Chapter 109
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Gaze
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"Yaaawn... I'm so bored."
A faint memory surfaced.
In that memory, she didn't live hiding her appearance behind a slovenly attitude like she did now. Instead, she boldly displayed her stunning beauty, even taking care to groom herself.
She reveled in the lust-filled gazes from those around her, enchanted by her allure and pheromones. She even stepped out in front of crowds to draw even more eyes.
"This is no fun."
But even that got old after a day or two. As those same days dragged on in endless repetition, Lilith suddenly felt a wave of boredom. No matter where she went or who she met, the reactions were identical—like watching the same damn, tedious play every single day.
At least her fellow kind didn't fall for her charms and gave normal reactions... but they never got along well to begin with.
Just look at that insufferably arrogant one. She looked down on everyone except for our lord, so everyone hated her guts. And that lazy one holed up in her castle, sleeping all day—if you went to see her, she'd throw a fit about being woken up.
The only one among them worth hanging out with was that thing lurking in the depths of the sea... but visiting her was such a hassle.
"Isn't there anything to do?"
Growing bored with conjuring all sorts of illusions through her innate abilities and sending men into vivid, varied erotic dreams, Lilith activated one of her natural powers to shake off the tedium.
-Whoooong...
The ability to manipulate dreams. It was meant for slipping into others' dreams and draining their essence through erotic visions. But Lilith could just snatch their vitality with a flick of her wrist—no need for the hassle of dreams or direct seduction. She'd rarely ever used the dream-weaving power properly.
Now that it stirred after so long, Lilith slipped into the hazy dream boundary and immersed herself in others' slumbering minds.
Whenever boredom struck, she always soothed it by peeking into strangers' dreams.
And there, what she witnessed was...
"Mom! Dad! Look what I found in the forest today!"
"Your neighbor Hans already has two kids, and here you are... When are you going to...?"
"Eek! I heard Lumus's bakery has a new dessert out today! Let's go eat it!"
"........."
Ordinary, everyday scenes she would never have spared a glance.
Lilith, who always wandered dreams in search of thrilling spectacles to combat her boredom, found herself inexplicably drawn to these peaceful glimpses of daily life.
Just like Earth dwellers addicted to dopamine, chasing ever-more intense content until they inevitably turned to soothing healing videos. Drawn in by that serenity, Lilith began lingering in the dreams of ordinary folk living mundane lives.
And then...
"...That looks fun?"
Tormented by boredom, Lilith suddenly thought to herself that she wanted to experience that kind of life too.
Her actions were swift. With her illusion powers, changing her appearance was child's play.
In an instant, she transformed into a typical rural demon woman—the sort you could see anywhere—and posed as a housewife who'd come to the countryside to escape some village drama. She settled into a quiet rural demon village she'd scouted earlier.
Of course, she steadily carried out her duties as one of our lord's elite. As long as the work got done, he never meddled in her free time. Just look at that other one—her hobby was playing around with ugly little creatures, after all.
Perfectly disguised, Lilith had already delved into the villagers' dreams and grasped their psyches intimately. She quickly built genuine relationships.
The demons were wary at first—a lone woman showing up in their rural village—but she threw herself into her chores with diligence and always greeted everyone with a bright, warm smile. Gradually, they opened up and welcomed her as one of their own.
She even befriended peers around her apparent age (though she was far older) and won over an elderly demon couple who treated her like a daughter, often inviting her for dinner.
"Sigh... Lily? That Lutcher boy over there seems sweet on you..."
The old couple's constant attempts to set her up with village youths were a bit awkward, but Lilith found herself growing fond of this life.
These weak demons had always reacted to her the exact same way before—utterly smitten. But these first normal relationships she built made her heart feel all warm and fuzzy.
Then one day... that day arrived.
"Lily. This is just between us, okay...?"
Her friend, a demon named Nami whom she'd made while disguised as an ordinary rural demon, confessed her secret while they picked fruit in the woods together.
"You know Kalak from next door? Well... I actually have feelings for him..."
The kind of secret friends share—confessions of crushes or admirers. Seeing her friend open up like this, Lilith realized she'd truly been accepted. She smiled warmly.
"Eek... What's with that smile! Lily, don't you have any secrets?"
Perhaps misreading the smile, Nami pressed playfully, asking for a secret in return. A light question, like whether Lily had a crush too.
"Se...cret..."
But to Lilith, who thought she'd been fully accepted, the question suddenly felt heavy. She loved this fluffy daily life and had blended in as "Lily"... but it was all fake.
And in that moment, she impulsively wanted to show her true self to her friend.
'If it's now... maybe I can tell her the truth...'
After so long posing as a rural demon, had she forgotten just how overwhelmingly powerful—and alien—her abilities were?
All she wanted was a real bond with them. Not the cold, professional camaraderie of her lord's elite, but a true "friend" she could confide her identity to.
Those feelings converged... and Lilith revealed her true form before Nami.
"This is my real self... What do you think?"
Would she be startled? Freak out? Yell about why she'd hidden it all this time? Heart pounding with anticipation, Lilith watched her friend anxiously.
"Heh... ♡"
"Wha...?"
Her first real friend... was breaking down before her eyes.
Denying the reality, she didn't even bother hiding herself as she bolted back to the village. And there too...
"Ahh... ♡ So beautiful... ♡"
The kindly village chief who'd welcomed her and given her a home staggered forward on his frail legs, drooling like a zombie.
"M-my... essence..."
The young village men who'd stolen shy glances and shown subtle affection now knelt before her, all wearing the same twisted expression.
"Ahh... ♡ Your touch... ♡"
The elderly demon couple who'd treated her like a daughter gazed at her not with their usual warm affection, but with eyes brimming with lewd desire.
"Ahh...!!!"
Gazes she once would have savored. The rightful tribute to the pinnacle of dream demons.
But in that moment, nothing repulsed her more than those lust-drenched stares. Everywhere she turned, the same eyes followed. Lust. Lust. Lust. Lust...
All the varied, warm emotions she'd known vanished. Every gaze fixed on her held only raw sexual hunger.
"...Urk!!"
In that instant, revulsion surged through her, and she dry-heaved. Then she shot into the sky and fled the village.
That night, the villagers who desperately searched for her all shared the same dream. When they awoke, every memory of the pure village girl Lily had vanished from their minds.
"No... I hate it...!!"
That was when it began. Lilith, who once loved showing off her form and always groomed herself meticulously, shut herself away in her room.
She stopped bathing properly. When facing others, she cloaked herself in illusions instead of her true appearance and mimicked her old speech patterns.
"Ah, uh, um... H-hello..."
And within those illusions, the lonely dream demon—who'd lost all her hard-earned relationships and forgotten how to interact with others—stammered awkwardly.
"Hic...!"
And now. The ruins' inhabitants approaching her in the same enchanted stupor as that village long ago triggered her trauma anew. She fled into her bedroom in a panic and tore her dress to shreds, tears streaming down her face.
And then...
"Lilith?"
"Eek...!!"
A voice called from outside the door—the Master's. Lilith frantically bolted it shut.
'Erzsebet and the Master haven't seen me yet...!'
It wasn't too late. At least those two hadn't witnessed her true form. She could just slather herself in filth again, hide her face, and face them. They'd treat her normally, just like before—at least those two.
So...
"I'm coming in?"
"Ah, no!!"
What Lilith had overlooked was that, when constructing the various living quarters in the ruins, the minions had handed over master keys to every building for Eugene, the (not quite) Dungeon Master.
Having confirmed the demons outside were acting strangely, Eugene heard Lilith's voice from within and used the master key to enter the bedroom.
"N-no... Don't look...!!!"
In a frenzy, Lilith threw her hands up to cover her face and screamed at Eugene, who now stood revealed. But it was too late. She'd been too slow covering up, expecting him to hesitate at the lock, and Eugene had already seen her face.
'Not again...!'
Another identical gaze incoming. Once pleasant, now nauseating with lust. She'd held fondness for the Master who'd pulled her from the depths and treated her normally, but now that he'd seen her... it would be the same.
"Lilith. You...?"
And as expected, upon beholding her true form, Eugene let out a shocked voice...
"Lilith, you washed up...?"
"...Huh?"
He was stunned by something entirely different from what she'd feared.
Lilith even stopped crying at his dumbfounded remark, blurting out a confused reply of her own.
"No, that's not the point... Wait, is it? What wind blew in to make the girl who never bathed finally clean up...? Anyway. Lilith! The kids outside are acting weird. Did you do something?"
"...Master?"
The same tone as always. No lustful stare—just the casual regard he'd give any ordinary demon. No, his eyes even held a touch of worry for the girl huddled in her bedroom, weeping.
"Master... you're not bothered?"
"Huh? By what?"
Gazing into his utterly unchanged eyes, Lilith stared blankly at Eugene.
"What? Are you acting weird too...? H-hey, what's wrong?"
"Sob...!!"
Then, watching Lilith suddenly burst into tears, Eugene floundered in confusion.
'I came to ask why the minions are acting up, and now she's crying?'
Eugene sweated bullets consoling her for a while, desperately averting his eyes from the glimpses of skin peeking through her torn clothes.