As he lifted her clothes, her lean belly was exposed.
Valen gazed intently at her flawlessly white skin for a long moment.
Then he murmured to himself.
“Always so unblemished, isn’t it?”
He traced a straight line down with two fingers, from beneath Argen’s chest to below her navel.
Argen sat up, feeling an odd chill from the temperature higher than her own body heat.
“Even if stabbed by a sword, my wounds heal instantly.
Comparing your belly skin to mine is meaningless.”
Valen lowered his gaze and released Argen’s clothes.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Then why did you suddenly start touching my stomach?
Argen racked her brain fervently, trying to understand Valen’s hidden meaning.
But even mustering all her meagre imagination, nothing concrete came to mind.
Come to think of it, this wasn’t the first time Valen had scrutinised her stomach.
‘That bastard isn’t exactly a gentleman in bed, is he?
You shouldn’t get used to such vile things.’
Could he really have some bizarre fetish?
Maybe he gets aroused by bodies covered in scars.
Argen’s eyes widened in realisation.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that.” Valen, keenly reading Argen’s reaction, flatly denied it.
“I… have good pain tolerance.
But even if you deliberately inflict wounds, they heal quickly, so I doubt you’d be satisfied.”
The sudden remark seemed absurd to Valen.
He rested his chin on his hand for a moment, frowning.
Then, after a long pause, he spoke.
“Let me make this clear: I have no such hobby.”
“But you bite me every time, leaving bruises.”
“Well…”
No Name, unable to find words, opened and closed his lips repeatedly.
Perhaps because he knew what he’d done, he couldn’t offer any excuse, his expression complex.
“…Did it hurt?”
“As I said, I have a high tolerance for pain…”
“Not about enduring it.
Did it hurt when I did that?”
“……”
She had never seriously considered pain in her life.
Probably other demons felt the same.
Crying out in pain was only necessary when seeking someone’s help.
Even when flesh was torn or sliced, the sensation of pain lasted only a moment.
With bodies that quickly regenerated new flesh, dwelling on pain itself felt like a nuisance.
Argen pondered Valen’s words internally.
Don’t endure the pain.
The more she thought about it, the more tender the words felt.
It felt like he was saying that no matter the situation, the other person’s feelings and state mattered most.
It was the first time anyone had spoken to Argen like this.
Did humans worry about each other with such warm words?
Argen was swept up in a strange feeling she had never known since birth.
It was then, as Argen remained lost in thought, unable to respond for a long while.
Valen rolled up the sleeve of his own shirt and held it to her lips.
“Here.
Your chance for revenge.”
Argen looked down at Valen’s firm arm, bewildered.
“Even if flesh is torn from me, it doesn’t matter.
Use it however you wish.
Take it out on me for all the pain I caused you, for all the times I kept you awake and pushed you.”
He doubted this will be enough.
He said it in such a flat voice she wondered if he was joking, but there was no trace of it.
Instead of biting Valen’s arm, Argen clasped his wrist and pulled it down.
“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
“You saved my life countless times.
Even if I can’t repay a demon’s kindness, I’m at least trying to hold onto my human conscience.
Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Your words are harsh, but you’re always kind to me.
Do you know that?”
His eyes, painted pitch black, fixed intently on Argen.
Valen stroked his sharp jawline, then opened his mouth with a low sigh.
“Be honest.
You get scolded behind my back, don’t you?
Who is it?
Zephyr?
Nadol?
Or one of the servants here?
I’m not saying I’ll do anything.
Just tell me.
Who is it?”
“Nothing like that.”
“You don’t even seem to realise you’re being bullied.
Otherwise, you wouldn’t say I’m kind.” He stubbornly denied the accusation.
He was utterly convinced it was as impossible as the sun rising at night.
So childish.
He seemed completely unaware of how much he hovered around Argen, how intently he observed her every little thing.
The bedroom light fell across his broad shoulders.
He was handsome, yet still arrogant and fierce-looking, but to Argen, he just seemed inexplicably cute.
As the corners of her mouth relaxed, Valen, on the other hand, frowned.
“You really are hurt.”
He gently wrapped his arms around Argen’s back and laid her down on the bed.
He adjusted the angle of her pillow and pulled the blanket up to cover her chest.
“I won’t touch you tonight, so go to sleep early.
You said you’re sleep-deprived.
If fatigue builds up, your immunity drops and you’re bound to catch a cold.”
He was skilled at caring for others too.
He’d mentioned having a sick younger sibling.
Reflecting on the dense scars covering his body and the stories he occasionally shared, it was easy to see his circumstances hadn’t been good.
Of course, Finn absolutely refused to accept that he was lower class.
‘What kind of lower class person lets their fists fly before their words?!
Whether demon or human, his skill at grabbing and beating people isn’t something a novice could pull off!’ he’d say.
“I’ll turn off the light.
Stay in bed.”
Soon, a comfortable darkness settled over Argen’s eyelids.
She hadn’t noticed while chatting and laughing with No Name, but as the surroundings darkened, sleep quickly overtook her.
As she lay still with her eyes closed, she felt No Name settle down beside her.
“Staying the night?”
“I said I’m not sleeping.
You seem sick, so I’ll watch over you for a bit before leaving.”
“Is this you trying to maintain your conscience as a human?”
“Uh-huh.”
He’s so shy.
He could just honestly say he’s worried.
Argen turned her body to face him and lay down.
Valen tucked the stray hair from her face behind her ear and spoke in a quiet voice.
“What’s going on every day that’s so busy?”
Argen answered, her eyes comfortably closed, half-drunk on sleep.
“Because of the vacation requests…”
“Vacation requests?”
“Demon Castle duties are stabilising, unusually.
Seizing the opportunity, all the demons submitted vacation requests.” Argen’s slow, deliberate voice spread quietly through the still, closed space.
Though it sounded almost like a mumble, Valen seemed to catch every word without missing a syllable, nodding occasionally.
Then he offered a very simple, clear answer to Argen’s concern.
“It’s because you’re trying to worry about every single one of them.
To lead a large group, you need to be cold and decisive.
Reject them all.”
“These are people who gave up their long-awaited vacations to work.”
“That doesn’t matter.
If manpower is desperately needed, reject them all.”
“……You can be too harsh.”
“Just a moment ago, you said I was kind.”
“That seems to apply only to me…”
Valen toyed with Argen’s ear and hair, running his fingers slowly through it.
Uncomfortable with his touch, Argen pulled the blanket up over her face.
“If you’re so troubled by not approving their vacation requests, at least hold a short banquet within the Demon King’s Castle.
Those guys are the type who pack lunches and go on picnics even when heading out on a campaign, so they’d probably enjoy it.” Valen’s voice wrapped around her ear like a lullaby.
Argen couldn’t quite respond to his words.
She could only chew them over in her mind.
Before long, her consciousness sank into a deep, distant place.
When she opened her eyes, No Name had already left her bedroom.
Walking into the bathroom on her own two feet felt strangely unfamiliar.
It had only been a little over ten days since she’d been regularly washed while held in No Name’s arms, yet that embrace had already become so familiar.
Argen quickly finished getting ready and opened the bedroom door.
A long arm suddenly reached out, wrapping around Argen’s cheek.
Startled, Argen’s eyes widened.
“You?”
“Did you wash properly?
Who was the one who bathed you today?”