Shaking.
Dehan could not control his trembling legs.
His legs shook so much that even the chair he was sitting on and the teacup on the table were trembling.
However, Shekina, who was sitting beside him, and Lucifer, disguised as the Pope, were calm and composed.
They watched each other with faint smiles, as if something was sparking between them.
Why are they acting like that?
Dehan glanced around nervously, focusing his gaze on the ground.
Behind Dehan, Lucifer, still disguised as the Pope, seemed to be enjoying himself. He had forgotten that he was supposed to be pretending to be human and was simply staring at Shekina.
‘This is definitely…’
There was a magi presence.
Lucifer could only come to one conclusion.
‘Shekina Daimon.’
The homunculus that he tried to kill through Yurian.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes.
There wasn’t any particular reason why he wanted to kill Shekina. It was just because she was the youngest homunculus and seemed to have less power, making her an easy target. He thought that if he used black magic to create something that looked like Shekina, no one would suspect anything.
‘But it wasn’t the case.’
The first failure was that the homunculus did not die.
Yurian, whose mental state was in tatters, assumed that Shekina would naturally die… but somehow, she survived. How on earth did she manage to stay alive?
On top of that, she even managed to keep Yurian in the Demon King’s castle!
As a result, there was no point in killing Yurian’s friends from the academy, and Lucifer had no choice but to let Yurian go.
Actually, it was also because he had lost control of his body and was being tortured, but that’s beside the point.
‘If things had gone according to plan, we would have discovered the Demon King’s weakness by now.’
We would have monitored the situation in the Demon King’s castle while keeping something that looked like Shekina there.
But the plan didn’t go as expected. All because of this homunculus.
‘And then, she even came here on her own.’
Lucifer’s lips curved into a sinister smile.
“Yes, you’re the young lady of the Daimon family, aren’t you?”
Shekina’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes, Your Holiness. I’m so happy to meet you. I’ve really, really wanted to see you.”
Lucifer didn’t like her answer.
The fact that she said she was happy to meet him meant that she had come here of her own will.
“Really?”
Then why?
Why did the homunculus come to see him?
Had she already figured out his identity and was now confirming it?
A hint of anxiety flashed in Lucifer’s eyes.
“I don’t know why a child from the Daimon family would want to see me. Can you tell me the reason?”
“Our father… I mean, my father wanted to see Your Holiness.”
Shekina smiled brightly and said,
“Would you like to see my father as well?”
“……..…”
As expected, she’s certain that I’m a celestial being.
Lucifer laughed emptily and leaned back in his chair.
He glanced over at Dehan. Judging by Dehan’s expression, it seemed that he didn’t know Lucifer’s true identity. In fact, he didn’t even seem to know Shekina’s true identity.
Then how did they get involved with each other? Did they meet in the North and form a connection there? Lucifer bit his lip slightly.
“How do you know Dehan? I’m curious as to why you both came here together, especially without my permission.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Just as Dehan was about to speak, Shekina interrupted.
“I saved him from being killed. But then, I threw a tantrum because I also wanted to see the Pope. I told him that I wouldn’t save him if he didn’t take me here.”
Saved him? Lucifer straightened up from his slouched position.
“What happened?”
Dehan, who had been hanging his head low, slowly began to speak.
He recounted the events since leaving the North, the overturned carriage shortly after their departure, the coachman fleeing, being left in the extreme cold, and how they would have surely died if the Daimon family members hadn’t passed by at that moment.
“So… that’s what happened in the North…”
Lucifer’s lips twisted, but it was not in a smile. He was seething with anger.
Dehan was a crucial chess piece, the most essential part of Lucifer’s plan.
And yet, this child almost died? All because of the selfish greed and damnable arrogance of humans?
This won’t do. I’ll have to kill them all. Yes, killing them would be for the good of the world.
A fleeting murderous intent flashed in Lucifer’s eyes.
“It would be best if you and Yuriel rested in the center for a while. Your bodies and minds must be very tired.”
“…That’s…”
Dehan glanced at Shekina before lowering his head again.
“I’ve decided to repay the favor to the Daimon family.”
He continued in a strained voice, speaking each word with difficulty.
“So, I want to stay by Lady Shekina’s side and protect her.”
If this were the past, back when he was bound to the temple and obedient to the gods, he would never have said something like this.
He wouldn’t have even come to meet the Pope with Shekina.
But…
Now that the seed of doubt had taken root, he couldn’t make the same choices as before. He wanted to stay by Shekina’s side. And he wanted to uncover the truth behind the nameless figure that kept appearing in his dreams.
“…You? You want to stay with the Daimons?”
“Yes.”
“You mean those Daimons?”
“Yes.”
Although Dehan answered promptly, he still felt some discomfort in his heart.
After all, the Daimon family had been under suspicion from the church for a long time. And that suspicion… turned out to be accurate.
‘They are demons, so it wasn’t baseless suspicion.’
But that didn’t mean they were evil. Dehan didn’t know them well enough to judge them as good or bad. This made him want to stay by their side even more.
“Please grant me permission, Your Holiness.”
Lucifer slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath at Dehan’s resolute words, which left no room for retreat.
Let’s review the situation.
First, the demons have discovered that I am Lucifer and have taken over the Pope’s position.
Second, they suspect that I am using Dehan to attempt to overthrow the world.
Third, as a result, these damn demons are trying to take Dehan away from me.
‘Huh?’
How utterly ridiculous.
What could these weakened and always starving demons possibly do?
Lucifer ground his teeth and glared fiercely.
“Shekina, was it?”
“Yes.”
“You know, don’t you?”
“Know what?”
“Everything.”
Shekina, who had been staring straight into Lucifer’s intense gaze, suddenly burst into laughter.
She couldn’t help it.
– Hey, Master.
It was because Sera, who had sneaked in unnoticed while she was distracting Lucifer, was speaking to her.
– Found it. What should we do with it?
Shekina, who had been laughing, suddenly stood up.
“Of course I know everything!”
Shekina boldly crossed her arms and raised her chin.
“And I know things that you don’t know. Curious?”
“What…”
As the flustered Lucifer tried to respond, Shekina quickly interrupted him.
“If you kill me, you’ll lose everything. All the things you were so eager to know will be lost. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Shekina whispered softly, just loud enough for Lucifer to hear.
“So, don’t even think about killing me.”
Clench.
Lucifer’s teeth ground together so hard it was as if they might shatter.
