Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Valen had no past he wanted to reminisce about. Even if he lost his memory overnight, it wouldn’t be a life he’d miss. There was nothing he longed for, and even the good memories had long since faded to ash.

So, the memories that occasionally visited him in dreams were never welcome. Though each memory was different, the emotions they evoked were always the same.

However, after experiencing such things repeatedly, like tanning leather, calluses formed in his brain, and his nerves steadily died. Compared to the times when he would wake up drenched in cold sweat, he became much more composed now. He wasn’t trapped in the past anymore.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in Nadal’s workshop, filled with piles of hay. This place also served as the only infirmary in the Demon King’s castle.

“If you feel any discomfort, let me know immediately.”

Valen’s eyes held a menacing glint beneath his thick eyebrows. He rotated his right arm back and forth with a grim expression, much like the day he first tasted Enrit’s food. Aside from a slight stinging sensation on his skin, he felt no pain. Even when he tested his muscles by lifting a heavy marble table, everything seemed fine.

It was astonishing. If he were to consider only his feelings, he would have preferred his arm to be cut off. The absurd method of transporting frozen tuna had actually worked.

“My arm is fine, but my head is more of a problem. Next time you knock me out, you should use a different method.”

He kept getting injured in the same spot and repeatedly undergoing treatment. It was almost miraculous that he didn’t have any scars. Valen irritably tore off the bandage stuck to the back of his head.

“How can you be stupid to rip that off like that? The wound will get worse!”

“It’s amusing to see a demon worry about such things.”

“I’m concerned because Lady Argen would be upset if you got hurt. Come here. Let me reapply it.”

“The care for a sp3rm donor is so touching, it brings tears to my eyes.”

“Don’t be too harsh. Lord Argen isn’t at ease keeping you in the demon realm. She’s always worried that you might get hurt while helping us.”

“Should the victim be considerate of the perpetrator’s feelings?”

“That’s not what I mean, but…”

While discarding the gauze, he noticed the bandages tightly wrapped around his right hand. They were so tight that the blood couldn’t circulate to his fingertips, causing the skin to turn red. Did I injure my hand?

“Lord Argen treated it. She was concerned about the scars on your hand.”

“Is this supposed to be treatment, not trying to burst my blood vessels?”

“…She’s just inexperienced. It was her first time handling bandages. No, don’t undo it. Do you know how many times Lord Argen wrapped and unwrapped it?”

As soon as Valen started to remove the tape securing the bandage, Nadal firmly pressed it back into place.

“Hold on. I’ll reapply the bandage on your head too…”

While Nadal was fetching clean gauze, Valen walked out of the infirmary. He heard someone calling after him, but if he had intended to look back, he wouldn’t have left in the first place. His destination was clear.

The day to provide the vital energy that Argen desperately craved.

He arrived at her bedroom door and knocked. However, before he could hear any response from inside, someone approached him. It was Nadal.

“Huff, huff… Why do you walk so fast?”

In his hand was the clean gauze Valen had seen earlier. Persistent, isn’t he?

“Give it to me. I’ll do it myself.”

“You can’t even see the back of your head.”

“I’ll do it by feel.”

Before Nadal could respond, Valen snatched the gauze and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he gestured toward the bedroom door with his chin.

“Open this.”

“Ah, No. 38 has no magic power.”

Click. The door, which hadn’t budged when Valen tried to open it, swung open effortlessly under Nadal’s hand. Valen stood crookedly, narrowing his eyes.

“Let me ask you something. Why ‘No. 38’? Why don’t I have a name?”

“Because you’re the thirty-eighth human to be brought to the Demon King’s castle.”

I suspected as much.

The number 38 had always bothered Vavlen. But every time he interacted with Argen, she seemed awkward and inexperienced, unlike someone who had gone through thirty-seven men. It didn’t add up.

But that didn’t mean she was slow to learn. As the number of times she synchronized with Valen increased, Argen adapted to his body, and the tears of frustration ceased. It still seemed to be a struggle to insert it all the way to the end, though.

He had wonderted that the number 38 might have a different meaning, but now that he realized it was a sequence, his neck felt suddenly stiff.

“For the record, you’re the first human to have a wedding ceremony and spend the first night with her. The previous thirty-seven had their memories erased and were sent back to the human world.”

“Why?”

“They didn’t meet Lord Argen’s standards. I’m telling you this in advance so you don’t misunderstand and trouble our Lord Argen.”

“There’s nothing for me to misunderstand. It doesn’t matter how many came before me.”

The tension in his hand suddenly released. Valen slowly rubbed his mouth with his hand before entering the bedroom.

Despite the noticeable sound of his approach, the bedroom remained silent. When Nadal lit the lamp, the dark room was gradually bathed in a soft glow.

“She’s asleep.”

The expression “buried in the blanket” fit perfectly. Argen was wrapped snugly in a thick blanket, with only her fair face peeking out. Steady breaths escaped from her slightly parted lips.

It was indeed the day to provide her with vital energy.

Valen mentally calculated the dates. Today was the third day since their last intimate encounter. He had often seen Argen fall asleep during their time together, but this was the first time he saw her sleeping peacefully without being covered in fluids.

Should I wake her? While he hesitated, Nadal extended his arm as if to block his path. Valen’s eyebrows furrowed with displeasure.

“What?”

“Let her sleep for tonight. I didn’t expect you to come for s€x with your head bashed in and your skin melted from burns. It seems she fell asleep early for the first time in a while, so let’s let her rest.”

“Even if your mouth is blocked by a furball or whatever, speak properly. If others hear, they’ll think I’m the one who’s desperate.”

Nadal sat at the edge of the bed and pulled the blanket down a bit. The white foot, exposed to the cold air, was tucked back under the blanket.

“You have no idea how much Lord Argen cares about you. She feels indebted to you. Despite being incredibly busy with state affairs, she spends time with you without showing any signs of it. She should be sleeping at least fourteen hours a day, but these days she barely gets an hour of sleep.”

“…Fourteen hours?”

“Yes.”

Nadal gazed at Argen’s face with a look of pity. From Valen’s perspective, sleeping fourteen hours a day seemed bizarre. Getting just one hour of sleep felt much more normal to him.

“No matter how rough you are in bed, after spending the night with you, Lord Argen can barely walk. Every time she wobbles into the meeting room on her frail legs, my heart breaks. So, take it easy.”

‘Do you know that your poor superior ends up crying with a le3wd face at the end?’ Valen didn’t bother mentioning what happened during their encounters. Arguing with a demon was tiresome.

Nadal patted Argen’s body as if she were his youngest sibling. However, Argen, unaware of Nadal’s concern, pulled the blanket over her head as if his touch was bothersome.

‘She dislikes it because you’re patting her with those hideous claws.’

Nadal, feeling awkward, cleared his throat and stood up.

“You should leave now too.”

Nadal left the bedroom first, but Valen remained standing in the same spot.

“I should have left with him.”

He had only intended to wait a bit to avoid walking down the long hallway with the goat demon. However, Valen couldn’t open the closed door by himself. He had made a foolish mistake.

He’d unintentionally ended up spending the night in Argent’s bedroom.