Capítulo 71: The Demon King's Dating Game
Claude got out the serum needle, gave Ru's hand a gentle wipe with a cotton pad, and put a bandage on it.
Ru first looked at the bandage, then at him, smiling, "You're fired," he said.
"Oh, I should leave the room then," Claude replied, returning the smile.
"Yes, please," Ru said seriously.
Claude was surprised. The color seemed to leave his eyes as he nodded slightly and started to walk away.
As he was about to leave, Ru grabbed his hand and, with a warm smile and an encouraging voice, said, "The doctor's left. You don't have to go."
Ru tried to see Claude's face, but couldn't. He was trembling like a leaf.
"Why don't you sit beside me?" Ru asked, his voice filled with tenderness.
"Sure," Claude said, looking almost confused by excitement.
"Don't be scared, I won't bite," Ru chuckled softly.
"You're having fun, that's good," Claude replied, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"You're sitting too far away," Ru said, shifting slightly and gesturing beside him. "Come sit closer to me."
"Okay," Claude said, hesitating but complying somewhat.
Ru revealed, "I've never been in a relationship either."
He hoped that would help ease Claude's mind a bit. However, Claude immediately stood up.
"What? Why are you running away from me now?" Ru asked.
"I... I..." Claude stammered.
"You what?" Ru pressed.
"I need to think," Claude muttered, grabbing his bag without even looking back and leaving the room.
"Huh?"
Ru was left stunned. His shadow was rolling on the floor.
"Oh, how funny! We got straight-up rejected here. Do you realize?" Ru snapped at his shadow.
"Ahahah, idiot! Idiot," the crackling voice echoed in Ru's mind.
"Listen up! I'll tear you apart like paper. Stop laughing," Ru shouted, his face almost turned red.
"Alright, I'm done. But it's hilarious, hahaha," Alter Ru said. He fell to the ground again while laughing.
"I get it. You know something about Claude and you're not telling me because you want to mess with me," Ru fumed.
"All I know about Claude is what you know. But now I've learned something new," Alter Ru said, standing up.
"And what's that? Go ahead, share it with me," Ru said, glancing at the bandage on his hand.
"He's got high intuition. He sensed that you don't truly love him," Alter Ru said, pacing around the room.
"What do you mean, high intuition? And what do you mean, I don't love him? I truly like him," Ru said, stroking the bandage.
"Liking isn't enough for someone like Claude. You saw his aura. He's from the eternal love crowd. You're an idiot if you think you can just hop into bed with Claude that easily," Alter Ru crackled.
"You're the idiot, and that wasn't my intention. I need love and affection," Ru said, sadness creeping into his voice.
"You want more support characters on your side, don't you? Your feelings aren't genuine. You're not in love; you're just self-centered. In other words, I'm you," Alter Ru boasted.
"Fine, but how did Claude read my intentions?" Ru asked.
"He might have a strong intuitive sense; besides, he's a psychiatrist. Do you think he doesn't know how to read emotions, you fool," Alter Ru said.
"I think Claude just got scared and he'll be back," Ru said, lowering his head and smiling slightly.
"He might've been scared of your heart," Alter Ru said, his glowing eyes scanning Ru.
"You meant to say Seneca's heart," Ru said, placing his hand over his chest.
"The demon king's heart," Alter Ru growled, his image flickering.
"It's a good man's heart. He's in pain, he's longing, and he loves Misha," Ru stated, listening to his own quickening heartbeat and gauging Seneca's reaction.
Alter Ru opened his mouth wide, light spilling out, and said, "You love Misha too."
Now it was Ru's turn to laugh. "Hahaha! Joke of the century! Didn't you see what she did to Vaelan?"
"Tell that to yourself, not me," Alter Ru responded.
"Where are you, me?" Ru asked.
"The merging hasn't happened yet," Alter Ru said.
"So I'm not dead yet. Truly, I still don't have elf ears," Ru said, touching his ears.
"I hate elves," Alter Ru retorted.
"I guess there's nothing you like except Misha," Ru said mockingly.
"Anyway, the sorcerer's around. We'll talk later," Alter Ru said hurriedly.
"What's your problem with that sorcerer?" Ru asked. "You're so scared of him. If only you were as not scared of..." But he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the flickers in his shadow dimming. "Never mind," he said, falling silent.
Ru was drawn to the balcony door by the voice of branches tapping on the glass. He listened to the wind howling and melodically processed it in his brain.
He whistled a tune, humming "hmm hmm mmm" under his breath.
While he was busy composing, he felt less stressed and his body relaxed. He wasn't sure if he fell asleep, but he was startled by a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" he called out, his still groggy.
The door creaked open, and Amunet stepped into the room.
"I thought you were dead," Ru said, rubbing his eyes and looking at her.
"My lord sent you this," she said, handing a paper-thin tablet to Ru. Then she sat down in the chair next to the bed and added: "He also sent me for your questions, but I'm not happy about it," Amunet said, again as cold as ice, yet as firm.
Ru greeted Amunet with a smile. "It's good that you came, I couldn't thank you, who knows what that gigantic demon would have done to me if it wasn't for you," he sighed.
"It's my mission," Amunet said, not bothering.
"So who assigned you to save me," Ru asked, glancing at Amunet, from the corner of his eye as he opened the tablet like a book. "Misha, Jasper? Or..."
Amunet gave the shortest answer: "Lord Dekaris Zarqasti."
"Your lord has somehow turned into my guardian angel, how strange," Ru said, randomly pressing the keys to activate the hologram.
Amunet reached for the tablet and made the 'give' sign, opening and closing her fingers. Ru listened to her silent words.
"Why is Lord Dekaris covering my ass? Is it just because of this mysterious, important guest or is there something else I don't know about?"
"Lord Dekaris is only protecting his sister," Amunet said, and without getting up from her seat, she reached for the balcony door. Her shadow grabbed the curtains and pulled them.
"So he has a sister," Ru said, seemingly deep in thought.
"Our Lord sees his sister only once every thousand years. The House is the only place and only time he can see her. So he has to organize this show," Amunet said. Then she raised her hand and snapped her fingers, and the chandelier lights went out. The room grew darker.
"Is it magic or technology?" Ru asked, surprised.
"Both," Amunet said as her fingers danced rapidly across the touchscreen.
Ru stared at the tablet. Many complex symbols and icons appeared on the screen.
"So your lord loves his sister," Ru murmured.
Amunet nodded.
"And who wants me on that show?" Ru asked.
"More than one person," Amunet said and unlocked The House screenshot.
At that moment, a life-size hologram rose, filling the room. The holographic image showed the mysterious The House in detail.
The House was a Gothic structure embroidered with runic symbols of ancient times. Considering its size and grandeur, it was logical to describe this structure as a castle or château. The châteu, wildly lit up like a circus venue from dark fairy tales, had a lot of gardens, dozens of towers, and nearly thirty other buildings on the grounds.
Ru gazed at a distorted and exaggerated structure, reminiscent of surrealist paintings. The sheer scale and complexity made it difficult to grasp the overall picture.
He could see more doors and windows than he could count. The walls were covered in flashing magical symbols. The most striking thing was that the château and its gardens were built on rock fragments floating in the air. These fragments appeared to be standing in a vacuum of space, surrounded by stars and galaxies.
As Amunet continued to control the holographic display, she said: "Lord Dekaris has placed this area under special protection. This protection includes powerful spells."
Ru was studying the hologram closely while asking whatever came to mind: "What's going on in this area? Are the dimensional doors inside?"
Amunet said, "This place is right in the middle of where different dimensions meet. Time here is all over the place. So, it'd be more accurate to say The House works like an interdimensional portal."
"Will we have to die to get into The House?" Ru asked, chewing on his nail polish.
“To transmigration, all the players will have to die, which is my favorite part,” Amunet replied with a beaming smile.
"Incredible, you're such a sadist," Ru said, pulling back a little.
As the hologram displayed its plans and symbols in the center of the room, Ru's eyes got lost in the details, trying to memorize the symbols while trying to understand why Almighty Ru and his daughters were pressuring him to enter The House.
Meanwhile, Amunet was watching his futile efforts with secret smiles.
Ru continued to pretend not to notice. His fingers were in motion, as were his eyes. Even if Amunet didn't know.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
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