Chapter 58 : Identity (2)

“Right, as you said, I’m not some mere human.”

The head butler said with a smile. The corners of his mouth stretched as if they might tear apart.

I frowned. Not for any particular reason, but simply because I didn’t like the sight of him.

If a beautiful woman laughed like that, it might have been tolerable, but seeing an old man do so was utterly repugnant.

Ugh, my poor eyes.

However, my eyes were only just beginning to be subjected to torment.

When he snapped his fingers, his face began to melt. 

His skin sagged, turning soft and mushy like a boiled tomato, before dripping downward.

It was a truly horrifying sight. I instinctively covered Reina’s eyes with my hands—it was far too cruel a scene for a child to witness.

If I could, I would have turned my own eyes away too. 

But if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to respond to his actions in time.

I had no choice but to keep my eyes wide open and watch.

A sticky, viscous substance that seemed to ooze from his body slid down and disappeared into smoke.

His body continued melting, as if it were a candle burning down.

About fifteen seconds passed before it finally stopped.

And then, standing in the place where he had been, was a woman with blue hair.

I was stunned. Something impossible had just occurred. 

A man transforming into a woman? That’s not something that happens in the real world!

But that wasn’t the only surprise.

Amazingly, the woman was beautiful! She had a face and figure that could make anyone stop in their tracks, utterly captivated.

Whoever said, “A woman’s transformation is never a crime,” must have been right. 

Ignoring the process, the result of this transformation was so stunning that I could almost forgive what I had just witnessed.

Of course, having seen the entire process, I wanted to sentence her to life imprisonment.

The newly transformed head butler flashed a bewitching smile. 

Unlike before, it wasn’t revolting, perhaps because it now adorned a woman’s face.

She—no, he, or rather, she—spoke.

“It’s been a while, Hella. That disgusting face of yours hasn’t changed, has it?”

What? Did she know me?

I was taken aback. From the way she spoke, it seemed she knew me from my time in the Demon Realm.

I calmly assessed the situation. 

One thing was clear: we didn’t have a good relationship. Judging by her hostile expression and words, we were enemies.

Hmm… Who was she? No matter how hard I tried to remember, I couldn’t recall.

Then again, it wasn’t surprising. My time in the Demon Realm was years ago.

I needed to unlock my memory chest.

Closing my eyes, I opened the box of memories in my mind and carefully examined the old, faded recollections of my time in the Demon Realm.

Memories unfolded one by one, like a panorama.

Among the countless fragments, I found her.

Ah, now I remember.

Recalling who she was, I smirked.

“So, it wasn’t just any pesky brat crawling in here, but Kairen, Lilia’s damn dog.”

Kairen Canis, the most loyal confidante of the Third Duke Lilia.

She was often called Lilia’s right hand. 

And rightly so—she was strong and beautiful enough to earn that title.

Most of all, she followed Lilia’s commands blindly. To the extent that if Lilia ordered her to die, she’d cut her own throat without hesitation.

Just like an obedient dog obeying its master.

That’s why I used to call her Lilia’s lapdog.

Just as I did now.

“And you dare not use honorifics with me? Speaking informally to a noble duke? How bold of you.”

As our exchange made clear, Kairen and I were not on good terms.

The reason was simple: we fought a lot.

Kairen, true to her title as Lilia’s right hand, carried out most of her commands, many of which involved targeting me, her adversary at the time.

As a result, countless clashes occurred between us.

And because I was stronger, Kairen often ended up taking quite the beating.

That’s why the current situation was so ridiculous to me.

The woman who once couldn’t even meet my gaze was now standing tall, looking me straight in the eye.

“This is unbelievable. How long have I been away for things to turn out like this? Did you forget all the discipline you received while fooling around?”

I spoke flippantly, as if joking with an old friend, a mocking smile playing on my lips.

Kairen narrowed her eyes and shot back, unwilling to be outdone.

“And you’ve become quite the bitch, haven’t you? Acting all sweet and polite, like some kind of saint. Who taught you that? Was it Redros? So the rumors about you being Redros’s lapdog weren’t baseless, huh?”

Her sharp tongue matched her sharp wit, and her blue hair swayed with every mocking word she uttered.

The way it swayed, swinging and fluttering…

Damn, it made me want to grab it and yank it out.

“Ha, listen to this mutt spouting nonsense. So, why has Lilia’s lapdog come here?”

“That’s my question. What? A saint? Don’t make me laugh. Why are you traveling with a hero? Oh, wait—could it be? Now that the Demon King’s dead, you’re selling yourself to the hero? Wow, what a slut!”

‘You little…! Who do you think I’m doing this for?!’

I barely managed to suppress the urge to twist my expression in anger.

Phew… I almost lost my temper.

In these kinds of fights, the first to get angry always loses.

As a duke, I couldn’t afford to lose such petty exchanges. For the honor of my subordinates, I had to win. 

Even though I hadn’t seen them in years, I was sure they’d expect that of me.

‘Deep breaths. Calm yourself, Captain!’

Ah, I can hear it. The cheers of my subordinates. In my mind, a goblin squad raises their thumbs in encouragement!

“Alright, shall I follow his advice this time?”

I began to take slow, deep breaths, just as the goblin squad had suggested.

Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale…

With each breath in and out, my mind grew cooler, and my heart burned brighter.

Good, I was starting to calm down.

With my emotions steady once more, I put on a bright smile.

“There’s a reason for all of this, you know. As if a lackey like you could ever understand the noble Demon King’s plans.”

“So, dying was part of that grand plan, huh? Seeing as his head got lopped off by the hero.”

Kairen’s words made me tighten my lips. I had no rebuttal because, well, it was true.

The Demon King was dead—that was an undeniable fact, one I couldn’t explain away.

Damn it, this brat! Sticking to the truth is just plain unfair!

I racked my brain for something to say back to her. 

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with anything positive to say about a Demon King slain by the hero.

In the end, left speechless, I decided to resort to my last-ditch method.

At times like this, there’s only one thing to do.

“Oh, I keep hearing a dog barking somewhere. But the crying sounds strange for a dog, doesn’t it? Dogs don’t usually cry like this…”

Distraction.

I placed one hand beside my ear, pretending to listen closely, trying to provoke her into attacking me immediately.

“Why don’t you try barking like a dog? If it’s cute enough, I might let you off the hook. 

Or should I make you do it myself?”

I kept my hand to my ear, observing her reaction with anxious anticipation. If she realized I was deflecting, it would be embarrassing.

So please, just take the bait and fight…

It seemed my wish was granted by the heavens.
“Ha, haha, hahahahaha!”

She burst out laughing.

“Alright then, try to make me do it, if you can!”

Stretching her hand forward, she shouted. Her trembling voice carried a furious edge.

“[O serpent of flame, come to me!]”

As soon as her chant ended, flames ignited at her fingertips.

The flames started small but grew larger and larger, eventually taking the form of a massive snake.

“[Devour my enemy!]”

She pointed her finger at us, and the fiery serpent surged toward us with its gaping maw.

The serpent’s glowing head hurtled toward us, growing larger as it neared.

If I didn’t act, we’d be swallowed whole.

I quickly scanned my surroundings, checking if it was safe to remove my ring and use my powers.

Fortunately, no one else was around. The hallway was empty—just us in sight.

A smile spread across my face.

No one was here. No one was watching me.

In other words, I could unleash my power.

I grabbed the ring and pulled it off with all my strength.

“I’ll make you do more than bark like a dog. I’ll have you crawling on all fours!”

The ring slipped off smoothly.

And at that moment, dark energy filled my body.

I released the energy immediately.

A wave of exhilaration swept over me.

It felt refreshing. Perhaps because it had been so long since I had used my full strength, my body felt light and invigorated.

It was like reclaiming something precious I had lost.

As much as I wanted to savor this feeling, I had something to deal with first.

I drew my sword, running my hand along its blade as I murmured quietly.

“[Imbue with magic.]”

I coated the sword with dark energy, enabling it to cut through magic.

Raising the sword, I positioned myself against the fiery serpent, its jaws wide open, ready to devour me.

And as the serpent’s maw reached me, I swung my sword.

It was a light strike, but the result was anything but.

The serpent’s head split in two around my blade, scattering into fiery fragments.

With the snake vanquished, I turned confidently to Kairen and declared,

“Prepare yourself. I won’t hold back.”