110 – Conversation
Ezran’s eyes widened.
It made sense. Your body, which was sore and tired just a while ago, will be energized.
Just looking at his appearance, Duke Ezran’s condition was getting better. There was no way Duke Ezran didn’t know that.
“I don’t understand how this happened.”
“Didn’t I try to tell you? There is a way to cure it.”
I fixed my eyes on the earrings I had given to Duke Ezran. Duke Ezran, noticing this, touched the earring.
“An earring that cures any disease.”
Absolutely unbelievable words. However, Duke Ezran, who had already received the effect, nodded and agreed with my words.
After taking a deep breath, he told him.
“I want to know how you got sick and why.”
I guessed roughly. It was clear that he was one of the masters of the contract with the demon king.
I didn’t want to end there.
I want to hear more details. If the disease was a shackle that prevented you from talking about the past, you can speak freely now that the disease has been cured.
Duke Ezran said.
“As you may know, he was one of the masters of the deal with the demon king. An incurable disease that eats away at life, and gets worse every time I bring up stories of the past and deals and help you.”
Duke Ezran put his hand near his heart. It was as if he was checking his own body condition.
Originally, he would have had something wrong with his body because he directly brought up the story of the transaction, but now that his illness has been cured, his body is fine.
Before long, Duke Ezran opened his mouth.
“That’s why I couldn’t do anything until now. My body used to stop when I said something that got in the way or did something.”
In the first place, there was no situation in which Duke Ezran could help me. At most, it was to get rid of the Baslet family’s work so that I could have a good relationship with Shael.
‘Did he go crazy with his job because of me?’
While I was living a happy life with Shael, Duke Ezran was even working while fighting his illness.
I bit his lip, barely keeping my composure. He had no time to express his feelings. At least until I heard all of Duke Ezran’s story.
“I would like to hear more about the deal with that Demon King.”
Duke Ezran, who was silent for a moment, opened his mouth.
“A lot of things were sacrificed. I don’t want to go into detail.”
I had no choice but to be silent. Even when the constraints were lifted, I knew why Duke Ezran refrained from talking about him.
‘It must be because of me.’
Since it was a life-saving transaction, many things must have been sacrificed in the transaction. It was clear that he was reluctant to talk because he was worried that I would blame myself for this.
Actually, I didn’t even have to ask. Because I already knew most of the cost of the deal.
Duke Ezran lost his aura. Not only that, but Duke Ezran doesn’t change his expression easily unlike the memories he saw on his bracelet.
It was a situation that could not be explained other than that I had lost my ‘feelings’.
In addition, the absence of Daria Baslett, who could in fact be my mother. That too must have happened because of me.
After thinking about that, I couldn’t raise my head properly in front of Duke Ezran.
Duke Ezran sacrificed everything for me and endured pain.
Even so, I felt awkward in front of him and avoided the conversation, so it was difficult to give him a dignified look.
“⋯Sorry.”
It was an apology I took out for Duke Ezran, who lost everything because of me.
Duke Ezran was still looking at me without showing any emotion. Her heart ached as if it would be torn apart.
That said, I didn’t want to end it in an awkward way.
“I hear there is one thing I don’t know. What is it?”
Duke Ezran did not answer my words. It wasn’t that I was ignoring it.
He nodded his head in response and opened the drawer next to the bed.
What Duke Ezran took out was a teacup with an antique and unique pattern and a photo.
The picture was engraved with my favorite place, the garden, where I used to spend time with Shael.
In the photo, Lady Daria and Duke Ezran were drinking tea with a smile on their faces.
Duke Ezran glanced at the photo and saw me. It was an unintelligible gaze.
“You should be familiar with it.”
“Suddenly something…”
My doubts about Duke Ezran stopped. When he checked the photo he took out, doubt turned to doubt, and doubt turned to conviction.
What came to my mind in that fleeting moment was somewhat out of the blue.
Before I became possessed in a novel, I thought about my aunt who raised me.
I moved my eyes to the teacup that Duke Ezran took out and the photo.
A teacup with a familiar design that looks quite unusual.
I have seen teacups with similar designs in real life.
The Baslett family had several types of tea even though no one liked it.
They were the kinds of teas I had been drinking all the time even before I became possessed.
A garden with a familiar shape that has been beautifully maintained and rarely visited by people.
Even though I didn’t like gardens very much, I used to make them my favorite places.
Daria Baslett sitting in the garden in the last picture Duke Ezran showed me.
She was drinking her tea in a position familiar to me, with her left hand resting on her chin. They were similar to her aunt’s habits.
After finishing all these thoughts, I looked at Duke Ezran in a cold sweat.
I wonder if my doubts, which have turned into certainties, are really true, and if so, what the hell happened.
I wanted to hear that series of questions through the mouth of Duke Ezran.
“You are right.”
Duke Ezran, who saw through my head, spoke mechanically, raising the corner of his mouth awkwardly.
“So there is no need to be sorry.”
“Replacement⋯⋯.”
“That was what Daria also wanted.”
I was speechless. It was partly because of the complicated and unbelievable situation, and partly because of the sad feeling.
So, the aunt who raised me was the woman called Daria Baslet in this world?
It was a heartbreaking fact. At the same time, he felt sorry for Duke Ezran.
It meant that when Duke Ezran had a miserable life, I had a terribly happy life.
When I struggled to open my mouth, it was Duke Ezran who spoke first.
“If you’re going to be sorry, you’d better do that to Shael. Shael must have suffered more than anyone else.”
“I see…”
It was a decision I had made before, but I was able to further solidify my decision to make Shael happy forever.
What I felt as I made my decision was an infinitely complex emotion.
Duke Ezran waited for me without a word. I quickly made up my mind and tried to keep my composure.
It was useless to express my feelings. Rather, it would be good for Duke Ezran to quickly recover and talk.
After taking a few deep breaths, I was able to ask him more.
“I wonder why the demon king made a deal.”
I couldn’t help but wonder. The transaction that Duke Ezran had with the Demon King was a dizzying one to hear.
Saving people’s lives, and taking great things in return.
However, in that transaction, there was no price that would benefit the demon king. It was just a transaction full of conditions that would make Duke Ezran suffer.
The answer was simple.
“The misfortune of others. It’s what the demons usually want and go crazy to get.”
“Unhappy⋯⋯.”
“Of course, there is no need to blame this. Rather, I am grateful that you accepted the deal.”
The answer was that it wasn’t the end. Duke Ezran pondered something more before continuing.
“And I didn’t understand it properly, but he said that he wrote novels as a hobby”
“Novel⋯⋯?”
“I heard that it is a novel for women. I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about, but after you’ve finished writing, you don’t need so much misfortune.”
It was a complicated statement. Conscious of this, Duke Ezran added his words.
“You don’t need much misfortune, so you accepted my deal full of losses.”
That was a rather interesting answer. It was also a funny answer.
A demon king, a guy who pursues the misfortune of others, writes novels for the fun of others.
Wait.
I had an idea. I was thinking about the original novel.
‘How was the ending of the original novel?’
I couldn’t read it. However, through the conversation with Duke Ezran, I was able to notice that the ending was not good.
Even if it wasn’t a conversation with Duke Ezran, I realized it while reminding myself of the comments from episode 1 in the novel.
‘So, did you say that the novels written by the demon king are for women?’
Then, the possibility is even greater. Since he said he pursued the misfortune of others, the finale that changed the genre made more sense.
Even.
‘I don’t think there’s much need for misfortune after I finish writing?’
One more great assumption came to mind.
Before I possessed in this world, when I was living in a web novel for a long time. Naturally, I have seen several works.
There is no law that all works will be perfect. Among them, there were works that stopped serialization, and there were works that suddenly changed genres.
What kind of comments were there?
ㅡYou bastard writer, suddenly turning into a genre and turning it into an alchemy, he won’t even release his next work hahahaha.
The interesting thing is that the popularity doesn’t cool down. All the readers are coughing up blood and swearing at the second half.
It was a comment about a work that was played in a genre that people like and dislike in pure love.
ㅡNo, why does the female lead abandon the male lead and connect with another man?
If that’s the case, why did you put the tag Sunae?
Why are harem and pure love tags together?
The works that were criticized for having strange developments no matter who saw them.
However, strangely, some of those works boasted undiminished popularity.
If what I thought was correct, the original novel must have been of the same type.
The original novel where proper information could not be known because the best comments in the first episode were already flooded with overwhelming likes.
That’s why it was very popular. If the ending of the original novel really changed the genre, not a few people would have been harmed.
‘But what if it’s the work of the devil?’
You must have suffered enough from others. Even after finishing it, he must have suffered a lot because the novel was popular.
In other words, the original novel was the devil’s pension. Even if you don’t work, a pension that can fully cover the pain.
‘I must have received a lot of disgustingly.’
I was still confused. However, there was also a feeling of refreshment in one side of my heart. It felt like I realized something unknown that hadn’t been solved.