Chapter 269

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“So, how long have you known?”

The excitement died down as if cold water had been poured over it.

Frey glared at Eugene, who casually pulled a fountain pen from the back of his hand, and said,

“That I’m ‘Frey’.”

Eugene called me ‘Frey’, not ‘Alice’.

I could understand him noticing that I wasn’t Alice, but how did he even find out my name?

“It’s been a while. Remember? You attacked me at the hospital a while back.”

“Ah, that time…”

The Cherry Blossom Festival.

The sudden invasion from the rift.

They, who happened to be at the scene, fulfilled their duty as students of the Academy.

As a result, they were able to save many people, but Eugene ended up in the hospital in tatters.

Looking back now, I wonder if he had already awakened to the convenience of his true ability at that point.

Even though he was almost shredded by the Black Knight’s demonic sword, he was perfectly fine without any aftereffects.

He even recovered quickly and was discharged from the hospital. If he had borrowed some of Lucia’s super-regeneration back then, it would be understandable.

“…”

Recalling that time, Frey’s face flushed with embarrassment.

It was all a mistake stemming from a misunderstanding.

Frey, who had taken Lucia’s joke seriously, attacked Eugene without looking at the context.

From Eugene’s perspective, it was a bolt from the blue. He was seared by heat rays without knowing why. He couldn’t even retaliate, and running away wasn’t easy either. The narrow hallway of the hospital. If Eugene dodged the heat rays, some mishap might occur.

Thanks to that, Eugene’s discharge date was delayed by several days, and Alice had to write apology letters until her fingers ached.

“Th-that time, well, I was… sorry…”

“It’s okay. I have fire resistance, so I wasn’t really hurt.”

That resistance was breached, though…

His skin melted like cheese…

Frey decided not to mention that part.

…At the time, it was just a bit awkward, but why does it feel so much more apologetic now?

“Lucia shouted while trying to stop you back then. She said, ‘Frey’.”

At first, I thought all sorts of things: maybe they’re twins, maybe it’s a nickname, maybe I misheard.

Then I came to one conclusion.

Alice has multiple personalities, and Frey is the name of the other personality.

“You knew all along and pretended not to know until now? How sly.”

“…I thought you wanted to keep it a secret.”

Rummaging through someone else’s secrets isn’t polite.

Even if I noticed, I thought it was considerate to pretend not to know.

Listening to Eugene’s excuse, Frey frowned. He couldn’t have concluded that I had multiple personalities just from being called ‘Frey.’ There must be a reason to judge that I have multiple personalities.

‘Well, I did show so many different sides compared to Alice…’

Occasionally, Frey acted distinctly differently from the usual Alice.

Because she was too rushed to act like Alice.

Because her emotions were too intense to even think about hiding it.

Such mistakes accumulated.

The first one or two times might be overlooked, but if it continues, anyone would start to question it.

‘I thought this guy was a pushover and really didn’t know.’

To think he was pretending not to know.

Could it be that other people also know and are pretending not to know?

Frey cast a glance at the other person in the room.

The class president of Class A, who is relatively close to Alice.

Did she know ‘me’ too?

“Frey… I see, so that’s how it was…”

Arin nodded as if she understood something.

She wasn’t sure until now, but it seems she had been guessing.

Frey sighed. I need to be more careful from now on. These two… well, it might not matter much if they know, but I don’t want it to be exposed to anyone else.

In the past, I hid it as thoroughly as possible, but at some point, I became less cautious.

I carelessly committed actions that could raise suspicion. When did it start?

Frey pondered for a moment and pouted her small lips.

Lucia. It seems like it started after becoming friends with her. Not ‘Alice’, but ‘Frey’. There was someone who recognized ‘me’, Alice’s other personality, and spoke to me normally. Because I had a friend who called me by my name.

Because I don’t need to act like Alice in front of her.

Because I can be Frey, not Alice.

And that felt good, enjoyable, so I inadvertently revealed it to others.

‘It’s Lucia again.’

Like being soaked by a drizzle.

Invading my heart.

The girl who has now become a part of my life.

I don’t like it.

All she does is smile cutely.

When ‘we’ are having a hard time, she rolls up her sleeves and steps forward.

But when she’s having a hard time, she keeps her mouth shut and hides it.

She struggles to hide her pain with clumsy lies.

It’s pathetic.

It’s frustrating.

It’s somewhat painful.

The flame that I had barely suppressed flickers again.

The embers that had only remained as sparks once again scattered heat.

Frey bit her lip. Her heart beats painfully. She slowly placed her hand on her chest. She tried to suppress the throbbing, but it didn’t work as well as she thought.

“…Eugene, there’s something I want to ask you.”

At that moment, Alice, who had been quietly observing the situation, opened her mouth.

Frey’s eyes widened, and then she closed them as if to hide her crimson eyes. It’s embarrassing. Her face burned in a different way.

Unlike herself, who was still swayed by emotions, Alice extinguished the sparks. No, she crushed the still-burning flames as a stepping stone.

All for the sake of a single goal. As Eugene said, getting excited wouldn’t solve anything. She couldn’t achieve that kind of composure.

[I’m sorry for not being helpful…]

‘It’s okay. Leave it to me from here on out.’

She opened her closed eyes.

The personality changes.

Alice, who had taken over the leadership of the body, looked at Eugene and said,

“I’ve been constantly thinking about it. Why Lucia suddenly fainted. Not just losing consciousness, but the reason why she collapsed while bleeding.”

Her tone changed.

Despite having the same face, the atmosphere shifts completely.

I knew it, but seeing it so openly is refreshing.

A person’s impression is not determined solely by appearance.

Facial expressions, tone of voice, habits, and actions are also crucial.

Could that be why?

The fact that they are completely different personalities despite having the same face was palpable.

But Alice not stuttering is still unfamiliar.

Could it be that it’s not Alice, but a third personality?

“What do you think?”

“I have one guess.”

Eugene glanced at the back of his hand, which still had a hole in it.

If I used super regeneration, the injury would heal quickly, but… I just left it alone. The pain forces me to maintain my composure.

I would have bitten my tongue, but that would make it difficult to speak, so I had no choice but to sacrifice my hand.

Even I think it’s not a normal idea.

Eugene gave a wry smile and answered Alice’s question.

“The Devil.”

“…My conclusion is the same as yours.”

“No matter how I think about it, there’s no other way to explain it.”

Devils.

Another name for them is Devil Gods.

We’ve been terribly entangled with them.

From the field training at the beginning of the semester to the Family subjugation battle.

Most of the incidents we’ve experienced have been caused by them.

“I think the Devil dwelling in Lucia’s body is the cause. Even if it’s not, I think there’s at least some connection.”

They have human forms, but they are not human.

Denizens of the Demon Realm. No, they don’t just end up as mere denizens.

Eugene and Alice have heard hints as disciples of the God of War.

Although they didn’t receive a detailed explanation because they didn’t reach the goal set by the God of War, they were able to hear the most important information.

The Devils are the pinnacle of the monsters.

Just as the captains are the pinnacle of humanity.

The pinnacle of the Demon Realm are them.

An existence superior to the Demonic Beasts, which are called disasters.

It was such a monster that stole Lucia’s body. Even if the soul is shattered and suppressed by the power of the God of War, the danger does not change.

A ticking time bomb that could explode at any time. The God of War, a living legend and the guardian deity of mankind, said that we can rest assured, but the anxiety never disappeared from my heart.

“I hate to admit it, but there’s nothing we can do.”

If the Devil Belial really attacked Lucia, there was no way to intervene.

This is because neither Eugene nor Alice has the means to touch Belial, who has settled in her body like a parasite.

“Since we can’t do it, we should ask for help from someone who can.”

“If that’s the case… there’s only one person, after all.”

The Commander of the Celestial Corps.

The God of War, Mars.

His real name is Yoo-seong.

He is the ancestor and mentor of the two, and also Lucia’s guardian.

If something happens to Lucia, he asked us to let him know immediately, so he was the best person to ask for help.

“Um, sorry, but… I can’t follow the conversation at all. Devil? Dwelling in Lucia’s body?”

Arin couldn’t hide her bewildered expression.

It was difficult to understand the conversation between Eugene and Alice.

Devil? A Devil is dwelling in Lucia’s body? What is that?

“Ah…”

Eugene made a small sound.

Now that I think about it, Arin doesn’t know. She has met the girl with the Red Fox Mask, but she has never heard a detailed explanation.

The fact that Astaroth’s true identity is a Devil was confidential, and it was normal for ordinary students not to know.

Eugene and Alice looked back at each other. Their eyes met, and they exchanged opinions with their eyes. We can’t carelessly reveal things about the Devils, but… we can’t pretend not to know now.

Her heart is the same as ours in worrying about Lucia. Given Arin’s personality, she wouldn’t go around blabbing it to the outside world, so wouldn’t it be okay?

“Sorry, I wasn’t considerate enough. I’ll explain everything.”

I might get scolded later for leaking confidential information without permission, but… I’ll think about that when the time comes.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
I heard a scary story.

There’s a writer who apparently only takes 45 minutes to write a novel…

Oh my…

The speed of serialization is so scary.

It’s almost as if… if he is a writing machine? He is not human…

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Well the most popular novel on Novelpia is a porn novel with over a thousand chapters and is still ongoing with 2 chapters per day…

I think that’s scarier.