~Chapter 42~
Prick.
Feeling the sting in my palm, I looked down and realized I had been clenching my fist so tightly that my short nails had dug into my skin.
Shipon let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding and began breathing roughly.
Leaning pale-faced against the wall, she lowered her head.
‘As I thought… my lady and those two are…’
When Denver had talked about raising a high-ranking monster, she hadn’t thought much of it.
She had really believed it was just a monster.
After all, monsters still existed somewhere even now.
And it wasn’t so strange to think there might be talking monsters among them.
Since Lady Esther was such a special and mysterious person—almost like a magician from a power that had now disappeared—Shipon thought it was possible.
“Well, that ignorant demon must have scared you again… but here’s some advice: don’t let us see that you’re afraid.”
But just now, the boy had said it. Demon. And to not let them see her fear.
“We” like “humans’” emotions far too much, he had said.
“Demon race…”
Shipon covered her mouth with both hands.
Her master had never once told her anything about herself.
She never said what she liked or disliked—not in words.
Everything Shipon knew had been guessed from observation.
She’d just thought Esther was unusual… a special existence.
But now…
Shipon’s face darkened.
‘…If such frightening demons call her “the noble one,” then just what…’
Just what kind of being was Lady Esther?
That little girl who could handle, tease, and trouble such terrifying beings without batting an eye—what exactly was she?
Shipon stayed frozen in place, unable to move for a while.
***
“You came back without eating her? How unusual, Demon Beast.”
“What? If I ate her, the master would be furious. She’s a human the master actually likes, you know.”
Leaning against the reception room door, Laxa spoke as Ross came walking lightly toward him.
“No matter how stupid a human may be, she must have figured out what we are by now. Are you sure we should just leave her be?”
“Hmm. If she betrays us, we can punish her then. It’s just one human.”
Ross answered innocently, his expression pure.
“By the way, does the noble one have a guardian?”
“Yeah, her father’s still alive. She has lots of family too.”
“That’s good. Sounds like the conditions are in place for her to awaken as the Demon King.”
“They don’t get along very well, though.”
At Ross’s added comment, Laxa’s expression darkened slightly.
He rubbed his chin lightly, then spoke.
“That’s a bit inconvenient. It would be better to build a stronger bond. So that, on the great day that will soon come for the noble one, she will willingly offer her neck herself.”
Laxa smiled faintly.
Even in the dark, the two demons’ red eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
***
“What’s wrong with you that you can’t get up for two days straight?”
It was the unlucky Nigel who had come to visit.
Esther, in the middle of eating her first meal in two days, had to greet this uninvited guest with an annoyed face.
“Why is Uncle Naiman here?”
“I came because I have something to talk about.”
“Then why are you sitting at my table?”
“Well, do you think I’d have had breakfast already if I came out this early in the morning?”
She meant, why did he have to come at such an early hour in the first place?
Feeling like the conversation was going in circles, Esther stuffed meat into her mouth irritably.
“Careful with that. If the noble one hurts the inside of her mouth, this subordinate will feel very hurt.”
And there was one more irritating presence—
The annoying soul who had avoided reverse summoning by taking over another human’s body.
“What do you want? I’m busy, Uncle Naiman.”
“I was wondering… could you make one of those charms you mentioned?”
Charm?
Ah, right… she had said something like that before.
Seeing the wounds and bandages all over him, it was clear he’d been through some trouble.
The talk of charms explained everything—why he had come here so early in the morning.
Esther grinned.
‘A money source…? I can’t pass this up.’
Her eyes lit up with greed.
“But it takes a lot of time and energy to make, so it’s a little expensive!”
“Money…? Hey, between us, why—”
Esther blinked.
Between them? What “between”? They were less than strangers.
Sure enough, Nigel fell silent, probably guilty.
He rubbed the back of his neck a few times before speaking.
“How much?”
“Hmm… it’s expensive… Uncle Naiman, do you even have money?”
“…What do you take me for? I run a business, of course I have money!”
“Alright then.”
Esther smiled slyly.
“A seven-day charm is just ten million Mylon!”
“…Wh-what…?”
“It’s cheap, cheap!”
She threw her arms up innocently. Nigel’s jaw nearly dropped.
“You’re insane! Ten million Mylon isn’t some dog’s name—”
He jumped to his feet, voice raised. Esther calmly sipped orange juice and looked up.
“Nope, it is. My dog’s name is Ten Million Mylon.”
“Liar! Since when do you even have a dog?! You were holed up in the attic until recently like an idiot!”
Laxa narrowed his eyes. Without being noticed, he snapped his fingers.
Woof woof!
Grrr, woof woof!
Outside the reception room, a dog barked fiercely. Nigel’s eyes widened.
“See? I have one.”
Esther smiled.
“Its name is Ten Million Mylon. If it has puppies, I’m naming them Twenty, Thirty, Forty Million.”
At that, Nigel fell silent, unable to respond. He gave a dry laugh and sat back down.
Crack—
Crash!
The moment he sat, the perfectly fine chair shattered, sending him sprawling to the floor.
A truly unlucky accident.
“…Well, if you don’t have money, I can do three days for five million Mylon, or one day for two million! So cheap, right?”
“…Don’t you have a permanent one? Why are they all temporary?”
“Hmm…”
Esther looked at him silently, then sighed and shook her head.
“So stubborn! So stubborn!”
“What are you talking about?”
“What’s stuck to you! There’s this much bad stuff!”
She spread her arms wide to show the size.
“…How many charms do I need?”
“Hmm… I’ll have to see the situation first!”
“Then… make me three days’ worth for now. I need to see if it works.”
“Alright! Pick it up tomorrow!”
“What? Not right now?!”
“…It takes a ton of power… but fine, since you’re Uncle Naiman, I’ll waive the extra fee. Just wait a few hours!”
“…Alright.”
Nigel nodded.
Feeling the matter settled, Esther held out both palms.
“What?”
“Money! Pay in advance!”
“….”
In the end, Esther got the money and left the dining room, yawning as she returned to her room and flopped onto the bed.
“Yawn… I’m going to sleep a bit more.”
“What about that human?”
At Laxa’s question, Esther paused under the covers.
“Hmm. Give it to him in about four hours. Tell him I collapsed from exhaustion.”
She scribbled something in red ink on a notebook page, tore it out, and handed it to him.
“A rune for curse nullification. Limited duration.”
Esther nodded.
It was a job that took less than a minute.
But when she thought about that guy, she decided it was worth putting him in his place so he wouldn’t mess with her again.
“To pull such a fine scam on such a foolish human—you already show the path of a great Demon King. Truly admirable, noble one.”
Why scamming with a cheap trick was admirable, Esther had no idea. She waved him away and burrowed deeper into the blankets.
“…Drop that weird title. Just call me Esther.”
“Yes, understood, Lady Esther. I, Laxa, will follow your command without fail.”
Esther nodded tiredly. Her magic still hadn’t fully recovered.
Laxa smiled faintly, closed the curtains, and quietly left the room.
‘To think she can even use runes… impressive.’
There are several types of magic—ordinary magic that gathers nature’s energy, black magic from death and darkness, dragon magic called dragon speech, magic drawn into circles, and finally, rune magic.
Most people master only one type. Even one is difficult enough, so few have time to learn others.
Only rare long-lived beings dabble in more than one.
Rune magic is the most difficult and complex—ancient script from long before the current world, possibly thousands of years old. Some say it was created when all races united to fight dragons.
It is so sensitive and precise that even a slight mistake means it won’t work—and it’s almost as powerful as dragons themselves.
But much of it has been lost, and almost no one knows it now.
Laxa smiled again and, when the time came, delivered the charm to Nigel.
When he returned to Esther’s room, she wasn’t alone.
“…Oh? I thought you’d have packed and run away. Unexpected.”
Laxa smirked as if amused.
