Regardless of Dehan’s unjust expression, Shekina remained calm. After all, it had been part of her plan ever since Dehan had declared that he will devote his life to her.
Right now, Dehan is just a small, young child.
But what about the future Dehan?
‘The protagonist of the game.’
In other words, he will become the strongest character in the world.
‘He said he’d be on my side, so I have to make good use of that.’
Hehehe.
Shekina looked at Dehan with a sinister smile.
There are many twists and turns until Dehan becomes the protagonist, the strongest character in this world. He faces life-threatening situations, loses precious people… all of which make him stronger, but that won’t happen for another 10 years.
Shekina had no intention of waiting that long.
She wanted Dehan to grow stronger right now.
So, what should she do?
‘I’ll have to push him.’
Shekina’s lips curled stubbornly.
“Dehan, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to fight?”
Before the words even left her mouth, a pink-haired demon added,
“Yeah, you’re already scared of me, aren’t you? You know you can’t run away now, right? You’re in big trouble, aren’t you?”
Shekina thought it was a deliberate provocation because the demon knew her plan, but no. That’s just how he usually spoke.
“Haaaa…”
Dehan let out a sigh and brushed his hair back, looking at Shekina.
“Are you serious?”
“Yup, I’m serious. Do you think I would joke about this?”
Dehan almost said ‘yes’ but quickly controlled his expression. He forced himself to pick up the wooden sword rolling at his feet.
“…Please, take care of me.”
“Sure, but there’s no need for all this. It’ll end in one strike, right?”
The demon tilted his head, his chin raised. Dehan’s eyes narrowed as he gripped the wooden sword.
“I won’t let this end so easily.”
Whoosh!
Dehan swiftly pushed off the ground and leaped. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to the demon, raising the wooden sword high.
There was no hesitation in his movements. They were flawless enough to be called those of a hero.
If his opponent had been a normal person, they might have taken at least one hit. But unfortunately for Dehan, his opponent was a demon. And not just any demon, but one of the elite from the first legion.
“Tsk!”
The demon easily blocked Dehan’s attack with a light swing of his sword, a smirk appearing on his lips as he lifted his heel.
“This is quite fun.”
The demon swung his sword effortlessly. Even though there was still a distance between them,
“Ugh!”
Dehan let out a cry of agony and fell to the ground. The buttons on his shirt, which had been intact moments ago, were now torn off, and his chest was red.
“Aw, I thought you’d at least endure one hit. But you didn’t, huh?”
Returning to his usual tone, the demon scratched the back of his head and lowered his sword. He then glanced over at Shekina.
“Did I do something wrong?”
He thought maybe it was wrong to knock Dehan down in one strike and anxiously looked for a sign. But this was exactly what Shekina wanted, and it was only natural to her, so she remained calm.
“No, you did well.”
Honestly, how could a 5-year-old child defeat a demon who has lived for hundreds of years? The fact that he dared to face off without losing his spirit was already commendable.
Shekina withdrew her gaze from Dehan, who lay on the ground, and looked at the demon.
“What do you think of him when you use your skills on him?”
The demon’s lips curled into a smile. He remembered the ‘fun’ he felt earlier and wrinkled his nose.
For a young human child, he was fast, and he didn’t back down.
He was an interesting kid in many ways.
“Yeah, when I was his age, I couldn’t even hold a sword properly. But this kid, he’s different, isn’t he? I was a little surprised.”
Oh-ho.
A higher evaluation than expected.
Shekina thought, as expected of the protagonist, and nodded.
“Then how about you keep sparring with him?”
The demon’s eyes narrowed immediately. He was perceptive.
“You want me to train him?”
“Yup!”
If Shekina had asked the demon to train Dehan from the start, he would have refused.
But now that he realized playing around with the kid was fun, the demon had no choice but to accept the offer.
This must have been part of Shekina’s calculation.
What a cunning homunculus.
The demon barely managed to suppress the corners of his mouth from curving into a smile, shrugging his shoulders.
“Of course, I won’t do it for free, right? If I give something, I should receive something in return.”
Shekina’s eyes narrowed slyly.
“I really can’t stand that way you talk. Where did you even learn to speak like that?”
“This is how kids these days speak, right?”
“Nope. You sound like a middle-aged man trying too hard to sound young.”
“…That’s a bit harsh…”
Shekina clicked her tongue as she watched the demon lower his head.
“So, what do you want?”
The demon, who had looked sullen moments ago, suddenly brightened up and shouted cheerfully.
“When we arrive, being welcomed before anyone else! That’s all I need!”
“.. …..”
“Hahaha. Just imagine how jealous everyone else would be! Just thinking about it makes me feel great! It’s the best!”
Rejoicing over something so trivial and laughing to himself, he was undoubtedly a demon. Shekina shook her head and let out a sigh.
“I had forgotten that you’re a lunatic…”
Yes, dealing with a lunatic is nothing new. It’s too late to complain about it now.
***
“…So.”
Lyat trembled as he gritted his teeth.
“You’re telling me that human child knows who we really are?”
He glared at Arthur, who was standing opposite him. Even at a glance, his eyes were filled with a dark, intimidating aura, but Arthur remained unbothered. He replied in a calm tone.
“Yes, it was inevitable.”
Lyat finally raised his voice in disbelief.
“Inevitable? Inevitable? You should make sense when you speak!”
“It happened because of the conversation between the Demon King and Lady Shekina.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then it couldn’t be helped.”
Lyat quickly changed his stance and switched the topic.
“Let’s say he discovered it out of necessity. Why didn’t you erase his memory? You could have done it easily.”
“Well…”
Arthur pondered over his response.
Saying he left it alone because it seemed amusing, or that he, being a demon obsessed with fun, didn’t want to spoil it, would only infuriate Lyat further.
After a moment of thought, Arthur finally spoke.
“I didn’t think it would be a problem to leave it be.”
“Huh? Even if that kid goes elsewhere and starts talking?”
“He wouldn’t dare. We have leverage.”
Lyat’s eyes narrowed.
“You mean that pale-faced priest?”
“Yes. That, and the human himself…”
Arthur grinned.
“From what I can see, that kid is quite taken with Lady Shekina.”
“What?”
“He’s been following her around closely. Sure, he’s too young to understand now… but what happens when he grows up?”
“A mere human dares to!”
Bang!
Lyat slammed his hand down on the desk.
“No! Absolutely not! I won’t allow it, not even over my dead body!”
Arthur sneered coldly at Lyat’s firm denial.
“Why are you so upset? Weren’t you planning to leave Lady Shekina behind when you returned to the demon realm?”
“…What?”
“I mean, isn’t that what you intended from the start when you created the homunculus? Why, have you changed your mind now?”
“……..”
Lyat’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.
Arthur realized that Lyat had not yet come to a firm decision and was still deeply contemplating the matter. Yes, just the fact that he was reconsidering was enough. Thinking this, Arthur shrugged once more.
“Well, it’s a matter for the distant future, so we can discuss it when the time comes. Right now, it’s just empty talk.”
Lyat understood the underlying implication in Arthur’s words, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead.
“In any case, I can’t leave that brat with Shekina. You agree on that, don’t you?”
“Yes. I don’t particularly like that kid, either.”
Arthur’s gaze shifted upward from Lyat. He looked out the window, or more precisely, at the message tied to the leg of a carrier pigeon flying toward them.
“But…”
Arthur opened the window wide, welcomed the pigeon, and untied the letter, waving it in front of Lyat.
“If we had to choose one human, he would be the second-best option.”
The seal on the letter bore the insignia of the imperial family.
Even without reading it, the content was obvious.
