How to Live the Life of a Demon

Tsk.

Lucius clicked his tongue loudly. He and Tariq didn’t get along, and he wanted to avoid face-to-face contact for the rest of his life, if possible.

But it seemed like he didn’t think the same way.

As Tariq approached, he heard it and laughed, then turned his attention briefly to the door where Lucius had pushed Lennox out.

“Is the man you were with just now a student at the academy? Cyrus clearly has a partner system…”

“You did a good job of researching me at the academy.”

“Oh, it wasn’t difficult. It was easier to find out because General Dummett was protecting you and hiding you.”

Tariq just had to figure out where the information was being blocked.

The faint smile gradually became stronger. He extended his hand toward Lucius.

“Seeing you after such a long time gives me a special feeling. You seem to have grown up. You may soon become an adult. Do you mind if I take a closer look?”

Most Scorpions have poor eyesight. Instead, they have an excellent sense of touch and often use it instead of sight.

Lucius summoned a twig and lightly swatted away the hand reaching towards his cheek.

Tariq, feeling rejected as he expected, lowered his hand.

“I’m glad to meet you, but it doesn’t seem mutual.”

“I’m not here as an elder. So there’s no reason for us to talk like this.”

“You’re still as harsh as ever.”

“If you want to meet me so badly, leave a message at the mansion and wait.”

“Then you’ll never see me again. Do you think I haven’t contacted you in all these years?”

Of course he did, and Hamel would have handled all of that contact.

Because that’s what he ordered.

As the atmosphere grew more hostile, Tariq took a step back, raising both hands to show that he had no intention of fighting.

“I didn’t come here to fight. What I just said was a lie. I haven’t been investigating you as much as you worry.”

“Then how…”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know that you came to Rudd.”

His genuine smile, without deceit, seemed more sinister.

There were only two barriers in Rudd.

One was to safely build the city under the sand, and the other was to prevent the approach of demons.

This meant that Tariq could know who entered the city.

It was natural. Even he couldn’t personally identify everyone who entered the city. He himself didn’t bother keeping track of the identities of the demons who entered his territory.

But Lucius was special.

“No matter how much you hide, you can’t hide it. Especially in this barren land, your vitality stands out even more.”

A vibrant vitality, like that of a forest, radiated a brilliant presence.

“So that’s why you came here. Is that it?”

“I thought it only fair that I should show my face, and I wanted to see you, Lucius-nim.”

“Stop hiding and just say it.”

Lucius gestured behind him.

Tariq looked puzzled for a moment, then said, “Oh,” and laughed awkwardly.

The sharp tail of a scorpion protruded from behind his back. Purple poison dripped from the tip of the gently moving tail. The ground instantly melted and caved in.

“Sorry. I got too excited. But since you’ve come all this way…”

“Tariq, I’m not here to entertain your words because I’m free or foolish.”

Lucius said this without even looking at Tariq. His face, which had been smiling brightly, stiffened, and his brow furrowed.

But that was only for a moment. He rolled his eyes again and put on a thoughtful expression.

“I see. I don’t know how, but you’re a student, and with all those prying eyes, you’re not going to have much of a chance, and you seem to be hiding your identity.”

Tariq’s eyes scanned the door again. Then he swung open the door next to Lucius.

There was no one inside.

The space was distorted, so opening the same door always led to a different room.

“You’re hiding quite well. I wanted to have a conversation too, especially with the student who has become your partner.”

He muttered in a low voice, as if he were disappointed, and then continued.

“If I lose my ability to see, will you do whatever I want?”

“…”

“I’ll clean it all up if you want, and if I poison this place, you’ll be the one to do it, though I can’t guarantee my life.”

If Lucius could show him what it was like that day again, it wouldn’t be too bad.

His cheeks tinged with crimson as he smiled wickedly.

Starting from his fingertips, a purplish poison began to flow from his whole body along with a mist.

Scorpions, especially their poison, are particularly lethal.

Excluding himself, there is not a single demon who can stop him—not only students but also teachers.

A menacing aura rose.

The thick poison mist pricked at his skin. Although he felt a stinging sensation, Lucius didn’t even bat an eyelash.

Tariq will end up doing nothing.

He doesn’t have the balls to piss me off. 

The walls and floor all started to crumble. Tariq looked at the scene callously and then smiled again.

As if nothing had happened, the surrounding air became remarkably clean. 

“Ha, I can’t help it. Today doesn’t seem like the right day, so I’ll just leave. “I don’t want to be hated.”

Tariq bowed his head in regret. His body began to disappear, scattering into sandy dust.

A voice echoed in the distance.

“I look forward to your performance in Gustav, Lucius-nim.”

After his presence completely disappeared, Lucius lightly ruffled his hair.

He never thought he’d come back.

He’d calmed the rampaging Tariq and cleansed the Rudd of its poisons at the behest of the Demon King.

He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

How annoying he was, making excuses that it was only right to return what he received. How nice it would be if Tariq behaved calmly like a magpie who returned the favor like Lennox.

Lucius shook off his thoughts and started walking. Now that he’d shooed away the unwelcome guest, he had to find his partner again.

“I hope he’s cleared his head.”

* * *

Lennox stared blankly at the closed door. Then he suddenly got up and roughly opened the door.

However, Lucius was not there when he opened the door. It wasn’t even the same place as it was a little while ago.

“What on earth is going on?”

Trying to clear his head? That doesn’t explain anything.

He bit his lip and glanced at his hand. His hand, holding Ophelia, was trembling slightly.

As he tried to leave the room, Ophelia cried several times.

As if trying to stop him.

Tired. 

A sudden headache hit him.

After days of non-stop wandering, he knew his body had reached its limit.

“I guess taking a break would be good.”

Since he had just separated from Lucius, it was best to restrain himself. With that thought, Lennox closed the door and entered the room again.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Despite being alone all this time, the settling silence felt quite awkward.

Exactly one hour later, Lennox, with a somewhat recovered body, stepped out of the room.

Unless he knew what Lucius was up to, he had no choice but to fight once every three hours.

His footsteps echoed down the hallway.

To let them know he was here, Lennox deliberately made his presence obvious as he walked around.

Although he wanted to sense Lucius’ presence, there were limitations to how far he could detect it in this space.

He had no choice but to walk around aimlessly and even open doors. Although students rarely appeared.

His pace quickened.

As time passed, he grew increasingly impatient.

Worries aside, several people’s presence surrounded Lennox.

Before he knew it, the surroundings were completely surrounded. He stopped walking and held Ophelia tightly.

One by one, the students revealed their hidden selves.

Among them, a girl greeted him.

“It’s been a while, Lennox. How have you been?”

“…I’ve been doing well, thanks to you.”

“Yeah? I see. You seemed to be doing well these days.”

Sarcastic tone.

“You shouldn’t be doing well.”

Sneering expression.

“If doing well is so unfair, then I’m the one who’s been wronged, right?”

She had wavy blonde hair hanging down to her waist, high heels, and was carrying a heavy whip made of thin wire.

Her gaze was full of resentment and reproach.

“Rovelli.”

The girl in front of him, Rovelli, was Edion’s lover.

Killing Edion was not intentional. He had to do it, as Lucius had told him.

But the guilt he felt towards her never went away.

They were lovers who had done their best for each other.

Rovelli still has sins to pay for.

Whether she would accept it or not, Lennox had to say it.

Why Edion was dead.

Why did he have to die?

He had to tell her.

“You’ve found a partner, right? He seemed like a good kid, but seeing you alone like this, it seems like you’ve drifted apart again, doesn’t it?”

Her voice flew at him like a dagger.

“Or maybe you killed him again. You did it once; you can do it twice, can you?”

“Rovelli!”

“Why? Does it sting?”

Her eyes narrowed, as if they were about to burst into tears. She pressed her lips together for a moment, muffling her words, then cracked her whip once.

The students surrounding him began to slowly close the distance between them and put pressure on Lennox. She was at the forefront, taking a fighting stance.

“I’ll never let you get away with this.”

Lennox sheathed his sword.

He lowered his stance slightly, and she flinched for a moment as she approached, then resumed her determined stride.

No matter how many times she tried to sabotage him, he just tolerated them every time.

That action made her angry.

Rovelli didn’t push Lennox from the beginning, either. She asked several times what happened and what the reason was.

Rather, it was Lennox who did not respond.

The weight of his sins was too much for him to bear, and he could barely lift his dropped head.

Unable to even kneel and ask for forgiveness, he didn’t know what forgiveness to seek.

Yet, he couldn’t plead for trust in himself either.

He lacked the courage to look beside him.

So, countless times, he ran away.

He had been too greedy all this time.

“Rovelli.”

As the silence was repeated, Rovelli also became tired. And she started to resent Lennox.

It was an inevitable sequence.

But it was different now.

“After it’s all over, listen to my story.”

Lennox had a lot to say to her.