“Grand Inquisitor.”
“… Grand Inquisitor…”
“Grand Inquisitor!”
“The monsters are coming, save us…”
“No, it’s not the Grand Inquisitor, it’s also a monster! It’s a monster!”
“Traitor! Human traitor!”
He felt like a hand was reaching into his brain, stirring it up, causing excruciating headaches.
The white-haired man held his head, constantly roaring and writhing in the iron cage.
His flesh was being corroded by the demonic aura, growing deformed white bones. Mutations were occurring uncontrollably deep within his body, altering his perception, cognition, preferences… everything.
Extreme thirst and hunger rose within his body, yet there was nothing around to alleviate them.
No water, no food. Nothing at all.
He felt like a traveler who had been walking in the desert for a very long time, completely exhausted, possibly on the verge of collapsing in the next moment, then being consumed by the scorching sun.
At that moment, he suddenly saw a pool of water ahead.
A clear spring, reflecting the sky like a mirror. He wondered if it was an illusion caused by his extreme thirst and hunger.
His crimson eyes stared fixedly at the spring, his throat rolling, and he staggered forward, running with all his might. He knelt down, leaning over to gulp down the water greedily.
The indescribably sweet and wonderful taste of the spring water was like divine nectar bestowed upon him.
The body’s thirst and hunger gradually subsided, and along with it, the pain from the transformations also eased.
A hint of clarity returned to the Grand Inquisitor’s crimson, beast-like eyes.
He realized he was biting into a pale wrist. There was a wound on the wrist, where his canine teeth had sunk deeply. The sweet and fragrant liquid continued to flow into his mouth, making his throat roll as he swallowed continuously.
The mithril handcuffs, connected by fine chains, swayed in his field of vision.
A slender figure stood in front of him, separated by the bars of the cage.
…It was the Demon King.
The Grand Inquisitor suddenly realized that what he was swallowing was succubus blood.
The blood contained a strong magical power, incredibly sweet, like poppy, not only relieving hunger but also numbing pain.
But… sweet… that’s not right. How could a human find a monster’s blood sweet?
The man’s action of drinking the blood suddenly stopped, alerting the Demon King.
“Are you awake?” the Demon King asked.
The man’s canine teeth no longer crazily gnawed on its flesh for food. The Demon King was able to withdraw its left wrist from the Grand Inquisitor’s mouth.
There were deep and shallow bite marks on it. Some were fresh wounds, and some were old scars.
The Demon King lowered its hand, the long sleeve of its wizard robe covering the wounds.
The Grand Inquisitor’s crimson eyes rolled around, observing his surroundings.
At this moment, he found himself in an iron cage, wearing shackles all over his body. The surrounding light was very dim, resembling a magnificent palace.
However, in his consciousness, he had just been in a life-and-death struggle with the Demon King, his long spear pierced through the Demon King’s body, while the Demon King’s hand had already plunged into his heart.
His heart ruptured, an injury from which a human could not recover.
Why is he still alive?
“…Did you save me?” the Grand Inquisitor spoke, his voice extremely hoarse from excessive use over the past few days.
The Demon King looked down at him.
“No,” it said, “it’s because you wanted to live, that’s why you’re still alive.”
The Grand Inquisitor pursed his lips.
The taste of succubus blood still filled his mouth, and the pain all over his body had been soothed. His heart beat strongly, the wound on his chest had healed, leaving only a grim scar.
He didn’t understand why the succubus hadn’t killed him in the end.
…Just like he didn’t understand why his spear had missed the Demon King’s heart by half an inch at the last moment.
“The kingdom…” the Grand Inquisitor hoarsely asked, “how is it?”
Seemingly anticipating this question, the Demon King snorted coldly and answered, “Thanks to the esteemed Grand Inquisitor’s previous blow that heavily injured me, causing chaos in the demon army, we could only temporarily retreat to the demon realm. You did indeed protect your country—although I think some humans are not worth protecting.”
“But now, Grand Inquisitor, shouldn’t you worry about your own safety first?”
The Demon King grabbed the chain around his neck with his right hand, lifting his head up.
“After all, you are now my spoils of war.”
The Grand Inquisitor’s head was forced to tilt upward, meeting the Demon King’s purple gaze.
The deep and enchanting purple, just like the first time they met, possessed an irresistible allure.
He resisted this temptation, but was always drawn to it. Even now, with their roles and positions reversed, separated by the hatred of life and death, the conflict and contradiction were still there.
The Grand Inquisitor wanted to retreat again, but trapped in the cage, bound all over, he couldn’t escape.
He could only close his eyes and say softly, “Do as you wish…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Do as I wish?” The Demon King laughed. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll spare your life, and slowly torture you in revenge? Crush your bones, cut open your flesh, make you kneel and beg like a dog. After all, you’ve injured me more than once.”
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The smile on the Demon King’s face slowly faded.
He released the chain around the Grand Inquisitor’s neck, raised his left hand, and brought the wound to his lips, licking it slowly.
“After all, when the Grand Inquisitor loses his reason, he’s crazier than a stray dog by the roadside,” the Demon King mocked.
The Grand Inquisitor pursed his lips.
He watched as the Demon King licked his wound like a cat, then his gaze slowly shifted to the Demon King’s chest, where there was a dark bloodstain.
Probably because the Demon King was wearing a black robe, it was hard to notice if one didn’t look carefully.
That place… was where his judgment spear had pierced through.
“Why… hasn’t the wound healed?” the Grand Inquisitor suddenly asked.
Given the natural healing abilities of demons, wounds shouldn’t keep bleeding like this under normal circumstances.
The Demon King stopped licking, glancing at him.
“I thought you knew. Your spear was coated with poison from the corrosive grass.”
The Grand Inquisitor frowned. He had always fought fair and square with both humans and demons, never resorting to poison on his spear. It could only have been applied by someone else while he was imprisoned.
The poison from the corrosive grass seeps into the flesh of the wound, continuously corroding it, preventing it from healing.
This kind of substance couldn’t be removed with magic, but there was a solution. As long as the area affected by the poison was thoroughly cleaned, the contamination could be removed.
This required the skill of a highly skilled physician, especially since the Demon King’s wound was deep and close to the heart.
The Grand Inquisitor didn’t believe that there weren’t skilled physicians among the demons, but judging by the Demon King’s current state, it was clear that he wasn’t seeking help from anyone.
The Grand Inquisitor said, “You should seek help from a physician.”
The Demon King replied, “Did I ever say that I like being seen by any creature, especially by demons?”
It was a succubus.
Among demons, succubi were considered quite low-ranking, often relying on more powerful demons for survival.
Even if its strength surpassed that of all other demons, those creatures trembled with fear at the sight of it. But as books say, demons, driven by what could only be described as “base desires,” couldn’t escape their nature.
They feared it. Yet, in its weakness, they wanted to challenge its authority, to make it submit like any other succubus.
The Demon King felt dirty just looking at them.
Hearing the Demon King’s unexpected answer, the Grand Inquisitor pursed his lips again.
He wanted to ask why, if he disliked being seen by any creature, did the Demon King allow him to stand guard while it bathed when he was first imprisoned in the Tower of Sin.
As if sensing his question, the Demon King paused. “You’re different. You’re the first person I’ve seen who, in such a weak situation, didn’t try to take advantage of me, but instead kept retreating, even backing up into a wall.”
At this, it seemed to recall a humorous scene from the past and couldn’t help but laugh.
The rise and fall of its chest caused more blood to seep from its wound.
The Grand Inquisitor: “….”
At that moment, he suddenly heard the clinking sound and noticed that the Demon King was actually taking out the key to unlock the cage.
“You reminded me,” the Demon King said. “Since you’re awake, hurry up and take a bath.”
The Demon King’s purple eyes stared at the Grand Inquisitor, who was covered in blood and looked disheveled, with a somewhat disdainful expression.
“You’re covered in blood, utterly filthy.”
…
The Demon King’s bathroom was astonishingly spacious.
The Grand Inquisitor had long noticed that this demon loved to bathe, and if he didn’t hurry it along, it could spend at least half an hour in the bath.
And now, the bathroom that appeared in front of him—no, it would be more accurate to say it was a pool.
Before him, the pool was vast and boundless, with a row of white sculptures continuously filling it with water, steam rising into view.
The dome of the pool was made of colorful glass, supported by several tall stone pillars.
The chains on his body had been removed by the Demon King, leaving only a few shackles fastened to his body.
The Demon King sat cross-legged on a black carved chair beside him, supporting his head, seemingly supervising his bath.
This scene felt somewhat familiar.
Except that the roles of the bather and the guard had been reversed, and the location had changed.
The Grand Inquisitor had always been someone who remained calm in most situations. However, when the Demon King’s gaze was fixed on him, even his movements to undress became stiff.
The Grand Inquisitor undressed stiffly, washed stiffly, and then saw the clothes the Demon King had prepared for him—
It was a set of black Grand Inquisitor’s robes. Neatly folded on the shore, it was almost identical to the ones he used to wear in the courthouse.
“…I am no longer a Grand Inquisitor,” the Grand Inquisitor said.
He had long been dismissed from the courthouse. Even if he hadn’t been dismissed, he could never go back.
The Demon King chuckled and said, “I’m glad you understand your identity, Grand Inquisitor.”
“But now, you belong to me. You’ll wear what I tell you to wear.”
The Grand Inquisitor looked down for a moment, and eventually put on the outfit.
The Demon King sized up the man standing before him.
Tall and imposing, with a stern face, it was a familiar sight.
“In my domain, you must follow my rules,” the Demon King said. “As my possession, you cannot leave my side. Remember, your range of movement is limited to this palace.”
The Grand Inquisitor remained silent.
In fact, he had no intention of leaving here. With his current physical condition, he had almost completely transformed, taking on a monstrous form. There was no longer a place for him in the human world. Even his barely restored human consciousness didn’t know how long it could last.
The demon’s unusual taste and smell were affecting him.
The taste of the Demon King’s blood still lingered in his mouth.
Perhaps it was because the blood of succubi itself was magical, or perhaps it was because the Demon King had half-human blood, but the taste was incomparably delicious. It made him uncontrollably want to tear the Demon King apart, chew him up, and swallow all his flesh and blood.
These were thoughts belonging to a demon. He realized this and began to desperately try to separate his human self from it. However, such separation undoubtedly meant splitting his soul, and his head began to ache faintly again, giving rise to madness and chaos in his perception of the world.
He didn’t know how long he could stay sane, or when he would descend into total madness, so he could only confine himself here.
Moreover, the Grand Inquisitor thought, if the Demon King planned to launch another invasion against humans, being closest to the Demon King might allow him to stop it as quickly as possible.
The Demon King seemed to know all the Grand Inquisitor’s concerns, confident that he wouldn’t escape, so he removed the chains from him.
“Here, you better do what I tell you to do,” the Demon King said, casting a glance at him with purple eyes. “Remember your place and don’t overstep.”
With that, the Demon King stood up.
“Follow me,” it said.
It led the Grand Inquisitor to its bedroom.
The Demon King’s bedroom was large, with thick sheepskin carpets. The lighting was dim, and heavy curtains remained closed, while a large bed draped with deep red curtains stood in the center of the room. Next to it was a high-backed chair covered with a black wool blanket.
The Demon King walked to one side of the bedroom and opened a hidden door.
Inside the hidden door was a small room with only a bed against the wall, with several chains fastened to the wall.
“This is your room,” the demon king said, “Since you’re here, don’t think about escaping. The palace is surrounded by magical prohibitions; you won’t be able to escape. If you manage to escape and get caught again, it won’t be as simple as being locked up…”
The Grand Inquisitor: “…”
He felt like he had heard this before.
…Then he remembered, he had said the same thing to the succubus back then.
So, he realized, the Demon King’s mind was probably as sharp as a needle. The quiet obedience in the Tower of Sin was just a disguise; it remembered everything others said and did, one by one.
The Demon King picked up the chains from the wall and fastened them to the Grand Inquisitor’s arms, locking them, saying, “I’m going to rest now. Don’t disturb me.”
The Grand Inquisitor: “…”
The Demon King walked out, glanced back at him, and threw a key near him.
The door slammed shut.
The Grand Inquisitor sat silently by the bed for a while, then picked up the key to unlock the chains, stood up, and walked out the door.
The Demon King was indeed resting.
It was sitting by the bed, with its long hair hanging down, and it was dozing with its eyes closed.
Sensing the Grand Inquisitor’s movement, the demon king opened its eyes and said, “Didn’t I tell you not to come out?”
The Grand Inquisitor walked over to its side and said, “I might be able to help with your wounds.”
The Demon King remained silent for a moment and said, “What makes you think I would trust you to handle them?”
The Grand Inquisitor replied, “In the basic assessment of the judiciary, my emergency wound treatment scores were quite good.”
The Demon King looked at him and let out a low laugh from its throat.
“Fine,” it said.
It raised its hand and took off half of its black wizard robe, revealing the wounds on its body.
The wounds, unable to fully heal due to the presence of poison, were like dark tattoos, twisting and turning grotesquely from the injuries.
The Grand Inquisitor had no tools in his hands, but his distorted joints were sharper than any tool and easier to control.
He folded the bones into a knife, kneeling in front of the Demon King, and began cleaning the wounds on its chest.
The room was not very bright, but in the eyes of the demon, the vision was clearer than during the day.
The Demon King fell silent, making no sound. Its breathing trembled slightly, the hand gripping his shoulder tightened, and the silver chains on its body rattled.
The Grand Inquisitor realized that it was not that the demon king couldn’t feel pain.
Because the wound went through from front to back, after cleaning the wounds on the demon king’s front, he had to continue cleaning the wounds on its back.
The Demon King turned to the side, lifting its hand to toss its long hair forward, revealing its snow-white back.
The Grand Inquisitor held the bone knife, cleaning the wounds.
The location of the wounds was very close to the demon king’s heart, so he had to be extremely careful to clean them properly.
As long as his knife deviated a little to the side, he would pierce the Demon King’s heart—yet the Demon King was completely turned away from him at this moment, unable to notice or react in time.
The Grand Inquisitor suddenly understood that due to safety considerations, the Demon King could not possibly seek treatment from a demon physician.
Even why it was now comfortable letting him clean the wounds was a difficult puzzle to solve.
“In fact, you can try stabbing me,” the Demon King suddenly spoke, “Stab my heart, kill me, and you will be free. Perhaps there will be a new Demon King born in the future, but at least humanity can enjoy a hundred years of peace.”
The Grand Inquisitor cleaned the toxins from the Demon King’s wounds in silence, his hands steady, more precise and patient than any professional physician.
“Why not give it a try?” the Demon King asked again. “I see the Grand Inquisitor’s hands are quite steady. How come they suddenly shook back then, and you missed the mark?”
The Grand Inquisitor remained silent, focused on helping him heal his wounds.
With the toxins removed, the Demon King’s wounds quickly stopped bleeding and began healing at a visible rate.
The Grand Inquisitor set down the bone knife and said, “And why did your hand suddenly lose strength back then and fail to crush what needed to be crushed?”
This was his response to the Demon King’s previous question.
Upon hearing his question, the Demon King chuckled softly.
The Grand Inquisitor spoke in a low voice, “Stop laughing, the wound is about to split open.”
He stared at the wound on the Demon King’s back and, finding no major issues, slowly shifted his gaze to the mithril chains on the Demon King’s shoulders.
The fine chains extended from the Demon King’s shoulder blades, cascading down his graceful back, connecting to the mithril handcuffs on his hands, resembling a delicate yet cruel decoration.
“Why not remove the chains?” the Grand Inquisitor asked softly. “You’re no longer a prisoner.”
The Demon King replied, “I don’t want to.”
“Don’t want to?” The Grand Inquisitor couldn’t understand the Demon King’s thinking.
In fact, looking back now, it was quite confusing why the Demon King intentionally let himself be caught by him.
Considering the retaliation the Demon King showed, although seemingly indifferent, he actually cared quite a bit. The other party probably didn’t think it was fun to conceal it like this
It was likely that nobody in this world desired to be confined in a cage with chains piercing through their bones.
Therefore, why did the Demon King voluntarily bind himself as a prisoner?
The Demon King didn’t continue explaining.
“Grand Inquisitor, you want to know too much,” the Demon King said. Slowly, it gathered its wizard robe, covering its body. “I’ve said it before, don’t try to overstep.”
The Grand Inquisitor wanted to say something, but the Demon King lifted its leg and pushed him out while dropping the thick curtains.
“Go back. I need to rest,” the Demon King’s voice came from behind the curtains, lazy and tinged with weariness.
After experiencing such a long treatment, it was normal to feel tired.
The Grand Inquisitor rubbed his forehead and stared at the curtains for a moment before returning to the small room.
The bed in the room was not big enough for him to stretch out fully. The Grand Inquisitor could only sit with his legs bent against the wall, looking at the small window on the opposite wall.
From this angle, he could see the moon outside.
The moon in the demon realm was different from what the Grand Inquisitor had seen in the human kingdom. It appeared as a deep red color, resembling solidified blood.
Perhaps it wasn’t the moon turning red, but his perception of the world undergoing irreversible changes.
The Grand Inquisitor closed his eyes.
The two of them lived in close proximity like this. It was very calm, without any excessive friction, as if the fierce battles they had fought on the battlefield had never happened.
The Grand Inquisitor had always thought of the succubus as a cat. Over this period of time, he found that its habits were indeed similar to those of a cat.
The Demon King slept for long periods, and upon waking, liked to stay in one place all day, most often in the palace garden. It didn’t like going out— at least the Grand Inquisitor hadn’t seen it step out of the palace during this time.
Yet somehow, it managed to find a large pile of books from somewhere and started asking him strange questions about humans.
Every day, the Demon King would have afternoon tea in the garden, with a fixed menu of colorful bread and a glass of milk. Apart from that, the Grand Inquisitor hadn’t seen it consume any special food belonging to the demon race.
Apart from the change in their roles and the different living environment, their interactions were surprisingly similar to when they were in the Tower of Sin.
However, as time went by, the numbing pain effect of the succubus blood was fading away, while the process of his own demonization continued without pause.
Sometimes, as the Grand Inquisitor watched the Demon King reading with its head lowered in the garden, he wondered how long he could continue answering its questions.
One day, the Grand Inquisitor suddenly felt dizzy.
His temples throbbed, and he hurried back to his room, almost trembling as he locked himself in with the chains on the wall, then threw the key far out of the window.
When he regained consciousness, the Demon King was standing by the door, looking at him.
Its left hand was bleeding again.
“I regret locking you up here, it disturbs my sleep quality,” the Demon King said.
“I’m sorry,” the Grand Inquisitor replied.
“Come here,” the Demon King said, reaching out its hand.
Blood dripped from its wrist, splashing onto the ground. It was like a divine rain.
The Grand Inquisitor’s throat tightened. He wanted to go, but reason restrained him.
He didn’t want to hurt it again.
The Demon King’s purple eyes seemed to see through his body, into his inner soul.
“You refuse to be assimilated by the demonic energy, always trying to control the demon’s body with a human soul. This will only keep you trapped in pain, unable to break free,” the Demon King said.
The Grand Inquisitor refused to approach. The Demon King came closer.
“Is it so hard to give up the struggle and submit to me?” it whispered.
Reading this is extra fascinating knowing it’s an alien Zong Li controlling the illusion. Poor baby is clinging so tightly to his identity as human
Yeah, Zong Li! Is it so hard? 👀
Oh sorry, I accidentally replied instead of posting a normal comment. 😅