[CHAPTER 88]
“Report on what happened while I was gone.”
I crossed my legs arrogantly and tilted my chin upward.
After disappearing for several months and suddenly returning with such an arrogant attitude, there was no way I could look pleasant.
Especially not to those who had been eyeing my position.
That was why I deliberately maintained this overbearing demeanor.
At the same time, I did not forget to carefully observe the expressions of the demons.
Who failed to hide their displeasure.
Who faced me with an indifferent expression.
My gaze swept over them one by one before landing on Illay, who stood near the doorway.
Illay, who had been looking at me with subtle eyes, took his seat.
“The report.”
“How long do you intend to keep me waiting?”
I tapped the armrest of the throne with the tip of my fingernail.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sharper the sound echoed, the more the tension in the council chamber rose.
This was also due to the magic power I was subtly letting seep into the air.
Needless to say, demons in the Demon Realm were far stronger than in the human world.
That went without saying for the Demon King.
As I continued to release unpleasant magic into the air, the demons around me could not help but grow increasingly tense.
Some shut their mouths in irritation, while others stayed silent as they read the room.
What they all had in common was that they were staring, as if at a savior, at the back of Illay’s head as he sat at the very front.
Of course, Illay had no intention of stepping forward first.
He understood better than anyone what I was trying to provoke.
A long silence followed.
It was a stretch of time where no one dared to even breathe too loudly.
Just as I began to think that maybe I should loosen the atmosphere a little.
“Ahem.”
The one who broke the awkward tension was none other than the demon who had been scolded by me earlier.
“May I speak?”
At least he had some sense.
It seemed publicly humiliating him in front of lower-ranking demons had some effect.
Unlike earlier, when he had blurted things out without restraint, this time he showed a semblance of courtesy.
“Go ahead.”
“My apologies, Demon King.”
“As it is currently meeting time, would it not be better to receive reports later?”
No.
I was mistaken.
He had not bent his knees to show courtesy, but to gain momentum before charging straight at me.
How many lifetimes had I lived.
There was no way I would miss that kind of romance fantasy subtext.
That was basically saying, “I get that you’ve been running around and don’t know the current state of the Demon Realm, but at least mind the time and place.”
Everyone seated here was a demon with enough power to attend a high-level council.
There was no one here who would fail to grasp the implication of his words.
‘That is blatant mockery.’
I took a deep breath.
I made sure my anger-laced magic was clearly exposed through that sigh.
He was not a fool.
The demon who had spoken stiffened as he sensed the magic mixed into my breath.
“What do you think you are…….”
“I do not quite understand.”
I raised my head slightly and looked straight at him.
His expression clearly showed an attempt to hide his confusion.
At the same time, his face said, “What can someone who has barely even existed do, acting so full of bluster?”
‘You are not even trying to hide it.’
I narrowed my eyes.
It was to gauge the amount of magic he possessed.
If I had fully recovered all of my original power, there would have been no need to think about it.
But honestly, right now it would have been difficult.
That was when another method came to mind.
I glanced lightly in Illay’s direction.
“What do you mean by postponing what I intend to do?”
“I will correct this.”
Illay understood my words immediately.
He abruptly rose from his seat.
The sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor echoed lightly through the chamber.
Illay, now standing, headed straight toward the demon without hesitation.
His footsteps echoed steadily, neither fast nor slow.
“W, wait.”
“Let’s step outside for a moment.”
“N, no.”
“I only meant, Demon King, Illay!”
Without giving him time to hide his panic, Illay grabbed the demon by the shoulder and dragged him out.
What happened after that was something neither I nor the demons in this room would ever know.
‘Hmm.’
No one dared to speak until Illay returned.
The demon who had been dragged out was nowhere to be seen.
No one even considered asking about him.
Including me.
‘He did not kill him, did he?’
I had only intended to scare him a little.
Illay’s decisiveness had taken me by surprise.
I had not expected him to drag the demon outside like that.
I focused hard on managing my expression.
Sitting calmly on the throne with a composed face was not particularly difficult.
Illay returned with his usual disciplined stride and took his seat again.
The already icy atmosphere in the council chamber froze even further.
Still, there would be no more demons openly challenging me now.
“So.”
“Does anyone still object to me receiving the report first?”
I smiled brightly.
I knew full well that it did not suit the atmosphere.
That was precisely why I did it.
***
By the time the meeting ended and the demons dispersed one by one, I had been able to listen to the reports and proceedings in a very pleasant state.
I also returned to my room.
Despite having been left vacant for several months, it was spotless without a speck of dust.
They must have maintained it diligently since it was the Demon King’s chamber.
But why had they not cleaned up that shattered mirror.
That broken mirror I saw the moment I possessed this body.
It felt ominous, so I had cleaned it up the first few times, but once the number of regressions could no longer be counted on one hand, I had just left it as it was.
I slowly looked around the room.
It was incomparably more luxurious and spacious than the room I used in the human world.
‘…Then why does that place feel more like home?’
Even though I had stayed here far longer, that house felt more comfortable.
“……”
It had only been a few hours since I parted from Sian, yet it already felt like I had not seen him in a long time.
When I had gone days without seeing him while staying at his house, I had not felt like this at all.
‘The human heart really is strange.’
I was thinking that as I loosened my cravat to change clothes.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
“Lady Jerena, no.”
“Demon King.”
It was Illay.
‘Right. I figured he would come.’
I placed the loosened cravat on the table and opened the door.
Illay stood neatly in front of it, wearing clothes different from what he had worn in the council chamber.
One unusual thing was that his aide was standing behind him as well.
I had expected Illay to come.
But why the aide.
“Were you resting?”
“No, not yet.”
“But…….”
As I trailed off with a puzzled look, Illay turned back with a questioning gaze.
…Then he asked his aide, genuinely sounding confused.
“…Why did you follow us?”
“Pardon?”
The aide blinked in confusion.
“Well, you did not tell me to leave.”
“I assumed you would make me work overtime again today.”
“And you said you were going to explain that to the Demon King.”
“I thought you were going to assign it to me.”
“…I do not recall saying anything like that.”
“……Then may I leave?”
“Is that not what my words imply?”
What are the two of you doing.
Watching the two of them banter in front of me, I brushed my hair behind my ear.
“Ah, I am sorry!”
Had he taken that as a sign of displeasure.
The aide turned pale and apologized, and I waved my hand.
“Go.”
“Ah, yes!”
Illay dismissed him, and the aide left with an unmistakably light step.
Why did he even come along in the first place.
With that thought, I turned first and stepped into the room.
Behind me, I heard Illay close the door.
“……Did something happen in the human world?”
“Something?”
I fiddled with the cravat on the table as I asked back.
“Are you talking about the demons who chased after me, aiming for my position?”
“……”
Illay neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Are you angry because I did not stop them?”
“Illay, I am not blaming you.”
“That was their natural right.”
I turned my body and leaned lightly against the table as I looked at Illay.
Yes.
There was no reason to blame Illay.
I had not failed to anticipate that demons would come looking for me.
But perhaps Illay thought differently.
With his eyes lowered, his mood did not look good at all.
“It is fine, so just tell me why you came…….”
“Why do you not blame me?”
That was just before Illay suddenly stepped closer to me.
