Side Story 2. The Story After (2)

Appetizing fried chicken and steaming hot rice.

Neatly arranged rolled omelet and kimchi stew.

Lee Hoyeon sat down, marveling at the food on the table.

Fried chicken was unexpectedly present on the delicious Korean feast, but this meal was familiar in Lee Hoyeon’s home.

Because there was a chicken hunter among the family.

‘Daeun was on meal duty today.’

It’s like her skills improve every time I see them.

Whoever marries her later will be lucky. Hmm. Very lucky indeed..

“Daeun-ah. I’ll eat well.”

“Yeah. … Eat well, Hoyeon-ah.”

“Oppa. Unnie is being shy.”

“Da, Dahee-yah…!”

Lee Hoyeon chuckled at Nam Daeun and Nam Dahee’s little skit and sat down.

This is peaceful.

This kind of leisure was truly rare.

After the battle with the Demon King ended, Lee Hoyeon really had to move without rest.

The most urgent matter was the cleanup and conclusion of the war.

He sincerely paid his respects to the hunters who died for humanity and bowed his head in gratitude to the hunters who fought alongside him.

There were also many places that thanked him just as much.

Although it had been over a month since the war with the Underworld ended, people had not forgotten the battle that day.

The entire world felt the power as it was attacked by demons. They also realized the fact that if they lost that battle, humanity’s history would end.

Drones scattered throughout the battlefield conveyed the brutal reality of the fight and reported on humanity’s hope.

At the center of it all, naturally, was Lee Hoyeon.

Numerous hunters directly witnessed the battle between Lee Hoyeon and the Demon King, and countless renowned hunters worldwide praised Lee Hoyeon’s great achievement for that overwhelming battle.

‘It wasn’t an overwhelming battle, though.’

The Hall of the Shining Moon that Lee Hoyeon unleashed.

It was a magic that reached the divine realm, turning reality into dreams and dreams into reality.

Lee Hoyeon died hundreds of times at the hands of the Demon King within it, and finally managed to kill the bastard in the final battle.

Naturally, all of Lee Hoyeon’s deaths during that process were ‘dreams’.

Therefore, the reality witnessed by the hunters was singular: Lee Hoyeon crushing the Demon King with overwhelming power.

[Arthur, President of the Mage Association. “Mage Lee Hoyeon’s caliber cannot be measured by existing standards.”]

[Iris Guild Leader. “He could become a Demon King if he set his mind to it. Our Iris Guild will not forgive anyone who opposes Mage Lee Hoyeon.”]

Moreover, people acquainted with Lee Hoyeon would frequently give interviews and articles, giving him plenty of places to visit.

Being a hero was such a busy profession.

Recently, I heard they were making a documentary called [Lee Hoyeon, Humanity’s Strongest Mage]… Listening to it gave me a headache, so I just told them to do whatever they wanted.

Perhaps the only upside is that no one picks fights with me.

No, that was actually a bit disappointing. It would be nice if some idiot challenged me occasionally to relieve stress. Tsk.

“Daddy. Aren’t you eating? What are you pondering so deeply about?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

“Is it because of the documentary? I thought it was a bit lame too. Was it [Lee Hoyeon, Humanity’s Strongest Mage]? The title is a bit cheesy, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I also think the title needs changing. How about [The Love Life of Lee Hoyeon, Humanity’s Strongest Mage]?”

“…Let’s just eat.”

Lee Hoyeon tried his best to ignore Scarlet’s words and shoveled food into his mouth.

Although I sometimes flinched at such teasing remarks, meals with the heroines were quite enjoyable.

“Oppa. Can you come visit the middle school division sometime?”

“Why the middle school division?”

“The kids don’t believe me even though I say I’m close to you. They say I’m lying. Can you come and scold them? Huh?”

“That’s nothing. I’ll visit sometime.”

“Yes! Hehe.”

Although he didn’t really have the time, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse Nam Dahee’s eyes, which were full of anticipation.

Lately, Nam Dahee had become even more vibrant. She was Nam Daeun’s precious sister, and also precious to Lee Hoyeon. As it was a positive change, he supposed he should accommodate her.

“Hoyeon-ah. I’m sorry. I told her no, but Dahee kept pestering me….”

“It’s fine. It’s not a difficult task. I’ll even give them a special lecture.”

The situation of a cadet who hadn’t even graduated yet giving a special lecture in the middle school division was amusing, but if the teacher was Lee Hoyeon, they would surely permit it.

“Speaking of which, are you planning to continue attending the Academy, Hoyeon-nim? It doesn’t seem like there’s anything left for you to learn there.”

“Well, I intend to get my diploma.”

“Since you’re friends with the Student Council President anyway, can’t you just hang out and get your diploma?”

“…….”

Actually, that wasn’t wrong.

Even if he didn’t attend a single class, the probability of failing exams was zero, and even if he didn’t take any exams, who would dare question Lee Hoyeon’s diploma?

Still… there were heroines still attending the Academy. The Academy was a good place to spend time with them.

Yum yum-. Nom nom-

Finishing their chat and trying to focus back on the meal, Liliana entered Lee Hoyeon’s vision.

Liliana was very leisurely putting chicken into her mouth.

Normally, she would have joined the conversation and said something nonsensical, but not today.

‘She’s incredibly quiet. Not even frantically devouring the chicken.’

Having seen Liliana eat so many times, I could tell.

This wasn’t her eating little by little because she disliked the food. It felt more like she was savoring it because it was so delicious.

But with so much chicken, why was she eating it sparingly?

‘It’s been long enough to have already picked off all the drumsticks.’

The Liliana Lee Hoyeon knew would have already picked out only the chicken legs and placed them on her own plate.

While that might earn curses elsewhere, surprisingly, Lee Hoyeon and the other women weren’t particularly greedy for chicken legs. They’d eat them if available, but didn’t mind if not.

Therefore, the chicken legs mostly went to Liliana.

“Liliana. Are you not hungry?”

“Uh, uh-huh? No. No, no. Just… uh, yeah…”

…Suspicious.

She’s blatantly suspicious.

But knowing her personality, pushing her wouldn’t likely solve anything.

“Liliana. Don’t you remember the saying, ‘When you see the chicken bones, make it impossible to tell if the chicken you ate was seasoned or fried!’? You pointed that out to me every meal. You’re not doing it today.”

“Sniff, sniff…. Did I, did I say something like that?”

Liliana blinked at Lee Hoyeon’s words, then quickly claimed her stomach hurt and returned to her room.

He had observed her condition during that time, but outwardly, there seemed to be nothing wrong.

‘Is it perhaps a psychological issue? I should have her talk to someone.’

Lee Hoyeon thought so and continued his meal.

However, there was one thing Lee Hoyeon missed.

Lee Hoyeon thought he knew everything about Liliana, but he didn’t.

Because there was an emotion she rarely showed Lee Hoyeon in daily life, even if she might on the bed.

… It was shame.

• Clutter and trash bags scattered across the floor.

Liliana’s room, already messy, had become even dirtier recently.

This was because Nam Daeun and Scarlet, who usually cleaned her room, had been banned from entering.

“Wh-why, sniff…”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Liliana clutched her chest as if in pain.

She frowned unpleasantly and stomped her foot on the floor.

However, the sensation filling her chest wouldn’t disappear.

“Why do I keep wanting to lie down…!”

Struggling against the overwhelming lethargy, Liliana tentatively grabbed the blanket.

The blanket, made of the finest fabric Scarlet had personally bought in France, felt soft in her hands.

Ghhk….

Unable to resist the blanket’s allure, Liliana finally surrendered her body to the bed.

“Uhehe. Feels good.”

Liliana unconsciously rubbed her whole body against the blanket and turned on her smartwatch.

She needed to watch the YouTube video she enjoyed yesterday.

“… Hah!”

Ttak-

Coming to her senses belatedly, Liliana took off her smartwatch and threw it on the floor.

The smartwatch wouldn’t break from a fall like that, but her mental state was already shattered.

To explain why Liliana Calliope had become like this, we must go back to the past.

Originally, sentient beings possess various emotions.

Even a saint devoted to religion gets angry when they need to.

Even a notorious villain smiles in front of their children and sheds tears when a close friend dies.

That is a commonality shared by all sentient beings. Living with only one emotion makes one no different from a beast.

Liliana Calliope was no exception.

True to her succubus nature, she enjoyed fun and was driven by curiosity. However, she was even more aggressive and ambitious. The grand desire to become the Demon King and rule the Underworld was the driving force behind her actions.

However, the succubus’s seal flipped her personality 180 degrees.

The succubus’s seal doesn’t merely seal memories.

It seals a part of the succubus known as Liliana Calliope.

The Succubus Queen, Isabella, wanted Liliana to live a quiet life.

The seal, imbued with her maternal love, naturally sealed away both Liliana Calliope’s aggressive and ambitious tendencies.

… That is how such a degenerate was born.

The problem arose after the seal was broken.

Liliana Calliope and Liliana were the same person, yet they lived entirely different lives.

The succubus of slaughter who made the Underworld tremble, and the degenerate hikikomori succubus.

The two were like oil and water, unable to mix properly.

“Ugh, ugh. The blanket… feels good. Hehe. Ah, Aaaah!”

Returning to the present.

Since regaining her memories, Liliana had been engaged in a battle with herself.

Liliana’s consciousness wanted to get out of the blanket right now. The war with the Underworld was over, but monsters still remained.

Her Master, Lee Hoyeon, was busy moving around all day to clean up that trash.

“I should step up for Master…. Hmm. But didn’t they say the dangerous ones were already caught? Do I really need to step in? Humans have their own systems, and it would be hard to fit me in there. … No! That’s just an excuse!”

Liliana’s fiery personality had awakened, but having lived as a degenerate for so long, her body couldn’t adapt.

Unlike her ambitious consciousness, her body craved rest.

And why were her actions so childish… The image of herself singing praises for chicken was embarrassing no matter how she thought about it.

Of course, chicken is incredibly delicious food. Just because the seal was broken doesn’t mean her favorite food changed. However, Liliana was refraining from eating it even now due to the embarrassing memories.

“I wasn’t like this before. Ughhh.”

The past Liliana Calliope also liked to have fun, but she was a diligent succubus who got things done when needed.

Now, she had become too fond of just having fun.

What was scarier was that, due to the memories of living as a degenerate, this felt natural.

“… Ah. I’m hungry. Should I just go back to sleep? I’ll think about this after I wake up.”

Thanks to Lee Hoyeon bringing up embarrassing memories, she had fled to her room without finishing her meal, and despite her hunger, Liliana’s worries were endless.

She felt like she might lose her consciousness entirely to the degenerate Liliana if this continued, but she couldn’t fight off the overwhelming drowsiness…

Sae-aek- Sae-aek-

A short while later. Quiet breathing filled her room.