From Trash to Demon Lord: I Can Turn Heroines Into Villainesses

Chapter 74: Trusting a Demon...

Nox finished adjusting the collar of his shirt in front of the small mirror in his room.

He took a deep breath.

His muscles still ached slightly, but the pain was manageable now.

Compared to the previous night, it felt like he had returned from the dead.

Tessa waited by the door with her arms crossed.

"Ready?"

Nox nodded.

He opened the door.

The two of them stepped out into the wooden hallway of the Pyrell House.

Only the creaking floorboards beneath their boots disturbed the quiet morning.

As they walked toward the stairs, Nox suddenly remembered something important.

He touched his face.

"...Right."

Tessa turned toward him.

"What is it?"

"I’m not wearing any makeup anymore."

The redhead studied him for a few seconds.

After the battle, all the makeup that had hidden the reddish tone of his skin had been washed away.

He once again looked unmistakably like a demon.

Nox sighed.

"Is your mother home?"

Tessa shook her head.

"No. Fortunately."

"She went out?"

"She went to the Church."

The demon raised an eyebrow.

"After everything that happened?"

Tessa let out a quiet snort.

"They’re giving her a gift."

"...A gift?"

"As the mother of a heroine who fell in battle."

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

Then Nox let out a dry laugh.

"...She’s still keeping up the lie."

"Yeah."

"How considerate."

A faint smile crossed Tessa’s face.

Nox straightened his jacket.

"Perfect, then."

He started walking down the stairs.

"Call everyone."

The redhead followed behind him.

"What for?"

"I want everyone gathered around the fireplace."

He adjusted his lapel once more.

"We need to discuss the plan."

He glanced sideways at Tessa.

"And tell Misty to bring her makeup."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Here?"

"Yeah."

Nox smiled.

"She can work her magic while we talk."

Tessa nodded.

"Understood."

Then she headed off to gather the rest of the group.

◇◆◇

A little while later...

The main hall of the Pyrell House felt warm once again.

The fire crackled inside the massive fireplace.

Nox sat comfortably in one of the armchairs.

A small table in front of him was covered with bottles, brushes, and makeup powders.

Misty stood beside him.

Completely focused.

A fine brush moved carefully across the demon’s face.

"Stay still."

"I’m trying."

"Not hard enough."

Nox chuckled softly.

A few feet away...

Audrey sat cross-legged on the rug.

Claws lay stretched out beside her.

The enormous bear looked completely content enjoying the warmth of the fire.

Next to him, Catherine sat with her legs crossed.

A small golden orb slowly floated above them.

Felix.

The cat spirit circled lazily around his owner as if playing.

In one corner of the room...

Dawn leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

Silently observing everything.

And directly across from Nox...

Tessa sat perfectly upright in the opposite armchair.

As though she were still sitting before a superior officer within the Church.

Nox slowly looked around the room.

Then he smiled.

"Thank you all for coming."

No one answered.

Everyone simply waited for him to continue.

"And..."

His gaze settled on each woman in turn.

"...I’d also like to thank all of you."

His eyes finally stopped on Audrey.

"Thank you for bringing me back to the House in one piece."

The huntress smiled faintly.

Then she glanced at Claws.

"He carried more weight than I did."

The bear let out a proud grunt.

Nox laughed.

"Thank you, both of you."

Then he looked back at the others.

"I’m sorry I can’t remember everything I did."

The atmosphere immediately grew much more serious.

"I understand that I completely lost control."

He lowered his head slightly.

"And I probably did things..."

He took a slow breath.

"...that went too far."

Tessa remained completely serious.

She never looked away from him.

Meanwhile...

Dawn frowned slightly.

It was obvious those words weren’t enough to convince her.

Nox continued.

"Everyone in this room wants exactly the same thing."

He rested both hands on his knees.

"The downfall of the Church."

No one argued.

"And if we can’t trust one another..."

His eyes swept across the group again.

"...it’s going to be very difficult for us to support each other."

"No."

Dawn’s voice broke the silence.

Everyone turned toward her.

The princess was still leaning against the wall.

"I agree with what you’re saying."

She slowly pushed herself away from it.

"But I don’t like that you’re talking as if nothing happened."

Nox remained silent.

Dawn continued.

"If you can’t even control yourself..."

She stepped toward the center of the room.

"...how are we supposed to feel safe knowing that someday you won’t do to us what you did to Olive..."

Her eyes hardened.

"...and Luna?"

Silence filled the room once more.

Audrey slowly turned her head.

She looked directly at the princess.

"I trust Nox."

Dawn raised an eyebrow.

The huntress continued.

"Not once did he come close to hurting us."

Nox slowly lowered his gaze.

He remembered...

Those crimson threads leading him through the shadows.

Guiding him toward his enemies.

Then another memory surfaced.

Audrey had one too.

The threads hadn’t distinguished between allies and enemies.

They had simply marked targets.

The demon sighed.

"...Actually..."

Everyone looked back at him.

"...I’m not even sure that’s true."

Audrey stared at him in surprise.

Nox slowly shook his head.

"I saw blood-red threads guiding me toward whoever I should attack."

He placed a hand against his forehead.

"You had one too."

The huntress froze.

"I don’t know..."

His voice grew quieter.

"...whether you’d really be safe around me if something like that happened again."

Silence settled over the room.

Until Catherine raised her hand.

"I would."

Everyone looked at her.

The cat girl smiled.

"If it weren’t for you..."

She looked toward Misty.

"...she and I never would’ve beaten that inquisitor."

Felix floated in a circle above her head.

"I trust you completely."

Misty smiled.

"Although..."

She glanced at Catherine.

"...the truth is, during that fight we kept getting in each other’s way."

The cat girl puffed out her cheeks.

"That’s true too."

"We’ll have to learn how to coordinate better."

Then she turned back toward Nox.

"But..."

Her smile became a little warmer.

"...I trust you too."

Nox remained silent for several seconds.

Finally, he smiled.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank us."

Tessa spoke for the first time.

Everyone turned toward her.

"Clearly..."

The redhead crossed one leg over the other.

"...I trust him too."

Then she slowly turned to Dawn.

"Do you know why?"

The princess said nothing.

Tessa continued.

"Because none of us are idiots."

She subtly gestured toward the others.

"After everything that’s happened..."

She looked back at Nox.

"...we’re all still here."

Then she faced Dawn once more.

"If every one of us still trusts this demon..."

Her voice was unwavering.

"...there’s a reason for it."

The room fell silent.

"The choice is yours."

Tessa rested both hands on her legs.

"But if you truly want to help bring down the Church..."

Her eyes never wavered.

"...you’re going to have to learn to trust Nox."

She paused briefly.

"...and trust the rest of us."

Dawn didn’t answer immediately.

Her gaze slowly traveled across the room.

Audrey.

Misty.

Catherine.

Tessa.

All of them remained calm.

Not a single one of them seemed uncertain.

Then...

She looked back at Nox.

She remembered that night.

Those completely crimson eyes.

The laughter.

The blood.

Olive’s severed head rolling across the stone street.

That monster had filled her entire body with fear.

And yet...

That same monster now sat before her.

Surrounded by women who trusted him completely.

Not because they had to.

But because they had chosen to.

Dawn stood motionless for several seconds.

Then she let out a small laugh.

Slowly shaking her head.

"...To hell with it."

She finally stepped away from the wall.

Walked until she stood directly in front of Nox.

Crossed her arms.

And smiled.

"I’m in."

Nox looked up at her.

The princess held his gaze.

"I’m going to trust all of you."

Her smile lost every trace of irony.

It looked completely genuine.

"Because..."

She took a deep breath.

"...you’re my last chance to be free."