Ch.17Chapter 17 – The Hero and the Heavenly Demon’s Mentor (2)

“Master, I believe it’s still too early to make arrangements with my martial sister. Just as a stream has its upper and lower parts, we should wait at least four years…”

Like ice carving out my heart, Bi-wol’s cold voice came from my left side as she pulled on my arm.

Her tone was uncharacteristically cold and calculating. Though her inner demon had surely been eliminated, her voice carried heavy, clingy emotions.

“Aha, you’re lying! If we wait that long, senior, you’ll become an adult first! Are you planning to monopolize all of Master’s firsts?”

On the opposite side from Bi-wol was Verdandi Astraia, pulling my other arm in the opposite direction, determined not to let me be taken away.

The gazes of these two, arguing while using the Eyes that Know Truth, were like sparks flying between them, resembling a dog and cat fighting over the same toy.

“You already took Master’s kiss earlier, so shouldn’t you yield everything else?”

To be honest, it was just a childish, immature fight.

“Having bigger lumps of fat doesn’t mean anything, nor does knowing him a little earlier!”

Their immaturity showed in how they boasted about their own merits while tearing down each other’s shortcomings.

“Well, I became Master’s disciple much earlier than you, and I’m special enough to be called the beloved disciple among the other disciples.”

Bi-wol emphasized her superiority with a nasal tone.

This was the first time I’d heard her speak informally to anyone—she who would normally be respectful even to children on the street.

“I must be a special disciple to Master too! Otherwise, why would he risk his life for a complete stranger?”

“Our Master has always had compassion for the pitiful. And in your case, he mentioned there was even an oracle.”

No, the oracle was a made-up story. Though it was a lie I told to accept the hero who would kill the Demon King as my disciple.

I felt a headache coming on, with pain throbbing at my brow. I desperately wanted to press my fingers against it to relieve this dizziness.

“G-girls. Please calm down and let go of me first so we can talk?”

The beings currently holding onto me and arguing were final bosses who had each marked the climax of their own novels.

“I refuse.”

“I refuse!”

On one side was a martial artist who had reached the entrance to Transcendence Realm.

On the other side was a hero chosen by the main deity.

Neither showed any sign of yielding in terms of pure strength. That must be why Bi-wol had been able to knock me down and kiss me earlier.

Caught between my two disciples, feeling both soft and firm sensations, I felt a sense of guilt, as if I were doing something forbidden.

‘…Calm down, Han Do-hyeon. Don’t focus on the sensation in your arms.’

It was their fault for clutching my arms so tightly that blood could barely circulate.

Looking at my cramping arms, I realized I’d experienced a similar situation before.

It was exactly like Valentine’s Day, when I got caught between female students who had left chocolates in my locker.

“Oh, hi, Do-hyeon. The weather is nice today… Haha.”

For reference, it was raining that day.

A girl was scratching her cheek while talking to me as I entered school, shaking my umbrella.

“Seol-hwa? Why are you in front of my locker?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s Valentine’s Day! I wanted to give you friendship chocolate!”

That girl was Yoo Seol-hwa. The same person who had harshly criticized my writing when she saw my manuscript paper not long ago.

“I’m sorry about last time! It was just a habit! You have the talent to write better stories, so it was a shame you were writing such sad ones…”

When I opened my locker, there was an expensive-looking chocolate that could have been bought at a department store. It stood out among the other chocolates.

It was what people nowadays called Dubai chocolate, a modern creation with pistachio spread inside.

“Later, when I talked to the driver, he said I was in the wrong. So…”

Seol-hwa’s face was red as a radish as she scratched her cheek, but I was as clueless about romance then as I am now.

Living in a shanty house in a poor neighborhood, I thought such luxuries were only for the wealthy.

“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”

I just nodded and thanked Seol-hwa while taking out the other chocolates from my locker.

“…Do-hyeon, are you free? Would you come to the back of the school after classes today?”

A girl was holding the edge of my sleeve. She had short hair and wore her gym uniform top tied around her waist, giving off a cold impression.

She was called “Prince” among the girls and showed exceptional talent in all sports during PE class, outperforming even the boys.

I don’t remember her name.

It was the first time I’d seen her face, and despite her appearance, she had sent me a love letter covered in hearts, so I only remember what she looked like.

“Hey, who are you to act so familiar with Do-hyeon?”

Similar to my current situation, Seol-hwa picked a fight to fend off the other girl.

“Huh? I’m the class president. Of course I know our Do-hyeon’s name and face.”

“‘Our’? Ha, that’s ridiculous. Listen, Do-hyeon received tremendous help from me yesterday. Do you have any idea how moved he was when I corrected his manuscript?”

Their growling at each other while showing off their closeness was absurd even to me. In truth, I barely knew either of them.

“Hey, Han Do-hyeon, you bastard. Because of you, I’m not getting any chocolates or love letters! Hurry up and give one to your big bro here!”

If anyone could claim to be close to me, it would be this buzz-cut boy spouting nonsense beside me.

“Huh? What’s with this atmosphere? Did you do something wrong to these girls? Got caught two-timing?”

“How would I know…”

Come to think of it, this guy was someone I kept in touch with even after graduation. I wonder how he’s doing?

Personally, I hope he’s not writing web novels. Because he might get dragged into his own work by a problematic reader, just like me.

“Master, only I, Bi-wol, your beloved disciple, can remain by your side and serve you.”

“Hmph, if you’re so great, why did you nurture darkness in your heart and trouble Master?”

“You did the same thing! Didn’t you try to kill your mother who raised you without knowing any better?”

“Ugh…!”

Unable to refute this valid point, Verdandi groaned and hesitated momentarily.

To be fair, Bi-wol’s inner demon that tried to kill everyone else here was no small matter either.

“Verdandi, do you truly care for this person?”

“Yes! I would follow him even to hell if I could be by his side! Master is the exemplar of the hero I aspire to be!”

As if to support Verdandi, her mother added a word of encouragement. Verdandi responded by nodding her head vigorously to Aila’s words.

“…Well then, I entrust my daughter to you.”

Aila looked at me with a pitying expression, as if there was no helping it, and delivered a final barb. Her cold gaze pierced my heart like a dagger.

“Verdandi’s mother, this is a misunderstanding…!!”

I wanted to shake my head and explain that this whole situation was just a temporary mishap, merely childish affection that would pass as a joke from childhood.

After all, how many people who said “I’m going to marry Daddy when I grow up!” or “I’ll love you forever!” as children actually kept those promises?

“I will absolutely never lay hands on my disciples!!”

“My child has grown up without a father, so she may be lacking in some ways, but she has a good heart…”

“Thank you, Mother!”

Verdandi showed a satisfied smile at Aila’s defense. In contrast, seeing Bi-wol’s expression gradually darkening, I had to think as hard as I could.

“…Bi-wol. Wouldn’t it be better to show some kindness to your martial sister?”

“Why should I do that?”

“So you can establish your position and authority with the third disciple who will come later.”

A priestess who serves an Outer God, existing outside this world and treating all living things like toys, just as humans cannot understand ants.

I spoke to Bi-wol while thinking of Azazel Blackheart. After all, the reason I came all the way to this village to find Verdandi was because of her.

“Master, please tell me about this martial sister first. As your most cherished disciple, I will follow your wishes.”

Before accepting my proposal, Bi-wol thought deeply for a moment, then nodded and said:

“She is a pitiful figure who serves a god from another world. Someone who had everything she loved taken by her twin sister.”

“I’ve heard of gods from other worlds! They’re said to be beings from whom Demon Kings have received power since ancient times!”

Verdandi, who had been eavesdropping on my conversation with Bi-wol, jumped in, showing curiosity about the next disciple we needed to find.

When I was writing “I Need To Kill The Hero,” I was already planning my next work, “I was Possessed In Idle Game,” while watching my plummeting view count.

This was why the settings of the two works were connected. I had originally intended to create connections between the works, just like the world I’m in now.

“Her name is Azazel Blackheart. A priestess of an Outer God. To find her, you’ll probably need a guide like Wolfram.”

Even Verdandi, whom I couldn’t find no matter how hard I tried alone, I was able to meet thanks to her guidance, so it will likely be similar this time.

As if determined by fate, meeting the final bosses required both order and connection.

“Huh? Me?”

Wolfram, who had been quietly watching this scene with sighs, pointed at herself as if surprised that her name had come up.

“Yes, we’ll probably need to meet Azazel’s sister.”

As I said this, I felt a tightness in my chest. Azazel’s setting, like those of the other characters, incorporated parts of my unfortunate past.

I had an older brother who died before me.

Someone who monopolized all our parents’ expectations and was thought to be able to escape this wretched poverty.

I spent my childhood buried in the shadow he left behind.

“Wolfram, do you know about succubi?”

To make it easier for others to understand, I first directed my question to Wolfram, who I thought might have prior knowledge.

“Aren’t they a race that infiltrates people’s minds, shows them dreams they desire, and steals their vital energy?”

“That’s right, but in Azazel’s case, there’s another danger. She can glimpse the future of anyone who makes eye contact with her.”

With eyes like a rainbow. She, with her heterochromatic colors, was truly a difficult being to deal with.

She became the final boss in the novel “I was Possessed In Idle Game” by reading the future the moment she made eye contact, then counterattacking or attacking based on that information.

“My holy sword will be essential against such an opponent! A succubus priestess serving an Outer God considered evil—I want to make her repent and become Master’s disciple too!”

Verdandi was shouting in an excited voice as she listened to my explanation, while Bi-wol rested her chin on her hand.

Eventually,

“…When the concubines increase, I’ll need an ally to maintain the dignity of the first wife. I understand. How can I help?”

From her mouth came words about the future, as if it were a given.

‘I hope she doesn’t see some strange future when we actually meet Azazel.’

A chilling thought crossed my mind for a moment.

That can’t be right.

Our good disciples wouldn’t do such a thing, would they?