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

Chapter 97: Awakening From the Dream...

Nox continued staring at the old journal in his hands.

Several minutes had passed since he woke up, and yet...

He still felt like he was falling.

He slowly massaged his temple.

"...Damn."

The headache refused to go away.

He carefully closed the journal and rested a hand on its worn leather cover.

’It felt too real.’

He could still remember Aurelius’ face.

The enormous table, the game boards, the war, and above all...

The first demon.

The real Nox.

’What the hell was all that?’

It hadn’t felt like a dream.

He had felt the wind during the fall.

He had heard every single word.

He could even remember the light in Yamila’s eyes when she apologized.

Nox leaned back against one of the prayer hall’s old wooden pews.

’The sins cannot be the gods of this world...’

He repeated the sentence over and over in his mind.

’What did he mean by that?’

Then he remembered something else.

The young Nox saying he was the god who embodied Wrath.

’Wrath...?’

He frowned.

’Maybe the gods represent the Seven Deadly Sins?’

He slowly shook his head.

He had no answers.

Only more questions.

"...It doesn’t matter."

He sighed.

"That was way too much information for one day."

He ran both hands over his face.

Between the battle against Gabriel...

The conversation with Yamila...

The journey to Mireveil...

And that strange memory...

His entire body felt utterly exhausted.

◇◆◇

When he looked around again, the inside of the church had changed once more.

The Peques were still working without rest.

They ran back and forth carrying small piles of mud.

Others spat that strange gray substance they used as cement.

Several climbed the walls, repairing the cracks.

Nox looked up at the ceiling.

There were barely any holes left.

The dampness was slowly fading.

Even the smell of mold had begun to disappear.

"They work fast..."

he murmured.

One of the Peques proudly raised both arms.

"Aude."

The others repeated the word.

"Aude."

"Aude."

Nox let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, yeah."

He gestured around the church.

"Good job."

He wasn’t sure they understood him, but they immediately started jumping up and down in excitement.

Apparently, that was enough.

Then...

"GRRRRRRRRR..."

A thunderous snore echoed throughout the entire church.

Nox slowly turned his head.

"..."

The sound was coming from Tessa.

The redhead was still completely asleep on one of the old wooden pews.

She was sleeping so deeply that she didn’t even seem to hear the Peques making noise.

Nox smiled.

’She must be completely exhausted.’

It wasn’t surprising.

She had healed practically everyone in the group.

He slowly walked over to her and watched her for a few seconds.

She was sleeping with an almost absurd sense of peace.

’Her back’s going to hurt when she wakes up.’

He shook his head.

"What a woman."

He leaned down slightly, slipped one arm behind her back, and reached around her waist with the other to lift her.

It was a terrible mistake.

Tessa’s eyes remained closed.

But her hand moved on its own.

Danger Sense activated instantly, and an explosion of flames erupted in front of Nox.

"What the—?!"

The Phoenix Spear materialized out of nowhere.

Its tip pierced the exact spot where his head had been a split second earlier.

Nox leaped backward.

"Shit!"

The spear embedded itself in the floor.

Tessa remained fast asleep.

"..."

"..."

Nox stared at the scene for several long seconds.

Then he started laughing.

"Even asleep, you’re still trying to kill me."

The woman didn’t respond.

She just kept snoring.

Nox raised both hands.

"Alright."

He slowly stepped back.

"You can sleep wherever you want this time."

The spear vanished on its own, and Tessa simply continued sleeping.

◇◆◇

Nox walked to the church’s main entrance, leaned against one of the massive stone doorframes, and looked out over the swamp.

There was no sign of Audrey.

Or Misty.

Or Catherine.

Only twisted trees, mist, and mud.

’Are they going to be much longer...?’

His stomach let out a quiet growl.

He wasn’t even sure whether he was actually hungry.

Or if his entire body was simply aching after the battle against Gabriel.

It could also be something else.

He remembered the fall again.

That sensation.

’It felt so real...’

Instinctively, he placed a hand over his chest.

As though expecting to find the place where Aurelius had kicked the first Nox.

There was nothing there.

And yet...

It still hurt as if he had been the one struck.

’What a strange feeling.’

He shook his head.

He didn’t want to keep thinking about it.

Then he remembered something.

’Dawn.’

The princess was still alone in the library.

She was probably still going through those ancient books.

"I should go check on her."

◇◆◇

As he climbed the stairs...

He noticed something else.

The church no longer looked the same.

Most of the broken walls had already disappeared.

In their place was that strange gray material created by the Peques.

It wasn’t exactly stone.

Nor mud.

It had a rough texture, as if it were made from thousands of tiny hardened fibers.

Nox gently knocked on one of the repaired walls with his knuckles.

Tok.

It was surprisingly solid.

"...Incredible."

A group of Peques suddenly appeared around him, immediately surrounding him.

One grabbed his sleeve.

Another gently pushed against one of his legs.

A third began pointing toward the stairs.

"Aude."

"Aude."

"Aude."

It took Nox a few seconds to understand.

"...You want to help me?"

The little creatures nodded enthusiastically.

The demon smiled.

"Thank you."

The Peques seemed to understand those words.

They immediately began walking ahead of him, guiding the way.

One of them even kept offering him its tiny hand so he wouldn’t lose his balance.

Nox couldn’t help but laugh.

’What strange little creatures.’

Between the headache, the exhaustion, and the pain coursing through his body...

He appreciated having such an unexpected little escort.

He slowly climbed the stairs, one step at a time.

The Peques genuinely seemed worried that he might fall.

He found it strangely adorable.

As he reached the second floor...

He suddenly stopped and frowned.

"..."

He had heard something.

A very faint sound.

As though someone were moving...

Or striking...

Furniture.

Then another.

Crrrk...

The Peques stopped walking as well.

Their little ears twitched in perfect unison.

They all stared toward the library entrance.

Nox slowly rested a hand on one of his Demonic Dual Knives.

’Is Dawn moving a bookshelf?’

No.

That sounded different.

Crrrk...

Something creaked again.

Then...

A dull thud.

THUMP.

The Peques immediately scattered, running underneath the staircase and leaving Nox alone.

The demon narrowed his eyes.

The headache vanished instantly.

So did the exhaustion.

His entire body tensed once more.

He took a slow, deep breath...

And began walking carefully toward the library.