Chapter 15
**CHAPTER TITLE: The Monster Is Coming**
My heart pounded like a war drum.
Flesh-eater. Hunting.
That meant it was hunting *me*—my favorite food.
I didn't know where it was taking me, but death waited at the end. For anyone else, death was just the end. For me, it was the start of an endless slave life.
I quickly scanned my surroundings. I pulled up the Status Window as fast as I could. *Anything you want, anything.*
**[Magic Staff, Creator: Bernar, Year: 1021]**
**[Tile, Creator: Goslang, Year: 857]**
**[Wooden Door, Creator: Raul, Year: 857]**
Then I noticed the corridor split in two. The monster kept going straight ahead, but when I looked at the right fork, a statue stood far off in the distance.
A statue?
Hold on, though...
I had definitely been talking to Demia just moments ago. Her statue wasn't visible in my sight, yet the conversation had continued.
Only when we entered the building did it cut off. That meant
1. You need a statue to talk to a god.
2. There's a limit to the area covered by the statue.
The exact limit of the area was a mystery, but I had a rough idea. One room, one corridor, like that.
I moved quickly toward Demia's statue, deliberately making loud *thud-thud* footsteps so the monster behind me would hear.
I knew it was behind me and couldn't see my lips moving, yet my spine still tingled.
*Is the thing behind me really a monster?*
{*Oh, oh dear. You don't call them that. Yes, in your words, a monster.*}
The playful tone drained any anger from me.
It looked like Demia wanted me to be scared of the monster so I'd obey her.
When I swallowed hard to clear my head again, the monster grabbed my arm and spun me around. His face was full of irritation.
Before he could say anything, I pointed wildly at Demia's statue and shouted.
"Isn't this statue strangely similar to ours? The faint gaze, the mysterious face, and most of all, those fingertips... they belong to the God of Wisdom and Learning! Did you copy our god's statue?"
The monster's golden eyes widened in shock.
*What the hell...*
Oh, I knew I was being insane.
But what else could I do? He was a flesh-eater hunting me.
Carnage or nonsense—anything went.
"Wh-what nonsense talk,"
"Our temple master will arrive here soon. We'll talk properly then. I have to meet him myself, so please welcome him! This is serious!"
The monster hesitated. "That... is it really a problem?"
He looked genuinely panicked.
I realized something. He was a monster. He was hunting me.
But he lived like a real priest. He was part of society. Trapped in the priestly class of Demia's temple.
This was actually worth trying.
"Oh my, your face is turning pale. Don't worry too much. Of course our temple master will be furious, but I'll explain. My father is in the palace, and we've been connected since I was little. Our territory has that famous summer palace where the king stays every summer. So it's only natural that our temple master treats me like a niece—or daughter!"
When I got back to Korea, I should try going to acting academy. I seemed pretty good at it.
The monster looked at me with suspicion. It was obvious he was weighing whether he could believe me.
Double pull, single push. Principle of bargaining. I pointed at the statue.
"But that's going too far! You really thought you'd get away with copying the God of Wisdom and Learning's statue like that?"
"Get away with what?"
"When was Demia's temple even founded? Our god has been here since ancient times! When you look at which temple came first, it's obvious who copied whom, isn't it?"
"If our god's statue is older, how do you intend to repay this insult?"
He was wearing a human disguise. The monster was shockingly human-like.
To the point where his wounded pride showed in his face like real life.
**[Demia God's Statue, Creator: Jang, Year: 1177]**
"There's no way."
The Status Window said it was made just ten years ago. I couldn't help but laugh.
"If you're innocent, you'll have to pay the price."
The monster warned me. Sharp fangs peeked between his lips.
My spine tingled, but it was just natural fear—not the terror of the monster's threat.
He was already hunting me before I could even slander him.
So now, showing fangs and talking about payback? He didn't scare me.
"If your statue is older, you'll have to pay the price at Demia's temple."
"Hah, what then?"
"What can we even do? I'm just the temple master's disciple, and you're an apprentice. Let's each go welcome him. Let's figure out the truth of this matter."
At my words, the apprentice priest shouted "Yes!" and rushed toward the temple master.
The moment he disappeared, I sprinted in the opposite direction and burst out of the temple.
I had no idea how I had even reached it. The familiar place made my vision spin.
Flesh-eater. Hunting. Flesh-eater. Hunting.
Holy crap.
A monster with a human shape living among humans? Hunting people? Preferring flesh? What was this nonsense?
I even had monster-skin items with me. The clothes I wore when I arrived were made of monster fur.
That made them monsters, right? In the modern sense, like a wild boar that appeared in the mountains? Of course I thought that.
I had even heard that hunting monsters in the countryside was common. The lord's hunt was a problem, but killing monsters wasn't. In fact, it was encouraged. When food ran out in winter, the strong young men of the village would team up to hunt them properly.
I thought those were monsters!
I was pouring a glass of water when the person beside me suddenly darkened.
I jumped in surprise and looked over. Damjan was standing there blocking the light.
Even at twelve years old, he had this cool, sensual beauty. It was honestly shocking.
He was carrying a wooden barrel full of washed dishes, yet his beauty wasn't dulled at all.
I couldn't help but stare at his face and was startled when Damjan frowned.
"It's like my mother."
Instant casual talk. A perfect match for the assassin S human.
When I stayed silent, he sighed.
"You were staring because of my eyes. My mother's eyes were purple."
Purple eyes or black eyes—what was the difference?
"I'm not curious."
"What?"
Damjan shot me a narrowed-eyed look.
Did he really think that after I used casual speech, he still had to speak politely to me? You too are a viscount's son, and I'm a viscount's daughter!
Honestly, it scared me to think of assassin S, but I didn't want to back down.
I answered with bold casual speech.
"So what if the eye color is purple? It doesn't matter."
I had never actually seen purple eyes in my life.
But I had seen a famous photo of a famous Hollywood actress with purple eyes.
Honestly, I couldn't figure out why she was so beautiful while looking at her, but now I understood.
Black hair with purple eyes was more than just beautiful—it was mysterious. The color combination was artistic.
But right now, beauty had nothing to do with it.
"I wasn't joking,"
"Hah, but you use a sword well, don't you?"
Damjan was about to say something when I cut him off.
It didn't matter what color his eyes were. A monster might come at any moment.
Besides, he was bringing his own temple master. What if the temple master was a monster too?
The only trustworthy human I had was Damjan.
But even if he was swordmaster A, I didn't know if that was his current skill or just natural talent and potential.
"What kind of nonsense is this out of the blue?"
Damjan crossed his arms as if he wanted me to explain properly, but I didn't have the time for a long explanation.
I didn't know when the monster would come. What explanation?
I grabbed Damjan's arm. Even though he was taller than me, his arm wasn't as thick or strong as I expected.
Ah, could I trust this arm to swing a sword well? A wave of doubt hit me and I almost cried.
"Sword? Not great? Can't swing it? Beginner? Just starting to learn like the knights? Like a page?"
A vein seemed to bulge on Damjan's forehead.
"I can beat three knights at once."
It was a childish answer, but it was the most believable thing I had heard right then.
"Really?"
"Really."
"You're boasting, aren't you?"
"What kind of person do you think I am to be so rude,"
"Then can you catch the monster?!"
I clung to Damjan and begged, and at that exact moment, a sharp *thud* echoed from behind me.