Translator: SumTLMan
“Indeed.”
As Angel focused on Trom, Gloria’s voice reached his ear.
Gloria’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and she was gazing at Azaz on the field, who exuded a gloomy and silent air. Her expression was uncharacteristically serious.
Following her gaze, Angel took a closer look.
He had previously been engrossed with Trom and had not paid attention to Azaz. Now, upon closer inspection, Angel couldn’t help but furrowed his brows as well.
This was because Azaz emanated a wave of energy that felt eerily familiar to him. However, unlike the obscure and concealed energy that Trom displayed, Angel almost immediately deduced the origin of Azaz’s energy.
“A demon?” Angel murmured in a low voice, somewhat surprised.
Gloria turned her head, “You sensed it too? Ah, I almost forgot. You did stir up quite a storm in La Sutherland, and the waves have yet to settle.”
Pausing for a moment, Gloria nodded, “Yes, it’s demonic power.”
Angel had seen many demons in his time — alive and dead, some as large as mountains and others as small as flower sprites. He even had a fairly good relationship with several demons, such as the half-blood demon Canaan, or the young fire demon Greaves.
Because of his extensive familiarity with demons, Angel recognized the source of the energy emanating from Azaz almost instantly.
It was undoubtedly demonic in origin.
“True, Azaz has never been one to hide his true nature. He even goes by the nickname ‘The Gourmet Demon,'” Angel said, turning back to Gloria. “However, the demonic energy on him is somewhat peculiar. It seems to originate from him, but also feels somewhat different. Could it be that he’s a descendant of both demons and humans?”
“If it were truly a hybrid of a demon and a human, the Extreme Sect would already be up in arms,” Gloria said. “This is likely a tribute to a demon.”
A tribute to a demon? Angel was aware that some wizards kept minor demon slaves, but this was the first he’d heard of someone offering tribute to a demon.
Demons are naturally antagonistic to humans and rarely coexist peacefully. Angel was an exception, as during his time running a shop in La Sutherland, a powerful figure was present to maintain order.
Gloria continued, her eyes shadowed: “Offering tribute to a demon is a form of gastronomy that has gone down a dark path.”
“Long ago, the Candy House had a very close relationship with a great being——Fallen Star Lord. He once mentioned this form of tribute, which originally came from the Northern Territory Wizarding World.”
It is universally acknowledged in the magical worlds that gourmet magic practitioners aren’t known for their strong combat abilities.
Some gourmet wizards, consumed by the desire for greater power, eventually devised a method: offering tributes to demons.
By offering exquisite dishes to the demons, they gain powerful abilities through them.
Offering tribute to a demon is somewhat like worshipping a Demon God, but the essence differs. If you choose to worship a Demon God, you surrender your entire future to that deity, and the path to ultimate truth becomes closed off. While demons are indeed cunning and malevolent, even more bloodthirsty than Demon Gods, at least tribute doesn’t shut off one’s future.
“It sounds a bit like Sunisha’s abilities, doesn’t it?” Angel asked.
Sunisha could summon spirits from other worlds to fight on her behalf through her gourmet tributes. She borrows their power to augment her own combat capabilities.
“Indeed, both involve external aid. However, Sunisha’s lineage is highly orthodox. The spirits she summons are entirely under her control and would never betray her. Offering tribute to demons is different. Demons are not so easily managed, and they inherently bear animosity toward humans,” Gloria elaborated.
Demons, although not as ruthless as Demon Gods in severing your future prospects, employ an array of manipulative tactics to seduce you. They twist your will, hijack your thoughts, and plunge you into a vicious cycle of greed and desire.
If you falter and dance to the demon’s tune, how does that differ from having a Demon God cut off your future?
And what about holding firm?
According to Fallen Star Lord, the gourmet world of the Northern Territory can almost be dubbed the “Dark Gourmet World.”
Gourmet wizards there are treated as heretics by all other wizards.
From this, one can deduce that gourmet wizards who have resisted the temptations of demons are few and far between.
“Actually, whether you fall from grace or not, the vast majority of wizards don’t have the time to bother with you. In the Wizarding World, the boundaries of good and evil are not so rigid. Whether you are lost in desire or engrossed in specialized study, it doesn’t matter,” said Gloria, pausing before turning to Angel. “But do you know why gourmet wizards who worship demons are universally reviled and dreaded by all other wizards?”
Angel, recalling Carvelyn’s demeanor, already had an inkling of the answer in his heart.
“Cannibalism,” said Gloria, her eyes flashing with revulsion as she offered the answer that Angel had in mind.
“And it’s not just any ordinary people.”
To appease demons, mere conventional cuisine wouldn’t suffice. And humans, especially wizards who are extraordinary beings themselves, are considered the highest-grade ingredients by demons.
Angel, having had interactions with demons, is well aware that not all demons prefer human flesh. However, encouraging the devotees to use humans as ingredients also serves as a way to create a chasm between gourmet wizards and other wizards. Crafty demons, naturally, relish this.
“Turning humans into ingredients is ironic. This trick was actually taught to the demons by the gourmet wizards,” Gloria looked towards Azaz in the arena. “Carvelyn’s case has already made it clear. Since the demon worshipped by Azaz has learned this technique of transforming humans into ingredients, it means they have begun to consume humans.”
Gloria looked at Azaz with a fierce gaze and declared, “I won’t allow such a degenerate gourmet wizard to emerge in the Southern Region’s Wizarding World.”
She knew all too well that if demon-worshipping became a trend in the Southern Region, it would be a significant setback for the gourmet wizards. Over time, their status could decline even more than it already has.
Angel sensed Gloria’s murderous intent and understood her concerns from what she had said.
However, when Angel focused on Azaz, he had a different impression.
Although Azaz radiated an ominous demonic aura, his expression was surprisingly tranquil, as if he were standing in gentle sunlight.
“I actually think that the look in Azaz’s eyes doesn’t indicate he’s fallen,” Angel softly remarked.
Hearing Angel’s words, Gloria unconsciously looked into Azaz’s eyes.
Azaz appeared to be a man approaching his thirties, yet his eyes were as pure as those of a young boy — purer even than his actual young opponent, Trom.
Gloria countered, “Eyes can be deceptive.”
“Why would he need to deceive?” Angel retorted, “On the stage of the Novastar Competition, there are others far more vicious than he is. There’s no need for him to pretend.”
Azaz wouldn’t know that a gourmet wizard among the spectators today might have murderous intentions towards him, so there would be no need to disguise himself.
While they were talking, the countdown for the match officially ended.
Azaz and Trom formally entered into combat.
After the match started, a dim phantom slowly rose from Azaz, eventually materializing behind him, forming a demonic apparition that looked bizarre in the extreme.
Observing this demonic phantom, Angel was puzzled: “Why is it only a phantom? Where’s the actual demon?”