How to Live the Life of a Demon Chapter 23 - No favor is given without expecting compensation (4)

 

 

Lucius approached the door again. As he grabbed the doorknob, he felt a chilling aura.

 

He couldn’t quite understand the intention behind it, but he could sense that the outside and this space were completely disconnected.

 

Let’s see what happens.

 

Lucius, who smiled lightly, reached out to Lennox. Lennox looked at it and flinched his fingertips hesitantly, not knowing why.

 

“You’re not giving me a chance to rest.”

 

“Is that so? That’s perfect. Too much rest relaxes you.”

 

“You talk as if you’ve been through a lot.”

 

“I didn’t grow up as delicately as you think.”

 

Lucius, who smiled lightly, reached out to Lennox. Lennox looked at it and flinched his fingertips hesitantly without knowing why.

 

“Ophelia, you brought her, right? Can I borrow her for a moment?”

 

“Oh. Is that it?”

 

Lennox let out a small exclamation, busily took out Ophelia, and handed her over.

 

Ophelia, who had exhausted her strength for her master, shivered at Lucius’ touch. Lennox asked, looking at Ophelia with a serious expression.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to feed her my blood? It would speed up her recovery.”

 

“She’s too starved; it would be risky. If you lose in the battle of wills with Ophelia, you’ll be drained of all your blood and die.”

 

So here’s the plan.

 

Lucius took out one of his grimoires.

 

It was the one he’d gotten from Bahamut, the one that contained the legend of the cursed swords.

 

The grimoire didn’t even have a proper title. It merely had the names of the various cursed swords recorded inside inscribed on the cover.

 

‘Anyway, I have to make sure Rudiger pays off this debt.’

 

Not only Lennox, but also the repair of the sword.

 

It might be too much of a burden for Lennox to handle, but Lucius planned to demand it from Rudiger, who was neglecting his duties as a parent.

 

Lucius unsealed the grimoire, opened the pages, and threw them on the floor. Sword-shaped shadows stretched out, and the bookcase melted and began to wriggle like slime.

 

“What do you plan to do?”

 

“It’s a grimoire that records cursed swords. In other words, it’s a grimoire that has absorbed all the recorded cursed swords.”

 

Lucius held Ophelia and thrust her into the grimoire.

 

Kieeee!!

 

Unidentifiable screams spread everywhere. The bookcase stretched out like tentacles and wrapped around Ophelia. Lucius took his hand away from Ophelia and sat down on the chair next to him.

 

Lennox, realizing that Ophelia had been captured by the grimoire, panicked and shouted at Lucius.

 

“Lucius! What is that now…?!”

 

“Ophelia has been touched by a grimoire that has consumed countless cursed swords…”

 

A monotonous tone similar to saying that the weather is nice today.

 

Lennox’s gaze quickly shifted between Ophelia and Lucius.

 

“If she’s lucky, she’ll absorb the grimoire’s energy and be repaired; if she’s unlucky, she’ll be absorbed.”

 

“Why did you have to go all the way… Couldn’t we have just gone to the blacksmith?”

 

“No. It would have been ruined if you had left it there. It’s not something a blacksmith can fix. They can make things, but they can’t do this kind of repair.”

 

Lennox pursed his lips.

 

Lucius tapped the table with his fingertips and said, “If you’re so worried, go lend a hand. It’s more promising than standing still.”

 

“I intend to.”

 

Lennox approached Ophelia. He reached through the tangled magic of the grimoire and found the body of the sword.

 

The sharp blade of the sword quickly dug into the back of his hand and fingers.

 

“I can’t let the grimoire eat me.”

 

Even if it means not being able to use it…

 

As Lennox said, his energy gradually calmed down, almost feeling resigned.

 

‘That looks very much like his father.’

 

Even though there seemed to be no resemblance other than appearance, at times like this, Lucius could see a glimpse of Rudiger in him.

 

Blood flowed from the open wound. Ophelia’s eyes seemed to roll over as she frantically sucked her master’s blood.

 

Sizzle!

 

The magic whirled sharply, like a snake crying out. Lucius, who had created a barrier, watched the scene quietly from behind without a single hair blowing in the wind.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Faaah!

 

Lennox’s hand was thrown away with a strong sound. At the same time, he was pushed back a few steps and stared at Ophelia, out of breath.

 

He held on to Ophelia again. And he began to resist the power of the grimoire with all his might.

 

“Cough!”

 

Lennox coughed up a mouthful of blood, long after his internal wounds had healed. He clenched his teeth and pushed himself harder.

 

And soon enough.

 

Swoosh.

 

The strong vortex of magical energy gradually subsided. The sword-like shadow disappeared, and the unpleasantly colored slime also vanished without a trace.

 

And the inner pages of the grimoire were completely empty.

 

“I guess it went well.”

 

Lucius muttered in a low voice.

 

Lennox, who had been enduring the pain, looked at Ophelia. Ophelia’s sword body shone elegantly.

 

“Now that it’s slowly recovering, there’s no need to worry.”

 

Lennox stared at the sword, mesmerized, until his gaze suddenly shifted to Lucius.

 

Lucius’ eyes were reflected in his eyes.

 

He was thinking about something for a long, long time.

 

Just as Lennox seemed to be about to say something, the broadcast that echoed throughout the dormitory cut off his words.

 

– “Is everyone resting well?”

 

It was Arnold’s voice.

 

– “Thank you for coming this far, everyone. It’s a bit early, but we’re about to start a full-fledged school trip. The school trip will last for 3 days and 4 nights, starting today. During these 3 days and 4 nights, you just have to survive in this dormitory.”

 

“Tsk. Teacher Arnold really has no taste.” 

 

Lucius clicked his tongue and stood up. Then, he lightly wiped the blood flowing down Lennox’s chin with his hand.

 

“It seems there is no time to rest. Get up.”

 

Survive.

 

Lucius, who was considering Arnold’s command, approached the door.

 

Then, after knocking once or twice, he grabbed the door handle and opened it wide.

 

The ordinary hallway was filled with a purple mist. It was not only thick but also strangely distorted, as if he was seeing a hallucination.

 

His voice continued to echo.

 

– “However, at least once every three hours, you must engage in a ‘battle’ with a different pair. If you do not engage in a battle even after time has passed, it will be considered forfeit, and you will have to receive additional lessons.”

 

It’s an interesting system. Lucius looked at his hands and moved them. Since students could not be left to die, it seemed that the dormitory itself had been separated into different spaces.

 

Was this the sense of discomfort he felt when he entered this room?

 

– “Depending on your performance, you will be given seeding priority for the Gustav final pair match, so please try your best. That’s it.”

T/N: “Seeding” refers to the placement of participants or teams in a determined order in a sporting competition or tournament. In general, seed placement is determined by considering the ranking, performance, and ability of the participant or team. 

 

After Mr. Arnold finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

 

Lucius, who was standing still at the entrance without going out into the hallway, gestured towards Lennox.

 

“How’s your condition?”

 

“I’m barely surviving.”

 

“Good. Now that the sword is in good shape, I hope you’ll wake her up.”

 

Lucius went out into the hallway with Lennox.

 

There was not a single trace of tension on Lucius’s face as he began walking down the winding hallway.

 

Lennox momentarily stopped his steps following Lucius.

 

“Lucius.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“There is something I want to make clear.”

 

“Say it.”

 

“Is Gustav winning what you want?”

 

How should he answer?

 

Lucius seriously considered the answer.

 

This is probably the only answer Lennox can understand.

 

“There’s no other way, right? It’s a golden opportunity for a freshman to make a name for himself.”

 

“Okay, there are a lot of things I want to ask, but I’ll leave them aside. I’ll let you know that I understand it that way.”

 

As if that were enough, Lennox took another step and walked ahead down the hallway. Then he picked up Ophelia, who had recovered enough to fight.

 

“If it’s a victory, a sure and quick way is good. Let’s aim to get a good score on the school trip first.”

 

“Isn’t this getting quite serious?”

 

“I have to repay what I received.”

 

No favors without a return.

 

Lennox replied lightly and then looked at Ophelia, who howled happily.

 

He felt a little of the excitement he’d felt when he’d received Ophelia from his father.

 

He didn’t think he would be able to feel this way again while holding this sword.

 

Unbeknownst to Lucius, a small smile crept up on Lennox’s lips.

 

“I will take the lead, so I’ll ask you to guard the rear. It shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

 

Lucius looked at Lennox’s back as he confidently stepped forward. Besides Dummett and the Demon King, was there any other demon that was so arrogantly blocking his path?

 

Although he was told to look in all directions, this was the first time Lucius was asked to only watch the rear.

 

Lennox must already have an idea of his abilities. With a faint smile, Lucius summoned a plant behind his back.

 

Along with eyeball plants that can inspect the surroundings, Lucius scattered pollen that only trained demons can detect.

 

‘It’s easy to get lost in a place like this, so it’s best to mark the way.’

 

In distorted spaces, even opening the same door could lead to different places. It was necessary to have some preventive measures in place.

 

It wasn’t long before they heard a stir in the distance. Lennox braced himself against the wall and began to make his way slowly forward.

 

By the time he could see the students with his eyes, Lennox exchanged glances with Lucius.

 

Lucius nodded once, and then Lennox sprinted away, closing the distance in one go.

 

“Huh, wait! Who over there…?”

 

“What…!!”

 

There was no time to scream. Lennox’s sword struck the opponent without hesitation, delivering a fatal blow.

 

The students turned into particles of light and scattered into the air in an instant.

 

Lennox flicked his sword a couple of times and looked at it as if it were the expected result.

 

His gaze felt arrogant.

 

Lucius looked at him with satisfaction.

 

‘There was no need to support him.’

 

It seemed like he had tamed the sleeping beast quite well.