Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - chapter 8

The carved fireplace was piled high with burning firewood. Faces illuminated by the firelight flickered between light and shadow.

“Th-they… Wh-why is everyone s-so silent?”

Awkward and tense, the deathly silence was broken by a stammered voice.

Everyone in the room turned their gaze, almost in unison, toward where Beili was.

Beili: …

Seriously, you couldn’t have picked a better time to speak?

Beili was so startled that her hair stood on end. Instinctively, she grabbed the boy’s hand, still trying her best to maintain composure.

Because in moments like this, whoever accidentally reveals a hint of vulnerability will absolutely become the first dish served at the table.

“Y-your palm… it’s, it’s damp.”

As if oblivious to the tense atmosphere, the boy’s weak voice carried a trace of untimely amusement.

Beili almost wanted to drop dead on the spot.

She wasn’t sure if Ashera, the villainous fifth male lead, was genuinely clueless because he couldn’t see, or if he was doing it on purpose.

But the latter seemed far more likely.

Now, although no one in the room had made a move, it was clear that everyone had split into three groups.

The first group was gathered around the dining table, their neatly arranged knives and forks ready to become weapons at any moment.

The second group was near the racks filled with clothes, jewelry, and perfume. While these items weren’t as lethal as knives and forks, the antique weapons hanging on the wall beside the racks could be taken down and used.

The third group consisted of people like Beili and Ashera, standing in the corner, not involved with anything.

Moreover, among this crowd, Ashera stood out as especially different.

His weak tone, stammering speech, and blindness all highlighted his vulnerability, making him quickly become the target of everyone’s attention.

Of course, Beili, who appeared to be on friendly terms with the boy, was not spared either.

She watched as the people at the table began whispering to each other, exchanging glances that practically screamed, “Hey, why don’t we deal with that blind kid and the girl next to him first!”

Sensing they were about to become the first course, Beili gripped Ashera’s hand tightly, her expression cold as she stared down the others, while lowering her voice to say, “According to the rule that only one person can leave alive, I’m afraid these people want to deal with you and me first… So our situation is very dangerous right now…”

So, villain, as the biggest boss in the original book, can you switch to your dark side and take care of them before they take care of us?!

Beili screamed inwardly.

Hearing her words, the boy finally looked as if he understood.

His first reaction was to move behind Beili, “W-will you a-abandon me… friend…”

His voice trembled slightly, as if he was about to be mercilessly abandoned and was falling into panic.

Beili: …

Looks like he doesn’t intend to make a move.

Realizing this, Beili began to sigh inwardly.

Glancing at the spiral staircase beside her, Beili made up her mind and whispered, “In a moment, we’ll go up to the second floor and hide in a room to make them shift their focus.”

The boy behind her said, “O-okay…”

Beili continued, “I’ll count down three-two-one and then run, pulling you to the right. So you don’t trip on the steps, when I say one, lift your left foot; when I say two, lift your right foot.”
The boy behind her seemed to let out a soft laugh.

Then he uttered two words that Beili couldn’t understand.

Beili silently vowed in her heart-once she reached the plot point where the real heiress makes her strong comeback, she would mobilize all her resources to figure out what on earth the villainous male fifth, Ashera, was muttering all day long!

Of course, that was a matter for later.

Watching the restless figures around the dining table, she whispered:

“Alright, here we go… Three, two, one, run!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Beili immediately grabbed the boy and dashed toward the stairs.

She managed to move before anyone else, dragging Ashera up the steps.

Seeing the two of them running to the second floor, a slightly tall man at the table gripped his knife and fork tightly and stood up, a fierce look flashing in his eyes.

“Quick, catch those two!” he shouted.

A dozen people responded, rising to their feet and surging forward.

‘Tap, tap, tap, tap…’

Up the winding staircase.

Beili held tightly to Ashera’s hand, and, surprisingly smoothly, led him quickly upstairs, ducking into a random room to hide.

Several bookshelves stood against the wall, filled with old parchment books.

This was clearly a study.

“Quick, help me move this bookshelf!”

Beili said urgently to Ashera, and the two of them worked together to shift the shelf.

But the bookshelf, loaded with books, was far heavier than they’d imagined.

Just then, violent banging came from outside the door.

The next moment, the door was forcefully kicked open.

There was no time for idle chatter.

The knives meant for slicing bread and steak were now swung toward the girl closest to them.

Beili’s eyes widened, her red pupils shrinking rapidly.

It’s over, she’s doomed!

At the same moment, the boy beside her began to chant a string of unfamiliar, complex words, fluent and rapid.

Then, the people who had rushed into the room were suddenly thrown back by an invisible, powerful force, slamming hard against the wall with a dull thud.

The door slammed shut.

Beili felt as if she hadn’t even used much strength, yet the bookshelf slid into place, blocking the door.

“Damn… What’s wrong with you? Can’t even hold a knife? You stabbed me in the stomach!”

A voice, pained and angry, rang out.

“This person isn’t breathing anymore!”

Another voice, full of terror.

Wails and cries echoed from outside the door, while inside the room, it was utterly silent.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, gray clouds loomed.

Dim, pale light filtered through the window panes, filling the room with the scent of paper mixed with old ink. The bookshelf, dragged across the carpet, left several obvious marks.

Beili’s heart was pounding wildly, as if it might leap out of her chest at any moment.

It was clear that Ashera, the villainous male fifth, had just made his move.

She quietly lifted her gaze to look at the boy beside her.

Then Beili was startled to find that the boy had suddenly grown much taller; before, she could look him in the eye, but now she had to look up at him.

And beneath the messy silver hair,

On the boy’s once smooth forehead, a pair of curved black ram horns had sprouted, edged with sharp, hooked spikes.

The shape of the horns was strikingly similar to those on the Demon in the ‘Battle of Angels and Demons’ oil painting hanging on the wall, standing in a sea of blazing lava.

And he himself seemed completely unaware of it.