Chapter 428: One Person, Two Roles, and the Chaotic Demon World (3)

Flap, flap.

“Human, why are we suddenly holding a festival in the village?”

Raon tilted his head as his wings fluttered.

Cale stood on a hill overlooking the village, quietly surveying the scene below.

‘Eh?’

When Cale proposed holding a festival, Aurora hadn’t been able to hide her surprise.

‘A festival?’

‘Something like a banquet will do.’

And he added,

‘It’s necessary.’

Cale wasn’t saying it lightly.

Whoosh.

He took a gem from his pocket and handed it to her.

‘…!’

It was enough wealth to host a village-wide banquet—and more.

Aurora grabbed the gem.

‘Then we can have everything prepared by evening.’

After entrusting the preparations to Aurora, Cale climbed the hill with Raon.
Choi Han, Heavenly Demon, On, and Hong were with him as they surveyed the village below.

* * *

“Cale-nim.”

Clopeh’s voice came from behind him.

Cale felt a chill run down his spine.

Choi Han, Heavenly Demon, On, and Hong.

His companions were enjoying a brief moment of calm.

Cale decided to personally track Choi Jung Soo’s last known location and follow the team leader’s final point of contact.

Because I know Choi Jung Soo and the team leader’s methods.

More precisely—

the working style of our team.

Only then would he be able to follow the traces they left behind.

“Hm.”

Of course, Cale wasn’t the only one capable of this.

Furtive Glance~

His eyes shifted subtly to the side.

Choi Han sat quietly, gazing at the village.

Choi Han knows too.

Because he had Choi Jung Soo’s memories.

He had glimpsed his life and inherited his power.

Choi Jung Soo’s White Dragon.

Choi Han’s Black Dragon.

Choi Han knew Choi Jung Soo’s way of working just as well as Cale did.

“Choi Han.”

“Yes.”

“Choi Jung Soo is your responsibility.”

“Understood.”

Choi Han’s crisp reply showed that he had already expected this task.

“I’ll find the team leader.”

Team Leader Sui Khan.

No—Lee Soo Hyuk.

He needed to catch up before that guy got into trouble.

Maybe—

Even if Choi Han and Cale split up to search for Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo, they might end up in the same place.

The God of Chaos Church.

The answer lay there.

Cale’s face grew solemn.

“Cale-nim.”

…Oh no.

He had almost forgotten about this guy.

Cale’s gaze shifted.

“Hm?”

He looked awkwardly at Clopeh Sekka.

What’s he going to ask?

Was it about the purification ritual?

Or Choi Jung Soo?

Or the team leader?

A strange tension crept up his spine.

Smile~

Clopeh Sekka smiled gently.

Dressed in a white priest’s robe, he pointed down the hill.

“May I go down to help with the village banquet?”

Hm?

That’s…surprisingly normal.

“Uh—s-sure?”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

With Cale’s permission, Clopeh smiled—pure and gentle.

“Human, I want to help too! Preparing a banquet sounds fun!”

“I want to join too! I want to join! Nya!”

“I’ll take them and make sure they help properly without causing trouble.”

Following after Raon and Hong, On added the final word.

Cale met On’s gaze.

“Help out without making a mess.”

Nod~

On’s steady response made Cale relax without realizing it.

Because On’s gaze had lingered on Clopeh for just a moment.

‘Help out without making a mess.’

That warning wasn’t meant for Raon or Hong.

It was for Clopeh Sekka.

As expected, so smart.

On was really sharp.

How could a child be this perceptive and reliable?

…Truly impressive.

“Crazy Clopeh Sekka! Let’s go!”

“Yes, Raon-nim.”

“Nya!”

Raon, Clopeh, and Hong hurried down the hill, with On following calmly behind them.

As Cale watched them go, he heard Choi Han’s voice.

“If it’s a ritual for the Purification of Chaos, why a banquet?”

The answer didn’t come from Cale.

“Why not??”

It was Heavenly Demon.

“Doesn’t the God of Chaos Church hold festivals as well? Didn’t the Night of Pleasure sacrifice feel festive?”

“That involved sacrifices,” Choi Han replied flatly.

“It was closer to indulgence.”

Heavenly Demon scoffed.

“The Demon Cult holds banquets too.”

The Demon Cult revered only strength.

Yet even they held feasts.

“…”

Choi Han fell silent.

Feeling the lively atmosphere spreading through the village as preparations for the banquet continued, the Heavenly Demon spoke.

“I’ve always found it strange.”

As the ruler—and God—of the Demon Cult, he had long held doubts about the God of Chaos Church.

“Why is chaos always tied to negative things like fear or corruption?”

Perhaps it was because chaos was usually encountered as an enemy.

But in truth, chaos encompassed everything.

“Then I witnessed pleasure.”

And now—

“A banquet held for purification.”

The Heavenly Demon gave a small nod.

“Hm. This feels like chaos.”

Because chaos allowed anything to exist.

That, in itself, was true chaos.

“If it were only pain and fear,” he continued calmly,

“It wouldn’t have gathered so many followers.”

Choi Han fell silent for a moment and asked Cale:

“What about the purification ritual?”

There was curiosity in his voice.

And concern—for Choi Jung Gun.

“Hm.”

Cale thought briefly before answering honestly.

“It won’t be painful.”

Choi Jung Gun would not suffer.

“And it’ll be beautiful.”

If the ritual unfolded the way Cale understood it—

It would be a breathtaking sight.

* * *

“Human!”

A moment later, Raon flew over to Cale.

“They said the banquet preparations are finished!”

Cale headed toward the village.

He looked up at the sky.

Dusk was approaching.

Perfect timing.

“Grandpa, what’s today about?”

At his granddaughter’s question, the old man stiffened.

“Wow… can we really eat all of this?”

Watching her stare at the tables overflowing with food in the village square, eyes practically sparkling, the old man couldn’t help but smile.

What’s going on?

But the smile didn’t last.

His hometown.

The place he had lived his entire life—

had been raided by the Demon King’s Sixth Army.

The village was destroyed, and they had fled with nothing but their lives.

He had managed to escape carrying only his late wife’s portrait—

That alone had been a miracle.

The current Demon King is kidnapping demons—

After learning fragments of the truth, he understood one thing clearly.

As long as the current Demon King existed, they could only live in hiding.

These old bones are already nearing the grave…

But what about his son?

His daughter?

And their children?

How were these people supposed to survive in the future?

Join the Mediators to fight the current Demon King?

For an old man who had wanted nothing more than a quiet, peaceful life, the present reality felt unbearably heavy.

“Grandpa, Grandpa! When can we eat? Can’t we eat now?”

His granddaughter's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Father, are you all right?”

“Hm? Oh—yes. I’m fine.”

He forced a smile at his daughter’s concerned look.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should tell me.”

His daughter’s expression was brighter than usual today.

Of course it is.

A sudden banquet.

Though the reason was unclear, Aurora—the village chief and leader of the Mediators—had covered all the expenses and even distributed sums far exceeding normal wages to every household.

That had cheered his daughter and son.

Naturally, everyone’s spirits had lifted.

For a moment, they could forget the looming battles.

Forget the possibility of running again.

I can't spoil the mood.

The old man forced another smile.

At that moment—

“May I sit here?”

“Oh—of course…!”

The old man straightened instinctively as he replied.

The priest…!

One of the outsiders who had arrived with Chief Aurora.

They weren’t demons.

But he had heard they were the ones who had driven back the Sixth Army—and even Viscount Deshuran.

How could he not feel gratitude?

Their aura is completely different.

Especially the white-haired, green-eyed priest who took the seat beside him.

That man had worked tirelessly since morning, helping prepare the banquet.

If people like this are hosting it…then it should be all right.

He had heard the banquet was being held as part of a purification ritual—

To heal someone harmed by a certain church.

“Um… Priest-nim.”

The old man asked carefully.

“Are you the one conducting the ritual?”

On the north side of the village square, an altar had been prepared.

“No.”

The priest’s blunt reply made the old man flinch.

Then the priest smiled—a gentle, holy smile befitting his position.

“It’s being led by the one I follow.”

“Ah.”

The old man exclaimed.

Someone above a priest?

A church.

A leader.

For an old man who had spent his life hearing about a Demon God yet never truly understanding gods, the words felt distant—and strangely stirring.

“He’s here.”

At that moment—

From the north side of the village, where Chief Aurora had imposed tight security,

Several figures began to approach.

“Ugh!”

His granddaughter suddenly covered her nose.

“It stinks!”

Even the old man, whose senses had long since dulled with age, couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose at the pungent stench.

The foul odor was so strong it made it hard to even look at the food laid out nearby.

Ugh.

Someone retched.

The smell was getting closer.

Only then did people realize it was coming from a coffin-like box.

So that’s…

The old man understood.

It held the person meant to be healed.

The coffin was densely covered in magic arrays.

Thud.

The coffin was placed on the altar.

Carried by mage demons, opened the lid, and activated a mechanism that lifted everything except the base.

“Ugh…”

The old man groaned.

A body wrapped in white cloth came faintly into view.

The exposed hand—

“Hm.”

He instinctively covered his granddaughter’s eyes.

Good heavens…

What kind of grotesque thing—

what kind of suffering—

had reduced a living being to that state?

Gray, decaying skin oozed pus, the stench overwhelming.

Veins bulged grotesquely, as if they might burst at any moment.

A corpse.

No—

It was more horrifying than a corpse.

A body rotting in real time.

The stench was suffocating.

It stirred an instinctive, nameless fear.

Is it contagious?

That thought passed through more than one mind.

Step, step.

Someone stepped up onto the altar, stopping in front of the cloth-covered body.

“That’s the one.”

The priest whispered.

The old man turned his head to look at him.

Hm?

He was puzzled.

…A priest?

That man’s presence didn’t feel like a priest’s at all.

If anything, he carried himself with the indolence of a Demon King who couldn’t be bothered.

But the old man had lived long enough to know better.

Appearances were not to be trusted.

Clear.

Dark brown eyes.

Eyes as transparent as water, carrying the weight of countless experiences.

Priest−nim.

In contrast, the priest standing beside him carried something indescribably strange in his gaze.

Cale’s clear, unclouded eyes looked down at Choi Jung Gun on the altar.

This is bad.

Even though he had been transported inside a temporary coffin reinforced with magic arrays, the moment he was removed from the protected building, Choi Jung Gun’s condition began worsening rapidly.

Huff, huff—

His shallow breathing turned erratic.

That was not a good sign.

More pus seeped out, accompanied by the unbearable stench.

A body turning gray, decaying before their eyes.

Cale couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

He closed his eyes.

Purification of Chaos.

The conditions required for the ritual surfaced in his mind.

Location.

Caster.

The location had to be a place holding a festival.

Why a festival?

A banquet-scale event was enough.

As long as—

It’s a place where joyful chaos can exist.

Chaos was not composed of negativity alone.

At festivals, there was disorder, noise, confusion—

and joy.

True chaos included happiness as well.

And here—

Joyful chaos was already taking root.

“…”

Cale looked around.

Though many villagers were covering their noses, the air was still filled with anticipation and excitement.

After months of exhaustion and fear, a banquet—something that allowed them to forget everything, even briefly—was a joy too great to ignore.

– Cale, want me to step in?

The Dominating Aura spoke with its usual arrogance.

Cale ignored it completely.

He lifted the white cloth.

“Ah!”

“Ugh!”

Choi Jung Gun’s grotesque state was laid bare.

Gasps of horror rippled through the crowd.

“!”

“!!”

But what shocked them even more—

was Cale placing his hand on Choi Jung Gun’s forehead without the slightest hesitation.

“Huh?”

“Hm?”

“Ah?”

Something felt off.

The sun was setting.

Dusk dyed the sky red, and the village, still unlit, was bathed in a scarlet glow.

Rustle~

The sound of the wind.

“No.”

The old man shook his head.

“It’s the forest.”

The sound of wind moving through trees.

Why was it echoing here, in the middle of the village?

And then—

“It’s the waves.”

The sound was also like the ocean.

A wind carrying unfamiliar sounds swept through the crowd.

Drawn by instinct, their gazes followed it—

toward the altar.

“Ah…”

The old man exclaimed.

Carried on the wind—

“…my wife.”

Her voice.

From a distant past.

Yes.

‘Marrying you was the best thing I ever did.’

Words she had once said to him.

Those words drifted back with the wind.

Fragments of memories long buried beneath exhaustion rose to the surface.

What…is this?

What was he experiencing?

The old man’s gaze, fixed on the altar, reflected a strange sight.

A gray light.

Neither white nor black.

Yes—

a gray all too familiar to those of the Demon World.

The mana of the Demon World itself was gray.

But this was different.

Unlike the sickly gray of decay, a red-haired man stood there, emitting a soft, mist-like gray light.

The gray mist enveloped the old man.

Warmth.

The happiness he had felt that day—when those words were spoken—

returned as vividly as if it were now.

Yes.

This is…solace.

Tears slipped down the old man’s face without him realizing it.

They carried no sorrow.

Only comfort.

Memories resurfaced, his heart eased, and the weariness that had weighed on him for so long quietly melted away.

“Ah.”

The stench vanished.

His wife’s voice did not return.

He couldn’t tell whether it had faded like a mirage or whether he had simply recalled the memory himself.

But it remained vivid in his heart.

Because the gray mist from that joyful moment still wrapped around him warmly.

“Heehee!”

His granddaughter’s laughter rang out.

“Grandpa! I remembered Mommy praising me!”

The old man smiled at her words.

Yes.

The memories had awakened.

“Ah.”

He exclaimed.

Tiny particles of gray light bloomed from the mist.

From the old man.

From his granddaughter.

But there was no pain.

Only warmth.

Only joy.

Rustle~

The wind rose again.

The small gray lights scattered like fireflies, carried by the breeze.

They drifted toward the red-haired man.

Hair brighter than the setting sun fluttered as he extended one hand.

The gray lights gathered, following his fingers.

Cale placed his other hand on Choi Jung Gun’s forehead.

The gray light flowed along his arm and spread over Choi Jung Gun’s body.

Chaos often brought fear.

Painful screams.

Fragments of terror.

But Purification of Chaos was different.

It summoned joy.

And that joy became Cale’s strength.

Rustle~

The sound of wind.

Like a forest.

Like the sea.

“As expected.”

Watching Cale, Clopeh associated the sound with ocean waves.

The God of Chaos had once tried to swallow Cale like a gray tsunami.

Clopeh had heard of it.

The power of the God of Chaos is like the sea.

Sometimes beautiful.

Sometimes terrifying.

Sometimes calm.

Ever-changing.

That was chaos.

But—

The sea had its own order.

Unlike chaos.

And the sea nurtured life.

And—

Cale-nim is different from the God of Chaos.

Yes.

Cale-nim is like the sea.

A sea where chaos and order coexisted.

Where life and death intertwined.

Cale’s path had always been like that.

Using chaos.

Using order.

To save lives.

This was—

“Harmony.”

“…Harmony?”

The old man repeated the word without realizing it.

Why did that word shake him so deeply?

He looked at the red-haired man.

The warm gray mist.

The same color as the Demon World’s mana.

A gentle power that protected demons.

A thought surfaced—

Could this be the power of a Demon God—

He dismissed it at once.

Absurd.

Rustle~

Cale looked down at Choi Jung Gun.

The final stage.

When the gray light fully enveloped him—

Cale withdrew his hand and closed his eyes.

The purification to expel corruption.

The final act began.

 -----

P/R Thoughts: This wasn’t chaos that destroyed—this was chaos that healed.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]