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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…What… are you doing…?”
Red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Undecided sat up and stared at me, her voice flat and emotionless. It was a little unsettling, like being scolded for something I hadn’t done.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…No.”
This was only the second time Undecided had fallen asleep. The first time was after being caught in Sogong’s… trap.
She hadn’t closed her eyes since then.
The experience seemed to have been unpleasant, judging by her frown. It was rare for her to express her emotions so openly. She must have had a bad dream.
“…What… happened…?”
“You were hit by Transylvania’s magic. You were knocked unconscious.”
“…I see.”
Undecided nodded, as if accepting my explanation.
She had actually been hit by her own reflected attack, but I decided to spare her pride.
“…What… are you doing… now?”
“I’m going back to sleep. Keep watch.”
That was perfect. I could finally relax.
I closed my eyes, cuddling Nameless.
But then I felt a heavy gaze upon me. I knew Undecided always stared at me while I slept, but this was different, more intense.
I opened my eyes…
“Boo.”
Undecided was hovering inches above my face, upside down.
I flinched, and Nameless stirred in my arms, whimpering.
“What are you doing?”
“…Hold… me… tonight?”
“You’re cold.”
“…I’ll… keep you… warm.”
“What does that even mean?”
Undecided was speaking nonsense.
I had held her often while sleeping. She was like a living ice pack during the hot summer days. But that wouldn’t be the case anymore.
Summer was ending, and even the Southern Continent was getting colder. Holding Undecided now would be like asking to freeze to death.
Unless I wanted to become a pair of frozen corpses, cuddling with her was out of the question.
“…Fire… magic… will keep… you… warm.”
“It’ll just get cold again.”
“…I’ll… keep… warming you.”
“Then you’ll burn to a crisp.”
Undecided fell silent, realizing there was no solution.
Well, there was one, wait until next summer. But Undecided seemed to lack the patience. She slipped behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“What are you doing? You’ve never initiated physical contact before.”
“…Just…”
She buried her face in my back and mumbled. She had always run away when I tried to hold her, and now she was clinging to me.
She was like a cat, a very versatile and capable cat.
“…I… like… being warm…”
“Really?”
Undecided nuzzled against my back.
I could feel the passage of time. When we first met, she had seemed devoid of emotions, only responding with single words, never speaking unless I asked her something or it was absolutely necessary for survival.
She showed no emotions whatsoever, making me wonder if that part of her was gone. But as time passed, I began to understand her.
She hadn’t lost her emotions, she had hidden them, probably due to past trauma. I didn’t ask, and she never told me.
I wouldn’t ask in the future either, and I doubted she would ever voluntarily tell me. It didn’t matter. We could comfort each other without knowing the details of our pasts.
Her emotions had gradually returned. She could now express herself not only through words, but also through facial expressions, despite her usual stoicism.
It was remarkable progress.
Her heart might be still, but her mind was alive. Her body might be cold, but her spirit was warm.
I knew that, even if everyone else saw her as a monster, a blood ghoul. I knew she was human.
“Undecided.”
“…Yes.”
I chuckled and took her hand. It was cold, sending shivers down my spine.
I held her small hand and…
“Keep watch, damn it.”
“…Ugh.”
…pushed her away.
I was cold.
I wanted to cuddle with the warm Nameless.
I could feel Undecided’s icy glare on my back.
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Waves crashed against the shore on a dark, moonless night. Bubbles rose to the surface, and black smoke emerged, dispelling the foam.
Seagulls took flight, crabs scurried into the sand, and seaweed withered and blackened.
|The one who defies even the judgment of the underworld, I, the Archdemon…|
A deeper darkness spread across the beach.
A horned figure emerged from the smoke, its voice chilling.
|Belphegor manifests in this world.|
The Archdemon’s presence alone devastated the coastline. Its eyes, filled with darkness, widened, and a sinister smile spread across its face.
Its right hand held a blue heart, still beating strongly.
The Archdemon caressed it lovingly.
|Truly, heaven helps those who help themselves.|
He had been spreading himself too thin, focusing on too many things at once.
He had empowered the monsters in the World Tree’s underground dungeon for Kali, only for them to be swiftly defeated.
He had helped Luna gather sacrifices for Kali’s resurrection, and now there was trouble in Cologne.
Solra’s recruitment must have gone wrong. He was on his way to Cologne to clean up the mess.
The Archdemon had decided that helping others was pointless. He would focus on strengthening himself. And the result was this, the Sea Dragon’s heart.
|Behold! If you help yourself, even the heavens that curse you will bestow such treasures!|
He had originally planned to obtain the Sea Dragon’s heart later. It was a troublesome task. But he couldn’t rely on the other Heavenly Kings, who were dropping like flies.
He had abandoned them and focused on taking control of the Sea Dragon using the demonic energy he had planted in its head.
It had been quick.
Within a month, he had taken over the Sea Dragon’s body, laid waste to the Dragon Palace, and forced the Sea Dragon to commit suicide, obtaining its heart.
He began to devour it.
The heart, still beating, sprayed blood everywhere, covering the Archdemon’s black form in red.
He licked the blood from his hands and arms, savoring every drop. He could feel the power surging through him.
|This is the power of the Sea Dragon…|
It was Belphegor’s unique trait, ‘Devour.’ The ability to absorb power from the hearts of others.
He had more than doubled his strength and gained the ability to fight underwater.
Belphegor laughed maniacally, then suddenly stopped.
|Aha ha ha… huh?|
The black smoke pulsed, sending a strange signal.
Belphegor’s smile vanished.
Dimension-crossing demonic energy. Only one being could contact him through this method.
|Why…|
He hadn’t heard from ‘Him’ in almost a hundred years, not even during the change of Heavenly Kings.
Why was He summoning him now?
The Archdemon searched his memories, but couldn’t find an answer.
He was baffled. But even if he knew the reason, he had no choice but to obey.
He sighed and gathered black smoke at his fingertips, forming a dark abyss. He stepped into it, his body being pulled inwards.
|Gasp…|
An oppressive pressure weighed down on him, and a splitting headache made him drop to his knees.
He quickly divided his consciousness into hundreds, then thousands, to disperse the pain.
It was the only way to survive. An ordinary human would explode upon entering. Even an elf, or an exceptionally strong human, would quickly lose their mind.
Even Transylvania, after visiting this place once, had developed a fear of ‘Him’ and the Heavenly Kings, suffering seizures whenever they were mentioned.
Only Belphegor could enter and leave this place with his sanity intact.
No, even Belphegor couldn’t maintain his sanity if he made eye contact with ‘Him.’
This was the other world.
|You summoned me.|
Belphegor asked cautiously. But there was no answer.
‘He’ didn’t communicate through language, but through ‘will.’ What I want, and what you want. Those were the only things ‘He’ cared about.
As long as their wills aligned, that was enough.
Until now, there had been no specific instructions. The Heavenly Kings, including Belphegor, simply acted within the boundaries of ‘His’ will. ‘He’ had been mostly hands-off.
Why was He summoning him now…?
Belphegor felt his divided consciousness fading, being consumed by this place.
Even he couldn’t stay here for long.
|Why…|
|djskalwkdngkslwndjfwkdnjgskwlgnjdskgndlwkgnjdslgkjndlskgjnd|
|Aaaaagh!!!|
All of Belphegor’s consciousness shattered.
The ‘being’ that was staring at him was clearly hostile.
He barely managed to gather enough demonic energy to escape back to the real world, just before his last remaining fragments of consciousness were destroyed.
|Gasp… haa…|
Back in his original form, Belphegor immediately began to erase his memories of the other world.
He had to forget. Forgetting was survival. Remembering would drive him insane.
He successfully erased everything except for the essential information.
He forgot ‘His’ voice, the landscape of the other world, everything. He only remembered one thing, ‘He’ was angry.
He didn’t know why, and ‘He’ hadn’t used words, but His rage was undeniable.
|Huh…?|
Then, Belphegor noticed a strange change in his body. It wasn’t just him, it was affecting all monsters.
He shuddered.
He could feel ‘His’ power receding.
|What is this…?|
He understood instantly.
Just as he had abandoned the other Heavenly Kings, ‘He,’ too, was withdrawing His power and preparing to act directly.
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Yoojin truly is cold