Ch.182Side Story 2. The Story After, Lilith (1)

The Story After, Lilith (1)

Looking back, it all started with a misunderstanding.

The misunderstanding led me to believe that Lug possessed something special, and I had to respond accordingly.

In that situation, seeing Lug’s kind responses, Lilith had to feel that tingling emotion.

A world governed by the law of power.

She had risen to a high position in the Demon Lord’s army not through strength, but through connections.

It was suffocating.

Many times she wanted to quit, but if she did, Belphegor would have to take responsibility for this massive organization alone.

She had made Belphegor the Demon Lord, and seeing Belphegor’s small frame precariously perched at the top, she couldn’t bring herself to leave.

So she did the best she could.

In such circumstances, it was inevitable to develop feelings for a kind and understanding man she met as if by fate.

So…

‘…I wanted to meet him.’

The emotions and expectations that began to sprout from hearing his voice through the communication device.

They grew gradually until they eventually developed into a desire to meet him at least once.

And when that moment came, her expectations, which had grown too large to be dispelled even if the rose-colored glasses came off…

‘Like a prince.’

They didn’t shatter but rather solidified.

Perhaps it was because she had such expectations when they met in that way.

A prince who saved her from danger.

She didn’t know that the danger had been summoned from the hero’s party.

Thanks to her confusion, fear, and firmly fixed rose-colored glasses, Lilith had no time to worry about such things.

Yes, she fell in love.

A love that was less like love at first sight and more like something that had been building up for a long time and exploded all at once.

But…

‘It was all a misunderstanding.’

The notion that Lug was special.

The first impression of him as a prince on a white horse.

Through conversation and interaction, the rose-colored glasses began to come off.

In fact, there had been doubts. Lug’s unpretentious demeanor seemed far from someone hiding a tremendous secret.

Of course, in the end, Lug was indeed special. Just not in the way Lilith had imagined.

So what happened after the misunderstanding was cleared up?

What remained after the tangled threads of misunderstanding began to unravel one by one?

‘How ironic.’

The answer was ‘nothing had changed.’

Yes, her feelings still took the form of love that made her heart race whenever she saw Lug.

Even though everything had been a misunderstanding, the flower that sprouted from the nourishment of that misunderstanding was not fake.

At that moment, Lilith realized.

Special qualities and a dramatic first meeting didn’t matter at all.

Lilith had already come to like Lug himself.

If it had been her in the past, she would have unconditionally taken Belphegor’s side, but because these feelings for Lug had sprouted, she could act in a way that seemed like betraying Belphegor. Because she could think it was for her own good.

It was from that moment.

She could understand herself.

That she, Lilith, toward Lug…

‘Yes, I clearly…’

Had excessive fantasies about him.

That this was the root cause of everything. Lilith blamed herself.

***

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”

Those words from Lilith’s mouth were the culmination of her guilt.

Excessive expectations toward Lug.

It was because of Lug’s behavior that kept meeting her expectations.

Unlike Belphegor, he immediately checked documents when submitted. He seriously thought about policies for the demon realm and listened to opinions around him.

Yes, Lug was competent.

At least he was a better king than Belphegor, who spent more than half the day sprawled out sleeping.

That was partly because Belphegor was such a terrible example, and partly because he had experience as a king in the past.

In Lilith’s eyes, he seemed superhuman. Someone who could handle anything and solve all kinds of difficult problems with ease.

But Lug ran away.

He ran away because the work was too much. At that moment, Lilith realized how great her expectations had been.

Because of the ideals she had imposed, Lug had become exhausted and wanted to escape.

That was her fault.

At least Lilith reflected on her feelings and came to that conclusion.

“I must have pushed Lug too hard. It’s natural for a person to want to rest when tired… I didn’t think of that.”

“…Lilith.”

“So, Lug. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything now. I didn’t see anything, so you can just do what you were going to do.”

That’s why Lilith decided to trust what Lug wanted to do.

She hoped not to impose her expectations and let him do what he wanted.

And if that meant leaving…

She had to let him go. That was what she, who had made him suffer with excessive expectations, had to do.

But…

“If I could be a little selfish, I’d still like you to come back someday.”

“…”

“Not being able to see you again would be a little… no, very lonely.”

Lilith hugged her arms and quietly bowed her head.

Her selfishness, what it meant was obvious even to her.

“Lilith…”

Watching Lilith like this was quite difficult for Lug as well.

He hadn’t expected her to be so distressed over his impulsive escape.

A sense of guilt that he had never felt before while escaping from the hero’s party now gripped Lug’s ankles.

Originally, he had planned to pretend to escape, buy some time, and then quietly slip out of the Demon Lord’s castle when things calmed down. Not that he intended to never return, he just wanted to catch his breath.

“It’s not your fault, Lilith. I’m just… a little tired.”

“…I see.”

Lilith nodded.

But it was less an affirmation and more like she was choosing to believe him.

Lug could feel that sentiment too, which made him scratch the back of his head.

“There was a lot of work too.”

“Yes, there was.”

In the end, Lug decided to explain more thoroughly.

“I’m just an ordinary human now. It was burdensome for someone like me to become the king of the demon realm, where until recently, power was practically the law.”

“It was sudden… I understand that it was a position you didn’t want.”

He never intended to become the Demon Lord.

More precisely, his goal was to meet Demon Lord Belphegor and rescue her, but he hadn’t thought about what would come after.

From Lug’s perspective, there wouldn’t be an “after” for him.

So he just accepted it.

Since he hadn’t thought about the future, rather than refusing the position forced upon him, he decided to just accept it.

He had nothing he wanted to do and nothing left that he had to do.

So he accepted the position for everyone’s sake.

Of course, the method was quite forceful and sudden.

He was forced into that position without knowing anything, so it was inevitable that he felt burdened.

Still, he tried, but…

As time passed, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of that position.

And above all, the mental fatigue was too much. Day by day, he felt more disillusioned and being there became painful.

“Even though we’re supposedly newlyweds, it’s a bit disheartening to be like this without even consummating the marriage.”

Through the repeated seductions from party members and being stopped each time.

Lug felt his inner desires growing while none of them were being fulfilled.

That was painful.

“So I just wanted to rest a bit. Everyone has those moments, don’t they? The desire to run away when work gets tough comes to everyone at least once.”

“I… suppose.”

Lilith smiled gently.

She could understand what Lug said. After all, the secretary position that Belphegor had forced her into was no easy task either.

More than anyone, she had wanted to run away. So she could understand.

“…Is there anything I can do for you?”

And because she understood, she wanted to help.

“Or if I help you from now on… would you reconsider this escape?”

And just as much, she hoped Lug wouldn’t leave.

If there was something she could do, she wanted to do it. If that would keep Lug from leaving, it would be enough.

“If you want to pass off work, I can do it instead.”

Fulfilling what Lug wanted. Taking on the tasks Lug didn’t want to do.

Just from that, anyone could see how devoted Lilith’s feelings for Lug were.

Lug felt the same way.

Until now, everyone around him had shown selfish aspects, but Lilith didn’t have any of that.

It was admirable but… also a bit sad.

It seemed like she only knew how to express affection by sharing pain.

“Lilith, that’s not it. Of course, I’d appreciate your help, but… I don’t want to dump my disliked tasks on you.”

“…Then is there nothing I can do for you?”

“For me? Hmm, for now, just pretending not to have seen me is…”

“Like if there’s food you want to eat, or a book you want to read…”

Lilith began listing all the ways she had relieved stress when she was having a hard time.

Listening to Lilith’s stress relief methods in this unexpected way, Lug smiled gently and said:

“It’s really okay. Actually, there’s nothing I want right now…”

“…For instance, if you desire a physical relationship…”

“…”

“…”

At Lilith’s words, spoken hesitantly yet clearly, Lug could only remain silent for a while.

In that silence, Lilith, not knowing what it meant, could only bow her head with a bright red face.

And finally, what came from Lug’s mouth was…

“…That seems right.”

The most sincere truth of all.