Suspicious Movements
I burst into laughter at Adele, who was expressing her feelings toward me using nothing but emoticons. [٩(♡ε♡ )۶] [What are you doing?] [(°◡°♡)] [Are you resting?] [╰(✿´⌣`✿)╯♡]
I drove the car to a secluded spot and parked. Marcela had urgently contacted me, asking to meet right away.
After stepping out of the vehicle, I waited for a few minutes. A portal opened, and Marcela appeared. She wore a rather serious expression as she greeted me politely before stating her business.
Monsters do form bonds with one another. They engage in reproduction, have families, and even friends. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t seem strange. But Amon was the lone wolf type—an extremely taciturn, top-tier monster who preferred spending time alone. For someone like him to suddenly form a group and build camaraderie with other monsters? It was definitely suspicious…
“I am the Demon King.”
I believed that the monsters bound to my name would never betray me. Marcela immediately understood the meaning behind my short statement and nodded in agreement.
“Even so, I’d like to hear your opinion.”
I trusted Marcela. Since her intuition was usually spot on, I saw no harm in listening to her thoughts before making plans. Her face lit up with joy at my words. Her tail swayed gently as she pondered for a moment, then she spoke.
Marcela swallowed hard. It seemed she was afraid to finish her sentence. I finished it for her.
“I see.”
It was a reasonable point. The monsters had been unusually anxious lately, and now this sudden movement had been detected… It seemed my influence had indeed weakened.
With my arms crossed, I considered various hypotheses before asking, “Marcela, how do you feel right now?”
“I’m asking if your loyalty remains firm. Has anything changed?”
That was true. Marcela was a loyal subordinate who had resurrected me five times even after my death. Now that I had given her even more of myself, her loyalty had only grown stronger. There was zero chance of betrayal. The fact that she had brought up such a sensitive topic only made her more trustworthy.
“Who were the monsters that gathered?”
They were all outstanding monsters with the highest capabilities and great ambition. Amon possessed terrifying hypnotic powers, Orbas was exceptionally strategic and commanded a massive legion, and Gaap could incite violence and drive those around him into a frenzy. By the ranking system I had established, they were all S-class. Even one of them going out of control would cause catastrophic damage to the Magic Realm.
“If they were to rebel, they would be the perfect ones to shake the Magic Realm to its core. It’s certainly suspicious.”
“Do you truly believe this camaraderie isn’t simply the result of boredom?”
“It would be a waste to strike them down based on suspicion alone. I’ll have to confirm with Malphas.”
At those words, Marcela flinched.
“He’s a slimy bastard, but there’s no better monster when it comes to uncovering the truth.”
“Enough. If confirmation is impossible, I can simply investigate myself, so don’t worry. Has Yuria’s bow been completed?”
“Then I suppose I should go out for a drink. Contact Sehwa and Yuria for me.”
Marcela immediately stepped through the portal and vanished. I let out a sigh and stood still for a moment, looking around. I wasn’t admiring the scenery—I was simply waiting for the magi from the portal to dissipate from my body.
After killing enough time, I got back into the car and looked at my phone.
I smirked and was about to reply when a sudden thought crossed my mind. What if my influence hadn’t weakened simply because I was staying in human form, but because Adele’s holy power was unknowingly seeping into me and slowly erasing my magi?
Considering the strange sensation I had felt before and Marcela’s comment that I had become weaker, it was entirely possible.
Let’s confirm it first.
Yes, confirmation came first. With that thought, I typed on my phone.
Please sleep. It’ll be easier for me if you do.
When I returned home, my eyes widened. The dining table was so loaded with food that its legs looked like they might buckle. As I slowly walked toward the kitchen, The Doctor greeted me with a bright smile.
Still dazed, I washed my hands and sat down. The Doctor scooped warm rice into a bowl and placed it in front of me, then sat across from me and smiled sweetly.
She was doing such adorable things… She had become a perfect devoted wife.
I happily picked up my spoon.
After the meal, we did the dishes together. We wore rubber gloves, smeared soap bubbles on each other’s faces, and occasionally pressed our lips together to express our affection. Once the dishes were done, we sat on the sofa and spent time together.
Neither of us brought up the topic of the child. We simply snuggled close as usual and watched a comedy movie.
Then, halfway through the film… The Doctor suddenly climbed on top of me. I naturally patted her backside. She spoke in a tearful voice.
Even as I played along with The Doctor, I carefully examined her face. If the child carried magi within it, she would likely be affected as well. For now, her irises looked fine, and her pupils were round. Her skin was pale, but not deathly so. It was her natural complexion. She seemed normal, but I would need to monitor her. After all, the fetus hadn’t even developed body parts yet.
At her puzzled question, I gave an awkward smile and let out a short sigh.
Her voice sank low. She furrowed her brows and pressed me.
I moved the displeased The Doctor to the side and comforted her. Slipping my hand under her t-shirt and gently rubbing her belly, she gradually calmed down and wore a languid expression.
The Doctor’s expression changed. It looked like she had made up her mind. She nodded.
Good. The immediate fire was put out… Now it was time to extinguish the blaze that was about to erupt in the Magic Realm.
It had been a while since I last visited the Magic Realm, and it felt strangely nostalgic. From the unpleasant air that pricked every inch of my body to the gloomy sky… it was all so good.
Sitting on the throne in the audience hall of the Demon King’s castle, I was flanked by Leona and Yuria, who held a scythe and a bow respectively. Leona, transformed into an Evil Valkyrie, fidgeted as if she wanted to swing her scythe at any moment. On the other hand, Yuria stared at one spot with moist, sorrowful eyes. She clearly wanted to visit the annex in that direction and the mountain beside it where Meryl lived. Once this matter was settled, I would let her bring Meryl over.
The Magic Realm was eerily quiet. Because I was openly displaying my foul mood, all the monsters were holding their breath. I hadn’t even gathered them or said anything, yet the entire realm had sensed my aura and remained silent. If that was the case, it didn’t seem like my magi had weakened at all…
Resting my chin on the armrest of the throne, I mulled over various thoughts before opening a portal.
Creak—!
The monster that emerged from within was a humanoid with pitch-black skin all over its body—Malphas. He looked like a hunched, withered old man on the verge of death. He was a very peculiar monster. His physical abilities were trash, and the magi he emitted outwardly was minimal. If he appeared on Earth, he wouldn’t even qualify beyond F-class. But the moment he used his power, everything changed. He would unleash an overwhelming amount of magi that instantly elevated him to S-class.
Malphas’ ability was wish fulfillment. When someone stated their wish, Malphas would demand a price, and that price had to be paid—whether by the Demon King or an F-class monster. There was no special treatment. The exchange was not an equal one, but an Unequal Exchange in which one side inevitably suffered a loss. The one who suffered the loss was always the one who made the wish. Malphas never demanded a price that would be disadvantageous to himself. There was no wish he could not grant. If a wish failed, it simply meant the requester’s price had been insufficient.
Watching him rub his hands together, I spoke.
His voice was hoarse and unpleasant to the ear. Both Leona and Yuria slightly furrowed their brows, but given the occasion, they remained silent.
After organizing my thoughts, I got straight to the point.
At those words, Malphas trembled.
Malphas’ pitch-black eyes closed. He was calculating. After a brief silence, his eyes snapped open.
One arm? And not just any arm—the arm of the Demon King? This fucking con artist…