Chapter 22
“I-I’m just an ordinary person!”
Had she been found out?
Runi clutched the hem of her skirt with one hand and tightened her shawl with the other.
She had no idea why this child had followed her, but maybe—just maybe—she could bluff her way through it because the girl was still young…
“An ordinary person?”
Ariel gave a cold laugh.
Her sword lifted the edge of Runi’s skirt.
And there, a leg covered in black scales was revealed.
“Do ordinary people grow scales on their bodies? That’s a new one to me.”
She wasn’t headed to see the Duke after all.
The coldness in Ariel’s gaze as she looked at Runi’s altered body reminded her exactly of Duke Clasta.
Is she the Duke’s daughter? But I heard he’s still unmarried… What do I do? Should I just run—
Runi swallowed hard.
…Can I even run away?
The girl was far younger than her.
If they had met on the street, she could’ve easily shoved her aside and run.
But the moment she saw Ariel’s red eyes, she froze like a frog in front of a snake.
Her trembling hand released the shawl, which slipped off her shoulders.
Ariel’s gaze followed the falling shawl.
Now!
Runi took that chance and tried to shove Ariel away and bolt—but Ariel didn’t budge an inch.
Instead, she pinned Runi down by the stomach with her arm.
“Ugh!”
What kind of kid is this strong…?!
It felt like hitting a brick wall.
“If you won’t talk, can I interpret things however I want?”
The sword in Ariel’s hand glowed a cold blue.
It was unfair.
What had she even done wrong?
It had been months since the black scales started appearing on her body.
How long was she supposed to live like this?
Why did she have to lose her job, live like this, and now—die like this—because of that bastard?
With rage and desperation, Runi gritted her teeth and shouted.
“Fine, kill me!”
Ariel narrowed her eyes at her.
“Just kill me! Do it! Ever since these scales started growing, I haven’t been able to go out like a normal person! I got fired from work ages ago! It’s been months since I’ve seen my friends or my parents! I’m sick of living like this, so just do it already!”
Ariel silently stared at her.
Runi panted as she glared back.
Suddenly, the pressure pinning her down disappeared.
“This isn’t quite what I was expecting.”
Ariel sheathed her sword.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
The woman’s body was thickly saturated with the power of darkness.
Ariel had caught a glimpse of it when the shawl and skirt flared up as she ran.
That… those are signs of someone in the middle of transforming into a demon.
The Evil Dragon had once been obsessed with researching monsters.
He always wondered what lay beyond the Gate of Darkness, how monsters were made.
After endless research, the Evil Dragon finally discovered the truth.
Beyond the Gate lay a sea of dark power—and monsters were simply animals or plants corrupted by that power.
And then he had a thought.
What would happen if a human was tainted by the same power?
Not just wield it—what if humans could be turned into monsters?
Anyone else would have laughed at the idea.
But the gods had foolishly gifted the Evil Dragon with a brilliant mind—and eventually, his research succeeded.
The skin of an ordinary man turned scaly and black. His muscles swelled like balloons.
In less than an hour, the man was no longer human—he had become a monster.
The Evil Dragon had looked at his creation and said,
“Well now. It seems I’ve created something truly incredible.”
Unlike other monsters, this one could think. It could speak. And unlike humans, it was unimaginably strong.
Thus, the experiment succeeded, and the Evil Dragon named his new creations demons.
The Evil Dragon is dead, and no one should know about those experiments.
He had written his research notes using a special method.
Only he—and his blood relatives—could read them.
So then, how…? Who did this?
My mind swirled with questions.
I was now sitting inside Runi’s house, glancing around.
It was so dark that I couldn’t even make out her face properly. There were no mirrors or reflective surfaces anywhere.
“Sorry, it’s kind of messy,” she said.
“It’s fine.”
Runi awkwardly smiled when she noticed my eyes drifting to the thick curtains.
“I’m afraid someone might see me.”
I hadn’t even touched the orange juice she offered. I just kept staring at her.
“Can I check your condition?”
“Mm, just a second.”
She switched on the light and slowly took off her hat.
In the dim light, her face gradually came into view.
Black scales dotted her sunken cheeks like those of a lizard.
Her face wasn’t the worst part.
Her legs, where the scales had first appeared, were now covered in swollen, blistered skin.
These are the exact same symptoms I saw when someone took the Evil Dragon’s potion.
They were the signs of turning into a demon.
But something’s off.
If she had taken that potion, she wouldn’t still look human. She would’ve fully transformed in an hour.
“Who did this to you?”
Her expression darkened.
“There was this guy… who kept following me.”
“What?”
“He worked with a merchant group I was in. We used to talk sometimes. One day, he confessed. I told him I wasn’t interested, but he wouldn’t stop following me. So I asked my brother to pretend to be my boyfriend.”
She gave a bitter laugh.
“Then he disappeared for a while. I thought it was over. But when he showed up again… he looked strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like me now. No—worse. His skin was pitch black. His arms looked like they were going to burst. I knew something was wrong, so I tried to run. But he was too fast. Not human.”
So he was already partly transformed.
“And then he forced me to take some kind of medicine. Said if he couldn’t have me, no one else could… That bastard.”
“And you’ve been like this ever since?”
“Yeah. It started with just a few scales on my leg. But they kept spreading, then blisters formed… Now look at me.”
Runi rolled up her sleeve, revealing a mottled, grotesque arm.
“Do you remember his name? Or what he looked like? Anywhere you might find him?”
Maybe he was one of the Evil Dragon’s former followers—someone who survived.
If so, he had to be killed.
He was garbage that should’ve never been allowed to live.
Obsessed with a woman who said no, and when she refused—he tried to turn her into a monster?
He was beyond redemption.
“I don’t know where he is. But he comes by sometimes. Says he’ll give me more medicine if I obey him… or else I’ll fully become a monster.”
Tears welled in Runi’s eyes.
“H-Hey, don’t cry.”
I quickly grabbed some tissues and wiped her eyes.
But then she broke down sobbing.
“I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’m tired of obeying his threats. I’m tired of living like this. I just want to die.”
She clutched my arm, pleading.
“You know what this is, don’t you? You know how to cure it? I’ll do anything—anything—please…”
I hurriedly stopped her as she tried to kneel.
Instead, I held her hand tightly.
“Don’t do that. I’ll help you. I’ll find a way to get your body back to normal.”
Her eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t know how well the antidote will work…”
The potion the man used seemed different from the Evil Dragon’s. I wasn’t sure if the antidote I knew would be effective.
Even if it’s not, I’ll make it work.
Runi’s entire future depended on it.
I’ll use everything I remember from the Evil Dragon’s experiments to figure this out.
Suddenly, Runi threw her arms around me.
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”
I hadn’t done anything yet.
“You’re the first person who’s ever offered to help me. I was seriously going to kill myself this time…”
Her tears soaked into my shoulder.
I gently stroked her hair.
“You help people who are in danger.”
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
“Help me! I’m sorry! I’ll be good! I’ll do whatever you say, just please don’t—! It hurts! Please! Someone! Anyone—please help me!”
Back then, I desperately wanted someone to save me.
When I finally escaped the lab, the Evil Dragon sent pursuers to hunt me down.
I had no idea where to go.
I just ran—anywhere—so long as it wasn’t back to that hell.
But after days without sleep, I was dizzy and starving. I collapsed, helpless, as a monster crept toward me.
At that point, I didn’t even wish for help anymore.
No one had ever answered my screams before.
And then—something miraculous happened.
The monster’s body split in two.
A man stepped through the gore and looked at me.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
It was the first time someone had ever helped me.
I admired him. I loved him. I would’ve done anything for him.
And I wanted to become someone who could help others too.
Well, until Rigan killed me, anyway.
But that didn’t mean I wanted to destroy the world like the Evil Dragon.
“Come on, no more crying.”
“Sniff… o-okay.”
Runi sniffled.
“Geez, don’t cry.”
I wiped her face with my sleeve.
Then, with a bright smile, I said,
“First things first—let’s deal with that rotten bastard.”
