Shekina’s current tasks were clear.
First: To keep an eye on the escaped Lucifer.
But this was beyond Shekina’s current abilities. It was a matter for the Demon King or the demons to handle.
Second: To keep the imperial family in check.
This was also something Shekina couldn’t do much about—not in the body of a three-year-old. With the prince set to visit, the best approach would be to win his favor and bring the imperial family under control. But this plan was on hold for now since the prince hadn’t arrived yet, and no concrete strategy could be devised.
Third: To keep the elders in check.
This could be done as planned by using the Black Spinel to manipulate them. Visiting the merfolk’s sanctuary would be key, but with a priest and a trainee priest on her side, gaining the merfolk’s favor wouldn’t be too difficult.
And finally, the fourth: To keep the northern temple in check.
‘Feels like I’ll die just from constantly keeping things in check.’
Shekina clicked her tongue and shook her head. Then she looked at Arthur, Calvin, and Dehan, who were sitting around her.
Yuriel had been sent out. The current conversation involved ‘demon’ matters and couldn’t be shared with Yuriel, who believed they were ordinary humans.
“So, then.”
Shekina clapped her hands to grab their attention.
“You’re all curious about the brilliant idea I mentioned, right?”
Arthur and Calvin’s eyes sparkled at her words. Dehan, on the other hand, remained indifferent. After all, he had no reason to feel excited or expectant—he simply planned to follow Shekina’s lead and carry out her orders. Dehan muttered this to himself as he gazed at Shekina.
“First, Calvin. Can you use your information manipulation skills?”
“Are you talking about brainwashing?”
“Yep.”
“Well… I can do it.”
Demons had different abilities.
Some were adept at offensive magic, others at healing, and then there were those like Calvin, who excelled in information warfare and related magic.
“But don’t expect much. In my current state, I can brainwash, at most, two people. I lack the power.”
Shekina’s eyes curved into a sly smile.
“That’s why, once your power is restored, you’ll be able to brainwash as many as you want, right?”
“Well, yeah. The lack of power is the only issue.”
The reason demons struggled in the human world, and the reason they couldn’t fully wield their abilities, boiled down to the low concentration of demonic energy.
In other words, without exposure to enough demonic energy, demons couldn’t access their true strength.
On the flip side, if their demonic energy were fully replenished, these demons would become unimaginably powerful.
Shekina’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“I’ll go with Dehan and Yuriel to retrieve the Black Spinel.”
“…What?”
“And I’ll infuse it with demonic energy so you can use it to brainwash the priests.”
“What?!”
Ignoring Calvin, who looked like he might fall over in shock, Arthur raised his voice.
“Wait, wait a moment. Infuse it with demonic energy? And how do you even know where the Black Spinel is? Where is it?”
“Sorry, Arthur. I can’t tell you either. The elders are keeping an eye on it, so I need to be careful.”
“But…!”
“As for infusing it with demonic energy, it’ll take care of itself once I create a connection to the demon realm. Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”
“Th-this….”
Arthur’s mouth opened and closed as he tried to process everything he had just heard. Then, he looked down at Shekina’s face.
Her expression was utterly serious. She wasn’t joking about any of this.
“Haha, this is crazy.”
Arthur brushed back his bangs and let out a helpless laugh. How was he supposed to explain this? What was he supposed to call the flood of emotions he was feeling?
As Arthur turned the words over in his mind, he shook his head a couple of times before meeting Shekina’s gaze again.
“When did you start planning this?”
“Planning what?”
“Infusing the Black Spinel with demonic energy.”
“When I heard that you were all barely getting by.”
Shekina answered casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She had been thinking about the Black Spinel and demonic energy for some time now.
But not Arthur. Even though he had been by Shekina’s side all along, he hadn’t even dreamed that she was hatching such plans. His feelings were a complicated mix of admiration and unease.
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing Arthur’s troubled expression, Shekina tilted her head.
“It’s… nothing.”
“Hmm?”
“Really, it’s nothing.”
Arthur quickly waved his hand and forced a smile onto his face.
“Thank you, Lady Shekina.”
***
Thud.
Arthur left the room, leaving Dehan and Shekina behind, and slumped against the corridor wall.
“What’s wrong?”
From a short distance away, Calvin spoke up.
“Why do you look so defeated? We’ve only heard good things: the Black Spinel, the demonic energy—it’s all beneficial for us.”
Arthur looked up at Calvin, his eyes narrowing.
“And that’s the problem.”
He let out a deep sigh before continuing.
“Lady Shekina is still a child. A baby, even.”
“So what?”
“What do you mean by that?!”
Arthur glared at the bewildered Calvin and shouted.
“Isn’t it shameful that someone who’s only been alive for three years is running around everywhere to solve our problems?”
Shameful?
What was?
Calvin furrowed his brow, looking even more confused.
“Homunculus are beings created to serve the Demon King. Isn’t that just natural?”
“………”
“Don’t hit me! I’m sorry, okay? Put your fists down. I said I’m sorry.”
But faced with Arthur’s piercing glare, Calvin shrank back and stepped away. After all, he was just an informant, not a fighter. Getting hit would hurt.
And he hated pain.
“If you don’t fix that rotten mindset of yours, one day you’ll regret it when my fists land on you.”
“No, please spare me. Your fists are filthy.”
Calvin shuddered as he spoke. Arthur glared at him again before letting out a sigh and lowering his head.
As he had said to Calvin, Arthur was deeply ashamed.
– What, were you expecting a solution from a three-year-old?
Even after hearing this, he hadn’t realized his mistake.
Every time something came up, he had naïvely thought, ‘Shekina will have a solution,’ without considering anything deeper.
And… when Shekina had said she’d retrieve the Black Spinel, his first reaction hadn’t been worry but relief and joy.
He found himself utterly pathetic, incredibly embarrassed.
“We need to find things we can do ourselves.”
They couldn’t keep relying on Shekina.
They were proud demons.
And they were adults.
They couldn’t place their burdens on a child.
Arthur clenched his fists and resolved himself.
He would act like the adult he was supposed to be.
***
Dehan, now left alone in the room with Shekina, felt a bit tense.
This was the first time they were alone together since he had sworn his loyalty to her, holding her hand.
He wasn’t sure what to say or how to act. Fidgeting with his hands, he glanced nervously at Shekina for cues.
“What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that?”
Shekina shrugged and sat across from him.
“How’s your training going?”
“I don’t know if it’s going well, but I’m doing my best.”
“Doing your best isn’t important. Doing it well is.”
“…I’ll do my best to do it well.”
Shekina chuckled softly at his earnest demeanor.
“We’re leaving tomorrow to find the Black Spinel I mentioned.”
“Yes.”
“Make sure to explain things to Yuriel properly. Don’t let him find out.”
She was emphasizing the importance of not revealing their demon identities to Yuriel.
Dehan, fully aware that Yuriel wouldn’t just faint but might have a far worse reaction if he learned the truth, nodded solemnly. He resolved to keep the secret from Yuriel at all costs.
“But…”
Dehan cautiously spoke up.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Hmm? What?”
“What do you plan to do after brainwashing the northern priests?”
What’s there to do? Just brainwash them and make them do as we want.
Shekina squinted at him, finding his question odd.
“Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering if you could spare one of them for me.”
Though Dehan spoke casually, the atmosphere felt tense.
“…Spare one?”
“Yes.”
Dehan clenched his fists tightly atop his thighs and spoke with determination.
“I really want to kill him.”
“………”
Wait.
You’re a hero.
Why do you want to take someone’s life…?
This is unbelievable, seriously…
