On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

After she lets go of her hug, Valeria tells me she will be waiting at the river before disappearing from the place.

I am glad that we can finally bond with each other after a month of not doing so, but also irked at her choice to leave me behind. I mean, she can just teleport me with her since we are going to the same place.

Still, I don't really dwell too much on that. Valeria always does everything for a reason; just like how she doesn't explain a thing about why she has to show me the growth of the Heroes here, in front of the Throne of Eternity.

This is the first time Valeria has asked me to see what the Heroes are up to here; usually, we do it in my hut. Like always though, she also doesn't explain anything about the Heroes' growth.

She only lets me watch—she wants me to see with my own eyes, and understand what I am up against in the future. She knows that I understand of what is happening, so she doesn't bother to explain the situation to me.

Just like her decision to bring me here and leave me alone here: it is a warning, just like the first day I arrived here. She wants me to understand how powerful the Heroes are.

She is warning me to stay careful, because even my predecessors, who were millions of fold stronger than the current me, still lost to the Heroes who, maybe, were just a hundred times stronger than my bastard of friends.

The gap—Valeria wants to make me more aware of the gap between me and the Heroes. She is secretly telling me to never stop growing—to never be satisfied with my power.

"Tsk. I don't mean to disrespect you, my predecessors, but all of you are buried here because you were weak." I look down at the grave surrounded by the seven statues of Heroes.

"You did a good job in keeping Verniculos Kingdom exist, but you won't be my role models. I don't like losers ... They remind me too much of my previous self, who I have killed by my hands."

I stare at the grave silently for a couple of seconds, before eventually sighing to myself. "Fuck, I am so corny. Who am I speaking to anyway?" I scratch my head then extend my hand. "I will bring us to victory this time—watch over me."

I fist bump the air while imagining my five predecessors fist bump me back, then turn around to get out of the Garden and go to the river.

I am not really sure if I can be a good Demon King, but I will survive and kill the Heroes. For that, I, at least, need the blessing of my ancestors.

Upon arriving at the river, I am met with the scene that I thought I would never see in my life. Valeria, who has taken her blind mask off, is washing Millonia's back while chatting together like two normal women.

I thought that Millonia wasn't included in the 'subordinate' Valeria mentioned, so I expected her to never show her true colors in front of Millonia.

'Well, I guess there is always exception in everything. What can I say? I don't understand women well.'

None of them are paying attention to me; they are either too immersed in their conversation to notice my presence or intentionally ignoring me. Either way, it's a good thing for me, since I can enjoy my peaceful bath time.

"Join us, Layland. You don't have to feel left out."

"Ah... Ahahaha. Well, I was about to."

Valeria calls me when I am about to enter the river. I even intentionally hide my presence so she doesn't notice me, but it seems I am too naive to think it will work.

I laugh awkwardly as I approach her—I just know from her tone, something I don't really like to happen will happen. Lo and behold, the moment I sit down, the two women immediately clamp each one of my hand between their breasts.

"Sheesh... Why do I feel like I am about to get scammed by two strippers?"

"This bastard... Just be grateful that we are kind enough to loosen you up for tomorrow."

"Loosen me up?"

I blink my eyes in confusion then turn my head to Valeria. She nods her head with a smile, then winks her eyes knowingly.

I still don't know where the talk is going until Millonia grabs my flaccid schlong in her hand. I don't recoil in surprise nor do I react violently, but I do quirk my eyebrow at that.

"Woah. I have seen it many times, but it is still bigger than it seems! Why doesn't it give any reaction though? Are you impotent or are you just good at controlling your lust?"

"Alright, stop squeezing my dick like it is a sponge." I pry Millonia's hand of my schlong, and she surprisingly doesn't resist me in the slightest. Upon looking at her face however, I can't help sighing in exasperation. "What?"

"You are stimulated by what I did, aren't you? Just be honest. I know that you've been acting like you are not aroused by me for all this time. In truth, you can't quite hold yourself back, aren't you?"

Millonia smirks at me smugly, probably thinking it is something worthy to be proud about. I turn my head to Valeria, and she only smiles at me faintly like a mother encouraging her son to play along with his sister.

I sigh, then say, "Look, I know that the two of you are probably thinking that I am nervous for tomorrow, but I am really not. Even if that was the case, this is not the way to ease my nervousness. Of course, I still appreciate your initiative."

"Stop beating around the bush, and say what you want, bastard."

"Then stop cutting me, bitch!" I mildly glare at Millonia, then sweep my hair to the back. "Let us just bond with each other. I want to know Miss. Valeria more, and properly understand my slave, who I am going to deal with everyday."

"... Why do you treat me as if I am a burden?"

"Very well!" I clap my hand once. "Let's start from me. My name is Layland Kleinhaus, and my hobby is..."

Ignoring Millonia, who is still looking at me in confusion and slight indignation, I start introducing myself to Valeria. Valeria does the same right after, and Millonia also joins us in the end after deciding to forget what I said entirely.

We talk about ourselves while we bathe, and because of that, we finish our bath when the sky is dark.

To say that I know the two of them better because of this trivial talk about ourselves will be an exaggeration, but I do feel we got closer than before.

...

06:00 AM.

The day when I receive my Awakening has finally arrived. I don't know if it is because I got Millonia as my bolster for the entire night, but I had a really good sleep.

I initially felt it was unfortunate that she had to live with me ever since she became my slave, but now that I have found she can make me sleep better, I retract my words.

She is also already awake when I wake up, and she has even prepared me my breakfast like a dutiful slave. I don't know where or when she made it, and I don't care to find it out.

After eating our breakfast together, we go the river to bathe ourselves while bickering with each other on our way. We bathe ourselves quickly upon arriving there, then quickly head to the place where Valeria told us to go to yesterday—Summoning Room.

It is the place that I found myself in when I first arrived here. Memories of the old me and my days of getting trampled rush through my brain, and I can't help but smile and cringe at the same time.

"You are strangely quiet today. What happened to the rowdy Millonia from last night?"

"Tsk. I am just being considerate to you right now. Also, I behaved like that last night because I was drunk!"

"No, shit. You tried to rape me twice."

Millonia just grunts in annoyance as I remind her about how crazy our "party" last night, and I can't help chuckling at that. She turns quiet once again, and the silence between us is maintained until we arrive at the Summoning Room.

Valeria and Ilschevar are already there when we enter the room, and they both nod at me as a greeting. No words are exchanged between us as the two of them immediately motion me to stand in the middle of the Magic Circle carved on the ground.

I am now facing the altar, since the Magic Circle is right in front of it. I can see a plate with a fist sized lump of black meat in it, and a black glass filled with water on the altar.

"You have to eat the heart, and drink the water to begin the Awakening."

I don't know who or what the heart on the table belonged to, but I immediately follow Ilschevar's instruction.

I expect something to happen the moment I eat the awful tasting heart, but contrary to my expectation, my vision goes dark after I finish gulping the water.