Chapter 61: The Aftermath & A New Experiment

【Eksu PoV】

I woke up to discover I was famous, and not in a good way.

The morning light filtered through my dorm window, hitting me right in the face with the kind of aggressive brightness that promised a terrible day. I’d barely slept, my dreams filled with falling bridges and glowing poison and dragon fire that shouldn’t have worked the way it did.

Someone was pounding on my door.

“Eksu! Eksu, you legend! Open up!”

I didn’t recognize the voice, which was concerning because random people shouldn’t know where I lived. I dragged myself out of bed, still wearing yesterday’s clothes because I’d been too exhausted to change.

When I opened the door, three students I’d never seen before stood there grinning like maniacs.

“Dude, that dragon kill was insane!”

The tall one thrust a newspaper in my face.

“You’re on the front page!”

I grabbed the paper, my stomach dropping as I read the headline.

HERO EKSU DEFEATS LEGENDARY DRAGON, ENGAGES DEMON PRINCESS?

No.

No no no no no.

Below the headline was a photo of me from yesterday, taken right after the dragon fight. My face was pale, my eyes wide with terror, my mouth slightly open mid-panic. But the caption underneath read “Hero Eksu’s Stoic Glare Promises Justice.”

Stoic glare.

I looked like I was about to throw up.

“The article says you used some ancient technique!”

The shorter student bounced excitedly.

“The Reverse Void Counter! That’s so cool! Can you teach us?”

“And you’re engaged to the Demon King’s daughter?”

The third one leaned in conspiratorially.

“Bro, that’s lowkey terrifying but also kind of a power move.”

“I’m not—we’re not—”

“So humble!”

They all nodded appreciatively.

“A true hero doesn’t brag about his accomplishments or his romantic conquests.”

I slammed the door in their faces and leaned against it, reading the full article with growing horror.

The journalist had taken every event from the dungeon and twisted it into some epic tale of heroism. My accidental dragon defeat became “calculated tactical genius.” Lilith’s chemistry confession became “a proposal of eternal partnership.” Even the part where I’d drunk her potentially lethal serum got spun as “fearless trust in his beloved’s scientific prowess.”

This was a disaster.

My door rattled with more knocking.

“Eksu! It’s me, open up!”

Elizabeth’s voice this time, slightly muffled through the wood.

I opened the door a crack, peeking out to see her standing there with five copies of the newspaper stacked in her arms.

“Darling! Have you seen?”

Her face glowed with pride.

“They’re calling you a hero! And they mentioned our relationship alongside Lilith’s! We’re sharing equal coverage!”

She pushed past me into the room, spreading the newspapers across my desk like they were sacred texts.

“Look, this one has a better photo. And this one quoted me saying your combat instincts are unparalleled. And this one—”

“Elizabeth, I’m not a hero. I just stood there and got lucky.”

“Nonsense. Luck is what the weak call skill they don’t understand.”

She grabbed my shoulders, her grip firm and weirdly intense.

“You’ve earned this recognition. Accept it with grace.”

More pounding on the door.

I was going to lose my mind before noon.

“Mr. Eksu! Academy Newsletter here! We’d like an interview!”

“Channel Seven News is offering an exclusive! Five minute spot on the evening broadcast!”

“The Adventurer’s Guild wants to discuss your ranking promotion!”

I looked at Elizabeth desperately.

“Make them go away. Please.”

She considered for a moment, then nodded and strode to the door. When she opened it, the crowd outside went silent.

“Hero Eksu is resting after his legendary battle. He will grant no interviews today. Leave now or face me.”

Her hand went to her sword.

The crowd dispersed immediately, footsteps echoing down the hallway in rapid retreat.

She closed the door and turned back to me, smiling sweetly.

“There. All handled. Now we can discuss our wedding preparations.”

“Our what?!”

【Siegfried PoV】

I was celebrating with a soda when everything fell apart.

My room was small, cramped, the kind of budget housing they gave to students who weren’t important enough for better accommodations. I sat on my bed, the glass bottle of cola sweating condensation onto my palm.

Thirty-five percent.

The system notification still glowed faintly in my peripheral vision, a beautiful reminder that I was over a third of the way to freedom. Eksu had defeated the dragon, had accidentally become more protagonist-like in a single dungeon run than I’d managed in eight years.

This was working.

My plan was actually working.

I took a celebratory sip, the fizzy sweetness hitting my tongue like victory tasted.

Then someone slid the morning newspaper under my door.

I saw the headline from across the room and choked, cola shooting up my nose and making my eyes water. I coughed violently, stumbling to grab the paper while trying not to die from carbonation inhalation.

HERO EKSU DEFEATS LEGENDARY DRAGON, ENGAGES DEMON PRINCESS?

The photo showed Eksu looking terrified, Elizabeth and Lilith on either side of him, all three covered in dungeon dust and dragon ash.

This was too much.

Too much progress too fast, too much attention, too public.

Lucifer was going to kill us all.

The Demon King had already tried to intimidate Eksu once, had failed miserably because Eksu thought he was a dehydrated janitor. But this? This was different. This was his daughter’s engagement announcement in a major newspaper.

There was no way Lucifer wouldn’t respond.

I grabbed my scrying mirror, one of the cheap models students used to communicate over distance. My hands shook as I tried to contact Eksu, but he didn’t answer.

Probably drowning in interview requests and marriage proposals.

My door burst open.

A demon courier stood there, small and imp-like, holding an official-looking envelope sealed with wax that radiated malevolent energy.

“Message for Siegfried, known associate of the boy who corrupted the Demon Princess.”

The courier’s voice sounded like gravel in a blender.

“Sign here.”

I signed with trembling hands.

The envelope felt hot, almost burning, like it contained barely restrained demonic rage. I waited until the courier left before opening it.

Inside was a single card written in elegant calligraphy.

“The Demon King Lucifer cordially invites you to explain why his daughter’s romantic life is now public knowledge. Failure to appear will result in creative punishment. PS – You have 48 hours.”

I was dead.

Not metaphorically dead, actually going to die, for real this time.

Thirty-five percent progress wasn’t worth anything if I got incinerated by an angry father before reaching one hundred.

【Lucifer PoV】

I sat at my war table, surrounded by my most trusted generals.

The table itself was carved from a single piece of obsidian, smooth and black and reflecting the angry red light of the demon realm’s eternal fires. Maps covered the surface, strategic positions marked with little flags, but none of them mattered right now.

All that mattered was justice.

“Gentlemen.”

I stood, my hands planted firmly on the table’s edge.

“That boy has crossed the line.”

My generals nodded, their faces grave with understanding. General Razeth, my military commander, cracked his knuckles. General Vex, my intelligence chief, pulled out a thick dossier.

“The newspaper article, my lord?”

“The newspaper article.”

I grabbed the offending publication, crumpling it in my fist.

“My daughter’s private romantic life is now entertainment for the masses. Her confession has been twisted into engagement rumors. That boy’s terrified face is being called stoic heroism.”

“An outrage, my lord.”

“Agreed. We must act.”

I began pacing, my mind racing through possibilities.

Direct confrontation was out because of the grounding. Demonic intervention would be traced back to me. But there were other ways, subtle ways, to ruin someone’s reputation without technically breaking my daughter’s rules.

“We initiate Operation Bad Boyfriend.”

My generals leaned forward, interested.

“The premise is simple—we will frame Eksu for various minor crimes and social faux pas. Nothing overtly demonic, nothing that breaks the terms of my grounding.”

“What kind of crimes, my lord?”

Vex asked, his pencil poised over a notepad.

“Leaving the toilet seat up in shared bathrooms. Returning library books late. Cutting in line at the cafeteria. Taking the last cookie without asking.”

I ticked off each item on my fingers.

“We will paint him as inconsiderate, rude, unworthy of my daughter’s affection.”

“That seems… petty, my lord.”

Razeth ventured carefully.

“Exactly! Lilith will see that he’s not the perfect partner her scientific observations suggested. She’ll break off the engagement herself. No direct interference from me.”

It was brilliant, subtle, completely within the boundaries of my punishment.

“Vex, I want surveillance on every bathroom Eksu uses. Razeth, prepare a team to sabotage his library card. And someone get me a list of every cookie jar in that academy.”

My generals scrambled to take notes, their expressions shifting from confusion to reluctant admiration.

“We ruin him socially. We destroy his hero reputation. We make Lilith realize she deserves better.”

I slammed my fist on the table, the obsidian cracking slightly under the impact.

“That boy will regret the day he agreed to mix elements with my daughter!”

【Lilith PoV】

I stood outside Eksu’s dorm with my suitcase, my heart rate elevated but stable.

The suitcase was large, packed with essential items for cohabitation—clothing, toiletries, my complete laboratory equipment set, seventeen notebooks of research data, and a first aid kit in case Eksu’s defense ever failed.

Preparation was key to successful element fusion.

I’d spent the entire night planning, calculating optimal living arrangements and creating schedules for our private chemistry sessions. The newspaper article had been unexpected but welcome—public acknowledgment of our relationship status would prevent interference from competing romantic interests.

Well, except Elizabeth, but she seemed willing to share based on yesterday’s discussion.

I knocked on his door, three precise raps that echoed in the hallway.

Footsteps approached, then the door opened to reveal Eksu looking exhausted and slightly panicked. His hair stuck up at odd angles, his clothes were wrinkled, and his eyes had that glazed quality that suggested information overload.

Perfect time to move in while his defenses were down.

“Eksu.”

I kept my voice calm and professional.

“Since we have agreed to mix elements, I have made the logical decision to relocate. Science requires proximity for optimal results.”

I gestured to my suitcase.

“I’ve brought my essential equipment and personal items. Where should I set up my portion of the laboratory space?”

He stared at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“You’re… moving in?”

“Correct. Cohabitation will allow for more frequent element mixing sessions and provide ample opportunity to document our compound formation.”

I stepped forward, gently pushing past him into the room.

Elizabeth was still there, sitting on his bed surrounded by newspapers. She looked up when I entered, her expression shifting to something calculating.

“Lilith. How convenient that you’ve arrived.”

“Elizabeth. I trust you’ve seen the morning headlines.”

“I have. Shared coverage is acceptable, but I should mention I was planning to move in as well.”

She stood, her posture shifting to something more territorial.

“For training purposes. Eksu requires a sparring partner to maintain his combat edge.”

“I see. Then we shall be roommates.”

I began unpacking my suitcase, pulling out beakers and bunsen burners.

“I’ll take the left side of the room for my laboratory setup. You may have the right side for your weapons storage.”

“Wait, both of you?”

Eksu’s voice cracked.

“You’re both moving in? To my room? That’s definitely against academy housing policy!”

“Policy is irrelevant in matters of love.”

Elizabeth declared, already rearranging his furniture.

“And science.”

I added, setting up my equipment on his desk.

“The newspaper called this an engagement. Engaged couples should cohabitate to ensure compatibility.”

Eksu looked between us, his face cycling through several shades of pale.

“This is insane. Legitimately insane. You can’t just decide to move in without asking!”

“We just did, darling.”

Elizabeth smiled at him warmly.

“Now, where would you like me to store my practice swords?”

I watched Eksu’s expression crumble into resigned despair, noting his elevated stress levels and increased respiratory rate. The data suggested he was experiencing relationship progression anxiety, a common response to accelerated intimacy timelines.

Fascinating.

I pulled out my notebook and began recording observations, already planning tonight’s first cohabitation chemistry session.