81 The revelation of True Feelings
According to Alf and Ragna, the passage is a straight path to the end, and without any other hidden room, it apparently leads to the passage we used as a shortcut to cross the border.
We couldn’t find any side streets when we went through that tunnel-like underground passage before, though. Did Dy hide it?
The conversation turned towards taking a break for the time being and we headed outside. We decided to have a late lunch since the sun has already started climbing down.
[Was there progress on your side?]
We told them about the reason why Daebuldoir fell and the Demon Race while eating.
[Ohh, so it had such an end.]
[We still can’t come up with a deduction regarding the ability to control the monsters, though.]
Ragna crossed his arms and profoundly said.
[Now then, since we’ve learned this much already, any more deception won’t work. Isn’t it about time to wake him up?]
He means that since we already knew most of the things Dy was hiding, all that’s left is to talk to the person himself, huh. Okay.
[Dy? Can you hear me? You think you can come out now?]
I tried calling out to the bangle but there’s no reply as expected.
[It’s useless, it seems there’s no reaction whatsoever.]
[Something like that happened, it’s better to leave him alone for a while longer.]
Ciel is worried and Alf purses his mouth and makes a somewhat disgruntled face.
Ragna raises an eyebrow and made a wry smile.
[The intention might be good, but we may not have the time for that, you know?]
[Huh? What do you mean by that?]
[The amount of magic power contained in the bangle is decreasing. There’s no doubt that it will run dry at this rate.]
[Run dry…]
Because Dy’s soul is composed of magic power, it means that once it’s gone he…. is going to die!?
I appraised the bangle in a great hurry.
Diremolo Zohana Rada Hyerk
Demon Race (In a state of Released Possession)
872 years old
Lv268
HP 49/13956
MP 0/26459
Th, this is bad. This guy looks like he’s dying even at this moment. Moreover, being in the state of released possession meant that he’s not receiving any magic power from me at the moment.
[Hey, stop f*cking around! Do you plan to die!?]
[Rei, what happened?]
Alf asks me who suddenly got mad.
[I’m not really sure, but he selfishly stopped attaching himself to me and because of that, it looks like he’s about to die!]
[Diremolo!?]
[That’s bad.]
I embrace the bangle on my chest and stuff it with magic power using Magic Transfer. But I feel some resistance and it isn’t going well.
[I’m begging you here so please receive it!]
[Demon King, I will not forgive you if you run away like this. Face Rei and us!]
Alf grabs the bangle and rages. As I frantically tried to look for Dy’s presence, I felt a slight sensation of something slipping out, and I chased after it.
[Dy!?]
[I will try to persuade him! Everyone, please wait here!]
I gradually got farther away from the cabin, and just as I was about to fly past the pile of rubble where the crystal used to be, Dy finally showed himself.
With his back on me, at the place where the crystal was… he’s absentmindedly staring at the place where his younger brother was.
[Dy…]
[…….]
The lonely Demon sat down on top of the rubble and looked up at the sky.
The wind blows and Dy’s beautiful black hair sways. Small waves noisily rose on the surface
After a very long silence, the Demon quietly whispered.
[At last, I alone am left.]
His calm and strangely composed tone is carried by the wind and reaches me.
[I just wanted Rio to live, I was living only for that purpose.]
While talking to himself as if reciting a poem, he indifferently said as if he’s given up on everything.
[It’s fine.]
[…What do you mean?]
[It means I’m already releasing you from me. Thanks for everything up until now.]
I ran up to his unfeeling back and heavily struck it with both hands.
[What do you mean! Nothing’s fine! Live!]
[Why? Even though it means nothing.]
Because it looks like he’s seriously asking out of curiosity, I raised my voice even more and yelled.
[It’s not meaningless, is it!! I want Dy to live!!]
[Even though I’ve troubled you that much? Even though I killed so many citizens, abandoned my people who have been reduced to demonkind, and did as I liked?]
Dy lists the numerous deeds that he did.
[Even though I ignored your wish and without telling you the important things, I simply exploited and used you to keep Rio alive?]
When I was told that I was being used, my chest hurts as if it’s being squeezed. I ignore that pain and hugged him from behind.
[Even so, I don’t want you to die… gh!]
Even though I don’t want to cry, the corners of my eyes start to ooze.
[Is that right, well that’s troubling~]
Irked by that tone, I grabbed Dy’s head and forcefully turned him over.
Dy’s torso turned as it was pulled along with his head. He placed his hand on top of the one grabbing his head and gave a hollow smile like he was trying to keep his true feelings from being discovered.
[Don’t laugh! Aren’t you supposed to be sad that your brother is dead!? Cry! Why am I crying!! Uuugh…]
The inner corners of Dy’s eyebrows lower at me who is sobbing heavily as he wipes away my tears with his finger.
[That’s true, why are you the one crying?]
[Once you, are gone then it’s obvious that I will cry! Even if you insist that you’re using me, I at least know that you like me! Hic… Even I understand how my loved one is feeling.]
Perhaps, Dy may truly have been with me to absorb my magic power.
However, if it was truly only for that then I would have long gotten tired of him and would have become even more eager to look for a way to dispel the curse.
It has gotten normal for this guy to be by my side, it’s very comfortable when he’s nearby for some reason, and I’ve come to not dislike it when he teases me.
That’s probably because I could feel his goodwill in his every word.
I’m very good at recognizing positive feelings directed towards me after all.
Even when I was in Japan, ‘Oh, this guy is conscious of me’, I have never been wrong when it comes to reading into things like that.
It’s necessary in order to protect my body, although it’s for that pathetic reason.
[…Rei, you liked me?]
So that’s the part you’re paying attention to!?
[Is that bad, you idiot!]
I mean, I will obviously get curious about whether this guy likes me or not, right?
And then somehow, as I was thinking about it, I probably fell for him unknowingly.
When I thought about Dy disappearing, it was too unbearable and I hated it to the point of crying, I had no idea until this very moment that I fell in love with him this deeply.
Even if he’s selfish and has done some cruel things, the twisted kindness he directed towards me was real.
The victims may think that it’s ridiculous. But, even so, I am in love with Dy, I want him to live, and I want him to laugh by my side.
With his head still hanging down, Dy turns around to me who can’t speak, puts his arm around my waist, and gingerly buries his face on my belly.
[I wonder why, even though I think that I don’t need your magic power anymore.]
Dy’s voice shook and expressed his true feelings for the first time.
[Right now, I unbearably want to touch you.]
While looking down so his face can’t be seen, Dy’s shoulders shook. Having his nails lightly dug into my back as if he was clinging to me, I stroke Dy’s soft and silky black hair.
[Sorry, Rio… Forgive me.]
His hoarse voice, which is too low it’s barely audible, permeates through my clothes and disappears.
Dy, who had been quiet, raised his face a while after his shoulders stopped shaking.
The corners of his eyes are wet.
[Fufu, how lame. I thought that you hate me for sure.]
[I’m quite simple so it will surely show on my face if I hate you.]
Dy showed a lustrous smile like a tree peony with his eyes still red. He’s ridiculously sexy that my heart throbbed and my heart rate sped up.
Wait, stop, my heart. This isn’t the time for that, is it? Right now, I need to convince Dy.
[I need a meaning to live, that’s why it’s also possible for Rei to be it… No, you may have been one for a long time.]
While I was calming my heartbeat, Dy seemed to have drawn a conclusion by himself.
[Hm? What do you mean?]
Dy stood up in a soft motion, stood firmly on the ground and took my arm that’s wearing the bangle, and looked into my face.
I clash with the amethyst eyes with hidden determination.
[Hey, Rei, let me be yours. I want to love you, be devoted to you, and for you to be my reason for living.]
U, waah… I just got told such a heavy confession.
What the heck is with, “Make me yours”? Does he mean he’s going to give me his entire life?
He, heavy… You acted like my pet to throw me off my guard, and now all of a sudden you offer up your life to me? Give me a break already.
[Hey, isn’t it fine? Rei also loves me after all.]
[Y, you know, there is an order when it comes to things like that, or rather, what am I supposed to do when I’m told something like that out of the blue?]
[After connecting our bodies to that extent, it’s quite pointless to talk about the order or whatever, right?]
[No, well, you may be right, but still…]
Why is this guy so cocky the moment he learns that I like him? Wasn’t he planning on dying just a while ago?
[I just thought that it might not be so bad trying to live for your sake. Hey, allow me to love you. I have never felt like this towards other people before.]
Dy is only indulgently wooing me, without the playful attitude he was showing until just now nor his doting as if he’s cherishing some small animal.
When being treated like that by such a beauty, I’m at my wit’s end.
Click here for the really, very short snusnu (opens in another tab)
He looked incomparably happy compared to a few moments ago and laughed happily as our eyes met.
[Let this bangle be renewed for Rei’s exclusive use. If you do, I will be yours. Even when you die, we will be together forever even after your death.]
As I said, things like that are heavy!
Soon after I tsukkomi-ed, the color of the stone on the bangle visibly changed its color, from a dark-red to a mystical reddish blue color.
With this, my whole body is now coordinated with the complete series of their eye colors. Although only Ragna’s doesn’t have a stone, he’s originally golden-eyed, so I guess the anklet also matches his eyes after all.
In any case, since Dy also recovered at miraculous speed to the point that it made me wonder what his recent depression was all about, should we return to where everyone else is?
[This should be fine? Let’s go.]
[Oh, wait just a moment.]
Dy princess-carried me, floated midair, and controlled some rubbles with Earth magic and sank it to the bottom of the lake.
[Are you sure? Not making a grave over there.]
[It’s because the Capital of Daebuldoir has sunk at the bottom of the lake. I thought that maybe Duirio would like to go to where everyone is.]
Dy was staring at the bottom of the lake with sad eyes, but he smiled ardently when he looked back at me.
[Let’s go.]
[Don’t force yourself, okay.]
[Let’s see… There may be a time when I will seclude myself inside the bangle for a while, but it will be fine.]
[If you want to cry again, I will lend you my stomach or whatever.]
[I want a crying shoulder, though.]
[Stop it.]
While being held by Dy who has finally returned to his usual state where he could crack jokes, we return to where everyone is.