The notification window above his head flickered.
For a brief moment, the air itself seemed to ripple.
Crimson letters burned into existence above him like embers floating in the dark.
[Boss]
[Julies Evans]
Lexton froze.
Between his slightly narrowed eyes, Julies' black pupils glinted faintly—sharp, cold, and strangely distant.
Lexton swallowed without meaning to.
The sensation crawling up his spine felt… familiar.
Unpleasantly so.
It reminded him of something from long ago.
The first time he had stood before his lord in the demon realm.
That same quiet pressure.
That same overwhelming sense of hierarchy.
Not arrogance.
Not cruelty.
Just the calm certainty of someone standing far above those around him.
For a split second, Lexton felt as though he were staring at—
A ruler.
Someone whose presence alone forced others to recognize the difference between them.
It was absurd.
This was a human.
A wounded one at that.
And yet…
Lexton forced himself to look away.
