Central Palace Temple.
The deepest, most magnificent, and widest space within it.
In the center of this space lies someone.
With hair as white and pure as snow and eyes as red as blood.
“Hmmm.”
Lucifer Agato.
He gazed at the crystal orb floating in the air and let out a low, nasal sound.
“This not exciting.”
Inside the crystal orb, Yurian was seen storming out of the academy.
But nothing could be seen beyond that.
His powers didn’t reach as far as the demon’s dwelling.
“He should have caused more chaos.”
It was amusing to torment a homunculus who liked humans.
Watching him bawl every time a human around him disappeared was quite a sight!
But now, he couldn’t see that anymore, which was disappointing.
Lucifer clicked his tongue and turned his head.
There, bound and glaring, was a human.
“Archbishop, have you regained your senses?”
That human was none other than the archbishop.
A figure of great power, second only to the pope.
But even such a mighty figure was just a mere human before Lucifer.
“When you woke up, there was something I really wanted to ask you.”
Lucifer smiled broadly and stood up. He approached the archbishop slowly. His priestly robes fluttered. The glimpses of white skin through the robes were incredibly ascetic, truly befitting a celestial being who charmed all.
Lucifer slowly ran his fingers through his white hair. Beneath it, some strands of hair had turned black. He twirled the black hair around his fingers and tilted his head.
“Why do you have children who carry your blood? Hm?”
With a snap of his fingers, six children floated in the air. All of them had their heads separated from their bodies.
“Aren’t priests supposed to remain celibate for life? Hm? You should have maintained your chastity, right? Why do you have six children? Hm?”
Lucifer lifted his foot high.
“A scoundrel who is supposed to serve only God.”
“Mmph!”
“Playing around with your lower parts like this.”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“That’s why you ended up like this. Hm?”
“Mmmm!”
Lucifer stomped mercilessly on the archbishop’s groin and sighed, grimacing.
“Damn it, I really tried to do a good job.”
He then stomped hard on the archbishop’s back, making him faint again.
“It’s all because of humans like you that we were banished. You know that, right? Hm? You know. Because you all acted like crap, we ended up like this too.”
Lucifer looked around at the fainted archbishop, the dead children, and the other dead priests, and laughed brightly.
“So, I’m starting anew. Wiping everything out and starting from scratch.”
He snapped his fingers.
Ring!
[A scenario is being created.]
“Because now, I am God.”
Lucifer laughed so loudly that it echoed through the temple.
But there was no one who could respond to him.
All the humans were dead,
And only those who wore human shells remained.
***
Ah, I got too excited.
Shekina cleared her throat, which had tightened slightly, and let out a small cough.
Hearing Yurian’s circumstances, she couldn’t help but get engrossed as if it were her own story.
‘Because I’ve been through that too.’
In her previous life, a group that wanted to threaten her had killed her family and acquaintances she could have called friends. Although she didn’t have great affection for them, and had never received proper love from them, it had been an incredibly painful experience.
It felt like everything was because of me, and I suffered, thinking that if I hadn’t existed, nothing would have happened.
So, I even tried to fall from the bell tower, but miraculously, I survived. Looking back, it was because I didn’t die as the ‘lover of the hero,’ but well, I really wanted to die.
Anyway, having gone through such things, Shekina could fully understand Yurian’s feelings.
That’s why it made her even angrier.
Shekina, at least, had the option to ‘be reborn.’ Moreover, there was the premise that those people ‘did not love her.’
But Yurian was different.
He couldn’t be reborn, he was loved, and he was in love. That made it all the more unfortunate.
Tragically.
‘Lucifer, he said.’
It was a name she had never heard before. And it wasn’t even in the setting book given by the system.
Which means,
‘He is a character from the behind-the-scenes story.’
Therefore, there was only one thing she could infer.
‘He is from another system.’
She wasn’t a hundred percent certain. It was just a guess.
But even if that guy wasn’t a system, it didn’t matter. She had already decided to kill him anyway.
“Hoo.”
Shekina took a deep breath.
Then, she knocked on the door in front of her.
“Come in.”
She heard the voice of the Demon King, Lucart.
***
Lucart looked out the window.
The moon was high in the sky.
It was late at night.
Shouldn’t a child be sleeping by now?
He suddenly became curious about the biological rhythms of a homunculus, but he dismissed the thought and looked at Shekina standing idly in front of him.
This homunculus somehow looked exhausted.
To be precise, the first thing that caught his eye was the shirt, sticky with blood from the neck to the abdomen, followed by the pale, tired complexion, and finally, the trembling lips.
What had happened?
‘…But.’
Hadn’t he decided not to interfere with homunculus?
They were beings that did not belong to him. Beings he did not need to protect.
Beings to discard.
Having finished his thoughts, Lucart calmly collected himself and spoke.
“Is there a reason you suddenly came to see me?”
Lucart deliberately used a stern tone.
“If it’s a quarrel among the homunculs, there’s no need to tell me. You understand what I mean, right?”
If she had come to complain or ask him to stop the fight, it meant she should leave.
He knew it wasn’t something to say to a child who had only lived in this world for three years, even if they were a homunculus, even if they were a discardable piece. But Lucart was firm.
“Go back.”
At those words, laughter burst from between Shekina’s teeth.
Laughing?
Lucart’s eyes narrowed.
“Boss. Do you think I came to see you for something like that?”
Shekina’s tightly clenched fists trembled as she raised her eyes.
“Lucifer.”
She spoke each word with force.
“That guy, whether he’s an angel or whatever, you know him, right?”
Lucart’s breath momentarily stopped.
How did she know about him?
No, why him?
Suddenly, a relic unearthed from a dungeon flashed through his mind. The spear lost during the Heavenly-Demon War. When it returned, what had Lucart thought?
Hadn’t he thought of that damn angel?
He had doubted, but now it was true…!
“What on earth…”
“Lady Shekina!”
But something stopped Lucart’s words.
It was Arthur, who burst through the door.
“Ack! What’s going on! Why is it like this! What happened!”
Arthur screamed in shock as soon as he saw Shekina.
“Could it be that the Demon King did this…?”
He looked at Lucart with resentment, and the now-irritated Lucart scowled at Arthur.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Then why is Lady Shekina in such a state! Look at her. She’s not hurt, is she? She’s not dead, right? No, after being called by the Elder, the room is a mess and there’s blood everywhere! What happened!”
Isn’t the one making a fuss you, Arthur?
“Get out… No, move aside.”
Shekina felt a sudden surge of irritation due to Arthur’s interruption but suppressed her emotions.
Then she looked at Lucart again.
“I almost died because of that Lucifer or whatever. Yurian almost died too.”
Lucart’s eyes twitched.
“And this is something that doesn’t need to be said? I can’t stand it as it is.”
Sekina glared at Lucart, stepping closer.
“Can you endure it, Boss?”
“…..”
“Because we’re not real demons?”
Silence fell.
