THE HERO'S SON IS A MONSTER-Chapter 55: Ends of test 2
"Ariane, what have you done?"
The Ruler of Pandemonium had returned. This time, she was so impatient that time itself seemed to have shortened, which surprised Ariane.
How does she do that every time?
Among all the entities roaming the wandering castle, only she could appear like this, without restrictions, as if common sense did not apply to her. Ariane didn’t even know when she had arrived. A second earlier, she was nowhere to be seen, and the next moment, she was there—an elusive shadow.
"Could you stop doing that every time?" Ariane asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.
She was talking about how the Ruler of Pandemonium appeared and disappeared here whenever she wanted, and especially when she wanted.
"Doing what?"
"That."
Ariane sniffed, exasperated. As always, their conversation was stalling before it had even begun. And as always, neither of them made any effort to fix it.
"Answer my question!"
"If you answer mine, I’ll answer yours!"
"But I was the first to ask a question!"
"That doesn’t mean anything!"
"It means everything!"
"Are you looking for a fight?"
"If I were, I would have found it already."
A tense silence settled between them, but it was nothing more than a game. A verbal duel with an always uncertain outcome. Eventually, the Ruler of Pandemonium relented, as she usually did, making a concession tinged with condescension.
"You’ve simply forgotten after messing with your memory so much... In any case, I don’t think I could stop even if I wanted to—it’s not something within my control. And you, you could be more vigilant. I don’t know if it’s laziness, but your senses are dulled. There was a time when you could sense me from the other side of the world."
Ariane narrowed her eyes.
"I feel like you’ve been using my memory issues as an excuse a lot lately... It’s not like I completely lost it. Aren’t you afraid of what might happen to you if I decided to recover all of it?"
A heavy silence fell. For the first time since their exchange had begun, the Ruler of Pandemonium had no response.
Ariane smirked.
"Then be careful. You dare speak of vigilance, yet you sneak in here like a thief?"
"I find you quite bold, Lady Ariane," the other replied with a small chuckle.
"Make up your mind. Are you going to be respectful or insolent?" Ariane said, slightly embarrassed to be called Lady Ariane.
"..."
The Ruler of Pandemonium passed in front of Ariane without saying a word, then she pulled one of the chairs nearby.
"If you wish, Lady Ariane! Then will you deign to answer my question?"
"Oh, of course," Ariane replied enthusiastically, before saying, "Eh!" Everything that had happened so far rushed back to her mind, like a child who had just made a bad joke. She had gotten confused about what she was supposed to say.
"Wh-what question?" she stammered. She didn’t even realize that the Ruler of Pandemonium hadn’t accused her of anything. She was just overthinking, as several scenarios had already played out in her head.
The Ruler of Pandemonium simply stared at her for a moment, amused by Ariane’s confusion. An enigmatic smile appeared on her face, but she said nothing. She simply played with the chair she had pulled out, spinning it slowly between her fingers, her piercing gaze fixed on Ariane.
"You seem a little lost," she finally said, breaking the silence. Her voice was calm but sharp.
"But that’s good, isn’t it? You’re not as certain of yourself as you used to be. It’s fascinating, really."
Ariane shook herself slightly, as if trying to clear her muddled thoughts, and tried to regain composure.
"You... you were talking about a question, right?" she stammered, forcing herself to focus. Of course, she knew what was being asked, but since the right excuse wasn’t coming, she had to buy time.
"What do you want to know?"
The Ruler of Pandemonium let out a slight laugh, but there was no mockery in her tone, just a hint of curiosity.
"You see, that’s the problem," she responded, still detached.
"You get lost in your own thoughts and forget to answer the questions asked. But don’t worry, I’m patient."
Ariane felt a slight discomfort rise within her. She didn’t like losing control, especially not in front of the Ruler of Pandemonium. But she knew it was pointless to act tough. The intrigue, the mystery of the Ruler of Pandemonium, always captivated her, even though it made her uneasy.
"So, what’s your question?" she repeated, this time with more firmness, trying to take control of the conversation.
The Ruler of Pandemonium settled comfortably in the chair she had pulled, crossing her legs and observing Ariane with a penetrating gaze.
"What I wanted to know," she said, taking her time, "What have you done to the boy? He’s so different from before."
"No no,nothing!"
"Nothing?"
"What do you mean, nothing?" the Ruler of Pandemonium asked.
Ariane began wiping invisible sweat from her forehead, forgetting even that her body didn’t require natural regulation and didn’t secrete waste like beings of flesh.
"Not even the tests I asked you to do?"
"Ah... Oh, that." Finally, a way out appeared to her.
"Don’t worry about that, I’d even say the results are very conclusive, applaud me!"
"So, what have you done to the kid to make him like this?" Both of them turned their gaze and glanced at the little boy next to Ariane.
"I’m hungry!"
"Oh, he speaks fluently now!" The Ruler of Pandemonium smiled and approached the child, lifting him up to examine him.
Overall, his vital energy had decreased, but it’s negligible.
"How many times has he died?" she asked Ariane, who was slowly—very slowly—trying to escape without drawing attention. Of course, she knew she would be noticed, and escaping was impossible.
The Ruler of Pandemonium grabbed her by the collar and lifted her with one hand as if she were a cat who had done something wrong.
