Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 97: [Fish] - Nerio’s Part (9)

"You talented and hardworking exorcists, surely you’ve found some clues about the demon haunting the castle after just one night, haven’t you?"

The moment Cocona and her group stepped into the dining hall, they were greeted by Mr William’s voice—as if he had been waiting to say those words when he saw them.

The NPCs instinctively moved closer together. Cocona furrowed her brows and stepped forward boldly, speaking in a somewhat aggressive tone:

"Mr William, you never told us the demon in the castle would be this dangerous!"

The others seemed just as surprised by Cocona’s reaction. The change in expression on the William family’s faces was noticeable, though none of them made a move.

Before anyone could respond, Cocona continued:

"Last night, that demon disguised itself as the butler and took our captain’s life. That’s unacceptable. This job is far too dangerous—now I understand why the other exorcists refused to work with the William family!"

The William family exchanged glances, then forced out polite, conciliatory smiles. Mrs. William spoke gently,

"All right now, please don’t be so tense. I know the demon in the castle is truly dangerous. We will support you in any way we can within our means. Of course, once this matter is resolved, your reward will only increase, not decrease."

Upon hearing that, Cocona replied immediately,

"Fine. I want to investigate the castle. That’ll be more helpful in handling the demon—okay?"

Mrs. William nodded, freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"Of course. Do whatever it takes to destroy that vile demon!"

At that moment, Mr. William added,

"And for every loss among your group, our castle will compensate you $10,000."

The atmosphere grew strangely tense as soon as Mr. William said those words. Even the NPCs paralyzed by fear glanced at one another, then quickly averted their eyes.

It might have seemed impossible, but dark and sinister thoughts began creeping into their expressions.

"That demon is cunning—it managed to impersonate the butler, which means it could be anyone. I mean no offense... I hope you all survive to the end and destroy it. That would be the greatest mercy you could give this castle."

Mr. William’s words only worsened everything, forcing everyone into more profound thought. Even the humans in the group couldn’t help but reconsider things.

While Mr and Mrs William kept talking, Lucian remained seated in his chair, eyes locked unblinking on Eryon.

Unblinking—his eyes were bloodshot, tears running down his exhausted face, and still, he stared at Eryon with unhidden desire.

Eryon was sure of it—Lucian wanted his face.

Fuelled by the discomfort stirred by Mr. William’s voice, Eryon spoke up,

"That’s right. The demon can become anyone—so have you ever considered it might have taken the form of one of you?"

Everyone turned to Eryon in shock, but he didn’t hesitate, pointing straight at Lucian,

"Like that son of yours, for instance. He looks the most like a demon out of all of you."

Lucian hadn’t expected to be singled out. With everyone’s eyes on him, he finally blinked—tears still streaming from his weary, gem-like eyes.

Mrs William looked displeased at the insult to her son. Her voice turned cold,

"Lucian is not a demon in disguise! Even if you’re an exorcist, you can’t just make baseless accusations like that!"

Eryon raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what exactly guarantees the certainty of your words?"

"Our family..."

"That’s enough!" Mr William’s voice suddenly rang out, causing Mrs William to instinctively cover her mouth as if caught off guard.

Facing Eryon, Mr. William calmly said, "Our family possesses protective talismans passed down from our ancestors. Demons absolutely cannot harm us. As for Lucian—he’s ill. I hope everyone can be understanding."

It was clear that Mr William intended to end the conversation there, but Eryon did not intend to let it drop. He pointed toward the butler.

"Fine. So, the William family is safe. But what about the butler and the other servants? Last night, the demon posed as the butler—or maybe the real butler knocked on our door. Who knows?"

Upon hearing that, the butler quickly bowed his head, shaking it frantically. "No! I’m not the demon—I didn’t knock on your door last night!"

The other servants kept their heads low, not daring to speak.

[No matter what, I seriously respect Eryon’s mouth.]

[Okay, I admit it—Eryon is not normal. He just left the William family speechless, LOL.]

[Honestly, how is Eryon not scared of Lucian? Just looking at Lucian’s eyes gives me the chills!]

[Maybe when Lucian was staring at Eryon’s face, the only thing on Eryon’s mind was how to keep that face from being stolen, lol.]

The silence from the William family felt like it stretched on forever. Then, Benjamin suddenly stepped forward and gently pulled Eryon behind him, flashing an awkward smile.

"Apologies. Eryon and John were close, so perhaps he hasn’t fully recovered from the shock of our captain’s death. I hope everyone can be understanding."

Behind Benjamin, Eryon bowed his head slightly as if overcome with sadness and anger.

Upon hearing that, Mr and Mrs William quickly forced smiles onto their faces—though it was obvious to anyone they were far from pleased.

"Well then, please go ahead and eat. We’ve already finished."

With that, the William family turned and left, leaving behind a table full of untouched food.

[I’m dying—Eryon made the William family so mad they walked off without eating, hahahaha.]

[This scene deserves to go down in dungeon history, lol.]

[+1 reason why the William family should just kill Eryon hahahaha.]

[Is Eryon just a regular human? That level of damage can’t be natural!]

As soon as the William family left, the butler and the rest of the servants also quickly slipped away, as if afraid that staying even a second longer might lead to more accusations.

Cocona burst out laughing at that moment, smacking Eryon hard on the back.

"Hahaha! Why didn’t you tell me you were that good at acting? It turns out that your sharp tongue can be used on enemies too, not just teammates, hahaha!"

The others didn’t say anything, but their expressions showed they were slowly warming up to the strange man named Eryon.

Eryon leaned away from Cocona’s touch, slipping his hand from Benjamin’s grip. He sat down, his voice cold:

"I just didn’t like the way that Lucian guy was staring at my face."

He gently touched his cheek, voice low.

"He wants my face. I’m sure of it."

If it had been yesterday, no one would have reacted to Eryon’s words—but today was different.

Cocona responded confidently, "Don’t worry. Just stick with me—he won’t get the chance to attack you. I’ll protect you. Just keep that fire in you alive, ha!"

Eryon gave Cocona a look of disgust but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, in Lucian’s private room, he clenched his fists and paced back and forth. His mouth moved constantly in a mutter:

"That beautiful face should have been mine. That perfect face—I want it. I want it..."

His eyes were wide, blood vessels crawling across them, his gaze brimming with excitement so intense it looked ready to burst. Just thinking about having Eryon’s face was enough to send him into a frenzy he could barely contain.

"Only a face that perfect could ever suit someone of my status..." Lucian muttered over and over.

Mr. William, hearing this, replied indifferently, "If you want it, take it."

There was no trace of warmth on his face when Eryon was mentioned—it is evident that he was still seething from earlier.

Mrs William also wore a cold expression. "He’s the most troublesome one, the most disrespectful one—completely unacceptable!"

"I’ll do it as fast as I can. Just help me stall the others. Soon, you’ll both see a more perfect version of me—a better version. With that face... I’ll be the most outstanding person in the empire!" Lucian said, eyes wide with manic excitement. His grin was twisted, his expression bordering on grotesque—like he had utterly lost control of his face.

Snap!

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound, like a cord snapping. At the same time, Lucian’s handsome face began to melt as though a layer of skin was sliding off, distorting his features into something eerie and monstrous.

He quickly reached up to adjust his slipping face, muttering in a chilling tone,

"This skin is hideous. Why is it so hideous? I want to change it—right now! Immediately!"

Mrs. William hurried over to comfort him. "There, there, don’t be angry, our beloved son. You will get it. That face will be yours."

With that, she turned and left the room, heading downstairs—to deliver a very "important clue" to the exorcists.

At that moment, Cocona’s group had no intention of eating anything. After the NPCs finished their meals, they were quickly returned to their rooms. Cocona and her team then prepared to explore the castle, hoping to uncover information about the monster or the castle’s hidden secrets.

"We’ll split into two teams. Cocona, you’ll lead your team, and I’ll take Vale, Cyril, and Eryon with me."

"I want to go with Eryon!"

"I think Eryon should stay behind."

Two voices rang out simultaneously, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. Cocona raised an eyebrow at Leonard. "Why do you suddenly want to go with Eryon?"

Leonard lowered his head slightly, his voice soft: "It’s not sudden."

Indeed, from the moment they arrived here, Leonard had shown great interest in Eryon.

"On the contrary, Cocona—why are you suddenly so concerned about Eryon?" This time, Benjamin spoke, his calm eyes fixed on Cocona, and he did not show much emotion.