Chapter 16

“I thought it would be over in about 30 minutes. I didn’t expect you to bite my chest or to ej@cul@t3 more than twice. I didn’t realize how exhausting human !nt3rc0ur.se could be…”

Argen trailed off and turned her head. Her white neck turned a shade of red, revealing her thoughts. It was an easy reaction to read.

“…Next time, I’ll be prepared.”

She acts as if I’m her first man.

In fact, he had vaguely suspected it. Her lack of skill and the way she reacted sensitively to even the slightest touch were clear indicators.

But wasn’t she a succubus who seduced Valen, of all people? It didn’t make sense that such a high-ranking demon had never once taken a human’s essence. Logic and experience clashed. Was this also an act? He couldn’t be sure.

“And the part about being free to roam is also not a lie.”

“Stupidity has its limits. Have you forgotten that I’m human?”

“How could I forget? It is because you are human that I spent the night with you.”

So, any human would do, huh? While he didn’t expect loyalty from a demon, hearing it so bluntly wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Valen grabbed Argen’s forearm with one hand and pulled her along. She followed him closely until they stood in front of the door.

“Do you think I can open this door or not?”

Argen’s eyes darted around. Then she glanced up at him. Valen tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

“…You have no magic.”

“Thanks for finally noticing.”

“Then, the reason you’ve stayed in the bedroom not just today but the entire time you’ve been here is…”

“What do you think?”

“…I unintentionally ended up imprisoning you.”

A look of embarrassment flashed across Argen’s face. With her disheveled hair and sleep marks on her face, trying to look serious didn’t convey any tension. However, Argen was earnest.

“I’ve been neglecting you.”

Fix your tone first, as if you’re dealing with a dog.

“I’ll make sure to pay more attention.”

Argen declared with a tone of determination. Whether she did or not, Valen only wanted to leave this bedroom, which was ravaged by the traces of their affair.

  *

He shouldn’t have brushed off Argen’s resolve so lightly.

“Come out, Number 38.”

Argen called Valen out as if summoning a prisoner. He felt a twitch in one cheek and just sat there, motionless. Then Argen came into the room herself and pulled him by the hand.

“Let’s go finish the book we started reading yesterday.”

After their second night together, Argen sought Valen out whenever she had the chance. She dragged him around the Demon King’s castle, exploring various places.

At first, Valen welcomed Argen’s visits. Firstly, it allowed him to escape the dreary room, and secondly, it provided an opportunity to gather information about the demons. However, the joy was short-lived.

For the past few days, they had been wandering around the library. For nine consecutive days, no less.

The library in the Demon King’s castle was as large as a small kingdom’s palace. It even had a large indoor fountain and tables adorned with flowers and trees, as if they had moved an entire garden indoors. It was a place where money had been poured in lavishly.

He had hoped to find military books that might be useful for strategy, but to no avail. It was all a collection of useless self-help books, childish sonnets, and ridiculous plays.

Are there really no books on history or war? Surely, surely, surely… Yesterday, on the ninth day, they had covered every section of the library, and Valen hadn’t found a single book he wanted.

And today, on the tenth day, Argen was coaxing him to go to the library again.

“I don’t have much time today. Get up quickly.”

“I’m not going.”

Valen slapped Argen’s hand away. She blinked in surprise. Her eyelids were still swollen from crying all night while being with Valen.

“Do you want to rest?”

“Let me ask you. We’ve been going to the library every single day until yesterday. Are you trying to bury me in print and have me die there?”

“…I thought you liked it.”

“What the hell gave you that idea?”

“The goat said that in the human world, there are many soldiers who want to learn to read but can’t. So, he thought it would be nice to let you read whatever you wanted in the library… Finn agreed too.”

“What?”

“They insisted that since your character isn’t great, you needed some literature to soften your emotions.”

“That’s bu.llsh!t.”

Valen twisted his lips into a smile. These demon bastards dare to treat humans like trash.

Argen stared at Valen with an expressionless face. She was probably racking her brain over him. She always got quite flustered when Valen didn’t move according to her plans. Just like now.

“Then, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Where?”

“The aquarium with the furry turtles that the goat raises…”

“Are you kidding me?”

Valen scratched the back of his head irritably. He had kept his mouth shut to avoid raising suspicion, but now he decided to be direct. He needed to tell her to take him to places directly connected to war, like the barracks or the strategy room in the Demon King’s castle.

Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock at the door. A maid entered, pushing a tray with lunch on it.

“…Ah, right. How about we visit the kitchen instead?”

Valen couldn’t refuse.

  *

That d@mn kitchen chef. He was finally going to meet him. That cursed brat who churned out colorful, flashy crap. Valen followed Argen, his neck twitching with excitement.

“Hey, didn’t you say we were going to the kitchen?”

“I’m going the right way. I’m good at memorizing routes, so don’t worry.”

“But why are there so many rats?”

A long-tailed rat scurried quickly down the corridor. As they walked further in, the stench of rotting corpses grew stronger, and bloodstains splattered on the walls. This wasn’t a kitchen, but a torture chamber. He was getting a bad feeling when…

Bang!

Something flew and struck Argen squarely on the forehead.

“Oh no, Lady Argen! Are you alright?”

A man dressed entirely in black came running out in a panic.

“I’m fine.”

Fine? A butcher’s knife was lodged between her eyebrows!

Argen nonchalantly pulled the knife out, and blood gushed out like a waterfall. The man, flustered, pressed his hands against Argen’s forehead. Her head tilted back dangerously, almost bending her upper body.

What the hell are these guys doing?

A mime?

Unable to watch any longer, Valen clicked his tongue and firmly supported Argen’s shoulders. Then he pushed the man standing in front of them aside with his arm.

“Hey, I think I can see your skull.”

“It’ll heal if I spit on it.”

Argen took Valen’s hand off her shoulder.

“Sorry. I was loosening my shoulder and my hand slipped.”

“How do you loosen your shoulder by throwing a knife… Wait, are you the chef?”

Valen’s eyes gleamed. The man, sensing something bad, hesitated to nod.

“S-something like that. Why?”

Found him.

The man wore glasses larger than his face. His hair was unkempt, and his beard, resembling fish bones, sprouted messily under his chin, making him look filthy. Eating a dish prepared by this guy would almost certainly result in food poisoning.

“Ugh, ack…!”

Valen abruptly grabbed the man’s neck and lifted him up. Despite the man foaming at the mouth and struggling, Valen didn’t care. This guy being a chef is a societal evil. It’s better if he just dies.

“G-gack, why, why are you doing this…?”

“You don’t know why?”

The look of bewildered injustice on the man’s face grated on Valen’s nerves. This demon bastard deserved to die. He felt no guilt, only a growing rage at having eaten this guy’s food for nearly two months.

“The food didn’t suit your taste, did it?”

A soft, gentle hand lightly covered Valen’s forearm. Taking advantage of Valen’s momentary hesitation, the chef kicked at his abs. But Valen was quicker. Just before the kick landed, he threw the chef to the ground.

Thud! The chef’s forehead hit the floor with such force that the ground shook slightly. He lay there for a moment, twitching with his face buried in the floor, then sprang up like a monster. Blood gushed from his head like a fountain.