Dekan's Only True Card

Thin, almost transparent leaves were pasted on the windows, allowing the midday sunlight to filter softly and warmly into the room.

The entire room was filled with a delightful, pleasant aroma of wood.

This is the office of the Royal Capital, Dekan, resembling a spacious corridor perfectly sculpted by an artisan.

A light knock was heard, and then the door was pushed open.

"Boss, tea or coffee?"

Clay, dressed in a bartender's uniform and carrying a tray, walked into Dekan's office.

Dekan spends his days here, and usually Clay to choose his lunch.

So at this time every day, Clay would remind him to finish his morning work and bring him lunch.

"It will be all right."

Dekan closed the ancient book in his hand and placed it on top of a stack of books.

Then his expression relaxed slightly as he leaned back in his chair.

His desk is now piled high with books and magical artifacts.

Although, given Dekan's current strength, there is no longer any need to spend a lot of time researching curse magic.

However, in order to break the final curse left behind by the Bishop of Silence at the time of his death, Dekan is still conducting targeted research.

The good news is that with Ikatinos's help, the direction for breaking the curse is clear.

"Then let's make tea."

Clay then turned and walked to the table on one side of the office where teacups were placed, opened the drawer and took out two small packets of tea, beginning to prepare them for Dekan and for himself.

Dekan watched aimlessly as Clay brewed tea, and couldn't help but marvel at this peaceful and serene daily routine.

Just seeing him gives me an indescribable sense of security.

Even though two weeks have passed since that outrageous "Midair Piano Murder Incident, Dekan still dreams from time to time that in a world without Clay, a Clay suddenly appears and wakes him up in fright.

That night, due to the urgent need to escort a dangerous wanted criminal back to the Royal Capital, the Magic Airship was requisitioned, so its route was changed, and it returned to the Royal Capital in no time.

Adair also received the treatment of the Irenos of Prosperity on the same day.

Dekan and Mie haven't decided on Adair's punishment yet, so for now, he's been placed in the energy station for community service.

Later, Cat Teacher's Taunt was never far off.

It hasn't yet made Dekan cash in on his bet.

But this time, by sheer luck, it won against Dekan, making it incredibly happy every day.

"Well."

Thinking of this, Dekan couldn't help but sigh.

Anyway, we've already lost.

I had originally planned to buy the piano back after I finished dealing with the matters concerning Adair.

Unexpectedly, Princess Alice had already bought the piano and placed it in the palace.

What Dekan didn't expect was...

This violin now appears to have become a national treasure of the Norton Kingdom!

It also got a new name:

Famous zither - Sword Saint Cut.

When Dekan saw what Alice was doing, his eyes twitched.

It's a feeling that one wrong step leads to a series of wrong steps!

Later, Dekan could only force a smile and congratulate Alice on acquiring a nice piano for the Norton royal family.

The culprit behind all of this.

In the end, it's all the same man in the office making tea!

Dekan even couldn't help but feel fortunate that he was the male protagonist in these turbulent stories over the years, rather than the female protagonist.

Otherwise, the outcome might be even more humiliating each time.

Dekan pinched the bridge of his nose.

To explain why I would consider such an absurd assumption...

And we have to mention the work that Teacher Da Zhan has been putting on lately.

After returning to the modern world, Teacher Da Zhan not only resumed the serialization that had been interrupted for more than a year in the various kingdoms, but also started planning a new novel.

As soon as Dekan returned from the Ninth-Order Shadow World, Sion happily brought his draft to Dekan for his approval.

However, Dekan's assessment was:

"If your lousy book becomes popular, I'll eat this table right now."

It's not that the plot of Da Zhan is particularly outrageous.

Dekan thought the character she created was way too ridiculous.

Because in Professor Da Zhan's new book--

The male protagonist is a madman armed detective with the potential to have both 0 and 250 IQ, while the female protagonist is a genius alchemist girl with a bit of a smug, devilish personality who enjoys toying with criminals.

Dekan found it very strange at the time.

Furthermore, Da Zhan a particularly wicked sense of humor and likes to focus on depicting the female protagonist's breakdown, frustration, and even tears when things don't go as planned.

Finally, of course, Dekan gave him a scathing critique.

Da Zhan could only purse his lips in grievance, clutching his manuscript as he ran out of Dekan's office, muttering, "You just wait..."

Dekan couldn't help but sneer. So what if I wait? He's not going to make me burn this table.

That's ridiculous.

My mind wandered for a while after work was finished.

And I definitely felt hungry more realistically now.

So Dekan picked up the golden, glistening bread from the tray and took a bite from the end.

The outer layer is crispy, while the inside is soft and elastic.

The dough is very chewy and has a sweet aroma.

So he began to enjoy it, bite after bite.

I thought I'd get tired of it after a few bites, but the sweet aroma turned into the taste of honey.

Surprisingly delicious.

The bread is incredibly delicious, with a wonderfully rich, creamy aroma that you'll never tire of.

Dekan decided to retract his previous comment; it was indeed more delicious than he had imagined!

"You haven't seemed to have much of an appetite lately, so we went to this restaurant that Alina recommended."

Clay placed the tea on the table and said.

The former Bishop of Nightmare has now perfectly integrated into the Norton Kingdom, and even knows the local delicacies all over the Norton Kingdom like the back of his hand.

Although she wasn't a foodie herself, she was indeed the most skilled cook among the former bishops of the Resurrection Church.

Correspondingly, they will also taste local delicacies like gourmets to improve their understanding of food.

The moment the black tea appeared before him was just when Dekan felt thirsty.

While exclaiming how fortunate it was to have come, he raised the teacup and brought it to his lips.

It contains a little lemon juice, but it doesn't taste sour or bitter; instead, it has a very refreshing flavor.

It perfectly meets our current needs.

Because the honey is starting to get a bit too sweet at this point, the lemon is just the right thing to balance it out.

After his throat was moistened, Dekan continued eating his bread.

But the next second his eyes widened.

It seems that gradually, the flavor of honey has transformed into a salt-baked flavor.

Let's start with the unique, mellow, and sweet aroma of sugar.

Then, the sweetness of the honey leaves a strong impression.

Once the bread had slightly washed away the moisture in my mouth, I immediately drank some lemon black tea.

Just when I thought it would be the same old honey flavor again, it unexpectedly started all over again with a salty flavor!

That's great.

It seems that Clay had already tasted the bread himself before recommending it to himself.

The perfectly served tea was proof of that.

"It's really good..."

But...

Dekan placed both hands on the table, neither picking up the next piece of bread nor the teacup, and muttered something.

Clay glanced at Dekan's expression and seemed to understand something.

Is it because of Talomati?

"Clay asked."

He had seen Talomati, Delois's sister, in the Shadow World long before, on the northern border of the Holy Kingdom.

Later, I learned from Dekan that Talomati is still with Dekan to this day, which is why Dekan was able to become demonic.

Whether they had met Talomati in the Holy Kingdom or had only heard of her sister Dekan, they were all very curious about Talomati.

Even to them in the present world, Talomati has long been an invisible partner who has always been with them without being noticed.

Unfortunately, after returning from the Ninth-Order Shadow World, Master fell into a deep slumber.

"If she's not here... it feels like no matter how delicious the food is, something's missing."

Dekan paused for a moment, then looked up at Clay and answered.

Because the Master is a remnant soul, he will fall into a deep sleep every time he consumes too much energy.

This time, she shared the pain and went through a near-death experience with Dekan.

I don't know how long it will be before she wakes up again.

So during this period, Dekan enjoyed all three meals a day on his own.

Dekan certainly loved delicious food.

But he wasn't that greedy.

Without even realizing it, she had gotten into the habit of giving her favorite foods to her younger sister.

Now that Talomati is gone, the more delicious the food, the more lonely I feel.

"Why do you spoil her like that?"

Clay casually sat down in the chair opposite Dekan's desk, resting one hand on the back of the chair, and asked.

According to Clay's recollection and Dekan's description, Talomati's temper had clearly become more unruly than it had been ten thousand years ago.

Perhaps Talomati always possessed this potential, but she was much calmer and more rational when she was a demon.

Of course, it's also possible that not only she changed, but also Delois, who became Dekan, changed, and their way of getting along naturally changed as well.

If they had been human twins from the start, they might have bickered from childhood instead of never arguing as demon twins.

However, when Dekan first found her as a child, he didn't know she was his sister from a previous life, and even took her as his teacher.

Therefore, Clay found it truly amazing that Dekan and Talomati, a despicable human and a good demon, could coexist so harmoniously.

"Clay, if a person has no regrets in their past life, then even in reincarnation, they can forget everything without any burden, right?"

Dekan took a sip of tea and asked casually.

"Um."

Clay believes this.

Reincarnation will naturally erase all memories.

Moreover, Delois's reincarnation was personally delivered by the Goddess Tike.

"Delois's life was full of regrets, but did he truly feel no remorse?"

Dekan continued, almost as if talking to himself.

Who knows?

Clay seemed to understand, but he didn't continue the conversation.

He simply stood up, cleared the teacup and tray from Dekan's desk, and walked out of the office.

Even after Clay closed the office door, Dekan was still leaning against his chair, lost in thought.

Perhaps it was a regret that even the Goddess Tike could not erase for Delois.

Or perhaps it's the emotions beyond the few memories that the Goddess Tike could preserve for Delois.

"From the moment I found her, an indescribable emotion overwhelmed me. I even thought I was bewitched by an evil Magic Card..."

For some reason, Dekan suddenly recalled himself when he first met his Master.

He lowered his head, as if he dared not face anyone.

Having found a mysterious demon epic card, she was overwhelmed with strong emotions, wanting to unconditionally trust and repay her.

It seems like I'm possessed by an evil spirit.

But strangely, even knowing he was bewitched, why was his thought process still so clear?

Later, without knowing why, it became inextricably linked to his own soul.

It wasn't until they spent a long time together that Dekan realized this.

That wasn't a mental spell cast by Master, but rather a feeling that was entirely my own.

To find the answer to this strange thing.

Dekan was also convinced that he needed to help his Master regain his memories.

Until now.

All the past events are revealed.

Dekan finally became convinced that the unknown emotion he felt at that time should have been an overwhelming sense of guilt.

He tilted his head back and took a deep breath.

I forced myself to concentrate and not let myself dwell on our first encounter.

The more you try to control your thoughts, the more chaotic they become.

"Because even when Delois died, he didn't think about the final fate of the Holy Kingdom."

" --Talomati will die in the Heaven-Piercing World-Destroying Battlefield."

"The final gift Delois gave to Talomati was actually an unimaginable curse."

These words echoed repeatedly in Dekan's mind.

I feel like my heart is about to burst, and I can't breathe.

If he truly retained Delois's memories during his youth.

Seeing his sister use forbidden magic to turn herself into Magic Card might cause him to have a complete mental breakdown.

Not only did he wrong his younger sister in his previous life.

Even in this life, she has to rely on her remaining remnant soul to protect herself.

Finally, he entrusted his remaining mission to his younger sister, a burden he could not bear.

She suffered far too much pain that she shouldn't have had to endure.

... Although later, Talomati's remaining soul was reborn as Tata in this life.

Tata possesses most of Talomati's original soul, and a small portion of the power that Delois sacrificed to Talomati, so she also has a golden demon eye like Delois.

But she is neither Talomati nor the ultimate perfect demon lord.

For Dekan, Talomati is one and only.

"I have many delicious foods I'd like to recommend to you, and I'll personally pour you some tea..."

So wake up soon.

Dekan wiped his face with his sleeve, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

It's like when you're living alone, even if you have the best cooking skills, most of the time you'll just cook whatever you can get by.

Only when cooking for others will I seriously engage in the unprofitable work of "two hours of cooking, ten minutes of eating" in the kitchen.

He prefers seeing the happy expressions on other people's faces when they enjoy food to the pleasure he derives from enjoying it himself.

"But by then, you'll have your own body, and you won't need to take over my body and steal my food anymore."

Dekan was now holding a tattered Magic Card in his right hand.

[Talomati]

[Category: Summon Card]

[Rarity: Orange Epic]

[Class: 1]

[Effect: Cannot be summoned; can control the bound user's body.]

[Note: No matter how many times the world is destroyed...]

"What a meaningless card..."

He rested his chin on his hand, gazing intently at the card.

The afternoon sun shone brightly, illuminating the leaves outside the window. A gentle breeze stirred the light and shadows, which then slowly fell, landing on Dekan's bittersweet emotions.