On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

It has been minutes of following Valeria around the castle, and I still haven\'t seen a single soul inside. The place is too quiet for an inhabited castle; of course, there is also a possibility that Ilschevar is a self-absorbed prick who lives in the castle by himself.

"Aside from being a Demon King Candidate, what do I have to do?"

"Simple: chopping heads, and fight for the Kingdom."

\'Aren\'t both essentially the same thing though?\' Regardless of how oversimplified the answer is, she made a clear point: human is my enemy. It is exciting thinking about how those bastards\' expression will be when they meet me again as their enemy ... If things went well, that is.

"Anyway, we have been walking around this place for a quite some time. Where are we actually heading?"

"The garden."

"When will we get there?"

Instead of answering, Valeria hums to herself. I wait patiently, until she decided to stop in her track, and turns right; I follow suit, and I can see another big, black door in front of me. This time however, the aura it\'s giving off is not dreadful like the previous one.

"This is?"

"We have arrived at our destination."

"What lays behind it is a garden?"

"Not necessarily."

\'Okay. What the fuck? Did I miss something?\' I am very much aware of what kind of world I am currently living in—a world full of Magic—but I can\'t even understand what Valeria means. \'Well, actually there is that possibility...\'

"Is this door a Teleportation Gate or something?"

"You are a pleasantly bright young man; I am glad."

Valeria\'s smile, though very light, is very pleasant ... However, I don\'t need that. \'What\'s the point of walking around if we could just use Teleportation Gate?!\' She notices my annoyance, but she just smirks, and puts her hand on top of the door.

"You should be glad I let you walk around the castle; you won\'t be able to enjoy the opportunity soon."

"Eh, what do you mean by that?"

"You\'ll figure it out soon."

I am ready to annoy her with my questions, but the scene that is happening in front of me stops me entirely. The big door that Valeria is currently touching is now covered with shining strange characters.

I don\'t actually know what is happening, but it is a marvel experience for me. Although I have witnessed Ilschevar performed a Teleportation Magic in front of me before, it was very brief; I didn\'t get to properly observe it.

This time however is different; I can witness the strange characters slowly appear on the surface of the door, and revel in the strange yet pleasant sensation of being exposed to what I deduce is Mana.

"Do you like what you\'re seeing?"

"No. I\'m just fascinated."

Valeria chuckles lightly. "What a weird one."

I don\'t know whether she means it as a kind gesture or a plain insult, but I honestly don\'t care. I have a feeling that this woman will often beat my ass in the future—both literally and figuratively. Her insult is nothing compared to the suffering she will give me in the future.

I can feel the Mana the door is giving off starts to die down, and in the next moment, the strange characters slowly lose their light, and completely disappear from the surface of the door.

With a gentle push, Valeria opens the door.

Creak.

Whoosh!

A gentle and pleasantly cold wind crash onto my face, bringing a fragrant smell of flowers with it. Looking at the bright sky, and the land in front of me, I can only describe the scene with one word—beautiful.

The garden is amazing: the green, lush grasses covering the ground; the vast land of the garden; the aesthetic stone arbor; the elegant bridge; and, of course, the beautiful pond in the distance that is decorated with lotuses.

The scene is pretty much unthinkable of something that belongs to a Demon world—well, Demon land. Since we both are still in front of the majestic stone arbor, I quickly turn my head to Valeria; I am very eager to explore the garden.

"Can I explore it?"

"Yes, you may."

"Alright, I am—"

"But, I won\'t hold any responsibility if something happens to you." That makes me stop in my track. Turning my head to her again, I gaze at her questioningly. "Can you see the guards?"

I tilt my head at her another ambiguous question. "Does this garden have a Golem or something guarding it?"

"We use Golems, but not here. Look around a bit more."

"Okay..." I gaze around once again—carefully, this time. I meticulously observe the path to look for any possible mini guards, I look at the sky to look at the possible Magic Barrier—not that I can really see it even if there is one—before my eyes land on the statues on each side of the arbor. "These are ... Gargoyles?"

"How do you know their name?" Valeria is slightly surprised judging by the way she quirks her eyebrow. "Do you have them in your previous world?"

"Well, yes, we do. It\'s one of the most popular things in Gothic architecture; it is used to prevent rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between." I shrug. "That\'s all I know about it."

Valeria hums in interest, and gazes at me incomprehensibly. \'Oh, boy. Those eyes—I am familiar with them. Those shotacon ladies in Manga also show the same eyes before they violate the poor kid ... On a second thought, it\'s not that bad.\'

Valeria blinks her eyes in genuine surprise, and comments, "You are quite ... Vulgar for someone with that innocent appearance."

My face darkens, as I seriously exclaim, "Give me some privacy!" I think that was more of a shout rather than a serious exclamation.

"It\'s not my mistake you are so loose with your thought." She shrugs lightly. "Anyway, these Gargoyles are the guards; they will kill anyone who has no permission to enter."

"I believe I have no permission yet?"

"Exactly." Valeria nods her head with a small smile. " I am slightly amazed by your wit; I haven\'t even explained much yet, but you already figure out most of the things by yourself."

"So?"

"I am praising you—rejoice."

"O my most beautiful goddess Valeria, I thank thy kindness for bestowing upon me thy priceless praise that this lowly mortal knows is too much for himself! I hail the benevolent goddess Valeria!" I even bother myself to kowtow like a lowly mortal I am.

"Kuhum! Get up." Valeria cleared her throat in what I can say is embarrassment. "Get up before I put you in the purgatory." She doesn\'t even suppress me with Magic or something, but her tone alone is enough to chill the air.

I quickly get up from the ground, and look at her seriously. \'Eh, are you blushing? Are you glad or mad? What\'s with the burningly cold eyes?\' Valeria\'s facial expression is pretty neutral, but the blush on her cheeks and her cold eyes convey a quite contradictory feeling.

"Although I am glad you worship me that much, I am sorry but I have to disappoint you. You are the future Demon King, and it\'s not appropriate for a Demon King to worship his subordinate."

\'What is this feeling? I didn\'t even mean my words earlier, but the rejection makes me feel ... Confused. What the fuck is she on about? Does she not know what a joke is?\' I am ready to explain myself, but upon looking at Valeria\'s face, my mouth shuts entirely.

"I know what a joke is." Her eyes are so cold, even running naked in North Pole feels like sunbathing. "I was just trying to ... Play along. That\'s all." I would\'ve believed her, if she hadn\'t implied her disappointment in her tone.

\'Gah! What are you doing, woman?! Now you make me feel bad—not really.\' I have lost any feeling of remorse; I will never feel one anymore. \'Now that I think about it, she will be my trainer, right? That means...\' My face darkens as I realized Valeria will definitely pay me back someday.

"Enough with the pointless talk, let us enter the garden." Valeria waves her hand mildly.

I don\'t say anything much, as I merely nod my head, and follow behind her. Right before we pass the arbor, the two Gargoyles perching on the 5 feet tall stone pillar that are on each of its side come to live.

Whoosh!

Their wings expand, before they flap it once. The stone like body gradually becomes flesh, and the stiff head moves from side to side in the next moment. Turning their heads at me, they glare me with their creepy eyes.

"I smell a human smell," both of the Gragoyles exclaim.

I don\'t know what suddenly assaults my mental, but I really want to respond the two of them. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Human!" They are ready to jump at me, and I hug Valeria\'s waist in hope to be protected. Luckily, she does what I hoped.

"Calm down, the two of you. He\'s with me." The effect is instantaneous. The moment they heard the word, they quickly behaved themselves. "This person is our new friend. Will you give him entry in my favor?"

"Of course, milady Valeria. We have no right to reject a favor from you." The two Gargoyles bow their heads at her, before glaring at me briefly, and snort. In the next moment, they return to statue again.

"Well, can you let me go?"

"I don\'t feel safe. Can I—"

"No."

"Okay."

Right after I let go of her, we pass the arbor, and step our feet on the stone path. Of course I don\'t forget to take a last look at the Gargoyles, and remark, "Simp!"