On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

The day of the festival has finally come. It is around 07.30 in the morning and I am still lying in bed with Valeria. I can dress quickly, so I spend as much of my time in bed with her. Unfortunately, I can't keep lying in bed any longer. Although Haletha didn't mention anything about when I should come, the festival won't start before I come. I don't want to be the one who ruins it for everyone.

I get out of bed and Valeria follows suit. I clean myself with Magic and choose a fitting outfit from my Spatial Storage to adorn myself with. When I am fully dressed, Valeria is also already clothed. She dresses better than any winners of the Miss Universe contest, but she can't go with me. Being the Demon King's counselor, she has to scratch the itch that Ilschevar can't.

There is a rivalry between each Demon King. Ilschevar is the most disadvantageous, but he luckily has Valeria on his side. Although he can't step in to stop the problems that his fellow Demon Kings cause, Valeria can handle them for him. Valeria is an active fighter. This is the reason why she is feared even though everyone rarely sees her fight.

"I will make time to visit you in Ne Okozmo," Valeria says as she hugs me.

"You don't have to force yourself for my sake. It is okay to get busy with your activities—that's what I am doing anyway," I reply as I caress her head.

"I won't be able to spend my time with you if I don't do that. After all, you are…"

Valeria doesn't have to finish her sentence to make me realize what I have been doing. I am too busy with myself. She is not a whiny girlfriend, but a very understanding one. I unconsciously think that she is all right with my activities and I feel dumb for it. No matter how extraordinary she is, after all, she is not different from any girlfriend in this universe. She needs her boyfriend's emotional charge.

"Let's explore the world a little bit after I return from Ne Okozmo. I have seen the worst part of this world, but I haven't seen the paradise in this world."

Valeria immediately looks up, showing me her bright eyes. She doesn't say anything, but she nods her head enthusiastically. I chuckle slightly because of that. It is still quite unbelievable for me to think that I managed to crack her hard shell and reveal the soft part underneath. The Layland from a year ago would never believe me if I told him Valeria would become like this.

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Separating from her, I then watch as she returns to Verniculos by [Teleportation]. It's envying to see her do that. I can cast and utilize [Teleportation] but still can't teleport to faraway places as she does. It reminds me of the fact that I am still weaker than her even though she acts meekly before me. Well, more reason for me to become stronger.

When I can no longer feel even a hint of Valeria's presence, I open the door of my room. Someone is standing before me and looking straight at my chest. The scene feels like déjà vu because I am sure this is not the first time it ever happens. I wonder why she is here this time.

"I haven't seen you around for the past week, Eliseus."

"I was nursing Haletha."

"I thought you didn't care that much about her."

Eliseus the straight-faced female Demon hums to herself. She seems to weigh down on what to say next. She must be wondering how to describe her relationship with Haletha. She never had someone she could call a friend before, so I understand her confusion.

"I feel responsible for what happened to her."

"Why is that?"

"I could have stopped the Paladin from sprinkling Freya's Dust at Haletha, but I didn't."

"Did you have any malice for doing that?"

"No. I just thought she should have been able to avoid it…but she couldn't."

Eliseus is experiencing empathy and she is floored about it. I want to tell her what she is feeling but hold myself back. I think she should figure it out herself. Emotion is something that you learn yourself, not one that others impose on you. Therefore, I pat her shoulders as an encouragement.

As she quirks an eyebrow in puzzlement, I ask her why she is before my door. She tells me she is picking me up. She clarifies that Haletha didn't tell her to do that, so it is purely her initiative. She also feels the need to state how forgetful I am about things I deem trivial. She believed I would forget about the festival, which is why she came.

I don't bother to correct her. I just shrug and ask her to be my guide, which she gladly obeys. I don't think she understands what it means to be a guide, though, as she hooks her arm around mine, making it look as if I am escorting her. It is trivial, so I don't bother to point it out.

Things only get slightly irritating when Aurelia sees us. She has been waiting for us (me) before the Teleportation Gate to Lysimork. Upon looking at our tangled arms, she comes to my side and hooks her arm around mine. With a soft sigh and the two women, I walk through the gate. The scene goes blurry and we are already at Lysimork when it clears up again.

I am glad I didn't fall for my bed's temptation. Had I fallen for it, I would have made the thousands of Dark Elves greeting me wait for hours while standing in excitement. There are even kids among them. Although I am sure they wouldn't be mad, it would only make me look like a self-absorbed bastard, which I am not.

"These people love you, Master," Aurelia remarks, prompting me to quirk an eyebrow. "Why do you look surprised?"

"It has been some time since you last called me Master. Besides, you are no longer my Contracted Beast. I destroyed the seal when you revealed your true identity," I answer.

"Well, Maxine told me men will get excited when a beautiful woman like me calls them Master. Was she tricking me?"

The serious frown on Aurelia's face makes me sigh helplessly. The stupidest acquaintance I have is still Vibiane, but Aurelia is sometimes dumber than Vibiane. Of course, Maxine's mischief also plays a role here, but she can't be blamed. After all, she is a Succubus—a High-Classed one at that. It is in her nature to give that kind of advice.

"Welcome, Lord Layland!"

The Dark Elves' greeting makes me turn my attention back to them. I thought they would never recover from their stupor, so I am glad they did. I don't know what threw them into that state, but I hope it was not the fact that I have two women tangled in my arms. I am enough with being seen as a handsome man, not a condemned Casanova.

Nodding my head, I walk through the path that the thousands of Dark Elves provide. They look at me brightly, but none of them shouts or overreacts when I look at them. It is refreshing to have respectful people around me. I am always ready to have my request unfulfilled, but it has never happened so far.

After some time, which is not more than a minute, we reach the end of the path. At the end of the path, the Queen of Lysimork and her daughter greet me with a smile. They look relieved and I hope they didn't expect me to not come. I don't need my acquaintances to also see me as a bastard.

"Thank you for allocating your time to come, Lord Layland," Haletha says respectfully. Sensing that I am about to scold her for calling me that way, she immediately continues, "I am welcoming you as the savior of Lysimork and the rightful owner of Amizanima. I beg you; let us treat you the way you should be treated just for today."

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Haletha. You may treat me the way you deem fit, but I will treat you like I always do," I reply.

"That is delightful to hear, Lord Layland."

Haletha's smile prompts me to also smile back slightly. She takes that as a cue for her to guide me to where the festival is held. Ignoring Arieda's stare that tells me she wonders if she can hook her arm somewhere, I follow Haletha's lead with the two women holding my arms. Surprisingly, she leads us outside the Kingdom.

The festival is held on the battlefield which is now cleaned up and aesthetically decorated. It would have been a weird choice of place if it wasn't for the golden tree that Luxia created. I am sure it is the reason why Haletha decided to hold the festival here. The tree blesses the land with Natural Energy.

We are led to the seats on the platform in front of the golden tree. The Dragons are already in their seats, looking at me as if they are the last bosses in a Japanese RPG. They fully absorb themselves in the reverence that the Dark Elves show. I smile slightly at them and decided to mess with them.

I ask Luxia to repossess the gigantic golden tree and ask Teanosvera to perch on one of the branches. When I sit down, Luxia makes the tree shine brighter. At the same time, Teanosvera flies off from the branch in his True Form and lands behind me with his wings spread mightily, casting some shadow on me. With everyone's attention on me, the One Millennium Fest begins.