My interracial harem of beautiful queens

197  Oh, you son of a bitch. Knew it would be you

The skeleton remained silent, his burning eyes revealing a variety of emotions. It was impossible not to notice the sheer reluctance and disgust with which he looked at Adam as if a strand of hair had ended up in his mouth in the midst of enjoying a steak.

Adam had several guesses as to why the skeleton harbored such hatred towards him. If this biology class model was indeed Alexander, then the fact that he had made a deal with a demon and ended up with nothing but the death of his beloved, the reason for all this commotion with the contract, explained his clear animosity towards demons.

At that moment, the whisper heard just before Adam entered the illusion resurfaced.

"Demons don't change even after tens of thousands of years. Greed is what drives you, and you have no qualms about dragging your victims along. Can you love without thinking about profit? Can you truly suffer? Do you feel guilt for your actions?"

It was a direct taunt, a mockery, an attempt to evoke pity, to reach the essence of Adam and understand the type of person he was. And apparently, the result didn't particularly please the skeleton.

"You're just like them," he said to Adam, his voice deep and echoing, addressing him. The eye sockets with their fiery red glow created the impression of actual eyes, and at the very least, Adam had met his gaze. The skeleton continued, "You showed no sympathy when we were in danger. You showed no interest when I lost. You weren't shocked when Lily died... and the only thing you can feel right now is malice. I've been observing you all this time, and I've become more convinced of my thoughts: demons will never change."

"What? Can't be that a third party wouldn't show any emotions towards the suffering of others, is it possible?" Adam responded sarcastically, grinning and leaning forward to match the skeleton's height. Adam tapped his forehead and smirked, "You're confusing concepts, my friend. I'm a demon, but I can show compassion; I just don't want to. Because why should I? Why should I waste my time on those I only know for a short period?"

"..."

They showed him a small part of Alexander's life and his beloved, and all the scenes were designed to evoke emotions in the viewer. It was clear that the undead had gone to great lengths to test Adam, and as the result indicated, Adam didn't pass the test. He showed no sympathy, no sadness, or any other emotions on his face. He was bored, irritated, and mocking.

This was the essence of a demon. They wouldn't waste their emotions. For them, it was much more important to occupy themselves, have fun, and live life to the fullest. Adam approved of such a lifestyle, although for a while, he had decided to set aside those ideas in favor of politics to create a paradise. However, that didn't mean he had given up on that way of life.

"We're very different, Alexander. You're like a classic hero from novels, with potential and great talent, which you're supposed to fulfill in the future, but unfortunately, your case is different," Adam mumbled, surveying the frozen scene where the man, still human in appearance, lay on the floor, suffering.

They weren't in a story. They were in a cruel reality where you couldn't rely on others. Here, the only hope for the future was yourself. There were no allies around, only enemies. That's what the world looked like through Adam's eyes.

"You tried, you did. I saw that," Adam muttered and sat on the ground, which in its appearance more resembled an abyss. Looking up at the skeleton, who stood alone, he smiled and said, "And I acknowledge it. But even after my words, all I see in your eyes is hatred. Why? I don't recall ever meeting you."

"What? You don't remember, you say?" The skeleton exclaimed with disbelief.

Such a sincerely surprised tone made Adam raise an eyebrow. It gave the impression that Alexander had indeed met him at some point, but the man himself remembered nothing. Since he had arrived in this world relatively recently, let alone meetings. He might have met a "different Adam," but the likelihood of that was even smaller.

"That's strange. Do you have a scene with meeting a demon?" Adam asked, standing up and looking curiously at the skeleton, who turned to face the scene and nodded.

Immediately, the scene changed. All the characters disappeared.

Whoosh...

They were in snowy mountains. At the very peak of the mountain stood an obelisk with text in an unfamiliar language. However, Adam recognized this language.

"Oh, it's the language of the Astionas tribe, unusual," he murmured.

"Indeed. On the day Klaus defeated me, my father was disappointed in me and said he would stop supporting me financially within a month, and I also lost all inheritance rights," the skeleton began to tell, and his gaze seemed to be directed into the distance.

At the same time, the scene was not static. A man, who resembled a familiar young hero, was climbing this snowy mountain. He panted, suffered from the cold, stumbled, and fell, but he got up again. He was on a journey to the summit, never looking back. His determination was admirable.

"On that day, I lost the meaning of my life. I lost the battle that meant everything to both of us and then I lost my parents' support. I became nobody, utterly alone in this world," the skeleton muttered, looking at himself climbing the mountain. He continued, "But afterward, I discovered an amazing fact... my talent in magic wasn't in vain. Gathering my belongings, I found my mother's diary, and there was a story..."

"On the elevated snowy mountain, there stands a tall obelisk. There, those who control space and time with their magic dwell. This is our home."

Astionas tribe. They were very talented people who managed to pass their talents down through their lineage. However, this certainly didn't happen for free. It involved many different spells experiments, and demons.

The deal was straightforward. The Astionas tribe had to sacrifice a certain number of magical beasts, people, and the like. And they agreed because, in return, the tribe received a long life for all and the coveted opportunity to pass on their talent. Isn't that beautiful?

"However, all I found was an abandoned place and... a bunch of corpses. Most of them died of natural causes, but some died with signs of battle. It could be assumed that they were enemies, but I immediately realized it was infighting," the skeleton muttered, and the scene changed to what he described.

"Yeah, quite an unusual sight. Although I have to admit, I've never seen a corpse hanging from a chandelier," Adam said, smiling and trying to at least guess how that corpse ended up on the damn chandelier. Shrugging, he asked, "So, what's the point of your long story, dude? I'm more interested in where you found the demon. They're not that easy to come by."

"I didn't find him. He found me."

After the answer, changes occurred in the scene. Suddenly, a man appeared in front of the young Alexander.

"Oh, you son of a bitch. Knew it would be you," Adam muttered, rolling his eyes.

Long hair that reached his shoulders, beautiful black eyes, an enticing smile, and a carefree stride. A black, venomous snake coiled around his arm, and pink particles danced around him. He was stunningly beautiful, deserving the title of "Mr. Universe."

Casanova.

Alexander stared at the man before him with horror. Despite his beauty and charisma, his aura was so oppressive that even a guy not known for his combat skills could sense that this was an opponent he couldn't deal with.

"Hello, young man. There's an Astionas aura about you; maybe you're their descendant? How interesting," the man murmured with curiosity, looking Alexander up and down and smiling slyly, tilting his head to the side. He poked the guy's forehead and said, "Why are you frozen in fear? I'm not that scary, am I?"

"..."

Casanova chuckled and spread his demonic wings. It was evident that he was relishing the situation, and the fear of the young man before him only seemed to intensify his inner sadism. The man's behavior was markedly different from what Adam had seen. This one was much more childish and far more cruel.

"Why so silent? Do I look so terrible? Or is it your first time seeing a demon? Huh?" Casanova bombarded the young man with questions and laughed, taking three steps back, effortlessly evading Alexander's sudden attack. Narrowing his eyes, Casanova smiled coldly and said, "That was very uncivilized. Do you think it's normal to attack an innocent demon?"

"Damn!"

Alexander's attempts to attack Casanova continued, but all of them were futile because the man dodged with such carelessness, as if he were avoiding a child's strikes. Moreover, he occasionally taunted the guy deliberately, making him strike harder and more actively.

However, with each passing second, cuts appeared on Alexander's body from which not only did blood not flow, but black vapor emerged. And after a few minutes...

"What?!" Alexander shouted in shock when his body suddenly froze in place.

From the spectators' perspective, Adam immediately raised an eyebrow when he saw this technique. It was a fairly basic ability of demons that even he could use. In brief, if the enemy is weaker than you, more and more wounds are inflicted, and the demon's venomous energy is introduced into them. It spreads throughout the body, paralyzing the victim. A simple yet effective technique.

"I'm too old for a game of tag. Forgive me, kid," Casanova said with a smirk and suddenly struck Alexander in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Casanova sighed, smiled, and said, "Oh well, it's been a while since I came out. The human world is still as interesting as ever, and there are so many potential victims here... Besides, aren't these people currently trying to build a portal to a new world? I should visit them..."

To be continued...