Chapter 45: Who Are You?
"What do you mean by, ’I don’t know’?" Nyquella groaned, her voice straining against the heat of the venom.
"Well, Malakai probably has a bunch of questions to ask you, but..." Yuki paused, turning his head in the general direction of Camilla and Malakai’s battlefield. "...They’re going to be taking a while, so it’s best if you just sit tight."
"Sigh... this is some absolute bullshit," she muttered, her face still flushed. "I actually lost to a flower boy."
Yuki’s smile twitched. "I am a grown man. Why does everyone think I’m a kid?"
Nyquella rolled her vibrant orange eyes and flopped completely onto her back, staring up at the artificial sky. "So, what’s the reason a guy like you is down in this desolate hellhole anyway?"
"To get stronger," Yuki said, casually sitting down on the rubble next to her. "We initially thought it was just a ruined city, but it turns out it’s not. It’s alive and very strange. While it’s good for collecting essence cores, it doesn’t really have any food, so it’s not great."
Nyquella blinked, looking at him like he was an idiot. "Did you seriously not find the garden and the forest sectors?"
"I’m sorry, what?" Yuki’s eyes widened. "There is food in this place?"
"Yeah. However, you have to watch out for the knights, or they will ruthlessly kill you."
"Well, strangely enough, they always carry me right back to my base and never actually try to kill me," Yuki mused, shrugging. "But they will try to beat the absolute hell out of me if I try to fight them first."
"...Why?"
"No idea. Anyways, why are you here? And why are you fighting Malakai?" Yuki asked innocently, tilting his head like a curious cat.
"I came here to get stronger so I could kill Malakai... well, at least try to."
"Why? Do you serve the Holy Order?"
"Ha! No way. I’d never serve alongside those lunatic cultists," Nyquella scoffed. "My name is Nyquella. I used to be a shadow spawn, just like Malakai. But I performed a forbidden ritual to forge a new body and transfer my soul into it... and now, well, my entire former race wants me dead."
Yuki stared at her, thoroughly confused by the concept.
"Oh, right. I guess he never told you about how our kind works," she chuckled bitterly. "Sigh... a shadow spawn..."
With a heavy breath, she explained her past and the strict, unforgiving nature of her race to Yuki.
"I get why the ritual is considered forbidden, but honestly, what did they expect?" Yuki countered softly. "No one would want to live out their life as a literal prisoner to fate. Is that the only reason you want to kill Malakai?"
"Yeah... but clearly, it’s not possible right now."
"Do you want to join my group instead, Nyquella?" Yuki asked sincerely.
"Why?"
"Why not?" Yuki smiled. "We have similar goals. Plus, having someone who can summon a holy knight and wield a holy light bow with such precision and destructive force is a great addition to the team."
Nyquella hesitated, looking genuinely uncertain. "Wouldn’t Malakai mind?"
"If you explain your reasoning, he’ll let you live," Yuki said, giving her a warm, reassuring smile.
"Do you really think so?"
"Yeah. If he truly wanted you dead, you already would be. And as you can see, he isn’t even here yet. So long as you apologize, mean it, and bring absolutely no harm to his master, Camilla, you’ll be completely fine."
"She’s his master?" Nyquella asked, her brow furrowing. "But she’s so much weaker than him. Why would someone like him choose her? Is it just a temporary contract?"
"No," Yuki said, a knowing glint in his eyes. "They clearly have deep feelings for each other but they stubbornly refuse to admit it. So, they hide behind a ’master and servant’ dynamic."
Nyquella let out a soft chuckle. "I could never imagine someone like Malakai falling in love. Back in the day, he was always so depressed and overly flirty."
She slowly tilted her head to face Yuki, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. "Hey, Yuki."
"Hm?"
"Are you a Demon King candidate?"
"..., Yeah. You can tell?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yep. All demons can tell if they’ve been around your kind for long enough."
"Well, that’s just another fantastic reason for me to avoid demons," Yuki grumbled.
"So... if I join you, does that mean I’m joining your harem?" Nyquella asked bluntly.
"No...."
"No offense, but you’re really not my type," Yuki corrected instantly. "You’re very beautiful, but definitely not my type."
"Phew. That’s good to know," she sighed, visibly relaxing. "Because I absolutely hate how those so-called ’heroes’ and Demon King candidates always demand I join them just because they want me to become their lover. Like, why would I? I don’t even know you. It’s annoying."
"I mean, they just want a party full of pretty women. They don’t actually care about team synergy," Yuki agreed, nodding sagely.
"So true... you are really nice to talk to, Yuki."
"Thanks. It’s really nice to talk to you too."
"Hmm..."
"Are you sleepy?" Yuki asked, noticing her orange eyes failing to stay open.
"Yeah... sorry..."
"No need to be sorry. Just sleep. You look exhausted," Yuki said gently. "I’ll carry you back to our base, and we can talk more once you wake up."
"Thank you..." she whispered, her voice trailing off into nothingness as her body finally succumbed to the stress, fatigue, and the heavy effects of the venom.
"Man, that venom is incredibly effective," Yuki muttered to himself. He stood up, walked over to the unconscious Nyquella, and carefully hoisted her onto his back.
"This body is incredible," he said, flexing his palm and waving his tail. "I just hope I get to keep it once this is over—mimicking him was no easy task. Chaos, I hope the real Malakai doesn’t show up anytime soon. Things are going way too well."
While Yuki was conversing with Nyquella, Camilla was busy catching up with Malakai amidst the wreckage of the street.
"I’m fine," Malakai said softly, gently petting the top of her head. "Just a few minor scratches here and there and a temporary lack of essence, but I’m fine. I’m sorry I was gone for so long."
"It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re safe," Camilla said softly. She took his hand, gently guiding it down to rest against her waist.
Seeing her compliance, a genuine smile touched Malakai’s lips. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her broad hips securely against his chest.
"Did you find out anything? Any way for us to actually escape this city?" Camilla asked, looking up into his golden eyes.
"Straight to business, I see," Malakai teased, his usual playful tone returning.
"Yes. I don’t want to be in this place anymore."
"Well, that part is going to take a little while," Malakai chuckled, tightening his embrace. "This entire city is a living monster. Everything is structurally connected, and the central core is incredibly annoying. Plus, all those active life stones are going to make it dangerous for us to leave normally. But it is possible to kill it, so I’ll launch another raid in a few days."
"That’s actually some good news," Camilla chuckled, leaning into his warmth. "Also, this city doesn’t outright try to kill me or Yuki either. But Yuki thinks it has nothing to do with us being mimicked Pureblood Vampires. His theory is that an ancient race that looked exactly like us used to live here before the war."
"Ha. That kid really is something else," Malakai laughed, his chest vibrating against hers. "His theory is completely spot on. This place is using a replica of Natalie Silver as its ultimate guardian, so it makes perfect sense."
"Natalie Silver? The legendary warrior?" Camilla gasped, a major puzzle piece clicking into place inside her brain. "Oh! Now that I think about it, the guardian’s facial structure looked exactly like her. There was just a massive height difference."
Malakai shifted his posture slightly, his gaze piercing through the distant darkness. "And it looks like Yuki is finally coming back. We spent quite some time talking, huh?"
"Yeah, right," Camilla said quickly, stepping back out of his arms and immediately adjusting her posture to put on her strict, professional face.
They made their way over to the edge of the clearing just as Yuki arrived, safely carrying the unconscious sniper.
"Yuki, are you—"
"I’m totally fine, and she’s just sleeping," Yuki interrupted casually. He glanced between the two of them, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "Did you two lovebirds finish catching up, or do you need a few more minutes alone?"
"What?!" Camilla snapped, her face flushing as she crossed her arms. "We aren’t lovers!"
"Right, and the sun isn’t in the sky... Wait, that’s terrible terminology for this underground city. Is ’terminology’ even the right word? Never mind. Let’s go," Yuki said, completely unbothered as he walked past them toward the base.