NOVEL NEXT 51. Welcome to the Chaotic Demon Realm Tour! (5)
Late at night.
Chae Jiseok, after snacking and reviewing documents, went to his room claiming he was sleepy.
When Ahezar and Habin were left alone, Ahezar cautiously spoke up.
[After thinking it over, I think I know why your skills resemble those of the Demon God.]
Chae Jiseok had pointed out that ‘Habin’s skills are similar to the Demon God’s, and the names of her skills are suspicious.’ That had piqued Habin’s curiosity as well.
“How do you know?”
Habin, lying on the bed, turned her head.
[I purposely didn’t say anything earlier…….]
Oh, is that so? How unusual for him to be so quiet, it seems Kim Jaljal has become quite perceptive.
Wait a minute. That’s not right.
Could it be that Kim Jaljal…?
As if something had occurred to her, Habin narrowed her eyes and interrogated him.
“Don’t tell me you had some connection with the Demon God? Since you’re my constellation, you can summon skills, right?”
[No! That’s not it! The Demon God’s abilities aren’t related to my skills at all!]
All skills related to Ahezar are limited to the
[Your skills are related to the fact that you yourself are an error in the world.]
A participant who couldn’t see the status window from the beginning. A forbidden player. A living error.
[That’s why the system administrator tries to eliminate you. Your skills are the kind that ignore the laws of the world.]
[Given that the Demon God also has these types of skills, perhaps the Demon God is also similar to you-]
They might also be born as an error in the world.
[Most ‘living errors’ typically die or disappear shortly after birth. The system wouldn’t leave them alone! But if they somehow survive like you and develop that potential…….]
Could they even rise to the position of ‘Demon God’?
Listening to this, Habin tilted her head.
“Hmm, so this Demon God fellow is also an entity hostile to the system, and was born with a similar skill set to mine?”
[That’s right. That’s my theory.]
“……”
After hearing Ahezar’s explanation, Habin closed her eyes as if lost in thought. She remained quiet for so long that one might have thought she had fallen asleep, but then she finally spoke.
“Then, between me and the Demon God, who do you think is stronger?”
[……?]
The same rare attribute lineage but a different race. A different tech tree.
“Surely we won’t run into each other at the Demon King’s castle, right?”
If so, they’d have no choice but to fight the Demon God. It would be such a hassle.
“No way…… They’ve been missing for 5,000 years, why would they suddenly appear there of all places, and right in front of me?”
Really, that couldn’t happen, right?
Habin frowned, then lay back on the bed comfortably as if not particularly concerned.
◆◇◆◇◆
The next day.
“Your Majesty! Did you rest well last night?”
As soon as morning came, servants and maids lined up in the corridor to greet her.
Seeing Ipsine at the head of the line offering her greetings, Habin put on a deliberately hesitant expression.
‘……What would be the most effective thing to say?’
There was the option of just blurting out, “Yes, I am the Demon God! I just revealed my identity!” first thing in the morning.
But these folks were already startled by Habin’s every word, so that might be too shocking.
So she was still in her Demon King of Greed disguise.
‘Still, I should say what needs to be said.’
Habin started with an opening.
“……I didn’t rest well.”
Everyone was alarmed at those words.
“Heukkkk!”
“Wh-What was unsatisfactory?”
“Should we have provided more snacks?”
“Was the breakfast not to your liking?!”
At Ipsine’s worried words, the chef standing at the end of the corridor flinched and looked around nervously.
“Sh-Should I prepare it again? I’ll bring it out again!”
“Bring more food!”
“Hiiik!”
Wait. Why are they making such a fuss? This isn’t the scenario I had in mind.
“Please wait! We’ll prepare it quickly right away!”
“No, it’s fine……”
“We won’t disappoint Your Majesty!”
“……”
‘These guys, really.’
Verse 1, verse 2, verse 3……. How many verses are they planning to go through?!
Habin finally had no choice but to grumble in a way they would understand.
“Hmph, I don’t need it! Can’t you stop this annoying racket?”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
With the commotion finally settled, Habin at last brought up the topic she had intended to discuss.
“And Ipsine, how long are you going to keep lying?”
At those words, Ipsine opened her eyes wide like a startled rabbit.
“What?! How dare I lie to the Demon King! I’d have to be crazy to do such a thing!”
“Oh really?”
“Of course!”
Ipsine nodded her head up and down rapidly. Habin continued to press.
“But you don’t think of me as a Demon King, do you?”
“Pardon……?”
“I thought you had figured out who I really am.”
“What?!”
Ipsine’s eyes widened as much as they possibly could.
Her expression clearly showed she was doubting her own ears, as if thinking ‘What did I just hear?’
“Wh-What do you…… mean? Surely-!”
Gasp.
Her mind raced through her ponderings from yesterday. Last night when she had speculated that Habin might be the Demon God. And her desperate wish that it would be true.
‘But could it really be…… the Demon God?’
“I-Is it true?”
Ipsine hastily covered her mouth.
It was something she had truly hoped for, but at the same time, something she had given up on as impossible.
Her eyes, half-doubting yet half-expectant that this impossible dream had come true before her, betrayed her inner thoughts.
‘Good. This should be enough setup.’
Having confirmed this, Habin reached out and twirled her hair.
Swish.
From where Habin’s hand touched, her hair color began to change. Mysterious shades of purple, blue, and gold flickered before finally settling on black.
Habin’s face also changed from the plain Demon King of Greed disguise to her ‘original face’, with only her eyes remaining red, a demon characteristic.
“Gasp, heuk! It’s true!”
Seeing this, Ipsine trembled, barely able to breathe.
“It really was you!”
“……”
‘What’s with her? What does she mean by ‘you’?’
This isn’t some Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named situation. Why can’t she just say ‘Demon God’?
As Habin was wearing a puzzled expression…
“……Sniff.”
When Habin didn’t respond, Ipsine fell to her knees with a thud.
Unlike when she first encountered the Demon King of Greed, her voice was much calmer, more stable, and solemn.
“……Allow me to greet you again. I, Ipsine Lil Morphesia, daughter of the Morphesia Succubus family, offer my greetings to the ‘Demon God of Nothingness’.”
“I see.”
‘Thank goodness. She’s really fallen for it.’
Habin belatedly showed a relieved expression.
All the mansion staff were staring at Habin with dumbfounded expressions. They were all holding their breath, alternating their gaze between Ipsine and Habin, unable to utter a word.
‘Wow, that’s insane. Hyun Habin’s acting skills are no joke.’
[Impressive.]
-Pii!
Ahezar, Chae Jiseok, and Libe, huddled in a corner, whispered furtively.
‘Shh! I worked hard to set the mood, don’t break my concentration!’
‘Sorry. But it’s just too amazing. I should have recorded this……. to watch with my sister.’
‘What do you mean, watch?!’
‘Why doesn’t the status window have a screenshot function?’
As they were whispering among themselves, Ipsine, having regained her composure, interjected.
“……Um, Demon God, shall we prepare to depart right away? The carriage and luggage are all ready. If we leave now, we won’t be late for the auction day.”
“Good. I like your efficiency.”
“Thank you!”
Ipsine’s expression was full of anticipation.
Now that Habin looked closely, she saw that Ipsine was dressed in a very glamorous and sparkling outfit, ready for the ball.
Soft pink hair and clear pink eyes. A beautiful dress adorned with black lace, black onyx, and rose quartz.
Her attire showed just how much she had been looking forward to the ball.
“Wait, before we depart!”
Habin interjected. She asked Ipsine:
“Do you happen to have any spare masks at your house?”
◆◇◆◇◆
The previous day, Habin and Chae Jiseok, who had decided to disguise themselves as the Demon God and their confidant, had a meeting about their disguise appearances.
“No matter how you disguise yourself, Chae-ssi, it shows. Even with colored contacts, hair dye, and makeup, you still have that distinctly Chae Jiseok-like aura.”
“The same goes for you, you know? You say you’re disguising as the Demon God, but how can you use your real appearance?”
“But this way I can surprise Kriksha, and it’ll be easier to explain to Jise-unni. Besides, it’s hard to decide right now exactly what concept to go with for the Demon God.”
Habin tilted her head.
“Of course, there’s just one thing that worries me if I use my real appearance.”
“Running into the advance party?”
“Exactly.”
If they encountered the 50th floor expedition team already in the Demon Realm, including Fides, Jise, and Kang Taeseo…
They might say something like, ‘What are you doing here? How did you follow us?’
It would raise suspicions. In the worst case, Habin’s ability to visit the 50th floor might be revealed.
That can’t happen.
Habin tapped her face. Suddenly, a mask appeared over it.
It was an application of her ‘Deceiver’s Wish’ skill, which could change the appearance of clothing or items.
Wearing a black mask suitable for a masquerade ball, Habin continued speaking.
“We can’t let only mask magicians have the privilege of wearing masks. I have the right to wear a mask too!”
Now that she tried it on, it was quite comfortable and her identity wouldn’t be discovered.
‘To think they’ve been using this just for their own privacy protection all this time?’
Habin, who had been wearing an uneasy expression, soon crossed her arms and spoke decisively.
“Chae-ssi, you wear a mask too. You’re too much of a big name, so there’s a high chance they’ll recognize you no matter how you disguise yourself.”
Chae Jiseok replied.
“But Hyun Habin, I didn’t bring anything like a mask.”
“What? That’s really troublesome, isn’t it?”
In the end, they decided to ask Ipsine for help.
“Ipsine, do you have any masks? Masquerade masks. Anything similar will do.”
“Of course! But I’m not sure if this will suit Your Majesty’s confidant……”
Ipsine brought a plain white half-mask and looked slightly surprised at Chae Jiseok.
“Oh, oh? Come to think of it, this person! Yesterday I thought he was human, but now he’s a demon……”
Everyone murmured as they saw Chae Jiseok’s appearance, enhanced by colored contact lenses and items that concealed his scent.
Until yesterday, they were certain he was human, but today his bright red eyes were unmistakably those of a demon.
‘Does the Demon God also have the ability to turn humans into demons?’
‘Or was he originally a demon disguised as a human?’
Ignoring the whispers of the servants, Habin made an annoyed expression and put the mask on Chae Jiseok’s face.
Fortunately, the mask fit perfectly. Habin tapped it lightly and turned around.
“I told you knowing would hurt you. We don’t have time, so let’s depart quickly.”
“Yes!”
Ipsine, ready for the ball, excitedly led the way.