24 (24) Devil in human skin

"Miss Aiswelen, do you remember what I said in the past about unraveling people through their eyes?" Heistel spoke seriously.

"Yes, I have recollection of such a conversation," Aiswelen replied honestly while nodding her head. 

"Then, keep it in your heart to remember the eyes of the brat from the Verskein family. And...maintain your vigilance to the greatest limit while near similar people." 

Hearing Heistel speak with all her attention, Aiswelen was left a little bewildered internally. 

"...May I know the reason for that?" Aiswelen took her eyes off the ceremony to purify the remains of the demon and asked curiously. 

"Those are the eyes of a person who has long given up on the so-called human standard. More specifically, They are just a devil hiding behind the skin of a human. What do you think will happen once such a person decides to remove his outer layer of being human?" 

For the first time in her life, Aiswelen felt gloominess and seriousness from Heistel like never before. 

"....He will turn into a devil...?" Aiswelen felt her heart being squished due to the atmosphere released by Heistel. 

"That is true...However, depending on the person, destruction like never before might ensue. Similar to the Mercenary King event that occurred a while back..." Heistel turned his gaze to Aiswelen and calmed down. 

Having mentioned the name of a legendary character, which might even be a taboo in the Desroth empire — Aiswelen keenly understood just how much Heistel emphasized this topic.

"...I will engrave those eyes into my memory." 

Hence, Aiswelen answered in a serious tone, to match that of Heistel. 

A thought passed through her head then, 'Young master Nicokel had such eyes...Which means he might become someone important in the future. Or will he become a destroyer like the mercenary king?' 

The youthful eyes of Aiswelen glistened in curiosity. Being a candidate of the holy empire, she was of course taught to keep a broad mind. Therefore, she didn't jump to the conclusion of Nicokel becoming a devil in the future. 

"Hohoho, Well, if you understand that is enough for me. Let's hurry to the border then!" 

"Yes." 

...

Looking at the heel of his leg, Nicokel could only shake his head. 

The pain kept prickling him no matter how small of a movement he performed. 

'...Thankfully the houses in the slum area were frail. If I had smashed into sturdy walls, my bones might have broken in the worst-case scenario. I have liked taking risks like this for a long time, but it's pretty dangerous to do it in this world for now.' 

'Because of my shallow knowledge, the chances of any operation I come up with might have a high chance of failure. I should just focus on solidifying my foundation...' 

Shrugging his shoulder, Nicokel began walking towards the guest room, where Jane and Katlyn were currently staying. A bag hung in his waist, giving off an impression of being heavy. 

On the way, Nicokel suddenly stopped in his tracks. 

'Oh...There were waffles in this world too?' Nicokel walked to the dining table, where a single plate of waffles and decoration was present. 

The waffles were quite well made, giving off a fresh fragrance. 

"Thanks for the snacks..." Nicokel picked up three waffles behind only one. 

Having lost all his fat by now, Nicokel wasn't holding back from eating whatever his interest landed on. 

'...Not bad.' Putting one in his mouth, that was all Nicokel could say with his Earth standards. 

Taking a leisurely walk, Nicokel arrived at his destination right on time. 

Knock-knock~

"It's Nicokel, I came to speak." Nicokel quietly waited for the door to open. 

Within seconds, Katlyn opened the door and greeted Nicokel with a calm demeanor. 

"Forgive us for making the young master wait like this, please enter." Katlyn led Nicokel to couches, where Jane waited with formal clothes. 

A strange fragrance hit Nicokel's nose, involuntarily making him want to cover his nose. But he stopped himself from doing so, knowing it was disrespectful. 

'I know that it might just be my delusion, but my instincts are telling me that something is mixed in the air....' Nicokel seriously began circulating his mana within the nose, pushing away the substance within the air. 

From the moment Nicokel realized his disadvantage in this world. He had raised his caution to the next level. Anything might be possible in this world, knowledge and common sense of his past life were practically useless. 

Though it took a lot of concentration, Nicokel acted normal externally and sat on the couch comfortably. 

"May we be enlightened for the reason behind your visit today?" Jane began a conversation in a light tone. 

Nicokel didn't bother playing around: "I want you to procure some stuff for me." 

The immediate answer caused Jane to raise her brow, before speaking: "Please state any of your needs, The Heirich merchants will do their best to fulfill them." 

"It's nothing hard. All I want is for you to procure this herb and then buy the weakest type mana recovery potions from the left out money from this." Nicokel took out his money pouch from the bag on his waist and gave it to Jane. 

Along with it, Nicokel gave her the list of magical herbs he needed. He had made the list after reading about their market price and rarity from the books. It wouldn't take them all a long time to collect.  

Picking up the pouch, Jane transferred a little of her mana into it, checking the content within. 

After reading through the material list, a confused voice left Jane's mouth: "A lot of money would be left out even after buying all of these magical herbs. Might it be alright to buy grade zero mana recovery potions from it, young master Nicokel?" 

"Yeah." 

Nicokel didn't hesitate in the slightest. 

At that instant, the atmosphere around Jane changed slightly, which Nicokel noticed immediately. 

"I see, young master, must be trying to increase your mana reserves by exhausting your mana. But, using that many grade zero mana recovery potions will lead your body to become ineffective by it in the future." 

"I don't mind." Nicokel acted normal, however, he raised his guard by the second as he talked. 

"Do you think defeating young master Gelen is possible by doing this?" Suddenly, Jane's voice turned strange. 

'Hmm...It's almost like she is expecting me to answer her, no matter what she asks. I see...The strange fragrance was to make me speak the truth.' Nicokel deduced immediately through Jane's attitude. 

"Yes," Nicokel answered while his eyes grew frosty looking at the floor. 

Fortunately, Nicokel had gained the initiative now. He could control Jane to an extent while acting like he was affected by this truth-speaking drug. 

"Alright, then I shall accept this deal. Still, I wanted to ask you a few questions, is that alright?" Jane acted innocently like nothing was wrong in the whole world.

"Sure~"