On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

Hadrian and his fellow Nobles don't stand on my side because they owe me something; they chose to join me themselves because they don't want to be on the losing team. I accepted them because they can't do me any harm. I am well aware of the fact that they are using me, therefore, I also make them work as payment.

Luckily, they have a good sense of business, so they accepted my order without complaining. The event was yesterday. Now, I am back at Verniculos after making sure that everyone who lives in the territory I liberated has my Geas. It wasn't hard to convince them to have it. I only needed to tell them that it was to notify us if any of them was in a danger.

Of course, Celia also played a great role to convince them. In their minds, she is the saint person who will never lie to them. She is willing to go against her family to fight for what is true, so her lying is highly unlikely.

None of them knows and considers that she has fallen and it wouldn't even matter even if they did. Like her, their God has abandoned them, so they would just think their God has gone mad should they do.

"Ka-ahk! Ha-ah! I can't…breathe!"

As soon as I get to the Training Field, I find Winerva kneeling before Valeria while clutching her stomach. She has just received a solid kick to her solar plexus. She is in great pain if her expression is any indication. She is entirely focused on how to suppress it—so much so that she doesn't realize she is drooling.

On the other side of the Training Field, Lunea is sprawled on the ground. Blood is coming out of her joints and she is looking at them in disbelief and astonishment. It must be her first time having her limbs mangled like that. it makes me wonder if she will develop trauma toward the battlefield after this.

I watch the scene silently for a few seconds in amusement. I can't tell how much they have grown but none of them is crying, so I will say Valeria has done a good job.

I was wrong, though. The moment Valeria moves one of her feet forward, a haunted look appears on the face of the girls. They look at her in horror before crying like a lost child. In between their sobs, they ask for her mercy and a timeout. This scene makes me worry that all of them have PTSD now.

"I think it is enough for today," I remark, attracting the girls' attention, who, from their expressions, didn't realize I was there until I speak.

"Layland!"

Bewildering me, they approach me like rabid dogs. Winerva ignores her pain and runs at me, meanwhile, Lunea uses Wind Magic to throw her body at me.

I catch the latter who reached me first before returning the hug of the former who needs it badly. They are crying even louder now. I don't know whether they are glad to see me or they are regretting coming to me since it worsened their pain. Either way, I comfort them to the best I can, which is not much.

"They are weak. Their will breaks easily," Valeria remarks as she walks toward me. "I am slightly disappointed and massively surprised that they accompanied you on your journey. I bet they didn't do much for you."

"We were just lucky to encounter weak opponents," I reply.

"You are strong—that is why they were weak. These girls, however…they need to keep themselves together, so they won't die early." Shaking her head faintly, she asks, "Where are your slave Warlord and the fallen Holy Maiden?"

"I left them at Brontes."

She seems slightly surprised as she tilts her head slightly back. "Aren't you afraid that the Temple might go after her? I thought you would keep her close to you."

"It's fine. The only crazy about Celia's heart is Brianna. Now that she already has a safe place, she won't urge the Temple to get it for her."

"What about Mark? He doesn't want to die, does he?"

"My informant said that he replaced his heart with a Holy Relic. I only know about it that much but I am sure he no longer feels that he needs Celia's heart."

Valeria hums to herself for a few seconds before solemnly saying, "He is planning to die—that desperate friend of yours. The outcome of the fight between you two will either be you fail to kill him and die together or you manage to kill him and maybe still die."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"You sound ecstatic, though."

Saying nothing, I smirk. As if she can see through my mask, Valeria shakes her head faintly. Looking down at the girls that are sobbing as they hug me tightly, I sigh lightly and then tell Valeria that I am going to bring them to the infirmary. She nods her head simply, says that she will be waiting in our room, and then disappears into thin air.

I change the girls' positions and carry them like two sacks of potatoes on my shoulders. Walking to the infirmary, I cause them to groan lightly in pain with every step I make.

"Your intestines ruptured, Winerva. I am surprised you haven't coughed up blood yet."

"They are not the only ones—my liver and kidneys did too. I already coughed up a lot of blood for the past three hours, so I don't have any more of it to cough up."

Winerva's response makes me understand why Valeria did what she did. I was wondering why she didn't hold herself back and worked on the girls' techniques; it turns out that she did that because she wanted to improve their pain tolerance, which is very lacking.

"I am surprised that you are still alive."

"That's what I said," Lunea chimes in. "Anyway, you will reward us, won't you?"

"Sure. What do you guys want?"

Lunea chuckles mysteriously and I can't help blinking at that. She was sobbing in pain just a few minutes ago—I wonder where her pain has gone to.

"We will tell you—ah! Don't shake my body!"

My experiment proves that the pain is still there as she tears up after I shook her body quite violently. Hence, I conclude she could chuckle like that before because her excitement made her forget her pain.

My experiment brings me amusement and dread. It is fun to know that I can make her cry again with just a simple shake but, on the other hand, I am worried about what she will ask since she is so excited about it that she forgets her pain.

I ignore the thought as soon as I reach the infirmary. Unlike the other facilities in the castle's complex, it is located within the castle because it is run by a certain kind of Demons, who can barely fight and is highly valued because of their ability.

Creak.

Opening the gigantic door, I am soon greeted by the smell of herbal medicine. It doesn't smell like the hospital but I can immediately say that I don't want to be in this room.

"Hello, there. Are these two the patients?"

Turning my gaze from the Warriors sleeping on their beds to the beautiful female Demon before me, I nod my head lightly. "Yes, I need you to treat them, so they will be able to participate in the war tomorrow."

"That will be easy." The female Demon smiles lightly and then gazes at me sultrily. "What about you? Do you need some treatment too?"

As she winks, I realized why some Warriors like to spend their time in the infirmary. The Succubus running this place surely has an irresistible charm.

"Nah, I am good." Of course, their charm doesn't work on me. "Just take these girls with you. Careful, though—they are whiny."

The Succubus seems taken aback that I don't have any reaction but she is professional with her job, so she immediately orders another Succubus to take Winerva from my shoulder. She takes Lunea from my shoulder afterward but she does it clumsily; thus, causing Lunea's mangled hand to slap my mask off my face.

Clack! Clack!

"Ouch, my hand!"

"Oh, no—clumsy me! I am so sorry!"

The Succubus looks terrified after what she did. I wave my hand nonchalantly and then pick up my mask from the ground.

Looking at her, I say, "You should apologize to this girl instead. She is the one you hurt, not me."

Poof!

A tail suddenly pops out of her back and her colleague's, surprising me slightly. As I look at them wondering what happened, I notice that their gaze on me is a little bit "dangerous."

"What is your name, Warrior?" the Succubus who is holding Lunea asks.

"It's CU," I answer.

"CU?" she wonders. "CU what?"

"C u later."

Snapping my finger, I teleport out of the room, leaving the pair of Succubi astonished. I walk to my new room while thinking about what the two Succubi might do to me should I stay. Succubi have an absurd urge to enter people's minds. I don't want to have anyone invade my mind, so I was slightly terrified by their gaze earlier.

I only heave a sigh of relief after I enter my new room. I can feel Valeria's familiar presence and it makes me feel safe.

"The Succubi in the infirmary are crazy, I tell you. It was only my first time yet…"

Standing alluringly before the bed is Valeria with a see-through robe that barely hides her sinful figure. I nod my head appreciatively as I think about the fall of Antares to prevent myself from getting excited.

"Let me loosen you up for tomorrow," she says.

"Well, it won't be easy, I tell you," I say with a smirk.

"Let's do it rough, then."

I have a perfect line for this situation. Before the fall of his enemy's Kingdom, the Demon's bride falls into his bed.