The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 57: The Demon and the Monster

Chapter 57: The Demon and the Monster

It felt hot, unbearably hot, as if my entire body was being consumed by flames from the inside out. 

My mind, my vision, everything was engulfed in flames before turning pitch black.

“―Gyahahahahahahaha! More, more, more, more, more, more, moremoremore! Gyahah, gyahahah, uhyahahahah!”

A mad laughter echoed around me.

As my vision cleared, standing before me were Jelasis and the fiery demon. 

The demon, snake-like, stretched its body long and coiled around Jelasis, distorting its face as it spoke.

“Well done, Jelasis!”

“…Yeah.”

“My cute, cute, cute Jelasis, Jelasis, Jelasis.”

It was clearly a different personality.

Not a demon-possessed mage, but perhaps the demon itself.

While crazily adoring Jelasis, the demon turned to me.

“Look at you, looking all confused. Where do you think we are?”

“In my mind, obviously.”

I said, realizing we were no longer in the cave.

“Only a fool wouldn’t see the obvious source of light in front of them.”

In this dark world, there were no rugged, bare rocks around us. 

One wrong step and it felt like even my sense of balance would vanish.

“Pfft, he said the source of light.”

“Jelasis! That’s not cool, man. So, when are we killing him?”

“He’s going to die soon anyway.”

“Right, he’s gonna die soon! Gyahahah!”

Amidst fluctuating emotions, the demon’s flames blazed even more fiercely. But Jelasis turned back to me, confident.

“I told you, I have an advantage.”

“Not anymore. I’ve twisted your heart out.”

Having an advantage means you’re moving the situation in your favor. There’s no advantage in magic used in desperation.

“The fact remains, you’re the one who’s going to die.”

“You’re strong, but now it’s my win.”

Listen to me. 

Even in the mental world, he’s a guy whose conversations never quite match up.

“That won’t kill me. But you? You’re going to die here. This is your mental world, and you’ll turn to ash from the inside out because of the raging fire of your own heart’s darkness.”

“Gyahah, burn, burn, let it all burn!”

“Even your favorite barriers are useless here. You can’t put up barriers in your own mind. You’ll die without having done anything with Alicia.”

“Gyahahaha! Die in madness!”

“With this, Alicia will finally be mine. I’ve been in love with those beautiful eyes since I was little. Now, she’ll finally be mine.”

“Hey, I have a question.”

I said, as Jelasis unusually went on talking.

“Even if I die, do you think Alicia will actually come to like you?”

Jelasis’s expression went serious. 

Killing to steal a lover might be a common trope in melodramas, but has there ever been a story where that led to a happy ending?

If the woman you love is being mistreated by her current boyfriend, that’s one thing. But interfering without that being the case makes you nothing but a villain.

“What will you do once you have her? Keep her in a container? Like your house did to you?”

“Shut up.”

Jelasis muttered quietly with a glare.

Well, given his background, I guess that’s understandable. 

In a way, we’re similar. 

Twisted and mismatched.

“If it was love at first sight, I get it. But I like her for who she is inside. We live under the same roof; we’re just on a different level from you.”

“Gyahah! elasis, he’s just trying to shake you up! He’s shaking you up to buy some time!”

“It’s the truth. Ask your own heart.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!”

“Gyahahahahaha! That’s right, Jelasis, don’t listen to him! Go mad, go mad, that’s your true power! Gyahah!”

The demon egged on Jelasis, who was shaking his head in confusion.

It seemed like this guy was the one causing trouble.

“What do you know! Someone who’s grown up normally, loved normally, a privileged person like you couldn’t possibly understand my feelings!”

“Gyahah, I’m the only one who gets you, Jelasis. We’ve been together since you were born, right? It was tough, wasn’t it? I suffered too, so come on, hurry up and get rid of him. He’s in the way, kill him!”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t you already claim her? When you burned one of her eyes, you established your claim, right? Next is the other eye, that’s right, her eyes are top-notch.”

“Yeah, all obstacles should just be burned away, right?”

Led by the whispering demon, Jelasis turned his hand towards me.

In that moment, my body began to burn again.

“What did you just say? Alicia’s burn on her left eye, was that your doing?”

“Gyahah, I’ll answer for him! That’s right! You’re supposed to spit on the girl you like.”

So, Alicia’s burn was their doing.

“Hmm!”

I focused my mind and suppressed the flames engulfing my body.

“!?”

The demon and Jelasis looked taken aback. 

I had suspected this duel was set up, but it was still shocking to see them living so nonchalantly after scarring a lady’s face.

I thought maybe it was just part of the script, and Alicia burned her own left eye in a self-inflicted magic explosion. 

That explains why Edward didn’t seem too guilty about it.

In a country where magic is everything, blowing yourself up with your own magic in a duel you challenged someone to is, indeed, shameful.

It makes sense now why the academy doesn’t teach spellcasting without chanting.

“You look puzzled, you losers.”

“What’s happening… How is this…”

I had to set Jelasis straight.

“No matter how much you attempt to scorch me, here magic originates from within me. You must’ve taken it for granted, but even the power of demons has its limits.”

What Jelasis was trying to do was like making my magic go out of control. 

Once I understood what was happening, it wasn’t a big deal. 

This is probably how Alicia was forced to cause her own explosion during the duel. 

It was done to humiliate her and inflict mental pain.

“Look who’s talking! Gyahah, don’t underestimate me. I’m about to expand all the madness inside you—”

“―I’ve already got that covered, idiot.”

I’m already way past madness. 

Jelasis, you called me normal? 

Is it sane to be forced to fight monsters from the age of three?

Is it normal for neighboring countries to attack us yearly?

Is it ordinary to be scorned as a wasteland, with the capital doing nothing to help?

There’s nothing normal about any of this.

Yeah, this world is truly messed up.

No matter how much I pretend to be used to it or accept it, I’ll never truly understand it.

“Is that all you got? The silly child’s play?”

Just a demon, a weakling whose only skill is possessing people. 

Compared to dragons, the difference is like heaven and earth.

“―GWOOOOOOOOOOO!”

In this mental world, it seemed my imagination of Onyx took form, its head appearing behind me and roaring at Jelasis, who was carrying the demon on his back.

“Geh, Onyx…! Jelasis, we’re at a disadvantage, let’s pull back. It’s impossible to kill him in this world under his influence.”

“Uh…”

Faced with the huge dragon, the demon hurriedly urged a retreat.

“It’s still impossible after all this; he’s truly a monster, Jelasis.”

“But…”

“Listen to me, my cute Jelasis. There will be other chances. We’ll just have to wait for the right moment.”

“…Okay.”

“Thought you could escape?”

“Nope, we’re running.”

As I approached, the demon, holding Jelasis, leaped away. 

“In the real world, we’ve already burnt out in front of you. The ashes are outside the cave; that’s enough for me and Jelasis to return to our forms. Jelasis and I are one and the same now; we can’t let you kill us. Gyahah! Let’s meet again in the mortal world, gyahahahaha!”

“After all that madness, how can you act normal around Alicia? It’s bizarre…”

The demon and Jelasis disappeared.

“You’re truly a monster, huh…”

Leaving those words behind.

…Monster, you say? 

That’s harsh, considering I’ve been fighting to survive all this time.