Chương 112: Chapter 111 - A Demonic Tale
'I am Alicia, the current Demon Lord,' she thought, her eyes scanning the documents spread before her in the vast expanse of her throne room.
'Approximately two years ago, an insolent human dared to enter my castle... and proposed to me,' she recalled, the memory surfacing with a mix of irritation and bewilderment.
'The first thing I noticed, before my anger could even take hold, was this,' she mused, raising her hand to inspect the round seal etched into her palm.
'No breach of the peace contract,' she noted with a faint sigh. 'The seal remained intact, even after a human infiltrated our stronghold and committed the absurd act of proposing marriage.'
'Naturally, I thought it impossible,' she continued, rising from her seat and moving toward the towering window. 'If he was truly human, he would fall under Varolia's domain. His intrusion should have signaled the start of the second great war—our long-awaited salvation.'
'Varlog and I concluded it must have been a prank,' she thought, her brow furrowing as she recalled the incident.
'There was no other explanation. Van Hellix—an insignificant human—had been part of the group that bested me. Although his contribution in that battle was dismal at best. And yet... there he was, standing in my castle, as if nothing had happened after I had killed him with my bare hands.'
She exhaled sharply, her fingers brushing the seamless glass, 'But then he kept coming back. Over and over again. We eventually concluded it was really him. And not a prank; and that there had to be a reason behind why his presence wasn't a breach of the divine contract. But other than that...'
Her gaze dropped momentarily. '... I had no intention of entertaining Van Hellix. He was a mere annoyance... But he was also a summoned hero.'
She clenched her fist, her eyes glowing faintly as her thoughts darkened.
'Then it dawned on us. We could mark him as a slave. If none of the Gods interfered so far, there wouldn't be any form of retribution once he's branded. We concluded that she doesn't watch over him. Perfect for us.'
She carefully looked out to her realm, 'We began planning just days after his absurd quest to claim me as his trophy began. Imagine—the hero of humanity bound to us as a slave. The purpose of the great war fulfilled at last. No longer would I kill him. No... next time, I would seal him. Make him my eternal slave.'
Her gaze flicked to the glowing seal on her palm.
'But Varlog...' she mused, 'Varlog had a different solution.'
--- 2 YEARS AGO ---
"Why not use his infatuation rather than antagonize him outright, my Lord?" Varlog proposed, his voice calm and measured.
Alicia's gaze sharpened as she turned toward him. "What do you mean, Varlog? If we seal him, we will have a hero under our control. Our purpose. Cease this nonsense and prepare the staff to mark him," she commanded coldly, her tone brooking no argument.
Varlog bowed slightly but held his ground. "My Lord, please, hear me out—just this once."
Alicia narrowed her eyes but nodded slowly. "Proceed."
Varlog clasped his hands behind his back, his expression grave. "Sealing a hero has always brought misfortune," he began, his tone deliberate. "It is true that Van Hellix is unsupervised by any deity, and on the surface, it may seem risk-free. But he is still a summoned hero, and they often carry... unpredictable consequences."
Alicia's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then what do you propose?" she asked, her curiosity piqued despite her irritation.
"Isolate him, my Lord," Varlog advised, his voice soft yet persuasive. "Use his illogical, desperate infatuation for you to our advantage."
Alicia's fists clenched as she stood abruptly. "I refuse. I will not reduce myself to some mere trophy to a human—"
"You shan't, my Lord," Varlog interrupted, his voice firm but deferential, his sharp gaze meeting hers.
He stepped forward slightly, his eyes flaring with conviction. "You merely present yourself. Create the illusion that you are attainable to him. This human reeks of desperation. And desperation is easily manipulated. You do not catch a fish by offering it food freely—you show it the bait, the glimmer it desires, and wait for it to come to you. Closer... and closer... until the hook catches its prey."
Alicia's gaze softened, her anger subsiding into confusion. "...I see," she murmured, tilting her head at him. "So... what would you have me do, then, Varlog?"
"Why, what you've already been doing, my Lord!" Varlog said with a sly smile. "Refuse him—again, and again, and again. And while you do so, subtly draw him into our fold. I'll personally assist with that task from time to time. Show him around, introduce him to our people. After all, if he's open-minded enough to propose to his former arch-nemesis, he must have the capacity to see things from our perspective. Perhaps even lend us his strength. Make him feel tied to us—make this castle feel like his home. And before long, you'll have your hero... without the need for a slave mark."
"He will be your eternal slave, bound to you without ever realizing it," Varlog concluded, his tone calm yet sinister. "You wouldn't even need to agree to his absurd proposal. And even if you do, he seems to be drawn to coquettish torment. You've killed him several times, and yet he keeps returning. Alternate between warmth and coldness—give him fleeting glimpses of something he will never truly attain—and he will remain enchanted. You'll keep him on a spiked leash, forever yearning yet forever out of reach."
Alicia closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long sigh. "...Haaah... Very well, Varlog. Let us try, then," she said reluctantly, her tone a mixture of skepticism and resignation.
------------- A DAY AGO; WHEN ALICIA WENT TO VISIT VAN IN THE CAPITAL ---------------------
"My Lord," Varlog announced as he materialized before Alicia in the throne room in the demonic capital.
"Varlog," she acknowledged, her gaze lifting from the mountain of documents on her desk to meet her advisor's.
"For you to use one of your teleportation stones... Did something go wrong?" she asked, her tone sharp and inquisitive. Varlog's eyes briefly flicked to the towering piles of paperwork and then lingered on the ring adorning her finger.
"It appears," he said, his voice cold, "that our tool has grown... rusted."
"..." Alicia's eyes fell, her lips pressing into a tight line as a deep frown shaded her expression.
"My Lord," Varlog said, his tone firm, "you mustn't forget why you wear that ring. I understand the human may have momentarily intrigued you, but you must remember—"
"I'm not infatuated..." Alicia interjected, swallowing hard. "I haven't been."
"Good," Varlog replied, his tone lightening only slightly. "Because the fish still needs reeling. He appears to be in a crisis and could use... support from the one he foolishly believes to be his loving wife."
With that, Varlog turned to leave, his words hanging in the air.
"I'm coming," Alicia said suddenly, rising abruptly from her chair.
A faint smirk tugged at Varlog's lips, unseen by Alicia, as he activated another teleportation stone and vanished.
--------------PRESENTLY, BACK AT THE CAPITAL----------------
"Master Varlog," Yilla addressed him hesitantly as they sat in their modest quarters within the guild in the capital.
"I... I'm thinking of leaving the Demon Lord's ranks," Yilla admitted quietly. "Returning to live with my family in the surrounding villages."
Varlog raised an eyebrow. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I cannot see Van as just a tool, as you do," Yilla said, their voice laced with conflict.
"But I don't see him as a tool," Varlog countered calmly, his tone almost amused.
"But..." Yilla began, their confusion growing, "you just told me that Van proposing to the Demon Lord was your plan all along—"
"Ah," Varlog interrupted with a sigh, "that's what I told you I said to our Lord."
Yilla's confusion deepened as Varlog continued, his voice softer now. "Our Lord is burdened by constant stress. She's still in her early forties, forced into this role because the destined successor—the one who was supposed to bear this weight—ran away under the same crushing pressure."
"...Your son," Yilla murmured.
"Indeed," Varlog began, his voice heavy with thought.
"She was so consumed by war and the pursuit of victory that she lost sight of herself. As I grew older, watching her, I couldn't help but ask myself... Is it truly worth it? To see another promising child sacrifice herself for a role forced upon her?" His gaze drifted to the cityscape outside their window, the soft glow of lights reflecting his somber expression.
"We are no longer at war. There is no need to seek it, either. While battle invigorates us, war and loss do not—despite what our ancestors might claim. What she needs now is reprieve, not conflict. Someone she can let loose with, to remind her there is more to life than duty. And when I saw that human walking into our castle, I thought... Why not him?"
He turned back to Yilla, his eyes sharp yet contemplative.
"He is not one of her subjects. He is an outsider, something fresh, something different. He possesses the audacity to challenge her norms at every turn. And even if she accidentally kills him, he just comes back. Stronger every time. For someone like her, who has known nothing but obligation and struggle, he represents something entirely new—a chance to learn what fun feels like, even if only for a fleeting moment."
"So..." Yilla whispered, her eyes widening with realization, "this whole time, you've been..."
"Yes, dear Yilla," Varlog said softly, his tone tinged with mischief. "I've been fooling our precious Demon Lord—for my own sake and peace of mind."
"But... While I admire your intention," Yilla shook her head, her brows furrowing, "the Demon Lord... she believes it's all just a ruse. She doesn't truly love Van, does she?"
"Hm, Her Majesty thinks she's only playing a game," Varlog replied with an amused smile.
"But I assure you, at this moment, she feels something entirely different." His eyes gleamed with a mischievous glint.
'Well, at this point; the only person she denies these feelings to is herself... She did cry quite a bit when he left 3 months ago...' Varlog thought with a sigh.
------ BACK AT THE DEMONIC REALM ------
'... Darn that Varlog,' Alicia thought, her gaze lingering on the view outside the window.
'I know this is all just part of his scheme... But does he really have to call him a fish or a tool at every opportunity?' Her cheeks flushed faintly as her eyes shifted to the ring on her finger.
'He's... more than that, you know?'
'Just a bit.'
Her head dipped slightly, a small swallow catching in her throat as she stared at the ring. 'He needs to hurry up and finish everything in the capital... S-so...'
'So that I can... continue manipulating him here.'
Her hands clenched slightly as her cheeks warmed further, her gaze refusing to leave the shimmering ring.
'All for our glory... And no other reason.'
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