The Priest of Corruption

Clank!

A violent clash echoed as Pridiya used the repulsive power to lightly increase the distance between her and her opponent. Upon seeing a giant, snake-like demon swallow the

raging giant

she sheathed her blue sword.

Ensis frowned

slightly at her actions.

“What are you

doing all of a sudden?

Pridiya shrugged and gestured towards the demon with her chin.

“lust continue what you were doing. My purpose here has been fulfilled.

“What the hell does that...”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! ! !”

The Kingdom’s troops and knights, having arrived just in time, began to flood the area. One knight, upon seeing Ensis, approached him at high speed and shouted.

“Ensis Baltas! ! !”

Ensis, who noticed the knight, glared emotionlessly at Pridiya.

“You must take responsibility this time.

Pridiya nodded and responded.

“Me? Responsibility? Hmm. I don’t think I’ll be the one taking that.

“Sir Ensis Baltas!”

Ensis directed the knight, who

was picking up the massive sword 'Molar’ that had fallen on the ground.

“Arrest her as respectfully as

possible. She’s an 'Expert’, so don’t provoke her.

“Yes!”

After giving his orders, Ensis

turned away from Pridiya and left to deal with the demon’s body that was swallowing the giant. The knight, following Ensis’ orders, approached

Pridiya with utmost respect and caution.

“I hope you cooperate as much as possible, as you just heard.”

“Wait.”

Pridiya, who had halted the knight with her hand, began to rummage through her pockets, searching for something.

“Where did I put it... I definitely had it with me when I left... Oh, it’s

here! Now, take a look at this.

She handed the knight a neatly folded piece of paper. Pridiya gestured

for

the knight to open it.

Open it.”

“Yes.”

As the knight unfolded the paper, a poorly drawn picture was revealed.

The

picture vaguely resembled a human figure. Pridiya opened her eyes

wide and smiled.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I accidentally gave you a picture of my pupil’s face. It’s

cute, isn’t it?”

The knight was genuinely perplexed.

fIs this cute...?’

He wondered how she could

find the emotion of cuteness in the

picture, but

he swallowed his question.

“Now, here it is. This is

the correct one.

“Yes...”

The knight’s eyes widened

as he opened the paper that Pridiya

had handed him. He asked, bewildered.

“I-Is this... Is this real?”

Pridiya nodded slightly.

“Of

course, it’s real. There’s the stamp

there.”

The

unmistakable seal of the king of the

Northern Kingdom. As

a knight, he immediately recognized the seal as genuine.

The

flashy titles and frivolous lines on

the paper could be summarized simply.

Full immunity.

No matter what the owner of this document did, the Northern Kingdom would not

hold her responsible. The knight asked in a bewildered voice.

“Where did you get this...?

“Uhmm. When did I get this?

Pridiya tapped her lips in contemplation, then shrugged.

“I don’t remember

exactlybut I killed an evil god worshipper a little while

ago and then received this from the king. The king said that I

was a benefactor of the kingdom

and

he gave it to me.

I brought this today just in case, but who would’ve thought

I would really need this

right?

Her two blue eyes

curved softly.

“So, it’s okay if

I go now? I have someone

to visit.”

* * *

Cloudy eyes lost focus. Writhing Curiosity

looked

at me with her only intact eye and smiled.

“How are your eyes?

Writhing Curiosity responded while hugging

Mother

tightly.

Sadly, I can’t see anything. But there must be

a

way to recover at least one eye. I already have a few

methods in mind.”

fKill!!!’

Mother demanded to be released immediately, but

the demon couldn’t hear her. Writhing Curiosity lowered

her head slightly and asked Mother.

“Do you want another kiss?

'KILL!!!’

Mother

raised her hands, showing her two middle

fingers. The demon grinned and released Mother from her

grasp. Mother, now free, quickly ran

into my arms. I held Mother, who

had

jumped

into my arms.

'Kill

kill!! ! ’

The sorrow caused by Writhing Curiosity and the

grumbling towards her exploded. I patted Mother on the back and asked the demon.

“I came here because you asked me to, but do we

have

to keep talking in this alley?

I was slightly uncomfortable exposing Mother in

such

an open space.

“Of course not. lust a moment.”

A secret door disguised as a wall opened as Writhing

Curiosity touched various parts of the alley. The demon entered the door and beckoned me.

“Follow me. Hurry. Let me serve you tea.”

“Yes.”

I followed the demon into her secret hideout. As I entered, the door began to close slowly behind me.

We walked down a stone hallway, lit with minimal light. Suddenly, I felt a soft palm on my neck.

Mother

with her arms outstretched, rubbed my neck. Her eyes were more serious than ever.

I asked

with a smile.

“What’s

wrong?

'Kill!’

She explained she was erasing the traces left by the evil demon. I realized the places Mother rubbed were the same ones

the demon had kissed repeatedly.

Had the demon left a mark on my body under the guise of a kiss?

“Did you leave any traces?

“I didn’t. I’m already exhausted from today’s efforts, why would I do that?

Writhing Curiosity, swinging her mole and giving a bewitching smile, turned and continued down the long hallway.

Her hands stopped wiping my neck. As I lowered my head slightly, I saw

Mother about

to kiss my neck, which she had just

wiped. Her eyes were closed, her lips trembling, and her

face was red as if it was about to explode.

I smiled and kept my promise.

Smack.

'Kill?! Kill?!?!’

Mother asked, with tightly closed eyes, if it was what she thought had

just touched

her forehead.

“Mother, I kept my promise.

'Kill!!!!!’

Violent protests erupted, claiming this was invalid because she didn’t

get to enjoy

it properly.

“We’re here. Come in.

I heard the demon’s voice. I quickly moved and followed the demon.

The

secret place

was quite different from what I had

imagined.

I had pictured a dark and gloomy place, but the secret hideout was

just an ordinary

family house.

Writhing Curiosity

gestured to a chair at the table.

“Sit here, both of

you. I’ll

bring you some tea.

I placed Mother in

the chair

and sat down. Mother

sat and pondered

about something.

Finally, having finished thinking, she tapped my forearm.

“Yes?”

'Kill, kill.’

She explained that

no matter

how much she thought

about it, that was too sudden and

too quick, and it was unfair. Mother, who closed her eyes again, trembled as she brushed away

the hair that covered her forehead.

'Kill!’

She asked to quickly do it again formally. Before

I could do anything, the demon returned with the tea, smiling playfully and briefly kissing Mother’s forehead.

Smack.

Mother saw, raising her trembling eyebrows, the smile of a genuinely cruel demon kissing her forehead.

“Did you like it?

Bewilderment. Perplexity. Surprise.

And anger.

Her delicate hands were trembling. Mother clenched her fists, sprang from her seat, and jumped.

'KILL!!!!!’

Her attack was nimble, like that of a kitten. Her fists exploded over the demon’s face.

Puck!

“Mother, sit with

me.

'Kill?!’

The demon grabbed

Mother, who had jumped up with one hand, and took her into her arms. Despite Mother’s violent resistance, Writhing Curiosity barely acknowledged her struggle and

held out a teacup

to me.

“Have a drink.”

“Then I’ll drink it, thanks.”

I took a sip, but again, there was no taste. To me, it was just warm water.

“The Mother of Corruption should drink it too. I brought the tea with the sweetest scent on purpose.

'Kill!!!’

She declared she would never touch something that this wicked and teasing evil demon offered. Seeing Mother’s sullen face, Writhing Curiosity smiled.

“This tea pairs really well with this cookie, you know? Try it quickly.

The demon quickly picked up a cookie from the plate and shoved it into Mother’s mouth.

'Kill...?!’

Mother screamed resolutely and tried to spit out the cookie, but soon she tasted the cookies with the tip of her tongue

and her eyes widened. Seeing this, the demon took a teacup

and put it in Mother’s hand as if waiting.

“Drink this. It will taste three times better.

The sweet smell emanated from the tea. A deep conflict erupted in Mother’s eyes while she chewed on the snack.

Pride as a god and desire and curiosity for delicious snacks.

Mother, torn between her ideals and reality, eventually closed her eyes tightly and tasted the tea.

'Kill...!’

Unknowingly exclaiming, 'Oh, it’s incredibly delicious ...!’ Mother glanced at the demon’s eyes. Writhing Curiosity spoke

as if waiting.

“I’m really sorry for making fun of you earlier. It was because Mother of Corruption was so cute and lovable, so please

forgive me for that. Oh, and there are many more, so you

can eat as much as you want.

The demon

took a step back and apologized. Mother pondered for a while, chewing the sweets in her mouth, and then slowly opened her mouth.

'Kill.’

I relayed

her thoughts with a smile.

“She said

she will let it slide

just this time.

The demon

chuckled.

Really? That’s a relief.

Mother, who finally had emptied

the guilt, moved

her hand as if dancing and shoved the sweets into her mouth. The demon skillfully poured tea again and offered it to Mother.

Mother, who took the teacup and

drank it, smiled

broadly.

'Kill!!!’

She was strongly moved by the delicious taste. I

smiled. Mother looked as if she had never been angry in the first place.

By the way, where is your daughter?

Writhing Curiosity smiled brightly.

“She died. A long time ago.

I shouldn’t have asked that. The demon looked at

my face and grinned again.

“No need to be sorry. If my daughter were still

alive, that would be even weirder. She’s

a human from the days of the Ancient Empire.

“What?”

Ancient Empire? So how long has that demon been

in that body? That was too strange. Even

though a part of her body was taken out on

this earth, she ended with only one eye being

blinded.

“Then your husband...?

Writhing Curiosity blinked her eyes a few

times

and smiled.

“Husband?

I didn’t have

a husband. When I

first

took possession of this body, I received

in return for something, the owner of this

body was already pregnant.

The demon

took a sip of

the teacup placed

in front of her and looked around with a thoughtful look.

“You know

that? There’s

a little bit of unwritten rule between us, who you all call demons, about possessing someone.

Really?

“Yeah, we

have.”

Writhing Curiosity ate

a cookie and continued.

“We don’t want to give

birth to a child with a body we possess. Especially giving birth to a child directly with a woman’s body. Do

you know why?

I thought for a moment

but couldn’t come up with a proper answer.

Why?

“Because...-

Writhing Curiosity

slowly stroked Mother’s head.

Slap!

'Kill!’

Mother slapped the

demon’s hand, saying she was disturbing her while eating. Writhing Curiosity smiled and started talking again.

“Our purpose is to

relish this world to its fullest and then depart. However, if we bear a child, we develop a strong 'attachment’ that surpasses mere enjoyment. This 'attachment’

eventually morphs into 'regret.’ In essence, everyone does this to avoid feeling sorrow from leaving too much regret in the body they will only inhabit temporarily.

The demon instinctively tried to raise her hand over Mother’s head again. Sensing the movement, Mother quickly turned to look at Writhing Curiosity, who hastily withdrew her hand

and continued speaking.

“Naturally, we all succumb to curiosity at least once, so most demons have had children during possession. However

those who have already had a child don’t repeat the act with

the

same body. As my name suggests, I accepted the deal offered by the owner of this body out of curiosity and bore

a truly wonderful and

beautiful daughter.

The

demon’s eyes, as she recounted the story of her daughter, shone brighter than ever.

My

daughter, Ceylon, was incredibly intelligent and stunningly beautiful. I’ll exclusively show you and the Mother

of Corruption what my

daughter has created.

She

retrieved the box I had taken and opened it. The box-shaped relic, imbued with the Divinity of Maintenance, had

the power to preserve

the items inside it in their original

state.

Inside the open box, a variety of miscellaneous

items were neatly arranged.

A crudely drawn picture, a ring made of twisted

iron thread, a brass hairpin, and a collection of handcrafted trinkets. These were the treasures cherished by the demon.

“This is a portrait of me that Ceylon drew when

she was five, and this ring was meticulously crafted when she was eight. And this

The demon was so enthusiastic that she pointed out each item, providing a detailed explanation. Her voice

filled with maternal affection, narrated each item’s story. I listened

quietly.

After a

while, Writhing Curiosity, having finished her lengthy explanation, turned to me with a smile, her

mole twitching.

“Do you

remember the sword you brought when we first met? The one with the jagged teeth.

Was she

referring to the Butcher?

“Yes, but why bring it up now?”

Writhing Curiosity responded with a broad smile.

“At the time, I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to seem like I was boasting about my daughter, but

she was the one who crafted it.

Really?

“Could you bring it out for a moment? I want to show you something interesting.

I retrieved the Butcher from my inventory and handed it to the demon. Writhing Curiosity, upon receiving the Butcher, licked her lips and murmured an ancient phrase in a low

voice.

Its translation was quite simple.

Always my beloved mother, Elisha.’

As soon as the demon finished speaking, a vibrant ancient script appeared on the Butcher’s blade.

- Ceylon, the empire’s first craftsman. Her sixth creation.

Writhing Curiosity handed back the Butcher and spoke to me cheerfully.

“See? Was I not correct?”