NOVEL NEXT Chapter 176
“…Lower your head.”
Clyde didn’t listen to my words. “How did you know? Since when?”
I sighed and pulled the raincoat covering his head as far down as possible. The silver magic particles falling with the rain couldn’t be blocked by magic or this mere piece of clothing. My action was partly to minimize the magic particles reaching him, but there was another more significant reason.
To hide his face. So that no one could see his eyes, which had turned red. That was why I did it.
“
Rrrrr
!”
“
Kyaaak
!”
The purified magical animals gathered around me and made threatening noises towards Clyde.
“It’s okay. I’m not in danger.”
As I calmed the magical animals, which worried I might be hurt, Clyde burst into laughter.
“You’re not in danger?”
It was as if he was asking if I really thought such a foolish thing.
I understood. Demons are dangerous. Especially in the human world, where half-human, half-demon beings with significant power could almost be considered disastrous, it was natural to perceive them as dangerous.
But I bluffed. “Yeah. Not in danger at all.”
The demon seemed to like my answer. He laughed, shaking his shoulders. Though I couldn’t see his expression as he leaned his face on my shoulder, I could feel the atmosphere relaxing.
Soon, the laughter subsided, and a small murmur followed. “I’m not dangerous, am I?” It sounded like the tone of a 7-year-old child.
“But why did they do that?” Gradually, anger began to stain his voice.
Clyde lifted his head, staring at me intensely. “Why did everyone do that to me? Why do I have to be the one to die? Do you know?”
“…”
“It’s still the same now.”
Beautiful magic particles like starlight fell on his eyes. Then, his eyes, flickering red, momentarily turned blue before returning to red.
“There’s nothing that loves me.”
The only thing a demon likes is love, yet it’s the one thing a demon cannot have.
“Do you love me?”
I couldn’t respond to his question. My affection was for human Clyde, not for the demon, which was the wrong answer in the scenario. Even as a creator, the affection felt for each character can differ. So I couldn’t even lie and say I loved him.
And this question might be a trap to pull me into a dream.
Answering carelessly to an incubus’s invitation to love or sleep together could lead to death. Especially now, with demon Clyde’s affection at four black hearts.
I hesitated to answer. Seeing my hesitation, demon Clyde laughed as if he had realized something.
“
Ah
. You love the human side, not me.”
“…”
The demon took my hand and placed it on his head, a gesture begging for affection. Asking for love in his human-like appearance and not his demonic form stirred my heart.
“Please. Okay?”
His soft plea inadvertently moved my hand, startling me.
Was I affected by pheromones?
Though I didn’t detect the unique scent of a demon’s pheromones, I had unknowingly complied with his request.
Seeing me on guard, Clyde’s expression instantly turned cold. “So you really do hate me.”
Thump!
An eerie aura spread from him, causing the magical animals to collapse one by one. They had all fallen asleep.
“Stop it!”
Angered, I confronted him, and Clyde responded more sharply.
“I hate the things you love.”
“Don’t be unreasonable. If you keep this up, I’ll really start to hate you.”
“Really?”
Provoked by my words, the demon audaciously took out a dagger from the void, the holy relic used to kill demon in the Delve Dungeon.
“Are you curious who will survive if you pierce my heart with this?”
“You really…!”
“Will the holy relic cause my side, the demon, to die? Maybe both of us could end up dead.”
As I tried to snatch the dagger away, the demon giggled, blocking my hand. Then, he precisely aimed the dagger at his heart.
“Are you crazy? Why are you doing this!”
I couldn’t handle the emotionally charged and violent demon.
“Stop it!”
The demon glared at me with his bright red eyes. “You keep getting angry, so I get angry too.”
It was then I realized that the more negatively I acted, the more ferociously the demon behaved. I tried to calm my boiling emotions and spoke in a softened voice.
“I’m sorry for getting angry.”
“
Hmm
. Really?”
However, the demon simply wore an indifferent expression. His indifferent attitude towards my apology gave me a headache.
He must want something other than an apology.
What if I said what he wanted to hear?
With a gambler’s spirit, I spoke. “I love you.”
Flinch.
He seemed surprised by my confession, narrowing his eyes in denial.
“Lies.”
Yes. My words weren’t sincere. But the moment I realized he was fully attentive to me for the first time since earlier, the next words felt inevitable.
“I said I love you as if it were fate.”
“That’s right. To human Clyde Willow. Not me.”
Clyde sniffed my neck, smelling the scent of my flesh.
“An incubus can feel love most sensitively. But you don’t smell as delicious as before. Damn it.”
He laughed like a madman, his shoulders shaking. Then, his expression suddenly wilted, looking as dry and withered as a flower.
“…Love me too.”
Raindrops fell through the leaves, streaming down his cheeks like tears.
“Please love me. Okay?”
“…”
I was silent, my throat tight. I couldn’t lie about love at this moment.
Clyde looked at me desperately, craving deep affection. “It’s all unnecessary now. Just love me. Then I’ll disappear as you wish.”
Was he sensing something even without knowing my identity?
“Become mine alone.”
Ding!
[Quest: The Demon’s Lover]
▸
Reward: The disappearance of the demon Clyde
▸
Failure: The disappearance of human Clyde
※
If you do not receive a token of love from demon Clyde by the start of summer vacation, you fail.
Ah…
I silently groaned at the cruel reward and penalty. It seemed I was the only one shocked by the quest details.
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Picky for Male Lead’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[Yes, this is it! Please let demon Clyde die.]
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Clyde Hardcore Faction’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[Just a little longer to endure
ㅎㅎ
.]
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Human Clyde’s Fan’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[The main character is human Clyde
ㅠ
. Demon Clyde, please quickly disappear~]
The constellations obviously expected success and wished for the demon’s death, just like in the original. Perhaps it was a natural reaction, but my heart turned cold.
I coldly brushed aside Clyde’s dagger, still aimed at his heart and responded. “… Let’s do that.”
Clyde, unaware he was at risk of disappearance, smiled beautifully as if he had hoarded all the happiness in the world. My heart ached at his smile.
[Likeability: 🖤🖤🖤🤍🤍]
Even his likeability level increased.
“I’m happy.” Pleased by my response, he clumsily hugged me, his large body enveloping half of mine.
Is he really that pleased with me? What am I to him?
The magical animals, put to sleep by Clyde, woke up fully one by one. It seemed as if saying he wouldn’t do anything I’d hate as long as I loved him.
It feels like taming a wild beast.
I pitied the demon. Playing the lover could lead to an inadvertent death, but the pity didn’t fade, confirming I wasn’t in my right mind either.
“Theresa!”
Just then, as the situation seemed to resolve, Ella and Frost returned. They ran towards us with bright expressions but stopped, making a strange sound upon seeing me and Clyde, and closed their mouths. We were too closely entwined for it to look like mere caregiving for a sick friend.
Despite Ella and Frost’s appearance, Clyde remained in my embrace without moving, insisting on staying until satisfied. Reluctantly, I diverted the two’s attention.
“How’s the situation around here?”
“The whole area seems to be purified. We couldn’t find any more traces of monsters.”
“We also encountered other teams, and they said there’s nothing left to explore. The ghost purified the entire forest.”
Hearing that, I looked up at the sky, which was still showering with rain. Despite the overcast clouds, the sky, illuminated as if behind a white curtain, exuded a refreshing energy. It felt like a lively morning after the rain had rejuvenated the world.
“I see. The whales have left.”
The star-like magic particles falling with the rain had vanished.
As I stared blankly at the sky for a moment, Frost cleared his throat. “
Um
. Theresa? We’re not in danger, right?”
Confused by his question, I looked at him questioningly. Frost hastily added, “Seeing all these magical animals gather like this for the first time. I was wondering if they might attack…”
“
Ah
.”
The magical animals hadn’t dropped their guard, but they no longer made threatening noises towards Clyde, instead circling around me.
“We’re not in danger. The magical animals are all good creatures.”
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Haha Boss’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]
[I’m going crazy… Theresa is totally the main character right now…]
Frost murmured quietly enough to be drowned out by the rain. “Just like that statue.”
“Huh?”
“
Ah
, it’s nothing. Shall we start moving?”
At his words, Ella glanced at Clyde, still in my arms. “Is Clyde okay…?”
I looked down at Clyde and answered. “Yeah, he’s fine now.”