Chapter 26
Late at night, after all the guests had fallen asleep, Shaila woke up and walked around the cave on human legs—something she hadn’t done in a long time.
Unlike most aquatic monsters, Shaila couldn’t naturally transform into having human legs.
She had spent her entire life swimming, but thanks to the potion Rahel made long ago, she could occasionally live on land with human legs.
“If you were going to get stuck on a mountain, you should’ve lived properly. Why’d you have to lose your memories, too?”
She was not pleased that Rahel had lost her memories. Losing their shared memories was upsetting, yes, but that wasn’t the real problem.
She approached the fountain and knelt, dipping her hand lightly into the water. The surface shimmered and glowed, and an image rose to the surface.
“You fool. Sleeping so peacefully without realizing how serious your situation is.”
The water reflected Rahel, sleeping soundly.
This fountain showed the image of the person one wished to see when touching the water. Staring at the reflection, Shaila let out a bitter smile.
“How did you end up like that?”
She remembered Rahel as a child and let out a short sigh. He was still bold and sharp-tempered, just like before—but now it felt as though the core inside him was hollow.
Most of all, he seemed to have half-forgotten his treasured goal—one he once valued more than his own life.
—If you become the Demon King, taking lives will be easy. Why bother gathering materials so painstakingly?
After becoming Demon King and being taken in by Shaila, Rahel had dedicated himself to research. He pursued something everyone desired but could never possess: eternal life.
Shaila knew very well why Rahel was so obsessed with the experiment. She only scolded him because she thought he was going through unnecessary hardships to obtain materials.
—I made a promise. I won’t hurt anyone.
Once Rahel decided something, he never went back on it. Knowing that, Shaila didn’t try to argue further.
But a Rahel who had lost his memories… wouldn’t know that promise.
“Lady Shaila.”
Just as she tried to sort through her tangled thoughts while staring at Rahel’s reflection, a monster with gills approached.
“The human heroes are gathering at the Great Temple under the Pope’s summons.”
“Idiots.”
Shaila already knew what the humans had done to Rahel—and she also knew what cute little prank Rahel had pulled in return.
She only stayed quiet because Rahel acted first. If not, she would’ve handled things her own way.
“How can they be so short-sighted?”
Gathering all the heroes in one place would only make the demons run wild. She couldn’t understand human logic—she could only scoff.
“What about the hero stationed on Cordelia Island?”
“No. That hero is still on the island. It seems they are ignoring the summons from the Great Temple.”
“…Is that so?”
A strange human.
The hero monitoring her on Cordelia Island was odd.
She had never seen the hero’s face, but rumors said they helped patrol the island and cared only for the residents’ safety. Whether demon or anything else—if it didn’t disturb the peace, the hero didn’t interfere.
No need to waste attention on someone like that.
She only cared about the people of Cordelia Island.
“Aren’t any of you worried? You don’t know what choice I’ll make.”
At her words, the monsters that had been hiding behind the doorway revealed themselves. Some resembled slimy blobs, others had forms completely unlike sea creatures.
They approached her, rubbing themselves affectionately against her legs.
“We know how precious that person is to Lady Shaila.”
The monsters remembered when young Rahel lived here with Shaila—and how lively the place had been then.
Back then, Rahel treated Shaila’s subordinates kindly. They had no reason to dislike him.
“We hope Lady Shaila makes a decision without regrets.”
The sincerity of their words made Shaila smile as she embraced the small monsters.
Adorable children.
She only wished that her decision would not hinder the path Rahel needed to walk.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day, somehow knowing the exact moment I woke up, Shaila summoned me. After washing up, Rian and I changed into our freshly laundered clothes and followed her.
“If she refuses to give you her power, then what?” Rian asked.
“…Who knows.”
I didn’t come here to regain lost memories.
I came for Shaila’s power.
If she refused… we’d probably end up fighting.
I didn’t like the thought. She seemed to care deeply for Rahel, the owner of this body. But for me, it was an important matter.
“This way.”
The monsters led us to where Shaila sat in her nest. Her lower half had returned to a tail, just like when we first met.
“Good morning, Rahel.”
I ignored her greeting and moved to take a step.
“Stop.”
Rian stretched his arm in front of me and stared at the ground. Confused, I followed his gaze—and frowned.
“What is this?”
The ground was covered with pearls of every color and shape—so many that there was hardly space to step.
“What are you trying to pull this early in the morning?”
“I thought about it. Whether it’s truly right to hand you my power.”
“So you want me to take it by force?”
“No. You two can fight each other. I have no interest in that.”
A flicker crossed her pale blue eyes. She looked almost entertained.
“Let’s make a bet. If you win, I’ll give you my power.”
“…A bet?”
“Yes. Humans love betting, don’t they?”
She was testing me—to see if I deserved her power.
“If I lose?”
“Then I’ll take something precious to you. That human beside you wouldn’t be a bad choi—”
Shards of ice sliced past her face and embedded themselves in the wall.
“Fight me instead. That’ll be easier on my nerves.”
I didn’t even realize I moved until after it happened. Controlling my irritation, I ignored Rian’s worried look.
“You sure have a nasty temper.”
“Who made it nasty first?”
I wasn’t unreasonable. As long as no one poked me first, I could be civil.
At my glare, Shaila finally stopped joking.
“The bet is simple. Before all the sand runs out, find the fake pearl.”
A small hourglass appeared in her palm, filled with pale blue sand. Judging from its size, we had around ten minutes.
“You’re really determined not to give that power up, huh?”
Hundreds—no, thousands—of pearls littered the floor.
How was I supposed to identify the fake one?
“May I help?” Rian asked.
“No. This is for Rahel alone. Humans can watch.”
Her rejection was immediate. I gestured to Rian that it was fine and stepped forward.
A pearl rolled after being nudged by my foot.
“Well? Interested now?”
“Not even a little.”
I had never cared about jewels. Her anticipation only made me more indifferent.
Shaila flipped the hourglass.
As the sand began to fall, I knelt and picked up a pink pearl. No matter how long I stared, I couldn’t tell whether it was real or fake. Even if I tried to inspect them one by one, ten minutes wasn’t enough.
“How can there be so many pearls?”
“Look at those colors!”
“They’re so pretty!”
I looked up—monsters were peeking from the water, watching excitedly.
Of course Shaila’s subordinates would like pearls.
…Wait. They like pearls?
Rolling the pearl in my hand, I tossed it toward the monsters. Chaos erupted immediately.
“Move, that one’s mine!”
“That beautiful pearl suits me!”
Eventually, one monster triumphantly swam away with it.
I understood now. I knew how to win.
Smirking, I formed an ice sword and glanced at Shaila. Then, without hesitation, I slammed the blade into the ground.
BOOM—!
Ice spread rapidly and the floor cracked. The shock shook the ground, sending all the pearls rolling into the water.
“You never said I couldn’t break anything.”
“That brute…”
Ignoring her disbelief, I smiled.
“Pearls!”
“I’m taking the prettiest one!”
The monsters didn’t care about her glare—they dove into the water to grab pearls.
When the chaos faded, only a single pearl remained at the bottom of the water. The monsters had taken every real pearl and left the fake behind.
I waded into the water up to my thigh and picked up the pale blue pearl.
“Does this count as a win?”
Only a grain of sand remained in the hourglass.
