[Vorn's POV]
Carrying a tray filled with food, I walked into the large dining hall of the prison. Several inmates in orange uniforms, all battered-faced, averted their eyes when I glanced at them.
I made them like that, and I finally came out of the isolation room today. My fists still hurt from beating them.
This human body is really an inconvenience.
I went to a table in the corner of the room, which was not too full. The inmates who were sitting there immediately flinched when they saw me.
"Relax." I put my tray on the table. "I won't do anything if you guys don't mess with me."
But they all moved from there, and I didn't care. I still eat my food.
Not long after, a group of people with tattoos sat at this table. It looks like the previous inmates were forced to leave. Maybe these people were from a gang or something.
I don't give a shit.
One of them, rather muscular with a dragon's head tattoo on his forehead, leaned toward me. "You already know me, right? So…."
"No, I don't know who you are." I cut him off while shoving a spoonful of mashed potato into my mouth. "And I don't care."
The man chuckled while his comrades remained silent. "I'm Cody Riggs, the son of the Riggs family. You would already know that family, right?"
I continued to chew my food, not answering him, and had no intention of doing so.
"Really?" The man named Cody tapped his forehead. "You don't know the Riggs family? We control the southern part of this city…."
"What do you want?" I cut him off again. I wasn't bothered, but too lazy to talk to him for too long.
One of Cody's followers suddenly grabbed my collar. "Watch your mouth, motherfucker. Don't you know who you're talking to?"
"I told you, I don't know." I shrugged, already thinking about what attack to use.
That man was about to raise his hand to hit me, but Cody hastily held him back.
"Because you look busy, we won't waste your time." Cody cracked a smile. "We're offering you to join us. The feud between groups in this place is heating up, you know. We'll reward you accordingly…."
"Sorry, not interested." I started scooping my food again.
"Please, can you hear me first?" Cody's voice had risen. "We highly value your fighting skills, so respect us as well."
Yeah, get angry and attack me. I still want to beat up people to blow out some steam.
"How was your prison life, Vorn?"
I stopped eating. The voice wasn't from Cody anymore, but it was familiar.
Of course, I had used that voice long enough in another world.
Looking up, I found a muscular figure with neck-length black hair. Even though he was hornless and dressed orange like a convict, it was unmistakably the figure of Vorn.
He's the cosmic being who brought me to that fantasy world.
"What do you want?" I narrowed my eyes.
The cosmic being displays a smile and stretches out his hand. "Can't I visit an old friend?
I looked around and saw no one else in the dining room. "Just answer my question."
"I just want to thank you." He chuckled. "You are the most fun demon lord to watch."
I raised an eyebrow. "I can't say that I am fond of those words."
Yes, being a source of entertainment for him is an insult to me. All my struggles were just a spectacle to him.
"I've brought many other demon lords in other versions of that world." The cosmic being began to explain. "Two things will happen to them. They will either stop playing due to stress or keep playing but die and have to be reincarnated hundreds of years later. And that usually doesn't happen once in every individual. Meanwhile, you are different. You are already prepared a plan to return to that world without being reincarnated. This is the first time."
A bitter chuckle left my mouth. From the start, I didn't like him. The idea of an entity that is higher than me really bothers me.
I folded my arms across my chest. "You came to me just to say that?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't beg me to take you back to that world? You didn't want to go back to your bitches right away? You know I'm capable of doing that, right?"
"Do you really want to do it? You're amused by my plan, right? You want to know what I'm going to do next, right?"
The cosmic being lowered his chin, then laughed aloud. "Yeah, I want to keep watching your journey!"
He wiped away a single drop of tears that flowed because he had laughed too much. "You are indeed very interesting, Vorn…. Okay, I will tell you one thing in return for giving me high-level entertainment. The thing is, your underlings are trying hard to guard your empire and bring you back to that world."
In an instant, my heart rate soared. My emotions were overflowing, but I kept them from showing on my face.
"Good, then." I drank my share of pineapple juice. "I'll be patiently waiting to finish off Hiana's ass."
"And one more thing" He wore a big smile. "After this, what you face will be even more difficult…."
"So?" I bit my brownie cake. "Bring it on. I'm not afraid."
"You don't understand, Vorn." The cosmic being sighed. "But I will look forward to your surprises."
After that, everything returned to the way it was. The inmates in orange uniforms reappeared in this large dining room.
"....the point is, you will be rich if you come with me, both here and outside." The gang chief's son muttered. "What do you want? Women? Alcohol? Or anything else forbidden? I can prepare that."
I narrowed my eyes, getting the impression this man had been talking for a long time.
"That's my explanation." Cody took a breath and leaned toward me again. "So, do you understand?"
"I wasn't even paying attention to your ramblings." I took another bite of my brownie.
The gang chief's son opened his mouth, speechless.
"And no." I gulped down my pineapple juice. "I will never join you.