A Blink
The moment I retreated into the room as if fleeing, I sank into the sofa and lit a cigarette.
"Whew..."
"Good work, Master Han-gil."
Now that it was just the two of us, Muriel immediately addressed me by my real name. I gave her a bitter smile and a nod, and reading my mood, she spoke up hesitantly.
"About earlier, Master Han-gil. What happened just now was..."
"Relax your face. There's no need to look so worried. And yeah, you probably guessed it, but it was the Demon King's authority. I caught glimpses of the past and the future."
"...Is that something... I should congratulate you on?"
"Who knows? Even I can't say."
I focused my awareness on the Silk of Atonement wound tightly around my left arm. As if alive, the fabric slid off in smooth coils, laying bare the grotesque limb beneath.
Densely clustered scales and feathers, rugged, sharply contoured muscle, and a sprawling mark resembling a clock engraved across the entire surface.
"..."
For a while, I tried flexing the arm, focusing my mind, and even circulating mana through it, but there wasn't the faintest hint of the authority awakening.
"I can't use it at will. Seems like the Demon King is tied to it somehow... Is there some sort of condition?"
"Isn't that obvious? Stanasila Alzen... or rather, Kang Han-gil."
"Huh?"
"...!?"
I blinked at the familiar voice cutting in out of nowhere. Before I even realized it, Muriel had drawn her dagger and stepped in front of me, eyes darting about as she scanned the perimeter.
"Over here, Kang Han-gil."
"...Wow. Seriously... You've got to be kidding me."
Tracing the voice, all I could let out was an exasperated groan.
Right in the middle of my forearm, a pair of voluptuous lips had sprouted.
Along with the very same creepy eye I'd seen earlier.
"Master Han-gil! That is—?!"
"Wait, calm down, Muriel. Sigh..."
Massaging my throbbing temples, I fought down the urge to gouge out the eye smiling playfully up at me and met its gaze.
"I'd love it if you told me I'm wrong, but... let me ask just in case. Don't tell me you're Rubias?"
"Indeed! Ruler over millions of demonic beasts, apex of dozens of High Demons, the Sovereign of Demons endowed with the authority of spacetime handpicked by the Demon God Himself—the dark and ominous Demon King Rubias, none other than myself!"
"..."
Watching the lips sprouted from my forearm rattle off that playful monologue was so absurd and ridiculous that words utterly failed me.
"...You... Sigh, you crazy, clingy psycho bitch. What the hell are you thinking? Better yet, how did you even pull this off? You had a trick like this?"
"It is hardly difficult. A mere parlor trick any being with sufficient mastery over demonic energy and black magic can perform."
"Black magic...? You never used anything like that during our battle."
I'd never seen her use it in the game either. Rubias using black magic wasn't even mentioned in the lore settings.
...Well, to be exact, the lore did state: 'Rubias, wielding the authority of spacetime, can manifest all possibilities of the past and future into reality.' But could that have been meant literally?
That's total bullshit. How is that fair?
"...Wait. Were you holding back during our fight?"
"Fufu. Out of consideration for my dear friend's honor and dignity, I shall refrain from answering."
"..."
The prospect of subjugating the Demon King seemed to drift further and further out of reach. My vision blurred with despair, and all I could do was puff frantically on my cigarette.
"Besides, did I not call it a parlor trick? Hardly a technique befitting such a momentous duel arranged by my dear friend. It would only sully my dignity and poise."
"..."
Silently knocking back a swig of liquor, I narrowed my eyes and glared down at her.
"Pretty bold words coming from someone who ran away before we even settled the score..."
"Fufu! My apologies for that! To push any further would have required wagering my very life! I have never feared death, nor have I ever treasured my own existence, but having gained a dear friend like you, I found myself shockingly terrified! I simply could not bear the thought of missing out on spending more time with you! I wished to learn more about you, to draw closer to you—by any means other than our mutual demise!"
"Well, I've got no interest in being your buddy."
"Do not be so cold. If you would only treat me with a little tenderness, I could give you everything I possess... Yes, just like earlier."
"...So manifesting that authority really was your doing."
"Indeed! While it may be impossible for you to invoke it directly of your own accord, it is entirely feasible for me to step in as an intermediary and manifest it indirectly. Well? Does that not tempt you, Kang Han-gil?"
"..."
It wasn't a bad proposition.
Still, there had been one nagging detail bothering me this whole time.
"Why do you keep calling me Kang Han-gil?"
"Hm? Why, because that is your true name, is it not?"
"...So you realized I'm not Stanasila Alzen."
"Precisely!"
"Since when? Did you peek into my head or something?"
"Haha! If only I could, but alas, such a feat is beyond me."
"...Which means you've been eavesdropping on my conversations with Muriel."
"Indeed! I could not yet manifest eyes or lips back then, but I could hear every word. To think you were a stranger who hijacked that vessel—I never would have dreamed! To seize the body of a ducal scion, no less... I was utterly enthralled! Of course, knowing that still leaves your true nature a mystery. A dear friend shrouded in so many secrets! Well, that is precisely what makes you so captivating!"
"Muriel. Cut this arm off."
"Understood."
The second the order left my mouth, Muriel unleashed a surge of pitch-black aura and slashed down without a moment's hesitation.
CLANG!
"..."
Yet, astoundingly, she failed to leave so much as a scratch on the scales and feathers.
"Hahaha! You cannot leave a scratch with such meager force! Containing my very soul and authority, that left arm is virtually my own flesh!"
"...Then I'll just have to ask Urtega."
"Ah, now that's a bit much."
Flustered, Rubias hastily flapped her lips.
"Dear friend! Is there truly any need to go that far? Through that left arm, I can provide you with immense assistance!"
"While sneaking demonic mutation past my shoulder?"
"Aha. Was that your concern? Worry not. The demonic mutation will not progress beyond the left arm."
"Hmm. And why is that? Weren't you the one babbling about wanting to stay close to me for all eternity?"
"Demonic mutation affects the mind as well. What I desire is the friend known as Kang Han-gil."
"...Ha."
She probably didn't say it knowing the full weight of it, but hearing that actually felt pretty damn good.
Though, of course, that was one thing, and this was another.
"Even so, I can't just leave you like this."
"B-But why?! Do you not desire power?!"
"I've got no use for power I can't control as I please."
"Wait! Even setting aside the authority, that left arm alone harbors such immense might that few in the Divine Realm could ever rival it! If you were to train just a little, you could easily match a High Demon! Such is the potential slumbering within that limb!"
"You think I'd bother training with this body? And that's not even the point."
"...Is there something else you desire? Fufufu... Then speak, whatever it may be. In the name of this Demon King, I shall grant any wish! Boundless wealth, ambitions normally far beyond your reach, gorgeous women... No, with me here, you hardly need that. At any rate, name your desire!"
"This is an invasion of privacy."
"...Huh?"
Rubias fell silent, taken aback.
"Having someone watching my every move and enjoying the show as they please is creepy and disgusting."
"N-No, wait... Just for that...?"
"What do you mean, 'just for that'? Do you have any idea how serious this is? If I leave you be, you'll be watching me take a shit."
"Ahem! Who would do something so vulgar?! I am a Demon King! Though, checking your stool could provide insight into your health, so in that sense, I suppose I could inspect—"
"You're out of your goddamn mind. Sigh... Besides, if push comes to shove, you can control this arm whenever you want, can't you? I don't need a limb like that."
When I stood up with a resolute scowl, the lips on my arm began chattering frantically.
"W-Wait! Is that all we need to resolve?! That is hardly difficult!"
"I don't buy it."
"No, really! I have a way to prove it! So please, just calm down!"
"Hmm..."
"Master Han-gil, I do not believe there is any merit in heeding the Demon King's words," Muriel advised.
"Silence, wench! How poorly trained must you be to butt into a conversation?!"
"Watch your tongue, Demon King. And wench or not, aren't you a woman yourself?"
"...Eh? Y-You perceive me as a woman? Well, that is both flustering and delightful. Given that our communion was forged purely through death, I assumed you had no interest in such matters... Oho. A honey trap... I had never even considered it... but that might prove to be a remarkably effective approach. It feels a bit shameless to say it myself, but I do take immense pride in my beauty, after all."
"...Crazy bitch."
A sigh slipped out all on its own.
"Ahem, forgive me. I lost my composure for a moment. At any rate... consider this advice for your own sake."
"...What?"
"Did you truly believe severing this arm would free you from my blessing? If so, you have vastly underestimated my obsession and tenacity."
Murmuring in a dark, somber cadence, the lips twisted into an unsettling grin.
"Even if you sever the arm, it will only regenerate. And should it fail to regrow, the brand I engraved upon you will merely migrate to another part of your body. A leg, or perhaps your torso... The relocated crest will establish a new bridgehead to solidify our bond. The only true setback for me would be the loss of the causality I condensed into this left arm."
"...Meaning wherever the crest migrates, demonic mutation follows?"
"You understand correctly. Precisely so."
"Now that... is a bit troublesome."
If that happened, Urtega's blade would cleave me in two to fulfill his pledge to the Church.
"Haah..."
"There is no need to sigh so deeply. In short, you simply take issue with me watching and listening to your daily life as I please, do you not? That can easily be resolved by placing restrictions on the soul rooted within your flesh. Once done, I will be unable to peek or eavesdrop without your permission, nor will I be able to manipulate that left arm at will."
"And you expect me to just buy that?"
"Ah, just feel it for yourself first! You will understand immediately!"
A moment later, a strange energy began seeping out from my left arm.
Having never encountered such an aura before, it carried an eerie, tangible heft. After weaving through the air in subtle, undulating patterns, it slowly sank back into the limb.
"...Oh?"
With that, the foreign sensation lingering in my left arm dissolved.
To be honest, I hadn't even consciously registered the alien presence, yet only after it vanished could I perceive what had been there.
"This is..."
An inexplicable hollow, like a sudden void opening up, accompanied by the snapping of a stubborn, suffocating tether... an emptiness hard to put into words.
Before I knew it, the lips and eyeball that had sprouted on my forearm were gone without a trace.
"Ugh?!"
Right after, my head began buzzing.
The sensation was... honestly so bizarre yet oddly familiar that it threw me for a loop.
How should I put it?
Like a phantom dial tone ringing inside my skull?
Or an invisible button suddenly manifesting?
"Don't tell me..."
I consciously pressed down on it.
Instantly, the mouth and the eye popped right back out.
"...Is this a fucking ringback tone? What the hell did you do to my body, you crazy bitch...?"
"Hm? I have no idea what you mean by that. Regardless, this should suffice to earn your trust. Now, any interference on my part strictly requires your consent."
She wasn't lying.
I could intuitively feel that I could sever the link with her at any moment.
While this effectively eliminated the risk of having my privacy invaded or my body puppeteered against my will... did I really need this?
"I don't need any of this crap, so please, just get the hell out of my body..."
"That is out of the question. You and I shall live on as one for all eternity! Fufu, ahahaha...!"
"You lunatic..."
Sighing, I chugged the liquor down by the mouthful.
If I'd known it would turn out like this, I never would have roleplayed as her 'friend.'
Knock, knock, knock!
"Stanasila Alzen. You in there? You are, right? I'm coming in!"
Before I could answer, Weller threw the door open and barged inside, trailing a retinue of figures clad in luxurious robes.
"...If you're going to knock, wouldn't common courtesy dictate waiting for an answer, sister?"
Hasty as lightning, I severed the connection with the Demon King and grumbled in a sullen voice.
I did my best to feign composure, but my heart was hammering violently against my ribs.
She didn't see that, did she?
If that freak show was discovered, there was no way in hell it would end peacefully. Keeping my cool felt like a monumental struggle.
"Hah, why would I waste courtesy on you? Anyway, decide what you want to do with this."
Weller jerked her chin toward a robed man behind her, prompting the unnamed mage to wave a hand through the empty air.
A battered, tied-up middle-aged man floated into the room, hovering before being dumped right at my feet.
"What's this all of a sudden? And who is this guy?"
"What do you mean, 'who'? Are you being serious right now?"
When Weller scoffed with an incredulous expression, I cast a dubious glance over the bound man.
No matter how hard I racked my brain, his face rang zero bells.
Right then, Muriel leaned in and whispered into my ear.
"Lord Alzen. This man is Zeb."
"Zeb? Who the hell is... Ah, the contract killer guy?"
Only then did the memory resurface.
The culprit who had hired assassins to kill us not once, but twice—both on our way to the Bottom of Rancor dungeon and on our way back out.
I had completely forgotten he even existed.