X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server#73
‘I knew I hated weak humans for a reason. Why did it have to be this one of all people? Who in the world oppresses an Arch-Demon… Look at this. A grown man crying, tsk.’
“Sweat… Haa, it’s sweat…”
Orias glanced at Dokyeom’s cheek, which was panting like a sick chicken. They then crumpled their face and flicked their tongue out to lick it.
Afterward, Orias grumbled with utmost fervor, as if debating the very principles of the universe. They complained about how salty it was, how Dokyeom was too ugly to bear, and how he couldn’t even endure this much.
It seemed to have been like that all night. By the time Orias’s tongue had moved between Dokyeom’s cheek and the seal, smearing them with their saliva, Dokyeom had been utterly exhausted and fallen asleep.
When he awoke again, dawn was breaking in the sky. Birdsong echoed, and a chilling breeze brushed past Dokyeom’s cheek.
As soon as Dokyeom’s eyelashes fluttered open, he faced Orias, who was, as usual, sitting prone and licking their own paw. His body felt light, and the stinging, painful wounds had vanished without a trace, making the memory of the pain itself hazy.
Dokyeom rotated his stiff shoulders, then realized Agon and the child were absent. He immediately asked Orias, “Where are the children?”
Orias subtly wrinkled their nose, as if displeased by something, before refocusing on their paw.
‘They probably went to catch a wild boar. This guy, becoming a human, doesn’t even have a word of thanks for the demon who suffered all night. Seriously, are you even human? Or just a demon in human skin?’
“Yes, thank you, thank you. I’m so grateful, tears are practically welling up, happy now?”
‘Enough. Why would I bother talking to a human like you? I’d rather pull out all my claws.’
Orias let out a sigh into the air, their face wronged, as if questioning the heavens. Then, as if muttering idly, they blurted out a casual remark.
‘You came here by chariot to a mountain near Seoul, so find your own way down.’
“This is Seoul?”
Dokyeom started to rise but froze, staring at Orias. The demon’s slender, lion-like eyes narrowed subtly.
‘Yes. My claws still ache when I think about how I wrestled with that brute just to get you onto the chariot. That horse snorted and went wild, and I almost bit it to death… Ah, anyway, you go down alone. I have to go listen to some nagging from the ‘Overseers’. I probably won’t be able to come in for a while.’
“That’s great. Other Arch-Demons stick to their contractors like glue, so why are you like this?”
Unable to say that it was because of Orias that he had been running around everywhere, Dokyeom could only clamp his lips shut with a sour expression. It was a matter of pride.
Orias had no desire to blab to a mere human about how they had run around like a madman for humanity’s sake.
Perhaps sensing Orias’s inner thoughts, Dokyeom quickly changed the subject. “By the way, when you arrived, was there anyone else around? Any presence… or anything like that?”
He distinctly remembered seeing Taeseongyeon’s summon before he collapsed after sending Geon Ita away, but now even that memory was so faint it felt like a delusion. At the subtle question, Orias narrowed their eyes and spoke.
‘No? When I arrived, all three of you were half-submerged in the water and passed out. Seriously, you weren’t even fresh fish, just lying there as if you’d drown. You would have died if it weren’t for me, you know? I was the one who fished you out of the water! You’re not grateful for that at all, are you?’
Perhaps it was revenge for Dokyeom’s nagging, but Orias’s tone was exceptionally prickly. Dokyeom looked at Orias as if they were a childish, snot-nosed kid.
He waved his hand dismissively, then subtly asked again, “Hey, can you transform into a human too?”
‘…Of course I can. But why are you bringing that up now?’
‘So, that was Orias?’
He vaguely recalled having spoken to someone, but who the other person was, or what they had talked about, remained as hazy as if shrouded in fog. If Orias had pulled Dokyeom out of the water, then the man who licked the seal must also have been Orias. He could only conclude as much for now.
Dokyeom nodded in understanding and stood up. As he stretched languidly, his body, stiff from the night, cracked and popped.
“It’s fine if you don’t come in for a while, but if you pull a stunt like tonight again, pretending to heal my injuries, you’ll regret it.”
‘…That sounds like I did something terrible.’
Orias subtly furrowed their brow, as if they couldn’t understand. Their scrunched-up face was full of displeasure.
‘What, the licking? That was treatment! Why are you making such a fuss about it? Are you being shy?’
Despite shivering all night as if with a fever, Dokyeom remembered Orias’s actions, licking his arms, hands, and even the tops of his feet. Seeing how persistently they licked only the injured areas, it seemed to have been an attempt to heal him.
However, when Orias’s tongue entered the torn skin inside his knee, Dokyeom felt such intense shame that he wanted to just bite them to death, wounds or not.
Perhaps sensing Dokyeom’s feelings, Orias rolled their eyes as if witnessing the strangest thing, and began to speak. ‘Seriously, you’d faint if you knew how demons really play. Licking? That’s just the basic for us….’
Dokyeom immediately kicked Orias’s hind leg. The startled behemoth jumped like a frightened deer, instantly putting distance between itself and Dokyeom.
Then Orias blinked their eyes in bewilderment, as if they couldn’t comprehend what terrible thing had just happened to them. ‘Did that human just kick me…? Kicked me?’
“Why, keep going, you thick-headed bastard.”
Orias, who had been growling lowly, clamped their mouth shut like a clam. Seeing that peculiar smile, which even crinkled the corners of Dokyeom’s eyes, Orias lost all will to fight.
Orias once again grumbled and questioned their fate to the heavens, then sat with their back to Dokyeom.
[‘Orias’, the Arch-Demon of ‘Lemegeton’, turns their back on you, refusing to speak.]
‘Go on, throw a fit, go on.’
As Dokyeom looked at the childish Orias’s back, he dusted off his crumpled clothes. Just then, he heard footsteps approaching through the foliage. The ones who emerged, pushing through the leaves, were Agon and the child, returning with their arms full of what looked like apricots.
Their eyes widened in surprise the moment they saw Dokyeom. The child fidgeted like a rabbit. Although their complexions weren’t great, both Agon and the child looked much better than expected.
‘They must have gone to pick fruit because they were hungry.’
Dokyeom sighed, a breath that could have been either relief or worry. As he scratched the back of his neck, it finally began to sink in. The child was alive, by his side, capable of thought and emotion.
The sun on his cheek felt warm, unlike yesterday, making it a perfect day for a walk. His body, coincidentally, felt astonishingly light, and his mind was clear and refreshed. Anything else could wait until he got home.
“Let’s go home.”
It was time to put an end to the harsh night. The thought of going home lightened his shoulders. Yes, let’s go. With one more dependent tagging along.
At Dokyeom’s words, the morning air seemed to change. Agon’s eyes closed in relief, and he let out a deep breath.
****
“Is its recovery fast…?”
‘Why does it show no signs of pain? Its beak and tail were a complete mess.’
Dokyeom glanced around, muttering softly as he watched the child clinging closely to his side. As soon as they descended the mountain, Dokyeom bought clothes for the child and put food in their hand.
The child was surprisingly docile. They were so unlike the rampaging chimera that Dokyeom even wondered if this was a gap stemming from differences in intelligence. The child quietly accepted whatever was given to them.
If Dokyeom stared, they would fidget like a mouse caught by a cat, refusing to make eye contact. Yet, strangely, they stuck close to Dokyeom, moving as if following a mother duck.
“Little one.”
*Flinc*h.
Dokyeom, who had knelt before the fidgeting child clutching their new clothes and shifting their gaze, looked intently at their small mouth and spoke. “Say ‘Ah.’ Like this, ‘Ah.'”
The child opened their tiny mouth, showing Dokyeom the inside. There were neat teeth, a tongue within, and a clear, open throat. Not a single wound was visible.
The thought ‘Does eating heal it?’ lingered in his mind, and at this point, he was again curious about its pure intelligence. The child appeared to be roughly eight years old, but was its intelligence at the developmental level of that age group?
Finally, Dokyeom took the child’s twitching hand and cast
The chimera had become ‘A-class’.
“Little one, are you hungry now?”
The child glanced at Dokyeom, then shook their head vigorously. Dokyeom asked again, “Then are you full?”
This time, the child hesitated before shaking their head vigorously once more.
Not hungry, not full. Chimeras are monsters whose rank increases with hunger. This also meant that a high level of satiety would lower their rank. In a state of moderate hunger, like now, the child’s rank was to be considered ‘A-class’.
“It seems to have eaten quite a lot, but does it follow the main body…?”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, This Time, I Will Never Let You Go is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : This Time, I Will Never Let You Go
