Chapter 26: Good or Evil

After reaching their room, Nero climbed up the sofa and opened the window to enjoy the cool breeze.

"How in the world could you eat that much?" Emilia was also back to her usual self.

"Don't you know it's bad manners to ask someone that?"

Emilia folded her arms under her bosom and said in a loud voice, "But, I paid for them."

"I know, I know. Thanks for that."

"I am penniless now, and I don't even know how will I survive now."

Nero was still looking outside the window and enjoying the wind while talking with Emilia without even looking at her.

"Don't you have your money?" Emilia asked curiously.

"I woke up naked in the coffin, with no clothes, no nothing— just shackles."

"How are we going to survive now?" Emilia sighed deeply.

"Well, I do have a large amount of treasure buried where I used to live, but I don't think it would be there now."

"Did you steal it?" Emilia asked as if it was given.

"Hell no. I used to get some handsome rewards for helping people out, and I never had any expenses to begin with. So I buried them thinking I might use it in the future."

Nero tittered with a distant smile on his face.

"This reminds me of that king who was overly obsessed with me. He wanted me to marry his daughter—the princess and inherit his throne after his death," Nero chuckled as he recalled his good memories.

It was rare for Nero to talk about himself, which piqued Emilia's interest to ask Nero more questions.

"What were you before you were sealed?"

"I was a prime adventurer— a Hero."

"A demon… was a hero?" Emilia was confused but calm.

Nero had told Emilia that he was a good person before he was sealed, but it was Emilia's first time hearing about Nero being a Hero.

"Yeah, it might sound unrealistic, but I was a good guy. I liked helping and protecting everyone. It... made me happy."

"Although I did that for only one reason," Nero looked at the bracelet and continued," But humans always hated me."

"Don't say that! You still are a 'good' person."

"I am not," Nero replied in an emotionless tone. "If someone was dying in front of me, I won't help them."

"But you saved Venus, didn't you?" Emilia remarked.

"I did it for my own reasons. I need something from her once she wakes up." When Nero first looked at Venus' dead body, he saw something that piqued his curiosity, and that's why he called Nure to save her. 

Emilia shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "You don't like evil and injustice."

Nero scoffed, then took a deep breath before saying, "Fighting against evil doesn't necessarily make one a good person." Nero stopped and looked at Emilia from the corner of his eye.

After some dead silence for a moment— which was an eternity for Nero and Emilia, Nero tried to divert the topic to ease the atmosphere.

"Would you believe me if I said I am still hungry?" Nero questioned with a grin on his face.

"What?" Emilia looked at Nero with a calm— yet concerned look on her face.

"Well, you see..." Nero turned around and sat on the sofa as he leaned back at the window. "I don't really need to eat or drink to satisfy my hunger or thirst. My body doesn't need these mundane foods— but I like to eat them so I can enjoy the taste."

"But you said you are still hungry even after eating that much."

"Yeah, and that's because my body digests anything I eat— within seconds. Didn't you hear me burping as soon as I ate something?"

"What about alcohol? You don't get drunk?"

"I do, but only if I drink too much."

Emilia frowned her face and spoke, "You did drink too much."

"It was just five barrels— that's just like a starter."

"You have a weird body."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who was on death's door by some mere injuries," Nero smirked, then realized he shouldn't have said that.

Emilia squinted her eyes and puffed her cheeks, then walked to the bed. "I am going to sleep."

"Me too," Nero yawned and walked to the bed.

He then carried Sophia to the sofa near the window and wondered, "Is it safe here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone won't come in and attack, right?"

"No such things happen in towns."

"You don't know," Nero peeked out of the window to make sure. "It seems you have never heard of the word 'Assassination.

"Why are you paranoid all of a sudden?" Emilia questioned.

"I am not paranoid."

"You are acting like that, though."

Nero sighed deeply then uttered, "Listen, being paranoid means being scared of something. I am powerful, and what do I fear? Nothing."

Emilia glanced at Sophia and sat on the bed. "Who is she to you?"

Nero rubbed his thumb on Sophia's cheek and answered with a gentle smile on his face, "She is an important companion and a close friend of mine."

'Friend?' Emilia wondered and then pondered, 'Does that mean I was getting jealous over nothing? I was thinking she might be his lover since he was being awfully gentle with her.'

Emilia cleared her throat and asked, "What about Nure, that masked girl?"

Emilia was trying to juice out as much information as she could to know more about Nero.