“...You crazy bastards.”
Kyle's cheek, marred with small scratches, was a testament to the shockwaves generated from my clash with Samuel.
Caught in the crossfire of our sudden brawl, Kyle had lost his mind, screaming in terror.
Ever since then, he'd been sulking, cheeks puffed out, his entire being radiating resentment.
I offered him a faint smile.
“Come on, don't be mad. What was I supposed to do? My hand slipped out of sheer joy.”
“Has the world gone mad? What is this, the era where you resort to violence when you’re in a good mood?”
“... .”
He had a point.
I was undeniably the guilty party in this situation, my lips clamping shut, unable to retort.
As Kyle continued to fume, Miriam, materializing from thin air, intervened.
“Please calm down, I’m sure Samuel and Adel didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“...G-Goodness. So…large.”
Kyle stammered, eyes fixated on Miriam.
I tilted my head, puzzled.
‘What’s gotten into him?’
Kyle seemed frozen in place, and Samuel, equally clueless about Kyle's strange behavior, blinked in confusion.
“There’s not a single sane person around you, is there?”
“...Don’t tell me.”
It dawned on me why Miriam had flustered Kyle so.
The man had a known penchant for young girls, leaving him utterly defenseless against mature women.
One look at Miriam, and he’d turned into a stammering mess.
Clicking my tongue in disapproval, I turned to Samuel, ignoring Kyle.
“So, how much stronger have you gotten?”
“I could ask you the same. Are you truly trying to become a monster?”
Our recent exchange had given us both a rough gauge of each other’s strength.
I’d assumed that having consumed Crete’s body would make me overwhelmingly powerful, but I was sorely mistaken.
By reclaiming his body and gaining the power of the magic book, Samuel had already transcended his previous limits.
Our clash had given me a taste of his newfound strength – he was easily among the strongest in Sytan.
‘If I had to guess, only Baltan, Diana, and maybe Fron could hold a candle to him.’
To be clear, I wasn’t saying I was weaker than Samuel.
In terms of raw power at this moment, I still held the upper hand, and by a significant margin.
However, Samuel’s talent was overflowing, boundless.
The thought of him potentially surpassing me one day lingered in my mind.
It meant I had to become even stronger, faster.
I couldn't allow myself to be overtaken.
“I thought it would be a decent fight…”
Samuel muttered, and I couldn’t help but scoff internally.
‘The audacity.’
I had faced and overcome life-or-death situations far more perilous than anything Samuel had experienced.
And here he was, talking about catching up.
Of course, he had no idea what I’d been through.
‘Well, this should be interesting.’
What kind of expression would Samuel make when I told him everything that had transpired? A sly grin crept onto my face.
“...What’s with that creepy smile?”
“It’s nothing.”
Scoff-.
As Samuel frowned, I quickly averted my gaze.
Just then, Miriam clapped her hands, drawing our attention.
“Have you two eaten?”
“Ah, n-not yet…”
Kyle stuttered, his face lighting up as he addressed Miriam.
I couldn’t help but click my tongue again.
‘Is there any woman this guy doesn’t like?’
His behavior was far worse than I had imagined, and I let out a sigh, unable to hide my disappointment.
‘And this guy calls himself my comrade…’
Still, his skills were undeniable, and he had his moments of competence.
I decided to let it slide for now.
However, a nagging thought persisted – would he betray us for a pretty face if a war broke out with the humans?
'Though, I doubt the humans would have anyone who could seduce a half-demon.'
Swoosh-.
Miriam embraced Kyle from behind.
“Then let’s go eat!”
“She…she touched me…”
Tsk.
'Disgusting pig.'
I shot Kyle a look of utter disdain and followed Miriam.
She led us to the same kitchen where we had eaten with Samuel before.
I took in my surroundings as we walked, noticing the stark difference.
“You’ve cleaned up nicely,” I remarked to Samuel.
“Hmph, this is nothing to me. I won't tolerate a single insect in my domain.”
“Isn’t there a giant cockroach right there? Shouldn’t you exterminate it too?”
“...Right, I should deal with that later.”
Samuel and I exchanged glances, both picturing Kyle as the vermin in question.
There was a time I’d considered him somewhat admirable after witnessing his dedication to his sister, but now, he made me want to retch.
'Was he always this pathetic?'
Perhaps being separated from his sister for so long had warped him.
Originally, Kyle would have joined the humans during the midterm exams and reunited with her.
However, my interference had prevented that.
'Wait, this might be my fault.'
'Well, whatever.'
It didn’t change the fact that Kyle was utterly spineless.
“We’re here!”
We arrived at the kitchen, and the tantalizing aroma wafting from within made my mouth water.
“Did you prepare all this knowing we were coming?” I asked.
“Don't be ridiculous. I only sensed you when you were near the temple entrance. I simply chose to devote my time to cooking since there’s nothing better to do here.”
In other words, Samuel, bored out of his mind, had poured his heart and soul into cooking, and we happened to show up at the perfect time.
'Lucky us.'
I pulled out a chair and picked up a fork and spoon.
Samuel chuckled, watching me, before taking his own seat.
Once everyone was settled, I turned to Samuel.
"Say, Samuel, don't you owe me an apology?"
"An apology? What for?"
"Oh, come on."
I frowned, scooping a spoonful of soup into my mouth.
'Mmm.'
'As delicious as ever.'
Perhaps my silence was mistaken for anger, as Samuel pressed me for an answer.
"Are you saying I have something to apologize for?"
"Hmph, I haven't forgotten."
"Forgotten what?"
"The flock!"
Twitch.
Samuel froze, my words hitting their mark.
Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he avoided my gaze.
He knew he was in the wrong, unable to offer any excuse.
'Hmph.'
'Adel's still upset.'
I resumed eating my soup, ignoring him.
"S-Sorry."
'What was that?'
I couldn't quite hear him.
"I'm sorry. I'll be sure to let you know next time…"
"Fine. I'll let it slide this once."
He was apologizing, so I couldn't stay mad forever.
'Just be more careful next time.'
Samuel’s curiosity got the better of him, and he asked how I had managed to deal with the flock.
"How did you even survive? I haven't heard a single screech from those birds since you arrived."
"Oh, Crete took care of them."
"The Lord of Bares?"
"Yes. He wiped them all out in an instant when he saw me being chased."
"...As expected of him."
Crete, the demon who had effortlessly eradicated Samuel's biggest headache.
It made me realize just how powerful he had been.
'Could I ever hope to surpass him?'
There was no way to know for sure, but I wouldn't know unless I tried.
As if reading my thoughts, Samuel said,
"You seem different. You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
"...You could say that. Would you like to hear about it?"
"I have plenty of time."
"Me too! I want to hear!"
Miriam and Samuel both set down their spoons, eager to listen.
'Well then.'
Taking a deep breath, I recounted everything I had experienced, the events that had unfolded around me.
And when I was finished…
"...I see."
"Hmm..."
Miriam's eyes drooped with sympathy, while Samuel massaged his temples.
Silence descended upon the kitchen.
Finally, Samuel broke the silence.
"The deaths of the Lords of Bares and Laurel… the scales have tipped drastically in favor of the humans."
"Indeed."
"But it's too early to despair. Ms. Fron, Laurel's successor, has inherited his full power. And Rene, the youngest daughter of Bares, still lives. Their lineage isn't truly extinguished."
He paused, lost in thought for a moment, before continuing.
"Something big is going to happen soon. It's practically guaranteed. A calamity will befall the Demon Realm."
"..."
Samuel seemed to have an inkling of the impending second Great War.
With the balance of power so heavily skewed towards the humans, there was no reason for them to leave the Demon Realm unchecked.
They were bound to see this as an opportunity and attack.
"So, why are you here?"
Samuel cut straight to the chase. I gestured towards Kyle.
"I need you to make him stronger. He seems to have some talent for magic. You'll find him easy to teach."
"Very well."
To my surprise, Samuel agreed readily. However, my relief was short-lived. He added a condition.
"But in exchange, you will learn magic from me as well."
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