Chapter 25 – Alice (3)

The moment of parting always comes suddenly. It was like that when I first experienced a breakup. There were definitely moments that were heartbreaking enough to be called parting, even while moving houses and living as slaves several times.

It was probably the third owner. The master who took me in had about three other slaves besides me, but a neighbor who coveted his property was falsely accused of being a devil worshiper and thrown into the pit. The scream of the owner who was thrown alive is still vivid in my ears.

In that house, there were about three people my age who were slaves at the time. We all worked together on the farm and lived in harmony, but we scattered apart without even having time to promise the day we would meet again. No other children had the same luck as I did, so they were all probably dead.

“Goodbye?”

So I hated parting. Because people who were separated once in slavery really never had a chance to meet again. The people who were kind enough to pass me by, the girl who helped me when I was immature and promised to do well together, and the owner who took pity on me as an orphan.

“Huh. Goodbye. ‘Cause I’m a wandering devil I don’t stay in one place for long.”

And now, the devil was laughing and saying goodbye to me. I shook my head and asked.

“Can I not go?”

Even to myself, it was a way of speaking that sounded like a fool. Even though I have no right to restrict her movements, I wanted her to be tied to me. The devil seemed to find my question quite cute. Because I laughed and shook my head.

“No. Say no. Huh? Are you a good devil now? A demon that can stand alone doesn’t need a protector. You corrupted a priest, and you got two women who love you, right?”

“I am still a demon that is lacking. There are many things I don’t know, and I don’t know what to do.”

The devil looked right at me. I really didn’t know what to do now. Can I stick to this mansion and live comfortably? Does it really not have to be stronger? If there are many devils like me in the world, shouldn’t I also increase my strength and increase my power?

“Then, before we part for the last time, should I give you some advice?”

Even if I tried to settle down in reality, unknown anxiety continued to torment me. I nodded coldly at the devil’s suggestion. Even if I tell her not to go, she will leave.

The devil sat on her window sill and stared at me. And she asked me

“Evan. What do you want to do What kind of demon do you want to become in the future? Do you want to become a very evil demon and rule the world? Or do you want to live a quiet life in this mansion?”

“I am…”

Of course, I wanted to live a quiet life. The story of ruling the world or staining it with evil was too big a story for me. I just wanted to live a normal life where I would fuck pretty girls who came to town in small ways or have orgies with my girls.

Even if I didn’t answer, the devil seemed to hear the answer from his expression. With her wry smile, she shook her head and said firmly.

“Do you really want to live quietly in a mansion? Evan. Let me give you one piece of advice. More than a demon. There is no option to live quietly. Eliminating obstacles one by one is just a stopgap. No matter how much you avoid the priest or run away from the threats of the world. All demons will come to a crossroads in life someday. Become a servant of a stronger devil. Either die.”

It meant that even if I lived quietly, someday demons would come to me and try to take everything from me. Just listening to it gave me a headache. I didn’t like that I got out of slavery and gained strong power. From the moment I gained demonic power, I was engaged in some invisible conflict. It’s just that, until now, the blade was deflecting and I didn’t notice it.

“It is absurd. That kind of thing.”

“That is the devil’s life. Making more subordinates, making stronger subordinates to become the strongest in the demon realm. It is the goal all demons seek. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want that kind of life. Someone who wants to become a stronger, higher-ranking demon will definitely find you.”

“When you face a demon like that, you have to make a choice.”

“Yes. Would you give your all and become a servant? Defeat the devil and you rise to a higher position.”

“Then what should I do? How am I supposed to be strong?”

“First of all, wouldn’t it be better to get out of this narrow place and look around various places to broaden your knowledge? If you stay in a small area, it’s good to avoid the eyes of other demons, but you can’t grow your strength that much. If you go far, you may encounter other demons, but you can absorb more people’s spirits. Evan. Your strength can be strengthened by taking women as servants, absorbing men’s spirits, and consuming demons weaker than you.”

If you stay in this village, you will one day be caught and humiliated. I could have had my women taken away and gone back to being a slave. After all, the world was all about power. Especially for demons, nothing was more important than strength.

“Evan. What would you do?”

Will I live like a slave again and save my life? Will you continue to grow stronger and become stronger? I had no choice. Because I knew better than anyone the misery of slavery. The devil laughed as if he knew what my answer would be.

I gave her the answer she was waiting for.

“I will become stronger. I will become stronger, so that no one can ignore me, and I will make more women.”

“Okay. It should be.”

The devil nodded his head and flapped his wings. I could see that it was really time to part. She seemed to be going back as quietly as she had come. I said.

“And then.”

The demon turned around and looked at me again.

“Huh?”

“After that, can we meet again? If I become a very strong demon and become famous in the demon world, will we be able to meet again?”

I have never met the people I broke up with again. So I wanted to make an appointment. Promise to meet again. Expect to be waiting. The longing and joy that will come like a wave when we meet again. I asked that question, longing for things I had never felt.

And she.

“Of course. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Of course, he nodded, saying that we would meet again. Her purple skin and red eyes shimmered brightly, and her wings fluttered beautifully. The color of her hair caught the light of the night sky and shone a dark blue.

I said.

“Please tell me your name. We can meet again.”

The devil took his foot off the window sill. The sound of flapping wings overshadowed the sound of insects. The demon was laughing, putting his index finger to his mouth. Stepping away, she said in a low voice.

“Release.”

Release.

“Release.”

When I called her name once more, she was nowhere to be seen in the night sky. As if in a dream, she just disappeared.

*****

“It’ll turn out okay. Evan.”

Next day. Morning. We sat in the parlor looking neat. Isabel held my hand and comforted me, and Elena set down the teacup in front of us nervously.

The day after I broke up with Lilith, I had to face another problem before I had time to put my emotions together.

It was because I had to convince Alice, who was against marrying Isabel. Isabel seemed to believe that Alice would understand her because she was a very kind child, but I felt that Alice was not going to back down easily, which gave her a headache.

Moreover, she had to worry about how to live as a demon from now on, which made her head hurt.

After organizing her thoughts, how rationally and rationally would Alice oppose our marriage? Is it possible for me to go out alone to another area and increase my power? We waited for Alice to come in, suppressing the irritation and anxiety that grew at the mere thought of it.

“Alice.”

The door opened, and Alice entered. Her hair was still braided and she was dressed as a government official. Her face was pale, as if she hadn’t slept the night before, and the corners of her mouth were drooping, as if she was carrying all the world’s misfortunes on her own.

Isabelle wiggled her fingers and looked at Alice, who scratched her head and sat down.

As if Elena did not want to be in this suffocating drawing room, she poured her tea from the kettle and then often tried to walk out.

“There is also her sister. Why are you leaving?”

However, Alice stopped her as if Elena should not be immersed in important conversations between her family members. She was considerate of Elena, who had worked in the mansion for a long time, as her family, but Elena’s expression was not very welcoming.

I felt the same way, so I turned her head away and exhaled. Elena sat down too, but her silence did not end. Only the wiggling of her fingers and the rustling of her fabric could be heard in her silent drawing room.

“I’ve been thinking.”

When Alice broke her silence, she continued her speech in a calmer tone than I expected.

“I think mom and I need some time to organize our thoughts.”

“Huh. Okay. Alice. You should also organize your thoughts…”

Alice’s gaze turned to me.

“This person. I’ll take you to the academy for a while.”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Alice. Alice added, blinking her eyes.

“Wait a minute, I wish Mom could get away from this person and give her time to reason. I think, right now, my mom is so hard and lonely that she is thinking about getting married in a hurry. I’ll take you to the academy as my employee, so think about it calmly for just one semester. If you want to get married even after thinking about it a little farther away, then I won’t stop you.”

While Elena and Isabel looked at me with surprised faces, I covered my mouth and thought.

Academy.

Are there many women there?