“Hey, you crazy… Ugh. Is this what they call blood pressure? Ah, my tentacle…!”

I was pulled from my memories by Zetak’s voice. Following his gaze, I saw Karial and Rey collapsed, their eyes rolled back.

“…”

Did they really faint from such a small amount of pressure? How could such weak individuals have bullied Zetak…? No, five years ago, Zetak was just a young boy. If force had been used to suppress him, he wouldn’t have had any choice but to comply. As I gathered my energy back into myself, Zetak looked at me with a peculiar expression.

“The power you displayed at the temple doesn’t compare to this at all.”

“Is that so?” I replied casually.

I could understand why he said that. Having merged with a demon, he must have become sensitive to the flow of energy. The strength I had demonstrated at the temple was something a person who had been manipulating energy for about fifty years could achieve.

“They’ve already fainted.”

It was a considerable amount of energy, much more than when I broke Bapharos’ sword. It was enough energy to shatter the core of an incomplete sacred circle. That was about the extent of what I had demonstrated. A direct guard of the Emperor would probably be able to break an incomplete circle without any problem.

While the high priests made a fuss, it was probably because of my age. They were surprised, attributing significance to my being the youngest. After all, at twenty years old, what would I be capable of in thirty years?

“The way you use your energy is like…Like a demon.”

Zetak muttered, but I didn’t answer. I was about to tell him to release the spider’s legs when he spoke first.

“So what do you want me to do? Shall I just leave your head behind? Or do you just want me to eat your insides?”

“…”

Zetak’s voice was low, and I could sense the anger in it. I almost asked if he was upset, but I held back—it was obvious just by looking at his eyes. Even though I had stopped Karial from spreading rumors, why was he still so angry? Ah… perhaps.

“Do you want to eat the rest as well?”

“…”

This doesn’t seem to be working. He looks even angrier now. In times like this, it’s best to change the subject.

“By the way, I didn’t realize your transformation into a demon had progressed this much.”

“…”

There was no response from him—it seemed my words had no effect. But what did it matter? Just as he often pushed back and claimed misunderstandings, I could do the same. If I learned anything from his boldness, now was the time to use it.

“Anyway, pull your legs in.”

Zetak didn’t respond at all. He simply looked down at me with his dark eyes, appearing lost in thought. I wondered if he was still angry. As I pondered this, he said something unexpected.

“Isn’t it disgusting?”

After a long pause, he finally spoke. I stood there, momentarily confused, not understanding what he meant. Zetak looked at me for a moment before shifting his gaze to the spider’s legs. It was only when I followed his eyes that I realised what he was referring to.

He despised the demon legs that had grown from his own body. Who would welcome demonic limbs sprouting from their own flesh? Naturally, any human would feel repulsed. No matter how much he had been corrupted by demons, his core nature was still human. Perhaps that was why he had kept them hidden all this time. If not for the agitation caused by Karial, he might have continued to conceal them.

“Do you dislike your body?”

“…”

There was no answer, but his silence spoke volumes—it was a confirmation. Now that I thought about it, even in the future I had foreseen, Zetak kept his human form. Even while fighting me, he never revealed these spider legs. If he had, he could have easily overpowered me.

No demon would fight while intentionally restricting its own power. And yet, the future version of him had done so… Yes, perhaps he hated his transformed body that much.

“It’s your body. If you reject it, you’re the one who will suffer the most.”

“…”

“No matter how much others criticize you or point fingers, I won’t. If someone throws stones at you, I will protect you. Would that be enough?”

Zetak remained silent. His eyes, hidden beneath his dark hair, glanced at me before shifting to his spider legs. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking—his face showed no expression, and his red eyes were dark and empty of emotion.

After a moment, he tilted his head slightly. It almost looked like the corners of his lips had lifted just a little, as if he had an unspoken thought. But when I looked at him again, he was still expressionless. His eyes were devoid of any feeling.

“The spider legs just appeared today,” he said suddenly.

I was taken aback by his statement. The transformation into a demon doesn’t happen so abruptly. If his demonic form was now visible on the outside, it meant that the changes had been building up inside for a while. How could it have suddenly manifested like this?

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Fusion doesn’t happen all at once.”

“No. It just appeared today. Maybe that’s why I can’t control it the way I want.”

What should I do? I found myself at a loss for words. If he couldn’t control his own body, what could I possibly do to help? It was like asking how to breathe—something instinctive and natural. Did that mean Zetak would be stuck standing there, ensnared by his own spider legs for the rest of his life? And was I supposed to just sit here, trapped in a cage of those legs?

“That’s a problem,” I said after a moment. “If you can’t get those legs back into your body, you’ll be expelled. No matter how much I want to help, there’s only so much I can do for someone walking around with spider legs.”

Even now, there were many nobles who looked at Zetak with disdain. In this state, those legs would only amplify the calls for his execution. He was already under scrutiny, and this would make him an even easier target for those who wanted him gone.

As I pondered the situation and looked at Zetak, I was taken aback. Despite being unable to control his body as he wished, he showed no signs of panic. Instead, he looked down at me calmly.

“I have some suspicions about why my spider legs appeared so suddenly.”

“What is it? Go ahead and tell me.”

“Fusion with a demon doesn’t progress this quickly.”

“That’s true. So there’s a reason for the sudden progression?” I asked.

Zetak nodded, and for a moment, it seemed as though his red eyes gleamed with understanding.

He looked at his spider legs, which moved slightly, producing a crackling sound. Then he spoke.

“It’s probably because of the medicine given by the emperor.”

“…”

“That’s the only thing that’s changed recently, isn’t it?” Zetak continued.

Wait a minute.

“No, that’s the only possible reason,” he insisted.

“…”

“That’s all there is to it. Isn’t that right?” he added.

“…”

Zetak’s eyes seemed to be laughing as he spoke. Though his face remained neutral, something about it gave the impression that he was smiling. I was sure he was lying, as if he was just making up an excuse. Even the claim that the spider legs weren’t moving might have been part of the deception. I felt certain of this, but without evidence to prove him wrong, I found myself at a loss for words.

“Do you want me to be burned at the stake because I can’t retract these spider legs?” Zetak asked, a hint of challenge in his voice.

“That’s not it… No. But your words have no real basis, do they?”

“No. The spider legs appeared after I took the medicine,” Zetak insisted.

We lived in the same room – if something like that had happened to him suddenly, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed. I wanted to say that, but I held my tongue under Zetak’s determined gaze. It seemed that no matter what I said, he was determined to argue against it. If I made even the slightest valid point, he would just insist it was a misunderstanding.

“You’re being difficult,” I finally said, exasperated.

I thought I saw the corners of Zetak’s mouth lift slightly at my words, but when I looked back at him, he remained expressionless. Maybe it was just my imagination.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll take the medicine from now on. Is that enough?” I conceded.

What did it matter? Although the smell was awful, and I didn’t particularly want to consume it, what choice did I have if he hated it so much? I knew the medicine was meant to stimulate a person’s libido, but I wasn’t overly concerned about that.

After all, it was just a small dose of libido—hardly anything significant. Even if it grew a bit stronger, how much could it really affect him? Just looking at Zetak, he had been taking it for a year, and yet he showed no noticeable reaction. It was probably not much of an issue.

“Good. Since today is the day the medicine arrives, you can start taking it today.”

“You wretch. You’ll face divine punishment.”

I could have sworn I heard something faint in response to my words. Damn it. Who would say something like that? I could clearly hear him muttering, but I decided not to speak to him. After all, he would just insist it was my imagination.

The spider legs that had been coiled around me slowly began to relax, releasing their hold.

He approached Karial and used his spider legs to lift her up. He carried her and Rey – who remained unconscious even while dangling in the air – to the door, and threw them out unceremoniously before closing it behind him. His movements were so…

“…like you’ve been doing this for years.”

At my words, Zetak turned to me. With a strange crackling sound, the spider’s legs disappeared, retracting into his back. When they were completely gone, he looked at me and spoke softly.

“Of course not. It’s just your imagination, Your Highness.”

What was that feeling? I felt something stirring in my chest… Ah, yes. I think I knew what it was.

It was definitely the urge to attack Zetak. I regretted not being able to do so, considering the sins I had committed against him.

Why did I push him away five years ago? If I hadn’t, I could have hit him now.