How to Live the Life of a Demon Chapter 26 - What Happens in the Desert (1)

 

 

Lucius, walking slowly down the hallway, let out a small sigh. Originally, he hadn’t planned on separating from Lennox, but because of Tariq, the plan had been slightly disrupted. Even though he could easily find Lennox due to the band, it was not the ideal behavior in a survival situation where cooperation with a partner was crucial.

 

‘It’s better than letting him see Lennox, but this is definitely a point deduction. I’ll hear something from Arnold.’

 

By lightly stroking his wrist, he was able to find out Lennox’s location. At the same time, a brief surge of heat followed the band.

 

“Is he in battle?”

 

Lucius stopped walking for a moment and glanced down the hallway. The demonic energy flowing in the hallway is artificially distorted.

 

It would take some time to navigate the complex path, and he couldn’t simply create a new path without consideration.

 

He has no choice but to take the long way around.

 

‘Because he’s not a guy who will go down easily.’

 

It will surely be fine.

 

* * *

 

His vision goes blurry. and his grip on the sword loosens.

 

Lennox calmed his breathing and adjusted his grip on the sword.

 

‘It’s a lot more draining than I thought.’

 

He couldn’t even move a finger. If Rovelli were to attack with her whip right now, it would be difficult to defend.

 

If he relaxed, he felt like he would collapse. After fighting for a long time without proper food or rest for days, it was the expected result.

 

But Rovelli didn’t make any move.

 

She just looked at him with an indifferent expression.

 

Why wasn’t she attacking?

 

Lennox put his doubts aside for a moment and called her in a softer voice than usual.

 

“Rovelli.”

 

“The world is so unfair.”

 

Rovelli’s face was distorted. At the same time, she leaned her body against the wall.

 

The hand holding the whip trembled slightly. She avoided meeting his gaze.

 

“Do you know how many people I brought to face you?”

 

“…”

 

“Look at this. In the end, it’s just you and me. Isn’t it? Right now, I can’t even move a finger. I’m exhausted.”

 

If she had even half of her strength left, she wouldn’t be like this.

 

Rovelli continued speaking with a very resentful expression.

 

“Did I ask for an explanation? If you had something to say, you should have said it a long time ago. What’s the point of making excuses now?”

 

“Rovelli, actually, back then…”

 

“That’s enough, Lennox. Edion is dead. That’s it.”

 

There’s no way he can come back to life.

 

Rovelli, who had been leaning against the wall, put strength into the hand holding the whip. Standing firmly on the ground, her whip coiled like a snake in an instant.

 

Swish! Thud!

 

The whip coiled around his neck. He reflexively tried to put his hand in, but the whip, made of thousands of thin wires, didn’t budge.

 

“Ugh!!”

 

His arms trembled. Rovelli pulled even harder on the whip.

 

Lennox also gripped the sword handle tightly, following her lead.

 

At the end of the whip was Rovelli. Approaching her like this, it wouldn’t be difficult to land a blow on her.

 

‘But.’

 

If he missed this opportunity, he would never be able to apologize to Rovelli.

 

Lennox released the strength in his hand and lowered the sword he was holding. As he did, the whip wrapped around his neck and tightened.

 

Deudeuk!

 

He couldn’t breathe. She was ready to break his neck without hesitation.

 

Lennox barely took a deep breath and spoke.

 

“I… I was the one who killed… that guy. I killed him.”

 

At his words, Rovelli’s eyes widened. Not long after, she shouted in anger.

 

“Lennox!!”

 

“Because it wasn’t Edion.”

 

“…”

 

Rovelli was speechless for a moment. The whip loosened a bit, allowing him to breathe. Confusion filled her round, wide eyes. Lennox met her gaze squarely.

 

“It was a demonic beast. It was a Kelpie wearing Edion’s mask.”

 

“How can I believe that?!”

 

“I didn’t know either! I thought I killed Edion. That’s why I couldn’t say anything. I had no face to show you.”

 

“Shut up! There’s no way he can be defeated by Kelpie!”

 

She can’t fall for something like that.

 

Rovelli’s body collapsed. Her head fell down as she let go of the whip.

 

Ding dong, ding dong.

 

At that moment, the bell signaled the end of the class. Soon after, a familiar voice rang out.

 

– “This is the end of the school trip. Cease all combat activities and return to your rooms. Any further fighting will be met with disciplinary action.”

 

Lennox, who was looking up into the air for a moment and listening to Arnold, lowered his gaze.

 

Drop, drop.

 

Tears fell miserably on the floor, which had been distorted by the barrier. Rovelli cried softly.

 

“I can’t believe this…”

 

“I’m sorry. I should have spoken up sooner; I’m sorry.”

 

Her shoulders trembled slightly. Lennox could only watch silently, unable to offer comfort.

 

Her appearance resembled his own after he had killed Edion. But her tears were short-lived. Before long, she composed herself and stood up.

 

Rovelli refused help and silently picked up the fallen whip and put it on her belt.

 

“… I’ll go.”

 

Rovelli said a brief goodbye and disappeared down the hallway.

 

Lennox stared at her back and stroked his neck. The skin pressed against the whip turned red and tingled.

 

“Lennox, let’s go back to our room.”

 

“Lucius.”

 

When did he come here? Lennox turned around, following Lucius’ voice.

 

“How long have you been here?”

 

Lucius glanced at Lennox as he searched for the right door to their room, then pushed it open.

 

“I came in when she was crying, and you didn’t know how to soothe her. You’ve never been much of a comforter, have you?”

 

“That, that!”

 

“Good.”

 

Lucius’s cheeky smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

Unconsciously, Lennox’s steps faltered for a moment. It was an unsurprising statement, yet it struck deep in his heart.

 

Was this how he always smiled? He always had a coy smile, like he was hiding something.

 

Lennox moved his feet again and entered the room. Somehow he found the door, and it was the room Mr. Arnold had assigned them.

 

“Thank you, Lucius.”

 

With that one word, all the tension was relieved. Lennox, whose body had lost all strength, fell, leaning against the wall.

 

‘I feel dizzy.’

 

The drain on his magic was too much. It was hard enough to repair Ophelia, and then there was the survival training.

 

“This is why it’s important to allocate your stamina.”

 

“But thanks to you, I’ve cooled my head.”

 

After giving a light answer to Lucius’ scolding, Lennox sat down and leaned against the wall. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t even move his fingers, but strangely enough, he felt very good.

 

“Get some rest; you’re free tomorrow, so you can sleep in.”

 

He smelled a faint odor from somewhere.

 

His body felt lighter, and he felt like he was floating.

 

At the same time, his eyelids became increasingly heavy.

 

For some reason, he felt like he could sleep well tonight.

 

Lucius’ face appeared through his slowly narrowing vision. The same soft smile he’d seen earlier tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

As Lucius’ palm touched his forehead, a cool magic flowed inward, gradually spreading.

 

His consciousness faded away.

 

***

 

‘Seems like you always make things complicated.’

 

Lucius looked at Lennox, who was completely asleep.

 

The shadows under his eyes, the pallor of his skin and hair, the uncharacteristic disheveledness of his clothes. He could see how intense he’d been in his absence.

 

“You definitely worked hard this time, so let’s take a look.”

 

The internal injuries have fully recovered, so Lennox needs to be moved. Because he can’t keep sleeping on the floor.

 

As Lucius wrapped his arms around his shoulders and leaned in, Lennox’ head fell onto his chest. It made him laugh because it seemed like a child sleeping peacefully without knowing about the world.

 

After putting Lennox on the bed and checking to see if there were any other injuries, Lucius felt a presence outside the door.

 

Knock.

 

A knocking sound is heard shortly afterwards.

 

‘It must be Mr. Arnold.’

 

Lucius opened the door, and sure enough, Arnold was staring down at him with a tired expression on his face.

 

“What can I do for you?”

 

“Shouldn’t you know the outcome? What about Lennox?”

 

“He must have been tired because as soon as he entered the room, he fell asleep.”

 

“Then you listen and convey this to Lennox. First of all, well done. You managed to survive until the end. Four pairs, including you, have advanced to the finals. Keep that in mind.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“There was nothing I could complain about. You managed to secure food supplies and get at least some rest. The path was likely complicated, but you managed to navigate it well.”

 

“It was a bit of a headache.”

 

“But.”

 

Arnold scratched his head a few times and opened his eyes.

 

“I lost track of your movements. Any guesses?”

 

His inquiring gaze pierced through. Lucius rolled his eyes as if contemplating, and then nodded.

 

Naturally, it must have been when he met Tariq.

 

Because he can pass through the academy teachers and set up a double barrier without being detected from inside.

 

“Was it when I parted ways with Lennox?”

 

“Yes, thanks to you, the teacher’s office was turned upside down. Was there something going on during that time?”

 

He couldn’t just say it straightforwardly.

 

The fact that a top-ranked name and the leader of a desert city had come all the way here just to see a student was hard to believe.

 

He’s not helpful.

 

Lucius shrugged his shoulders and he spoke as if he were lamenting.

 

“I couldn’t survive because of you.”

 

He must have been frustrated by not being able to locate his position. Being alone without a partner, Arnold must have been even more worried.

 

“It’s a shame to have lost a good teacher early on.”

 

“Considering your personality.”

 

A slight scolding came, but Lucius pretended not to notice and smiled slightly.

 

“Nothing really happened. Even parting ways was just an accident.”

 

“Lucius. There is a lot of training to be done in the future. This means that it is not a matter of judging that it is okay right now because the student is safe. If there is a problem, please explain in detail…”

 

“I was just a little lost.”

 

Arnold frowned, as if he couldn’t understand it.

 

But what can he do when the most important ‘student’ is safe?

 

“There was nothing worth worrying about.”

 

Arnold’s reaction was rather perplexing.

 

It seemed like he didn’t have any reverence, and he didn’t seem to suspect that Lucius might be an elder.

 

Why is he giving me such a questioning look?

 

“Well… if you say so, then I suppose that’s it.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Lucius nodded obediently. Arnold spoke up.

 

“We’ll be returning to the academy the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is a free day, so you can go out and explore. However.”

 

He hesitated a little, looked around, and sighed lightly.

 

“I’m sure you’re exhausted, so I suggest you stay in your room and rest. This is a closed city, and it doesn’t take kindly to outsiders. Especially since you stand out so much.”

 

Before Lucius could respond, Arnold emphasized it in a whisper.

 

“Do you understand? Stay in your accommodation as much as possible. Don’t go out looking for trouble. If you must go out, stick to the main roads. The change of generation happened not long ago, so the security isn’t great.”

 

“Okay…?”

 

“If something happens, call a teacher immediately or ask for help nearby. You understand the emergency procedures, right?”

 

“…”

 

It was really suspicious. Was this person always so worried?

 

Sensing the questioning stares, Arnold coughed to get his attention.

 

“Rest well.”

 

And with those last words, he closed the door and left.

 

Lucius, who was looking at the closed door, leaned against the wall and smoothed his chin.

 

‘Something’s not right.’