Chapter: 188
To the Demon King, Lian represented a lifeline thrown into the depths of an unfathomable ocean—her saving grace amidst the chaos.
The empty death of her revered father, the forced role of ‘Demon King,’ and the officials who had once followed her father, now vanishing one by one under the Outsider’s influence—she was merely a puppet sitting idly on a throne, helplessly watching it all unfold.
The dread that if she died, the ‘Truth about the World’ which her father had entrusted everything to would sink into oblivion gnawed at her, leaving her to live in a miserable limbo.
Then one day, that chilling gaze vanished. For reasons unknown, the Outsider had left her side.
Shortly after, the entities tormenting her began to receive punishment, one after the other, for reasons she could not fathom.
‘Something is protecting me.’
The moment she felt that conviction, an inexplicable surge of emotions welled up within her. She felt anger and helplessness as she faced the cruel reality of her father’s death, and yet a part of her was paralyzed with fear, unable to move an inch.
The time her soul twisted in agony under the weight of the Outsider’s influence made her increasingly obsessed with the salvation that had come closer.
When that salvation took form and approached her, her obsession solidified even further.
Yet, it was far from a sweet feeling like ‘love.’
To her, Lian was a ‘sanctuary.’ The freedom from all the things that had tormented her started with Lian.
In the Demon King’s Castle, which was no different from her father’s grave, Lian was the only place where she could breathe freely.
To the Demon King, Lian was like a narcotic painkiller for a terminal cancer patient. If she hadn’t known from the start, it might have been different, but once she realized, she could no longer live without Lian.
The feelings she had for Lian were closer to ‘attachment and obsession’ than ‘love’ in the romantic sense.
Perhaps that’s why she became ever more obsessed with Lian. She was terrified of losing this unnamed bond and desperately clung to him, wanting to leave behind even the smallest trace.
The moment the Outsider became hostile toward her last sanctuary, the anger, helplessness, and fear that she had suppressed burst forth, driving her madly to seek out Lian.
“Whoa whoa! I shouldn’t have come here!”
In stark contrast to the serious aura of the Demon King, the Goddess of the Gag World burst through the space, looking like a cat sporting sunglasses, exuding an endlessly light atmosphere. (Beyond the torn space, there was a filming set.)
She stepped back, retreating into the filming area.
Kaboom! Kaboom!
The sparkling mirror ball that appeared with the Goddess unleashed beams of light, causing buildings to start crumbling wherever the light touched. When the Goddess stumbled back into the filming area, both Lian and the Demon King found themselves plunged deep into an unknown place underground.
“Oof…”
As she groggily got up, a bright place flooded with light came into view in the distance.
“…!”
And amidst that light stood a man with black hair. Though it was a face she had never seen before, she recognized him instantly.
‘Ah, found him.’
Having been alongside a being of infinitely higher status, the Demon King could now perceive the difference in souls, allowing her to spot the sanctuary that had vanished from her grasp.
She started walking toward Lian, who was shaking off something as if he were in a stupor, almost like a person enchanted by something.
*
At the moment when Lian and the Demon King were about to overlap bodies, a long-nailed, ferocious hand shot between them. Lian’s view was swallowed by the red hair as the wild hand clawed at the Demon King.
In the blink of an eye, the Demon King, having quickly adjusted her expression, fended off Jess’s attack with the sword she had drawn, easily brushing it aside.
“Grr…”
A growl, far more violent than her usual playful sounds, emanated from Jess. Fueled with an aura as if ready to pounce on the Demon King and sink her fangs into her neck, Lian hastily raised both hands in surrender.
“Wait—…”
“Get away, beast.”
Before Lian could intervene, the Demon King ignited the flames, pouring oil onto the fire. Fueled by fury toward Jess, who blocked her way to Lian, the Demon King radiated an overwhelming killing intent. It was a state Lian couldn’t easily defuse.
“She’s my ‘master’!”
“Uh? J-Jess, you—…”
With no intention of hiding anymore, Jess’s clear declaration of ‘master’ caused Lian to stiffen in disbelief. The term ‘Juin-nim,’ which Jess had stubbornly insisted upon since childhood, had been her special nickname for him, and it wasn’t that she couldn’t say ‘master.’
When wanting to emphasize ‘master,’ she could properly pronounce it with a low growl.
For Lian, it was as shocking as hearing his daughter, who had called him ‘Daddy’ until yesterday, now address him as ‘Father.’ While Lian was paralyzed in shock, the Demon King and Jess glared at each other, rushing in.
Jess moved like a nimble beast, zigzagging through her motions. In contrast, her fluid movements clashed against the neatly disciplined, deadly swordsmanship of the Demon King.
As the elegantly extended sword barely missed Jess, it suddenly twisted like a live snake, dynamic and alive. Jess’s eyes widened in surprise as she observed the incoming sword.
Swoosh!
Ducking just in time to avoid the oncoming attack, Jess eyed the agile sword of the Demon King intently. When the Demon King flicked the sword, what had previously writhed and squirmed like a whip or a cunning snake returned to its original sword form.
It was one of those magic swords that could bend its blade to the user’s desired shape.
‘Is it a lower-tier version of the magic sword?’
Compared to those magic swords that can outright change their form, this one had rather diminished capabilities, which led her to wonder how the magic sword was doing. It wasn’t the time for such thoughts, so Lian quickly shook his head to regain focus.
Had the power of the gag filter been a bit stronger, she might have exchanged dialogue during the flashback, like “Partner, I’m still not dead,” or “I’m not dead! Hey!” but instead, she couldn’t stop the intense battle between the Demon King and Jess.
Though she missed a miraculous chance for a conversation that transcended the state with the magic sword, she gained an opportunity to intervene between the two.
Lian thought about jumping between them immediately, but in his current weakened state, he raised both hands to his mouth and shouted.
“Eldensia! Jess! Calm down!”
The moment the name Eldensia was uttered, the Demon King froze for a split second, and Jess seized the opportunity to swing her hand.
Late to heed Lian calling her name, Jess attempted to halt her attack, but there was no way to retract the fired blow.
Crack!
“Ugh…!”
She barely managed to pull back just enough at the last moment to avoid her torso being torn open, but a huge scratch appeared on her shoulder. It wasn’t deep enough to expose bone, but the size of the wound was big enough for blood to splatter everywhere.
Seeing the blood spray, Jess’s eyes glinted with excitement, but instinctively following Lian’s order took precedence, causing her to swiftly retreat and stand beside him.
“Grr…”
Jess’s demeanor suggested she was ready to silence the Demon King at any moment as she bared her fangs and growled ferociously.
“Eldensia!”
Lian immediately rushed to the Demon King, who had slumped down, clutching her wound. The Demon King had been frowning, her head down, but as Lian called out, she lifted her gaze to meet his.
A thick, unidentifiable emotion spilled forth from her frozen expression.
Though he couldn’t pinpoint what that feeling was, treating her wounds took precedence. Lian rummaged through the supplies Jess had brought for something to use for first aid.
“First, let’s do a first-aid—… huh?”
As soon as the Demon King caught Lian approaching, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Blood gushed from her arms, but she paid it no mind; this level of injury didn’t even register as pain to her.
As evidence of that, her wounds began to heal visibly and rapidly. Lian, who found himself in a sudden embrace with the Demon King, watched in astonishment as her injuries mended right before his eyes.
‘Thank goodness. I was worried I’d have to use my Healing ability… oh, if I used it on the Demon King, it might backfire.’
The sudden realization that had flashed through his mind—that if he had mindlessly used a healing spell, the Demon King would have contorted in pain as if being burned—sent a cold sweat down Lian’s back. As he quietly appreciated that he couldn’t use healing abilities right now, the Demon King met his gaze coldly.
“…”
The narrowed eyes of Jess, glaring at the Demon King, collided with the unconcerned countenance of the Demon King. Soon, the Demon King broke eye contact with Jess and buried her face in Lian’s shoulder. For her, Lian was far more important than that bothersome beast.
Jess flinched, feeling an overwhelming urge to separate Lian from the Demon King, but realizing their connection kept her impulse in check.
Unaware of the hostile glances exchanged between the two, Lian was dripping with cold sweat internally as he thought.
‘Maybe it was a bit rash to just leave a letter behind and run away?’
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