Chapter 80

EP.80 Aiter…?

Among the numerous natural wells in Yucatan, Mexico, known as cenotes, there is a beautiful place called Ik Kil.

Nearby is Chichen Itza, making it a popular stop for tourists visiting the area.

Hidden somewhere in the walls of Ik Kil was a secret space.

Before the discovery of Aiter, no one in the world knew of its existence.

Whoosh!

Emerging from a portal that tore through the void, Sehwa and I appeared.

Three guards monitoring Ik Kil were startled.

They shouted something in Spanish and pointed their guns at us, but with a wave of Sehwa’s hand, they collapsed, gray smoke emanating from their bodies.

Sehwa collected the smoke from the three bodies, rolled it into a ball, and clenched it tightly.

With a soft crunch, the smoke turned to dust and fell through her fingers.

Like a stone weathered by time, crumbling into nothing.

Sehwa, who had just extinguished three human souls with an indifferent expression, gazed at the moonlit interior of Ik Kil and sighed in admiration.

“It’s so beautiful… I want to swim here…”

When I didn’t respond, Sehwa turned her head and raised an eyebrow.

“Master!”

“What?”

“I said I want to swim here!”

“Then swim. Just take off your clothes.”

“Tsk…”

Annoyed by my dismissive reply, Sehwa clenched her fists and swung them wildly in the air.

Her shadowboxing was adorable.

Enough to make me chuckle.

“Can you still detect Aiter?”

At my question, Sehwa stopped and slumped.

“No, I can’t.”

Sehwa had lost her ability to detect Aiter after it transformed into a completely different substance.

But it didn’t matter much.

I already knew the location of the Aiter.

“I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“For not being helpful…”

“Why are you sulking over nothing? Come here.”

Sehwa hurried over to me.

I kissed her forehead and reassured her it was okay.

Then, floating in mid-air, I entered Ik Kil and placed my hand on the wall at the far end, where it met the water, focusing my magical energy.

Crunch!

The wall crumbled, similar to how Sehwa had extinguished the guards’ souls, revealing a space just large enough for one person to enter.

I smirked at Sehwa, who was watching with curious eyes.

“Shall we go in?”

“Can’t I wait here? I’m scared.”

Scared? Really…

“Then stay here.”

“Hmm… I’ll just go with you.”

What’s with the back and forth?

I sighed and led the way into the space.

Sehwa followed, clutching my sleeve tightly.

Though the space was pitch black, focusing my vision made everything clear.

After walking for a while, the path widened, and we reached a dead end.

I looked around, puzzled.

“What’s this?”

“What’s wrong…?”

Ignoring Sehwa’s question, I focused my vision further.

There should be a rainbow-colored Aiter for Rose here… Why isn’t it?

This is definitely the right place. There’s only one space in Ik Kil’s walls.

But why… Why isn’t it here?

‘Stay calm.’

It must be somewhere.

It has to be. It must.

I spent a long time searching every corner of Ik Kil for the Aiter.

**

Until now, my plans had gone mostly as expected.

They hadn’t deviated from the overall framework.

But now was different.

Things had gone too far off track.

“This… This is ridiculous…!”

Even after expanding the space by breaking the walls, doubling, tripling its size… Even after exposing all of Ik Kil, which had served as a resting place for tourists for so long… Rose’s Aiter was nowhere to be found.

My body trembled uncontrollably.

Blood seeped from my tightly clenched fist.

Sehwa was fidgeting, watching my reaction, but this wasn’t the time to reassure her.

I was on the verge of panic myself—how could I possibly calm her down?

Yuria’s Aiter was exactly where I remembered it.

So Rose’s should be here too… Why isn’t it?

There were no signs of anyone taking it.

And there’s no one who could have taken it.

“I don’t understand… I don’t understand.”

“Ma… Master… What’s wrong…?”

Sehwa’s lips trembled.

I must look terrifying to her.

Alright… Calm down. Let’s assume Rose’s Aiter isn’t here…

Let’s find Caroline and Celine’s Aiter first.

“Let’s head somewhere else.”

Unintentionally, my demon king tone slipped out.

This isn’t the time to act like Song Jihyuk.

“Ye… Yes!”

Sehwa nodded hurriedly.

I took her through the portal.

Our destinations were Portugal and Greece.

**

Crash! Thud!

“Ahh!”

My right wrist, which had smashed through the base’s wall, bent unnaturally, and shards embedded themselves into my flesh, blood streaming down.

At this utterly pointless act, Sehwa screamed and turned to Marcella.

“Heal him. Now!”

“Uh, Your Majesty… We don’t have medical equipment here.”

“Use magic or whatever! Just heal him!”

“Uh… Huang Songhao and I don’t know healing magic… Neither do the other demons…”

Sehwa’s expression turned demonic.

“Useless wench. Get out.”

“Ye… Yes!”

As Marcella scurried away, Sehwa tried to calm me down as I trembled on the throne.

“Master… Please calm down…”

How can I calm down when three Aiters are missing?

But as Sehwa said, I had to force myself to stay calm.

This was too serious to just rage over.

“Haah…”

As I took a deep breath, Sehwa sighed in relief.

“Master… You should go into the medical device now…”

“I’ll recover naturally, so don’t worry. It doesn’t even hurt.”

“But…”

“I said don’t worry.”

“Okay…”

Leaning my left arm on the throne’s armrest, I rested my chin and thought deeply.

The remaining three didn’t appear in Episode 6? That doesn’t make sense.

The developers confirmed that five heroines would appear.

Moreover, Rose from Episode 3… Stella Hailey, is alive and well on Earth.

Of course, the storyline might have changed since I became the demon king and lived in this reality.

But even considering that, they should appear. Stella exists now, right?

They must appear.

Did Dr. Cash or Marcella take the Aiter? That doesn’t make sense either.

I’m monitoring Dr. Cash in real-time, and Marcella is completely loyal to me.

If they had retrieved the Aiter, they would have told me.

I considered other hypotheses, but none were certain.

Thinking about it won’t help.

I should have checked all the Aiters right before pursuing Sehwa. That was my mistake.

I was too careless.

But… thinking about it, there’s no need to panic.

There’s no trace of anyone taking it.

It wasn’t in Ik Kil, and I checked Portugal and Greece even more thoroughly.

I didn’t retrieve the Aiter directly, but I’ve been monitoring its location consistently.

That means the three Aiters were never there to begin with.

So, I’ll just corrupt Yuria and keep an eye on Rose while waiting.

I know, right? There’s no guarantee Episode 6 will follow the same path as Episodes 1-5.

Let’s stick to the plan. No need to change it.

Yes, it’s fine. Even if Caroline and Celine appear transformed, Sehwa and Yuria can handle them.

“Marcella!”

At my booming shout, Marcella, waiting outside, rushed in and knelt.

“Yes, Demon King.”

“Suspend the Aiter replication research for now. While I focus on Yuria, you search for the existing Aiter. It might be somewhere else.”

“Understood.”

I wanted to search the entire universe for Caroline and Celine, but how could I search such a vast place?

If only I knew the exact location of their galaxy, it would be easier.

But in a typical harem game, there’s no way to know the exact location.

All I know is that Caroline and Celine came from a distant galaxy in another world.

That’s not enough.

Buzz!

My phone rang. It was Yuria.

A message to Kim Taegon.

[Dad, where are you? Why didn’t you come home yesterday? Why aren’t you answering your phone?]

[Sorry. A sudden business trip came up… I was busy all night.]

[Is it related to Jihyuk?]

[It’s another business matter. I’ll definitely come home today.]

[Okay.]

After reviewing and plotting various plans, my wrist bone had reattached.

The embedded shards were pushed out, leaving it clean.

The demon king’s body is truly something.

Rising from the throne, I gave Sehwa a gentle smile to calm her.

“Sorry.”

My soft Song Jihyuk tone finally reassured her.

Then she glanced at me.

Her sharp gaze is intimidating.

“Let’s go back.”

“Okay…”

I can’t falter. I have to do what I must.

**

Click!

“Done.”

Having finished expanding the device’s capacity, I wiped the sweat off.

Yuria responded awkwardly.

“Th… Thank you.”

Currently, in the lab are me, Sehwa, Yuria, and Dr. Cash.

Since Yuria doesn’t know Sehwa is my retainer, she can’t help but be wary.

“Don’t mention it.”

I smiled and signaled Sehwa.

To arrange a separate space with Dr. Cash.

Sehwa approached Dr. Cash, who was working on equipment, and spoke shyly.

“Dr. Cash.”

“Yes?”

“I… have something to talk about… I want to apologize for last time…”

“Alright.”

Her sincere tone and posture… Excellent acting.

I was worried in Canada, but it seems unnecessary.

Dr. Cash led Sehwa into the room with a bright expression.

Standing up, I took the device and fastened it to Yuria’s wrist.

“Jihyuk… You shouldn’t do this in the lab…”

She scolded me in a very quiet voice.

Even with Sehwa nearby, she felt guilty.

What do you mean I shouldn’t? You stayed still while I fastened it.

“That expression will only raise more suspicion.”

“The position… is too uncomfortable…”

“Earlier, you were talking with Sehwa. What did she say?”

“She asked… how I charged the device…”

“What did you say?”

“That… I have someone I like now…”

“Good. Don’t forget in two days.”

“Okay…”

Embarrassed, Yuria moved away.

I smirked at her.

Song Jihyuk, Kim Taegon, and Sehwa are all deceiving you with one heart and mind. You won’t escape.

Next episode―――――――――――――――――――――

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