THE HERO'S SON IS A MONSTER-Chapter 56: Awful

Ariane felt that if she did nothing, the Ruler of Pandemonium would make her suffer something unpleasant. Her gaze hardened slightly before she spoke in a firm tone:

"Put me down."

The Ruler of Pandemonium obeyed without protest and reluctantly set her down. Having two children perched on her wasn’t easy, and she saw it as a temporary inconvenience, though it clearly did not sit well with Ariane.

"We can’t have a proper discussion here."

As soon as she regained her balance, Ariane shot a dark look at the Ruler of Pandemonium, who merely shrugged, indifferent to her irritation. She had known Ariane for a long time and understood that her fiery temperament wasn’t always worth reacting to.

"Alright," she replied, adjusting her grip on the child before following Ariane with an expression oscillating between curiosity and amusement.

As they walked through the cold, metallic corridors, the Ruler of Pandemonium let her thoughts wander. How many laboratories had she accumulated in the end? It felt like Ariane kept forgetting them before creating new ones each time. Since all the data was centralized, it wasn’t really an issue, but this obsession with repetition intrigued her—she understood the reason.

Since all the data can be centralized, does she keep forgetting them and generating a new one each time?

It’s not impossible, especially since she has delegated the management of this place! Of course, she was referring to the autonomous moving castle.

Her mind then drifted toward the child she was carrying. She lifted him gently to bring him closer to her face and gazed intently into his eyes.

"She calls me the Ruler of Pandemonium," she said with a playful smile. "Can you talk to me a little?"

The child stared back at her, as if analyzing the situation with inhuman concentration, but his expression remained neutral.

Ariane abruptly turned around and warned:

"I don’t know if he will answer you, but one thing is certain: he doesn’t always understand the meaning of the words he uses."

The Ruler of Pandemonium didn’t react immediately. She had encountered so many strange creatures and experienced so many absurd situations that an enigmatic child wasn’t enough to unsettle her. Yet, this being had something unique. An absence of expectations.

"Well, he lacks a spirit..."

Ariane nodded silently. The child only reacted to specific stimuli—no action, no response. But just as they formulated this thought, something unexpected happened. They had seen extraordinary things, yet this still managed to surprise them.

"Yes..."

It wasn’t Ariane who had spoken, but the child himself, distinctly responding to the Ruler of Pandemonium’s request.

She burst out laughing, her voice filled with excitement:

"Would you mind answering a few questions?"

With the Scarlet Lineage, she was convinced he had retained fragments of memories. It might be chaotic, especially with Ariane’s device, but they could surely extract something useful. Whether it was the past memories of the creatures that had given birth to him.

The child remained impassive, seemingly unaffected by her enthusiasm—at least, that’s what Ariane deduced. Frustrated by his lack of reaction and wanting to settle down and talk in peace, she made a casual gesture and instantly teleported the guardian of the level before them.

The Ruler of Pandemonium no longer paid attention to what was happening, merely following Ariane and waiting for the response from this small being, who seemed to have a processing delay.

Why such a long wait? How fast is his brain working?

She moved her face even closer to the child’s, her impatience perhaps not as intense as Ariane’s, but her curiosity was insatiable. Until it was satisfied, she wouldn’t stop.

Whether her method had worked or if the child had simply decided to respond, he answered once again: "Yes."

A large translucent cube appeared, engraved with strange luminous patterns. She stated her request, and the cube obeyed, opening a door leading to the lobby of the Sleeping Coffin.

Taking a slight breath, she stepped through, followed by the Ruler of Pandemonium.

Ariane settled onto an enormous sofa with deep black cushions, quickly joined by the Ruler of Pandemonium, who placed the child beside her.

"This thing is huge. Was it made for giants?" she remarked aloud, examining the massive furniture. She knew Ariane wouldn’t answer. Perhaps even she no longer remembered the reason for choosing such proportions. But in any case, that wasn’t the issue at hand.

The Ruler of Pandemonium exchanged a glance with Ariane. No words were spoken, but an unspoken agreement was reached. First, they had to test whether the child retained any memories beyond those awakened by the Scarlet Lineage.

"So, where do you come from?"

A seemingly simple question, but one that took on a completely different meaning in this context. This child was anything but normal. He never had been.

"Celestial, Xi’an, Shanghai, ..."

They weren’t really expecting an answer, but what they heard left them bewildered. In unison, they tilted their heads in confusion.

"What the...?"

The child was speaking in multiple languages at once. It was impossible to determine if he was truly answering the question or just reciting random information. Then, he began listing a series of names, his monotone voice resonating oddly in the room. The Ruler of Pandemonium recognized a few words, but overall, the speech was incomprehensible.

Ariane, exasperated, finally shouted:

"Stop, stop, we get it..."

The child stopped immediately.

"Make up your minds. You asked a question, I’m just answering," he stated in a neutral tone.

His empty gaze exuded a strange aura, almost arrogant. An untrained observer might think he was an ancient scholar trapped in a juvenile body.

"What an awful personality..." the Ruler of Pandemonium muttered.

She observed him for a long moment. He had the appearance of a three-year-old, but in reality, he was only a month old. Was he mocking them? Or had simply playing with Ariane accelerated his evolution?

Ariane snapped her fingers!

Familiar terms recognized. The search is based on a location.

All names have been successfully saved.

Search results for the spoken terms...

Similarity detected: Celestial Kingdom.

...

A silence settled before the mechanical voice resumed in a neutral, synthetic tone:

"Data analysis in progress... Correspondences found: ancient legends and myths. Fragmented information. Database insufficient for a complete analysis."

Ariane and the Ruler of Pandemonium listened to the report. Of course, now that the topic had been directed, the Ruler of Pandemonium had a vague idea.

A short buzzing sound preceded the response:

"Processing request... Fragmented historical sources. Diverging theories. Additional research required. Suggestions: explore other databases, retrieve lost archives, cross-reference recorded testimonies."

The system’s voice abruptly stopped. The analysis was complete.

Silence.

Then, nothing more.