Chapter 347: Layla

"Wow…" Zach was awed in astonishment. "Not going to lie, I didn't expect this much change. Now you look more like a human than a corpse."

[Praise me, my liege,] Cerberus said while wagging his tail.

"Uhh… for what? You didn't do anything, though."

[If I had kept my mouth shut and let you weep in regret, I could—]

"Okay, okay. Wow. Did I just get threatened by my own pet?" Zach let out a soft sigh and patted Cervberus' head while saying, "Thank you for everything. I know your current form is also because I did something. So thank you, really. You can now rest in my shadow and heal."

[Actually, you can heal me by pouring mana into me. It wouldn't even take five seconds for me to regain my almighty form!]

"I would love to do that, but I still need to clear the rest of the floors. I do have more than enough MP, but I am saving them in case of emergencies. So if I have any MP left after I clear this dungeon, I will use the rest of it to heal you. I hope you are okay with that," Zach stated.

[Absolutely, my liege. And if you ever need me, just call my name, and I will use my remaining lifeforce and fulfill my duty to protect you,] he said confidently.

"It won't come to that…." Zach lowered his gaze and smiled bitterly before saying, "I have decided to never use the demon king's blessing. If this had happened outside, I would have hurt many innocent lives. I would never be able to live with the guilt of massacring innocent lives."

[...] Cerberus opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what. He was haughty and proud of himself and never comforted anyone.

He didn't want to say something that could make Zach even more depressed, and he came to the conclusion that he would rather stay quiet than say something that would be deemed inappropriate in the current situation.

However, Layla slowly moved her hand forward and patted on Zach's head.

[You foolish servant! What do you think you are—!]

Zach raised his head and smiled at Layla. He patted her in return and said:

"Thank you for worrying about me. I am okay now."

Layla smiled at him but didn't say anything.

"Umm… can you speak now?"

Layla nodded in response.

"Then… try speaking something."

Layla stared at Zach for a few seconds and slowly opened her mouth to say:

"I…"

SIGH!

Zach let out a sigh of relief and muttered, "Thank fuck you can actually speak."

"I… am. Glad."

"..."

"Thank. You. For Giving. Me. Another. Chance. To. Live. Again. Thank. You. For. Reviving. Me," Layla uttered monotonously like a robot.

Zach turned to Cerberus and whispered, "Why is she speaking like this?"

[She should be able to speak more fluently as the time passes.]

"I see…" Zach cleared his throat and asked Layla, "Do you remember anything about your past life?"

Layla shook her head and said, "I. Do. Not. Possess. Any. Memory. But. I. Remember. The. Feeling. Of. Regret. When. I. Was. Revived. By. You."

'Should I tell her about herself? I myself don't know but…' Zach decided to keep it a secret from her as he didn't know what could happen if she learned about her past life.

"I want to let you know that I was the one who killed you," he uttered calmly.

However, he didn't want to hide the identity of her killer.

[My liege, you shouldn't have said that.]

"There is no way I could hide something so crucial. I mean… you also know that I was the one who killed you, so…." Zach shrugged his shoulders and tried to say something but stopped when he noticed an unfamiliar expression on Cerberus' face.

"Wait…" Zach gulped anxiously and asked, "Don't tell me you didn't know that I killed you."

Cerberus stared at Zach for a few seconds and then said, [I was aware of that. You may have forgotten this since you were busy with the girls, but I wasn't your servant when you revived me. I pledged my loyalty to you and willingly became your servant when you named me.]

PHEW!

"You kind of made me nervous for a second there. I didn't want you to go berserk in my current condition," he sighed with a soft chuckle.

[Are. You. Feeling. Alright?] Layla asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah. Currently, I am perfectly fine, but not for long. I don't have much time before the side effects of the demonification kicks in…" Zach looked at his hands and uttered, "When I used the phoenix's blessing, the fire only covered my hand and face, and they got numb for a day. I lost my sense of taste, and it also affected my hearing.

I cannot imagine what would happen to me next. The demonification had spread to my entire body. It made a mess of my body from both the inside and outside. That's why, I must clear the rest of the dungeon before that happens."

[What would you do if it happened in the middle of the fight, my liege?] Cerberus asked calmly.

"Well, that's the worst possible scenario. But if that happens, I will let you out and release my remaining MP in you, so you can maybe defeat the monster and take me home."

[Anytime, my liege.]

"Alright then." Zach got up and patted his clothes. "I will have to get a new pair. This one is ripped from many places."

Layla also got up and stood beside Zach. She looked at him in excitement, seemingly getting ready to fight.

"Uhh… you are also going back into my shadow. I can't risk anything."

Layla lowered her head with a gloomy face.

Cerberus and Layla disappeared into Zach's shadow while he passed through the portal and entered the next floor.

SIGH!

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