The Incubus System Chapter 1150. I Can’t Be Like My Dad

The Incubus System Chapter 1150. I Can’t Be Like My Dad

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

Her smirk returned, sharper this time. “Any other updates in your life? Anything interesting?”

I forced a casual shrug. “Same old, same old.”

Tiffany narrowed her eyes. “That’s a lie.”

I raised a brow. “How do you know about it?”

Tiffany’s fingers drummed against the table, her expression a mix of amusement and something more mischievous. “Let’s just say… I have some spies.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Spies.”

She smirked, leaning back in her seat. “Like… I know that girl from the maid café—Ruby? Yeah, she’s been going to your house sometimes. And…” She trailed off, watching me carefully. “You were kidnapped recently, weren’t you?”

For a split second, I froze. My fingers twitched against the edge of the table, but I kept my expression neutral.

She knew.

Of course, she knew.

“Yeah.” I sighed, playing along. “And what organization do you think was behind it?”

Tiffany tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp. “The one I’m not supposed to talk about in public.”

Ah. So she knew exactly what she was implying. The Demon Hunter Association.

She was being careful, though. Smart. Even if the words weren’t coming out of her mouth directly, the meaning was loud and clear.

I leaned back, pretending to look relaxed. “You sound pretty sure about all this.”

Tiffany sighed, shaking her head. “Come on, Ethan. You really think I wouldn’t notice?”

I raised a brow. “And what exactly did you notice?”

She hesitated. Then, tapping her nails against the tabletop, she muttered, “I just know, okay?” She wasn’t going to spill her source.

Fine.

I didn’t need to pry— I guess the news about the Angel Creation Project's failure has already spread among all the demon hunters.

I tilted my head, watching her. “So? What’s the real reason you brought it up?”

Tiffany looked down at the table, exhaling slowly before meeting my gaze again. “I just… wanted to ask if you’re okay.”

I blinked.

She frowned slightly, her usual sharpness replaced with something more uncertain. “I mean, being kidnapped can be… traumatic.”

I bit back a laugh. If only she knew. The “kidnapping” had been my own idea. I had let it happen so the Demon Hunter Association could test their so-called ‘holy vaccine’ on me. It didn’t work.

Of course, it didn’t work.

Tiffany was staring at me, genuine concern flickering in her eyes.

I sighed dramatically, leaning forward. “Yeah,” I muttered, lowering my voice. “It was… horrible.”

Her expression softened. “Ethan…”

I pretended to shiver. “They locked me in an experimental room. They observed me and injected me with some kind of vaccine.”

Tiffany’s brows furrowed in sympathy.

I clenched my fists, forcing my voice to shake just slightly. “And the worst part? I thought I was going to die.”

Tiffany gasped. “Did they hurt you?”

I nodded solemnly. “No. But I just found out the ones who killed my dad are… demons.”

She blinked. But yeah, she should already know about this.

I sighed dramatically, rubbing my temples. “Man… if I wasn’t so naturally resilient, I think I’d have some serious trauma from that whole thing.”

Tiffany’s face was still drawn tight with worry, her eyes locked onto me with an intensity that made me feel just a little guilty for milking this. Just a little.

Her fingers tapped against the table, restless. “Ethan,” she said carefully, her voice softer than usual. “You really okay?”

I exhaled through my nose, shifting my weight against the booth. “Yeah. I mean, I’m here, right? Free. Not locked in some underground cell, being poked with needles.”

Her frown deepened, and she leaned forward slightly. “But they did inject you with something, didn’t they?”

I hesitated, then gave her a slow nod. “Yeah.”

Her fingers clenched into a small fist on the table. “And?”

I tilted my head slightly. “And what?”

Tiffany huffed, frustrated. “And what did it do to you? Are there side effects? Are you still feeling weird?”

I made a show of pretending to think about it. “Hmm. Well, no glowing eyes. No sudden urge to praise the Light. And I definitely don’t feel like sprouting any extra limbs.” I tapped my chin. “So, yeah. I think I’m good.”

She did not look amused.

“Ethan.”

Her tone was sharp. A warning.

I sighed, dropping the teasing edge just slightly. “I’m fine, Tiff. Really. They tested it on me, it didn’t work, so they let me go. End of story.”

Her shoulders tensed, like she didn’t quite believe me, but after a long pause, she sighed and leaned back against the seat. “I don’t get it,” she murmured. “If it didn’t work… why even release you?”

Because I manipulated them to do so. But obviously, I couldn’t say that.

I forced a rueful smile, letting my voice drop just enough to sound a little more bitter. “Because I’m useless to them, I guess. I can’t be like my dad.”

That part, at least, was true.

The words sat heavy on my tongue, and for a moment, I could almost taste the bitterness behind them.

My human father had been the strongest demon hunter in the association. A legend. A man who had dedicated his entire life to purging demons, to protecting humanity.

And me?

I was nothing like him.

Not because I wasn’t strong. But because I was the exact thing he would have hated the most.

A demon lord. A prince of darkness.

Tiffany’s expression softened. “Ethan…”

Before I could react, her hand reached across the table, fingers curling around mine.

I froze. Her palm was warm, slightly rough, but her grip was gentle. Steady. A quiet sort of reassurance that felt… almost too real.

I swallowed.

She didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at our hands, her thumb brushing against my skin absently. Like she didn’t even realize she was doing it.

Then, finally, she murmured, “You are strong, Ethan. Maybe not the way he was, but that doesn’t mean you’re not—”

The sound of a tray clattering onto the table interrupted her.

I jerked my hand back instantly, and Tiffany’s eyes widened slightly, like she hadn’t even realized what she was doing.