Chapter 173

〈 Chapter 174: Twins (1) 〉

*

‘Allen Pleuk.’

His achievements were so insane that they literally made no sense.

On top of that, the High Priest was now keeping a close eye on him, proving that he had truly surpassed the impossible.

So…

“Two weeks. Just wait for two weeks.”

He seemed to know her plans already for some reason.

Was it a memory from another dimension…? There were certainly unknown sources of information as well.

If that were the case, he might have other solutions that didn’t involve the world’s swift destruction.

That thought crossed my mind.

‘I should make my judgment within the next two weeks.’

Although it looked like his lifespan would drop below one-third before any of that.

But if he really succeeded in learning Blood Magic, maybe it would be worth believing in him at least once.

‘The odds are horrendous, but…’

It was also true that, based on his past achievements, that somehow seemed possible.

“Whatever happens, I’ll execute the plan in two weeks.”

I wanted to confirm his potential a bit more.

­Okay, I’ll pass along the two weeks for now.

Fortunately, Violet seemed to accept the specific timeframe of two weeks.

­But… what about Allen Pleuk?

“Hmm?”

But she came back with a different question.

­You must have talked to him. What’s he like?

Her mind flashed with the image of Allen Pleuk.

“He’s weaker than I expected, and he has no talent.”

I was honestly curious how he achieved all he had with that kind of body.

The only thing I felt from him was…

“I think he’s an okay person. Not sure though…”

That was it.

However, it seemed Violet caught the emotions hidden within that.

­You seem happy.

“What?”

­No, I just sometimes randomly feel like I want to see him these days. Although, as a Demon King, meeting him would only lead to my head being chopped off.

For some reason, there was a hint of loneliness in Violet’s voice.

“Violet? Are you…?”

­It’s nice to talk after so long! I’ll be waiting for the next contact.

In that moment, the Communication Magic was cut off.

All I could hear through the receiver was static.

‘Violet…?’

Her voice had sounded particularly lonely for some reason.

Well, considering she had been cooped up doing the same thing for hundreds of years, it was strange she hadn’t before.

Still…

‘Nothing happened, right?’

While I thought about possible situations, I turned to look where Allen would be.

‘Right, let’s first solve my problem.’

*

Clatter.

Great Library Cafeteria.

The sound of the dishes clattering echoed around the table.

‘Honestly, the taste is…’

The broth had an odd mix of sweetness and bitterness.

The vegetables were undercooked, carrying a raw smell.

‘Not great.’

Well, it made sense that it was Lucy—not a professional chef—who made this.

The problem was that all her dishes had been like this until now.

Yet Lucy asked Yusera and me while eating it as if it was nothing.

“What do you think? Isn’t it good?”

The first to respond was Yusera.

“Not at all…”

I interrupted Yusera’s words.

“I think it’s better than yesterday! If the veggies were just a bit more cooked, I bet it would taste great.”

Not knowing yet what her culinary philosophy entailed, Yusera was trying Lucy’s food for the first time after regaining consciousness.

“Really? But if we cook it more, it’ll become mushy and unpleasant.”

No, I wanted something in between that.

If the vegetables were fresh, it would have been one thing, but the vegetables in the library had a smell if they weren’t properly boiled in the broth.

It seemed that Lucy’s taste buds were oblivious to that fact.

‘Forget it.’

At this point, giving up on the flavor was the best option.

As long as I could at least get the nutrients somehow, it didn’t really matter.

“Of course, it’s delicious now.”

This made Lucy smile brightly.

On the other hand, Yusera looked at me as if I were strange.

“Allen? What’s happened to your taste buds?”

I couldn’t help it.

To focus on training with Luel, I had no time to prepare meals, and leaving it to Yusera was also a gamble.

Meanwhile, Lucy had relatively free time and knew how to make balanced meals, regardless of taste.

So I was trying to keep her happy enough to keep eating her food.

“Lucy, please understand. This one is super picky about her taste.”

Of course, Yusera had a very ordinary palate, often starting to cry over just eating raw potatoes in her corner.

­Well, Yusera’s taste is indeed unique.

Albert seemed to agree.

This made Yusera turn pale.

‘The Rule of Three.’

When three people gather, they can move the world, is the rule.

This was an extremely useful rule for manipulation.

By now, Yusera was probably realizing that her palate was anything but ordinary.

‘But Albert, have you been awake?’

­Ding ding.

‘Hey, hey!’

Just as I was silently screaming at Albert, who had fallen asleep again…

Clatter.

Ultimately, Yusera took another spoonful.

With tears brimming her eyes, she said,

“It… it seems a bit tasty.”

That was unnecessary.

For some reason, I felt sorry now.

‘I’m sorry.’

Meanwhile, she looked around and asked,

“By the way, where’s Luel?”

At the table, there were only Yusera, Lucy, and me.

Schurz was out of the loop since Yusera didn’t know of his existence, but Luel’s absence was indeed noticeable.

Lucy answered that question.

“Luel…”

Her expression darkened a bit.

“She always eats alone quickly.”

To this, Yusera muttered as if she understood.

“That’s true considering how the food is like…”

But Lucy’s answer wasn’t entirely accurate.

Luel actually didn’t eat at all.

She didn’t even need to consume food.

‘Not that she’s a Demon King or anything.’

Her lifespan was almost the same as an ordinary human’s.

It was just that she didn’t need to absorb nutrients from food.

That’s probably why Lucy’s taste buds had gone weird as well.

‘She likely hasn’t dined with anyone until now.’

Thus, her unique taste was shaped differently from a general sense of flavor.

There was nothing to criticize about that.

‘After all, there aren’t many days left to eat this food.’

Rather, I was just grateful someone was cooking for me.

Having emptied my plate as much as I could, I said,

“I ate well.”

This made Yusera’s expression turn to despair.

*

Creak, creak…

The sound of mechanical devices moving.

Finally, the owl sculpture rose.

Of course, what emerged was Luel.

‘It’s already late at night.’

Being underground, I often lost track of time, which could be inconvenient.

Although her body didn’t require food, she still felt tired and was likely heading straight to bed.

She had more teaching to do with Allen in the morning.

Just as she was about to return to her bedroom…

“Luel.”

At that moment, someone called her from behind.

Turning around, her sister with blue hair was leaning there.

“Sis? What brings you here at such a late hour…?”

“What about you? What are you doing down here so late?”

“That’s…”

I couldn’t say I was in contact with the Demon King.

Her sister Lucy was the Hero who had to defeat the Demon King.

“It was work as the Water Sage.”

Thus, she always said this.

The work of the Water Sage was something Lucy couldn’t interfere with.

But every time she spoke those words, Luel felt Lucy’s expression darken.

“Ah, that makes sense. I’m sorry.”

Seeing her sister apologizing made Luel feel a pang of hurt regarding her usually bright sister.

But it was okay.

“It’s fine. Sis.”

It was fine to doubt her as much as she wished.

She could freely criticize her.

‘I really am a bad kid, after all.’

No matter how necessary it might be, she couldn’t be a good kid who wants to destroy the world.

Only her sister, who battled the Demon Kings all over the world, was the good one.

She was the villain who could be hated by everyone in the world.

“Then you need to get some rest. You’ve been working hard lately taking care of Allen and Yusera’s breakfasts.”

“Luel, what about you?”

“I’m going to sleep as well. I need to teach Allen Blood Magic in the morning.”

Lucy asked in response to that.

“Do you really think that guy can learn Blood Magic?”

Having tried to learn Blood Magic herself, the question came with even more skepticism.

It took a long time for her, who had quite a talent, to grasp it.

There was no way Allen could learn it quickly.

Luel shook her head as well.

“If we’re talking about the chances, it’s exceedingly close to impossible.”

“Then why are you teaching him Blood Magic?”

“It’s all a trade. In two weeks, whether he learns it or not, I’m supposed to receive my reward.”

“A trade then… I guess there’s nothing we can do.”

Of course, she knew well that the reason she was teaching Allen wasn’t just because of the trade.

‘If we were just looking at realistic possibilities, it would be nearly impossible, but somehow, I also think he might have a chance.’

However, her personality wouldn’t allow her to voice such embarrassing thoughts to others.

If it had been Lucy, she might have boldly said it.

“Still, you know…”

At that moment, Lucy spoke.

“To be honest, I’m not oblivious to the fact that my cooking isn’t very good. Watching you somehow eat it and call it good left quite an impression on me.”

Luel also recognized that Lucy’s aesthetic sense was a bit off.

For anyone to say Lucy’s cooking was good would be incredibly difficult.

But given that man’s will who kept spitting blood into a bucket, it made sense.

“Well, I don’t know about the skills, but he seems like a decent person.”

“Really?”

With Luel’s still dry response, a strange smile appeared on her lips.

If Lucy deemed him good, it meant he was really someone nice.

‘Then it’s a relief. No matter how things turn out, I’ve at least saved a good person’s life.’

She turned her head to hide that expression and said,

“Well then, good night, Sis.”

“…You too, sleep well.”

*