episode_0016

Episode 16

Mahuahan was an unconfirmed medicine with too many unknowns.

From the ingredients, it was so unique that it was natural to think it was natural. Therefore, even if a small amount of Mahuahan, which was difficult to make, was wasted in a one-time experiment, there was a need to collect data.

Thanks to this, Aisha, who thought she had collected quite a variety of data compared to the beginning, but even she was experiencing something new at the moment.

“Hmm. Judging by the fact that the test paper has turned blue, it seems like it has transformed into a demon… No, should I say it’s transforming?”

Aisha, who looked at the test paper stained with Edward’s blood with a full of interest, handed him a fist-sized piece of steel that had been placed on the desk and said, “Would you like to try molding this?”

Edward shrugged his shoulders at Aisha’s request and moved his hand lightly. Watching the steel held in his hand crumple like soft clay and change shape, Aisha nodded her head.

“Hmm. It’s beyond human strength indeed.”

“I could originally do this much.”

“Ah…”

Excited, Aisha, who had even forgotten the basic rules of the experiment, blushed slightly. Trying to cover her embarrassment with a forced cough, she asked him to take off his outer garment for a moment.

“Why?”

“Except for the horns, demons and humans look almost the same, but their internal structures are quite different. I’m trying to figure that out. Don’t worry. I’m not interested unless it’s a man smaller than me.”

Although Aisha said that, when faced with Edward’s sturdy upper body that seemed impenetrable, she involuntarily swallowed her saliva.

“He might drive Lumi crazy with this.”

While men’s bodies are usually soft, Edward’s body was completely opposite.

A body trained to the extreme, unlike an ordinary man. When Aisha reached out her hand unconsciously towards the unfamiliar male body, she stopped herself just in time.

“When did you start examining without gloves, Professor?”

At the sharp voice coming from the side, Aisha quickly withdrew her hand. Lumaniel, who had returned unnoticed, was looking down at her with cold eyes.

“Oh, you’re back so soon? You left in a hurry.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Even though she replied to herself, seeing Aisha glancing at Edward, Lumaniel thought something was wrong.

But if she pointed that out now, it would only cause unnecessary trouble, so Aisha pretended not to notice and changed the subject.

“Based on the results of the tests so far, it seems Edward has become a demon. But honestly, I don’t know why he doesn’t have horns.”

Even Professor Lumaniel, who knows the most about Mahuahan in the demon realm, raised his hands in confusion. He looked worried as he examined Edward’s head.

“Is there any side effect or any other abnormality in his body?”

“There isn’t. I don’t know if we can call the lack of horn growth a side effect, but there is no problem with his body.”

Relieved that there were no issues, Lumaniel felt a deep sense of regret.

Horns are more than anything else a clear evidence of a demon. It is the most distinct organ that distinguishes between humans and demons and also serves as evidence of past slavery.

Of course, among the current demons, no one thinks of horns as evidence of slavery. Since the first Demon King liberated the demons, horns have become a proud symbol of the tribe.

“Don’t be too disappointed. Maybe they’ll grow later. It’s just the first case, so various investigations are still needed. In my opinion, Edward should stay in the lab and observe the progress… No need to watch, yes.”

Out of curiosity and interest, Aisha, who had tried to keep Edward in the lab, quickly changed the subject as she felt her friend’s gaze that seemed to kill.

When it was decided that Lumaniel would undergo a daily examination for one thing, he quickly pulled Edward along and returned to the room.

As the two turned back, Aisha took off her gown and recalled Edward’s attitude a while ago.

“Even though we were alone, he didn’t show any signs of trying to escape. With his strength, he could have easily killed me. Does he know he can’t escape anyway?”

Just before coming to the lab, she heard from Lumaniel about his reaction when he ate the magic herb, but there was nothing strange about it.

Thinking that maybe she was just purely communicating with Lumaniel, Aisha locked the door to the lab.

“It pricks my conscience to act as Lumi’s husband, but I couldn’t help it because I’ve been busy lately.”

Taking off her skirt and lying on the bed, Aisha exerted her excellent memory and recalled the scene she had just seen.

Her hand naturally moved downward.

—

“Edward! Edward! Edward!”

With each step, Chris’s footsteps quickened almost to a run.

She is heading towards the Devil’s room located at the top of the Devil’s Castle. However, unlike last time, this time she wasn’t trying to intrude without permission.

The Devil called her directly. It was said that Edward wanted to talk to her as a price for eating the magic herb.

When she heard the story, Chris cried. She shed tears thinking that he still remembered her and hoped to spend time together as before.

“Edward! Edward! Edward!”

Half out of her mind, Chris repeated the Devil’s words again to remember what she should pay attention to.

First, she must never mention that Layla has invaded the demon realm.

Layla, who defeated Peronica in a duel spanning several days in the Rimen Forest, was expected to have broken through the forest and reached near the Devil’s Castle.

The Devil’s army is doing its best to find her, but there has been no news of her discovery yet.

“Secondly, when talking to Edward, remember that the Devil will be present too.”

The Devil had said that if she spoke unnecessarily, he would immediately kill Chris. Since it was unclear where unnecessary talk began and ended, she had to be careful.

“Still, I’m glad!”

Arriving at the Devil’s room in an instant, Chris took a deep breath and lightly knocked on the door with her hand. Hearing the Devil’s invitation to come in, she cautiously opened the door.

And she froze stiff.

“What are you doing? Come in already.”

Edward sat leaning against the headboard of the bed. And in his arms was none other than the Devil Lumaniel.

Feeling so envious that she felt like vomiting, Chris went inside and closed the door.

This was it.

A display.

“He meets me because of a promise, but he insists it’s his own. How childish!”

It may be as childish as a child showing off a toy, but precisely because of that, it might be remarkably effective.

Muttering to herself that someday it would definitely happen, Chris sat on the chair next to the bed and Edward started speaking first.

“I just wanted to say it’s nice to see you again, Chris.”

“Edward….”

In an instant, Chris’s eyes became moist. He was smiling at her. Just that alone made Chris feel like she could endure a year.

In place of her, Edward continued speaking as her throat choked up.

“When I see you, there were many things to talk about. Why did you do such a thing, how did you end up in the Demon Lord’s army, and many other questions I wanted to ask.”

Chris lowered his head. He didn’t feel any particular guilt about what he had done, but it was different when facing Edward.

Thinking that he might have made him uncomfortable, Chris couldn’t bring himself to meet his eyes.

But hesitating to waste the rare opportunity was not an option. Chris gathered his courage.

“Edward, I…!”

“But there seems to be too little time for such a conversation.”

“Time?”

Confused, Chris looked at Lumaniel as he pointed somewhere with his finger.

Turning his head to where he pointed, Chris saw an hourglass on the table.

“Ah, no way.”

“What’s so surprising? It’s natural. Did you expect to argue with Jim’s husband all day long?”

Taken aback by Lumaniel’s icy words, Chris despaired. The sand in the hourglass seemed like it would only last 30 minutes at most.

With insufficient time to say everything she wanted, Chris found herself at a loss for words for a different reason. Edward spoke to her subtly.

“Let’s just have a light conversation like we used to. I was curious about how others are doing in the demon castle. Oh, by the way, Chris. Are you still reading books in the demon realm?”

“…Books?”

“Yes. There are many interesting books in the demon realm. Like the Count Pugaro series you liked.”

At that moment, Chris hoped she had some talent for acting. She prayed not to be caught by the Demon Lord as she replied.

“Really? I should look into it later.”

“Speaking of the Count Pugaro series, shortly after you left, a new installment of the Arkhanus Chronicles was released.”

“Really?! Darn. I wanted to read that!”

No demon listening to their conversation would find it strange. However, a human who enjoys novels might sense that this conversation is not ordinary.

The Count Pugaro series mentioned by Edward is a novel about a falsely accused count planning and attempting a desperate escape from the ruined tower. Strictly speaking, the book called the Arkhanus Chronicles does not exist. The name Arkhanus is that of a character within the Count Pugaro series who helps the count inside the tower.

Edward was actually saying this: ‘Help me escape, Chris!’

Realizing that he was being relied upon, Chris felt immense joy and happiness. Above all, their conversation was based on mutual trust.

If Chris had not understood Edward’s intentions or had revealed them to the Demon Lord, it would have been over. But Edward believed that she would clearly understand his words.

They continued to converse. Edward detailed to Chris how and when they would carry out their escape using titles of novels and names of characters.

It was sweet. Despite the Demon Lord clearly watching, the secretive conversation they could understand felt sweeter to her than any dessert in the world.

She thought there couldn’t be anything sweeter, but Edward seemed to think otherwise.

“I think unconditional love is too much, even for the owner of nine cats. The cats that granted wishes had to give appropriate rewards to their owners.”

“A reward?!”

She almost lost her composure for a moment, but Chris barely managed to hold herself together. In essence, it meant that if she fulfilled his demands, he would provide appropriate compensation.

“…I see. In Edward’s opinion, it would have been nice if the owner had rewarded the cats somehow…”

“That’s it. Get out.”

Before she could finish her sentence, as her irritation reached its limit, the demon, as soon as the sand in the hourglass ran out, used magic to throw Chris into the corridor and then cast a barrier spell on the door.

She got up, glancing at the door for a moment.

“Hehe.”

She soon turned with a relaxed smile.

Thinking about what reward she would demand from her beloved.