Ch.289Chapter 289: Blackmail (3)

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The shock hit me like a hammer to the head.

I froze completely, except for blinking my eyes, as I carefully observed the objects floating in midair.

I scrutinized them closely, hoping I might be seeing things wrong.

But just like after my failed escape from the demon realm, it seemed my expectations were once again being shattered mercilessly.

“It’s not like you’re seeing something new, right? You’ve seen these often enough, so why stare so intently?”

I didn’t need to pay attention to Desire’s provocative tone because…

The more I examined the floating rings, the more I had to bitterly acknowledge that I wasn’t mistaken about what I was seeing.

A woman’s ring adorned with rubies and diamonds arranged symmetrically—the exact same kind as those in my mother’s pendant heirloom.

And a somewhat simpler but intricately crafted platinum ring.

This pair of rings was floating in midair.

“Well… now that you’ve looked closely, you understand more clearly, right? You’ve seen them plenty of times.”

The one who had made the rings float spoke with a playful voice that grated on my nerves, but I barely heard it because…

Those rings were shocking enough to make me forget all my plans for escape after being dragged back here.

I closed my eyes once and opened them again to check, just in case.

But the pair of rings crafted from precious metals suitable for an engagement ceremony were identical to the engagement rings that held precious memories with Shizu, carefully stored against my chest.

The only difference was that unlike the rings I kept, which maintained their shine through careful preservation…

These two floating rings showed traces of being slightly singed in places.

I reached out my arm to observe the floating rings more closely, wanting to check why there was such a difference.

But Desire, who had produced them before me, apparently had no intention of letting me examine them freely.

“Ah-ah.”

With a somewhat playful voice, Desire pulled the rings that had been close to me back toward himself.

As I folded and unfolded my hand in frustration at not being able to satisfy my desire to properly examine them, Desire spoke into my ear:

“Your items would be in your possession. These are treasures valued as dearly as life itself by someone who is like a daughter to me. How could you touch them so carelessly?”

Desire admonished me with a still playful tone that gradually got under my skin.

As if all the previous provocations had been mere jokes…

This taunt strangely but definitely irritated me in a subtle yet certain way.

There was no need to enumerate all the provocative elements in each phrase directed at me.

But what irritated me most was the abominable attitude of referring to Imperfectio as his daughter.

Daughter… while using that serpentine tongue to corrupt innocent people with demonic energy and treating them like puppets.

My face involuntarily scowled at this vile habit of calling such puppets his children.

Not just before my regression, but in countless timelines that remained in my memory as recollections…

I could vividly recall how he called me “son” and pretended to care for me on the surface while inwardly considering me nothing more than a disposable tool for achieving his twisted ambitions.

It turned my stomach just to see him sweet-talking another suitable being and treating them as a disposable child.

And that wasn’t all. After carelessly taking my mother’s heirloom with a gesture and examining it from all angles, he didn’t even consider how it upset me.

“Anyway, your bad habits with words and hands remain unchanged, now as before. Hohoho.”

I almost clicked my tongue at the thought that Desire’s face had grown even thicker in my absence.

But Desire didn’t even want to give me time to click my tongue.

“By the way, what do you think? Seeing these, it seems we have quite a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

He seemed intent on toying with me verbally, confident that he held the upper hand.

I had no reason to take anything coming from this treacherous demon god’s mouth at face value.

I wanted to tell him to cut the crap and challenge me to a fight to the death.

“You’ll regret it, you know? You should at least listen to what I have to say. Hehehe.”

While I was thinking about what to do, tapping the hilt of my dragon sword with my right hand, the detestable demon god laughed as if he had already figured out what I was thinking.

“…”

I could do nothing but glare at Desire while keeping my dragon sword sheathed, though I could draw it at any moment.

It wasn’t that any physical force was being exerted on me.

But the suspicion arising from the rings—too vivid to be fake—gave me pause.

[For now… hear him out. It’s not too late to make a judgment after that.]

The advice from Fafnir, who spoke in a notably exhausted voice after a long silence, seemed reasonable.

Chak-

I removed my hand from the dragon sword I had been fidgeting with.

“Go ahead and speak. If it’s nonsense, I’ll draw my sword right here, and one of us won’t leave this place alive today.”

I listened to what Desire wanted to tell me, repeatedly reminding myself that this was entirely my decision.

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After several such exchanges, I finally agreed to listen to what Desire had to say, and he could have immediately shared what he wanted to tell me.

“Well then…”

Desire paused dramatically and turned his gaze from me to Imperfectio, who stood at attention right beside him.

“I’ll return these to you.”

He made a gesture to return the floating rings to her.

As if the intention behind the gesture was genuine.

Following Desire’s motion, the pair of engagement rings floated gently toward Imperfectio’s chest.

Watching Imperfectio scramble to catch the approaching rings with a flustered demeanor that was completely at odds with her usual dignified appearance…

I was about to feel something strange that couldn’t easily be defined as mere dissonance.

But before that feeling could fully form…

“And please stay still for a moment, dear.”

As Desire uttered these ominous words and raised his right thumb and middle finger to snap them, I felt a chill run down my spine and tried to stop him.

Snap-!!

The clear sound of Desire’s right thumb and middle finger meeting filled the hall before I could act.

“…”

Imperfectio froze in place, her hand still reaching for the rings.

It was as if the flow of time, which should move equally for all living beings, had stopped only for her.

Though I hadn’t seen it often, I had witnessed Desire immobilize opponents who pointed swords at him by stopping their time like this.

Sensing that she was about to do something harmful to Imperfectio again…

“You…!!”

I let out a fierce exclamation.

Despite my suspicions and misgivings, Imperfectio had freed me from the brain prison without asking for anything in return and even tried to help me escape from the demon realm.

Crunch-!

I couldn’t help but grind my teeth in anger, feeling the need to express how furious I was.

I wanted to do more than just shout—I wanted to abandon all talk, draw my dragon sword, and cut off the head of the arrogant Desire sitting on the throne.

But as Desire noticed the murderous intent and fighting spirit emanating from my body, his playful expression showed a hint of panic.

“Whoa, whoa… calm down, calm down.”

He extended both hands toward me, palms showing, trying to pacify me, and I loosened my grip on the dragon sword’s hilt.

Though I maintained my glaring expression.

From the panicked look on this arrogant demon god’s face—something I had never seen in my memories across countless timelines—

I clearly sensed Desire’s willingness to engage in some form of dialogue with me, so I temporarily ceased hostilities beyond minimal precautions.

“Ahem.”

Seeing my intensity subside, Desire cleared his throat lightly.

“When adults are talking, it doesn’t look good for a child to interrupt, so I just put her like that temporarily.”

He tried to calm me down by offering his reasoning for suspending Imperfectio’s time.

Looking at Desire offering such an excuse, my fierce expression was joined by an icy gaze.

“Why don’t you believe what I say? I meant it sincerely this time.”

The demon god’s uncharacteristic display—wiping cold sweat from his forehead with a hand fan—made my expression soften involuntarily.

Seeing such a human-like gesture from a being wrapped in divine power who had stepped into the realm of transcendence—something ordinary people couldn’t even imagine—

It reminded me of someone who had greatly resembled Desire in my memories.

If I were to recall only that appearance, it would bring nothing but peaceful memories without any flaws.

“How about cutting out the unnecessary commentary and getting to the real point? I don’t want to hear you whining that I attacked without listening to your story.”

In my head, as I responded to Desire’s request in a cold tone, I was keeping those memories of the similar being as just memories.

Isn’t it funny? Looking at the appearance of the one who ruined my life and being reminded of someone who died.