[Time limit has passed. Skill: Darkness Manifestation ends]
With that final notification the system window disappeared
the darkness and shadowy form
surrounding Dalton's body slowly dissolved, and his demon horns disappeared now that he was out of the battle mode as he returned to his original form.
Though his expression remained stunned, Dalton was not truly shocked. Given how loud Bella screamed, he thought his ears might have gone deaf.
'...'
Shaking his head furiously for a moment to regain his bearings, Dalton took a deep breath and looked down toward the door. Bella, still on her knees, looked terrified, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Bella's eyes met his, still watery and on the verge of crying.
"T-T... They told me... to... a... ask you to... stop... whatever... the heavy noises coming from your room... My Lord..." she sniffled.
Dalton's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment as he muttered to himself, 'Noises, huh... Must have been when I was testing the skills.'
He sighed. "Fine, whatever. You can leave."
"...EH!?" Bella stared at him, shocked. "I can leave? Just like that?"
"What else will you do now that you've delivered the message?" Dalton asked, slightly confused by her response.
"Aren't you going to punish me?"
"Punish...? Why would I? You just did your job."
Bella quickly stood up, stepping toward him, her wide eyes no longer filled with fear but still filled with surprise.
"But you always, ALWAYS punish the servants who displease you!"
Dalton's mind went into overdrive. Displeasure? Punishment? What is she talking about? Could this be something the real Dalton did? His face remained calm despite the rush of thoughts. What kind of things has he done in the past?!
"Um... what kind of punishments?"
"YOU SERIOUSLY DON'T REMEMBER?!?" Bella nearly yelled, her disbelief obvious as she gestured wildly.
"There was that time when you found two servants talking while working, so you taped their mouths shut for the entire day! And then there was the time you made the chef eat only vegetables because he served you slightly cold food! And you even made a servant work shirtless all day because you didn't like the color of his shirt!"
"I did WHAT?!?" Dalton's face turned bright red with embarrassment.
His inner thoughts raced: No, no, no. Calm down. Calm down. Those are the deeds of the real Dalton, not me. Yes, yes, it has nothing to do with me...
AAKK! Fuck! I knew he was trash, but this explains why everyone hated him!
No wonder he was called the Trash Lord. Not only am I stuck in his body—like some foot soldier—but even though he's a demon lord, his reputation is worse than I thought!
Dalton quickly shook off the thoughts and looked at Bella. "J-Just forget all that and leave. No one's getting punished here, just... leave."
Bella looked back at him, still wide-eyed. 'So I won't be getting punished...?' She waited for his response, staring at him with big, innocent eyes.
"Sigh... Yeah, you won't be getting punished. Just leave."
With those words, Bella didn't hesitate. She dashed out of the room like a rat.
---
...
'What the...? She's already gone? Just like that.? '
Suddenly, a familiar interface appeared—none other than the system.
[Seems like that player...]
"Tsk. You're back again?"
[Of course. Where would I even be if I left you alone? You're my favorite person after all.]
Dalton's annoyance was clear. "Don't try to butter me up. I'm not buying it. You barely know me. We've known each other for, what, a few hours at most? Don't lie."
[Fair enough. That was a lie. I have better priorities than you anyway.]
Dalton's irritation grew. "You shameless —"
[Now, now. No need to curse me. I've brought good news.]
Dalton narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping in. "And what exactly is the good news?"
[The Supreme Authority has accepted your demand for three wishes, but only if you bring balance back to this world.]
[However, there is one condition.]
[You will only be granted the privilege to make your wishes after you show progress in restoring balance.]
Dalton groaned internally. How annoying... 'Still, better than nothing, I guess.'
"Fine, I'll do it. But in my own way. Don't complain or nag about how I do it."