Chapter 155: Chapter 154: The Demon Wants To Try

Devils—invaders from another world who tore through the dimensional walls to intrude upon this one.

They ruthlessly stole human dignity and property and were undoubtedly defined as enemies of humanity.

Among them, those who were born with the strongest power were the Demon King and his four close aides.

“It was a life lived solely for one person.”

One of those disaster-bringing aides was right beside me.

The second in command of the Demon King’s army, Mephisto Rage, the Frenzied Jester.

It was this undeniable presence who, at this moment, had taken a seat next to me and was expressing her devotion.

“Because it was a life that couldn’t be lived otherwise. If I didn’t cling to the strong, I couldn’t survive…”

After getting attacked by the demon, it wasn’t hard to guess her true identity.

She possessed the power to manipulate emotions, and there was only one known demon capable of such a feat.

“But at some point, the obsession for survival turned into genuine loyalty. Everything he achieved as a strong person was something I, born weak, could never achieve in my lifetime.”

She was a being clearly defined as humanity’s enemy.

When such a creature stood before me, as a leader of mankind, there were certain actions I was obligated to take.

I could either execute her with my own hands or expose her identity to humanity’s military forces.

“Being by his side, even if only for a moment, allowed me to experience things I never could have on my own, and so, I swore eternal loyalty to him.”

Even if we had been together up until now, I might feel a sense of betrayal and turn all the goodwill I’d shown her into hostility.

No matter how much they pretended to show mercy and compassion toward humans, it could have all been a deception, just another way to lure their prey into a trap.

“Those times were precious to me.”

Even so.

Despite everything,

“Those days when I could just laugh and chat like a fool by his side, without a single worry…”

I remained silent and listened to the words of the demon sitting next to me.

As her hand slowly reached out to me, as I felt the desperation emanating from her, I didn’t push it away—I chose to hold it.

“…Such a person.”

Longing for those days of laughing and chatting without pretense, she betrayed her loyalty to the strong and came to my side, the weak one, just for that.

“Don’t you regret leaving such a person?”

How could I possibly reject this foolish demon who had come to me, driven by nothing but a humble desire?

“I passed the point of feeling that long ago. He will never be able to return to how he was.”

“……”

“It’s thanks to you, Hyo-sung. I could stop pretending and be honest with myself.”

Gently, Merilyn wrapped her hand around mine, gripping it tightly.

Facing the bright smile drawn from her, I prepared to voice the question buried inside me.

“…Just one.”

Just one thing.

Whether she was a demon, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, or an entity transcending like a dragon.

No matter her past, if she could prove just one thing, I could accept her.

“Can I ask just one thin–?”

“I love you.”

Before I could even finish my question, she spoke.

“I love you.”

“……”

“I want to be with you. No matter who you are with or what path you take… You are the only one who pulled me out of an eternal cycle.”

Her voice was light, but the weight within it felt heavier than any other words.

To handle that, something more important already existed within me.

“…I’m sorry.”

Feeling sorry that I couldn’t consider her the first, despite her risking her life to find me.

“I’m sorry for not being able to wait for you…”

As I expressed that guilt, Merilyn approached and quietly kissed me.

As my body trembled at the warm touch, a soft smile formed on her lips as she slowly moved away from me.

“Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.”

“But…”

“Just.”

She pulled me into her arms, resting her head on my chest.

Even as she hid her face, the hands holding me trembled.

“Don’t say anything now; just comfort me. That’s enough.”

The more I expressed guilt, the more she seemed to feel that ‘complete happiness’ she couldn’t grasp was drifting away.

Wanting to ignore such reality and fully enjoy the moment.

“….Yes.”

Feeling the desperation touch my heart, I patted her back and wanted to engrave the heart she conveyed to me.

Realizing that whoever was in front of me, her essence was just a woman honest about her desires.

And I realized that I, too, was nothing more than a human, craving the love of the one standing beside me.

It was a happy time.

Unlike the days chasing unattainable mirages, she felt him fiercely pressing his presence onto her.

Each time she felt his presence, the past faded, and the more intense it was, the more old memories vanished.

She wanted this to continue forever.

“Then I’ll go to Airi.”

Even if she couldn’t monopolize that desire for herself.

Even if she wasn’t the first in his heart…

“Yes, I also have things to do…”

Shaking off the lingering emotions and regrets of their long act, the demon quietly walked into the dark night after parting from her love.

Thump, thump. Footsteps echoed in the deserted place.

As only the sound reached her ears, she felt herself entering the center of the barrier and glared at the shadow ahead, uttering a name.

“…Yasmo.”

Yasmo Deus.

The fifth-ranked in the Demon King’s army, the Queen of Mongmas, and a demon who left the Demon King’s side on the same day as her.

“Don’t worry. I’m not particularly interested in human males.”

She had been wary, fearing the demon might target her partner, but in reality, she just watched their relationship without interfering.

Was it because she found it hard to target him due to her vigilance, or because she herself was the target?

“Still, it’s unexpected~ I thought you were just a toy to play with for a while, but to think you’d genuinely crave a relationship so much… For a job you found after leaving the Demon King’s army, isn’t it a bad deal?”

“Did you come here to mock me? You’re just the same for betraying the Demon King.”

Either way, the opponent was the Queen of Mongmas, known for her deception.

Though not specialized in combat, she was not weak and couldn’t be underestimated.

“…Sure, I’m not in a position to talk about others either.”

But at this moment, behind the sly smile, a bitter emotion revealed itself.

What she revealed right after mentioning the Demon King showed that she too was just a demon lingering in the past.

“Well, we are demons. A race that lives for desire, and if it means fulfilling that desire, we don’t mind risking our lives or bending our dignity… For us, even absolute loyalty to the strong is just a means to achieve our desires.”

In their world, the strong ruled, and the weak clung to the strong to avoid becoming prey, satisfying the conqueror’s lust for dominance while seizing their own chance to fulfill their desires.

The loyalty of demons was based on that reward-seeking mentality.

And when their loyalty blossomed into betrayal, it was because they no longer believed the one they served could fulfill their ambitions.

“So I’ve been searching all this time for a way to restore the Demon King to his prime.”

But unlike herself, she temporarily left his side to find a way to realize the ideal again.

Upon hearing those words, Merilyn began to furrow her brows as she stared at her.

“A way to restore him to his prime…?”

“It’s not that hard, is it? The Demon King ended up like that because there’s no one to stimulate him anymore. If we just find someone who can, he’ll return to his old self.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You know it’s not that simple.”

Someone stronger than the Demon King.

If such a thing existed, they would have appeared long ago. If there was even such a hope, they wouldn’t have betrayed the Demon King.

The Demon King also roamed many dimensions for that, and even he collapsed in despair, finding it meaningless.

“Hehehe, I thought the same at first, but those vampires are planning something quite interesting~”

The Demon of Lust, who thought she knew it well, started approaching her boldly.

Even knowing she was an enemy, she didn’t cover herself with any magic.

That in itself was proof of her innocence and an action she could take because she was sure her words couldn’t be ignored.

“I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s worth a try. So I lent a hand once. I feel the outline is slowly taking shape…”

A sly whisper.

Sweet as fruit, but the words contained within might be poison that burns the throat of the one who holds it.

“How about it, Mephi? Want to hear more?”

Despite everything, the reason she couldn’t ignore her words was that she believed she wouldn’t lie about anything related to the Demon King.

She too believed that only the Demon King could fulfill her desires, which was why she stayed by his side until the end.

‘Really…’

And if her words were really true.

Through what the vampire group ruling humanity was planning, if it really could restore their lord to his original form…

‘…Really, the Demon King?’

As she felt conflicted over such a dilemma, a question arose in the heart of the love-seeking demon.

Whether the current satisfaction she felt was because there was no way to restore her old lord.

And if her lord really returned to the form she longed for, whether this feeling could continue.

“…In detail.”

Yes, the demon wanted to test her love.

How genuine her longing for him was.

“Tell me in detail.”

And whether she, who couldn’t be the first, would try to fill that void with longing for her old lord.

Late at night.

After parting from Merilyn, I returned home and visited Airi’s room to check on her condition.

“Did you have a good time with Merilyn?”

And as soon as we met, a cold dagger struck me.

I felt a stab in my chest, but Airi just sat quietly at the table, pouring tea from the teapot into a cup.

“Don’t worry about it. It was something I allowed in the first place.”

“Ah, but still…”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

Yes, that’s right.

You probably know what I was going to do.

“The past cannot be changed, and the present is built upon accumulated pasts…”

But today, unlike usual, there was no strong sense of scolding.

As she poured the tea, her gestures exuded a different elegance and profound atmosphere from what I usually saw.

“Trying to scoop up spilled water only negatively affects the pursuit of the desired future.”

Even so, I soon realized why her appearance didn’t feel entirely foreign.

Before she was connected to me, before she loved me, she had this same atmosphere.

“So, from now on, what needs to be done should be about the future.”

Yes, just like when we first met.

Feeling tense in the same atmosphere as back then, I sat opposite her and took a sip of the tea she poured to calm my unrest.

“…A prophecy?”

“More of a mission than a prophecy. My inherent mission, and the mission you, Hyo-sung, must fulfill as well…”

Airi, who was calming me, soon placed her hand on her belly and started making eye contact with me.

About the fruit of our union.

“And about what this child, born from the union of us two, will experience.”

To tell me what this new life born into this harsh world would have to bear.