On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

Back at Lysimork, Layland's stay was close to an end. The sun was sinking, leaving some orange tint in the sky in its wake. It was the cue for Layland and the group to end their exploration. The stands in the fest wouldn't close until the One Millennium Fest ended, but Layland needed to prepare for his departure.

In three months, Antares would declare war against Cresundia under his command. Before the war started, he had to leave Ne Okozmo as he couldn't let Antares face Cresundia without him.  He was confident in his subordinate's skills, but they were still not ready. They weren't flexible enough to immediately adapt to situations they didn't expect.

Antares' victory against Cresundia was a sure thing. The former had more power than the latter did. However, power was not the only deciding factor of victory. Tactics and information were the strongest tools in war. Shanifa was a good schemer. She was just as brilliant as Layland was. Unfortunately, she would have a lot on her hands when the day came. Therefore, his participation was needed to prevent the unwanted from happening.

"Do you need to stay that long in Ne Okozmo?" Millonia asked.

"Not necessarily. How long I stay will depend on how quickly I am absorbing the things that Quetzalcoatl and the other Dragons will teach me," Layland answered truthfully.

"It is rare for you to not put much confidence in your comprehension speed. If it is you, you will absorb everything like a sponge does water."

"The day Aurelia established a Soul Contract with me--a one-sided one now that I think about it--made me realize that the Magic Dragons use is different from what we know. Even up to this point, I still have a hard time processing what Aurelia did back then. I can easily cast an Ancient Demonic Spell but still can't fully understand the Magic Aurelia used back then."

"That is to be expected," Valeria chimed in. "Dragons use Magic differently from what we do. Each race has its gift in terms of practising Magic: humans have their creative way of utilizing Magic, Demons have monstrous Mana Pool, Elves have strong Affinity with Earth and Dragons are born capable of using Magic."

Each race utilized Magic differently. They had their spells that the other race could not copy unless it learned how they utilized Magic. The foundation of Spells, the language that was used to create Spells was the Ancient Demonic Language. It had undergone a lot of modifications throughout time, yet one thing was clear: most Spells originated from Ancient Demonic Spells.

Layland could easily master Ancient Demonic Language which made him capable to cast Ancient Demonic Spells easily. Being able to master any Spells that humans used, in his opinion, was but an unfortunate byproduct.

However, he couldn't do that with some of the Spells that Aurelia used. Like Demons, after all, Dragons had their language. It was said that Dragons weren't created by God. They were beings that the Mortal World naturally gave birth to, which was why Gods felt threatened by their presence. Their birth brought another existence other than the Demon that could command Mana with their tongue.

Just like how Demons could not cast Ancient Demonic Spells whenever they liked, it was also the case with the Dragons in using Dragon Language over time. Therefore, they modified their language and made Spells with it. This was the reason why Layland had a hard time processing some of Aurelia's Spells. Despite having Dragon blood in him, he still couldn't speak Dragon Language.

"Are you not confident in learning Dragon Language quickly? You mastered Ancient Demonic Language in a night, didn't you?" Millonia asked curiously.

Eliseus who was also part of the group blinked her eyes and stared at Layland's back in absolute bewilderment. Fortunately for her, no one paid attention to her comical look. The information also shocked Haletha. While mastering Ancient Demonic Language wasn't unheard of amongst the High-Class Demons, she was sure no one did it as quickly as Layland did--not even Ilschevar.

"You have a point...but Dragon Language is just different for me. Despite already being one--in a way--I still can't find myself relating to the way of Dragons, unlike how I did with the way of Demons right away," Layland responded.

"Not a surprise, though. You were already a Demon even before you became one."

At Millonia's quip, Layland merely smirked and shrugged. He thought Millonia might have a point. It made him wonder what kind of entities Dragons were. If his personality did get in the way, he wanted to know what he should do to acclimate to the Dragon's nature. Though it didn't mean he would change his personality--he loved it.

When the sun had fully sunk and the moon had risen, Layland and the girls were in the Palace's dining room. Almost every woman whom he was close with was there. The lack of male friends made him realize why Millonia had been calling him a beauty collector. A glance to the side allowed him to see Valeria's unbothered look. He was impressed by his girlfriend's attitude. Other girls might have chopped off their boyfriend's genitalia if they were in her shoes.

It made him wonder if he should put some distance between them for Valeria. She might not mind it, but his closeness with the girls made him feel like an asshole.

He might act indifferent and clueless all the time but could tell each of the girls in the room bore feelings for him. He still thought their feelings were but admiration, but they would never realize it if he remained by their sides. They would keep misunderstanding their feelings for him and it might turn into real love one day. When the day came, he would be put in a tight spot.

He didn't want that. He wasn't afraid of being chased to death by the women who fell for him but of their accepting their situation thus making him a bigger asshole than he already was.

"Is something wrong, Layland?" Lunea asked with a puzzled look. "You have been staring at us with a deep look."

"Ah, don't mind him. He must be thinking about how he should ravage you guys," Millonia dismissed jokingly and threateningly while glancing at Layland. 'That is not the case, isn't it?' threatened her glare.

"O-Oh... I didn't know Layland would entertain such a thought," Lunea responded innocently with a blush on her cheeks.

"You shouldn't think about it. You just have to follow your instinct. You are a Demon. Come with me. I will teach--"

"That is enough."

Eliseus' surprising remark was cut by Valeria, the rightful girlfriend of the man the girls had been talking about. The room remained silent ever since as everyone was afraid of angering Valeria.

Valeria must feel sour. They had spoiled Valeria and Layland's last date for the next three months by joining them in exploring the festival, after all. They were self-conscious enough not to fantasize about him in front of her which would anger her more. Even if she didn't get angry, they didn't want to make themselves immoral homewreckers.

When the dinner was close to an end, Millonia opened her mouth, "Is it possible for me to follow you guys to Ne Okozmo?"

"What? Why would you?" Aurelia shot, perplexed.

Everyone turned to her, wondering why she got defensive out of a sudden. Ignoring the look, the said Dragon turned to Millonia. She had been letting Millonia and the others enjoy their moment with Layland and stay out of the picture because she knew she would spend a lot of time with him in Ne Okozmo. Millonia's action was unexpected and it made her regret what she had done.

"I have power but Layland didn't even think twice about not involving me in the war in Lysimork. I think it is time for me to improve."

"You are not making sense."

"Ah, don't worry. Layland must know what I am talking about."

With that, everyone turned their gaze to Layland. The said Demon calmly seeped his wine, unperturbed by their gaze. He knew what Millonia wanted to do. She wanted to loosen her Seal more. She must have been giddy ever since she suffered defeat from Mark. She had once looked down on Demon Kings. Her pride must be damaged as a weak Hero managed to defeat her.

"That will be up to Quetzalcoatl to decide," Layland stated. "You also need to know that I might not be able to be your sparring partner during the days we spend there."

"It is fine. I bet I will find a lot of stronger opponents than you are there. Ah, no offence to you." Millonia grinned before her face turned solemn. "That is the reason why I want to go there anyway. They will be enough to stop me should I lose control."

The dinner finished a few minutes after. With the things that they had in their hands, the girls immediately bid Layland farewell. They wished him luck and kissed him wherever they wished before they walked through the Teleportation Gate to Antares. At least, that was the case for Abigail and Gabriela. Lunea and Eliseus were satisfied with a farewell hug.

"Do you want to go to Ne Okozmo too?" Millonia quipped as she looked at Winerva who was staring at Layland silently.

Layland quirked his eyebrow and wondered what Winerva was going to say. She had always been the most isolated and distant from him, so he was quite surprised to see her stay, seemingly eager to bid him farewell--she had never been a fan of that.

It was even more bewildering for him when Winerva hugged him tightly and took a deep breath as if she wanted to forever remember his scent. Her behaviour reminded him of Valeria. When she let go of her hug and looked up, she muttered 'good luck.' As she walked through the Teleportation Gate, she also didn't forget to ask him to return quickly.

"Well, that was unexpected. Now, let's ask Quetzalcoatl about Millonia's visit to Ne Okozmo, shall we?"