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

Chapter 94: Tyler’s Dream... [1]

Tyler slowly opened his eyes.

He didn’t feel the dampness or smell the rotting stench of Mireveil.

Nor could he hear the hammering of the Peekies as they repaired the church.

Everything was...

Peacefully silent.

He slowly sat up.

Before him stretched an immense garden.

The grass was a flawless shade of green.

The flowers looked as though they had just bloomed.

Small streams of crystal-clear water flowed through pathways made of white stone.

There wasn’t a single dead leaf.

No mud.

No dust.

Everything looked far too perfect.

Tyler began to walk.

’...Where the hell am I?’

He looked down at his hands and immediately froze.

"...Huh?"

They were no longer a demon’s hands.

The red skin was gone.

There were no claws, no dark veins.

They were...

His old human hands.

’What...?’

He looked up.

A short distance away, beneath the shade of a massive tree with golden leaves, two men sat across from one another at a stone table.

Resting on top of it was a game board.

Both men held delicate porcelain cups with steam rising from them.

Some kind of herbal tea.

They looked completely at ease.

The first had long white hair that reached his waist.

Several gemstones adorned his hair.

His fingers were covered in rings, and his wrists overflowed with golden bracelets.

He smiled with complete confidence.

He moved one of the game pieces, set his cup down, and smiled even wider.

"Ha."

He looked at the other man.

"Perhaps we should’ve wagered more."

The second man let out a long sigh.

He had perfectly combed blond hair.

He wore elegant silver armor.

His entire posture radiated discipline.

"It’s no fun betting everything in the first match."

He moved another piece.

"You have to take it one step at a time."

Then he looked up.

"Don’t you think, Aurelius?"

The white-haired man burst into laughter.

"You’re incapable of having fun."

He took another sip from his drink.

"Always so serious, Solarian."

Tyler stared at the scene in complete confusion.

’Who the hell are these guys?’

They didn’t seem like ordinary people.

There was something...

Strange about them.

’And I...’

He looked around the garden once more.

’Wasn’t I just inside the abandoned church a second ago?’

He couldn’t find any answers.

Then...

He heard a woman’s voice.

"You two should stop wagering your territories."

Tyler felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew that voice perfectly.

"I’ve already told you, there’s nothing fun about playing war."

He immediately turned his head and saw her.

The woman in the white dress.

Her golden hair floated as though the wind obeyed only her will.

She walked calmly, smiling.

It was her.

The Goddess.

The same one who had torn him away from his world.

The same one who had turned him into a demon.

The same one he had sworn to kill.

Tyler clenched his fists.

’Damn you...’

But then something unexpected happened.

The woman slightly turned her head.

She looked directly toward where he was standing.

And smiled.

"Nox."

Tyler froze.

"There you are."

The Goddess raised a hand.

"How long have you been watching?"

Tyler opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

’They can see me?’

But before he could utter a single word...

Another voice answered from behind him.

"Sorry, Yamila."

It was the voice of a child.

"It’s always fun watching Aurelius and Solarian play war."

Tyler felt another chill.

He slowly turned around and saw a little boy.

He looked about seven years old.

His black hair was slightly messy.

And on his forehead...

Were two marks that looked like scars, in the exact spots where Tyler now had his horns.

The boy smiled innocently.

Yamila sighed.

"You’re such a naughty boy."

She walked over and ruffled his hair.

"You shouldn’t be learning those kinds of things."

Tyler stood completely motionless.

He stared at the child.

’...No. It can’t be. Is that kid... the First Demon, Nox?’

Everything suddenly made sense.

Yamila had called him Nox.

But not him.

The child.

Tyler slowly exhaled.

’Then... they can’t see me. I’m watching...’

He looked around the garden once more.

’...a memory.’

◇◆◇

Tyler decided to remain silent and stepped back a few paces.

He looked at his human hands again.

They were still completely normal.

’There’s no sign of the System.’

He tried to summon it.

Nothing.

’Status.’

Silence.

’Fallen Genesis.’

Absolutely nothing appeared before him.

He frowned.

’Then I’m really inside something else.’

He looked at the young Nox again.

’The journal...? Was it the journal that did this? Or is the real Nox trying to show me something?’

There was no way to know.

So he decided to keep watching.

◇◆◇

The young Nox walked over to the table.

He stared at the board with tremendous curiosity.

"Who’s winning?"

Aurelius smiled broadly.

"Me, obviously."

Solarian shook his head.

"The game’s far from over."

"No."

The white-haired man picked up another piece.

"This city will be mine."

He placed it on the board.

Tyler decided to move closer.

Now that he knew no one could see him.

He was finally able to examine the board clearly.

It wasn’t just a game.

It was a map.

He immediately recognized part of it.

Snow-covered mountains.

Frozen rivers.

Snowy forests.

And the great city of Frosthold.

’...Frostgard.’

The board depicted the Northern Kingdom exactly.

But the other half was completely different.

An immense desert filled with oases, towering sand dunes, and massive fortresses.

Tyler looked back at Aurelius.

The white pieces occupied Frostgard.

Solarian controlled the desert.

"I’ve almost taken your capital."

Aurelius said with a huge grin.

Solarian calmly picked up a black piece.

"No."

He moved it only a few inches.

"Now you’re the one who’s surrounded."

Aurelius studied the board.

Then he burst into laughter.

"That was a good move."

The two of them seemed to be enjoying the match immensely.

Yamila sighed once again.

"You really are just like children."

Aurelius looked up.

"Because it’s fun."

"You’re betting territories."

She replied.

"That’s exactly what’s so concerning."

Tyler felt another chill.

’Territories...?’

He looked back at the board.

They didn’t look like ordinary game pieces.

Every city had a name.

Every forest was marked.

Every mountain.

Every river.

Everything...

Looked real.

’No... Don’t tell me... These people are literally playing with continents...?’

The young Nox watched with fascination.

"Can I play?"

Aurelius laughed.

"When you learn how to lose."

Solarian nodded.

"First, learn how to take care of what you already have."

Yamila gently patted the boy’s head once more.

"Exactly."

She smiled.

"Go check on your territory."

The boy tilted his head.

"Why?"

"Your people may have sent prayers."

The child’s eyes widened.

"That’s right!"

Then he ran off.

Tyler watched him disappear into the gardens.

He slowly turned his attention back to the board.

’Territories... Prayers... Then...’

He looked at the three gods.

’Were they really ruling this world as if it were nothing more than a board game?’

A deep sense of unease settled in his chest.