|No way, how could such a coincidence······|
Flap.
Satan, sitting to the left, tilted his head and gritted his teeth.
It’s a well-known story that Belphegor had been missing for thousands of years after escaping from the Demon World. But no one knew exactly where he had gone.
Then one day, Satan discovered Belphegor suddenly falling through a dimensional rift. He begged and pleaded with the King of Hell, managing to bring her to this Demon World.
However, no matter how much he asked her where she had been, Belphegor remained silent. Since she was originally a sinner, Satan had no choice but to imprison her in the deepest level of the underground jail, despite her being his own daughter.
In the midst of that, a human named Yoo Jin suddenly dropped into the Demon World. Recognizing him as no ordinary human, Satan quickly devised a plan to marry him off to Belphegor. This way, he could rid himself of his troublesome daughter while keeping Yoo Jin in the Demon World.
It was a perfect plan.
|Of all the places Belphegor could have been, it had to be the current world, and the two were acquaintances there, and of all things, they had a bad fate······|
If they weren’t already acquainted, it wouldn’t be so bad. According to Astaroth and Dantalion, it wasn’t just a simple bad fate; they had fought each other fiercely enough to risk their lives.
When they first met, Yoo Jin charged straight at Belphegor······. He was formidable, and even as a barehanded human, it took quite some effort to subdue the two.
If some other demon had been guarding them instead of Astaroth and Dantalion, he wouldn’t have been able to hold Belphegor back and would have had to witness her being torn apart.
At least there was some good fortune in that.
Now, while Yoo Jin was calming down······ no one truly knew what he was thinking. He could very well turn on Belphegor and try to kill her at any moment.
|But even a bad fate is still a form of connection, isn’t it?|
Rubbing his aching head, Satan shifted his mindset and laughed heartily. How could every relationship start positively?
There are plenty that start poorly and end well. In fact, it might even be easier to fall in love with someone you have a bad history with than a complete stranger.
Satan fervently prayed that Yoo Jin would take his troublesome daughter away, or at least help her find a loving connection.
|If a being familiar with death remains here······|
That human, Yoo Jin, must stay in the Demon World.
.
.
.
There were indeed restaurants selling food in the Demon World. Although demons didn’t consume nourishment like humans, some were apparently indulging their taste buds and running shady eateries.
In human terms, the food here might be akin to drugs······.
It felt a bit strange. But nevertheless, the news of a restaurant serving food was quite welcome. During his stay in the Demon World, he could just order food from these places.
True to their pursuit of flavor, every dish was delicious. It seemed enjoyable for quite a long time without getting tedious. That’s if you avoided knowing what the ingredients were······.
“Is that spider pit beef soup with ant cave smoked meat······?”
I regretted asking the chef about the ingredients, reflecting on my past self, and began devouring my meal.
Honestly.
If you don’t know the ingredients, it’s really, really excellent.
Much better than the dragon meat I had eaten before.
“It’s delicious, which only makes me more annoyed.”
“······Ugh, ahh.”
Mi Jeong’s cheeks were stretched by my hand, making her produce strange sounds. Sometimes when I’m stressed, I play around with her body.
It’s like having a living doll.
In the past, her reactions were minimal, like a mere doll. But nowadays, her increasing responsiveness adds to the fun of playing with her.
“······Just go in. Kill her. Can’t we do that?”
“I’m seriously thinking about it, you know.”
Belphegor was right here, trapped in the Demon World, ready to be killed at any moment. Yet the limitation of not being able to kill her made my head throb.
We were just unwitting guests who had suddenly fallen into the Demon World. And while Belphegor was a sinner, she was also Satan’s daughter.
No matter how much of a VIP she was, killing Belphegor here would create an uncontrollable situation.
It was certain she would end up dead at Satan’s hands or locked in the underground prison for life.
I can’t let that happen.
I need to get back to the current world.
To uphold my promise, I must find a way back, no matter what.
“······Heh, hack.”
|Yoo Jin. The meeting has been prepared.|
“I’ll be there soon.”
Just as I was playing with Mi Jeong, a gruff voice came through. It was Astaroth.
At first, all devil voices sounded the same, but now I’m starting to distinguish them slightly.
I responded vaguely and followed the guide. Soon, demons began to glance at me as they trailed behind.
Initially, it was only Astaroth and Dantalion as my guards, but their numbers had significantly increased.
Ah, not guards but surveillance, it seemed.
After I had rushed into the underground prison with the intent to kill Belphegor, their vigilance towards me had noticeably intensified.
|Satan is very angry.|
“Well, I did try to harm his daughter.”
|He sighed, saying, how could you treat your marriage partner like that?|
“······.”
Is he still not giving up on the marriage thing? It’s driving me nuts.
What sort of twisted mentality does Satan have to want to marry me to Belphegor?
I don’t get it.
No matter how much I think about it, I can’t find a clear answer.
|Please have a seat.|
“······.”
After being guided to a dark cave, I found Satan seated, offering me a place to sit. Next to Satan, Belphegor fidgeted anxiously.
‘I can’t read Satan’s expression at all.’
The unique darkness surrounding him and the magical energy made it impossible to gauge his feelings.
Whether he’s angry or not was anyone’s guess.
On the other hand, Belphegor, having lost much strength, displayed no magical energy, revealing her smooth skin.
With dark chocolate-colored skin and two prominent black horns, if you broke those horns off, she could easily pass for a tanned human.
“I understand.”
Disrespecting Satan’s mood in this situation would be foolish. So, I swallowed my sigh and sat down for the three-way conversation.
|Leave that girl outside.|
“I can’t do that. She’s one with me.”
|Even if you’re quite close, at this moment…|
“It’s not a metaphor. I am literally one with Mi Jeong, so where she cannot go, I cannot go.”
|Hmm… Very well. Come in together.|
After I sat down and placed Mi Jeong on my lap, the black magic swirled around us like a curtain.
It felt almost like a formation, although I couldn’t really discern any rules similar to a curse within it. Apparently, demons handle magic differently than we do.
The magic enveloped us completely.
Soon, the inside became a separate space, entirely cut off from sound and light from the outside.
In magical terms, it seemed similar to a barrier.
|Apologies for the inconvenience. I arranged this meeting for confirmation purposes, but······ it seems the tensions between you two are far deeper than I imagined.|
“As you said, the Great Demon, Belphegor is an evil being who has caused endless harm in the current world. If I were to enumerate her crimes, it could take me over an hour, listing how she assisted the forces following the dimensional being Draken in their descent into the current world—”
|What did you say?!!|
I had barely begun to list the saturation of Belphegor’s crimes when Satan shot an angry glare at her.
At that, Belphegor flinched in surprise.
Soon, Satan extended his claws, gripping tightly around Belphegor’s neck.
|Is what this person saying true? Did you dare follow Draken?!|
“Yes, I······ But the truth is—”
|There’s no worth in hearing that! The moment you assisted Draken, you became a traitor to the Demon World! You’ve committed an act that warrants death! Accept the punishment you deserve!|
“Blurgh······?!”
Satan squeezed Belphegor’s neck tighter, his excitement clear as day.
At this rate, he really might kill his own daughter.
Belphegor’s eyes darted towards me as if pleading for help, pushing back her consciousness as she began to lose it.
But all I did was hold onto Mi Jeong and watch quietly.
|Hmm······|
Then Satan relaxed his grip and looked at me sheepishly.
|Isn’t she going to die?|
“Why should I stop?”
|It seems your grudge is indeed quite strong for you not to feel even a shred of sympathy. I apologize. I committed the rudeness of testing how deep your hatred for Belphegor really is.|
“Cough! Ack! Ugh······.”
As soon as Satan loosened his hold, Belphegor collapsed to the ground, retching.
Unfortunately, it seems he doesn’t plan on killing his daughter himself.
Still, seeing how he treats her ruthlessly, it’s likely that following Draken is regarded as a serious crime in the Demon World.
|Do you still harbor the desire to kill Belphegor?|
“I’m not hiding my true intentions. Yes. I hated her so much that my wish was to kill Belphegor.”
Every time I think of her, it feels like I’m bleeding from my eyes.
The countless times I couldn’t save Cornelia in the past twelve cycles.
She had to face horrific pain and endings repeatedly due to Lawrence’s contract with Belphegor.
And what about the magic that was sprinkled on countless others, including Tay?
Countless individuals lost their free will and turned into puppets of Belphegor because of that magic.
The heinous acts she directly committed are simply innumerable.
Belphegor primarily served as a strategist for the Four Heavenly Kings and was deeply involved in every terrible disaster.
She deserves to die.
No, even killing her wouldn’t placate this anger.
|No matter how wicked a person may be, killing someone who has lost their strength and will to fight is a grave sin. You would not escape judgment in the Underworld.|
“I understand.”
|I won’t defend my daughter’s mistakes. If you bear such deep hatred and are prepared for the repercussions after death, I will not stop you. If you want to kill her, then kill her.|
“······.”
|But there is one condition. Since I have no idea where my daughter has been or what she has done since leaving the Demon World, after you kill her, will you give me time to hear it from her directly?|
Realizing Satan’s intention, I understood.
‘He’s trying to use me to get rid of Belphegor without getting his hands dirty.’
This bastard.
