Chapter 75

All I can meddle with are incomplete stories.

When an author still clinging to life harbors the audacious desire to fill in the gaps of their existence, I deceive them by clouding their eyes and ears.

But in this case, there’s nothing I can do. Langwang’s story only reached completion after the death of Saintess Irolwel. Even if it didn’t end with the final breath, that’s beside the point.

This feeling of powerlessness… It’s been a while since I’ve felt it. The unfamiliar emotion floods in like a tidal wave.

It’s an obstacle, no doubt. It’s a little disappointing, but I’ve encountered a show where I can’t intervene.

It’s not that I’m disappointed with the ending of the show. This isn’t my show, and objectively speaking, it was a beautiful performance.

A boy who knows nothing but savagery and a woman from civilization. The tender and impure love that blossoms between them. The last show put on by Irolwel, the withered saintess.

From the audience’s perspective, it’s such a beautiful show that adding any more embellishments would only ruin it. But from my standpoint, having to use Langwang as an assistant, it’s not pleasant.

And now, another headache has arisen. Something I hadn’t considered until now.

“Hahaha!”

Langwang laughs. I laugh along, but unfortunately, my heart isn’t in it.

Saintess…

She is human. A pitiful race that lives for barely a hundred years at most.

On the other hand, I am a demon. With lifespans that easily stretch from hundreds to thousands of years, and beings like the Southern King who can live for millions of years in certain cases.

Even so, I came to care for the saintess. It wasn’t a rational decision. It didn’t take long either. After spending seven days together in Tartarus within Babel Tower, it naturally happened.

It’s because of the demonic charm that humans possess. The saintess fills the void in me, a demon.

Perhaps it’s also due to her pure and noble appearance, something only a saintess possesses.

Since she is human, she will die someday. And after her passing, I will spend the rest of my life in great boredom. That’s my concern.

Hmm…

I should probably research a way to make her immortal before she dies. There’s still plenty of time, so let’s tackle the immediate tasks first.

“It’s taking too much time. We need to head back now. It’ll soon be dark.”

“Are you leaving today?”

“Do we have much time? My heart is racing.”

“Wow, your heart is racing? That’s quite commendable. Alright, let’s start moving once we return. Is there anything you need to prepare?”

“Leather…”

“…You’re bringing that to wear? Then I’ll provide the clothing.”

“No, to eat.”

“…Do savages usually eat leather?”

“Bark, animal hides, roots. They make excellent emergency rations.”

“…”

I may be somewhat savage myself, but I shouldn’t even present my business card in front of Langwang. You have to reach that level to be called a savage.

Langwang straightens up from his seated position. I follow suit, continuously pondering in my mind how to deal with his unwavering loyalty.

Thud.

Walking backward alongside Langwang, who is twice my height, we enter the forest path we passed earlier to reach the cliff.

The fresh scent of grass and the fragrant aroma of insects from the Demon Forest greet me. Within it…

There are three intruders still hiding behind the trees: Aru, Beatrix, and Uriel. Especially Aru, deeply imprinted with fear of Langwang, hides the farthest away. Heh heh, little wolf pup. Next time you act unruly, I’ll just place you in front of Langwang.

“My Lord.”

Beatrix was the first to emerge from the woods to greet me. She carries a massive Greatsword on her back, her brown hair tied neatly into a ponytail.

“I congratulate you.”

“Yikes! So stiff! Are you taking some kind of knight examination? Did you build your vocal cords out of bricks?”

“I sincerely congratulate you on obtaining the Human King.”

“Haha, but now Beatrix must compete with Langwang for the roles of right and left arms, right? Can you still say congratulations?”

“The Lord’s fortune is the divine’s fortune. How could I not rejoice?”

“Well well, for a fallen knight to maintain such decorum… Who would have thought?”

Beatrix’s physical age corresponds proportionally to mine, arranged through our contract.

Hmm? Should I try the same method with the saintess? No, if I die, the saintess would have to die too… Let’s put this plan on hold.

Knight Beatrix naturally positioned herself behind me and Langwang. More accurately, behind me alone, acting as if she were my personal guard.

If we were to engage in a ranking battle here in the Demon Forest, she’d be among the top twenty strongest to offer her protection. This feels incredibly reliable.

“Does a knight serve demons?”

“…Is that a question directed at me?”

“Yes. The great one asked the knight. Do you serve demons?”

“Yes, but Oscar is my lord.”

“Oooh! I’ve heard of this from Irolwel! A knight who serves evil! A Death Knight!”

“…”

Oh dear, our Beatrix has now transcended from a fallen holy knight to become a Death Knight. A perfectly healthy human transformed into a skeleton knight.

Should I step in and correct this? As her lord?

“Death Knight! Romantic! Cool! Irolwel said it’s the coolest monster!”

“Let me clarify once and for all—I am not a Death Knight…”

Pinch.

“…Yes, I am indeed a Death Knight. Would you like me to demonstrate some dark magic if you wish?”

“Wow! A mighty beast from civilization! Nice to meet you! I am a human from the wild!”

“I’m glad too… Please take care of me going forward.”

Langwang’s idealistic misconception led me to pinch Beatrix’s bottom and signal her. True to her nature as my loyal knight, she hesitated for a moment before nodding and accepting her identity as a Death Knight.

After all, innocence must always be preserved. A child’s dream is an absolute right that no one can take away.

Why is Langwang a child? Right now, I, Oscar, am 209 years old. Langwang is merely a middle-aged child. That’s why Irolwel always referred to him as a child.

“Uriel, you should come out too. We’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so there’s no need to keep hiding, right?”

“Hmm? Ah, understood. O leader.”

“Uh? Uriel, you…”

Facing the empty air, Uriel emerged from behind a towering tree. However, she looks different from usual.

“Wings… they’ve grown?”

“…”

Always adorning Uriel’s back were two small white wings. We call them baby angel wings because they’re so tiny.

Not anymore. They’ve grown larger. Not as big as when Uriel was an archangel, but large enough to protrude noticeably from her shoulders when fully spread.

“My wings have grown… really? Incredible… but why…?”

We always thought of Uriel’s wings as baby angel wings because they were so small. Now they’ve grown significantly—large enough to be clearly visible even from the front when spread out.

“Realizing your own wings have grown without knowing about it? Truly ridiculous!”

“B, Ridiculous?! How dare you!”

“Too slow to argue back, aren’t you? If I hadn’t mentioned it, you wouldn’t have noticed until just before looking in a mirror!”

“Grrr…”

No matter how she tries to deny it, Uriel can’t actually refute it. Such a mediocre angel. At this rate, she should change her name from Archangel of Evil to Mediocre Angel.

“Still… I think I understand the reason.”

“The reason?”

“The reason my wings grew… When the human king shouted toward the cliff, my heart resonated and quivered. Afterward, my back tingled. It must have been then that my wings grew.”

“Hmm?”

“When the two of you loved so truly and purely, it moved my heart.”

Uriel gazed intently at Langwang as she spoke. Indeed, it was a beautiful story.

However, as a demon, I didn’t feel particularly moved. Perhaps Uriel, being an angel, perceived it differently. There must have been a reason Michael assigned Uriel to me.

Besides, Uriel is currently in her youthful form. In their youth, everyone swoons over romance novel-like tales. Considering Uriel’s mental age has regressed to that of a young girl, it’s understandable that she’s affected.

“Well… I roughly understand. Congratulations on your wings growing. But we don’t have all day, right? Let’s get going?”

With that, Uriel trotted to the front of our group. Phew, look at her. She’s completely like a child.

“Hey, Aru. You know your way through the bushes.”

“…”

Until Aru gets closer to Langwang, traveling together might be impossible.

Thud.

Thud.

But…

Why does the insect smell in the forest seem so intense lately?

It’s perfect timing. Clearly, heaven is on my side. A sly smile naturally forms on my face.

*****

Back at the hut, Yohan was tidying up items he had grown attached to. Adjusting the table’s position and rearranging the chairs.

Of course, he couldn’t take the furniture with him. Eventually, they would break down from something or other.

They weren’t particularly special pieces either. The items imbued with Yohan’s memories of Irolwel were already destroyed during the ‘explosion’ long ago. The current hut and furniture were crafted by Yohan himself to resemble what Irolwel had made as closely as possible after burying her.

Still, shared experiences create bonds. These furnishings had been used for twenty whole years. Trying to suppress the overwhelming nostalgia, Yohan stepped outside the hut.

“Yohan! Hurry over here!”

“Keeeng… Little demon… carry me…”

“What?! You crazy poop puppy, where do you think you’re climbing? Ack! Damn it! Get off or I’ll rub your fur against Langwang’s back!”

“Keeeng… want to hide on your back…”

“Fine! Fine! Honestly, I can’t survive with you, Aru. Now you’re even eating my owner’s waist. Does it feel good to ride on your owner’s back?”

“Cough! Yes!”

“…Puppy.”

Outside, those who would become Yohan’s new companions waited for him. Purely out of joy, Yohan bounded toward them.

He was genuinely happy. These strangers had promised to bring him to ‘civilization.’ For the first time since Irolwel’s tragedy, Yohan felt the excitement bubbling within him.

“Lick, lick, lick.”

“Hey! Stop licking my head! You’ll mess it up!”

“Cough cough? But licking your neck makes you itch, right? If it itches, won’t it be hard to walk?”

“Hey! Even if my head feels weird, walking will be equally difficult!”

“That’s tough! Cough cough cough! You can still walk though!”

“Hmm, logically correct. Fine, poop dog. I permit you to lick my head. Just don’t drool too much. Nothing is dirtier than dog smell in my hair.”

“Cough? Am I dirty!?”

“Aru, please respect your master’s dignity. Even though you’re his pet, it’s rather rude.”

“Haha, leave it be. Isn’t it amusing? This guy who always smiles is uniquely irritated only by the Wolf King.”

Though slightly noisy,

“Hahahahaha!”

Rather, Yohan laughed heartily. He liked this light-hearted atmosphere. How many groups could remain this cheerful in the Demon Forest, where survival of the fittest reigns? A place where even members of the same species might turn on each other and devour one another if things go awry.

Thud, thud.

Just as Yohan took thirty steps from the hut to join the demon party,

Chirp.

An alien sound pierced Yohan’s ears.

A sound he would never forget. The chirping of Giant Bomb Beetles, the creatures that claimed Irolwel’s life twenty years ago, known for causing massive explosions at random times.

Strange-looking beetles emerged from the bushes. Each one was roughly the size of a human torso.

“Here they are again. Annoying pests.”

Since that fateful day twenty years ago, Giant Bomb Beetles occasionally visited Yohan’s hut to cause explosions. Yohan suspected some higher-level monster might have given them instructions.

Until now, he had exterminated every one that came. However, this time, he had no intention of doing so. Since he was leaving anyway, and all they would destroy was a meaningless hut, letting them explode seemed better than leaving it intact.

“Those beetles…?”

“They’re called Giant Bomb Beetles. Seems you haven’t seen them before, Beatrix.”

“Given their rarity…”

“Cough cough, they smell awful.”

The group didn’t seem particularly alarmed. After all, except for Uriel, none of them would be harmed unless directly hit by the beetles’ explosions. And Uriel would be protected by everyone else.

Thus, as the beetles charged toward the hut to detonate themselves, the group simply turned and continued on their way.

Tat-tat!

“My Lord?”

“Leader!”

“Demon?”

Suddenly, a demon clad in white rushed toward the hut, carrying the Wolf King on his back. None of them had time to stop him—it happened too suddenly. The human knight, young angel, and Yohan stretched out their hands too late; the demon had already disappeared into the hut as the beetles charged.

Chirp!

BOOM!

The beetles began exploding upon reaching the hut. Black smoke mixed with red flames erupted in massive blasts.

The ground shook as debris soared into the sky in a tremendous explosion.

Whooooosh.

Yohan, the human knight, and the young angel hurried over. Toward the remains of the explosion, where ash and smoke billowed endlessly. Confused by the demon’s unexpected actions, they were utterly shocked.

No matter how thoroughly they searched the smoldering ruins, they couldn’t find the demon. Whether injured or deceased, there should have been some remains—but their worry grew like a snowball.

Crack!

Suddenly, a blackened hand emerged from the rubble, wearing a glove. Beatrix and Yohan quickly grabbed it and pulled upward.

“Ughhhk! Ack! Ash got in my mouth!”

“Grrrr… Why, why did it get in there…!”

“Not why! Cough, I went in there to save this!”

Clang.

The demon raised his other buried hand. Simultaneously, Yohan’s eyes widened.

“You, how did you…!”

“Ah, I clearly saw you leave it inside earlier. If only I’d remembered sooner, but alas, it struck me just as the bomb beetles were charging. So I just ran in.”

What the demon held in his hand was a silver rosary. The very rosary Saintess Irolwel had given to King Yohan.

“Thank you… Really! Truly thank you! I made a huge mistake! You’ve done me a great favor!”

“Don’t mention it. In this harsh world, we must help each other.”

“To leave behind this cross… How precious it is…! Fool, fool! I am a fool!”

“Anyone can make a mistake once. What’s important is not repeating it twice or thrice. Please take extra care from now on. By the way…”

As the demon handed the rosary to Yohan’s kneeling thick hands, he lightly tapped its cross section.

Then, surprisingly, the top part of the cross opened like a lid.

“Looks like it originally had a lid structure. The silver color made it hard to notice. It seems to have opened due to the shock.”

“I didn’t know… But there’s a letter inside the cross…?”

“Letter? Let’s read it immediately! Since it was originally Irolwel’s item, it must be a letter from Irolwel to Yohan! Didn’t Irolwel give you the cross just before she passed away?”

“…!”

Hearing that, Yohan hastily broke the seal. Neatly written words lined the worn parchment.

Though it had been twenty years since he last saw it, Yohan recognized the handwriting immediately. It was Irolwel’s.

“Irolwel! Irolwel, Irolwel…!!”

The hand holding the letter trembled. As Yohan’s eyes scanned down the contents, his eyelids reddened.

The content was simple. It contained just a few trivial instructions for Yohan who would be living alone.

Various cooking methods, which areas to visit for easy food gathering, hunting tips, and…

A reminder not to forget how to speak, including diagrams of oral structures for each letter.

Yohan’s large eyes welled up with tears. To encounter a trace of Irolwel after twenty long years, and for it to be something prepared for his solitude… Evidence of love that transcended death…

“Guh, Ugh, Sniff…”

A groan escaped his lips. Holding the letter to his chest, Yohan shed tears for the first time in ages.

“Seems like Yohan wrote this on the day he left for revenge. That’s why he entrusted the cross to Yohan.”

“Thank you, thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, young demon, I might never have seen this…”

“It’s fine. You’ve seen it now, so let it be. I merely did what was natural as a comrade!”

Wailing Yohan. The demon smiled warmly watching Yohan. The human knight Beatrix and young angel Uriel stood silently, deeply moved after reading the letter’s contents.

However, there was one exception. One presence stared intently at the demon.

“Cough…? I definitely saw it when I was riding on the young demon’s back… The monstrous human pulling the cross out from between his clothes as he dashed off…?”

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