Chapter 40: Homecoming
Chapter 40: Homecoming
After finishing a late breakfast, Jaejin and Lena prepared to depart, seen off by the members of the Demon God Cult.
While their arrival had been humble, their departure was marked by a formal send-off, a clear sign of how much their status had changed during their stay.
As the porters loaded their luggage, they said their goodbyes to the remaining nuns. Valerie seemed to be moving to a larger cathedral to support the Saintess faction. Her goal was to maintain close contact and assist in the internal power struggles without revealing that she had become a Majin.
Rebecca expressed her ambition to become a Mother Superior. Given her sadistic tendencies, she seemed to consider her current path a true calling.
While they chatted, the final crates—filled with local specialties like alcohol and dried meat—were loaded onto the carriage. When Jaejin questioned if they really needed all that food, Sinclair answered him.
"Our city's specialties are quite famous, you know. There are many people who would be delighted to receive them as gifts."
"Thanks for being so thoughtful, Sinclair. I don't know when it'll be, but I'll definitely stop by again."
"Who knows? Maybe I'll be the one coming to see you in the meantime."
Despite her words, it would likely be difficult for them to meet for a while. They were leaving just the day before the Council, and unlike their life here, the next few weeks were bound to be incredibly hectic.
Unless something extraordinary happened, they wouldn't see each other for months. Because of that, the parting felt bittersweet. Even though they had spent more time in Verita, the density of events during their two weeks with the Demon God Cult made it feel as if they had stayed here much longer.
"Fufu, don't look so sad. Ah, right. I almost forgot the gift."
Seeing my lingering regret, Sinclair handed me a small box. Judging by its size—it fit right in the palm of my hand—the packaging was perfect for something like a ring.
"Can I open it? I'm curious to see what it is."
"If you ask Lena on the way, she'll tell you. It's an item that goes perfectly with that cool choker."
Jaejin flinched as Sinclair lightly brushed the choker around his neck. She clearly seemed to know what had happened between him and Lena the previous night.
As Jaejin stood there dazed, Sinclair stepped closer, leaned down, and kissed him on the cheek. His face flushed as the bold farewell drew the attention of everyone watching.
"Then... I'll be going. Stay healthy, Sinclair."
"I'll be looking forward to the day we meet again, Papa."
Whispering in his ear and patting his stomach, Sinclair stepped back as Jaejin and Lena boarded the carriage.
They waved through the window at the many people seeing them off. As the coachman took the reins and the horses began to move, the monastery gradually receded into the distance.
Thanks to the Demon God Cult's assistance, the carriage bypassed checkpoints and quickly exited the city, galloping north along the highway.
"Shall we open Sinclair's gift?"
Jaejin untied the ribbon on the box Sinclair had given him. Following her advice to open it with Lena inside the carriage, he revealed a thumb-sized, squishy glob of liquid.
The tiny blue liquid looked like jelly, but when he tried to pick it up, it threatened to slip through his fingers. Jaejin looked at Lena, puzzled by the mysterious gift. She thought for a moment before finding the answer.
"This is a slime. Oh my, it might be the one we talked about before."
Jaejin had thought slimes were larger monsters that reached up to an adult man's waist. He had never learned that slimes as small as a fingernail existed.
"This slime is a bit special. Slimes are naturally docile creatures that absorb small insects, but this little 'Parangi' is a refined breed."
"Parangi? Is that its name?"
"I just gave it that name. Anyway, this breed is designed to cling to a human body and feed on dead skin, impurities, and sweat. When I spoke with Lady Sinclair before, it seemed far from completion, but I can't believe she actually succeeded..."
Parangi wiggled toward Jaejin's hand. The fact that it headed for Jaejin's hand instead of Lena's, which was closer, meant that Jaejin had more "food"—dead skin and impurities—for the slime to eat.
"This isn't harmful to the body, is it?"
"No, of course not. In fact, it even provides skin care, so it's a breed intended for sale to human nobles. Would you like to try it, Jaejin?"
Since it was a gift, there was no reason not to use it. Especially since it sounded beneficial for his body. As Jaejin nodded, Lena placed Parangi on his arm.
The round, nail-sized Parangi turned thin and transparent. Though it felt cold and moist at first, he quickly grew accustomed to it, to the point where he couldn't even feel it clinging to him.
"It's a safe little thing that requires no maintenance and poses no danger, so you can keep wearing it from now on."
After discussing the unique gift, their conversation shifted to general strategies and precautions regarding the Demon Lord candidates.
The reason the two had gone to the Demon God Cult wasn't just to secure their support. Jaejin had become a Demon Lord candidate in Lena's stead, an event that had occurred within the Lust Demon Race only a month ago. Whether that would be an advantage or a disadvantage remained to be seen, but the important thing was that they were the only ones with the detailed information.
To prevent the opposition from reacting accordingly, they had silenced internal sources to keep the information from leaking, then left the crowded capital to take refuge with the Demon God Cult.
That was the true intent behind returning to Verita at such a critical moment.
"Most people won't know of your existence, Jaejin, and only a few will know that there is a proxy. Please be careful with your actions. There are some unpredictable races out there."
"The Demonic Dragon Tribe, was it? The dragons who sided with the demons, and those purple devils... Jaju... no, wait, it was Jaun, right?"
"Yes, please be especially careful of those two races. They are likely the strongest among the Demon Lord candidates this time, and their temperaments are so eccentric that it's best to avoid involvement with them as much as possible."
The look of exhaustion on Lena's face hinted at just how troublesome they were. Lena rarely showed signs of disliking others—she hadn't even done so with the mixed-blood Rebecca.
"Other than them, the Fairy Tribe won't be a problem as long as you don't provoke them first. They aren't the type to step forward. And I can handle the Snow Noble Tribe well enough, so they're fine..."
As Lena went through the races one by one, describing their appearances and things to watch out for, time flew by.
By the time the sun began to dip behind the mountains, Verita appeared in the far distance. Since the carriage moved at a speed comparable to a car racing down an open autobahn, the long distance was covered in no time.
Unlike two weeks ago, the wide highway was now filled with traveling merchants, carriages, and tourists. It truly felt like the Demon Lord candidate council was both a field of competition and a festival where the Demon Race gathered.
As they neared the fortress, the number of people increased, making it impossible to maintain their previous speed. Even though they were still fast for a carriage, the delay was unavoidable.
Jaejin had felt the crowds increasing even before they left, but he hadn't expected it to be this much.
"The Demon Lord selection is a massive event that only happens once or twice a century. Still, this seems quieter than a major holiday."
"This is 'less'? How is that possible?"
Hearing that while they were now crawling at the speed of a normal carriage due to the crowds made Jaejin's jaw drop. He had heard that the Demon Race was in decline, but the current situation contradicted that. Lena added an explanation.
"The former king may have lost land, but he didn't lose his people. Thanks to that, the population has been maintained despite the decline compared to our golden age."
"Then what happened to the former king?"
"He passed away at the end of the battle. Because of that, the war ended, and the human invasion force retreated."
Jaejin checked her expression, worried he had brought up a sensitive topic, but Lena told him there was no need to worry. She explained that unless they were of the same race, demons didn't often feel a strong sense of shared belonging.
As they talked, they passed through the fortress walls into the outer castle, where the residential area of the Lust Demons—which felt like a second home—came into view. Come to think of it, hadn't his experience of "mingling bodies" there been only a tenth of what it was at the Demon God Cult?
With the thought that he had lived a surprisingly wholesome life here, they arrived at the outer castle, where Mari was waiting for them.
The black-haired maid was dressed in a bikini maid outfit. She greeted Lena warmly as she stepped down first, then made eye contact with Jaejin as he followed. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands.
"You've... changed quite a lot from what I heard..."
"Well, things turned out that way..."
Knowing Jaejin's original appearance, she was incredibly shocked by his physical transformation—he was now nearly 20 centimeters shorter.
"Jaejin, I have a lot of work to do, so I'll have to head out first. Mari will assist you, so just tell her if you need anything."
Lena, smiling as if watching a comedy skit, exchanged a few more words with Mari before heading up toward the inner castle. Jaejin followed Mari into the room she had prepared.
While not as grand as Lena's room, it was a luxurious suite far better than his previous one, and dinner was already laid out. The quality of the food had also improved significantly, making his eyes widen.
"We are simply treating you according to your status. Last time you were a temporary candidate, but now you are truly the Demon Lord candidate of the Lust Demon Race."
"I suppose so... No, it's fine. Good things are good things."
It wasn't as if being treated well made him feel bad, and there was no reason to refuse the hospitality being offered. It would be a problem if he questioned it and they took it away.
Mari waited by his side until he finished his meal, then immediately left to clear the dishes.
Jaejin looked around the room and, feeling the need to wash up, headed to the bathroom. Just as he took off his shirt and was about to lower his pants, someone knocked on the dressing room door.
Was it Lena coming for some nighttime activity? Or was it Mari coming to help as a maid?
Curious, Jaejin opened the door, only to find a woman he had never seen before.
Light purple skin and glowing red eyes. She perfectly matched the characteristics Lena had described. She belonged to the race with the most "devilish" traits among all demons—the Jaun Tribe.
"Hello, cutie."
A real devil had appeared.