On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

When the room turns silent and everyone's eyes are on me, I retract my Mana pressure. Everyone may be wondering if I am warning them that I can fight back, but that is not the case. I am just slightly pissed. I don't like to warn people of what I am capable of. I don't want to scare them away and lose the chance of beating the soul out of them.

I clear my throat and straighten my posture. My action manages to make them aware of what they are doing as they immediately take their eyes off me. Ilschevar has no expression on his face, but I can see the glint of excitement dancing in his eyes. The bastard must be thinking that things are as exciting as he expected.

"Very well. You may now return to your designated spot. You have your business and I am not going to waste any more of your time," Ilschevar says with a smile, ignoring what just happened. "Do you perhaps still have any questions regarding my decision? What about you, Layland? Don't you wonder why you are chosen, but your spot can be challenged?"

Ilschevar looks at me with a faintly quirked eyebrow. I shoot him an unamused look as I say, "Perhaps, this is a lesson for me to tone my ego down. I have been winning ever since I joined the army, so I get your concern. Other than that reason is, of course, the Demon Kings Summit itself. No weakling shall accompany the Demon King."

"As expected of Layland. Your brilliance never disappoints."

"What a flattering praise from our mighty king."

I managed to prevent sarcasm from dripping into my words, but it was a close call. No one seems to realize my almost-occurred slip-up. They only nod in agreement at my answer to Ilschevar's question. They are too busy admiring me for humbleness, I guess.

When Ilschevar permits us to leave, the Demon King's Generals immediately excuse themselves. Jovenus openly invites me to have a drink or two, but I have to decline the invitation because I have to return to Antares after this. Though, I promise him to have a drink someday this week. He accepts that and leaves with his fellow Generals.

Velucan looks at me with an inquiring look before he leaves, probably wondering why I don't show any indication of leaving the room. He glances at Valeria before nodding and giving me a thumbs up. He is not entirely correct, but I am glad he doesn't suspect anything. After all, I stay mainly because I want to talk with Ilschevar.

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When everyone has left the room, I turn my eyes to Ilschevar. He must have expected this to happen, so he merely shrugs and gestures for me to speak.

"There is no reason for you to rush me. At least, not to the extent of my knowledge."

"Hoh…that is sharp of you."

"Does God's descent alarm you?"

"You can say that in a way, but that thing is not my concern."

I quirk an eyebrow as I look at Ilschevar's expression. This is my first time seeing him frustrated. It is not that apparent, but it is still noticeable. He has been living his life leisurely for all this time. The fact that something concerns him means there is something that even his power can't handle. I wonder if God is about to get crazy.

"You don't have to fully explain it to me—I know you don't want me to be concerned about things that I shouldn't be concerned about. I just want to know the gist of your concern."

My statement earns me a hum before an answer. "Hmm…. God is known for his unwillingness to descend, you know? For the last two millennia, the only time he ever descended was when he fought me."

Ilschevar takes a look at me before showing me an 'I knew it' look. He expected me to already know about his fight with God which happened slightly more than a decade ago.

"That unwillingness of his has been making my siblings hesitate to form a cooperation with him. When I punched him back into his realm, many even thought he would never descend again. However, what you did has proven otherwise. The fact that he is willing to descend only to greet you…"

"The other Demon Kings may think he will genuinely cooperate with them to take you down," I continue. "That is a valid worry. Though, I wonder if you are expecting me to be as strong as you are in 170 days."

Ilschevar waves his hand with a chuckle. "No, I know that is impossible. I just want to push you. I don't mean to undermine your effort, but you have been playing safe lately. The only time I heard you got fatally injured for the last three months was at the recent battle. You used to be bolder."

Ilschevar tries his best to look confused when my sharp gaze hits him. His eyes can't lie. He knows what I am suspecting about. He shouldn't have said those words. He has just snitched on himself. Ilschevar knows what Pride does. Well, it is not that surprising. Although I always keep quiet about it, he always monitors my growth. It would have been weird if he didn't notice it.

After a few seconds, Ilschevar gives up. He flashes me a wry smile before shaking his head helplessly. He looks conflicted. He must be torn between thinking how lucky he is to have such a brilliant Candidate or how unlucky he is for not being able to be sneaky.

Ilschevar's head turns to his side, allowing him to see Valeria. His eyes light up and I can immediately tell he will use her as an excuse to leave.

"It has been days since you two last spent time as a couple. I will leave, so you can have your moment." Without waiting for a response, he snaps his fingers. "See you!"

He disappears into thin air just like that. Sometimes, I wonder where he goes. He never leaves the Kingdom unless he is forced to. No one can see him unless he summons them. I guess there is a hidden place in this castle for him to hide.

I stop musing when a pair of arms wrapped around me. I immediately put my left hand on my girlfriend's head and caress her hair. She melts into my embrace like a heated marshmallow. I chuckle at her act because I didn't expect the stoic girlfriend whom I have would become like this before.

"I am very glad to see you being so expressive."

"I am disappointed that you are not as expressive as you used to be," Valeria says with a muffled voice. "It slightly saddens me that you seem to be confused about how to express yourself now. Is life as a Demon King's Candidate too hard for you? If it is, I can relieve you from that role."

Valeria looks up at me. Her blind mask has already been taken off, allowing her to stare at me with her solemn eyes. I spend a couple of seconds in silence before covering her eyes and chuckling. She is a great actor, but it is hard not to notice it if I can see guilt in her eyes.

"You got me."

"Yes, and my answer will be no. My current lifestyle is fun. Although it is dangerous most of the time, I don't want to part with it. I can't live an easy life while still being weak in this world. Added to that fact, I have people to protect. Getting stronger is a must, and I must get involved in dangerous activities to do that."

"Do you have no intention to stop?" Valeria asks genuinely this time.

"I do. I will settle down once this world has become a place where we don't have to worry about having our children see us killing people," I answer seriously before chuckling.

Valeria's face remains unchanging but she has a blush on it. She then nods in agreement, causing a smile to creep up my face. Remembering that I still have matters to attend to, I reluctantly part from her. She doesn't say anything as she immediately grabs my hand and tells me she is going with me. I don't try to discourage and take her with me.

Our walk to the Teleportation Gate is mostly silent. We only hear whispers when we pass the places that everyone can access. Every Warrior is talking about my 'awesome feat' of scaring God off. That claim is appalling and cringeworthy. I want to beat the soul out of whoever made the exaggerated story.

I am lucky to live in a Kingdom where the Warriors have no problem looking up to someone. Had I lived in a Kingdom filled with a bunch of stuck-up idiots, I would have been harassed every time I show my face.

"Damn it! I want to fight him so badly. Do you think he will accept my request if I ask him?"

"I don't think he will. If you want to know how amazing of a fighter he is, I suggest you bring one hundred challengers with you. He doesn't like spending his time on mundane things. Fighting a mere plebeian like you is a waste of his time. You have to, at least, entertain him."

Now that I think about it, it is not that different. Living here with those exaggerated stories about me also doesn't give me peace. Although they have always been polite in doing it, thousands of them have challenged me. It is bothersome to decline all of their challenges.