CHAPTER 32: CH-32- HE IS PROPOSING?

"Taxi Normalhuman."

Baelgor repeated the name in his head with great satisfaction, his lips curling into a smug grin.

"Yes, flawless. Taxi Normalhuman... it sounds perfectly ordinary. Ooh, Baelgor, you’ve outdone yourself again. No one will ever suspect you’re anything but a regular mortal."

He even let out a low snicker, chest swelling with pride.

Cisco, however, was staring at him with the expression of a man who had just witnessed a chicken declare itself emperor of the world. His thoughts churned like boiling oil.

"Taxi... Normalhuman? Who in the nine hells bears a name like that? It doesn’t sound human—it sounds like he’s trying too hard to prove he’s human. That’s not a name, that’s a confession! Normalhuman? More like Crazyhuman."

Suppressing the urge to burst into laughter, Cisco bowed slightly and asked carefully, "My lord... is that truly your name?"

The words hit Baelgor like thunder. His expression hardened, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"What!? He’s questioning me? Impossible! No mortal could see through such a perfect disguise. Unless... unless he’s not a mere human at all. Could he be... an agent of the Dungeon Creator!? Yes, that must be it! Only the overseer of dungeons would dare plant spies into the human realm to hunt me down. How else could he possibly pierce my flawless cover?"

Baelgor’s aura quivered, the faint ripple of dungeon energy crackling in the air around him. His fingers twitched as he steadied his hand, preparing to strike at the supposed "spy."

"I must silence him. If he reports my escape, everything will be ruined. Better to erase him now, before he can betray me."

If Cisco could hear what Baelgor was thinking as a perfect disguise, he would be absolutely stunned because even a ten-year-old would know ’Normalhuman’ is a joke. This fool... truly, the heaven sent a walking money bag.

But seeing the expression on the face of Baelgor he knew something was wrong.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

That was all Cisco’s brain could process as he stared into Baelgor’s face. The expression staring back at him was not the confused smile of a spoiled young master it was cold, sharp, and filled with an intent that made the air itself grow heavy.

Cisco’s instincts screamed louder than any reason: this man is about to kill me.

A chill raced down his spine. He didn’t know how, but he could feel it. That single wrong question, that single careless doubt about the ridiculous name, had just pushed him onto the edge of death. His heart hammered against his ribs.

Unbeknownst to him, Baelgor’s thoughts were far darker.

"So, this mortal dares pierce through the veil of my disguise... he must be an agent of the Dungeon Creator. There is no other explanation. He is too weak, yes, but perhaps he is a messenger... a spy. I cannot allow him to report my escape. I must erase him before it is too late."

Baelgor’s hand twitched, dungeon energy swirling faintly around his fingertips like smoke from a furnace.

Cisco felt it the suffocating pressure, the threat of something otherworldly and his body moved before his brain could.

He fell to his knees, slamming them against the stone pavement with a sharp crack. His voice trembled, spilling words faster than his fear.

"My lord!" Cisco blurted, falling to one knee so quickly it almost looked rehearsed. "I didn’t mean to doubt you! Please, do not be offended I was foolish to ever question your gracious words!"

The words poured from his mouth like sweet honey, but inside his heart was weeping.

Unfortunately, to the casual onlookers, the sight painted a very different story.

Passersby stopped, gaping at the scene: a sharply dressed man kneeling before a tall, regal stranger with glowing eyes. Then, as though someone flipped a switch, they began cheering.

"Woooh! He’s proposing!"

"Say yes!"

"Don’t let him kneel for too long accept his love!"

Laughter, claps, and even whistles filled the street.

Cisco’s eyes widened in horror. "WHAT!? No, you idiots, this isn’t a proposal, it’s survival! I’m begging for my life, not asking for his hand! Damn it all, can this day get any worse!?"

Baelgor, however, heard none of his despair. His eyes gleamed, his chest swelled with pride.

"Even the humans are cheering. They have recognized my kingship. They wish for me to accept his loyalty openly. Hmph, how wise of them! Perhaps not all mortals are as foolish as I thought."

Straightening, Baelgor stepped forward. With one hand, he reached down and raised Cisco to his feet so gently, so carefully that the crowd collectively went,

"Awwwwwwww~!"

Cisco’s face twitched like he’d just bitten into rotten fruit. "Oh gods, no. Not like this. I knew rich fools were unpredictable, but lifting me up in front of a crowd like some romance novel hero? Have some shame!"

Then came the final blow. Baelgor gazed at him with regal confidence and declared loudly enough for everyone to hear:

"Say no more. I accept."

The crowd erupted in cheers and claps. Some even tossed flowers from nearby stalls. A woman sobbed dramatically in the corner. A group of teenagers pulled out their phones to record the "beautiful moment."

Cisco, meanwhile, wanted nothing more than for the ground to split open and swallow him whole. His face was twisted in an awkward grimace as strangers congratulated him, patting his back and shaking his hand.

Inside his mind, he was screaming:

"This foolish, bastard son of a demon’s donkey! Imbecile! Idiotic excuse for an existence! How could he respond like this!? I already knew rich sons were fools, but I didn’t expect to meet one this far gone! ’Taxi Normalhuman’? And now THIS? I swear, if I don’t wring money out of this buffoon to make up for this embarrassment, then the heavens owe me an apology!"

On the outside, Cisco forced the stiffest, fakest smile of his life.

"...Thank you. Yes. Truly... a special moment."

The crowd roared even louder, thinking they had just witnessed true love blossom.

If only they knew—one was plotting to milk the other dry, while the other was plotting to kill his "servant" if he ever stepped out of line.