Chapter 7: First Kiss
Karsus’s fingers were still cool, a distinct temperature that seeped through her clothes and made Nelly shiver. Before she could voice any objection, Karsus had already activated a spell, and the scene changed.
They were standing at the entrance to a long, rectangular hall.
A row of high windows lined the left wall, their stained glass pieced together into colorful patterns that vaguely depicted scenes from legends. Below the windows were solid wood bookshelves, tall enough to stack three people high, stretching all the way to the end of the hall, where they terminated beneath another magnificent rose window. The brilliant glass, layered like petals, was like the eye of this library, refracting a dazzling, almost unreal light that silently promised the deepest wisdom.
Directly opposite this breathtakingly beautiful window was an equally exquisite long table, lined with high-backed chairs. The morning light filtered in through layers of blood-red clouds, softened by the stained glass, making the oil painting of a goddess among flowers on the ceiling seem even more dreamlike.
Nelly instantly forgot the intimate posture she was in with Karsus and turned to look at the other side of the hall.
The right wall was also lined with bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Perpendicular to them stood even more shelves, row after row packed with books. On top of the cabinets were numerous chests. The closest one, a leather trunk, was half-open, revealing neatly stacked parchment scrolls inside. At a rough glance, it was impossible to estimate just how many books this library held. Nelly almost suspected that the simplicity of the rest of the Demon’s Lair was due to the lavish and exquisite nature of this library.
Nelly felt the same rush of excitement she had felt when she first saw her room. Her eyes widened, her lips parted slightly, and her expression was utterly childlike, like a kid who had just seen a treasured toy, wanting to tuck everything before her into her heart.
Karsus turned his head to gaze at her, the smile on his lips gradually deepening. His gaze was intensely focused. While Nelly was looking at the hall full of books with an almost greedy expression, he was looking at her with a similar one.
Nelly remained in this entranced state for a moment before she gave a slight shake and came to her senses.
Karsus averted his gaze at just the right moment, his expression once again becoming impassive.
“What book would Nelly like to read?” Perhaps influenced by the library’s tranquil atmosphere, his voice was lower and slower than usual, with a hint of languidness. The end of his sentence even had a rare upward lilt, a hook that tickled one’s heart.
Nelly subtly freed herself from his arm and took a few steps toward the bookshelf before turning back to answer, “Are there any books about Wildia?”
Karsus’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He still appeared calm and composed, but the smile in his eyes slowly sank back into their deep red depths. “There are.”
With that, he clapped his hands, and a thumb-sized, brown-skinned creature appeared out of thin air. It flapped its transparent wings and bowed. “Greetings, Your Majesty. How may Buch be of service?”
“Books about Wildia,” Karsus ordered, his tone flat.
The sprite named Buch bowed humbly, flew a few circles in the air, and dust rose from behind the bookshelf, accompanied by faint, low muttering. In just a moment, Buch reappeared, sitting on a large stack of books. Thick, hardcover tomes, ancient books with ivory covers, and handwritten parchment scrolls were spread all over the table.
Karsus gave Buch a nod, and the sprite vanished with a pop.
Nelly hesitantly unrolled the topmost parchment scroll. A quick scan made her feel immense pressure: it wasn’t written in the common tongue of Wildia, but in a more ancient, lost language. Karsus strolled to her side and said casually, “The Song of Halga. The legend of Wildia’s birth. This is the only copy on the entire continent.” He paused, a cryptic smile playing on his lips, and added,
“I can read it to you.”
Even if you read it, I wouldn’t understand…
“In the common tongue.”
Is His Majesty the Demon King showing off that he’s mastered another foreign language?
Nelly was stunned for a moment, but didn’t refuse. “I’ll have to trouble you, then.”
Karsus sat down in a high-backed chair at the left end of the long table. His slender fingers carefully traced the surface of the ancient scroll. He looked at the dense, esoteric text and, without much thought, translated it into the common tongue with an air of effortless ease. “Listen, all of you. We all know that in the glorious days of yore, the great kings and lords of the continent performed immortal deeds, and it all began with the well that governs all, its name Urd.”
His reading voice was faint, lacking the passion a legend should have.
“Three goddesses drew the source of the world from the well, and for this, people remember their names: Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld. They gave this continent its past, present, and future. From the mist and smoke, Halga, the great king, united the tribes and bestowed the rings of power. His fame…”
As the name suggested, this was the story of the legendary king, Halga.
Favored by fate, Halga led his kingdom to prosperity, building the magnificent Red Keep. But this attracted the covetous eyes of an evil power. A giant-like undead creature appeared in the Red Keep day after day, slaughtering brave warriors and destroying the exquisite halls. To protect his people and his reputation, Halga, against all advice, waited in the great hall of the Red Keep to fight the enemy to the death.
In that battle, Halga slew the giant but was also gravely wounded. Before his death, he entrusted his two children and his wife to his younger brother, Hremont. After receiving his brother’s promise, he passed away peacefully.
The manuscript’s narrative ended there.
Karsus looked up and met Nelly’s gaze calmly. He carefully rolled the scroll back up and said flatly, “Everyone knows the rest of the story.”
Nelly had indeed heard the rest of the story. Hremont betrayed his brother’s last wish, killed his nephew, and ascended the throne. For hundreds of years after, war raged on. It wasn’t until the Merloh dynasty reunited the lords that the continent of Wildia once again welcomed prosperity and peace, until…
Nelly bit her lip and glanced cautiously at Karsus. Until the Demon King Karsus descended, bringing disaster and suffering to the people of the frontier once more.
Karsus remained expressionless. He pushed the books in front of him forward and looked at her intently. “Do you believe these legends, Nelly?”
She caught a hint of something almost painful in his tone.
Nelly didn’t know if Karsus had his own difficulties, but having adventured in Wildia nearly a hundred times, she had indeed witnessed the many tragedies caused by the forces of darkness. Even if she told herself it was just the game’s sentimental script, she couldn’t help but feel compassion for the common people who suffered under the Demon King’s tyranny.
Having difficulties is no excuse for committing atrocities.
Nelly averted her gaze and answered calmly but firmly, “I believe what I have confirmed with my own eyes.”
Hearing this, Karsus leaned in closer. He placed one hand on the back of Nelly’s chair, close enough to kiss her forehead if he just lowered his head. He gently took Nelly’s hand and placed it over his heart, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. “If you need, I can cut open this heart for you to see.”
Nelly froze. His body heat and the rise and fall of his chest were transmitted faithfully through her palm, sending a tingling sensation through her. But his words were so strange; they were affectionate, yet also held a chilling madness.
In just a moment, Karsus returned to his normal state, sitting properly in his chair as if he had never intended to get a response from Nelly.
Nelly lowered her head, at a loss, unsure of what His Majesty the Demon King meant. Just as she was feeling awkward, Karsus spoke again. “Nelly.”
She subconsciously looked up at the sound of her name, only to look right into those ruby-like eyes. A cool warmth touched her lips.
She was too shocked to move.
But Karsus didn’t seem to be in a hurry to make any further moves. He kept his lips pressed against hers for a moment before his eyelids drooped, and he very innocently tapped her lips with the tip of his tongue.
This was an entirely new experience for Nelly as well.
It wasn’t until he successfully pried open her defenses and pushed his way in to deepen the sudden kiss that Nelly finally snapped out of it. She let out a low whimper and pulled back to escape.
Karsus didn’t stop her. He even appeared calmer than usual. “Sorry.” His eyes shifted slightly as he softly uttered a few words. “I couldn’t help it.”