A few moments before Elvar collapsed, bleeding out on his chamber floor, Nyx was in her element. She was a shadow within shadows, gliding silently along the dim corridor outside the King's room on her routine patrol.
Suddenly, from nothingness, a black-red aura materialized right in front of her. Elvar appeared, his body enveloped in the 20% Aura of Destruction from his 10-meter Shadow Step test.
The King, clearly unaware of Nyx's presence in her shadow form, just stood silently for a moment before turning and re-entering his room, assuming the corridor was empty.
Nyx's suspicion, which had existed since the incident in the dining hall where Elvar refused to remove his mask, now peaked. She slipped into Elvar's room, merging with the thick shadows in the dark corners of the room's ceiling.
She watched Elvar lock the door and remove the mask. As she had suspected, the face behind it was indeed human-shaped. However, what happened next made Nyx, the Head Assassin, truly shocked.
Elvar, in his human form and without his mask, tried to use that skill again. Instantly, the human body rejected it. The King went rigid, and then blood began to flow from his eyes, ears, and nose before he collapsed to the floor.
Nyx immediately came to one conclusion: He was a true Demon King whose power was sealed within the mask, and the original Demon King's power inside that mask was the only key keeping his body from being destroyed by its own strength.
Seeing the kingdom's "asset" now dying, Nyx moved out of her shadow to help. ... ... ... A thick silence enveloped the locked Demon King's chamber, where heavy curtains blocked the dim light from outside.
However, that silence was broken by the sound of gasping breaths and a painful, wet cough.
Elvar lay helpless on the cold stone floor, his fragile human body completely paralyzed under the pressure of the magic he had forced.
A burning pain, as if all his internal organs were being destroyed, made it impossible for him to move.
Warm blood continued to flow from his eyes, ears, and nose, pooling slightly under his head, while his consciousness dimmed.
Just a handspan beyond his trembling reach, the Demon King's Mask lay silent, a savior impossible to grasp.
With his fading consciousness, Elvar saw the shadows in the corner of the room move towards him. From the darkness, a human-bodied spider figure emerged.
Nyx, the Head Assassin. She immediately emerged from her shadow, picked up the mask lying on the floor, and placed it on Elvar's face.
Ah... who is that?...
My death is certain. I've now been discovered by a demon that I am human.
Eh, wait... Why is she putting that mask on me?...
After the mask was placed on Elvar's face, his body instantly glowed with a faint green light. The Demonic Regeneration from the mask activated upon detecting the Demon King's body was severely injured. The blood flowing from Elvar's face stopped instantly.
The system within the mask began to work, drawing a large amount of Elvar's mana, using it to stabilize the body, and then returning it.
"This is incredible. Just as I suspected," Nyx muttered softly, more to herself while observing the healing process. "That a human-like body is his weakness without the mask. I am sure that his power is sealed within that mask, and it's proven after I placed it on his face, all his wounds regenerated."
How do I explain all this to her? Is she not bothered that I'm human?...
"Lord, we must speak seriously about this. Inform me when you are able to speak," said Nyx. Her voice, usually like a hiss, sounded flat and serious.
Elvar, who now felt the pain subsiding, replaced by extreme exhaustion, nodded slowly. Then a few moments later. ... ... ... It seems I can't deny it anymore. This is the end of my life if she spreads the information about my true form and who I really am.
What can I bribe her with? To keep her quiet? Or just let it be? I really don't know what to do.
Alright, just go with the flow.
"I can speak normally now," said Elvar. His voice, now filtered by the mask again, sounded calm and authoritative as usual.
"Lord, does anyone in this kingdom already know your form behind the mask is like this? As an ordinary, weak human?..." Nyx asked.
"Not a single person knows what my face looks like," he replied. Still calm, without fear or resignation.
"Lord, I know this is hard for you with that form. Unable to return to your perfect form, your true, majestic form as a Demon King." Nyx bowed her head with a grieving expression then continued, "I know you are truly ashamed of a form that you consider even lower than a rat. But I promise I will guard your shame as my loyalty to this kingdom."
Eh... What does she mean? I really don't understand...
My true form is majestic as a Demon King? What does she mean? This human body is majestic?
"What are your thoughts after seeing what happened to me just now?" Elvar asked, without lessening his fear and without showing any worry.
"My thought is, it is very hard for you to live through," Nyx explained from her perspective. "Your power is sealed within the mask, so you cannot return to your true form as a Demon King, and are trapped in a human form. I truly didn't expect you to be this strong, to endure the shame alone."
What the?... My power is trapped in the mask?
That means... she's not accusing me of being a real human?
She instead thinks my real power is sealed in the mask? And this human form, she thinks it's an embarrassing appearance that I'm trying to endure because I can't return to my real form as a Demon King?
"So, what did you want to talk to me about? And what were you doing in my room?" I asked Nyx.
Nyx explained what actually happened, how she was suspicious from the beginning, and how she was really curious about what Elvar's form was like, hoping she could see Elvar's true form as a Demon King from another world.
However, the bitter truth (which she concluded herself) crushed Nyx's desire, that Elvar's power, she believed, was sealed by the mask and he couldn't return to his original form.
Is this my luck again? Why does it feel so coincidental, their perspectives of me are always different from what's in my mind.
"How did you know that my demon power is held within this mask?" I asked her, curious.
"I have always been watching you. My apologies... From the beginning until now. Even when you started the construction in the scaled-kind's nest, I knew about that too," Nyx explained. "I just wanted to make sure if you were worthy of this kingdom or not, and to lead this kingdom. And if you had evil intentions, I probably would have killed you yesterday. It's an easy job for me to kill in silence without being known."
"Then I saw you use that power without the mask in your human form. I knew you were balancing your power with this world and you were also curious what would happen if you didn't use your real power inside that mask. So I began to understand your situation now," she added.
"Very well, you understand my condition now. Are you going to tell me to stop leading this kingdom?" Elvar asked Nyx seriously.
"Of course not, Lord," she explained at length. "Because of your fortitude in accepting and using a disgusting form like a human's, without complaining about it to others, that is already enough. Moreover, I see you are truly competent, even able to plan the construction of the citizens' nests. I admit that is very cool. And I want you to continue your leadership. Of course, I will guard your shame regarding this matter as best I can."
What kind of luck has befallen me again? She is completely mistaken about who I really am.
I have to bribe her so she keeps the secret well and doesn't betray me.
"Very well. Since you have helped me, although even if you didn't help me, my body would have recovered by tomorrow even if it's broken now and without the mask. I will give you a reward, name your wish and I will grant it!" said Elvar, bribing Nyx with a reward.
"No, Lord, thank you," she replied. "I only ask that you remain as the King of this kingdom, and then make this kingdom acknowledged by the world. Perhaps that is what I want. I will support you, Lord."
From now on I have to be really careful in my actions. And I also have to make her believe that I am exactly as she suspects, even though this is 100% a misunderstanding.