Chapter 17: You Won’t Even Call Me “Dad”

Evelyn strode forward, pushing Cyril as she entered the small building.

This place belonged to one of the minor gangs within the Hundred-Eyed Palace, a gang that just so happened to have had some dealings with Evelyn in the past.

As they passed the stairwell, the few thugs leaning against the wall seemed to recognize Evelyn and immediately looked away.

Their movements were so abrupt that Evelyn almost worried they might snap their own necks.

Even so, Cyril still looked timid and hunched, clearly terrified of the vicious-looking people inside the building.

Evelyn had no idea what this guy was so afraid of. What a coward.

He certainly hadn’t been like this last night when he stood up and fought her to the death.

Come on, you’re a half-demon, aren’t you?

Not the cheap kind possessed by a demon and able to use a tiny fraction of borrowed power.

You’re the real deal—a genuine demon walking among humans, a living weapon.

If Cyril were to release his power and stand up from the wheelchair, the hundred or so gang members in this building wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

After all, Evelyn had already fought him once last night. She knew very well how terrifying his strength was.

In fact, the power he had released last night wasn’t even his true strength—he hadn’t unleashed his demonic true form at all.

Only by releasing their true form could demons bring out their full power.

If Cyril had released his true form from the very start last night, Evelyn honestly wasn’t confident she could have beaten him in a direct confrontation.

That was why she had bluffed her way through with a simple arm-wrestling game, winning through trickery rather than raw strength.

No matter how—so long as she beat him once—it would plant a seed in the mind of this timid high-ranking half-demon, a seed that told him Evelyn was unbeatable.

After that, she could quite naturally take control of Cyril’s mindset, ensuring he never even thought about resisting.

Even without using a blood contract’s command spell to order loyalty, she could rely on this kind of bluff to make him believe resistance was impossible.

It was like putting a chain on a puppy when it was young. By the time it grew strong enough to break free and even kill its owner, if the chain were suddenly removed, it would still stay within its old range, never thinking of rebellion.

Because in its heart, a chain still existed—one far stronger and harder to break than a real one.

In Evelyn’s previous life, this tactic had a very formal name: PUA.

That said, if she hadn’t successfully gotten into his head with verbal pressure during the arm-wrestling match, Evelyn suspected she might have only tied with Cyril in such a childish game—she probably couldn’t have beaten him outright.

In short, Evelyn now understood his nature very clearly.

Cyril in a wheelchair and Cyril standing on his feet were two completely different people. But even when standing, he was the kind who acted arrogant only in front of those weaker than himself.

At the very least, right now, he didn’t think he was stronger than Evelyn—so all he dared to do was be arrogant in his own head.

While Evelyn was thinking all this, the wheels of the wheelchair rolled up to a wooden door.

This was the office of her so-called “old friend.”

Only…

He didn’t seem to be here right now.

…

Shelby thought of himself as a big shot.

Even in the entire Hundred-Eyed Palace, Shelby believed he was a solid, well-known figure.

Back then, he had left the countryside alone to make it in the big city. One man, one knife—he fought his way through the dangers of the Hundred-Eyed Palace, rising from a nobody to the leader of his own gang.

He felt his legendary life could easily be turned into a bestselling novel.

He’d even thought up the title: Shelby: The Legendary Life of a Country Bumpkin.

He had also considered writing a memoir, but unfortunately, being from the countryside, he was illiterate.

Not just him—throughout his entire gang, anyone who could read a shop sign was considered an intellectual.

Still, Shelby believed he was close to reaching the peak of his career. When the time came, he’d spend some money, hire a few scholars to polish things up, and secure his place in history.

But fate had other plans.

Just as his career was about to reach its summit, he encountered the shadow he would probably never escape for the rest of his life.

A woman named Evelyn.

More precisely—a nun.

Before meeting her, Shelby had thought that aside from true powerhouses like the Razor Gang, who actually controlled the Hundred-Eyed Palace, he could walk these streets sideways without fear.

Until one day, three months ago, he ran into Evelyn while she was asking around about a firearms workshop.

That day, he learned something important.

The world was bigger than he thought.

And nuns could be terrifying.

Shelby swore that even in his next life, he might not meet a woman more frightening than Evelyn.

That nun was too scary—more terrifying than a demon.

What truly sent chills down his spine was that the nun had returned to the Hundred-Eyed Palace again this very morning.

Shelby didn’t know what she wanted, and he didn’t want to know.

All he knew was that she had sent him a message through one of his subordinates:

“If you can’t control your men, I can help—for a price. But next time, it won’t be something a single finger can settle…”

Shelby touched his right hand. When he’d heard that message earlier, his heart had skipped a beat.

Only a short stump remained of his little finger.

That was the lesson the madwoman had left him with three months ago.

Even now, phantom pain still lingered in that finger.

Back then, the nun had pointed a gun at his head and forced him to play a game.

A common card game—Blackjack.

Except they weren’t betting money.

They were betting fingers.

She had shoved both her hand and Shelby’s under a guillotine. Each loss made the blade fall, severing one finger from the loser.

Shelby lost.

After losing the little finger of his right hand, his reason collapsed, and from that day on, he could no longer muster any will to oppose Evelyn.

And this morning, after that madwoman appeared in the Hundred-Eyed Palace again, one of his newly recruited idiots had actually dared to mock her behind her back.

Naturally, his right little finger was cleanly severed by a shell casing Evelyn flicked out.

Damn it all!

Shelby didn’t even dare say that woman’s name out loud anymore. In their minds, she had already become “you-know-who.”

And yet this subordinate had dared gossip about her?

Being alive at all was already a miracle.

Thankfully, treatment was timely, and Evelyn didn’t seem interested in pursuing the matter further—the idiot’s finger was saved.

And now, Shelby had just returned from a nearby underground clinic.

After the new recruit’s finger had been cut, no one dared send him to a doctor. Instead, they dragged him back to the hideout, writhing in pain, and waited for Shelby to decide.

Every one of them was afraid that taking him to a clinic would draw Evelyn’s attention.

In the end, Shelby had personally taken the man to the clinic.

With a sigh, Shelby climbed the steps of the small building.

That terrifying nun—

He never wanted to see her again in this lifetime.

“B-Boss!”

Just as he reached the stairs, several subordinates came scrambling out.

“Why are you panicking? What happened?”

Shelby shouted at them, immediately asserting his authority.

Years as a gang leader had given him an imposing presence without effort.

“Th-that woman…”

The subordinate was out of breath, face pale with terror, barely able to speak.

“That woman is here!”

“That woman? Which woman?”

Shelby had guessed instantly, but human survival instinct made him try to deny it.

“You know—that woman!”

The subordinate was on the verge of tears.

“She’s in your office right now!”

“S-she’s there, so what? Why panic?”

Shelby tried to maintain his dignity, but his trembling body and knees nearly giving out betrayed him completely.

He was panicking.

Knowing that woman was waiting in his office felt like the sky collapsing.

Why was she here?

Was she here because of this morning?

I knew I shouldn’t have taken the risk to help that new guy!

“Well, um… you guys go entertain her first. Tell her I’ll be right there.”

Shelby immediately turned around as if to leave.

“I just remembered—I left clothes outside at home. Looks like rain. I’ll go collect them first.”

“But boss, the rainy season just ended today…”

One subordinate said weakly.

“Shut up! Just because the rainy season ended doesn’t mean it can’t rain!”

Shelby wanted to hack this big-mouthed idiot to death on the spot.

One minute later, Shelby stood in front of the wooden door to his office, straightening his collar one last time.

In the end, it had to be him—the boss—to face the consequences.

Hopefully she’d be gentler this time…

Swallowing hard, Shelby lightly knocked on the door, barely daring to make a sound.

“Come in…”

A gentle, water-like voice came from inside, the kind that made one imagine a woman who was always kind, always accommodating, always soft.

Shelby knew better.

If that woman counted as gentle, then demons should be called cute.

“Excuse me…”

Shelby slowly pushed the door open, respectful as if he were entering an audience with a king.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think this was Evelyn’s office—not his.

“Long time no see.”

As soon as the door opened, Shelby saw his own swivel chair slowly turn around.

Evelyn lounged in it comfortably, a black cat in her arms as she gently stroked its back.

The cat seemed very pleased, lying on her lap and purring contentedly.

“S-Sister…”

Shelby wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“I wonder why you’ve come to see me today…”

“Shelby, Shelby.”

Evelyn interrupted him before he could finish. She continued stroking the cat, her slender silhouette outlined by the backlight of the lamp.

“What exactly did I do to make you disrespect me this much?”

“You won’t even call me ‘Dad.’”

Shelby froze, completely baffled.

He had no idea what was going on anymore.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the office, unnoticed—

Cyril suddenly felt that maybe Evelyn wasn’t a terrifying madwoman after all.

She was just a plain lunatic.