Arcne couldn’t take her eyes off the crystal ball.
Ding-dong!
It was as if the crystal had swallowed the girl whole.
Amidst jagged icebergs, with countless demon corpses scattered everywhere, a chilling aura swept through the desolate stronghold of the Demon Realm.
In that moment, when everything seemed unable to endure the freezing cold…
One human was facing off against the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord appeared relaxed, but the human male did not share that calmness. In fact, his whole body was trembling. It was a miracle he was even alive.
‘…The Demon Lord looks strange too.’
Upon closer inspection, the Demon Lord’s appearance was quite peculiar.
His whole stronghold was in shambles, with countless demons turned into corpses… and yet he wore an expression of utter calmness.
Even his body wasn’t intact; one shoulder was completely torn off. He cradled a child with his remaining arm.
Arcne immediately recognized the child’s identity.
Yes, it was herself.
‘…Did the Demon Lord protect me?’
It was the most rational conclusion the girl could make.
The Emperor, who abandoned her, sent a human assassin to eliminate potential threats, and the Demon Lord saved Arcne. That’s how it seemed for now.
However, there were plenty of elements to shock the girl.
‘I can’t believe it. A human battling the Demon Lord.’
The one who reigned atop the Demon Realm. Demon Lord Valetta.
On the other hand, the human in Arcne’s mind was an endlessly fragile being. She remembered how painful it was whenever she absorbed Yin Energy.
Other humans were just as weak.
They all traded their souls for power in exchange for servitude after death, living pitifully in the Demon Realm.
Yes, humans must be such a race.
The Demon Lord broke the silence.
“Balance…”
Arcne held her breath as she focused on the conversation.
“Now that I think about it, that’s quite a good name. Since the Demon Realm and the continent have temporarily concluded a truce, it seems the balance you wished for has been achieved.”
The corners of Valetta’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“Isn’t that right? The Balance’s caretaker, Ice Ghost Ezekiel.”
Ice Ghost, Ezekiel.
So that’s what they called that human. Arcne mentally filed away the information presented by the situation.
However.
The next moment.
The scene Arcne witnessed was utterly shocking.
“…Get that filthy hand away from Your Highness.”
That statement defied all of Arcne’s expectations.
It was the moment her assumption that the Imperial Family had surely dispatched an assassin was completely shattered.
Agnes blinked, surveying the situation.
“How pitiful. So pitiful. You still don’t understand.”
Valetta scoffed.
“Ezekiel, let me tell you the conditions of the truce first.”
“…Conditions?”
“First, I will take the princess. So, there’s absolutely no reason to return her. It’s quite unfortunate.”
It was a shock like a thunderbolt crashing down on her head.
But even though Arcne was young, she wasn’t dumb. It was painfully clear.
In fact, it was the human male who had stepped into the Demon Realm to save Arcne and bring her to the continent. He was brimming with determination to face the Demon Lord.
At the same time, her mind was flooded with questions.
…Why?
…Why in the world would he want to save Arcne?
The Demon Lord continued to speak.
“The Emperor mentioned sparing your life, Ezekiel. Accept it. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
HA-HA-HA!
Valetta’s scoff morphed into a maniacal laughter.
“Who on earth would understand your grievances? You devoted your life to the Imperial Family, yet you were born lowly, merely living as a puppet.”
“….”
“And who will remember you? Though you’ve made a name for yourself in the Demon Realm as Ice Ghost, ultimately, no one in the continent will remember that name. Don’t you get it?”
“…He ordered you to let go of the princess.”
“Impossible. Poor Ice Ghost. You endured hardships to bring about a truce, and I will raise the first princess well. If war breaks out again, it’ll be quite the spectacle.”
Valetta laughed again.
“The Demon Realm will grow in power, yet during that time, the continent will gradually decline. Humans are endlessly weak. They can never outlast time…”
THWACK!
Ezekiel refused to listen any longer and slammed his fist into the ground.
Meanwhile, Arcne found herself unconsciously cheering for him, wishing for that man to save her.
But it was a hopeless endeavor.
Even as he unleashed an art of ice magic resembling high art, no matter how much he stretched out, the distance between the Demon Lord and the human never closed. Not until the very end.
It was an astounding display of power.
Despite the Demon Lord not moving, the two were unable to touch.
“Ice Ghost, farewell.”
Those words from the Demon Lord were the last.
“We won’t be meeting again.”
THUMP!
A space opened behind, beginning to suck Ezekiel into another dimension. It was a force he simply couldn’t withstand, yet still, the man struggled to endure.
Freezing and freezing again.
He gripped the ground until his nails broke, freezing both his body and the earth, even trying to freeze the space itself…
He reached out until the very last moment.
“Your Highness…! Give her back…!”
Even as the dimension swallowed his entire body, he clearly did not give up. It was as if he was determined to take Arcne with him, even at the cost of his own life.
Arcne could see the look in the man’s eyes.
Bright blue eyes.
In those eyes resided nothing but desperation. Without a doubt, the girl had never seen such deep longing before, and she couldn’t help but reflect on it.
Desperation truly is something so tremendous.
Even if it remains unfulfilled.
Even if it never gets realized.
If it carries such powerful longing, merely attempting it can render it so beautiful.
Arcne hurriedly manipulated the crystal ball.
─…He ordered you to let go of the princess.
─…He ordered you to let go of the princess.
─…He ordered you to let go of the princess.
─…He ordered you to let go of the princess.
─…He ordered you to let go of the princess.
She repeated that line over and over again.
She became madly absorbed.
Forgetting meals, neglecting sleep, even the painful agony of absorbing virgin girls’ Yin energy.
One day, Han-shin visited again.
“…Oh dear, I accidentally left the crystal ball behind.”
He spoke casually, but Arcne knew better.
He was intentionally exposing the crystal as if by chance, aiming to completely destroy Arcne.
“I can’t believe I made such a mistake; it’s quite an unusual occurrence. Anyway, I’ll take it back. It might help you with your recovery.”
The girl did not hand over the crystal ball.
Instead, she clutched it closely.
“…Ice Ghost.”
“Hmm?”
Han-shin looked at Arcne quizzically, as if asking what she meant, but unlike before, Arcne continued murmuring without caring.
“There was someone who desperately tried to save me.”
At once, Han-shin covered his mouth.
Pfft, she heard the sound of him desperately stifling a laugh.
“He valued my life more than his own, trying at the same time to bring me to the continent. So, no matter what happens, he would have been able to stand by my side…”
“Hey, Goddess.”
Han-shin managed to speak, barely containing his laughter, his voice trembling.
But Arcne’s attitude grew more serious.
“Perhaps, he might still be working hard to find me even now. So I…”
“HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!”
Han-shin couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Arcne blinked quietly, unable to grasp the meaning behind his laughter.
HA-HA, HA-HA, HA-HA-HA!
Han-shin’s laughter persisted for quite some time. Eventually, he bent over, clutching his aching belly, and said.
“Goddess, congratulations on being perfectly broken. You’ve completely lost your mind… Congratulations indeed.”
Arcne finally understood.
Well, that’s true.
Others would think Arcne had gone mad. They wouldn’t fathom the longing that existed within her bright blue eyes.
Watching Han-shin leave joyfully, the girl started to laugh instead.
“Ha… ha-ha-ha…”
The laughter that began didn’t seem to want to stop.
Yes, it felt truly insane.
No, now it was okay to go mad. She felt confident in that.
“…Ice Ghost.”
She had to search for ‘Ice Ghost’ and be saved.
At the same time, she wanted to save him.
It was the turning point that completely transformed the girl’s life.
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