The Rudwick family’s tolls varied depending on the traveler, but were generally inexpensive. Those pulling grand carriages paid at least 100 lopes, while other commoners paid 50 lope.
The toll demanded from the old woman was practically free. Small change with no monetary value. But fairness demanded it, so he simply called out the smallest denomination. Father would scold him if he found out.
Even as Valen waved his hand impatiently, the old woman still showed no sign of reaching for money. In the end, Valen gave up. Since there were no witnesses around anyway, letting one person pass seemed acceptable. Beyond this point lay a treacherous mountain path. If she exhausted all her strength arguing with him here, who would clear away her corpse?
“Go on.”
“You cannot simply let me pass. Though my skills are limited, I will read your fortune in lieu of the toll.”
The old woman unwrapped the bundle she carried, took out a glass orb, and placed it in Valen’s hand. As the cold glass spread across his palm, the transparent orb turned pitch black as if ink had been spilled on it, then radiated golden rays in multiple directions.
The old woman fell silent for a long moment. Her eyes, which seemed to see through all things, wavered for the first time. “I’ve never seen a star so hot and bright… But the vessel of your flesh is far too small. The heat it radiates could devour the entire world and still overflow—it simply cannot contain it. One would think such a being shouldn’t exist… This is truly…”
The old woman shook her head pityingly. “Like bees drawn to fragrant flowers, wherever you go, you’ll attract attention because you possess an aura greater than the sun. The resulting turmoil will never cease. Suffering will follow you until your dying breath. You’ll bear many responsibilities, sacrificing your entire life only to meet an early death. Tsk tsk.”
He thought she’d just spout some pleasant nonsense before leaving, but this?Nothing but pure malice. Valen didn’t believe in fortune-telling or such, but hearing someone say he’d die young to his face didn’t exactly put him in a good mood. “Stop spouting nonsense and be on your way.”
“Though surrounded by attention, you must live your life in solitude. Among the throngs, something will appear that captures your heart. Warm, pure… But you must push it away. Remember my words. You possess a star as vast as the heavens themselves. No one can bear its heat. Both you and the one you hold dear will ultimately meet ruin.”
“What nonsense are you spouting, you senile old fool?!” Ben, arriving late, swung a poker like a sword. The old woman hastily stuffed the orb into a cloth bundle and crossed the bridge.
“Damn it, spit!”
Ben gathered phlegm and spat it out. Then he wiped young Valen’s ear with his own sleeve. He sternly warned Valen not to listen to such nonsense. Valen pushed Ben’s hand away, looking annoyed. Several carriages were approaching in a line from the distance.
“Mr No Name 38! I’ve thoroughly cleaned the kitchen this morning!”
“I’ve mastered the sword technique you taught me before. Would you be willing to watch me perform it?”
“I’m not goofing off. I was just… going to do the laundry.”
Even just walking down the hallway, every demon he passed pretended to be familiar him. It was something he’d grown sick of enduring even in the human world. If he didn’t cover his face, crowds would swarm him, making it impossible to walk the streets.
Valen recalled something a mad fortune-teller had said long ago, back in his youth. Something about being destined to attract attention wherever he went. He didn’t believe in fortune-telling, but that one prediction seemed to hold true.
“Why haven’t you been going to the training grounds lately? I heard the youngest one especially misses you.” Argen spoke softly, but Valen didn’t hear most of it.
He was fixated on the disheveled collar of her robe.
Lately, his gaze kept drifting to her. It started with the succubus symbol. The moment he realised he’d never truly observed her lower abdomen, he began scrutinising every part of her. After two days of observation, his conclusion was clear.
She lived carelessly.
And the servants who attended her lived carelessly too. They were the polar opposite of Valen, who even folded blankets with razor-sharp precision. Once one collar caught his eye, everything else bothered him too.
Why doesn’t she wipe the bread crumbs off her mouth?
Does she not notice the hair stuck to her clothes?
…Why are the sleeves so wrinkled?
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Valen stopped abruptly. If he kept watching this, he’d die young from frustration. With anyone else, he’d beat them into shape with a stick, but he didn’t feel like using that method on Argen.
“You, stay right there and don’t move.”
Argen stood with her feet planted, a puzzled look on her face. Though only in name, Valen was of noble birth. With hands quicker and more meticulous than any fine servant, he tidied Argen’s appearance. With each stroke of Valen’s hands, the previously somehow messy outfit transformed into something astonishingly neat and clean.
When Valen shook his hand out the window in the hallway, dust and hair-like things fell out. Argen looked utterly surprised, as if she hadn’t realised those things had been clinging to him.
“You wield magic with your hands, even without mana.”
“…What?”
She said it with genuine admiration. Valen cleared his throat unnecessarily, feeling a tickle in the back of his throat like he had a cold.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the training grounds?”
“Yeah. I quit.”
What else was there to see anyway, besides those scatterbrained demons playing around like children? Come to think of it, why had Argen knocked on Valen’s door first thing this morning? They had clearly agreed to meet only on the day they shared a room, once every three days.
Of course, Valen had broken the promise first. But back then, it had been unavoidable. He wasn’t in his right mind because of the demon alcohol.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” Argen said it honestly, without a trace of embarrassment. The speaker seemed perfectly nonchalant, but for some reason, Valen felt heat rising to his cheeks.
He was going to come to the bedroom tonight anyway. Couldn’t she have waited that short while? “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“The goat is still waiting for me. I have to go now.”
He hadn’t planned to hold her back, but hearing her say she was leaving without a second thought made him feel odd. Argen left only a brief farewell—“See you later”—before turning lightly and walking away. Watching her receding figure, Valen frowned.
“…Why does this feel so hollow?”
When parting with someone you care about, shouldn’t it be more regretful, more poignant, more heart-wrenching? Damn demons. No sense of romance, no damn romance at all.
Valen clicked his tongue lightly and roamed freely through the Demon King’s castle. The bracelet Nadal had given him, freeing him from restrictions, was a huge help.
There’s a bridge connecting to the river at the end of the East Wing. He confirmed the demons lacked any special training methods or strategies. But Valen wasn’t the type to just stretch out and sleep just because there was no military intelligence to gain. He set out to gather other information. He intended to map out as many paths within the Demon King’s Castle as possible, recording them in as much detail as he could manage.
But it’s a bit too vast. Especially for a place called the Demon King’s Castle, he didn’t even know where the Demon King himself resided.
Valentine’s range of action was limited solely to the East Wing where Argen stayed. And even though it was called the East Wing, just this area alone was densely packed with towering buildings like skyscrapers. He estimated it would take at least a full month just to map the eastern sector’s layout.
“I think I’ll call it a day here.”
The twilight outside the window crept up to the top of Valen’s shoes. Hunger was starting to set in, and it was time for Argen to eat after finishing her work. As Valen headed toward his room, Nadal and Argen walked side by side toward him from the opposite direction. Wasn’t the banquet hall on the other side?
“Hey, Number 38!”
Nadal raised his hand, pretending to be familiar with him. He had no particular reason to stop, so he could have just walked past, but for some reason, Valen halted his steps right in front of the two demons. His body reacted before his mind could give the order. But it wasn’t anything to be overly flustered about, so Valen shrugged it off casually.
“Where are you headed?” Valen asked, keeping his gaze fixed on Argen.
“To determine if I’m pregnant.”