~CHAPTER 27~
“…What did you say?”
For a moment I doubted my ears.
He definitely said Demon King.
I tried not to look nervous and stared at the Guildmaster.
He was covered by a veil, but I could tell our eyes met.
How did he find out? How…
I went through so many regressions that I do not remember every person I met, but I am certain that this moment is my first encounter with the Guildmaster across every timeline.
But he claims he saw through my identity right after meeting me for the first time?
A human?
Is that even possible?
I carefully reached into my pocket and held Sianās earring.
With no magic right now, I was not confident that I could defeat this man in front of me.
I did not know his exact abilities or who he truly was.
But it was fine.
He does not know much about me either.
The fact that he confidently claimed to know my identity meant he figured out that I could not use magic at the moment.
However he overlooked one thing.
He has no idea I’m trapped inside regression.
Even if a fight broke out now and I died, it did not matter to me.
I could simply regress again and crush this organization before it became a threat.
And if I die permanently without regression, that would be even better.
I had no reason to panic over danger.
My goal was only one thing.
To escape this cycle of regression.
It did not matter how I died or who killed me, as long as I could achieve that goal.
The only reason I did not give up this round was because I thought I might find a clue unlike previous rounds.
Either way, I lose nothing.
I clenched the small earring inside my palm.
“Calm down.”
The Guildmaster spoke at that moment.
He had been sitting across from me arrogantly, but before I noticed, he was already right in front of me.
He bent down to match my eye level and grabbed my hand that held the earring through my clothes.
“You know that something like that won’t be enough to deal with me, right?”
“…Probably.”
I loosened my grip as if accepting it.
The Guildmaster laughed lightly.
“Good choice.”
I could not tell if he was mocking me or entertained by me.
It did not matter either way.
This is what I was aiming for.
I used my free hand and pulled away the veil covering his face.
“…!”
He quickly stepped back, but it was too late.
The veil was already in my hand, exposing his face.
“What do you think you’re doing, Demon King?”
“You should show your face when you talk.”
I tossed the veil aside.
His brown skin was burned evenly like tanned metal.
His hair and eyes were fiery red as if flames were alive inside them.
The colors reminded me of Ratia, and they even felt similar.
Placed side by side, they could look like father and daughter, not only in appearance but even in atmosphere.
“Impressive.”
“You are bold. No wonder you sit on the Demon King’s throne.”
“How did you know I was the Demon King?”
I did not deny it pointlessly.
Denying facts to someone who already knew them was pointless.
“I should ask first. What is a Demon King doing here? I heard you were born not long ago.”
He knows that much?
He added more as if he expected no reply.
“If you answer sincerely, then I will answer any question you ask. It sounds like a fair deal, doesn’t it?”
His offer was not a bad one.
My reason for coming here was only to find out where the Spirit Egg that became Ratia originally came from.
If he keeps his promise, that is.
I stared at him with suspicion.
He shrugged and smiled slightly.
“You think I would lie?”
“I cannot deny the possibility.”
“How hurtful. Fine then.”
He rubbed his fingers together.
What is he doing?
Right away, flames sparked from his fingertips.
His power poured out like a flood.
It felt similar to magic, but different, and I had felt it recently.
Spirit power?
He had the same aura as Ratia.
Even if I had my magic back, I could not defeat him easily.
A Spirit stronger than Ratia, who was a high-rank Spirit. That means…
“You look shocked.”
“…Spirit King.”
The Spirit King of Fire, most likely.
I had not detected him at all, meaning he suppressed his presence to look like a human.
Ifrit…
He did not seem surprised that I figured out his identity.
“I swear upon my existence. If you answer sincerely, I will truthfully answer one question in return.”
Just as a priestās vow to a god carries divine power, a Spirit’s vow upon their own existence was binding and dangerous.
He is going that far just to know why I’m in the human world?
If I lied and answered, *I’m here for amusement,* what would he do then?
A Fire Spirit King did not have the power of truth detection.
Maybe an Earth Spirit King would, but not him.
I had never met a Spirit King like this, so a small laugh escaped me.
“Fine. As you know, I was born not long ago as the Demon King.”
Ifrit motioned for me to continue.
I had no intention of revealing everything.
He would not believe it, and revealing everything to an unknown being was foolish.
As a Spirit, he was unlikely to be evil.
But I was a demon, and not just any demon, but the Demon King.
The Demon Realm and the Spirit Realm were not friendly.
So I mixed truth with lies.
“…Poison.”
Ifrit frowned.
He did not expect that answer.
“You are saying you have not lived long?”
“Spirit Kings do not know, do they? Spirits bow to you. But the Demon Realm is different.”
I raised my chin slightly.
“You should understand my condition, right?”
I still had no magic.
To him, I looked too weak to be a Demon King.
And that weakness would make my story sound believable.
“I found it strange that you were weak for a Demon King, but I thought you were hiding your power.”
“No. This is all the power I have right now.”
Certain pity was necessary, but dignity could not be lost.
“Do you know how long a Demon King candidate must survive before they can hatch properly?”
He stayed silent.
“From the moment they are still an unhatched egg, until the day they finish their reign and die. If they do not gain enough power, they are always at risk.”
“I did not know.”
I laughed dryly.
It was understandable.
A Spirit King had no reason to know the ecology of the Demon Realm.
“So I came out for some fun. I am already sick of the threats that will keep coming later.”
“…”
“By the way, the others with me only met me by chance. No one knows my identity. Are you going to tell them?”
The act was over.
All that remained was his answer.
Ifrit lowered his gaze as if thinking, then slowly opened his mouth.
