Chapter 84

Munch-munch.

Gulp.

It’s not like I eat souls for their taste, but each soul does have its own distinct flavor. The texture you feel when chewing, the sensation of swallowing—it varies from person to person.

The souls of those who lived virtuous lives are sweet and soft. The souls of those filled with malice are spicy and crunchy. In my past life, I preferred the spicy ones, but now? Now I lean toward the sweet ones—ever since meeting Saintess Maria, because I’ve set my ideal on “goodness.”

That’s why in this life, I haven’t committed a single evil deed. I want to become as kind and pure as a saint.

What do you mean, wasn’t everything I’ve done so far evil? How is that evil?

I killed my brothers, Leonard and Letavis, but they had already sinned against me first.

Frankenstein of the Southern Duke family… He was destined to stay locked away in a coffin for eternity anyway. Whether it was a prison or a coffin, I merely made better use of him.

Aru, the mutt… no, Langwang Aru, would’ve been dragged off by Lilith in the original timeline and subjected to brutal training that would’ve erased his personality, turning him into a perfect assassin. But under me, Aru gets to run free in the Demon Forest and live happily.

Beatrix, thanks to her contract with Lucifer, would’ve endured an agonizing existence of eternal suffering. I helped her realize her desires, and now she lives the life of both a knight and a warrior right by my side, something she always longed for.

Uriel? Yeah, I did bring about his downfall, but I only guided him to face the punishment for his sins. If anything, watching my journey might’ve given him the courage to rise above his past, so he’s practically redeemed.

Langwang Yohan? Ugh, don’t even get me started. Thanks to me, he got to read the letter left behind by Saintess Irolwel and even found himself a “comrade” he likes.

Even the mutant goblin I saved this time fits into the same logic.

You think the tragic hero Claire and his party only suffered because of me? True, they died because of me—but much earlier than they were supposed to in the original timeline.

Here’s the thing: what I did isn’t considered evil.

What defines evil? Isn’t it breaking laws and harming others? But in the lawless jungle of the Demon Forest, there are no rules except strength, wit, luck, and circumstance. The strongest, smartest, luckiest, and most opportunistic take everything. You can’t judge actions here using human laws and morals.

If I had sided with Claire’s party to kill the goblins, would anyone call that evil? Same principle applies here.

I saved one goblin, and during the process, I eliminated the adventurer party trying to kill us. If I hadn’t, we could’ve been injured—or worse, dead. So it doesn’t fall under “evil.”

Besides, I absorbed their souls too. It’s natural selection. We don’t consider hunting boars or rabbits as evil, right?

That’s why even the benevolent Langwang, who inherited Saintess Irolwel’s ideals, didn’t stop me. It was all perfectly natural.

Thinking back, I’ve really changed from my past life. Back then, I’d have caused chaos upon entering the Demon Forest, corrupting every beast I could find. But this time around, I’m doing good deeds, helping others. How exemplary am I? Once I establish communication with the saint, I’ll definitely brag about it.

With that thought in mind, I swallowed Claire’s soul. A new surge of power coursed through my body.

Satisfied, I wiped the corners of my mouth. Claire was dead but couldn’t close his eyes. A flicker of resentment lingered in his hollow gaze.

Whose resentment is this aimed at? The empire that sent him to his doom? Or me, who killed and consumed him? Either way, it’s meaningless. In the wild, all the weak and victims carry grudges, but the strong and perpetrators never acknowledge them.

After gently closing Claire’s eyes, I stood up and brushed off my suit collar. It was a shame it got stained with blood—it looked messy.

“M-m-my Lord?”

Just as I was waiting leisurely for someone to bring the goblin over, a woman’s voice called out from behind. It was my loyal knight, Beatrix.

“Sir Beatrix? How long have you been there? Did you bring the goblin I asked for?”

I turned around with a gentle smile. Could she have seen everything? Since I don’t know how long she’s been here, I should act calm.

“To be honest, I rushed here after worrying about leaving you alone with the hero. As for the goblin… if you order, I can go fetch him again right now.”

Beatrix bowed apologetically, but her sharp eyes stayed fixed on my throat.

Oh no, she saw.

“Is that so? Thank you for caring about me. There’s no need to go again. Besides, you’re injured. Just sit beside me.”

“A-ah, yes… I appreciate your kindness, my Lord.”

“Aww, you’re such a good girl. If only Aru listened as well as you do. Anyway, from now on, will you listen properly?”

“Y-yes?”

“It’s nothing. Sit here.”

I patted the spot next to me. Beatrix clutched her abdomen and limped over. My wounds healed instantly after absorbing souls, but she’s human, so recovery takes longer.

“Did any skin or flesh tear?”

“No, fortunately…”

“Minor internal injuries heal easily with rest, so don’t worry. Why have you been fidgeting since just now? Is there something you want to ask?”

“…”

“Speak freely. You’re not worried I’ll say ‘you know too much’ and kill you, are you? That’s unnecessary. I only punish betrayal, not curiosity.”

Questions lead to doubts, doubts to distrust, and distrust to dissatisfaction. It’s best to clear up any questions my subordinates have as soon as possible.

“What exactly did you just do?”

“What?”

“That… you took a round object from the hero’s body and ate it, correct?”

“Oh, that? Nothing special. That was the hero’s soul. You know what a soul is, right? Like the one used in ‘Spiritual Absorption’ practice.”

“A soul… surely you aren’t saying you ate the hero’s soul?”

“It was delicious. Sweet and tender, like perfectly cooked beef. Haha, just kidding. I have an ability where I can absorb another being’s power by consuming their soul. But I can only use it five times in my lifetime.”

“I’ve never heard of such an ability…”

“Well, the world is full of mysteries beyond comprehension. Anyway, I needed to grow stronger, so I absorbed the hero’s soul. Any problems with that?”

I smiled and waited for her response. After hesitating briefly, Beatrix answered.

“No problem. The key point is that my Lord has grown even more powerful, which I celebrate wholeheartedly.”

“Hehe, don’t you feel any disgust about eating human souls?”

“Weak become prey, strong become predators—that’s the natural order. Though I, as a human, may detest cannibalism, to my Lord as a demon, everyone is equal prey.”

“Thanks for understanding. Oh, and keep what you saw just now a secret. No need to tell others.”

“Yes, understood.”

Even while sitting down with an injury, Beatrix maintained proper knightly posture. Even though it must hurt her wound. She’s such a devoted knight.

I reached out and pinched her cheek. Beatrix remained expressionless.

“By the way, didn’t you say you wanted to ask me something earlier? You seemed hesitant.”

“Uh… w-w-well…”

“Go ahead and ask now. We have time. Better to get it out of the way now than waste time later.”

I released her stretched-out cheek. Beatrix, whose cheeks were now red, kept her hands neatly folded on her knees.

“My Lord… what is your ultimate goal?”

“My goal?”

“Yes, you’ve gathered allies like the Langwang, the emperor, the goblins, and even someone like me, storing power. Surely you must have something you desire, right? We’ve been together for 200 years, yet I still feel like I don’t truly understand you…”

“Everyone has their own goals, big or small. Even something as trivial as wanting to enjoy a nice dinner tonight counts. Naturally, I also have my own aspirations hidden deep within.”

“What is it… may I inquire?”

There’s nothing wrong with telling her.

“Hmm!”

“As you wish. There’s a human woman I genuinely love. Not just romantically, but deeply. I want to spend time with her, but there’s a great calamity looming soon.”

“A calamity…?”

“It exists. I’ll explain it all when the time comes. Anyway, my ultimate goal is to live together with that human woman. That’s why I’m growing stronger and gathering allies.”

Mentioning Saintess Maria directly, who hasn’t even been born yet, feels a bit awkward. She might realize I’m from the future. While regression isn’t necessarily a secret I need to hide, it’s best to keep my trump card to myself.

So I just said “human woman,” and Beatrix’s face turned bright red.

“That my Lord has feelings for someone… I never imagined…”

“I didn’t show it much.”

“May I know her name?”

“Oops, sorry, I’ll pass on that. No particular reason, just feels uncomfortable.”

“Ah, understood. I’m fine. Still, the fact that my Lord loves someone intrigues me as his knight.”

What exactly did you think of me before, huh? I’m clearly male.

Before I could tease her further, Aru, the emperor, and Uriel emerged from the forest. The emperor held the mutant goblin we saw earlier dangling from his hand.

While there were things like loyalty and growth in power, ultimately, the biggest gain from this incident was this goblin.

I stood up, stretching my arms wide.

“Welcome, goblin friend. Let’s start by picking a name for you.”

***

Meanwhile, as Oscar conversed casually with the mutant goblin…

Knight Beatrix, servant of demons, couldn’t focus on their conversation at all.

‘Who is this human woman my Lord loves…? Who could it be…’

Her thoughts raced wildly.

‘Yet, a human…? My Lord has lived in the Demon Forest for 300 years. For the last 200 years, I’ve never seen him associate with any other women besides our group…’

Her gaze fell upon the demon.

The white suit stained with red blood, the demon shaking hands with the mutant goblin.

‘Unless they made a transcendental contract like mine, any humans my Lord met before must already be dead… Yet he spoke of spending the future together… Could it be…?’

A sudden thought flashed through her mind.

‘Could it be someone from our group? Clearly, the emperor is out of the question. That leaves Aru, Uriel, and me… Uriel is an angel, not human, so he’s unlikely…’

Her heart began to race. It was a strange sensation she had never experienced before.

‘And the way my Lord treats Aru doesn’t seem purely platonic… C-could it be me!? Could my Lord love me…? T-the occasional pinches on my bottom… Could it have been out of affection…!’

In that moment, the knight’s gaze shifted from a loyal subordinate to a woman admiring a man.

***

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