Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The demons’ swordsmanship improved rapidly as they learned by actually being stabbed. Despite their monstrous healing abilities, they still felt pain when cut or pierced. It was very painful.

To avoid the pain, they desperately tried to read Valen’s sword movements, and instead of focusing on “looking cool,” they swung their swords with a sense of urgency.

The merciless training continued for three days straight. As soon as Valen stepped into the training ground, the soldiers, who had been casually exchanging love advice, began to sweat nervously.

Even the commander, Seinrich, was no exception. Despite everything, he felt grateful to Valen. While the soldiers might secretly regret it, Seinrich was thrilled that they were finally undergoing proper training for the first time since the formation of the Knights’ Order.

However, Seinrich himself hadn’t participated in the training since the first day…

Nevertheless, he proudly watched the training ground, where blood and flesh flew, and opened an umbrella over his head. He had been quite startled yesterday when he found someone’s intestines stuck in his hair while washing it.

Due to the late-night training, Seinrich brought bread to eat as a late-night snack. He also brought a thermos with warm milk tea, enchanted with a preservation spell, so tonight would be no problem.

“Stop pretending to be dead and open your eyes.”

Valen said, throwing his sword to the ground with a clang. The demons, with their internal organs exposed and their necks half-cut, slowly opened one eye, watching as Valen washed his hands at the water basin. Only then did they hurriedly gather their internal organs and get up.

“Is it already over?”

It was before Seinrich even had a chance to open the basket of his late-night snack. He planned to enjoy a proper meal while watching the training… The lunchbox he prepared since dawn became useless.

“Do you have something urgent to attend to?”

Seinrich muttered, looking at the lunchbox basket with eyes full of regret. A large, rough hand reached into the basket. It was Zephyr.

“It’s the third day, after all.”

“True. Even the No. 38 needs a break every three days.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s the night he spends with Lord Argen.”

“……”

Despite Zephyr devouring the carefully prepared lunchbox, Seinrich stood there, his face flushed red.

The thought of the human he saw every day doing such things with Lord Argen was incredibly foreign and embarrassing for Seinrich, who had yet to lose his own purity. Various images started to cloud his mind. Shaking his head vigorously to dispel them, Seinrich decided to pack up and leave.

“She’ll come back covered in bruises again, won’t she?”

***

His entire body was covered in sweat and dust. While these were as familiar to Valen as his own skin, Argen’s perspective would be different.

With the help of a servant, Valen opened the door and filled the bathtub with water. He took a quick bath and roughly dried his hair. Since it would get thoroughly wet soon enough, he didn’t see the need to dry it completely now.

On his way to Argen’s bedroom, Valen dismissed the servant. Since his destination was clear, he didn’t need a key.

Knock, knock. The door opened as he knocked.

“It’s been three days.”

As soon as he saw Argen standing in front of him, as if to greet him, Valen felt his heart thump for a moment. Was it because he had been tormented by Zephyr? He even felt a faint sense of welcome.

His once bored eyes now gazed at Argen’s face as if licking it. A reddish blush had appeared on her small, white cheeks. Her lips were also unusually red.

Had she always had such a pr0voc@t!v€ color smeared on her face? Valen rubbed his palm over her face before stepping inside.

“You seem to have a fever.”

“I have that feeling.”

Argen didn’t deny it. On the other hand, Valen’s face twisted in surprise at the unexpected situation. He had given her time to rest to replenish her strength, and now she was sick?

“Can demons catch a cold?”

“Any living being with lungs cannot be free from germs. And I haven’t caught a cold.”

“Then what is it?”

Just as Valen unconsciously reached out to touch her forehead, Argen lightly tilted her head back, avoiding his hand. Valen’s hand hesitated in mid-air.

“I have something to show you.”

“……”

Argen turned her back on Valen without hesitation and walked towards the bed. Valen quietly looked down at his hand, which had lost its purpose. Then, at the sound of her voice calling him, he instinctively moved his steps.

“If it’s not a cold, then why do you have a fever?”

“It’s because of the medicine. It’s a drug that induces changes in the body, and one of the side effects is a fever. But it’s not severe, so don’t worry.”

“Who said I was worried?”

“Sit down. I told you I have something to show you.”

She pulled Valen’s hand. She avoided his touch when he tried, but now she grabbed him as she pleased. It was oddly irritating, but he didn’t voice it. Asking, “Why did you avoid my hand?” outright would have been strange.

Moreover, his curiosity about what Argen prepared was greater. Perhaps it was the blush on her cheeks, but she seemed more flushed than usual.

As Valen sat on the bed, Argen promptly placed her legs over his thighs.

“What are you doing?”

“I prepared this because I thought you would like it.”

Argen then lifted her skirt abruptly, as if unwrapping a gift. What followed was the revelation of two legs covered in thick, black hair. The hair was so dense that her natural white skin was barely visible.

Despite the countless events that had occurred since being confined in the Demon King’s castle, this was the most shocking and bewildering moment. The shock was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even utter a curse. He was simply dazed, as if in a dream.

“Do you like it?”

Valen turned his creaking neck to look at her. A rare, shy smile appeared on Argen’s lips. While her face was bearable, the situation was not. The way she spoke as if she had prepared this for Valen made his insides churn.

“So, the medicine you took… is for growing leg hair?”

“Yes. My body hair is not thick, so I couldn’t have leg hair that you would be satisfied with.”

“I… like leg hair? Who the hell told you that?”

“You did.”

“I said that…!”

Suddenly, a forgotten memory flashed through his mind. A junior soldier asked for advice on how to win over his crush, and Valen casually said something random. The effect was astonishing. Finding the reaction incomprehensible, he subtly asked Argen about it…

To think she would interpret it this way. She was too devoid of skepticism. Whatever was said, she believed it unconditionally without a hint of doubt. If she had been born human, she would have been immensely popular with con artists.

A deep sigh rose from within him. Valen pulled down her skirt to cover her legs. Though the thick hair probably kept her warm, he just… wanted to cover them.

“Do you remember now? You wanted to remove the hair. I even prepared a razor.”

“What kind of lunatic wants to shave someone else’s leg hair?”

“It wasn’t that? But you clearly…”

“It was about Arachne, the giant spider.”

“……”

Argen’s face hardened. A suffocating silence fell, so intense that even her breathing couldn’t be heard. The confident expression vanished, replaced by a look of utter betrayal.

She lowered her head, avoiding Valen’s gaze. As she began to retract her boldly extended leg, Valen grabbed her ankle.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I did think it was a bit unusual. But the world is vast, and you are human… I thought maybe leg hair removal was a romantic act among humans.”

“You were way off. Generally, don’t think too much. It doesn’t seem to do you any good.”

“…But you are also at fault.”

Oh, really? His eyebrows raised at her sudden accusatory tone. Argen still had her head bowed low. Her exposed skin was all flushed. At this rate, steam might start coming out of her head.