“Yeah, I’m back.” Seth proceeded to slip off his shoes and neatly place them in the dressing room. Afterwards, he changed into a comfortable set of clothes, returned to his bedroom, and settled on the couch while he waited for Krytys to finish his meal at the table.
With his fur no longer concealing it, a scar on Krytys' left front leg became visible. Once he concluded his meal, he licked the water before gracefully sitting on the table, facing Seth.
Seth’s attention shifted to the table, and he noticed blood. Not from the meat but from Krytys' short tail. A sigh escaped him. ‘No matter how heartless I am, how can I pretend not to know that he's still not fully healed? The injuries caused by the Demon King’s Worshipper must be painful. I can't imagine the pain he’s going through right now.’
"What is it?" Krytys inquired, his red eyes meeting Seth's figure.
Seth observed Krytys’ demeanour, sensing a dampened mood. "Do you have any plans?"
After licking his paws, Krytys shared, "The Son of Heaven should be with the Demon King Worshippers. I sensed his faint scent with that human named Malgerius."
Frowning, Seth pondered, ‘Someone that Lord Malgerius usually meets? The Son of Heaven should be either one of the Demon King Worshippers, demons, nobles, or servants since Lord Malgerius is a count. There are certainly many people who could be the suspect.’
“It is best that you look into Lord Malgerius's estate. He is a count and should be in charge of a particular territory or region. You can then look into the people Lord Malgerius typically interacts with.”
“Do you know where his estate is?”
Seth browsed through his memories, but he did not remember such insignificant details. Since he was the one suggesting the idea, Krytys looked at him with expectant eyes.
Seth leaned on the couch awkwardly. “I can try to investigate the details, but I can’t reveal my involvement in the Cursed Village incident, so my help is limited. It is also likely that other individuals, like the other Demon King Worshipper members or the demon nobles who collaborated with Lord Malgerius, are looking into his death. As you can see, I’m not someone who can confront them.”
‘ That’s as far as I can do for Krytys. The demons wouldn’t have trusted Lord Malgerius alone to take care of the organisation since the members were scattered. They can’t trust humans fully. It won't be long before a new leader emerges since it’s easy to replace him as the leader of the Demon King Worshipper.’ Seth did not voice out his speculation.
Seth had expected that the small dragon in the form of a cat would be angry and insulted that the puny human did not want to expend all of his efforts to help him, but instead, Krytys had only shown a faint disappointment.
"I see," Krytys responded solemnly.
There was a moment of silence between them. Krytys was lost in thought.
Seth suddenly spoke up. "By the way, I'm going to practice my magic here. I can’t do it outside because my family and servants haven't known that I can use magic yet. I'm also new to this thing."
"People with keen intuition can still detect you," Krytys cautioned, lying down and acting like a lazy cat. "I’ve already set up a magic barrier."
‘He did?’ Surprised, Seth hadn't felt any change in the atmosphere. Dragons were adept at spellcasting, and they didn't require incantations, showcasing their incredible abilities.
“Thank you.”
Krytys moved his tail as he said nothing.
In the room penetrated by the sunlight through the windows, Seth conjured a light bullet before, belatedly, a disquieting revelation dawned upon him: the concept of time was not as advanced as where he used to be, where seconds were accurately counted by a watch. There was the option of using hourglasses or candles to record time, but the thought of not getting the accurate answer he wanted made him abandon the plan and move it to another day.
Krytys squinted his eyes as he watched Seth practice his magic, remarking, "You really are a beginner. It's surprising that you can kill that human who's stronger than you."
Ignoring the dragon’s contemptuous confusion, Seth closed his eyes, feeling the mana in his veins move and concentrate in his eyes. It took a few tries before he succeeded. Despite the stinging sensation, he forcefully opened them and turned to Krytys. "Are my eyes glowing?"
"...yes."
"Great!" He examined his palms, noticing a weak glow similar to a flashlight that seemed fleeting emitted from his eyes. Walking to the mirror, he saw his eyes shining brightly like a pair of miniature suns. However, the pain forced him to stop concentrating the mana in his eyes. ‘If I can use it for a long time, I don’t have to worry about walking in the dark.’
Seth squeezed his eyes for a moment as he tried to alleviate the pain. He looked at Krytys and asked, “Do you think I can shoot beams of light from my eyes?”
‘Like a superman!’ He added to his thoughts.
Krytys imagined the scene, and he fell into a stunned silence momentarily. “You’ll go blind if your eyes can’t withstand it.”
“Is that so…” Seth muttered in disappointment.
There was a space-dimensional box on the dressing table. He pulled out a familiar dagger—the dagger from when Celia had given it to him in Tudela Village—from it. Recalling the healing abilities of a priest using light magic, he wanted to try the same thing. However, the moment the sharp object was about to dig and cut his own flesh, it flew from the grasp of his hand and fell on the marble floor.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"What are you doing?" Krytys asked in bewilderment; his eyes opened wide, and he flicked his tail.
Seth was confused at first before his eyes landed on Krytys. “What's wrong?”He realised at that moment that it was Krytys who threw the dagger away from his hand.
“You stupid human. Why did you try to hurt yourself?”
Seth had thought of the plan of injuring his arm without telling Krytys, and in return, Krytys was alarmed. Seth was both embarrassed and helpless. “I wanted to practice healing magic. I heard that light magic can be used for healing.”
“It is not necessary to injure yourself to practice. You could have found an injured animal if you wanted to.” Krytys looked at him in disapproval, and he calmed down.
Seth also agreed and decided against practising the healing magic for now, and thus he contemplated other spells.
He could try Blinding Flare, which was an intense burst of radiant light that created temporary blindness and could incapacitate foes and be used for escape or strategic advantage in combat. However, not wanting to offend Krytys, he refrained from practising the spell.
Light Shield. Seth conjured a protective barrier of shimmering light, forming a shield, but the shield was transparent, evidently showing that he had not mastered the spell. This magical shield was effective against physical threats.
Seth took the dagger from the floor as Krytys’ eyes followed his movement. “I am not hurting myself. I am just trying to imbue it with light.”
Krytys only loosened his frown slightly.
Having said so, Seth infused the dagger with light magic, imbuing it with a radiant glow. It could enhance their effectiveness against creatures of darkness. He placed it on the table, and only then did Krytys calm down.
Using a lot of mana made Seth excessively tired. “Krytys, do you know why I feel pain whenever I use magic? Is it because my body hasn't adjusted to it?”
Krytys could only sense that the human in front of him was similar to a human without the ability to use magic. It was a strange thing. “It seems that the amount of mana you have exceeds what your body can handle. If you continue to use it excessively, your core might shatter, which eventually leads to death. But there is no need for you to worry. As long as you practice more and overcome your limit, you’ll be able to use more magic.”
“I see.” Seth nodded in understanding, appreciating Krytys' guidance.
Seth continued practising magic until nightfall.
Observing the sleeping human, Krytys eventually jumped out of the window and disappeared into the night.
...
Dressed as a commoner, Seth buttoned his shirt and assumed the guise of Cain, complete with brown hair, brown eyes, and unremarkable features. He instructed Karles, "I'll be stepping out. If anyone inquires, provide some excuses for my absence.”
On the day of King Gerard's birthday, the nobles were naturally occupied with the event. Marquess Gilliame and Agnes, being part of the Knights of Order, were no exception and found themselves among the busy attendees. As the trashy and useless son of the Marquess, Seth found him unneeded. The promise of accompanying his fiance, Elizabeth, was later at night, so he had nothing to contribute to the event in the morning.
Karles politely smiled. “As you wish, young master.”
After Seth had killed people meticulously, Karles thought Seth had not changed a lot. After the near-death situation, he thought that Seth had changed and was afraid to fool around again.
However, Seth did not move to leave the mansion immediately as he mulled over his thoughts. Karles was cleaning the bed and stopped when he noticed Seth. “Is there something troubling you, young master?”
“Besides you, One, and Jehan, who else knows about my fake identity as Cain?”
Karles was intrigued by his question as a light smile formed on his thin lips. “No one else, young master.”
“That's good. Keep it like that. The less people know, the better.” Seth turned away from Karles and slipped out of the manor discreetly.
Karles was curious about what Seth was planning to do. After all, usually, he would do everything without caring about his image.
Seth first arrived at Melianor's guild.
A few collection quests were attached to the mission board.
[Acquisition of goblin’s ear. 10 copper coins per piece.]
[Acquisition of minotaur’s horn. 5 silver coins per piece.]
[Acquisition of Basilisk Eye Crystal. 20 silver coins per piece.]
There were a few others standing next to him, all clothed and armed, who were observing the quest board with interest. Examining every mission on the board, Seth found nothing to trade, and it was a pity that he could not go monster hunting as much as he could have. No matter how small the reward for the quest was, it was still money anyway.
Seth walked out of the guild and entered a tavern across the street. There was a stack of newspapers on the counter. After paying for the newspaper, he found a seat on the other side and called the bartender. “One Berry Bliss, please.”
While waiting for his drink, Seth read the newspaper. The front page of the newspaper showed a familiar face. Count Malgerius. According to reports, the count passed away from illness, and the oldest son handled the funeral arrangements. The newspaper did not cover the other identity of Count Malgerius as the leader of the Demon King’s Worshipper.
‘Looks like he knew about his dad's doing. If Count Malgerius is declared missing, the case will be sent for further investigation, and if he is found to be colluding with demons, it will only lead to the family's ruin. Clever.’ Seth was relieved after finding out that his name was not in the newspaper. It was him and Isaac who killed Malgerius, who became a mutated man.
His drink was served in front of him. Seth paid for it and then sipped the pinkish-red drink.
Seth was not the only one at the counter. The two middle-aged men sitting next to him caught his attention with their conversations.
“Oh, I got this buddy, an informant, who told me ‘bout this crew called the Demon King Worshippers. Sounds like some demon-worshipping gang or something. Details are a bit fuzzy, and I ain't got the full scoop. But beware of them.”
“They’re nuts! Why in the world would folks bow down to those abomination creatures? It's beyond me.”
“I also heard some wild stuff. There's this boat with demons on it, right? And get this, we didn't even know there were folks down on the Southern Continent. It's like a ghost ship or something—just one of 'em. Now, the South is all about them elves, and they went all out to kill them demons pronto. You can't imagine how messed up it'd be if those demons set foot on our turf. Oh, and it seems like the Southern Continent might be infested with demons or something. Crazy, huh?”
“Seems like steerin' clear of the south is the wise move now. Ain't no pile of riches worth riskin' my neck for.”
“Sure does.”
“....”
Seth wanted to listen to them talk for a while longer, but then they changed their topic. They did not speak too loudly, but he was still able to hear something important. ‘It’s just like in the novel. The Southern Continent was never explored in detail, even until the end of the book.’ he could not help but sigh.