'Huh?' His eyes widened. 'How can I hear him?'
Just then, cutting through Ard's confusion, Faller spoke before Sileus could continue.
"That is correct, my lord," he said firmly. "The young man standing before you is Ard."
Faller's gaze hardened with conviction. "He is the one who saved this land."
Ard would have smiled in acknowledgment of the tall knight's recognition especially since the man had been clearly more than annoyed, probably even furious, that Ard had not joined the batte against the demon lord earlier.
But his mind fell into chaos as a voice echoed within his head, one only he could hear.
'This man is dangerous,' Ard thought, his gaze fixed on the figure standing before him.
Speaking onto someone's mind wasn't just a normal thing. Even for powerful people, it required one's mana and psyche to be either stronger and more vast than the target or at the same level or with permission.
'Moreover, what did he say? He had something he owns?'
For the moment, Sileus ignored Ard once more.
He nodded occasionally as Faller explained the situation—when they had met, how circumstances had forced them together, and how Ard had ultimately faced the Demon Lord alone. Sileus interrupted only with brief, pointed questions, each one steering the account where he wanted it to go.
When Faller finished, Sileus finally turned back to Ard. His eyes narrowed as he studied him, measuring, assessing, and slowly nodding as he did.
"Please forgive him," Faller said apologetically. "He's… an odd man. Immensely curious about everything, and anything that catches his interest, he wants to examine and research."
At that moment, they already got eyeballs from the others looking at them both.
Ard didn't know how he was supposed to respond.
At that very same moment, the man was speaking directly into his mind after all.
'Heeeh~' the voice mused. 'You're quite strong, aren't you?'
'Don't tell me he can also read my thoughts?' Ard's expression darkened.
'Is that all you've noticed?' the voice then sneered. 'You're rather slow, aren't you?'
All of a sudden, the voice then shifted into a colder, sharper tone.
'But do you take me for a fool? You're a demon hiding behind human skin. What does an incarnation of evil hope to gain by pretending otherwise?'
'!!!'
The mana within Ard flickered. His posture hardened, hostility creeping in as instinct screamed at him to flee.
'A hundred escape routes formed in his mind as his gaze drifted to the shadow at his feet, already preparing to move.'
But as if he could hear all of his thoughts, Sileus flashed a brief grin before stepping backwards addressing Faller again.
"Who are you calling an odd character?"
"You are," Knight Faller replied seriously like a machine without hesitation.
Sileus sighed, then let out a quiet chuckle.
That was right. Right now, he could not see nor sense killing intent from this mysterious mage. At least, he didn't seem interested in blood. While casually bantering with the knights, Sileus adjusted his boots properly, then strode off to the side and caught hold of one of the nearby horses.
"Lord Sileus," Faller called after him, "could you explain the situation firstHave you been informed of what's happened here?"
"The situation?" Sileus echoed. "Ah—yes. The Demon Lord."
It seemed like that was the only detail that mattered to him.
Faller drew a breath and pressed on. "Has the young master—no, Gary—arrived safely? What of the Duke? We lost so many. Lord Lewis died to demonic possession. Even the baroness…" His voice tightened. "The House of the Lady, House Cauli must be informed."
Sileus stared at Faller and everyone for a second then raised his eyebrow.
"I'm afraid I don't know," he said at last. "I only came to see the Demon Lord." He shrugged. "But he's already gone. And I can't return yet—my ride disappeared."
His casual tone sent a ripple of shock through the adventurers and those unfamiliar with him.
Then he paused.
"That said," Sileus added, "I did notice several forces moving this way while I was flying. Whether they're headed here or not, I can't say."
"I see…" Faller said, his gaze drifting to the horse Sileus had taken. "But where are you headed, my lord?"
"I'll take a look around the town. An inspection of sorts," Sileus replied, lifting a hand in a lazy wave. "See you later."
But for Ard alone, his voice returned—sliding directly into his mind.
'Well then, strange incarnation of evil,' Sileus said coolly. 'I don't care what game you're playing here, but don't do anything foolish. Don't start slaughtering people indiscriminately—it would be a nuisance for everyone.'
The tone sharpened, all levity gone.
'I don't trust your kind.'
A brief pause.
'Consider yourself fortunate that I haven't decided what to do with you yet. And don't think of running. If you do, I'll kill the other incarnation of evil instead.' He said with a grin, clearly referring to Zayn who was naively looking at his white long hair.
His final words were almost casual, but it struck the most.
'For now, take care of that thing.'
'That thing? Is he talking about this?' He looked at the ring of suppression.
Then a memory surfaced—Zayn's story.
'Wasn't it supposed to be made by some human who tried to win the love of a demon king's daughter and… died in the process? Ard scoffed inwardly. Ugh, why am I even entertaining that ridiculous tale? It's clearly nonsense. But… could this really be something that guy owns?'
And—
'Slaughtering people…' Ard do not know how to begin, but demons are indeed the worst of the worst and is capable of doing something like that. 'And it would just be a nuisance?'
As he had said, Sileus spent the day wandering through the town, inspecting every corner as if he were a hound tracking a scent.
From time to time, Ard spoke with some of them, especially Zayn, and to everyone, it looked like he was just being a nice adult and nice with kids, but Ard could literally imagine the demon heir's head rolling off the ground or bursting into blood mist. Yet the archmage didn't do that.
He visited the castle, poked into houses, and roamed the streets without pause. Yet, despite all this activity, his face betrayed growing frustration and disappointment, clear for Ard and the others to see.
By the end of the day, he returned, his expression sour.
"I'm hungry. This place is… disappointing," he muttered to the knights. Why it disappointed him, no one could tell.
Then slowly, with his eyes brightening but without much energy he watched a griffin flying in circles over a meadow, and then landing, flapping its wings and pecking at something.
But then he clicked his tongue in disagreement as he saw the corpse of a High Orc hanging from the griffin's beak.
He muttered in the air, "That damned griffin seems to be enjoying itself..."
The griffin was about to jump back into the forest for seconds when he suddenly stiffened and halted itself mid-air obediently, feeling two unyielding pairs of eyes resting upon him from afar.
Humming to this, Sileus flicked his head over to a certain direction then started walking over to the young tall man with crimson eyes and slightly long black hair.
That young man was naturally Ard.
'I'm surprised he didn't run. Is he just stupid?' Sileus asked himself.
Seeing the young man tense and the ripple of his mana, Sileus's face curved into a grin which looked more mischievous than serious.
"Hi, evil incarnate~" Sileus happily said while he was walking over.
Ard didn't reply.
Then just like earlier, the man spoke directly onto his mind again. Ard could not believe it because this time, he made sure that he had brought his walls to his psyche. Yet Sileus's mana sliced through them as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.
'What…? Is this guy really human?' Ard thought, stunned. 'In my entire life, only Valier could do this!'
Sileus spoke deliberately, choosing this method not just for convenience, but because it was one of the most effective ways to put demons in their place and assert his dominance. This time was no different.
But when he caught the thought Ard had just hidden, a flicker of disturbance crossed his mood.
'Valier…?' Sileus repeated to himself, his brow furrowing. 'Hm, how dare he put me in the same sentence as the Demon King?'
Ard meanwhile was at a loss.
No matter how much he looked at this person, he couldn't see right through him like the others. Even now, Sileus seemed to emit no energy at all. It was the same time when he was riding the griffin at the sky. Ard hadn't even suspected a human presence—yet there he was.
It was too late when he had seen the human figure on top of the griffin.
'It looks like I've drawn the attention of someone I shouldn't have,' Ard thought, a pang of dread in his chest. And here I was, finally hoping for a normal life… forget that. Should I run?'
Sileus finally appeared before him. Hearing Ard's thoughts, he let out a soft hum, then—almost abruptly—burst into laughter, catching Ard and the onlookers completely off guard, as if he had no concern for any of them.
'I take it back!' Sileus murmured to himself. 'This one… he's an interesting fellow,' he thought, studying Ard carefully.
'But who would have guessed the Demon King had a subordinate like him? Even with the Demon King gone, there's still so much we don't know about those filthy demons.'
He paused, letting the words linger in his mind for a moment, then as if remembering something, he started to think about something.
'That's right. I could use this guy for that…' he concluded.
Shing!
Suddenly, Sileus casted magic with only a flick of his finger. A smooth and soft wave of mana particles emerged around them creating an orb of light that were only visible to them. This is soundproof magic.
Right now, Sileus then opened his mouth and spoke openly like a normal person.
"Hey, demon… Ard, is it? That really is your name, huh? Strange for one of your kind. Must be nice fooling all these people by pretending to be their hero."
Ard didn't reply for a moment as he looked at the orb of light. Then spoke.
"I don't know what you want. Despite knowing what I am, you don't seem to fear or despise me. You are just provoking me though I don't know what you may obtain by doing that."
Ard right now could feel his heart beating.
'I am scared…' he told himself, proud of himself.
'What a pervert.' Sileus thought.
But Sileus' interest had only grown.
If Ard was a normal demon, he would have pounced on him already. If it was a demon who was more intelligent, while he would not attack him, the moment he felt fear would have felt something combat that fear. Either it would be fight or flight: nonetheless, demons would feel hate, despair, etc. all because of that fear they cannot simply acknowledge as a fundamental thing of life.
'Most living creatures acts like that. It just so happened that demons are more sensitive to that than others which is why the demon race can't ever co-exist with the other races since time immemorial because they fear others. That is the source of it all. All others just happened to be accessories.'
'But this one is just a pervert for emotions, isn't he?' Sileus thought. 'Why?'
Right now, Ard was merely thinking one thing.
'How troublesome. This person is insane.'
These exact reactions fueled Sileus' curiosity.
After momentarily glancing at the ring on the demon's hand, Sileus coughed then spoke with a smirk like a proud menace.
"My ring. How are the ring's effects on you?" He then asked.
Ard looked at the ring. He had been meaning to ask this too.
"Well, it masks my demonic energy and limits my mana. But the most powerful effect is that it gives me emotions."
Sileus stared.
'It gives him emotions? Did it always have that effect?' Sileus remembered. Once he also used to wear that ring when humans and every other race feared his kind. In reality, even now, they do. But due to someone, he had lost that ring, allowing him to make another. But it never had that effect on him.
Sileus remembered the thoughts he had seen from the demon earlier. The demon before him was strange to begin with. To be a demon, one has to possess certain emotions. To corrupt a human being to be a demon, one has to succumb to those emotions or have another implant such to the target. Once those certain emotions are dispersed, you could say even a human under demonic possession may turn back to being a human.
But what kind of demon doesn't have any emotions to begin with?
'What kind of…'
Sileus narrowed his eyes then started laughing lowly out of nowhere.
"I see, I see, that's the effect." He smiled again and this time went closer—
Gulp.
Sileus's hand came to rest on Ard's shoulder, light at first.
"I can tell you're not lying. Nor is there malice or any hidden agenda," he said.
But Ard could feel the killing intent flowing through Sileus's hands. The pressure alone was enough to cause devastating harm if he chose.
"And now that you have these emotions," Sileus continued, voice low and probing, "what have you learned?"
Ard however remained calm.
Now that he understood what emotions were, the weight of his past actions struck him in full. The countless he had burned, slain, or destroyed—all of it laid bare in his mind. As this man had said, he was indeed the very incarnation of evil.
He was no different.
He was probably even worse than the other demons as they felt a purpose in doing their actions. He however had never known guilt or shame while taking lives.
He was a cold instrument of death.
Even now, with emotions intact, he could admit the truth: he didn't care. He understood that a normal, sane person would feel shame, guilt, or sorrow—but while he sensed those feelings faintly, they didn't and won't stop him.
The strong kill the weak they say. It was simply the reality of this world.
So why had he stepped up to save the town? At first, he also wondered.
Ard guessed it was the stirrings of emotions within him, a fleeting impulse that had finally moved him to act. Even so, by the time he intervened, lives had already been lost—and he had done nothing to prevent it. In the end, he was merely pretending to be good, following the scripts of what he believed normal people should do
He would forever be an evil incarnate.
Sileus, having read every thought, grinned. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and spoke.
"That's right. You're still the evil incarnate—but you pass," Sileus said, his tone calm yet cutting. "I'm hardly a paragon of virtue myself. Believe me, I've probably killed more than you ever did."
An intimidating aura radiated from him, and his eyes seemed to tell a story Ard couldn't ignore.
Then he looked at him again.
For one of the few times in his life, Ard felt utterly exposed, stripped bare before another.
"Even now, I am no saint," Sileus continued, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips.
Ard was expressionless.
Sileus's voice dropped slightly. "The Demon King… already perished."
Ard simply nodded.
"Yes. He died at the hands of the Hero and his party," Sileus added, then paused. "How were his final moments?"
"Pretty normal, I guess. He just… died," Ard replied, though he kept another thought buried. 'Right, he died cursing me.' The last words of the demon king echoed in his mind. At that time, Ard had already taken the Ring of Suppression from the treasury.
Sileus covered his mouth for a second as he looked at the sky trying and failing to contain a laugh.
'I suppose this is enough talking.'
Then, without warning, he vanished.
At the same time, the air collapsed then several layers of magic circles appeared in the air almost as large as the town.
"That bastard!" Ard activated his own mana and was about to remove the ring on his finger when the voice of Sileus resounded in his head again.
"I need you to sleep for a second."
Before Ard could react and remove his ring, a pressure like the descent of a god slammed toward him. Instinct screamed before thought could follow. Shadows tore themselves free from the ground, surging upward like living walls, folding and overlapping in layers meant to devour impact, to smother force, to erase existence itself.
For a moment, it worked.
Then—
Shuang!
Sileus's mana arrived.
An overwhelming flood of mana flooded through the shadows as if they were mist, crushing, searing, invading. His shadows screamed, unraveling at the edges.
Then inside his head, a violent surge blasted straight into his mind, memories and senses blurring together as if something enormous had brushed against his very soul.
"…What?"
His vision went white.
Then his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the ground.
After a moment, footsteps approached.
Sileus walked over coldly, looking down at Ard's unmoving form. The pressure was gone, the killing weight replaced by his usual relaxed posture as he sighed in relief and the casualness settled back over his features like a familiar mask.
"That almost went wrong," he hummed lightly, hands in his pockets.
--
Hello, my readers! This is the author.
Man, I am really sorry for this. I was supposed to lock it after Chapter 25, but I accidentally clicked 20. Man, I am really devastated. I understand if you will stop reading this huhuhuhu. I really do, ###!ASGDFJFGSJDHGHEU1313. But just to make it better, there is more than 3,000 words in this chapter to make up for it (I hope you understand). I apologize again. I am sorry.
Man, I guess Happy New Year to everyone!!! Sigh.