Chapter 241

EP.241 Retainer Transformation #2

The sight of a once righteous person being tainted by my colors and falling into corruption is always beautiful.

In the case of the Doctor, she wasn’t transforming into an Evil Valkyrie but rather into a succubus like Marcella.

And the first signal of this transformation was the Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm, which had formed where her womb once was, emitted a dark light.

As if the Doctor’s heart was now turning pitch black.

Unlike Sehwa or Yuria, the Doctor’s transformation didn’t spread malice throughout her entire body.

A sign that she hadn’t fully adapted.

This was consistent with the fact that even as a demon, the Doctor’s available power had diminished.

If everything had gone according to Sehwa’s plan, the malice would have spread completely, but the Doctor kept bouncing around, so it didn’t.

But it didn’t matter. It was clear that she had reached a state where she could accept demonic power, and over time, she would grow stronger.

Just the fact that the Doctor, who had always been in the lab, was now on the front lines was satisfying enough.

The Doctor was looking at me with hazy eyes, as if she were intoxicated by drugs.

She seemed to be trying to find stability by looking at my calm face.

Then, her eyes completely closed, and she floated up into the air.

Soon after,

Ssssskrrrt-!

The flesh covering the Doctor’s shoulder blades tore apart, and long wings burst out.

They were the kind of wings that anyone would recognize as demonic, just like when I had corrupted Margaret, Yuria’s mother.

The wingspan, now fully extended, easily exceeded two meters.

The tips of the wings lightly touched the walls on either side of the room.

The slightly blackish-red ends dripped blood from the torn flesh, grotesque enough to instill fear in anyone who saw them.

Of course, from my perspective, it was an incredibly beautiful sight.

Next was the tail.

The flesh above the tailbone bulged out, and with a weaker tearing sound than the wings, the tail emerged.

It was a long, pointed tail with a heart-shaped tip, exactly like Marcella’s.

The tail, as if it had a mind of its own, flexed and thrashed around the room, cutting through some objects before finally settling down.

Then, the skin.

As my demonic power infused into her, her already pale skin turned even whiter.

Like a naturally fair-skinned Irish person.

Next, her skin became more elastic, her nails grew sharp, and her fangs protruded, slightly covering her lower lip, marking the end of the transformation.

However, there was one last thing to check.

Hmm-!

The Doctor’s demonic body floated through the air and slowly approached me.

I gently held her, placing my arms under her back and knees, and examined her closed eyes.

‘Beautiful.’

The sight of the Doctor, now completely rejuvenated, was nothing short of breathtaking.

Her face looked like she was in her early twenties, but the exposed demonic traits and her figure added a seductive charm, and her naturally intellectual face made her appear slightly older.

Her short, curly hair also played a part, making her look like a seductive older sister in her mid-twenties.

As I absentmindedly examined the Doctor’s face, I noticed signs of her waking up and perked my ears.

“Mmm…”

Even her voice, as if she had just woken up, was dripping with allure.

Filled with satisfaction, I smiled brightly as the Doctor groggily opened her eyes.

I confirmed her crimson irises and vertical pupils.

With this, the Doctor had become a perfect demon.

Reborn as my retainer, forever bound to me, unable to leave.

“Ji… Hyuk… I…”

Still unfamiliar with her new state, the Doctor slurred her words and wrapped her arms around my neck.

Then, a *splat* sound came from my neck, followed by a stinging sensation as blood seeped out.

The Doctor, trying to adjust her posture using my neck as support, had pierced it with her nails.

Seeing this, the Doctor panicked and flailed.

But as I held her tightly, she quickly calmed down.

“Sorry… I’m sorry…”

She apologized repeatedly in a tearful tone.

I shook my head and said,

“It’s okay. How do you feel?”

“…Strange…”

That single word, “strange,” was filled with a myriad of emotions.

She must be feeling joy, unfamiliarity, and fear.

After all, she was aware that she, who had lived as a human, had now changed.

In fact, I was feeling something similar.

Her becoming my retainer signified many things.

Until now, I had been acting freely, but I still drew some lines.

I had been moving secretly, keeping an eye on the Doctor, who could be considered the head of the headquarters.

But not anymore.

With the Doctor now in a high position, I could move the World Union as I pleased, and the same went for other countries.

I had gained control over the entire planet.

Of course, I still had to be careful until Adeline fell, but my range of action had expanded beyond imagination.

The Demon Realm was a bit unstable… but if I could turn Adeline into an Evil Valkyrie, it would stabilize again.

Next, I would corrupt Stella and Silvia, then clean up the Demon Realm before heading to the Celestial Realm to fight the final boss, Rosario.

After that, I would defeat Rosario and make her my subordinate, then take control of the entire universe.

The process wouldn’t be smooth.

But with the Doctor and Marcella, two geniuses, by my side, and with the Evil Valkyries, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

I believed that.

“Something… feels like power is overflowing… my back feels heavy… are these wings…? I think I have a tail too…”

“Yeah. Do you want to get rid of them?”

“No… not that… but it seems like it’ll be inconvenient to live like this…”

The Doctor was being extremely practical.

Unlike Sehwa and Yuria, who had shown natural adaptation after their corruption, the Doctor, who had been an ordinary human, was struggling to adapt to being a demon.

Her demeanor made me laugh, and after chuckling for a while, I said while fixing her hair,

“You can hide them like Marcella.”

“Really…? How?”

“Now that you’re my retainer, you can use my demonic power. Once you learn how to use it, transformation won’t be a problem. I’ll put you down for now.”

“Okay…”

“If you feel like you’re going to fall, grab onto me.”

Seeing the Doctor nod slowly, I carefully moved my arms diagonally to let her feet touch the ground.

As I slowly let go, the Doctor bent her upper body and stretched her arms out to the sides.

It was an action to maintain balance, conscious of her large wings.

Her four-dimensional appearance made me chuckle again, and I continued,

“How is it?”

“I… I don’t know… it’s too unfamiliar…”

“It’s because you still have your human habits. You’ll adapt gradually, so don’t worry.”

I took four steps back and stretched out my arms toward the Doctor.

“Walk over to me.”

At my words, the Doctor swallowed hard and took a step.

Step by step, she wobbled like a child taking their first steps.

Each time, her wings fluttered, creating a strange sensation.

Finally, when she reached me, she almost fell forward into my arms.

“Haah… Haah…”

Her heavy breathing from being so nervous was cute.

Her rejuvenated face… it felt like seeing a different side of her.

I patted her back and said,

“You did well. Just keep practicing slowly like this.”

“Okay…”

“Let’s go out now. We need to greet Sehwa and Yuria, and have Marcella check your condition.”

“Yu… Yuria was… mad at me…”

“That was just an act. Now, she’ll treat you more kindly than anyone else. I guarantee it.”

Reassured by my confident words, the Doctor buried her face in my shoulder.

I picked her up and left the room.

**

As expected, Yuria was very friendly toward the now demonic Doctor.

She complimented her new appearance, saying she was very beautiful, and even offered to stick by her side to help her adapt and teach her how to use demonic power.

Yuria’s attitude was completely natural.

Even after her corruption, she had warmly embraced Marcella and the other demons.

Sehwa also approached the Doctor more kindly than when she had been coaxing her before.

The Doctor, overwhelmed by the warm reception, was confused but soon happily enjoyed their hospitality.

Afterward, I took the Doctor, who was still having trouble moving, to the infirmary, where Marcella was waiting with bright eyes.

She looked at the Doctor, now a succubus like herself, as if she were her own sister.

It made sense. They had gone from being the only succubus to being two.

The Doctor, instinctively sensing a familiar aura from Marcella, smiled at her with eyes full of goodwill.

I postponed their reunion and laid the Doctor down on a medical device, carefully checking her condition with Marcella.

The most important thing was the child.

I was worried that the Doctor’s body reconstruction might have put a strain on the child.

Despite repeated simulations, I was still concerned, but fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

The results were completely normal. The Doctor’s body showed no abnormalities.

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes. The Doctor has transformed very naturally. I think it’s thanks to Your Majesty’s precise control.”

“Right.”

“Should we… leave now?”

Leave? Ah… she must think I’m going to hold the Doctor.

Of course, I will. To celebrate the monumental event of her becoming a demon, we should naturally embrace and intertwine.

But adaptation comes first. I shook my head and said,

“First, she needs to move naturally. Sehwa, Yuria, and you should help her a lot.”

“Then, Your Majesty…”

“I need to return to Korea. Contact me when she’s well adapted. And it wouldn’t be bad to resume the research we’ve been putting off.”

“Are you referring to the Aiter replication research?”

“Yes.”

With the Divine Power weakening the Demon Realm’s influence, relying solely on Adeline was too risky.

It was right to prepare multiple contingency plans in case something happened.

Now that the Doctor, who had done the most Aiter research, had become family, the research would accelerate.

Even if it wasn’t a perfect replication, if we could create something similar and control it at will, forming an army wouldn’t be impossible.

The ultimate goal of the Aiter replication research was to supply warriors from the abundant humans on Earth.

They would be much more useful than those who bite their master when their influence wanes.

They would also be a great help when fighting the Celestial Realm.

Now that we’re almost halfway there, let’s steadily plan for the future.

“Understood.”

“And since the Doctor will be coming to the headquarters or Korea often, think of a way to safely and effectively conceal the child’s demonic energy. I’ll go erase the demonic energy. Take good care of her when she wakes up so she doesn’t feel anxious.”

“Of course.”

“I trust you.”

I ruffled Marcella’s hair and, seeing her legs give way, chuckled and left the infirmary.

Afterward, I took a portal back to the Doctor’s house in Korea, took the medicine Marcella had prepared, and opened the window wide.

The wind was chilly, perhaps because winter was approaching.

Sitting on the sofa, I let out a long sigh.

It feels like one chapter has ended, and a new, chaotic chapter has begun.

We need to navigate this transitional period well to make future tasks easier.

Hmm-!

As I rested, staring at the ceiling with no thoughts, I received a text from Adeline and smirked.

[Ji Hyuk, when are you coming? (｡•́︿•̀｡) Today? Tomorrow?]

After a brief pause, I replied.

[I just got on a plane, why the sad emoji? Is something wrong?]

[I want to talk face to face. Please come quickly…]

Something must have happened with Silvia.

Her voice didn’t sound good during our call yesterday, so it seems things went as planned.

It doesn’t seem like the full-blown fight I wanted, but… I’ll find out when I get there.

[I’ll contact you as soon as I arrive.]

[I miss you.]

This Demon King also misses you, Adeline.

I’ll just erase the demonic energy and go.

[Me too.]

---