Chapter 425: The Demon Princess (1)
- Frey Starlight’s POV -
On the second night after we returned home, a demon came to visit me.
It was well past midnight, making it an odd time for her to appear.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say that to her.
She sat quietly beside me, her gaze lost on the ceiling. And no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t take my eyes off those demonic horns of hers.
Without realizing it, my eyes drifted to them every time I looked at her.
"You stare too much,"
Sansa rolled her eyes playfully, smiling as if she hadn’t been staring at the ceiling at all.
"Sorry."
"No need to apologize. I catch myself staring at them too whenever I look in the mirror."
She gently touched her right horn, sparking my curiosity.
"Can’t you hide them? Like you did with your wings?"
She shook her head.
"That’s impossible. The wings are made of aura, but these horns... they’re a living part of my body now. Just like any other limb."
Cutting them off wasn’t an option either.
In fact, I could feel a massive amount of her aura concentrated there.
I was still trying to get used to her new demonic form... and she was doing the same.
"How did things go with the new Emperor?"
Without any warning, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
"Ah... my grandfather? I guess he wants to kill me right about now."
She laughed bitterly, speaking with no care at all.
"You should’ve seen his face when he found out his only granddaughter turned into a demon. Hilarious, really."
Even though she brushed it off, I couldn’t help but stare at her seriously, which quickly caught her attention.
"What’s with that look? Worried about me?"
"Kind of... I mean, we’re talking about Sir Alon Valerion here."
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was the strongest SS+ on the planet, right alongside Dragoth.
To have someone like that targeting her life... it was no laughing matter.
"Don’t worry. It’s not like he’s going to kill me right away. The Imperial Palace is still in chaos, and they haven’t decided what to do with me yet. Besides, they’ll have to catch me first."
With a light snap of her fingers, Sansa stirred a gust of wind that shook the room.
"Don’t forget .. I’m really strong now. I bet I could secure a high rank among the demons. ’Upper Demon Sansa’... has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?"
She laughed, showing her usual carefree attitude.
She didn’t care about anything around her. She just did whatever she wanted, without a second thought.
I found myself seeing a new side of her.
Sansa the Demon was completely different from the gloomy princess she used to be.
"You’re thinking I’ve changed, aren’t you?"
As if reading my mind, she said it first. I couldn’t deny it.
"I can’t deny it..."
I sighed softly.
"I’ve never lived life from a demon’s perspective, so I don’t know what it’s like... I guess it’s not exactly pleasant."
I tried to be considerate, but she shook her head.
"Not at all. Honestly, being a demon feels pretty great."
"...What?" I blurted out.
"Becoming a demon lets me live off the aura around me. My body’s practically made of it now. I don’t need food, or sleep, or even a bathroom. I don’t sweat anymore, and I’m strong enough to bend steel with my hands."
Listing off the perks of becoming a demon, I found myself staring at her, unable to form a proper response.
She lowered her gaze to the floor.
"But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve become a monster. With my constant absorption of aura, I’ll bring death wherever I go."
That was the truth.
That’s why demons were considered evil beings.
Their endless consumption of life energy destroyed the world they once called home, forcing them to invade others in search of sustenance.
Demons could live forever, as long as they fed on the energy of life itself.
That’s why they were at war with all living things.
And now, Sansa was one of them.
I already knew all of that... but even so...
"I don’t think a single demon is enough to doom the world."
I spoke seriously.
"I bet you could absorb this planet’s aura for thousands of years and it wouldn’t make a difference."
Maybe it sounded like I was just trying to comfort her.
But it was the truth.
The reason demons brought death wherever they went wasn’t because of one or two individuals.
It was because there were too many of them.
"If it’s just me, then it’s fine... is that what you’re trying to say?"
She read my thoughts again and laughed softly.
"You might be right, Frey. But that leads us to something else."
Leaning her face close to mine, I instinctively leaned back slightly.
"Now that I live on this power... I can feel the enormous aura hidden within you."
Sansa spoke as if she were eyeing a fine meal rather than a human being, causing me to frown instinctively.
She had effortlessly discovered my SSS-rank Aura Sea.
"So, it was a secret?" she asked playfully, while I sighed, brushing it aside.
"No... I’ve been using it openly lately, so it was only a matter of time before people found out."
Sansa nodded.
"I won’t ask how you got it, but right now... you’re looking very tempting to me. Tempting enough that I might accidentally kill you."
"Please don’t."
"I’m joking. No need to make that face."
With that, she flopped onto the bed, resting her head on my right knee, leaving me speechless.
She really did whatever she pleased.
"You know, Frey, after becoming one of them, I discovered that demons prefer negative emotions from other beings ... things like sadness, anger, hatred, and resentment. We feel those emotions so vividly... and they feel wonderful. So much more than positive feelings like happiness."
Lying there on my lap, she spoke while gazing up at me from below.
What she said wasn’t new to me. But she wasn’t finished yet.
Her eyes locked onto mine with quiet intensity, as if she could see beyond my human facade.
"You’re a walking ball of misery, Frey."
In that moment, I finally understood what she was trying to say.
"So now you can see more than just facial expressions," I said with a hollow chuckle. But Sansa didn’t smile back.
"Your negative emotions make being around you... strangely pleasant. They bring me joy at times... and pain at others. What weighs on your heart so much, I wonder?"
She asked a simple question.
But one with too many answers I couldn’t bear to voice.
I was trapped on all fronts:
A demon king watching my every move.
A madman engineer hellbent on turning my life into hell.
And a friend... a friend I might have to save .. or kill.
I stayed silent for a long time, until Sansa slowly lifted her head from my lap, sadness crossing her face.
"It’s Danzo, isn’t it?"
She spoke his name out of nowhere, surprising me even more with what she said next:
"What a cruel fate he’s suffered. I never thought I’d meet another soul besides myself who carries the same cursed seed."
The moment she said "seed," my mind froze.
I grabbed her almost desperately.
"You know about it?!"
Seeing my reaction, Sansa nodded calmly.
"Yes. I could feel it in him from the start. He might be a more perfect vessel than I am, but we both come from the same origin."
The second she said that, a new possibility opened in my mind.
A way through the wall I’d hit when trying to save him.
But for the third time, Sansa read my thoughts before I could voice them .. and crushed my hope where it stood.
"I know what you’re thinking, Frey. But I’m sorry... I can’t save him."
Her words hit like a child having their candy taken away.
I instinctively pulled away, deflated.