The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years Book 2: Chapter 567

Book 2: Chapter 567

Side Story Chapter 3

Sedi Trowman realized.

First impressions don’t necessarily lead to lasting impressions. Relations.h.i.+ps are fluid, and even the worst first meeting can change significantly with a few coincidences.

…She knows this, but there’s one thing that’s certain.

Her first impression of the woman before her would not change. She could bet on it.

“Get the h.e.l.l out of here! You… crazy b.i.t.c.h!”

She spat out a sharp voice, hurling the most vulgar and insulting curses she could muster.

However, the woman only smiled brightly as if she had received a compliment.

“Why?”

Why, indeed?

That innocent question implied that all the dozens of curses and insults Sedi had sc.r.a.ped together from her vocabulary had no effect.

Rather, it was Sedi who was left speechless, but she forced herself to continue.

“This is my territory, and I hate you like crazy!”

“First impressions are meant to change.”

“Why do you get to decide that?”

“Because I like you!”

“I hate you!”

Sedi shouted, seething with rage.

She had shouted it so many times she’d lost count.

“d.a.m.n it…”

Pressing her throbbing temples, she tried to cool her heated head. Then, in a relatively lower tone, she spoke.

“Just what grudge do you have against me to do this? Are the 4 Knights really this idle?”

“Well, I do tend to spend my time rather productively.”

“……”

Seeing her puff out her chest confidently made Sedi’s blood rush to her head again.

This won't do.

Even shouting at a wall would be more meaningful than this. Above all, if Sedi were to shout, no matter how solid the wall, she could shatter it with just her voice, so naturally… No, what kind of crazy thought is that? Sedi shook her head vigorously.

No matter what she said, it wouldn’t get through to this woman. Realizing this, Sedi’s eyes grew dark.

If words didn't work, should she drive her out by force?

Of course, she didn’t think it would be easy.

Sedi had known who this woman was from the beginning. She couldn’t help but know.

Someone who held the t.i.tle of the 1st Void Lord couldn’t be unknown or ignored.

One of the 4 Knights of the Royal Castle, famously the most insane of them all, the Blue Knight of Famine.

‘…I can’t drive this woman away with just the power of the 0th Demon.’

Although she had gained immense power by becoming a Void Lord, it wasn’t enough to deal with a 4 Knight.

In other words, to drive this woman away by force, Sedi would have to use the power of the Demon G.o.d that she was hiding.

She bit her lip hard.

That’s why she had been engaged in this stupid verbal sparring for hours.

‘I’ve heard that the 4 Knights have an unimaginable level of hatred for the Ruler.’

So far, the woman had shown no hostility towards Sedi. Although it was called a verbal argument, in reality, only Sedi was getting angry and shouting. The woman’s face had never lost its smile.

Of course, that smile was extremely unsettling and eerie…

…What Sedi was curious about was whether that smile would persist even the moment her secret was revealed.

‘More importantly…’

There was another question.

‘Is she really strong?’

It’s certain she’s the Blue Knight. She must be strong. Sedi wouldn’t deny that.

But from this woman, she couldn’t feel the same level of presence as the Ruler. She seemed as light and fluffy as pollen floating in the spring breeze. Her demeanor lacked any tension, and as mentioned before, her smile was oddly irritating.

All these elements heightened Sedi’s discomfort to the maximum.

“You don't have to hide it.”

“What?”

At the abruptly muttered words, Sedi looked at Pale.

…Still smiling, but something…

“I said you don't have to hide it.”

“So what are you talking about─”

Pale lightly tapped her nose.

“The stench, you see. It's not something you can hide just because you want to. You can't cover it either.”

Around that time, Pale's eyes curved ominously. Her pupils looked like blue moons.

In the shock that felt like her entire body was being pierced by lightning, Sedi naturally realized one thing.

───She’d been found out.

“And I have a pretty good sense of smell.”

…However, she wasn’t mentioning it directly.

What is she thinking?

The peak of her discomfort quickly turned into the peak of tension.

Feeling the pressure drying her throat, Sedi quietly readied herself.

Ready to attack at any moment, or to respond to whatever might happen.

“What’s your goal?”

Sedi asked in a surprisingly calm voice, trying to probe her intentions, but Pale’s demeanor remained consistent despite Sedi’s s.h.i.+fting att.i.tude.

“I told you from the beginning. I want to help you.”

“Help with what?”

“I know how to get rid of the stench.”

Shwak, a giant scythe appeared in Sedi’s hand.

Right. She came to get rid of it. If the opponent knew everything, Sedi wouldn’t just stand by and take it.

“Huh?”

Pale blinked with a blank expression and made an X with her hands.

“That’s a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding about what?”

“I won’t hurt you. I’m safe, really.”

She spread her hands as if to a.s.sert her harmlessness. It wasn’t a very convincing appeal. As evidence, Sedi’s mouth twisted coldly.

“Ah. Right. You’re safe, huh.”

“Hmm. You don’t believe me. But I have proof.”

“Proof?”

“If I had wanted to do that, it would've happened long ago.”

Kwak.

Sedi tightened her grip on the scythe. Because of her unchanging tone and expression, Sedi could tell. This woman wasn’t mocking or provoking her with those words.

What she just said was merely an insignificant fact to her.

That, more than anything else, trampled on Sedi’s pride.

“Whew……”

Even so, Sedi didn’t swing her scythe. She didn’t shout angrily, her face flushed. Now she knows how to endure. She’s not immature enough to be swayed by emotions.

Isn’t there a much more important purpose than her pride?

Recall it.

The purpose that brought her to this garbage dump of a world, forsaking everything else.

“…Who told you about me?”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb. Even if you could tell by looking with your own eyes, the stench you’re talking about…”

Come to think of it, the fact that she specifically called it a stench was annoying. Sedi looked down at her body for no reason before continuing.

“…Anyway, that presence wouldn’t leak outside my territory.”

That much is certain.

As evidence, none of the demons in Demonsio know Sedi’s true ident.i.ty.

“But you came to Demonsio as if you knew exactly about my condition.”

“Hmm.”

“Was it Kasajin?”

The former Void Lord who stayed in the territory and knew about her condition. If information leaked, it could only be him. She didn’t know what method he used, though.

However, Pale dismissed Sedi’s confident words with a chuckle.

“Nope.”

“Denying it flatly…”

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. You’ll find out eventually.”

“……”

“So what are you going to do?”

What am I going to do?

Is she really asking because she doesn’t know?

Sedi had become a puppet of the Demon G.o.d. Therefore, the ‘Black Horned Demon G.o.d’ would also know everything she saw and felt. Even at this moment, facing one of the 4 Knights.

“……”

So Sedi’s silence grew longer.

The truth is, the main reason Sedi had engaged in a meaningless conversation with Pale so far was to wait for the Demon G.o.d's instructions.

In this situation, any command should have been given. At least, a sign of intent should have been shown.

But the Black Horned Demon G.o.d had shown no reaction at all.

‘Why?’

To test Sedi's loyalty? Given the sinister nature of the Demon G.o.d, this is a plausible hypothesis… but it’s wrong.

The moment she saw those curved eyes, she realized.

The existence of the 4 Knights is sufficiently threatening even to the Ruler.

This woman could kill Sedi without much difficulty. Even with the power of the ‘0th Demon’ combined with the authority of the ‘Black Horned Demon G.o.d’, the result would not change.

In other words, if a clear strategy isn’t presented now, they might lose the puppet they painstakingly crafted. This would be quite a painful loss for the Demon G.o.d as well.

‘…Does he not know? That I’ve made contact with one of the 4 Knights?’

This seems more plausible, but… it also leaves the question of ‘why?’

Even as Sedi's silence prolonged, Pale did not urge her. She simply looked at Sedi with a bright smile.

Right.

She had always been like that.

The woman's gaze had never once left Sedi, and the smile on her lips never faded. The discomfort and eeriness that Sedi constantly felt stemmed from that.

The blue eyes occasionally scanned not her face but her entire body, and each time, Sedi felt a cold, ma.s.sive tongue licking her from head to toe, sending s.h.i.+vers down her spine.

At least two things were clear.

Pale was an incredibly dangerous ent.i.ty, and the madness in her mind far exceeded what was visible.

Therefore, Sedi’s question remained the same as at the beginning.

What on earth is this woman thinking?

*

‘Daughter.’

It was probably one of the words most distant to Pale.

Like words such as family, love, lover, and treasure, it was a word she thought she’d never have a connection with in her life. It felt rough in her mouth and her chest felt ticklish when it came to mind.

But life is indeed unpredictable.

Pale now had to prepare to accept a daughter. Although she hadn't directly said as much, the intention was clear in the fact that she had been sent here. After all, he was the smartest man in the world.

That’s why Pale kept smiling.

She believed that a smiling face could win favor at any time.

‘─Daughter.’

She thought of the word again.

A daughter……

A daughter, huh~

Pale narrowed her eyes and scanned Sedi’s entire body.

Firstly, it's good that she looks quite young on the outside. Seeing that she looks younger than herself, Pale couldn't help but feel relieved. Though she might be different inside, that didn’t matter to her.

As one could see, her personality is pretty p.r.i.c.kly, but well, that’s also kind of cute in its own way, so it’s fine.

She’s quite pretty. It would’ve been nice if her eyes were a bit more innocent.

“…Why do you keep staring?”

Sedi snarled, baring her teeth.

Even as she rubbed her arms as if chilled, Pale just ignored her and continued thinking with a smile.

She imagined herself standing side by side with this girl.

Hmm. It’s a bit of a stretch to see them as mother and daughter, but maybe as sisters if you look closely. No, but they look too different. This isn’t good.

“Have you ever thought about dyeing your hair?”

“Crazy b.i.t.c.h.”

Pale nodded, acknowledging that the refusal was reasonable.

This girl still needed to prepare herself mentally in various ways. Anyway, there were things she needed to keep hidden until she got rid of the trash in that body.

Still, revealing everything all at once might be overwhelming, so it’s best to narrow the distance as much as possible beforehand.

Maybe it was an unconscious expression of that intention, but Pale’s body had already moved much closer to Sedi.

Without realizing that Sedi’s face had twisted in disgust, Pale cleared her throat.

“Ahem! Hey.”

“What? What is it?”

Sedi responded sharply, wary.

Pale smiled. A smiling face is the best way to lower someone's guard.

Of course, she didn’t realize that as her lips curled up, her pointed teeth showed, creating a sinister impression.

“As I said, I have the power to resolve the crisis you're in, you know?”

To be precise, she knew someone who had the power to resolve it, but Pale said it this way to appear more reliable.

“So?”

“Well, it’s nothing much. In exchange for getting rid of that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, could you do me a small favor?”

Sedi’s eyebrows twitched, but she asked back.

“What is it?”

“Could you call me ‘Mom’ just once─”

“p.i.s.s off.”

Pale lowered her head with a dejected face.

*****

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