"Ahaha, to think that got myself a PTSD... this sucks."
The previous room I had, with its jagged stone and half-hearted luxuries—I was firm on the belief that it was nothing but a holding cell disguised as hospitality.
This one? It showcased nobility, like the one would expect from a modern billionaire or royal lineage.
Silk drapes in deep indigo framed tall windows that overlooked the garden's perpetual twilight, their folds pooling on floors of polished obsidian veined with silver.
A vanity stood in one corner, its surface inlaid with mirrors that caught the faint glow from sconces shaped like coiled serpents, their eyes rubies that seemed to follow my movements.
Even the air carried a subtle incense, woody and grounding, chasing away the last wisps of the tea party's haze.
But it was the bed that I drooled over—a royal expanse piled with cushions in gradients of midnight blue, so soft and comfy that I wouldn't mind being trapped here for the majority of my life in this Demonic Realm.
I sank into it now, the mattress cradling my weight like a conspirator, yet it was too soft for the storm still churning in my thoughts—as I gaze at the ceiling with lethargy.
The moment Lothair declared that she wanted me to become a Demon for her.
"Why?" I'd asked Lothair back then, "At least I want to know the reason, since parting with my humanity is not something I can decide carelessly." I gritted my teeth, trying my best to hold my anger. "Just you know, that all of you have been nothing but Villains in my eyes until recently."
Lothair had leaned back—that sly smile playing at her lips like she saw me as a delicious little treat.
"Because it is a massive favor, Valentine. One that demands more than human limits can provide. Your body requires Demonic Essence in order to do this task of mine—or at least, command over it."
Demonic Essence.
I knew the term from reports I'd dug up back on Earth.
It was the core trait of every Demon that crossed into our world during invasions.
A kind of magical energy, raw and potent, that powered their spells or amplified their Egos into something far stronger.
Heroes had faced Demons whose powers twisted reality—flames that burned without heat, shadows that swallowed light—all fueled by that essence while also working in tandem with the Demon's supposed Ego.
Not only that, the Technological Advancement Department in the Heroes of the World had tried to copy it once.
They poured resources into labs, running tests on 'supposedly' captured samples.
But every attempt failed.
The whole project got classified after that, locked away from public eyes.
"Explain more."
Lothair leaned back, folding her hands. "There was a Demon once, powerful beyond measure. She was known as Eisheth the Cosmic Savant~
"Many thought she would rule this realm one day, uniting every inch of civilization in this crude and ravenous Demonic Realm. But she died when people least expect it...
"Her body was found to have spilled so much blood that it formed a sea." Lothair smirked. "We call it the Lustful Blood Sea now."
I blinked, stunned at the suspicious wording. "Why call the sea 'Lustful'?"
Lothair shrugged as she scoffed, "The water carries an aphrodisiac effect."
"Oh."
"Just a drop of unfiltered liquid from that sea is enough to make a Demon crave to perform the deed for three days nonstop~"
"Alright, I get it! Can we change the topic now? Like, what does Eisheth have to do with me needing to become a Demon?"
Before she could say more, Surreal approached her.
She leaned in, whispering something low and urgent.
Lothair's face shifted, a hint of annoyance flashing before she masked it.
Lothair then stood up, gracefully smoothing her dress. "We'll continue this later. I have matters to attend, surprisingly. So, Surreal, take our little cutie to the new place," She lingered her enigmatic gaze at me for a while. "It is something that had been in construction for a great amount of time while you're unconscious...
"I believe that the place is ready to be called an abode." Lothair winked. "Think of it as the same package with your starting funds and legal paperworks~"
I smiled wryly, pushing my chair back. "Does this add to my debt too?"
Lothair's eyes gleamed, her smile turning devilish.
"I'm investing, not running a charity, my dear~"
"Right…"
Back in the present.
I let out a slow breath, the ceiling's patterns blurring as I sank deeper into the bed.
Lothair had handed me a whole mansion. It also came with a hasty tour led by none other than Surreal, her one and only maid.
Aside from all the things one would expect from a mansion, it had some rooms that were worth a mention on its own.
A training chamber with padded floors and racks of strange tools. An alchemy lab filled with vials and bubbling pots. A library stacked floor to ceiling with books bound in leathers I'd never seen—
And it even came with a whole underground floor that may or may not look like it's a witch's lair...
In totality, it was grand and excessive, the kind of place that would cost a fortune on Earth.
But compared to Lothair's place, it was small—hers sprawled four times larger, with all sorts of statues and towers I hadn't even glimpsed fully.
Regardless of her background, Lothair was stupidly wealthy.
"I got an entire day until she returns, and revokes me of my humanity, huh."
What did Eisheth have to do with it? What was my deal with a dead Demon whose blood made a sea?
The favor hung over me like a shadow, unclear but pressing.
"Heh, maybe she wants me to acquire Eisheth's inheritance."
Then again, that would be less of a favor but more of adding plenty to my already large debt.
"To think that I might become the very enemy of humanity, starting from tomorrow…"
Just thinking about it was enough to make me depressed.
I hadn't been a day since the memory of me being tortured was given back to me voluntarily, and now I faced the complication that I may or may not be human anymore.
I sighed, forcing myself up.
"On the bright side, that woman is serious about investing on me," I remembered all the words and demeanor Lothair expressed to me. "In the end, I survived. As long as I live, I can plan and embrace another day, heh..."
No point lying around. Surreal's tour skipped a lot of details, and I needed to see it all again.
I wandered the halls, feet padding on thick carpets, as I noted the polished wood and faint scents of herbs from hidden vents.
Aside from all kinds of eccentric rooms that I got introduced to, the library drew me the most.
I noticed that the Demons used some weird symbols as their letters that were somehow readable to me as if I was reading my own language of birth, and I wondered if the library was filled with those kinds of books.
Surreal barely gave me five second to look around each room, it was quite annoying.
As someone whose occupation dabbled heavily with information, any kind of wisdom pertaining to the Demonic Realm and its inhabitants would be priceless in the chance that I managed to get back to Earth.
"Well, if I can hide the fact that I turned into a demon by the time, that is."
I pushed open the heavy door, stepping into air thick with paper and spirits.
The size of the library was quite daunting now that I knew that I was the owner of it.
Passing by, I scanned titles, my fingers trailing the covers, searching for anything interesting as my first ever read in this place.
"Man, I can't wait to inhale these like it is nothing—"
Then I saw her.
On the sofa, legs crossed, a book open in her lap, and a plate of desserts beside her.
She munched casually, turning a page without looking up.
She also possessed no demonic horns or wings, or any kind of demonic trait, just like Lothair and Surreal.
But she had to be one—humans were rare here, treated like oddities. Something that should also be the case with Lothair and Surreal, since she knew a thing or two about Demonic Essence, and human shouldn't be able to comprehend one without being a Demon.
Back to the mysterious figure in front of me—her hair caught my eyes first—a bob cut, one side shaved close while the other draped longer over her shoulder, black on the outside fading to vibrant green within.
Her skin was a rich chocolate tone, smooth and unmarked, as her figure leaned with modest curves that the maid outfit hugged without strain. Long white lashes framed eyes I couldn't see yet, and a faint, cheeky smile played on her lips as she turned a page, utterly at ease.
I stood there, stupor freezing me in place before I screamed.
"Who the hell are you!?"