Chapter 148
The moment the ridiculous sound of “d-ehet” was heard, my vision went dark, but surprisingly, Lucy’s single word had a profound effect.
Perhaps deflated, Adrang suppressed his hostility and sat back down.
“… I’d appreciate it if you could explain a bit, Mr. Jung Yong.”
“Yes. I was just about to.”
And as I began to divulge everything, Adrang surprisingly didn’t react as much as I thought he would.
He simply nodded repeatedly. His expression conveyed the feeling of, “As I suspected.”
“I see. So the Undying Demon King has already hatched, and… you’re bound by a contract to protect her, correct?”
Ahang let out a low hum.
I followed suit, exhaling deeply.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And the purpose of the intruders during the Divine Ceremony may not have been merely to eliminate witch hunters… but also to capture both you and the Undying Demon King. That seems to be the gist of it.”
“You’ve really nailed the summary. You could sell study guides.”
Since things had come to this, I revealed most of the facts to Adrang.
If he already knew everything about me, half-hearted attempts to deceive would only backfire, just as it had in my past life.
Excluding details about the maddening cycle of time regression, I embellished and shared most of the information.
“… Hmm.”
Clatter, clatter. In the silence, only the sound of groaning and silverware moving could be heard.
The groaning came from Adrang, while the sound of devouring came from me.
“Gulp, chew, slurp. Mmmmm,”
I don’t know about the rest, but this household’s culinary skills are truly astonishing. Everything goes down smoothly, even amidst this tense situation.
Could this all be the work of Carhalas? Given this level of cooking, there’s a good reason to seriously consider the honeymoon package to Jeju Island that Adrang mentioned earlier.
“Things have become complicated. Of course, your assistance is still invaluable, but recovering the Demon King’s egg remains the top priority.”
Just as Carhalas and the honeymoon package were booked.
Adrang’s awkward voice interrupted, as if delaying the plane’s takeoff.
“… That was it, wasn’t it?”
From the beginning, you’d measured the angle of recovering the egg while keeping me at home. Adrang, you’re not someone to underestimate, either.
I lowered my sharpened gaze. The piece of steak on my fork came into view. I brought it to my mouth as is.
“Mumble mumble. Swallow. You must find this inconvenient in many ways.”
“Yes, indeed.”
I myself seemed to be pushing the limits, crossing boundaries in every direction.
As I always think during these situations, why does adversity make me want to rebel and act so aggressively? The root of this stubbornness baffles even me. I’m scared of this side of myself.
“Who would have thought that elegant lady was the Undying Demon King? Although I’ve seen the Undying Demon King from afar, the sheer difference in appearance and aura makes it hard to believe.”
Ahang chuckled but only glanced briefly at Lucy.
It seemed that being the friend of Halsenberg had its benefits. He didn’t seem bothered by my rude attitude. I followed his lead and stared directly at Lucy.
“What are you looking at, old man? SHAARK!”
Lucy, upon meeting Adrang’s eyes, let out a shrill scream and raised her tail high.
In a flash, she hid her body under the table, peeking out with wide and sharp eyes, keeping a sharp watch on us.
“A cat, huh.”
As I chuckled bemusedly, Adrang suddenly spoke.
His voice was tinged with regret and earnestness.
“Mr. Jung Yong. Though she may be weakened and under your control now, she remains a dangerously unpredictable factor. Would it be possible for you to surrender her to me?”
“Hmm. That would be difficult.”
“Why difficult? Are you doomed to die?”
“I’ll die.”
Of course, it’s a lie.
But I don’t know what might happen if Lucy were separated from me. Hence, I confidently declared that I’d die without her.
Adrang quietly scrutinized my firm expression before questioning.
“Do you understand the weight of the Undying Demon King’s renown?”
“Is it heavy?”
“Without exaggeration, the entire continent is curious about her whereabouts. My country, Markeiteuriseu, Mittelrand, Unterland, and the Dragon Empire included.”
“… Hmm.”
“Ask any three passersby. It’s likely that at least one of them has lost a relative to the Undying Demon King.”
Crack. Adrang’s gauntlet let out a shriek.
His clenched fists trembled with the intensity of raw emotion. The shaking was clearly visible.
‘Ah. When you think about it…’
Subconsciously, I swallowed hard, having noticed an odd tension that had been lingering in this house.
‘… The mistress hasn’t shown up.’
Even if the Count of Halsenberg were living with his wife in name only, I hadn’t recalled seeing the lady of the house during my stay here.
… It seemed Adrang belonged to the group of people who had lost someone to the Demon King.
‘Is Carhalas immune to such taunts too?’
Growing up without a mother, I’ve never felt strange living in a household with only a father.
Thus, it took me a bit longer to notice the unnatural atmosphere.
“I will ask you again. The Undying Demon King is key to the witch-hunting plan, so please hand her over.”
Adrang’s soft-spoken single sentence was less of a request and more of a thinly veiled threat.
The menacing aura emanating from him made it impossible to even breathe.
‘An important, key…’
This sensation of tension was the first I’d felt since meeting the Count.
If it weren’t for my experience of risking my life in direct combat, I might have caved in and handed Lucy over under this much pressure. So intense was the sense of obsessive fixation radiating from Adrang.
I barely shook my head.
“… It’s very inconvenient for me, too. I have my reasons.”
Truth be told, handing over Lucy—who is essentially a ticking time bomb—would be a relief.
The heavy burden would disappear. There’d be no heroic accolades to chase, and strange dark organizations wouldn’t be after my life. I could plan for a comfortable life in this alternative world.
‘Until I met Hector Cassas.’
But things have changed now.
Lucy is still a time bomb, still a heavy burden—but her significance to me has completely flipped.
I don’t want to hand her over to anyone else.
Absolutely not. No matter what happens, I won’t let her be taken.
‘Do you even understand?’
When Lucy at Kerns told me that my resurrection was “natural,” do you know how saved I felt?
When you die once and that’s it… and your death is remembered by everyone around you—it’s something you’d never understand, not unless you’ve experienced a death like mine, unable to resurrect.
‘She’s the only woman who remembers the death I lost.’
And when I die and come back to life, she’s the one who realizes it before even I do.
Given that alone, and for the sake of my mental health, she’s indispensable.
I’m standing on the edge of a cliff.
Without Lucy now, I’m not sure I can stop myself from becoming a monster.
‘Should I run? Or should I try crawling away?’
Adrang’s mood was far from normal. Even as I rejected his proposal, my mind raced wildly.
For a while, an oppressive silence hung between us.
“… Hmm.”
But unexpectedly, Adrang soon retracted the menacing aura and nodded as if coming to an understanding.
“I understand. I’ll drop it. I’ve cleared up most of my questions about you, and personally, I’m considering you as a potential witch hunter anyway.”
“… Phew. Thank you.”
“I’m deeply impressed by your courage in standing up to me.”
You’ve made the right decision, Mr. White Hair.
As I heaved a sigh, collecting my wits, I subtly brought up a question to Adrang.
“Can I ask something?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“What exactly is the Guiding Raven?”
“…?”
My question seemed to hit the mark.
The evidence was the sudden disappearance of ease from Adrang’s expression.
“You mentioned you’re considering me a witch hunter candidate… is that because of this? You think I could be the ‘Guiding Raven.’ Am I wrong?”
X. Would I be wrong? I just heard you ask, ‘Are you him?’ on the way here.
I didn’t stop there. Keeping my eye on Lucy, I pressed further.
“What exactly are you planning to do with the Undying Demon King—Lucy—if you take her?”
“… What do you think I’ll do?”
Adrang, who had been staring at me intently, suddenly twisted his lips upward. It was unlike the usual smile I’d seen so far. There was a twisted cruelty to it.
In the blink of an eye, Adrang returned to his usual demeanor and shook his head.
“Since you’re not a witch hunter, I can’t explain much to you.”
Finally, the infamous group has been mentioned. It’s taken quite a roundabout route to get here.
I recalled the emergency meeting from my past life and began asking about the people involved.
“The witch hunters. Exactly what kind of organization is that?”
“A small, elite group hunting the witch Diana.”
The answer matched my past life perfectly. At least this statement was 100% fact.
I idly tapped my fingers on the table. I downed the now-cold chicken soup in one go, smirking.
“Isn’t it obvious that this is the ultimate goal of all the heroes anyway? There’s no need to create such a secretive organization, right?”
“Even someone so deeply related to the Undying Demon King as yourself doesn’t seem to care what happens to Diana. So how could it be the ultimate goal of all the heroes?”
“…”
“That everyone here was summoned for their own reasons… living their second lives for their own reasons. While most are lured by the promise of wealth with demon kings, very few are truly interested in the witch’s demise. The title ‘Hero’ loses its meaning.”
Since these were facts, my mouth closed automatically.
Of course, not every hero could have the ultimate boss as their goal. Especially not with someone like Hector Cassas lurking around.
Frankly speaking, I didn’t even care whether it was Diana or Indiana Jones.
That’s why the gods treat demon king hunting like some reserve force call-up.
“No. In fact, those who secretly wish for Diana’s eternal prosperity… are, in fact, the heroes themselves.”
I unconsciously nodded in agreement, but Adrang’s gaze became even narrower.
