The presence of not just traces of black magic, but black magic itself, is quite an astonishing thing.
Lucifer, that madman, is using forbidden black magic in a sacred temple.
‘This is driving me crazy, seriously.’
Shekina raised her head with her eyes closed.
Everything looks bleak.
What? Is this my future? Damn it…
“Lady Shekina?”
At this moment, Dehan spoke up.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Dehan acting as if he knew nothing, Shekina became furious. She let out a sigh and lowered her head.
“You don’t know anything, do you?”
“What?”
“Never mind… I’m just envious that your head is full of flowers.”
That’s an insult.
She just insulted him, now.
Suddenly insulted, Dehan puffed up his cheeks and glared at Shekina. But Shekina didn’t care in the slightest and dealt with him coldly.
“So, why did the Pope call you?”
“I don’t know either.”
Dehan answered as if nothing had happened.
“I think he might have been interested in me for a while.”
Shekina narrowed her eyes.
“Of course. He’s been watching you all along.”
“What?”
Seeing Dehan widen his eyes, Shekina let out a sarcastic laugh.
You really didn’t know that?
“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you know he’s been watching you?”
“…What?”
“Why can you only say ‘What?’ It’s really frustrating.”
Dehan was dumbfounded and dropped his jaw.
Now, she’s even complaining about how I talk. How am I supposed to live like this?
Dehan, even more upset, pouted.
“Lady Shekina, you keep saying things that I can’t understand. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Hmm.”
Shekina crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side.
It makes sense that Dehan would think this way.
It’s already surprising enough that we’re demons, and now I’m telling him that the Pope has been targeting him for a long time with some legitimate reasons… Of course, he’d be confused.
But does that mean there’s anything I can tell him? No, there isn’t.
The truth is, we’re in a game world. You’re the protagonist of this game! And because a protagonist needs hardships, you’ve been going through hell all this time! The Pope who appears now is the one controlling you!
…But I can’t exactly say that, can I? Haha.
Shekina scratched the back of her head.
“Yeah. I don’t know either. I don’t know much.”
Then she grabbed Dehan’s sleeve and tugged on it.
“What I do know is…”
She stared directly at the central staircase of the hall.
“…The guy coming down now is a very bad guy.”
The man stepping down the white marble stairs.
The one wearing the Pope’s mask.
Shekina looked straight at Lucifer.
***
Lucifer had been in a good mood since early in the morning.
To be precise, it wasn’t bad.
It had been a long time since he had woken up without feeling any discomfort, so he wandered around the temple with a lighter step than usual.
He watched as he shoved monsters into dead humans, turning them into living corpses, and laughed at those who eventually died with a shriek.
But this joy didn’t last long.
“Tsk. None of them are useful.”
This was because none of the humans who died had the potential to become a ‘vessel of the celestials.’
Lucifer is powerful right now.
But even so, he wasn’t strong enough to start a war with the entire demon race and win.
No matter how much the Demon King’s power is sealed and the demons’ strength has diminished compared to before, Lucifer, who knows well their persistence, did not want to take any risks.
That’s why he wanted to resurrect the celestial beings to stay by his side at all costs.
‘A vessel, a vessel indeed…’
Are all the ones in the central temple so weak? Is there no one who’s adequate? Is that why it’s so difficult to find a suitable vessel?
‘If that’s the case…’
Should I search more thoroughly in the north, west, and south?
Lucifer licked his lips with his red tongue. Searching the temples further meant killing more priests, which was something he found incredibly enjoyable!
Feeling exhilarated again, he gave orders to Virtus, his right-hand man and strategist, whom he had just recently resurrected.
“We’ll be heading to the north soon, so prepare yourself.”
Virtus’s yellow eyes turned cold.
“To the north… You mean that north?”
He darkened slightly.
“Aren’t there demons in that area?”
“Yes.”
Lucifer was aware of Virtus’s concerns, but he didn’t want to worry about something so trivial.
No, he wanted to proudly declare that such things were nothing to be concerned about.
“That’s exactly why we need to go. We need to go and mock them! We need to stand tall before those who thought they had gained the upper hand and become complacent. And then, we’ll tell them. You will no longer exist!”
Just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine. Imagining the despair on Lucart’s face, seeing those arrogant demons being killed one by one, filled his body with a thrill.
“And then I’ll kill them. Oh, but I won’t kill them all at once. I’ll take my time, making sure they feel as much pain as possible. Won’t that be fun?”
Lucifer let out a twisted laugh.
Watching him, Virtus furrowed his brow. Although he didn’t disagree with Lucifer’s words—in fact, he had the same thoughts…
“It will be dangerous. It’s still too soon.”
It was premature in many ways.
“We’ve always been unsure of Lucart’s power, even though it was sealed…”
Virtus’s voice faltered, and he quickly bowed his head as Lucifer’s gaze grew sharper than ever.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to underestimate your power, Lucifer. I was just concerned.”
With his head hung low, Virtus bit his lip.
You had to be cautious around the unpredictable Lucifer. He knew this well, yet he had made a mistake. Virtus thought he might lose at least one wrist and frowned.
But…
“No, no. I didn’t take it that way.”
The response was surprisingly gentle.
“I think you’re right. Yes, you’re right. No matter how much that guy has weakened, he’s still the Demon King. I can’t confidently say that I could win against him right now.”
Lucifer lifted Virtus’s chin with his slender fingers.
“I’m truly something, aren’t I? I had resolved not to be arrogant anymore! Yet, I almost threw my life away again with my arrogance. No, no. I must not do that. This time, I must achieve my goal!”
With a snap of his fingers, his expression turned cold.
“Let’s head to the west.”
“…Yes, as you command.”
As Virtus sighed in relief, Lucifer slowly lowered his gaze.
“Demon King.”
He suppressed the urge to see that guy as soon as possible.
***
And then.
When Lucifer heard that Dehan, the protagonist of the world he had set his eyes on, had arrived, he immediately rushed to the main hall.
There were more than one or two things he needed to do with Dehan.
But…
Dehan was not alone.
Is that Yuriel? No, it wasn’t. A girl slightly smaller than Dehan was standing there.
Lucifer’s eyes narrowed.
“Hmm, could it be?”
His eyes curved into a smile.
“Could it be, am I right?”
Lucifer spread his lips into a wide grin, revealing his white teeth.
“Is my guess correct?”
Although his appearance was quite grotesque, Shekina didn’t care in the slightest. No, she did care, but she didn’t feel any fear.
“Yeah. Hello?”
Shekina tilted her head casually.
“I’m Shekina, the youngest of the Daimon family.”
And she clearly revealed her identity.
“Nice to meet you! I’ve been looking forward to this!”
Are you a celestial?
I’m a human pretending to be a demon.
Let’s see what you’ve got.
