The demon was only the size of a child's fist. Its lack of combat ability was an advantage, but its tiny size was a major drawback.
Extracting blood from something so small required specialized skill.
"Don't you also need to extract information from it?"
"That's right. Even if it's weak, as a Demon, it must possess information about other Demons."
"Then leave this Demon to me. I'll handle it properly."
"Yuria?"
"Yes. I'm confident."
I pondered for a moment before nodding. I knew Yuria had learned torture techniques from Gon and Ron, the master torturers. Though I'd never witnessed her torturing anyone myself, I'd heard she was exceptionally skilled.
"I'm counting on you, Yuria."
"Yes."
As I sipped my black tea, my hand instinctively slipped into Yuria's chest. It wasn't my will guiding me, but pure instinct taking over.
***
"Aaaaargh! You vicious bitch! Stop it! Stop! I'm going to die!!"
Sapin screamed in his prison cell, his body firmly strapped to the iron slab. His arms and legs were completely immobilized, leaving him only able to shake his head from side to side.
"You haven't met your quota for today," Yuria said flatly, her voice devoid of emotion as she stood before him, clad in thick, torture-resistant clothing. In her hand, she held the dreaded syringe.
"You... you crazy bitch...!" Sapin's face contorted in fury.
The quota Yuria referred to was 100 milliliters of Demon's Blood per day.
Though 100 milliliters might seem like a small amount, for Sapin, who was no larger than a child's fist, it was an impossible quantity.
Even if they drained every drop of blood from his body, they wouldn't reach that volume.
For reference, the average price of 100ml of fresh Demon's Blood is approximately 10 million Nerda.
"50ml remaining. Hang in there."
The needle of the syringe pierced Sapin's right arm.
"Aaaaaaaah! You demon-worse-than-a-demon! Just kill me! Kill me now!"
Sapin screamed at the top of his lungs.
His current life was so horrific that death would be preferable. Except for the times when his blood was being drawn or he was being tortured, he was perpetually confined within a glass jar.
His only sustenance consisted of bitter medicinal herb residue. After several failed suicide attempts, he was now bound and imprisoned in the jar.
"We cannot kill you. You are our Master's most precious asset."
"Fuck! I'll kill that goddamn brat! I'll definitely kill him, and I'll kill you too!"
"Your language is far too crude. I distinctly remember telling you to use proper, refined speech."
Yuria placed a wet cloth over his head.
"Ugh! Mmph! Gasp!"
The Demon's body was so small that simply placing the wet cloth over him became torture. Yuria removed the cloth before Sapin could drown.
"I'll tear your fucking mother to shreds!"
"My mother is already dead. Do you lack the capacity to learn?"
"I've lived for over 200 years, you bitch! A Demon has his pride!
Do you think Lord Sapin would ever submit to the likes of you humans?!"
After drawing Sapin's blood with a syringe, Yuria poured a potion over his face. The blood would regenerate in his body, though the potion's limitations meant she could only extract 100ml per day.
"Ugh! Cough! Hic!"
"I admit it. After twenty days, you haven't revealed a single piece of information.
I can't help but acknowledge your resilience. The mental fortitude and pride of a demon are truly remarkable."
"Hah! You think tormenting me will break me? Hey, bitch! What's that?"
"This is a scalpel, used for surgery."
"No! Not that! The glass jar next to it!"
Yuria picked up the jar beside her. It contained a black, powdery substance.
"Ah, you recognize it after all. It's Corrupted Mana."
"How... do you possess it?!"
Corrupted Mana is strictly forbidden across the continent. It is illegal to use, create, or possess it.
This is because Corrupted Mana can serve as a source of power for Demons and simultaneously transform corpses into Undead.
"I created it. Fortunately, there were suitable materials nearby."
The "suitable materials" were the 32 bandits and 1 merchant imprisoned in the dungeon, subjected to daily torture.
Corrupted Mana blooms from the negative emotions of humans resentment, hatred, jealousy, and suffering. In ordinary circumstances, it dissipates immediately, requiring a special process to stabilize it.
"I haven't been idle either. I've been meticulously researching demons through ancient texts and discovered that Corrupted Mana is far more effective than ordinary potions."
The texts only briefly described the special process, deliberately vague to prevent readers from replicating it.
That's why Yuria spent two grueling weeks of trial and error before finally succeeding in creating Corrupted Mana.
"...You created Corrupted Mana? Because of me?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Keh, ...kekeke, ke! Do you even realize? Corrupted Mana empowers demons! You're making a mistake!"
"I'm fully aware. And I also know that for an injured demon, Corrupted Mana is merely an exceptionally potent potion. W
ith Corrupted Mana, extracting 300ml of Demon's Blood per day should be possible."
"...I never thought the day would come when I'd want to find Serion. Maid, let's make a deal. I'll give you anything you want.
Despite appearances, I'm a Demon. I know where treasures are hidden. Doesn't that tempt you?"
"What about your Demon's pride?"
"Fuck that. Is that really the issue right now? Please. I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Yuria shook her head.
"It's alright. To be honest, Master doesn't have high expectations for your information.
Extracting your blood for the rest of your life will be far more profitable. At 300ml per day, that's 30 million Ner in revenue.
Monthly, it's 900 million. Annually, it's 10.8 billion. Over ten years, it's 108 billion."
"Shit, fuck."
"Today, I intend to harvest your organs. If the records are accurate, Corrupted Mana should be able to regenerate organs, eyeballs, horns, and limbs.
While they won't be as valuable as your blood, I estimate they'll yield at least 10% additional profit."
The most lucrative parts of a demon's body are its horns, followed by its blood. However, Sapin's horns are too small to fetch a higher price than his blood.
The sharp scalpel drew closer, and tears welled up in Sapin's eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, Lady Yuria. I was insane. I was wrong. I'm repenting. Please, just grant me death."
"You're a goose that lays golden eggs. Don't worry, I won't let short-sighted greed lead me to make any mistakes."
"Ugh! You fucking bitch!"