On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

The parallel world's La Ville Lumière is what I will call Lysimork from now on. It holds no other resemblance with Paris except the amount of light decorating it at night, but how bright it is despite in the middle of an absolute darkness makes it worthy of the title.

Unlike any other Cursed Creations or simply Demons, I appreciate beauty due to being a former human. I can be captivated by nature's beauty because I know how to appreciate it.

Of course, I am not as easily captivated as a moth to fire. I am still aware of my surrounding even though I am currently appreciating the view; therefore, I can stop Vibiane from touching my Essence Peach.

"Kuuuum... Huuum! Nnnn!"

She speaks gibberish the moment I grab her face, but I can't care less to decipher what she says. She was trying to steal what belongs to me—Luxia, to be exact—and she is lucky I don't throw her out of the window.

"Are those two always lively like this?" I hear Haletha speak.

"That girl has been alone by herself for too long. Layland is her first friend, so she likes to play with him," Eliseus responds.

"No, this dingbat just likes to test my patience," I retort.

"I have to say you two look close to each other however."

At Haletha's remark, I can't help snorting in amusement; my relationship with Vibiane is not as beautiful as she thinks. I just can't make her stop hanging around me, so I bully her from time to time to make her go away.

... Nah, I am just kidding. She is like the sibling I never had now, who, of course, is the target of my bully.

"Pwaaah... Why did you do that?!" Vibiane says after she managed to pull my hand off her face. "I didn't even have any intention to take it! I just wanted to touch it—I know it is yours!"

"Relax, Vibiane," I calm her down. "I just wanted to prevent you from doing something you don't mean to. It's not uncommon for a Monster to not be able to do trip themselves after all."

"Just how little your trust in me is?" Vibiane says, forlornly.

"Come on, you know it. Zero."

"Bwaah! Even though I treat you like a friend!"

Vibiane hits my chest like a disappointed baby while shedding her crocodile tears. I can't actually Tel if she is really hurt by my words or she is just riding on the joke, but teasing her is fun.

Turning my gaze away from Vibiane, I turn to Haletha. "Kuhum! I have to thank you first for allowing me to take this fruit with me," I say politely. "I need to ask you however, if there is any requirement to pluck this fruit?"

"You can just pick it, you know? Fruit is fruit no matter how precious they are," Vibiane chimes in. She already stops crying, and doesn't look like someone who has just cried.

"Y-Yes... You can just immediately pick it," Haletha says in slight bewilderment, probably because of Vibiane.

Shrugging lightly at the response, I put aside Vibiane, who is hugging my side by the time I know it, and turn to the tree of the Essence Peach. It looks like a smaller but greater version of an apple tree.

The Essence Peach is hanging on one of the tree branches. Aside from its golden color—it gives off the vibe of being a hard fruit—it looks no different from a normal peach.

Other than the color, of course, is the amount of Nature Essence I can feel it contain. I feel like I am being exposed to Mana for the first time standing in front of the tree.

"Stop whatever you think you are doing."

Just a second before my hand plucks the fruit from the tree, I hear a voice coming from the stairway. Some other people have joined us in the garden, and they are faintly strong if the aura they are exuding represents their power.

I turn my body to take a look at the obnoxious prick who has just spoken. In the process, I pluck the Essence Peach without any care for the murderous gaze the prick is giving me.

The prick is also a Dark Elf with an androgynous look like the others, however unlike the others, I find him irritating. It is quite surprising since this is my first time encountering someone with an androgynous look, who is irritating.

"Demon, how dare you pick the fruit?!" The prick exclaims spitefully.

"Who are you to question me?"

"This insolent Cursed Creation...!" The prick looks he is about to explode, but stops as soon as he notices Eliseus' fingers twitch. "Hmph! Let us see who will laugh in the end."

Turning to Haletha, the prick says, "Lady Haletha, a Hero seeks me as needs an Essence Peach for someone he dears. I would like to give him mine, however mine hasn't ripened yet."

Bowing politely, he continues, "I promise to give you ten times of the amount that I borrow you in ten years."

Considering how long it takes for an Essence Peach to ripen, the prick's offer is enticing. If I were Haletha, I won't think twice to take the offer.

I know, however, this prick is one of the rulers of Lysimork—I can tell by his aura. Haletha will definitely think differently due to her not so good relationship with him, so I am waiting for what she will do.

"Hero, huh? This is going to be interesting." I smirk in excitement as I throw and catch the Essence Peach. "I wonder which bastard it is."

"This garden belongs to my daughter. She is also planning to give the Essence Peach to her benefactor here, so I have no say in this matter," Haletha coldly says as she gestures at me.

"Benefactor? A Demon... Cursed Creations?" The prick sneers.

"Yes, Lord Iorfel. Some human assassins were targeting my life until my benefactors saved me," Arieda says with a smile. "I am very grateful for what they did to me, so I am giving the Essence Peach as a token of gratitude."

"Assassins?" The prick, Iorael frowns. "Who dares to hire assassins to target a Royalty?! This I something unforgivable!"

Judging by how spiteful he is, I can say that he is mad at the act; however, I can see the reason why he is mad is because his partner has moved without coordinating with him first. That is the look of someone who hates having a stupid friend.

"Look at that face—this bitch is slick," I remark lowly in amusement.

"It is all right, Lord Iorael. We will never be able to figure out the culprit anyway." Arieda smiles sweetly but mockingly.

The prick almost contorts his face for a second, but he can quickly mask it with a sigh. "Heuh... That is too bad. I brought the Hero here in vain then. What a shame." He shakes his had.

At those words, I stop throwing the Essence Peach to the air. A smirk quickly adorns my face as my heart beats faster.

I realize that my power can't match any of the Heroes' yet, but thinking about meeting one of the bastards I failed to kill excites me.

Tap. Tap.

Someone is coming out from behind Iorael's back, and I almost can't help myself from pulling the bastard out immediately.

"Come on... Show me yourself." I laugh softly. "I want to see who I am going to kill."

If a fight breaks when we meet each other, I will definitely enjoy my time making whoever it is suffer. I am for sure not stronger or as strong as whoever it is, but that is what makes me feel excited.

My Origin doesn't let me fight with someone weaker or at the same level; Pride requires me to fight stronger opponents to gain power. Just imagining how much stronger I can become after killing this person makes me grin.

"Don't cause a commotion, Layland," Eliseus warns me as she puts her hand on my chest. "Dark Elves don't mind the act of killing, but you can't do it at a place as sacred as their garden."

"Do I look agitated?" I ask confidently.

"I can't see your eyes, but I know how dark your vision currently is. You are unconsciously awakening your True Form, and it is not something you should do in Lysimork."

Keeping my silent as I am surprised by how spot on Eliseus' observation is, I eventually take a deep breath to clear my mind. My vision gradually gets bright immediately, and my heart calms down.

Patting my chest, Eliseus says, "Good. There is a time to kill Heroes, and now is not the time."

Nodding my head at Eliseus' words, I focus my gaze to the Hero that is now standing in front of Iorael. The Hero is 5'9" tall—short by this world's standard—and I can tell the Hero is a male.

Dressed in a coat with a hood, he hides his presence well. I find his stature unfamiliar, so I am not sure if I can really tell his name.

Luckily, he immediately pulls his hood down in the next moment. I can immediately see his face, but who he is turns me speechless.