Chapter 193

EP.193 Stimulation #3

“An arm? Are you kidding me?!”

Leona was furious.

Her scythe grew larger and stopped right in front of Malphas’s neck, causing him to flinch and take a step back.

“Your Majesty, I merely presented the necessary price. Whether it is paid or not is up to the Demon King.”

“You disgrace to the Demon Realm…!”

“That’s quite an exaggeration. Hehe…”

Leona was about to swing her scythe at any moment.

Yuria was the same. She had an arrow nocked and aimed at Malphas’s head.

I raised my hand to stop them.

If we attacked Malphas without reason, the attacker would have to pay the price he had received so far.

This ability is why Malphas has survived for so long.

After calming the two, I crossed my legs nonchalantly.

“Did you say an arm?”

“Yes.”

“How did you calculate its value?”

“I cannot disclose that.”

“I see.”

I had no intention of paying Malphas’s price.

I had already gotten a hint.

The Demon King’s body is sacred.

All demons know this. And he asked for an arm of such a Demon King?

Amon is hiding a secret, one he values more than his life, and revealing it publicly would require such a price.

In short, Amon was plotting a rebellion.

Even if not a full-blown plot, he at least had thoughts of rebellion.

I was just sitting there, not lifting a finger.

Other demons lack such flexibility. They’d actually pay the price when asked… True principle followers.

Anyway, there’s no physical evidence, but my conviction is firm.

Thus, the fates of Amon, Orbas, and Geph were sealed.

It was bitter. They had dedicated their lives to me, and now I had to kill them.

And I became aware of my weakened influence.

‘I need to corrupt Adeline quickly.’

Whether it’s because I’ve been in a human body for too long or Adeline’s divine power is affecting me, it doesn’t matter.

I just need to corrupt Adeline.

Then I can return to my Demon King form, and my influence will naturally be restored.

I stared at Malphas’s ugly face for a moment before giving the order.

“Go back. The request is canceled.”

“As you wish. Did you find out something?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Right you are. Then I shall return to my chamber.”

Malphas soon disappeared into the darkness.

Only then did Leona lower her weapon and blow her bangs away.

“Disgusting…”

It was a curse aimed at Malphas.

Yuria seemed to agree, nodding her head.

I smiled at them and focused my mind.

Amon, who resides in his castle. I was summoning him.

Soon,

Whooosh…!

Black smoke gathered in front of the throne from nowhere, forming the head of a crow.

Then, a skinny, black-furred beastman’s body appeared.

Amon, having manifested his presence, knelt on one knee as soon as he saw me.

“My Demon King.”

“Long time no see, Amon.”

“Yes, my Demon King. Is there a command you wish to issue…?”

“Am I not allowed to summon you without a command?”

“Of course not.”

How should I deal with this guy… It’s a waste to just kill him…

As I pondered over Amon, a good idea came to mind.

Let’s use Silvia and Adeline’s Aiter energy and have them capture him.

It’s a win-win.

No, I can’t compare Silvia and Adeline to barbarians, so I should correct it to mutual benefit.

“You came charging into Earth with such momentum, but now you’re just hiding and consuming demons. Don’t you wonder what I’m doing?”

“Not at all. My Demon King, you have the Queen and Yuria…”

“It’s about time we dealt a significant blow to Earth.”

Amon remained silent and raised his head.

He was puzzled by why I was saying this.

He’s acting. What a despicable guy.

“I’ll contact you in a few days. Be prepared.”

At that, Amon’s shoulders trembled.

Is he afraid of being treated as expendable again?

I smirked at him and continued.

“Don’t worry. I won’t send Leona and Yuria to deal with you. Go wild on Earth.”

“B-but, my Demon King. There are other powerful beings on Earth…”

“I’ll give you comrades.”

“Comrades, you say…”

“Orbas and Geph.”

Mentioning the two who had bonded, Amon’s dark eyes shook.

He realized what I meant by this.

His head bowed down.

“My Demon King… I…”

“There are no restrictions on you. Do whatever you want.”

“I-I was wrong… I won’t leave the castle until your command. Please forgive me…”

Amon begged for forgiveness in a roundabout way.

From his reaction, it was clear he had planned to betray me.

Why did you think of that? It hurts my heart to make this decision.

Regardless, Amon is currently under my influence.

He can’t refuse my command, so he’s begging for its withdrawal.

I need to act quickly. I must make a decision before the situation worsens.

“I’m giving you a chance after your long dedication.”

“A chance… you say…?”

“If you can capture even one of the remaining Beast Slayers, I’ll grant you one wish, whether it’s forgiveness or freedom. I swear on the Demon King’s name.”

Instead of just sending demons to their deaths as before, I gave him a mission with a reward.

Right now, he’s not interested in the word ‘forgiveness.’

The word Amon cares about is ‘freedom.’

For Amon, who wants to escape my influence, freedom is a great temptation.

Also, he’s waiting for punishment, but I gave him a chance to officially escape.

Amon has no choice but to accept.

“The Queen and Yuria won’t participate, you said…?”

Look at that. As soon as he sees a way out, he bites the bait.

“That’s right. But I can send Orbas’s legion to handle it.”

“If I don’t have to face them, it’s fine! I’ll definitely complete it…!”

As expected, Amon accepted the command with determination.

He tried to gather comrades, but he has no camaraderie. What a wretched opportunist.

After sending him off, I leaned back on the throne.

I had prepared for the worst-case scenario of fighting Amon, but thankfully, there was no battle.

And I thought coming home would be comfortable, but it’s just uncomfortable.

I need to return quickly.

**

After returning to Earth, I spent a day meticulously removing the evil energy and then visited the laboratory.

I had received word that the Doctor was in the lab.

And Silvia was there too.

She was watching the creation of her Device with interest, and when I entered the lab in a suit, her eyes lit up.

“You were on a business trip? How was it?”

“It went well. What brings you here?”

“I started a new cycle recently, so I came by to exercise.”

“From the Ministry to here? That’s over 50 kilometers?”

“Perfect distance for exercise.”

Is she crazy about exercise…? It would take three hours by bike. Unbelievable.

I chuckled and looked at the Doctor sitting at the workbench.

She was fidgeting, holding back the urge to hug me, while keeping an eye on Silvia.

She even gave Silvia a glare. A ‘get lost’ kind of glare.

Did the Doctor’s wish come true? Silvia gave her a polite greeting and put on her helmet.

Then she tapped my shoulder and put on her shoes.

“Thanks as always.”

“Suddenly, what’s this about?”

“You came here to make the Device even though you must be tired from the business trip. Right?”

“Well, yes…”

“That’s why I’m thanking you. Take care.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

Silvia nodded and was about to leave the lab when she stopped.

She turned around and whispered to me.

“Contact Adeline. She’s really upset.”

“I told her I was on a business trip… I’ll do that.”

Silvia smiled dryly and soon left the lab.

As soon as the lab door closed, the Doctor got up and ran to hug me.

She strode over, put her arm around my shoulder, wrapped her legs around my waist, and planted deep kisses on my neck.

I supported her butt and went to her lounge, sitting on the bed.

“It’s only been two days, and you’re making such a fuss. We talked on the phone yesterday. Calm down.”

“I missed you… What did Silvia say before she left?”

“Just said to take care.”

“I see… Oh, and I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you learning the Bible from Adeline lately?”

That Silvia… She’s got a loose tongue.

Well, she didn’t say not to tell, so it’s not fair to criticize her, and the Doctor would have found out eventually, so let’s move on.

“I’m just curious about religions from other planets. It’s interesting.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re just learning the Bible…”

“What do you mean?”

“Silvia said it. That you and Adeline get along really well. That you like each other…”

The Doctor’s eyes were burning and trembling at the same time.

As if consumed by jealousy.

I scoffed and denied it outright.

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Really…? A misunderstanding?”

“Yeah. Why don’t you ask Adeline directly?”

“I did. I asked her what she thinks of Jihyuk.”

At that moment, my back went cold.

She asked…? Really…?

I need to stay calm.

“So what did Adeline say?”

“She just said he’s a good person.”

I sighed inwardly.

Adeline must have been too embarrassed to admit she likes me, so she just brushed it off.

That’s why the Doctor is only reacting this much.

Adeline is the best. Unlike Silvia, she does cute things.

I want to hug her right now.

“She didn’t say much.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you have morning sickness while I was gone?”

The Doctor chuckled and tapped my shoulder.

“It’s not that time yet.”

“True.”

Holding the Doctor’s waist, I slowly moved back and forth, estimating how much Aiter energy Silvia and Adeline could consume with three demons, including Amon.

Aloken was purified in one shot without even using his full power… But with three S-class demons, it should be a lot.

I’ll meet Adeline tomorrow and explain the Device charging method.

It’s time she learns about the mischievous nature of Aiter.

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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