It had been discussed before that they would target the Northern Temple. However, Yuriel had always thought it was an impossible idea. And understandably so, because these people…
‘They are demons, right?’
Why would demons target a temple? It’s strange.
Wasn’t it the case that demons would disintegrate upon touching holy energy? It was clearly stated in the doctrine, but is he misunderstanding something? Yuriel looked at Arthur with uncertain eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Arthur tilted his head.
“Ah. Is it strange to say that demons are going to take over the temple?”
“That… Ah, I suppose.”
“It’s also strange that demons were exiled from the demon realm, right?”
Should he laugh at this or not… Yuriel couldn’t tell if Arthur was joking. Seeing Yuriel’s slightly hesitant demeanor, Arthur let out a chuckle.
“Anyway, if we take the Northern Temple, there’s a lot we can gain. We could have influence in the temples, replacing that pope who fled.”
If they have control of the Northern Temple, it would become easier to keep an eye on what Lucifer is up to. Of course, he knows that, according to Calvin’s report, those guys won’t be making any moves for a while. But still, it’s better to create conditions where they can monitor them.
Moreover,
“And we also need to get revenge, right?”
They can’t just let those who tried to kill Yuriel and Dehan go free.
Yuriel and Dehan had become part of their group, so how could they just ignore it?
“Th-then, you’re doing this for us…?”
“Both at once.”
Yuriel’s eyes widened, and he smiled with a look of gratitude before grabbing Arthur’s hand tightly.
“Th-thank you! Really!”
Arthur looked down at the hand that Yuriel had grabbed.
No matter how much Yuriel had a tendency to be gullible, he was fundamentally a priest. And not just any priest, but one who would’ve despised demons.
And yet, he’s getting along with them like this. On top of that, he doesn’t seem to have any qualms. It’s suddenly become curious why he stays by their side, knowing that they are demons.
“Yuriel, don’t you dislike us?”
“Eh? What?”
“We’re demons, you know. You’re a priest.”
“That…?”
Yuriel hesitated, looking into Arthur’s eyes, then at the hand he was holding. He swallowed dryly and slowly opened his mouth.
“It, it’s all just the same.”
“Eh?”
“After all, we’re all the same… so there’s no reason to dislike it.”
Arthur blinked, forgetting to even do that, as he blankly stared at Yuriel.
The same.
Humans and demons.
Humans and demons being on the same level—there were plenty of people who would be disgusted by that.
However, this priest in front of him spoke as if he didn’t care about that disgust at all.
And so, Arthur momentarily felt empty. Since coming to the human world, he had drawn lines with humans just because they were different from demons… but now, being told that there was no real difference, it felt like something was being acknowledged. It made him feel better.
“Would you like to tell me who was the one who troubled you the most at the Northern Temple?”
Arthur asked with a smile, gripping Yuriel’s hand a little harder.
“Since you made me feel better, I’ll make sure to kill that person more terribly.”
“. . …..”
Huh, is it really the same?
Yuriel felt slightly confused.
***
After having a playful argument with the twins and Benita, Shekina dragged her tired legs into the room and collapsed onto the bed.
“Ugh, playing with them always wears me out.”
Normally, she would have brought Cerberus with her for a game of ‘fetch,’ but since Benita was here, she couldn’t.
Instead, Merdes took on the role of fetching…
‘Seriously, do they think they’re my pets?’
Shekina chuckled as she opened the bedside drawer. Inside the drawer was a notebook, a reward from the system titled ‘Collection of Imperial Family’s Secret Stories.’ Shekina flipped open the notebook and narrowed her eyes.
“These are really secret stories, huh?”
Shekina clicked her tongue, muttering to herself. The reason for her reaction was that the contents written in it didn’t really contain any valuable information.
“Why do I need to know that the imperial chef has tremors in his hands?”
It was really ridiculous.
So, Shekina flipped through the notebook casually. Then, she suddenly stopped her hand.
<The maids serving the emperor are all blind.>
“Hmm?”
This was quite an interesting story. Shekina focused her eyes and turned the page.
<After the crown prince died, all the maids were changed, and at that time, the emperor specially chose only the blind to serve him. The reason for this is unknown, though it’s assumed that there is a reason for it.>
“Well, there’s probably a reason.”
Shekina smirked, the corner of her mouth curling up.
“Because that guy isn’t the emperor.”
If the crown prince is pretending to be the emperor, he probably can’t do that 24/7. So, when he’s in his room, he lifts the black magic and entrusts the maids, who are blind, with serving him.
“If I use this, it’d be perfect.”
This would be very useful when unmasking that emperor.
But…
“Not now.”
Right now, Arthur doesn’t know where Lucifer is. Since he has to consider his whereabouts and actions, it’s difficult to take any other actions easily.
“Still, it was a good move.”
First, obtaining the black spinel and infusing it with demonic energy is a significant accomplishment. With this, they’ll be able to corner the elders.
Furthermore, completely bringing Yuriel and Dehan to their side was a good move as well. Since they are now close, Dehan won’t rush to kill Lucart in the future… or will he?
The main plot of the ‘Raising a Hero’ game involves Dehan, who becomes a hero, defeating the Demon King.
But now, a lot has changed.
Shekina’s existence, for example, was preventing the game from following its original scenario.
Lucifer, too, was not a character who would easily appear as a villain. In the original game, he didn’t show up until the very end.
And the demons…
‘They weren’t this sentimental.’
Originally, they were merciless killers who slaughtered people.-
Yes. With all these changes, maybe Shekina’s death could be avoided.
‘At 15, I would have died, so now, 12 years left.’
A lot has happened since I reincarnated into this body, but it’s funny that only three years have passed. It’s time to start skipping ahead, but it seems the system doesn’t want that.
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
Do you want to skip?
When did it read my thoughts? The system window glowed in front of me.
“Yeah. It’s too early to do much at this point.”
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
What exactly would you like to do?
“Elders, Lucifer, the emperor… To deal with those things, it’s tough with this body.”
Of course, I could do it if I push myself, but while doing that, there could be some consequences. The least damaging way would probably be to get out of this child’s body.
[SYSTEM]
In fact, skipping is probably the best option. Keeping you in this state requires a lot of my energy as well.
[SYSTEM]
However, if you skip, you will no longer have control over everything. Are you sure that’s okay?
The control likely refers to the matters currently at hand.
But as mentioned, neither the elders nor the emperor are something to be concerned about at the moment. Since the black spinel has been secured, those guys will likely remain quiet for a while.
And according to Calvin’s words, Lucifer won’t be able to regain strength for a while either.
So, it should be fine to pass the time, right?
Shekina’s mind was working quickly.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by Dehan’s voice.
“Oh, are you already up?”
Shekina turned to look at Dehan, who entered the room with a slightly embarrassed expression and bowed his head.
“I’m fine now. I’m sorry for lying down for so long.”
“You were hurt, right? You still don’t look quite right, but you should rest.”
“I came to see you because there’s something more important than resting.”
“Hmm?”
Shekina raised herself and looked at Dehan.
“I heard you took care of the prince for me.”
Dehan knelt on one knee and said,
“Thank you, lady Shekina.”
From the tremor in his voice, it was clear that he was sincere.
“But I won’t cause any more trouble. I’ll get stronger… and I’ll protect you, lady Shekina.”
Hmm.
Shekina tilted her head slightly and exhaled a small sigh.
In her past life, Dehan had never sworn such loyalty. He had only been a lover or a friend at most.
But now, things were different. Now that he had sworn his loyalty and chosen to become her subordinate, maybe Shekina’s death at 15 could be avoided.
“Alright.”
Shekina smiled and answered.
“I hope you grow up just like this.”
A person who would do anything to save her.
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
Would you like to skip? Y/N
The demons’ aggressive tendencies had diminished, and Dehan and Yuriel had joined their side. Lucifer had also vacated his position, and there wasn’t much to worry about for now.
Now is the right time.
Shekina grinned and pressed accept.
And then, time passed quickly.
