Chapter 192

EP.192 Stimulation #2

[٩(♡ε♡ )۶]

[What are you doing?]

[(°◡°♡)]

[Are you resting?]

[╰(✿´⌣`✿)╯♡]

Seeing Adeline expressing her feelings towards me with just emoticons, I chuckled and drove my car to a secluded spot.

Marcella had urgently contacted me to meet.

After waiting for a few minutes after getting out of the car, Marcella appeared as soon as the portal opened.

With a very serious expression, she politely greeted me and then got straight to the point.

“Yesterday, I visited the Demon Realm… Amon and the demons under his command are showing suspicious movements.”

“Suspicious movements?”

“They’re forming groups and bonding with other demons. I’m afraid they might be plotting something bad.”

Demons do bond with each other.

They engage in reproductive activities, have families, and friends.

Normally, this wouldn’t be strange.

But Amon is a lone wolf.

A top-tier demon who is taciturn and prefers to spend time alone.

For such a demon to form groups and bond with others?

It is indeed suspicious…

“I am the Demon King.”

I believe the demons bound by my name would never betray me.

Understanding the meaning behind my short sentence, Marcella nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that’s right. You are the Demon King, the ruler of all demons.”

“Still, I want to hear your opinion.”

I trust Marcella.

Her intuition is usually spot on, so hearing her opinion and formulating a plan isn’t a bad idea.

Marcella, with a happy expression, wagged her tail and thought for a moment.

Then she spoke.

“Currently, Your Majesty, you have tightly sealed away your demonic energy. It’s not an exaggeration to say you’ve completely sealed it to avoid being detected by Adeline. I’m worried that the power of the Demon King’s name might have weakened because of this. If…”

Marcella gulped.

She seemed afraid to continue.

I finished her sentence for her.

“If I continue to remain in this human state, my influence might fade, and the demons might rebel?”

“Yes… That seems like a real possibility.”

“I see.”

It was indeed a plausible scenario.

The demons had been unusually restless lately, and suddenly these movements were detected… It seemed my influence had indeed weakened.

Crossing my arms, I pondered various hypotheses and then asked.

“Marcella, how do you feel right now?”

“Huh? My feelings?”

“Your loyalty. Has anything changed?”

“My loyalty has always been steadfast. I would never betray you, Your Majesty.”

Indeed, Marcella is a loyal retainer who has resurrected me five times even after my death, and now she has even given me her affection.

If anything, her loyalty has only increased, and the possibility of betrayal is nonexistent.

Just bringing up such a sensitive issue shows that Marcella is trustworthy.

“Who are the demons that gathered?”

“Amon, Orbas, and Geph.”

They were all top-tier demons with exceptional abilities and great ambitions.

Amon has terrifying hypnotic abilities, Orbas is highly intelligent and commands an army, and Geph incites violence in those around him, driving them into a frenzy.

By the ranking I’ve set, they are all S-class.

If even one of them goes out of control, it could cause massive damage to the Demon Realm.

“If they rebel, they’re the perfect ones to shake the Demon Realm. It’s quite a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“Yes…”

“Do you think their bonding is just due to a boring daily life?”

“Amon has been alone for hundreds of years. That alone answers your question. He’s plotting something. We must grant him eternal rest.”

“It’s a waste to take them down based on mere suspicion. We should confirm with Malphas.”

At that, Marcella flinched.

“W-with Malphas…?”

“He’s a sinister one, but there’s no better demon to uncover the truth.”

“That may be true… but there will be a price… and it might be an unreasonable one…”

“Enough. If confirmation is impossible, we’ll just have to work harder. Don’t worry. Is Yuria’s bow complete?”

“It’s complete. Yuria is very satisfied with it.”

“Then I should go out for a drink. Contact Sehwa and Yuria.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Marcella immediately disappeared through the portal.

I sighed and stood still for a moment, looking around.

Not to admire the scenery, but to shake off any demonic energy that might have clung to me from the portal.

After spending some time like that, I got back in the car and looked at my phone.

[You ignored my message again!]

A message from an angry Adeline.

I chuckled and was about to reply when a thought struck me.

What if it’s not that my influence has weakened because I’ve been maintaining a human state, but that Adeline’s divine power has been subtly eroding my inner demonic energy?

Recalling the strange feeling I had before and what Marcella said about me becoming harmful, this could very well be the case.

‘Let’s confirm first.’

Yes, confirmation comes first.

After finishing my thoughts, I tapped on my phone.

[I didn’t know how to reply. You only sent emoticons.]

[You could have sent emoticons too!]

[Would that have been a conversation?]

[( -᷅_-᷄)]

[I’ll think about it. I’ve arrived home. Can I rest now?]

[Okay. I’ll rest too. I’m going to sleep.]

Please sleep. I’ll feel better if you do.

[Sweet dreams, Adeline.]

[You too, Jihyuk. (๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)]

**

When I returned home, my eyes widened.

A mountain of food was waiting for me, enough to bend the dining table.

Dr. Cash greeted me with a bright smile as I slowly walked to the kitchen.

“You’re back?”

“What’s all this?”

“We’re celebrating, remember? I made some food to lift the mood. Go wash your hands.”

With a bewildered expression, I washed my hands and sat down. Dr. Cash served me a warm bowl of rice and sat across from me, smiling.

Such a lovely gesture… She’s really becoming a perfect wife.

I happily picked up my spoon.

After finishing the meal, we did the dishes together.

We wore rubber gloves, smeared foam on each other’s faces, and occasionally bumped lips to show affection.

After finishing the dishes, we sat on the sofa and spent time together.

Neither of us mentioned the child.

We just cuddled up and watched a comedy movie like usual.

Then, halfway through the movie…

Dr. Cash suddenly climbed on top of me.

I naturally patted her butt.

She then spoke in a tearful tone.

“Today was really tough. I kept wondering if what happened at the hospital was a dream or if I misheard.”

“You’re not in a good state… I told you to contact me immediately if anything happens. Let’s go to the medical device in the lab now.”

“It’s not schizophrenia, I’m just happy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

I adjusted to her while observing her face.

If the child had demonic energy within, Dr. Cash would also be affected.

Her irises were fine, and her pupils were round.

Her skin was pale but not sickly. It was her natural skin tone.

She seemed normal, but we needed to monitor her.

The fetus hadn’t even developed body parts yet.

“What’s wrong?”

Dr. Cash asked, puzzled.

I awkwardly smiled and let out a short sigh.

“It’s nothing. I’m happy, but I have to rain on your parade… I have a business trip. It’s important.”

“A business trip?”

Dr. Cash’s voice lowered.

She frowned and questioned me.

“You’re the CEO, but you have too many business trips, don’t you? Can’t you delegate to someone else?”

“Who would that be?”

“The person you trust the most at the company. That executive you mentioned before, or that smooth-talking kid…”

“Aram?”

“Yeah, her.”

“Aram is good at her job. But you know, I handle important matters myself.”

“Still…”

I moved the dissatisfied Dr. Cash aside and comforted her.

I slipped my hand under her T-shirt and gently rubbed her belly, and she seemed to calm down, making a relaxed expression.

“It’s an opportunity to grow the company even bigger.”

“It’s already big… Do you really need to work that hard?”

“Desires are endless. Especially desires for power or money. That’s just how humans are. And now that we’ll have two… no, three more Beast Slayers, running the lab will be easier, so we’ll need a lot of money. Please understand.”

Dr. Cash’s expression changed.

She seemed to have made a decision and nodded.

“Okay.”

Good. The immediate crisis is averted… Now, I need to put out the fire brewing in the Demon Realm.

**

The Demon Realm felt nostalgic after a long time.

From the unpleasant air piercing my body to the gloomy sky… It’s great.

Sitting on the throne in the audience room of the Demon King’s castle, Leona and Yuria stood by my side, holding a scythe and a bow, respectively.

Leona, transformed into an Evil Valkyrie, seemed ready to swing her scythe at any moment.

On the other hand, Yuria was lost in thought, staring at a distant spot.

She wanted to visit Meril, who lived in the mountains near the annex.

I should bring her here after handling this matter.

The Demon Realm was eerily quiet.

I was clearly in a bad mood, so all the demons were holding their breath.

Without even gathering them, the entire Demon Realm sensed my energy and stayed quiet. It seems my demonic energy hasn’t weakened…

Leaning on the armrest of the throne, I pondered various thoughts and then opened a portal.

Szzzzk-!

Out came a humanoid demon with dark skin, Malphas.

He looked like a hunchbacked old man on the verge of death, but he was a very unique demon.

His physical abilities were trash, and his demonic energy wasn’t impressive.

If he appeared on Earth, he wouldn’t even make it past F-class with his weak demonic energy.

But when he uses his ability, it’s different.

He emits an enormous amount of demonic energy, jumping straight to S-class.

Malphas’s ability is wish fulfillment.

You state your wish, and Malphas demands a price. Whether you’re the Demon King or an F-class demon, everyone must pay.

There’s no special treatment.

The wish and the price are not of equal value; it’s an unequal exchange where one side inevitably suffers a loss.

The one who suffers the loss is the one who made the wish. Malphas never demands a price that’s unfavorable to him.

There’s no wish he can’t grant.

If a wish fails, it’s because the requester didn’t pay enough.

Watching him rub his hands together, I spoke.

“Malphas.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Command me.”

His grating, unpleasant voice.

Leona and Yuria slightly furrowed their brows but remained still due to their positions.

After organizing my thoughts, I got straight to the point.

“I need to make a request.”

At that, Malphas shuddered.

“A request? From you, Your Majesty…?”

“Seems your ears are failing. You heard correctly.”

“Hehe… I’ve lived long enough to see this. You must be looking for some amusement. But…”

“I know. Your ability requires the requester to pay a price, no matter who they are.”

“That is correct. Then, please tell me. What is your wish?”

“Is Amon planning a rebellion?”

“Amon… The senior and top-tier demon of the Demon Realm planning a rebellion… An interesting request…”

Malphas’s black eyes closed.

He was calculating. After a moment of silence, his eyes snapped open.

“The price is one of Your Majesty’s arms.”

One arm? And the Demon King’s arm at that?

You damn scammer…

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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