Adrian rose cautiously and headed toward the door to open it, but the moment he did, he immediately shut it again. He retreated a few steps and sat down on the bed, a faint smile appearing on his fear-stricken face. "Haha… I'm done for."
A group of demons were talking outside the room as they walked by, each of them exuding an air of strength and authority.
"Where the hell has that damned demon brought me?!" he muttered angrily and irritably.
A cold, mocking voice pierced the atmosphere of the room. "That damned demon… brought you to his palace."
Adrian spun around to see the black-haired demon leaning against the wall while eating an apple.
"H-How did you get in here?!" Adrian asked in astonishment.
The demon replied coldly, raising an eyebrow. "Huh? I've been here the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed the insults you hurled at me."
Adrian shouted, "But I didn't see you when I woke up!!"
The demon responded nonchalantly, "Oh, I didn't think you'd notice. I was using an invisibility spell."
Adrian wondered, "An invisibility spell?" Then his eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something. "Ah, I remember! I heard about it from my sister before."
The demon looked at him in surprise.
"Wait… Since you've only heard about it, does that mean you've never used it before?"
Adrian remained silent, refusing to answer, and the demon smiled knowingly.
"Aha, I see… You can't use magic, can you?"
Adrian turned his gaze away in annoyance, prompting the demon to laugh mockingly. "Hahahaha! So you're a weak human! Which division are you from? Oh... I remember, Division Zero, right?"
Adrian remained coldly silent, so the demon continued, "Hmm, your clothes don't suggest you're a commoner, but nobles use magic, and you don't… Does that mean you're..." Then he shouted as if he had just figured it out. "A commoner wearing noble clothes to sneak into the palace and steal?!!"
Adrian was stunned by his words and quickly corrected him. "Huhhh? Who are you calling a commoner, you idiot?! I'm Prince Adrian of the Aetheris Empire! But... for some reason, I can't use magic, and I look like those damned demons!"
The demon frowned and shouted, "You! Are you calling us bastards?! And what about you humans? Aren't you the scum?!"
Adrian shouted back, "If we're scum, then you're even worse! You walking pile of garbage!"
"What did you say, you worthless bastard?! Are you asking to die?!"
"Do you want to fight, you snake?!"
"As if you could even touch me, you insect!"
Their loud argument continued until they were interrupted by a female demon with short red hair and glowing eyes, wearing a black dress that was short in the front and long in the back.
She spoke with obvious irritation. "What are you two idiots doing? Why are you making so much noise?"
The demon shouted irritably, "Shut up and get out of here, Lilith!"
She retorted sharply, "How dare you speak to me like that, you snake?!"
The demon shouted in frustration, "My name is Asura, you old hag!"
An eerie silence fell over them. Adrian took a small step backward, forcing an extremely awkward smile. "You snake... I think you just said something you shouldn't have."
Asura began backing away, trying to defuse the situation. "Hahahaha... You think so too?"
Lilith slowly raised her hand in a terrifying manner, then fixed her blazing eyes on him.
"What did you just say...?" She paused for a moment before screaming, "Die!!"
She unleashed her fire magic toward Asura, with Adrian caught within the attack's range.
"Wait! I'm going to die like this!!" Adrian muttered to himself in terror.
Asura grabbed Adrian by the arm and smashed through the wall, leaping through it just before the place exploded behind them in a massive blast.
Outside, they were hiding inside a garbage cart, covering their mouths with their hands to keep from making any noise. Lilith passed by, speaking with a terrifying smile. "Deeeear Asura... Where are you?"
Fortunately, she couldn't distinguish their scent from the garbage, and her search proved fruitless.
After a while, they climbed out of the cart and began catching their breath, coughing from the overwhelming stench.
"Khh... Kkhhhh, damn you, Lilith... Khhh," Asura said bitterly and wearily.
Adrian remained silent, struggling to fill his lungs with air.
"Fine, let's return to the palace," Asura said, addressing Adrian.
The latter remained silent for a moment before replying coldly, "I think you've misunderstood... I'm human, and I must return to where I belong."
Asura raised an eyebrow mockingly. "What's the point of returning to that boring place? Besides, haven't people already cast you aside?"
Adrian replied with indifference and firmness. "I don't care what they think. I'm going for one reason only."
"Revenge!"
Asura paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Hahahahaha... Revenge? You?"
Adrian shouted with barely restrained anger, "Shut up, you snake!"
Asura calmed down a little, then asked with provoking curiosity, "And how exactly are you going to take revenge on that planet when you can't use magic?"
Adrian's voice softened before he spoke resolutely. "Even if I can't use magic right now, I won't give up. Those bastards deserve to die."
Asura gave him an ambiguous smile before replying, "Fine... I'll take you to the barrier. Do your best. But if you fail, you'll have to come back here—because they'll kill you after your attempt to assassinate the emperor."
Adrian asked in a low, doubtful voice, "And how am I supposed to cross the barrier... when I'm human?"
Asura slowly raised his arm and placed his palm over Adrian's eyes. He kept it there for several seconds before calmly moving it away.
"I've now granted you a portion of my demonic aura, enough to allow you to cross. Come on, let's go."
~~~
Somewhere in the empire…
"Has the young master really returned?"
"Yes, he returned last night."
"Heeey, I heard he went to the front lines earlier to train in fighting monsters. It's strange that he came back so quickly."
The servants chatted among themselves as they set the food on the table.
Countess Tovana entered with her husband, Count Tuan, and they sat down at the dining table. Shortly afterward, their second son, Freddy (15 years old), arrived, followed by their eldest son, Albert (20 years old).
Count Tuan spoke calmly as he sipped from his glass. "Albert, now that you've finally returned, I hope you'll take charge of the family's affairs. I have high hopes for you, so don't disappoint me."
The countess continued in a cold tone. "You need to stop indulging in your delusions, Albert. You have no magical talent, so there's no point in all the effort you're putting in. Focus on administrative matters. That would be better for you."
Albert asked calmly, concealing a faint anger beneath his words. "And why is my effort pointless? Do you think I won't be able to use magic just because my mother was from Division Zero? I still carry my father's blood, and he's a noble, so it's not impossible for me to possess magic."
Freddy replied calmly as he set down his spoon. "There's no point in what you're doing, brother. Even Prince Adrian was a pure-blooded noble, yet he couldn't use magic. So what about you, when you're only half noble?"
Albert's jaw tightened with anger. He then grabbed the glass in front of him and threw it to the ground, shattering it.
He looked at Freddy with blazing eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Take good care of yourself, dear brother... or you might lose that talent you're so proud of one day."
The count slammed his hand against the table and shouted angrily, "Albert! Have you forgotten that I'm here?!"
But Albert stood up without answering and left the room with angry strides while his father called after him.
The countess spoke resentfully, striking the table with her hand. "Damn it! How long are you going to keep the family's hopes pinned on him? Can't you see that Freddy is better than him and more deserving of succeeding you?"
Count Tuan sighed calmly and said, "Freddy is a good boy, and I'm proud of him... But Albert is still the eldest son, and I can't ignore him simply because he can't use magic."
The countess turned her face away in annoyance and said coldly and mockingly, "Hmph, do whatever you want, then."
~~~
Albert stood by his bedroom window, gazing at the sky as he calmly lit a cigarette.
He murmured softly, "Adrian... Are you really dead? Or are you looking at the sky from somewhere?"
Meanwhile, Adrian had crossed the barrier into the human world.
He stopped for a moment and raised his gaze toward the sky before moving forward with steady steps toward his destination... to put an end to the past.