Zeuxis stared at himself in the mirror for a while, posing and rubbing his chin.
“Not bad… I look good like this, don’t I?”
He was asking the head by the desk. Ronin just rolled his eyes at his crazy evil psycho antics.
“You look just like him. Now, are you sure you will be able to act like him too?”
Zeuxis grinned, but his face was much different when he does. Because he was now wearing the face of Zeriav after Ronin used his Fool’s Eye skill on him.
His usually thin-lipped devilish grin looked out of place with Zeriav’s stoic and gentle face. The priest’s gentle giant vibe became something more menacing with each grin.
“But of course. It’s easy to act like Milky, all I need to do is to not say much and not show any emotion on my face.” Zeuxis combed his hair which was now Zeriav’s hair.
“Milky?” Ronin noticed his pattern in calling people names based on their skin color.
“Brother Milky has a very nice lip shape.” Zeuxis ignored his brother’s judging look, and compared his lips with the head.
“No wonder he doesn’t move them often. Their prettiness is more noticeable when closed. He was silent when he died too.” Zeuxis grinned. “Was that your doing?”
“Yes. And I can shut you up if I want to with just one word.” Ronin told him. “I just prefer not to waste my skill.”
“I see. Then could you have commanded him to ‘die’?” Zeuxis asked with great interest.
Ronin had considered it before too. Ordering someone to ‘die’.
“I haven’t tried that on anyone yet. I have ordered someone to sleep indefinitely or fight to the death. But I don’t know yet what will happen if I say ‘die’.”
“Would they kill themselves? Would their heart simply stop beating? I need to kill people myself to get stronger, so just telling them to die would be like wasting food.”
Zeuxis chuckled. “Try it on me, then. You can revive me again because of being one of your goons.”
“Daemons.” Ronin corrected.
“And would you really want to just die for no reason? It would ruin your body still. Just because you could be revived, doesn’t mean that you’re immortal.”
He reminded Zeuxis. “Just like your shoulder bone that only got healed by Maellan’s Gift giving powers with his Spear of Levin. If you received damage that can ruin you permanently, it’s over.”
Zeuxis chuckled. “Haha! I know that, prune. You’re nagging at me like our mother. I hate that, just tell me to die already instead of acting worried.”
Ronin’s eye twitched. “I’m not worried. I’ll never be worried by a blueberry-headed filth like you.”
Zeuxis smile just widened when he used the usual nickname his mother gives to his father. “Whatever you say, mother. Ah, Maellan’s the only family member I can stand after all.”
“When did you meet him, by the way?” Ronin asked. “When did he fix up your shoulder?”
“About two years after my graduation day. I was working at some marquis as his personal house guard.” Zeuxis recalled. “So about 3 years ago.”
“Someone took you in as a guard despite your injury?” Ronin raised an eyebrow.
“He found me pretty and nice to look at. All I had to do was stand by the door of his bedroom at night anyway.” Zeuxis said.
He scoffed at the memory of his former employer. “I hate that bastard. He’s a lunatic and goes after every pretty thing he sees.”
“I thought I would be getting an actual job that involves beating up people. But no, I’m just part of that collection, like wall decor.”
As he said this, he had placed Zeriav’s blue beads around his neck. “Huh. To think of it, this would be something that fop would like. Very pretty.”
Ronin looked at Zeriav’s body by the bed that Zeuxis had set up to stand upright. Like wall decor.
“You won’t be able to activate those beads for rain.” Ronin told him. “So the best thing to do was to say that the fight had weakened you and you can’t summon your powers somehow.”
“Then, every time that the disguise was about to wear out, you can excuse yourself to meditate and pray for Demetri to bring your powers back.
“Got it.” Zeuxis said, still focused on himself in the mirror. “I remember him praying back when the shield lost its effect around him.”
“What time was that?” Ronin asked, so he can note the limitations of Cermin’s skills.
“About 3 hours after that banana-face summoned it.” He combed and caressed Zeriav’s slowly falling dead hair. “Milky was really pitiful, just kneeling there with his hands together.”
“He can’t even truly call out to his god. When I pierced through him, he couldn’t shout in pain. His did not even cry until the end, and just summoned as much rain as he could until his heart stopped.”
“It was the second-best kill I had. My best would be my first time with that marquis.”
Zeuxis raised Zeriav’s head to his eye level. “That feeling….. Murdering someone who you have wanted to kill for so long…”
“It was wonderful. Even when I hate your guts, I truly hope you experience something like that, dear brother. Hahahaha!”
Ronin had enough of his weird antics towards killing Zeriav, but he can understand that feeling somehow. That was what he was waiting for with Cermin.
He heard Cermin tossing around the bedroom and starting to stir awake, so he said. “Alright then. Go die.”
Zeuxis awaited what will happen after he say this, but……
Nothing. The One Word Command for some reason doesn’t work with the word ‘die’.
“Well, that’s a disappointment.” Zeuxis blinked. “Are you sure you’re doing this right?”
“Of course I am.” Ronin gritted his teeth. “What does this mean? Was it because you already died before, so you cannot ‘die’ again?”
“Perhaps you’re not powerful enough for that.” Zeuxis just shrugged. “It’s still a letdown, but you still have other uses like making someone sleep.”
“They would remember me using it when they wake up, so I can’t just use it willy-nilly on Cermin.” Ronin said. “I can’t use any command on Cermin without thinking it through.”
“You sure are careful about your little golden apple.” Zeuxis said. “Better look out for anyone that might try to take a bite on him first.”
“He’d make a good target for daemons with that much power in him. If he gets too cocky and fights with the wrong guys, well….. There goes your meal.”
“I know.” Ronin narrowed his eyes. “That’s why you’re here to protect him from attacks with me.”
“Yes, yes. I’m back to guarding nobles again.” Zeuxis went out and stretched. “At least I get to be a handsome priest while doing so this time.”
“Get rid of that body before he comes.” Ronin told him. “We’re not affected by the stench, but he could be.”
“I don’t want to. I might return here one day and decide to have some fun with Milky.” Zeuxis said and opening a closet and places Zeriav’s body haphazardly there.
Ronin just rolled his eyes, and went out of the room, locking the door behind him. He ordered a servant that was stuck there to take care of it.
He only removed the One Word Command, and said in a menacing tone:
“I am the Lord of Darkness. You’ll be taking care of this establishment from now on, and I will be watching your every move. If you do or say anything to reveal my identity, I will have you and your family killed, you understand?”
The man’s knees felt so weak from being forced to stand, and he was so hungry and thirsty. But he still responded with a hoarse voice. “Y-Yes, my Lord…..”
“If the others die of starvation after we leave, it’s up to you to take care of it. You mess up one thing and I’ll come for your weak little Flame and eat it all up.”
“Y-Yes, my Lord…..” He nodded again and again. “Please don’t kill me…..”
Zeuxis patted the poor man’s head. “You should consider yourself lucky for surviving among everyone else. The Lord of Darkness picked at random and he chose you to live among everyone else.”
As he said this, Ronin saw a memory from Zeuxis’ head of a man saying the same thing to him.
(You see all these pretty men and women in my house? I chose you to be my guard and to stay standing by my door, so you should consider yourself lucky.)
And as he gestured…..
His house really was full of people’s decapitated heads as decorations. Pretty people.
No wonder Zeuxis was even more insane than he was as a child. And no wonder he would consider this man as the one who he enjoyed killing the most.
Ronin thought that even if humans live in shades of grey, there was no perfectly ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person…..
There really were people that deserve to die.
But…..
Cermin greeted them. “Ronin! I’m glad that you are awake, I don’t know what happened….. Last night there was this daemon and Zeriav was…..”
“Thank you for saving me, Cermin.” A calm voice then said behind Ronin.
He looked at Zeriav, who was looking alright now after his injuries.
“Zeriav! I’m so glad you’re safe….. But…..”
He went over to block Ronin protectively. “Please don’t hurt my friend. I saved you, so in exchange….. please spare Ronin.”
Was this kind of person also deserving to die?
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m