On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

Ilschevar is about to open his mouth when I raise my hand, stopping him from saying whatever he was about to say. I bet he was going to play dumb and ask what my purpose for coming here was.

"Let\'s cut to the chase. I know you know what I am going to talk about."

Quirking an eyebrow lightly, Ilschevar faintly smiles. "Impatient, aren\'t we?"

"Unlike you, I am a busy person after all," I quip back, earning a chuckle from the Demon King. "I only need a Legion to support me in the upcoming battle."

Ilschevar loses his smile as a frown comes to his face. He looks at me as if asking if I am sure of what I said. He must have expected me to ask what he would do with the upcoming battle in Lysimork. My straightforward request for a Legion to help must have caught him off guard.

"That can be done," he says after a few seconds. "Though, I have to ask you if you are planning to sacrifice a Legion worth of Warriors. You are a bright person. I am sure you already know the power Luxibrae has. Realistically speaking, without our full support, Lysimork is done for."

Despite stating the harsh truth, Ilschevar\'s tone remains cheery. I can tell he is expecting me to surprise him with my out-of-the-box solution. No matter what I say next, I am sure he will still let me lead the Legion. Though, I can\'t respond to his question half-heartedly.

I am sure my plan will work, but some unforeseen variables may cause it to fail in the future. If I give him a half-hearted response, he will think I was not joking when the plan fails. He won\'t immediately doubt my competence, but he will be disappointed. I don\'t want to make our relationship awkward because of that, so I must take a precaution.

"I don\'t mind lending you a Legion to support you in the upcoming battle in our ally\'s territory." Sensing a \'but\' coming, I wait instead of immediately thanking Ilschevar. "However, I also don\'t mind lending you one of my Generals. Though, I don\'t know how much he will help you."

A Demon King General may be a force to be reckoned with; but in a battle with an army that possesses both quality and quantity, getting help from one of them won\'t make a significant change, especially when we are outnumbered. Some of the stronger Warriors and the General will survive until the end, but we will still lose the war.

Therefore, I won\'t accept the offer.

"If you are willing to support me that much, I am not going to hesitate to propose you this. Instead of lending me one of the Demon King Generals, allow Velucan and Lemius to get their Legions to Antares."

Of course, I am not planning to not get any extra help.

"Ho-oh?" Ilschevar quirks an eyebrow, a curious smile decorating his face. "Are you insinuating that our enemy will be two-timing? You will regret it if your paranoia turns out to be just paranoia, you know?"

"I will argue taking a precaution is necessary for this situation. After all, despite our power, we have been bamboozled by them and lost quite a lot. It won\'t hurt us to be careful," I counter.

"I think you underestimate my Generals." Ilschevar shakes his head, sounding quite disappointed. "One of them in True Form will give Luxibrae a run for their money. If you fight alongside one of them, Lysimork\'s chance of winning the war will not be zero."

"I already have a plan in mind. Trust me, Bacchus won\'t help me much in Lysimork."

Ilschevar is slightly taken aback by the fact that I can tell he is going to assign Bacchus to help me. It is not that hard to deduce it. Bacchus is the only General who currently has no definite duty. He is also more familiar with me than the remaining two Generals are. Besides, it is also a great chance for Ilschevar to teach Bacchus to be humbler.

The guy is too lax for his good. He has always fought in battles where he is superior, so he has never felt a sense of urgency. He has a warped mindset where he thinks that everything will be manageable and this is detrimental in the long run. Sending him to a battle where our chance of victory is slim will teach him a valuable lesson.

It might also not be the case since I base the assumption on my observation and Ilschevar\'s tendency to teach people lessons indirectly. He is just as unpredictable as I am to him, so he might have another plan by offering me Bacchus\' help.

"Then, I will trust you." Ilschevar nods his head after silently musing to himself for a few seconds. "Though, I have to inform you that the Legion you will take to Lysimork will be one of Velucan\'s Legions."

"That won\'t be a problem."

One Legion of Warriors may be a significant number, but I trust in Lemius and Velucan\'s abilities. They will manage even if they have one Legion less. I am sure Rectusomine will be the one who comes to Antares. It doesn\'t have that many personnel, so the two Generals will easily manage.

Ilschevar nods to me before glancing at Valeria. "Until I assign the Legion to help you, you may use your time to have a heartfelt date with your lover. A few hours won\'t jeopardize your plan, will they?" He gives me a playful wink. "You need to keep that bond strong."

"Thank you for your understanding." I ignore him and nod my head. Turning to Valeria, I extend my hand. "Are you willing to--"

"Let\'s go," the Demon King\'s advisor cuts me off as she flashes to my side and grasps my hand.

It is still less than a week since we last met. I find it cute that she has already missed me. Though, it is not that surprising since we rarely meet ever since I left the castle. She takes off her blind mask and looks at me inquiringly. I quirk an eyebrow, prompting her to gesture at my missing coat. My girlfriend is not the jealous type, but I still find myself slightly panicking.

I am a thoughtful man to those I care about. I instantly put myself in Valeria\'s shoes, thinking about how I will react if she tells me she lends her blanket to another man to keep him warm, and I am not too pleased with the thought. Of course, I don\'t want to lie. Being lied to deals more damage than hearing the unpleasant truth does.

"That idiot Aurelia doesn\'t have any clothes to cover herself with, so I lend her my coat. She has assumed her Wyvern form for too long, so I was afraid she would run around naked if I took the coat."

While it is not entirely the truth, I am not lying. I do have that concern, but my main reason for letting Aurelia keep my coat is that I didn\'t think it was a big deal until just now.

"I have to agree with you on that. That Dragon is too carefree for her good--she might do that." Valeria nods her head in agreement, catching me off guard with her conviction.

"I am glad that I did what I did."

"Though, she could have just cast an illusion to conceal her naked body; I am sure she has the decency to do that. Dragon Spells are just as potent as Ancient Demonic Spells, so no one will be able to see through her illusion."

...I didn\'t think of that. Aurelia might also plan to do that, which was why she was quite taken aback by what I did. Well, I guess I have to spill the truth behind my action to Valeria. It\'s quite unsavory to do it since Ilschevar will have a glimpse of what I am going to do, but there is no helping it. It is not that my plan will fail either way.

"It\'s fine. I know you never do things without a reason." Valeria stops me before I can say anything.

"I love you," I say with a small smile.

"...I know."

"Awh, it\'s sad to know that my girlfriend doesn\'t love me back."

"I love you too."

Valeria relented quickly and it makes me worry. She must have something bothering her which is why she didn\'t feel awkward saying that. I abruptly stop in my tracks, but she keeps walking, further proving my assumption. She stops in her tracks two seconds later and tries to play it cool. Though, my quirked eyebrow instantly makes her look like a deer caught in headlights.

"I will be happy if you can share with me some of your burdens," I say firmly. "Tell me what is wrong."

Valeria looks hesitant talking about it, but she eventually relented. She looks at me silently before blushing as she opens her mouth. It is quite an amusing view since she does her best to keep her face straight. I like to focus on her face, but what she says steals my attention.

"I have been thinking about it for a long time and I have come to this conclusion. I don\'t deserve your love. You have a lot of reasons to hate me. I made you do things you didn\'t want to do and forced you into countless life-threatening events. I also...defiled you that night."

Valeria shakes her head. "I am sorry, but I am beginning to doubt you. You always do things for a reason, so I am afraid that our relationship is..."

I didn\'t expect to have this conversation with Valeria, so I am quite baffled. I want to chuckle and call her silly, but I can\'t. Her blush has left her face. Staring at me are her solemn eyes that meticulously hide her desperation. I have to treat the matter carefully.