Act 2

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“Sigh…”

With his eyes tightly closed and his breath steadied, the man named Herand Crypart soon began to walk again through the long, lined corridor. The mansion was so dazzlingly splendid that it could leave one’s mouth agape. This place, exuding an aura as majestic as a palace, would have been admired carefully like works of art by anyone unfamiliar. However, Herand could not feel the same way. Instead, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Imagine a monster waiting at the end of the corridor he was walking down; anyone would feel the same. 

‘I don’t want to go. I don’t want to meet him.’ 

Negative thoughts began to fill his mind. As Herand arrived at the door where the monster awaited, he wondered if it would be better to just turn back.

“Master Herand, the lord is waiting inside.”

But it was too late to turn back now. Waving off the servant standing by the door, indicating that no guidance was needed, Herand straightened his disheveled attire and pushed open the door.

The reception room he entered was even more luxuriously decorated than the corridor. There, a man was watering plants with a watering can. 

“Orchids?”

The plant the man was watering was indeed an orchid. For the owner of such a resplendent mansion, it seemed a rather humble hobby. As if he heard his muttering, the man turned his head. The first thing noticeable was his narrow eyes, in which the pupils were not visible, and the faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

“Have you arrived? Brother Herand.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Upon hearing the gentle voice, Herand inwardly swallowed his saliva.

Every action of his was impossible to ignore. Julian Crypart Frason. A distant relative from the Crypart family, he was the most skilled swordsman in the family and was born a monster with coldness and cruelty. His nickname, ‘The Smiling Guillotine,’ was well-known; there wasn’t anyone who didn’t know that the hand holding the watering can had been stained with the blood of numerous demons and humans.

Therefore, Herand, despite being older and of higher nobility, feared Julian. He was a demon who could kill demons, humans, and even his own family without batting an eye.

“Are, are you okay with your head?”

Herand, trying his best to hide his fear, opened his mouth and pointed at Julian’s head with his finger.

“I heard you were injured in the head while hunting demons on the border of the Empire.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard from the physician that you might be suffering from memory loss…”

“There is some, but it’s not something for you to worry about, brother.”

At Julian’s words, Herand nodded.

“Speaking of which, I heard that the survivors of the Hyrans family, whom you recently purged, have sought asylum in the Fernand Holy Kingdom.”

“The Hyrans family…”

“Do you remember them? I believe the second son of that family particularly disliked you. Well, he eventually died by your hand.”

“I’m sorry, brother.”

Julian turned his head.

“I don’t remember.”

Herand flinched at the blunt reply. ‘He doesn’t remember.’ Given Julian’s nature, this statement wasn’t made thoughtlessly. The number of people he has purged is too many to count. It was as if he was questioning whether it would be possible to remember each one of them.

At the same time, Herand thought, ‘It’s a signal not to talk about unnecessary things and get to the point.’ In front of this narrow-eyed monster, lies seemed useless and hiding one’s true intentions appeared to be of no benefit. Herand swallowed hard.

As Julian said, there was another reason for his visit today.

“Yes, I know you are injured, but… the elders of the council wish for you to participate as an instructor in today’s ‘Blind Eye’ initiation test.”

“Blind Eye… Haha.”

Herand was frightened again by Julian’s detached laughter. It was as if a monster, imitating a human, was laughing.

“Understood.”

“Is, is that so…” 

“Will you be accompanying me, Brother Herand?”

Herand nodded.

“Yes, the elders of the Crypart House have ordered me to escort you there.”

The Crypart House, one of the four great noble families of the Empire, has always valued bloodline since ancient times.

Everything was rigorously concentrated on the direct descendants, and if any collateral relatives seemed to overstep their bounds, they were not left unchecked. Collateral relatives, no matter how much they achieved, were never formally recognized as official members of the family and were deeply disliked for gaining fame in public. Consequently, to distinguish between direct and collateral relatives, the Crypart family enforced the use of the middle name ‘Frason’ for collateral kin.

The Crypart family, which dominated the council of elders, wished for this monster, ‘Julian Crypart Frason,’ to fall. Not only was he a despised member of the collateral family, but he was also a monster who could kill even a newborn if it were the will of the empire. The fact that such a heartless being bore the name of the Crypart family was intolerable to the conservative council of elders.

Herand’s visit here was also one of the steps taken for this purpose. There were rumors that Julian had lost his memory in a fight with demons. The aim was to verify the truth of these rumors and to assess his physical condition.

“Guidance… guidance, huh… haha.”

The smile reappeared. Through that smile, Herand could somewhat infer Julian’s thoughts. Probably, that detached laughter meant that he knew everything. Herand felt a chill run down his spine.

“Understood. But would you need some time? To change clothes and mentally prepare, as it has been a while since you last worked.”

“…Well, let’s do that then. We still have some time before the test.”

“But brother,”

As Herand turned to leave, he stopped abruptly at his brother’s voice. What else was left to say? He thought he had laid out all the reasons for his visit.

“You look unwell.”

For a moment, Herand felt an overwhelming urge to shout, ‘It’s because of you!’ in response.

“Do, do I appear so?”

“Yes, it seems like stress. How about trying to grow this?” 

Julian suddenly extended a pot with an orchid growing in it.

“An orchid, you mean?”

“It’s an easy plant to grow. Just keep it in the shade and water it only when it rains, and it will thrive.”

A sardonic smile played on Julian’s face as he spoke these words.

Seeing that smile, he felt he couldn’t refuse. 

‘This orchid, if I fail to take care of it and it dies, does that mean my head is on the line…?’ 

It might be a presumption, but Julian is not nicknamed ‘The Smiling Executioner’ for nothing. Whether on the northern front or in the empire, he’s a madman who treats the lives of his targets like toys. If there’s any excuse, he will undoubtedly swing his sword.

“Th-thank you…………”

“You’re welcome.”

Observing Julian’s ominous smile, Herand reluctantly took the pot, his hands trembling.

***

Looking at the corner of the reception room filled with orchids, I let out a hollow laugh.

Originally, I intended to keep only one or maybe two at most. But it seems the servant misunderstood my order, turning one corner of the reception room into a jungle with so many orchids. Where on earth did they find so many?

At least I managed to get rid of one just now. It should be a good deed, giving it to someone who seemed to need mental peace.

‘Judging by Herand’s reaction, my acting worked.’

Muttering to myself, I shifted my gaze to the mirror deep inside the reception room.

What caught my eye was a faint smile, like wearing a mask, among the gray hair and the bandages wrapped around the head.

“With eyes like these, it’s surprising how well I can see.”

Those were narrow eyes, slits so perfect that the pupils were completely hidden.

Murmuring to myself, I carefully examined ‘myself’ reflected in the mirror. ‘A walking hypocrisy,’ ‘a hotbed of betrayal,’ everything typically associated with a ‘slit-eyed character’ came to mind when looking at the mirror. At least to me, the reflection seemed malevolent.

This man isn’t really me.

‘Julian Crypart Frason.’

A detestable villain from the game I was obsessed with and loved, ‘Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now.’

Yes, I had become ‘Julian Crypart Frason’ from ‘Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now.’

‘It did make it easier to act as Julian.’

To cut a long story short, I dislike this character. No, it would be more accurate to say I detest him.

He repaid the kindness of the protagonist ‘Hayden Reich’  with enmity, and despite using formal language, he possesses a contemptuous personality. Ultimately, he is the worst kind of character, even cutting off Hayden’s breath in the final moment. Therefore, it was quite easy for me to play ‘Julian’ and recall his lines. 

‘The more you dislike someone, the clearer you see them.’

But this doesn’t mean I’m pleased with the situation. On the first day, due to a headache, I couldn’t even get out of bed. Servants and strangers came to ask if I was alright, and amidst my headache, I yelled at them to get out, which led to rumors of me having amnesia. However, that didn’t seem like something to worry about. 

What’s important now is that I’ve become a character from the game ‘Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now.’ 

“And of all characters, it had to be Julian that I’m possessed.”

Right, exactly. 

“But does even my self-talk get converted to formal language?”

I made an incredulous face and then looked again at the slit-eyed man in the mirror.

===

Julian Crypart Frason

Character Traits

⇒ Slit eyes

⇒ Formal language

⇒ Poker face

⇒ Dominant presence

⇒ Impassive

Character Attributes

==

Incredible intuition

⇒ The color of denial

⇒ Born swordsman

Vessel of the Demon Lord

Exceptional mana control

=

A familiar window popped up in front of me. It’s the UI window used in ‘Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now.’ I’ve spent the last five days trying to figure out how to use it. I focused on the part about the character trait ‘Formal Language’ written there.

【Character Trait《Formal Language>】

Effect

– All spoken language carries respect. You address everyone, be it a child or an adult, with formal language.

The malevolent ‘slit-eyed character’ is a typical trait found in many such characters, and it includes the use of formal language. The character I currently possessed, ‘Julian,’ is also one of these ominous ‘slit-eyed characters,’ known in the story for speaking formally to everyone.

But still,

“Even my self-talk is subjected to this? Isn’t that a bit too much, isn’t it… isn’t it… isn’t it? Ah, forget it!”

I tried to cut my words short, but somehow, they still came out in formal language. With so many things already on my mind, I didn’t want to waste energy on this triviality. Exhausted, I threw myself onto the sofa in the center of the reception room.

“Damn it… What a cursed situation this is…!”

I vented my frustration, overwhelmed by the daunting reality of having to live as ‘Julian.’ A recognized genius in both swordsmanship and magic from a young age. A member of the ‘Blind Eye,’ an elite imperial agency. The protagonist of ‘Let’s Kill the Demon Lord Now,’ the hero Hayden Reich’s disciple.

“At the same time…”

A madman. A sociopath. A monster wearing a mask of humanity, the devil of the northern front, the smiling executioner. Such fearsome nicknames suggest ‘Julian Crypart Frason’ has many enemies. Even his own family, the Crypart, despised him for being a collateral relative.

Utterly isolated.

That phrase naturally comes to mind when thinking about this character, someone with nowhere to turn. In this harsh world, the only thing he could rely on was his own strength. But even that strength is useless to me now. Me, ‘Lee Si-hoo,’ who possessed the ‘slit-eyed villain,’ is just an ordinary person with no particular skill in swordsmanship.

“How overwhelming…”

This is why the current situation feels so daunting. Considering the infamy ‘Julian’ has built up, I must have more enemies in this Empire than I can imagine. Showing even a hint of weakness could lead to a merciless demise.

So, much as I hate it, really hate it, I need to perfectly play the part of ‘Julian.’ The sinister, insane, slit-eyed character feared by everyone in the Empire.

‘For now, I guess I’ll start by participating as an instructor in the Blind Eye initiation test, as mentioned by the council of elders.’

With that thought, I unwrapped the bandages around my head. How this happened, how I can return to my original world – I’ll figure it out eventually. For now, surviving in this absurd situation is the priority.

“Though it’s a headache, I guess I’ll have to play the role of an instructor for a while… for a while! Can’t my self-talk at least be exempt!?”

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