Chapter 7: Acting Pitiful
"It was magical. But, I think something went wrong in the middle. The scene abruptly cut, and I missed the process of entering the mansion, as well as the Servant Pact Ceremony and Demon Transforming Ritual you mentioned to Miss Eris," Austin confessed.
"Hmm, that's odd. Maybe it's because I haven't been feeling well lately that my magic automatically got canceled. But it doesn't really matter now, you've got the gist of it, right?"
"You mean, the fact I'm now a demon?" Austin asked, uncertainly.
"You got it, right." Alysia nodded in agreement.
"Is that why I managed to dodge your throwing knife earlier? It felt like my body has grown stronger," Austin had a sudden realization.
"Bingo! Being a demon naturally enhances your body, but it also comes with some weaknesses. You can take your time in exploring the improving part by yourself, but I need to immediately address our weakness."
"Firstly, while we don't have a severe vulnerability to the sun like the Blood Tribes, or vampires in your sense of the word, we inherently detest sunlight and won't be able to exert our full strength under its influence. However, in exchange for that, we gradually grow stronger as the night approaches."
"Secondly, we're extremely sensitive to Divine Power. This kind of power can be found in various Sacred Objects, such as a Cross blessed by a priest, and so on. Oh, for your information, the Holy Judgment Army we were talking about earlier is real, and they're kind of a pain in the ass because they use Divine Power as their main source of strength, which we, Demons, are inherently weak against." Alysia went on.
For the next dozens of minutes, Alysia continued listing down the weaknesses of demons, which made him slightly dizzy.
Just a while ago, he was still pondering how bored Alysia and Eris must be to engage in roleplay in the morning.
He guessed that, being already smart and wealthy, they had nothing better to do.
He then decided to join in their little play because he found it somewhat interesting and believed he needed to perform a similar performance to learn about his situation.
Little did he know that the things he viewed as nonsense would turn out to be true!
...
"Do you understand?" Alysia inquired with a serious expression.
Austin simply nodded listlessly.
"Since you've grasped that, let me ask you a question. If you suddenly feel hunger that you can't suppress despite having eaten many meals, what course of action should you take?"
"Eat more meals?" Austin replied with a blank face.
"..." Alysia.
"Come on! The clear answer is that you need to consume negative emotions, as unsated hunger is a symptom of a demon in need of such emotional sustenance."
"Damn it! I've explained this knowledge to you twice now. Can't you take it more seriously? This concerns your health and safety, but you don't even pay attention to my lecture!" Alysia had the urge to flip the table and rush toward Austin to smack his head.
Austin immediately returned to his senses and said helplessly. "But, Miss Alysia, you can't expect me to immediately understand all those things you cited. I just became a demon; don't you think you should've been more empathetic toward my circumstances?"
He sighed and continued in a pitiful tone, "You know, I was just a normal college student a day ago. Now, I'm suddenly thrust into this whole new world. Although I find the world of supernatural fascinating, the lingering memory of my death terrifies me. Please cut me some slack; even a prisoner needs time to adapt to their life behind bars, right?"
He was being partially honest. From Alysia's narration, he understood that this hidden side of the world, concealed from society, was expectedly filled with dangers everywhere.
But, he was nowhere near as terrified as he described himself to be. His claim that he still felt trauma from his dying experience was just an excuse he made on the spot.
After all, last night's experience felt more like a dream than reality for him.
The only reason he tried to act pitifully was to avoid Alysia's lengthy explanations. His head was already hurting from the overwhelming amount of knowledge she attempted to instill in him.
It's not like he was going to encounter members of the Holy Judgment Army she found annoying or other dangerous creatures soon, right?
At the moment, he was more interested in discovering the changes in his body. Based on Alysia's claim, speed is not the only aspect of his body that got enhanced, right? His strength and stamina must have increased as well!
He was eager to test them right away!
Alysia gave Austin a hard stare before shifting her gaze away. "Hmm, your words do make sense," she said, then pulled out another item from her drawer.
Austin immediately became alarmed, recalling the last thing she drew from her drawer was a knife, and it almost killed him!
"Relax, it's just your phone." Alysia smiled in amusement and retrieved a familiar phone.
Austin sighed in relief and listened to her next words. "Go outside and play with your phone for a while. I need to discuss something with Eris."
"Sure," Austin agreed without hesitation and retrieved his phone. As he switched it on, he purposely glanced at Alysia.
"What? You think I'm snooping through your phone?" Alysia rolled her eyes. "Don't be so full of yourself. Do you really believe I'm bored enough to go through your phone? I'm also aware that guys' phones are usually filled with naughty stuff. That's why I refrain from checking your phone—I'm afraid I might accidentally stumble across something. So don't worry about embarrassing yourself."
Austin was left speechless. He hadn't said a single word, yet Alysia had spoken volumes in one breath.
Is this woman serious?
After a brief contemplation, he finally decides on a comeback.
"Firstly, I never download or keep porn videos in my gallery. I prefer watching them online over certain websites." Austin said with a deadpan face.
This time, it was Alysia's turn to be stunned. She had never met someone as shameless as Austin! Openly exposing his pervert side!
"Secondly, the reason I glanced at you wasn't for all the reasons you mentioned; it's because you didn't charge my phone. Look at my battery percentage; it's at ten percent. How could you let this happen?"
Alysia glared disdainfully at Austin before pulling out a charger. "Here, go charge outside."
Austin grinned and reverted to his usual polite self. "Thank you, Miss Alysia."
After discovering that Alysia wasn't as imposing as he initially perceived and was actually kind enough to rescue him from a ghost possession, he felt at ease. Now, he had the confidence to joke with her a bit.
Alysia rolled her eyes at his obvious act. She felt that ever since she revealed her true nature, Austin had gradually grown more comfortable and didn't bother showing her as much respect anymore.
She wondered whether this was a good thing or not.
But after a second thought, she realized if given a second chance, she'd still make the same decision. After all, maintaining the facade of the kind of a good neighbor girl was exhausting.
Moreover, she would likely spend a lot of time with him in order to nurture him.
If she had to always act every time she met him, imagine how tiring that would be!
...
"You're still here?" Alysia asked, stunned to find that Austin hadn't moved from his spot.
"Err, do you have WiFi? Using mobile data would drain my battery faster."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone