The horns of demons have many different forms and colors depending on the race. However, generally speaking, they are similar in shape to the horns of goats, which is why humans often use “mountain goat” to refer to demons, seeing this animal as an ominous symbol, which is the origin of it.
In addition to demon horns, blood-red eyes are another important characteristic. However, incubi, due to their special bloodline, are rare among demons in not having blood-red eyes.
And their aura is also weaker than that of other demons, so during the most difficult times for incubi, some may cut off their horns and tails to disguise themselves as pure humans.
Although the cost is very severe, in remote towns lacking high-level mages, they can indeed hide themselves.
It will leave behind some strange legends like that of flower thieves.
As one of the symbols of their race, the form of demon horns is naturally linked to their strength.
Generally speaking, the harder and more terrifying the demon horns, the higher the level of the demon.
Take Albert himself, for example, his demon horns are as thick as an adult’s wrist at the root, growing diagonally backward in a sinuous manner, with large transverse ridges distributed on the horns, slightly ferocious, and shaped like a pair of curved knives, tapering slightly at the top.
This is the standard demon horn of a high-level demon.
Not only does it look intimidating enough, but it is also harder than any magical material humans can find.
Powerful, cold, evil.
It is the most naked demonstration of demons and also the part they use to store magic power.
And what Josh has on his head right now, a demon horn that’s only as big as a finger joint, is visible to the naked eye and basically can’t store any magic power.
It’s like a small toy for decoration.
And only on one side—
Obviously, this is an underdeveloped small horn.
Perhaps because Josh’s bloodline is impure, or perhaps because his physique awakened too late, he ultimately ended up in such a strange state.
For demons who advocate strength, such a small horn can even be considered defective.
Thin, pitiful, seemingly just a slight touch would cause it to “crack” and break at the fingertips.
Even young demons with such single-sided and weak horns would be judged as congenitally disabled demons.
Back a hundred years ago, it’s very likely they would have been abandoned shortly after birth.
In the past few decades, there has been a reform in the atmosphere of the demon world, and people have gradually become less brutal, no longer eating children at the slightest provocation.
But children who are too weak still won’t be favored in their families.
He has seen too many similar examples and doesn’t have any feelings about it.
Survival of the fittest is one of the universal rules, and he grew up following this rule, even paying a painful price to pursue power. He never felt anything unfair about it.
But seeing this newborn small horn now.
An odd thought popped into his mind:
Fortunately, Josh grew up on the human continent.
Even though this continent is barren and backward, even though Josh lives here cautiously, at least it’s safe enough. At least there’s an older human who has planned many things for him, allowing a small half-incubus like him to grow up smoothly.
When he accompanied Josh to read those letters, he didn’t actually feel much.
For demons, familial affection is a cumbersome emotion, and the concept of family has only become clear in recent decades.
It wasn’t until now, seeing Josh’s horn, that he suddenly felt grateful to Josh’s mother, who he had never met.
It’s not that he thinks such love is commendable, nor is he touched by human emotions.
Just grateful that, at some point in her life, she protected this child.
Protected the child who is now grown up and whom he holds in his arms.
Otherwise, a small demon like Josh, with underdeveloped growth, would surely have a miserable life in the demon world.
Maybe he wouldn’t even make it to adulthood and would silently die because he couldn’t compete with other demons.
Just thinking about that scene, his heart feels like it’s cracked open, letting in the cold wind.
More difficult to bear than when he himself experienced the brink of death.
The eyes beneath the silk cloth became even redder, and the knuckles pressed against Josh’s waist tightened.
Josh immediately complained, “You’re pressing too hard on me…”
The Demon King then relaxed his grip, his voice hoarse as he said, “Sorry.”
His hand moved away from Josh’s waist, moving slowly upwards, pausing briefly at Josh’s shoulder before finally caressing the back of his head.
His five fingers sank into the hair, fingertips gently massaging his scalp with just the right amount of pressure, only a knuckle’s distance away from where Josh’s small horn was emerging.
Just a little further forward with his fingertips, and he could touch it lightly.
The newly emerged small horn on Josh’s head, representing his identity as a demon, was at its most fragile stage.
If disturbed by a stranger, the owner of the small horn might panic, their beautiful eyes misting up with confusion.
But even so, Josh would fiercely tell them to back off with red eyes.
However, once they obediently backed off, he would grumble as if the knight had committed the world’s greatest sin: “Why did you leave?”
This wasn’t the first time he had been teased like this by Josh.
Josh’s mouth was always tough.
And very good at being two-faced.
But you couldn’t expose this little bit of mischief in him, or else you would lose the affection of the cat.
Josh hadn’t realized what had happened yet.
He only felt a sudden lightness on the side of his head where he had just experienced intense pain, and the pain suddenly disappeared.
Only a slight itch remained, along with a lingering dizziness.
Still not very comfortable.
But Albert reached out and massaged the back of his head for a while, which eased it somewhat.
However, he still felt that something wasn’t quite right…
After hesitating for a moment, Josh extended his finger for the third time to touch the uncomfortable area on the side of his head.
And then he was pricked by something.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Abrt: “?”
Lf kjr rajgaifv.
Ktf wbwfca tf abemtfv atf abq bo tlr tfjv, la kjrc’a pera atf ralculcu rfcrjalbc bc tlr olcufgalqr.
Zbgf lwqbgajcais, atfgf kjr j ragjcuf offilcu lc atf jgfj bc atf rlvf bo tlr tfjv atja kjr abemtfv.
Jbcmfjifv jwbcu tlr tjlg, la ofia ilxf j afcvfg rtbba qgbafmafv lc atf rbli, revvfcis fzqbrfv ab atf bearlvf kbgiv klatbea kjgclcu.
Even the slightest disturbance felt too abrupt.
Josh stiffened for a few seconds, biting his lower lip.
“…”
An ominous premonition surged in his heart.
Josh bit his lip, his body stiffened, hastily pushing away the knight’s hand that was about to press on the side of his head, and stepped back a few steps.
He crawled to the mirror, parted his hair, and looked.
Because of the faint premonition in his heart, his fingertips were trembling.
And then he saw it, the small horn that appeared in his eyes, although small and delicate, was definitely not a figment of his imagination.
But it was only the size of his fingertip.
Under the moonlight, it reflected a faint glossy black light, clear and distinct.
Is it fake?
Could ge really grow this thing?!
Josh: “…”
Seeming both incredulous and unwilling to accept it, he reached out again to touch the top of his head.
As a result, due to his excited emotions, he didn’t control his strength well, and the force with which his fingertips landed was too heavy.
The newly emerged small horn hidden timidly among his black hair had not yet solidified into a hard shell to resist the elements.
Just the tender fingertips had already caused it to protest.
Josh’s eyes immediately turned red, and he let out a startled cry: “Ah—!”
Albert watched the whole process behind him, wishing he could rush up and comfort him.
But his eyes were still covered with a silk band, so he shouldn’t see any of this.
So he could only suppress this urge and reach out to grab Josh’s wrist that fell beside him.
His voice was low, hoarse, and melancholic: “What’s wrong? Are you… not feeling well?”
He pulled Josh towards him, coaxing, “Shall I take off the silk band? If there’s anything uncomfortable, I’ll take a look for you, be good.”
He used to not think this silk band was much of a hindrance.
It was just a little bit of fun.
Since Josh didn’t want him to discover his identity, he complied, thinking it wasn’t a big deal, and sometimes it even added to the amusement.
Because theoretically he couldn’t see, even if he sometimes did something excessive, when Josh criticized him, he didn’t have enough confidence and could only gently gloss over it.
But this time, he was really too eager.
If he didn’t take off the silk band, when would he be able to confidently help Josh take care of his small horn?
Every second now was agonizing.
Moreover, the newly emerged demon horn would be best nurtured with powerful demonic magic from the same lineage to grow well.
Especially for this delicate little one on Josh’s head, it needed careful nurturing.
If Josh kept covering it, it would also be damaging to himself.
“No, don’t.”
Josh covered the protruding demon horn on his head with his hand, his eyes red.
Even though he knew the person in front of him couldn’t see his secret because of the silk band, he was still panicking.
For a long time, the inferiority and fear of incubus bloodline had been firmly ingrained in his mind.
Once his identity was discovered, what awaited him would be disdainful and greedy gazes, malicious intent from all directions.
Just like the future told by the prophecy scroll.
Once, when he was teammates with the Holy Saint, although they didn’t quite get along, at least on the surface, he still respected Josh as an individual and didn’t dare to do anything excessive.
But in the story told by the prophecy scroll, after the Holy Saint discovered his incubus identity, he didn’t even bother to pretend anymore. He would occasionally threaten him by exposing his incubus identity in front of others, treating it as a chain to trap him.
Those methods, which would be scorned if used on other races, seemed logically consistent when used on a Incubus:
You see, after all, this is a cunning and greedy Incubus. They are the kind of race that is keen on inciting and starting wars, and they have to live using such despicable and dirty means. How could you think that such an existence needs to be respected?
Although it’s disgusting, Josh knows that this is indeed the true attitude of the vast majority of people towards incubi.
Reality is not fair.
If it weren’t for the half-blood flowing in his veins, he wouldn’t have hidden and avoided relationships with anyone for over twenty years.
Even friends, the only one he can barely call a friend nowadays is just one.
His mother wouldn’t have left so young either.
These bloody pasts are the price, and also the most powerful evidence.
Layer upon layer of scars have wrapped around his heart.
Even though Albert seems so obedient to him now, who can guarantee that if he discovers that Josh is actually a Incubus, he will still respect him and let him manipulate him so honestly?
Suddenly, Josh felt very sad. In this moment, he didn’t know exactly why he felt sad.
Perhaps it’s for his past experiences.
Or perhaps it’s thinking that if one day Albert finds out his identity, those eyes that always liked to look at him with focus and tenderness will show amusement and disdain.
He felt like it would be better to just kill this person now.
So as not to see how annoying he would become one day.
Suddenly, Josh felt that Albert’s face didn’t look as handsome as it used to.
It became a bit more ordinary.
In this moment.
Acidic magma flowed in his chest, burning his heart into a wrinkled lump, oozing out a slightly bitter magma.
He was angry and sad, his body trembling slightly. “Albert, if you dare to take off the silk band without my permission, I’ll never like you again!”
As he spoke, the foot that wasn’t caught fiercely kicked Albert’s wrist, which was holding his ankle.
The force was heavy.
It was somewhat of a venting opportunity.
Albert paused for a moment and said softly, “So, do you like me a lot now?”
Josh: “?”
Only then did he notice that, in his excitement, he had inadvertently said something he shouldn’t have.
The heartbeat, which was already pounding wildly because of discovering his horn, became even more erratic, losing its rhythm.
For some reason, Josh suddenly panicked.
It was as if he had inadvertently let out the emotions he couldn’t even face himself.
He became like a thief caught red-handed.
Josh immediately changed his tone, trying to divert attention: “W-what are you talking about? I meant if you dare to take it off, I’ll kill you.”
“Oh really?”
The knight chuckled softly.
Of all of Josh’s attributes, his mouth was the hardest: “Of course! I’m warning you, don’t misinterpret my words, or I’ll really kill you.”
Albert lightly rubbed his ankle bone with his fingertips. “This threat is really scary.”
Josh kicked him again, but perhaps because of guilt, this kick was light and airy.
It was more like a soft, playful gesture.
He was still trying to maintain the dignity of being a lord: “You know how formidable I am. I’m not to be trifled with.”
“Sigh, I understand.” The knight looked troubled and pulled Josh towards him.
He got up from his sitting position on the ground, adjusted for a moment, and then his arm came down, resting on the carpet next to Josh’s head.
He formed a posture that trapped Josh between the carpet and his chest.
The silk band tied behind his head hung down too long, falling onto Josh’s face, bringing a slight, cool sensation.
The knight lowered his head, gazing at him beneath the blindfold.
Although his eyes were tightly covered by the silk band, for some reason, Josh felt as if his gaze pierced through the obstruction and landed directly on him.
He could even imagine that beneath the silk band, those eyes were deep and tranquil.
Just like the morning when Josh first opened his eyes and saw the seemingly bottomless lake reflected in Albert’s eyes when he brought him back.
Being stared at by such eyes, there was a surreal sensation of gradually turning into a small insect, being enveloped and devoured by the lake water.
At this moment, he seemed to have turned into that small insect.
About to be swallowed by Albert.
Thump, thump.
It was Josh’s own heartbeat.
After a moment, Josh heard the knight’s voice, low and hoarse, falling on his ear: “But, my lord, I quite like you.”
Josh: “…”
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
His heartbeat paused for a moment, then surged back as if in retaliation, beating louder and more tumultuously.
Josh: “Oh, oh. You just had to say that, huh? I… of course, I know, I’m so outstanding, being liked by others is just normal! Even the nuns and the steward, they like me too. Not to mention, I always feel like even the frequency of tail-wagging from the little dog kept by the gatekeeper is different from others towards me…”
His voice was dry, his tone tense, and anyone could hear the nervousness in it.
His words were all over the place, making little sense.
The knight didn’t interrupt him.
He listened to his rambling with patience, then said, “Not that kind of liking.”
Josh: “…”
Albert’s gaze, separated by the blindfold, enveloped him: “Different from them all, my liking for you is the kind of liking where one wants to marry their lord.”
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Tiny fireworks exploded in the center of his heart.
Josh’s heartbeat had become so loud that it completely overshadowed everything else, like a miniature band having a small concert in his heart.
But Josh was unable to pay attention to these details anymore.
He stiffened, unsure of how long it took before he managed to find his voice again: “What nonsense are you talking about?”
In this moment of emotional turmoil, Josh’s logic miraculously returned somewhat, and he managed to make sense: “The process of nobles marrying commoners is very complicated… and, there are a lot of taxes to pay, I don’t want that.”
Albert said, “We don’t have to get married. I can be your lover for life. But, I hope you have no other lovers.”
Josh: “…You’re too jealous.”
He said, “Avril said before that you are very ambitious, which made me wary, and I thought she was wronging you. But it turns out you do have ulterior motives, so what she said was quite accurate.”
Albert’s knuckles rubbed against his cheek, emitting a low chuckle of either resignation or something else: “Don’t mention other people at a time like this, okay?”
“Oh, you’re demanding a lot,” Josh dryly remarked.
Albert’s knuckles brushed against the corner of his lips: “Moreover, how can liking you be considered an ulterior motive? I don’t think so.”
Josh: “…Alright, stop emphasizing those three words.”
Albert’s lips curved up, chuckling softly, “Which three words? Liking you?”
Josh evaded giving a direct answer and tried to brush off the matter.
Likes, loves, these things were luxuries and burdens for a Incubus who had to carefully conceal his identity on a daily basis.
Once burdened by unnecessary emotions, he might fall into the same fate as the one predicted by the prophecy scroll.
So Josh adamantly refused to admit that he had slipped up, and didn’t want to discuss this topic with Albert again.
But Albert’s shamelessness was too much. He not only didn’t feel embarrassed after saying it once but emphasized it repeatedly, making it impossible for Josh to ignore.
Wouldn’t a normal person pick up on the signals to evade and shut their mouth?
Why didn’t this knight of his have any sense!
Josh was almost exploding with frustration: “I said stop emphasizing it, aren’t you annoying—”
The knight: “Not annoying.” He said, “I like—”
Josh suddenly reached out and covered Albert’s mouth, giving up trying to be subtle: “I got it, you like—like me, stop talking.”
When he said those two words, his voice trembled gently.
Although he said “you like me” with his mouth, he inexplicably felt as if he had said “I like you.”
His heart, which had been timidly wrapped up to avoid hurt, couldn’t help but flutter for a moment.
The knight’s warm breath was trapped in his palm.
Whether it was due to embarrassment or the aftermath of just growing a little horn, Josh’s head was slightly dizzy.
Like having a slightly tipsy drink.
His cheeks flushed slightly. Even though he wasn’t being bullied at the moment, his eyes were moist and bright, lively and vivid in the moonlight like a nocturnal elf.
Albert’s thumb gently rubbed against his lower lip.
When Josh looked in the mirror just now, he nervously bit his lip too hard, leaving a small tooth mark that looked a bit glaring.
Albert kissed the tooth mark gently: “As you can see, I’m hopelessly in love with you. When I opened my eyes that morning and saw your eyes in the morning light, I might have fallen in love at first sight. That’s why I’m working for you so tirelessly, doing the work of eight people alone, working overtime at night. This is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
The young demon king was also experiencing the mysterious existence of love for the first time.
There was no elaborate strategy as he had imagined; he was just a beginner on this path. It even took him some time, until that night when his eyes were blindfolded and he was forced to the ground by the arrogant lord, to realize his strange feelings.
Even if he had the most powerful strength, when confessing his love to his beloved, he was as tiny as the most fragile insect in the world.
It was inevitable.
After all, the little succubus he had fallen in love with was so good at hiding his true feelings behind his tough exterior, so lacking in security, so eager for love while disguising it with his ferocious appearance.
How could he bear to be tough with Josh again?
He just wanted to hold him in his arms, pamper him from morning to night, and groom every strand of his hair neatly.
He coaxed the mischievous little lord, who was honestly showing his belly in his arms.
Josh pursed his lips after being exposed as the tyrant lord: “Oh… so now you’re going to complain that your job is too tiring?”
Albert: “You know I’m not trying to emphasize these things.”
Josh: “Hmph, I want to say it.”
Albert: “Alright, go ahead, I also like it when you say these things.”
Josh: “Wow, how did you become so good at talking? This is called sweet talk, right?”
Although he was quite disdainful on the surface, Josh couldn’t help but admit that he was actually feeling quite uplifted by Albert’s praise, with his heart feeling light and fluffy as if it were filled with a pile of soft and fluffy feathers.
At this moment, even when looking at that face again, he no longer felt that Albert’s handsomeness had decreased. Instead, it seemed even more pleasing to the eye than usual.
The knight said, “Why would I? This is my sincere confession. No matter what happens, I dare not be dissatisfied with you, let alone betray you.”
Josh retorted, “I bet you wouldn’t dare!”
Albert coaxed gently, “So, if there’s anything uncomfortable, you can tell me directly, okay? Hmm? What just happened?”
Josh replied, “Oh, that’s because—”
Suddenly, although he was being charmed by the knight’s passionate confession, the thought of his newly grown demon horn made Josh shudder.
This was not acceptable!
Absolutely not!
He was a demon with principles!
That scheming scoundrel Albert had actually charmed him into a daze, almost causing him to blurt out his secret!
Too despicable!
Josh instantly became vigilant, tightly covering his head, squirming on the ground, trying to wriggle out of the knight’s embrace and create distance between them.
He spoke, “It’s nothing, I’m tired, you’d better—”
His body was very agile, and with a few moves, he wriggled out a long distance, leaving only a small portion of his body still enveloped by the knight.
As a result, while he was busy covering one thing, he didn’t notice the other.
At some point, a thin line emerged from behind him, and the tip of it snapped against the knight’s cheek with a crisp sound.
Josh was stunned.
He looked at the strange thing that suddenly appeared before him, falling into a new astonishment.
A tail.
A slender little tail.
The same jet-black color as the small horn.
It swayed out from behind Josh with a swish.
At the tip, there was a small heart-shaped charm dangling.
It playfully and arrogantly flicked against Albert’s face with a “pop,” leaving a small heart-shaped mark on the knight’s handsome profile.
The blindfolded knight paused for a moment, his Adam’s apple suspiciously bobbing up and down as he swallowed, restraining himself before finally asking in a hoarse voice, pretending not to know what had happened, “Huh? What thing?”
“…” Josh’s scalp tingled, panicking and blurting out without thinking, “A wh-whip…”
Albert seemed to chuckle, his voice becoming even more melancholic, with a hint of an indiscernible meaning, “Is that so? Since when did you develop such a hobby?”
Ah ah ah ah ah a tail (screaming groundhog)
Kinky! 😂
😂 Josh just be digging himself further into a hole here with all the lies. Thank you for the chapters!
Albert is such a tease 😂
Be carefull of the backlach when the truth is out 🤭
Covering my face with my hands.. 😖
No way! 😂