The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 67

“Stripped… I can’t let that happen. Even if you quit, it should be because you choose to. Being stripped of it just feels unpleasant.”

Gabby started mumbling to himself.

“Hey! If you came here to buy books like these, you should’ve at least covered your face! The clerk saw your whole face!”

Gabby grumbled before continuing, “Pick out a book here. I have something to discuss with the clerk.”

With that, Gabby left.

Now then, what should I do?

I wanted to have an honest conversation with the demon worshippers, but all I saw around me were books.

I looked around.

Then, my eyes landed on a particular book.

Unlike the other books with pretty covers, this one had a rough and rugged exterior.

The moment I tried to pull it from the shelf, I realized it wouldn’t come out easily.

I gripped it tightly and pulled with all my strength, and the book moved like a lever.

Clatter.

The bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a hidden passage behind it.

I slowly blinked.

Hmm.

A secret passage. Now this felt like a proper demon worshippers’ base.

I glanced toward the stairs. Gabby had just gone up, so it would take some time before he returned.

That meant I had a brief moment to check inside.

I quickly stepped in.

***

I was mistaken.

As I walked through the passage, I realized my error.

I hadn’t expected it to be this long. I had been walking for quite a while, yet I still couldn’t see the end.

The entrance I had come through was already long out of sight.

With the pitch-black darkness obscuring my vision, I kept my hand on the wall as I moved forward.

I organized my thoughts as I walked.

Yesterday, Belial had told me something.

“During the last meeting, Lilith said she had sent you on an errand.”

I stopped in my tracks for a moment.

My plan was to face the demon worshippers and find the demon that had contracted with Isabella.

But what if that demon was Lilith?

I clenched my fist tightly, then slowly released it and continued walking.

If Lilith had done this, there had to be a reason.

I recalled my first meeting with Lilith.

“Hello, new master of the contract.”

“……”

“You’re still a baby. A small and powerless one.”

“Grrrr.”

“For a baby, you sure have a nasty personality. Hmm… But you’re kind of cute too.”

“……”

“The nights in the Demon Realm are cold. Come to my castle.”

Lilith was the one who had taken me in when I was wandering the Demon Realm aimlessly.

Of course, she did it out of obligation.

But when I thought back to my childhood, Lilith hadn’t treated me purely out of duty.

Lilith would never do anything to harm me.

‘If there’s a reason, then I need to find it.’

I kept walking forward. No matter how far I walked, I still couldn’t see the end of the corridor.

Should I turn back now?

Just as I was contemplating it, a faint light appeared ahead.

I quickened my pace.

At the end of the passage, I found myself in a room.

No, rather than a room, ‘storage’ would be a more fitting term. Piles of items were stacked everywhere, especially books.

It looked like someone lived here—there were clear signs of habitation, like an unfinished breakfast and a still-burning fireplace.

I looked around, searching for the owner of the room.

At that moment, I felt a presence behind me.

“Bella.”

Someone called my name.

I quickly turned around to see who it was.

A man with gray hair was looking at me with a peculiar expression.

“It’s been a while.”

Hearing his words, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

Because—

“Who are you?” I frowned and asked the man.

I had never seen this face before, so why was he acting familiar with me? It was unsettling.

At my question, the man sighed as if he had just realized something and then spoke, “I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me since it’s your first time seeing me like this. My name is Nigel. Now do you remember?”

“Nigel?”

I tilted my head. It sounded familiar…

I carefully examined the man’s face.

By human standards, he could be considered quite handsome. But to me, he had many shortcomings.

His hair color was somewhat dull, and his narrow eyes gave him an unpleasant impression.

‘He’d be about average-looking in the Demon Realm.’

Then, my gaze settled on his hair.

That dull gray color. Where had I seen fur like that before?

Ah.

At last, I remembered who Nigel was.

“You’re Fluffy? I didn’t recognize your name, so I couldn’t tell.”

If he had just called himself Fluffy, I would’ve figured it out instantly. Why did he have to confuse me by calling himself Nigel?

When I scolded him, Nigel ground his teeth and spoke through clenched teeth.

“…That damned name. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not Fluffy?”

“You’re so sensitive.”

To react like that just because I used a different name—what a petty guy.

Besides, wasn’t Fluffy a much more endearing name than some weird one like Nigel?

Anyway.

I glanced at Nigel and spoke.

Since I had been in the middle realm for quite some time, I had thought about visiting Fluffy—no, Nigel—at least once.

But seeing him right in front of me now…

“It’s been a while.”

“…It has.”

We stared at each other for a moment.

It had been five hundred years since I last saw Nigel. Thinking about our last meeting… I’m not even the sentimental type, but a part of my chest ached.

With a lump in my throat, I spoke to Nigel, “Looks like you’ve had a rough time. Your fur’s all gone.”

“…That’s what you have to say in this situation? I was mentally preparing myself for this reunion, you know?”

Nigel grumbled something more, but my attention was drawn elsewhere, so I let it go in one ear and out the other.

Something felt off. Even considering the long time apart, it seemed like something about Nigel had changed.

‘You’ve lost a lot of fur.’

The reason I called Nigel “Fluffy” in the first place was because of the thick fur that covered his entire body.

But now, aside from his head, there wasn’t much fur visible at all.

Wait a minute…

Why was Nigel standing on two legs?

I slowly looked him up and down. Except for the pointed, fur-covered ears, he had an appearance that could almost be mistaken for a human.

No wonder I didn’t recognize him at first—I had even thought he was human.

I opened my mouth. “Your appearance has changed.”

Nigel let out a dry chuckle and spoke, “You’re just noticing that now?”

“It’s because I look at what’s inside, not the outside.”

I made an excuse, not liking the way Nigel looked at me as if I were an idiot.

At that, Nigel’s expression turned strange.

“…If you’re at that level, shouldn’t you be paying more attention to the outside? Never mind. You’re always weird, so it’s nothing new.”

I’m weird? The sudden, absurd insult genuinely hurt my feelings.

‘I’ll let it slide just this once since it’s been so long.’

I’m not used to being patient, but considering our last meeting… I could overlook it once.

After all, if it hadn’t been for Nigel back then, I would have died.

I asked Nigel, “But how did you recognize me?”

I’m not who I used to be. Being trapped in a human body, it was only natural. Yet Nigel recognized me instantly.

“Well, let’s just say I look at what’s inside rather than the outside.”

Nigel avoided answering directly.

Suspicious. I didn’t want to doubt an old friend, but Nigel’s attitude toward me—

‘It feels like he already knew I was trapped in Isabella’s body.’

And on top of that, didn’t I come here through a secret passage?

Despite my sudden appearance, Nigel didn’t react much at all.

I had many questions for him.

How had he been all this time? What was he doing here?

But when I finally opened my mouth, the question I asked had nothing to do with any of that.

“More importantly, why are you walking on two legs all of a sudden?”

“This is my true form. Five hundred years ago, I was just taking the shape of a beast temporarily.”

Well, now that I thought about it, considering that Nigel was a beastkin, it wasn’t that strange.

If the Demon God created demons and the Celestial God created angels, then the now-dead Beast God had created beastkin.

The children of the gods were born in the image of their creators.

Demons had horns on their heads, resembling the Demon God. Angels had pure white wings, resembling the Celestial God.

And beastkin resembled the Beast God… Fur? Pointed, fur-covered ears?

Wasn’t this god absurdly low-quality?

I’d never met the Beast God, but in my imagination, the image of the god was growing increasingly bizarre.

Anyway, so this was Nigel’s true form.

“Wait a second. That means…”

A realization struck me.

Five hundred years ago, Nigel could have walked on two legs but deliberately stuck to all fours?

With a serious tone, I spoke to Nigel, “I respect your preferences.”

“What… Are you thinking something weird right now?”

“Your preference for walking on all fours. I respect it.”

I didn’t personally understand it, but the world was vast, and people had all sorts of tastes.

“I wasn’t expecting an emotional reunion or anything, but… I thought I’d at least feel a little moved when we met again.”

Moved? What was he talking about? Why was every word he said making me mad?

Nigel muttered to himself, then shot me a glare and continued, “You were annoying five hundred years ago, but I didn’t think you’d get even worse. And what’s with your speech?”

“Is criticizing others’ individuality some kind of trend now?” I asked, frowning.

Now that I thought about it, a lot of people had been pointing out my way of speaking lately.

What’s wrong with it? It makes me sound strong. I like it.

We glared at each other. Then, at the same time, we both burst into laughter.

“Damn. It’s been so long since I’ve had a conversation like this. It’s annoying, but why is it fun?”

“I agree.”

We laughed as we looked into each other’s eyes.

Once I finally stopped laughing, I processed the situation.

Meeting Nigel again was one thing, but right now, there was something more urgent to take care of.

I had left the secret passage door wide open when I entered.

That meant Gabby would be coming in soon.