Chapter 20

As if to show what had happened last night, Argen was covered from head to toe in the marks of their affairs. It was a disgraceful sight.

“Your face looks so haggard now. You never had much flesh on you to begin with, but it’s a wonder you haven’t collapsed. You must be exhausted, yet you keep him around. He must really be something special to you.”

The dismissive tone that treated him like an object sparked a surge of resentment. Yet, he couldn’t bring herself to deny it. Because the state of Argen’s face now was indeed wretched.

It was so good to come, to plunge his hard length into her drenched inner walls. He was always overwhelmed as if it was his first time.

Eventually, she would hug his neck tightly, begging him to fill her up, to fu!ck her hard and fast. Despite his deep revulsion at the lascivious gesture, Valen ate her up greedily. At one point, he remembered hoisting her up and thrusting into her, as if he were pleasuring himself.

As the days of their physical encounters grew, Valen found himself becoming increasingly accustomed to her body. Admitting it was one thing, but accepting it was another. Their physical compatibility was surprisingly good.

It wasn’t because it was Argen, but because she was a succubus. She was a life form that gained strength from absorbing energy, and her body had to develop in that direction. But acknowledging the carnal pleasure he felt didn’t erase the contempt he felt for her.

Valen turned his back to Argen, as if deliberately avoiding her gaze.

“If you want relationship advice, find someone else.”

“I told you. There’s no one here with as much experience as you.”

Listening to Seirnich’s words, an acute sense of cognitive dissonance hit him. Here, Valen’s only partner was Argen—how could anyone claim to have experience with just one person?

In the human world, many soldiers spend the night with more than one woman at a time. It was a place crawling with men, after all. It was only natural for them to indulge their dirty desires without any hesitation.

No one could reproach them for their vulgarity, given that they were all the same kind of lowly individuals. They were all more energetic than the average person.

But here, it was different. They looked as naive as boys who had never even held a woman’s hand. Even teenage boys would likely be more adept with women than they were.

“Oh, and by the way, aren’t you acquainted with Lady Arachne? The woman who stole the youngest’s heart.”

Valen frowned, as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

“Can’t you remember? She’s the spider demon who brought you to the Demon King’s castle.”

“Ah—.”

He remembered when he first met Argen on the battlefield; a giant monster had struck him on the back of the head. Did monsters even have genders? The absurdity of it made him chuckle. Valen tilted his head slightly and scanned the youngest soldier standing behind Seirnich.

Aside from the horns on his head, his appearance was almost indistinguishable from a human’s. Though not as pale as Argen, his skin was as white as someone who had never seen sunlight, and his blond hair was fluffy like a puppy’s. He was probably older than Valen, though.

Such a kid had a crush on a giant spider?

Standing in front of Arachne, he seemed more like a toothpick than a potential romantic partner. Though tall, he was overall quite thin and seemed barely adequate as food.

“The kid is suffering from lovesickness, unable to sleep or eat. Doesn’t that make you feel sorry for him?”

It was absurd that a demon was seeking sympathy from him. Seirnich seemed determined to stick around until Valen gave him some advice. The knight commander wouldn’t drag out training like this, though.

Valen, visibly annoyed, threw out a curt suggestion.

“Shave the hair off your legs.”

The image of one of Arachne’s legs, which had slammed down next to Valen’s face just before he lost consciousness, came to mind. The arachnid’s leg hairs were unusually shaved off.

Telling someone to remove leg hair to win over someone they like seemed more like a sacrificial offering than practical advice. Yet, the demons reacted differently.

“Ooh! As expected of someone with experience. You’re suggesting an unexpected method!”

“Youngest. Go visit Arachne’s cave today and set up an appointment. It’ll put your mind at ease before the hunt, won’t it?”

“Yes, yes! I’ll do that!”

The youngest’s face lit up with hopeful determination.

Since arriving at the Demon King’s castle, it had been a nonstop parade of common sense being destroyed. Valen himself had no romantic experience, so even if he wanted to offer serious advice, he wouldn’t have much to say. But seeing the youngest’s passionate enthusiasm made Valen start to question himself.

Leaving behind the cheering demons, Valen exited the training grounds early due to Argen’s schedule. Just before entering his quarters, he suddenly turned to look back at Argen.

“What if someone offered to shave your leg hair?”

Argent’s face tilted downward slowly. Valen’s gaze followed, settling on her feet.

The hem of Argen’s skirt fluttered up from her ankle. Valen’s shoulders twitched involuntarily. Her smooth, bare legs filled his vision. There wasn’t any hair that needed shaving.

Instead, the marks of Valen’s teeth were stamped like a seal on her calves, and the imprint of his strong grip remained on her slender ankles.

Like a trained dog, memories of the past rushed into his mind. Valen jerked his head to the side as he felt his abdomen tighten beneath him

At that moment, her skirt fell back into place, covering her legs, and she turned her back without a word.

“Not even a goodbye.”

Even for Argen, who was obsessed with energy, the thought of leg hair removal must have been off-putting. No wonder. It wasn’t Valen who was weird, it was the soldiers who were halfway out of their minds.

  *

“Thank you so much, Number 38! How can I ever repay you for this…”

The next day.

The common sense that Valen had grown up with and never questioned was completely shattered. He could not help but be offended by the youngest, who clutched one of his hands and shook it up and down. His understanding of etiquette and knowledge seemed to be crumbling to pieces.

“Last night, I stayed up all night to shave my leg hair, and Arachne invited me to dinner first thing this morning.”

“You’ll be the main dish.”

“Haha, you’re joking!”

It must be. By tomorrow, a eulogy will be all over the training grounds.

But the world once again cruelly shattered Valen’s expectations. It was noisy from the morning, but it wasn’t due to a eulogy. It was because Arachne and the youngest had become lovers.

Valen sat under the shaded tent next to Argen, his brow furrowed in disbelief. There wasn’t a sane person anywhere. Well, except for Argen. Amidst all the lunatics, she seemed relatively normal.

A deep sense of self-loathing weighed heavily on his shoulders. Was it even possible to harbor positive feelings for a demon, of all things? Yet, he couldn’t deny it. If the contract partner had been another demon instead of Argen, he would have chosen death.

“Number 38!”

Seirnich was coming towards him, kicking up dust with a bright smile on his face. The cheerful energy was almost unbearable for Valen, who had been in a dark mood under the tent.

Despite the distance, Seirnich had covered it quickly and without showing any sign of fatigue, placing his hand on Valen’s shoulder.

“Get lost.”

“The youngest’s benefactor is our benefactor too. We’re planning a grand celebration in a week, and I’d like you to attend as well.”

“I don’t think I can make it. I feel I’ll be in a foul mood in a week.”

“I see. What a shame. It’s hard to change the date with the hunt scheduled around the same time…”

Valen’s previously listless eyes suddenly regained a sharp glint. The kids who had only been playing around during training were going on a hunt?

The interest he thought had completely faded surged back into his heart.