## Chapter 242 – Malice (6)
Veronica excused herself for a moment, leaving Ryu alone with Lowe, feeling awkward. As long as he was with Lowe, avoiding Veronica’s gaze was nearly impossible.
“Dear, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
He never thought she was a bad person to begin with. Ryu knew that if he saw Acer being friendly with another woman, he would feel even more jealous than she did.
So, there was no need to stir up trouble. Once he achieved his goal and left, he wouldn’t see her again. At least, that’s what he thought. Lowe didn’t press further, nodding and turning her gaze towards the city.
“Well… it seems Veronica will be a while, so let’s take a look around the city.”
Lowe, worried Ryu might get lost, held his hand tightly and left the smithy, returning to the city where he had experienced the cheers of the crowd. It seemed news of Lowe’s arrival had spread, as an even larger crowd than before stood in front of the shops, peering inside.
Unlike people in other districts who found her intimidating and couldn’t approach her easily, here, even children came up to Lowe and greeted her cheerfully. One grimy little girl with a runny nose approached Lowe and rummaged in her pocket, pulling out a brightly shining stone and offering it to her.
“Lady Lowe! This is my most precious stone, but I’ll give it to you!”
Lowe didn’t say much, just smiled at the child, patted her head, and accepted the stone.
“Thank you.”
That short word seemed to mean a lot to the child, as her eyes, visible beyond the trickling sweat, sparkled brighter than any jewel. Starting with the child’s smile, people quickly gathered, offering Lowe the things they had.
Lowe accepted the gifts one by one, then casually asked,
“Are you taking care of Veronica the same way?”
At Lowe’s words, the people’s movements stopped. They looked at each other, chuckled, and then spoke.
“The Demon Lord just curses us, saying we should be thinking about how to make things more perfect instead of wasting time making or checking things like this.”
While Lowe was talking to the others, Ryu’s attention was drawn to the various weapons displayed in the shop. From commonly used swords to bizarre weapons that made him wonder if anyone actually used them, simple leather armor, and sturdy heavy armor that looked like it could withstand a dragon’s attack.
The diverse artworks of District 3, which fully expressed its unique character, were also captivating, but this place had a different kind of charm and pride.
He could almost feel the heat emanating from the objects filled with the artisans’ sweat and passion.
As he and Claire looked around, the crowd that had gathered around Lowe gradually dispersed. Ryu then approached Lowe and cautiously spoke.
“Is it true that you created District 4?”
Judging from her earlier appearance, it was hard to believe it was a lie. Lowe immediately spoke as if it were nothing.
“It would be more accurate to say that I gave opportunities to those who were marginalized. I’m not that great of a person.”
From her not exactly denying it, Ryu could once again feel the size of Lowe’s capacity.
As the chaotic situation came to an end, Veronica’s aide, Reina, approached them.
“Lady Lowe, the preparations are complete.”
Lowe slowly nodded and followed Reina towards Veronica’s mansion. Located a little behind what was called the heart of the smithy, Veronica’s mansion didn’t have the extravagant appearance of the other Demon Lords’ mansions he had seen so far.
Entering the crude mansion made of stones commonly found in the underground of District 4, Veronica, who had come out to the entrance to greet them, looked as if she had just finished washing, with damp hair. He wasn’t so oblivious that he didn’t notice her gaze was fixed on Lowe.
She spoke to Lowe in a friendly manner.
“You must be tired from coming all this way. Let’s go inside and rest.”
Lowe headed to the living room as if she had been there several times before. The interior was quite well decorated, unlike the exterior. The flames blazing in the fireplace on one side of the living room felt cozy. Veronica sat across from Lowe and immediately asked.
“What kind of item do you want? If you came all the way here yourself, it must be something important, right?”
Lowe nodded and materialized the black malice that had fallen from Ryu’s body, placing it on her palm. The malice, wriggling like a snake, looked as if it would spread in all directions at any moment.
“An item that can periodically contain this power… is that possible?”
Veronica wore a thoughtful expression for a moment.
“This energy…”
Her gaze naturally turned to Ryu. Unable to withstand Veronica’s gaze, which seemed to be glaring at him, Ryu lowered his head. Veronica sighed briefly and then looked back at Lowe, saying.
“It’s not impossible, but I need materials. It seems it will take quite a while, is that alright?”
“Quality is more important, so don’t worry about the time.”
Lowe hesitated for a moment, uncharacteristically, before speaking.
“And it would be better to keep testing the reactions while making it… would it be alright if I stayed in this district for a while?”
Veronica nodded.
“You don’t need to ask for permission. You can come here anytime, Lady Lowe. And I’d be happy to have you stay with me.”
She gestured to Reina.
“It’s quite hot, isn’t it? If you’d like, why don’t you take a leisurely bath? The water is good today. Reina, show her the way.”
Lowe didn’t feel the need to refuse the favor. To her, Veronica was one of the trustworthy Demon Lords, and she was certain that nothing would happen to Ryu inside the mansion.
As Lowe nodded and left to take a bath with Reina’s guidance, Veronica didn’t even give Ryu a glance and immediately got up from her seat. Claire and Ryu, left in the living room, awkwardly met each other’s eyes.
Claire broke the awkward silence first.
“I’ve felt it before, but it seems you’re being disliked by Lady Veronica.”
“It can’t be helped. From Lady Veronica’s perspective, I’m not a welcome guest.”
The anxiety about the birth of a new Demon Lord, followed by clear jealousy. Ryu got up from his seat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said to Claire.
“You must be tired too, Senior. Please get some rest.”
Leaving Claire, who nodded and headed to the guest room, Ryu wandered alone through Veronica’s mansion and could feel a gaze watching him from somewhere.
Immediately after, a door opened slightly, and someone’s voice was heard quietly calling him.
“Hey.”
Before he could answer, a rough hand grabbed Ryu’s wrist and dragged him into the room without giving him a chance to resist. Standing before the bewildered Ryu was Veronica.
Her strength was so great that he didn’t even think he could escape the hand grabbing his collar. It felt like being trapped by a giant mountain. Her frame was definitely small, but the strength he felt was reminiscent of Clara. Ryu managed to open his mouth in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
The pressure he felt from her was real, but Ryu wasn’t too flustered. He had something to rely on. There was no possibility that Veronica would harm him. He knew roughly what Lowe’s guest meant to her. Ryu decided to calmly observe the situation for now.
Most of the women he had met so far were at least a head taller than him, so Veronica, who was at a similar height, felt somewhat refreshing. Veronica stared intently at Ryu’s face for a while, then asked in an angry tone.
“What’s your relationship with Lady Lowe? Why does she look at you like that? I’ve never seen her look at anyone like that before.”
Ryu paused for a moment.
Sensing Veronica’s wavering eyes, Ryu didn’t rush to speak. At the same time, the events that had occurred with Veronica in the mansion came flooding back to him. He didn’t exactly have any ill feelings towards her, but he couldn’t exactly see her in a completely positive light after what had happened.
This wasn’t an answer Ryu consciously came up with.
He simply instinctively chose the words that would most likely fluster Veronica and blurted them out.
“We’re in love.”
As soon as the words were out, Veronica’s eyes widened significantly.
“What…?”
And then Ryu witnessed it for the first time.
A Demon Lord of a district running out of the room in tears.
