**Prologue**
Crimson blood dripped steadily as black magic gathered like mist.
“Demon Lord.”
Lien guided his large hand to her neck.
“Devour me.”
She didn’t care if he chewed her alive or tore her apart piece by piece.
“I’ll give you everything, even my hair and nails.”
A sinister glint flickered in Lien’s green eyes.
“In return, kill other humans for me.”
If, by any chance, this small human offering herself had sparked even a slight interest in the Demon Lord,
“…”
He listened to her desperate plea and silently stared at Lien. An inescapable ennui was evident in his eyes.
“I despise bothersome things the most.”
The Demon Lord, whom the whole world feared, replied in a leisurely voice. He gently stroked Lien’s neck that fit perfectly in his hand.
Lien neither avoided his touch nor his gaze. Even the power enveloping her didn’t scare her at all.
Dazzling black magic.
Though it was dark and deep like the night, to Lien, it felt like light.
Unyielding to anything, capable of achieving everything.
Within that black light, Lien recalled her past.
Born abandoned, lived imprisoned for seventeen years, and finally became a sacrifice to the Demon Lord.
Lien was always screaming, without even realizing it was a scream.
“I will give you three choices.”
He finally spoke. His lips curved into a smile, whispering as if sharing a secret. It was a sweet murmur that could melt her.
Was it salvation, or was it a temptation leading to the abyss?
Though his gentle voice was akin to a trap, Lien trembled at the path laid before her. It was a thrill she had never experienced before.
And thus, on this day, Lien made her choice. Not death, but another future.
“I will become the new Demon Lord.”
* * *
To the west of the vast continent. The land where demons and monsters resided, Raxiamun.
The towering Demon Lord’s castle loomed over everything today as always.
“Laspania.”
In the grandest central hall of the Demon Lord’s castle.
Sitting on the throne, Lien gently stroked the fur of a black panther cub on her lap and called softly.
“Yes, my lord.”
A dark-skinned female demon appeared right beside her. She had sharp claws like a beast and a pointed tail.
“Angrishan.”
“Yes.”
From the other side, a male demon emerged. Bat-like wings covered in a membrane were folded behind him.
“I must go to Ellemann.”
The human kingdom on the other side of the Lenua River, opposing Raxiamun. It was Lien’s homeland but now just an enemy country.
Lien’s declaration, usually hidden in her heart, made the two demons’ eyes gleam simultaneously.
“Is it a conquest war?”
“Are we going to behead the emperor?”
The black panther cub rubbing its head against Lien’s hand also looked up with golden eyes.
“Maybe.”
Lien did not give a definitive answer.
“Perhaps it will come to that.”
“I’ll gather the troops immediately!”
“No need.”
This was a personal revenge, not a battle between demons and humans.
“All I want is to destroy the Duke of Brundel.”
She would repay them exactly for the miserable pain they caused her.
As the new Demon Lord, it was now an easily achievable goal for Lien. She imagined it quietly.
“I will appear before them like a calamity.”
Suddenly, without any warning or omen.
“I will take everything they have and place it under my feet.”
She would show what a bloody revenge is, as a wicked and ruthless Demon Lord.
Even if it meant killing all humans and destroying the human kingdom of Ellemann as a result.
“Everything will go as you wish, my lord.”
“We will support you.”
Laspania and Angrishan replied firmly.
Lien slowly stood up from her chair. The black panther cub leaped down from her lap.
Her perpetually cold eyes gazed out at the distant sky through the window. Soon, Lien walked forward without hesitation.
“We depart.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The time for revenge had come.
—————————————————
Chapter 1 –Gone–
In the western borderlands of Ellemann,
whispers echoed through the grand mansion of Duke Brundel.
“Damn it, no luck today. We robbed two drunkards, and all we got were a few silver coins.”
“See? 1 told you it’s better to hit a household, kill everyone, and loot the place.”
“Should we go now?”
Three men in dark clothing gathered in the main hall with white marble floors.
Just by their masked faces covering their noses and mouths, it was easy to guess their line of work.
This mansion was a place they often visited to tally their earnings or quietly scheme.
It was said to have once belonged to a duke, but now it was no better than a ruin.
“Huh? What’s that?”
One of the men noticed something. Amid the darkness two bright yellow circles appeared.
The only light came from the dim moonlight seeping through the broken windows, which suddenly seemed to be obscured by clouds, narrowing their vision.
“Ahh!”
In the pitch-black darkness, one man saw a shadow blacker than the night itself. He screamed and fell on his butt, startling the other two.
“What is it!”
“What’s going on!”
“It’s a monster! That’s a monster!”
As he shouted in fear, the clouds parted, and the moonlight shone through again.
The three men stared blankly at the dark shape.
“Meow.”
“…A cat?”
It was a small animal. Its tiny, cute front paw stretched out as it yawned.
“You’re freaking out over a damn kitten.”
“Is it really a cat?”
Leaving the dazed man, the other two snickered.
They couldn’t help but laugh at a guy who kills without hesitation being scared by a kitten.
“Let’s get back to work.”
“I guess we’ll have to see some blood tonight.”
As they were about to leave, they stopped.
The front door of the mansion, which had been tightly shut when they entered, was wide open.
A chilly breeze blew in.
“Did you open it?”
“No..”
As they exchanged confused words, a chill ran down their spines for some reason.
Something felt ominous. It was an intuition they’d developed from a life of dirty deeds and survival.
“Hey, let’s get out of here.”
Without anyone needing to say it first, they all ran.
There must have been a reason this mansion was abandoned.
The rumors of it being cursed seemed true.
But as they rushed out the door, they came to a halt.
“Ah!”
There was a ghost. No, it was a girl with a face so pale she could be mistaken for a ghost.
In the expansive garden in front of the mansion, the girl stood, looking out of place in reality.
She seemed about sixteen or seventeen. Her silver hair, shining white under the moonlight, was dazzling. Her slender neck was like a deer’s, and her lips were bloodless.
Everything about her was so bright and white that her green eyes stood out starkly.
Despite her delicate appearance, her gaze was sharp and filled with a chilling intent.
The girl walked carelessly through the overgrown weeds.
The rustling sound of grass under her feet echoed.
Whoever said ghosts don’t have feet or cast shadows was wrong, and the three men exhaled in relief, easing their tension.
She was no taller than their chests. No matter how they looked at it, she was just a small, frail girl.
The fear faded, and they felt embarrassed for having been scared.
“Miss, you shouldn’t be wandering alone at this hour.”
“Do you know what kind of place this is?”
“It’s a place where dangerous people like us hang around, Understand?”
Sizing her up, they quickly calculated.
This girl could fetch at least a hundred gold coins.
If they took her to a big city near the royal palace, nobles with sinister desires would line up to buy her.
Just then, a voice spoke from behind them.
“You filthy scum, where do you think you’re leering?”
“…”
People say that when you’re really scared, you can’t even scream.
The three men turned around in silent terror.
Standing there was a tall woman, glaring sharply at them. Her attire and the apron at her waist indicated she was a maid of a noble family, but her demeanor was anything but.
“I’Il rip out your tongues, you scums.”
“Maids of human noble families don’t speak like that, Laspania.”
The three men were startled again. This time, a deep voice came from the opposite side.
A man in a knight’s uniform stood right next to them. The knight reprimanded the maid.
“Your tail is showing.”
“Mind your own business, Angrishan.”
The maid retorted with slanted eyes, patting her skirt.
Something that had looked like a ribbon instantly disappeared.
The three men were utterly bewildered.
A maid and a knight in an abandoned mansion? Were they ghosts? This terrifying question was the last thought they had in their lives, which had been filled with theft and robbery.
“Useless things wandering around.”
“Three humans. Confirmed dead.”
The bodies of the three, who didn’t even know when they died, were pushed aside as Laspania and Angrishan stepped back.
Lien walked past them. Her pace didn’t change even during the brief cleanup.
From the moment she arrived and crossed the garden, Lien had been too shocked by the state of the mansion to even notice the humans.
The mansion’s walls were covered in vines.
The garden was unkempt.
The mansion was dark with no lights.
This couldn’t be happening. It shouldn’t be.
Entering the mansion’s hall, Lien slowly lifted her head.
Cobwebs covered the chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.
Glass shards lay scattered, and the walls were stained with mold.
Dust covered the railing so thickly it could be scooped up.
The smell was musty.
This wasn’t the grand, magnificent mansion she remembered.
The people she remembered weren’t here either.
– You are to be sacrificed to the Demon Lord,
Duke Brundel, who had gripped her shoulder tightly.
– Monster! You’re no different from a demon!
The Duchess, who had tried to kill her repeatedly out of fear and hatred.
– Is she my sister?
Her younger brother, who had been clueless with an innocent face.
Leaving this horrific family, Lien had made a resolution. She had seethed with resentment and determination.
– If I survive and return..I will kill you all first,
She would kill them. Tear them apart. Shatter them. She would give back the same pain.
But why.
“…Gone.”
A voice as delicate as her appearance echoed.
“No one is here.”
She had returned for revenge, but there was no one to exact revenge on. Her fury, with no place to go, burst out explosively.
☆☆☆
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