Ch.272Escape (2)

Before the simultaneous release of the side story and Volume 20, Xenon (Issac) mentioned in a letter:

Please read the side story first, then Volume 20. Not only would reading the side story first make Volume 20 more enjoyable, but it would also deliver a different kind of shock.

Following Xenon’s advice, readers began reading the side story without any suspicion.

The side story was particularly anticipated as it contained the past of Jin and Lilly that people had been waiting for, raising even higher expectations.

People wondered how bright the story would be and how Jin and Lilly developed their burning relationship.

However, as soon as readers reached the introduction of the side story, such thoughts completely disappeared. Jin’s unfortunate past was gradually revealed in a way that was difficult to express in words.

To reiterate, in the Biography of Xenon, not in reality, demons are still persecuted.

Moreover, as would be revealed in Volume 20, Jin was abused by his own mother due to his birth, and humans pointed fingers at him.

Because of this, far from having a normal growth environment, even surviving day to day was overwhelming.

At home, he suffered harsh abuse from his mother, and outside, he was stoned by passersby—it was remarkable he hadn’t committed suicide.

[Though extreme, this is a story that could easily happen in reality.]

As the above assessment suggests, similar situations existed in reality before the Biography of Xenon appeared.

Demons who lived outside Helium’s protection, rather than under it.

According to some scholars, demons born outside Helium were more likely to turn into devils than those born within.

Surprisingly, Jin’s miserable past was highly realistic.

Of course, readers became immersed before knowing this, so the research findings were meaningless.

Anyway, Jin’s past was too miserable to describe in words, and his psychology was not just sad but extremely dark.

No one reached out a hand to him, and there were no adults to protect the fragile child—a reality perfectly suited for the birth of another devil. In fact, there was even an explanation that Jin’s mind was pushed to extremes, causing readers to feel anxious.

[Hello? Who are you? You’re uniquely handsome.]

Fortunately, a kind and warm hand was extended to the young Jin. As everyone expected, it was Lilly, who would later be revered as a saint.

But perhaps because the wounds from abuse were too deep, Jin firmly rejected Lilly’s outstretched hand.

Instead, he looked at her with contempt, saying she would eventually point fingers and throw stones too. His deep-rooted distrust of people showed no signs of disappearing.

[Would you like some bread? I bought it.]

[Why are you so dirty? You should wash yourself.]

[You’re a demon, right? Can I touch your horns?]

Moreover, due to her childlike innocence, Lilly unintentionally hurt him at times.

Jin would respond with irritated looks and completely ignore her.

[Don’t you have parents? Where are they?]

[Get lost.]

Jin even cursed at Lilly when she unintentionally made comments about his family.

Even at this point, readers were skeptical. How could such a tender romance develop from such a bad relationship?

What actions did Lilly take that moved Jin to volunteer to become her shadow?

Only one volume of the side story was published, and the sharp confrontation between Jin and Lilly continued for one-third of it.

In reality, it was a one-sided situation where Jin pushed Lilly away while she persistently followed him, but it was never boring.

Rather, readers eagerly turned page after page, anticipating when this conflict would end.

Around the halfway point, the moment arrived when Lilly’s efforts finally paid off.

[Why do you keep following me? I’m a demon. The demon that you humans despise.]

[So what if you’re a demon? You have a human face. Oh, before that, can I touch your horns just once? I’m curious what they feel like.]

[… …]

[Is that not okay?]

This response perfectly revealed Lilly’s unique personality, befitting a future saint who completely disregarded discrimination.

With that one answer, Jin’s heart began to open, albeit slightly and only for Lilly, and they started spending more time together.

Lilly showered Jin with unconditional affection, and Jin, receiving affection for the first time in his life, pretended to reluctantly accept it while secretly smiling.

However, there was one fact Jin didn’t know.

As Lilly was destined to become a future saint, she was born with holy power and was under the protection of the church.

Naturally, those protecting her couldn’t look favorably upon Jin. After all, Jin was a demon, descendant of devils.

Having grown up facing abuse and reading the atmosphere, Jin noticed this tension and began distancing himself from Lilly again.

Though he didn’t realize it at the time, this was the first time Jin sacrificed himself for Lilly—fearing his existence might harm her.

This caused their relationship to drift apart again, and Lilly’s contact with Jin decreased due to pressure from the church.

But ending the side story here would leave too much unresolved. A decisive event occurs that establishes Jin’s loyalty to Lilly.

The church planned to assassinate Jin, whom they saw as a thorn in their side. And Lilly happened to overhear this plan.

Additionally, Jin’s mother had died from aftereffects of an encounter with Beelzebub, the devil of gluttony.

Although she was a terrible parent who abused her child, Jin couldn’t abandon his blood ties and even made a grave for her.

Then, just as he was about to go outside to steal food as usual, despite his grief, he encountered Lilly, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

Well, by this point, you can probably guess how the situation unfolds.

The church trying to kill Jin, and Lilly protecting him with open arms—this alone is enough to conclude their poignant past.

Especially Jin’s monologue at the end moved readers deeply:

[Where there is light, there must be shadow; to protect the brightest light, I will become the most hideous shadow.]

Jin’s extreme spirit of sacrifice was something he had consistently harbored since the past.

Through the side story, readers clearly understood why Jin showed blind loyalty to Lilly and why he couldn’t express his true feelings to her.

[Light and shadow always go together. But they can never truly become one.]

[Jin’s self-esteem always aligned with Lilly.]

[While Lilly looks back, Jin always turns his back, making it difficult for them to face each other.]

As their previously veiled past was fully revealed, praise poured in.

Lilly demonstrated behavior worthy of the title “saint,” and Jin gained a new identity as “shadow.”

However, this didn’t stop people from supporting them. On the contrary, the desire for them to be together grew even stronger.

With such feelings, after reading Volume 20…

[Xenon must be a devil wearing a human disguise. Otherwise, he wouldn’t play with people’s hearts like this.]

[Is he really going to kill Jin? In front of Lilly?]

[It’s surprising enough that Jin’s father is Gluttony, but why?]

The shock returned multiplied, hitting readers from behind.

Of course, Jin wouldn’t actually die, as it was setting up for the “awakening” in the next volume, but readers who knew nothing were heartbroken.

If this were Earth, people might have dismissed it, thinking, “Come on, he’s not really going to exit like this. Would he really kill him?”

But in this world, there are almost no genre novels like the Biography of Xenon. This means clichés, flags, or whatever—Xenon’s biography is completely new.

Cherry’s novel, One more Red Sunset, existed, but only one volume had been released.

Moreover, the “precedent” of Kayre and Elisha existed, amplifying readers’ anxiety.

As a result…

“Send a letter or do something quickly! Is Jin really going to die?!”

“Surely he won’t really die?! Even in Helium, there would be an uproar!”

“Do you know how many drawings I’ve made for them?! Boss, come out! If Xenon sees my drawings, he’ll definitely change his mind!”

Readers were causing a commotion in front of the publishing house. The notable point here is the species.

A year ago, during the hiatus crisis, only humans gathered, but now demons were mixed among the humans at the publishing house entrance.

Jin and Lilly’s romance is extremely important, having established a significant position among demons.

Jin and Lilith, one of the Seven Deadly Sins who became a devil after losing her beloved.

Thanks to these charming characters, demons gained a reputation for being romantics, making them sensitive to Jin’s fate.

After setting up a sweet romance in the side story, then delivering a shocking twist in the main story, anger was inevitable.

As a result, just as humans and demons joined forces at the exhibition, they now gathered in front of the publishing house to raise their voices about Volume 20.

If anyone occasionally crossed the line, they would amicably restrain each other, with demons playing a major role in this.

No matter how angry they were, demons are a race of “restraint.” Naturally, they thought rationally and prevented crossing lines.

“No. I don’t know anything, so why are you all going crazy at me?”

“Because you’re the only connection to Arwen Queen and the author, boss.”

“Ha, sh—”

The publishing house boss, Musk Grid, was bewildered. He merely received and published manuscripts, yet each time a storm followed.

If he weren’t the connection, this situation wouldn’t have occurred. But since it became known that he exchanged letters with the author, this happened.

This time seemed even worse. After all, Jin, one of the popular characters, died in front of Lilly.

Whether he really dies or not will only be known when the next volume is released, but that might be too late.

‘This would be awkward for Xenon to clarify too…’

It would be problematic to confirm Jin’s death, and equally problematic to say he survives. That would be a spoiler.

There’s only one solution: release the next volume as soon as possible.

The new volume is scheduled to be released in two weeks, so they could wait until then, but for now, they need to calm the protesters in front of the publishing house.

“Hey, Matthew.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Provide some food to the protesters. Let them know we’re in the same position.”

Just as Musk’s wise measure brought some calm to the publishing house…

“Honey! Let’s go to Helium right now! Hurry!”

“Do you know how far Helium is? It would take at least two months by carriage?”

“We can ask someone up there! Don’t you know anyone among your acquaintances?”

“Well… it would still be difficult. The teleportation facility requires at least royal permission.”

“Ugh…”

Annah Ducar Mayshall, Issac’s mother and a devoted fan of Jin and Lilly, was stomping her feet, trying to figure out a way to get to Helium.

Somehow, before Volume 20 was released, she said she was going to Helium, and this was the reason.

She even brought Marie and Adelia along, so Annah didn’t suspect anything.

“Why don’t you just leave it alone? Issac seems to have gone to Helium because he anticipated this reaction from you.”

“Even so, he should tell me whether Jin really dies!”

“What if he really dies? Will you really disown him from the family?”

“Not that… but I’m anxious. I want to shake off this anxiety.”

Hawk scratched his nose as he watched the anxious Annah. She wasn’t the only one reacting this way; others were showing similar responses.

This indicates how shocking the ending of Volume 20 was. The crowd of protesters in front of the publishing house is evidence enough.

“Wouldn’t you normally wait?”

“I’m the type who needs to know the ending to feel at ease.”

While most people dislike spoilers, Annah is the opposite. She feels relieved after being spoiled.

Feeling she might lose sleep over this, she wanted to find Issac quickly. Only by hearing directly from him about Jin’s fate could she alleviate this anxiety.

Hawk folded his arms as he watched the restless Annah. Even though he wanted to fulfill his beloved wife’s request, it was realistically impossible.

At minimum, they would need to use teleportation, which requires royal permission and would take several days to process.

By then, the next volume would likely be released, making any effort futile.

“I’ll think about it too. Just wait a little.”

“Thank you, honey. You’re the only one I can rely on.”

“Hmm. Hmm.”

Hawk cleared his throat embarrassedly as Annah hugged him tightly in gratitude. Actually, he hadn’t told her, but there was one possible method.

That was to find the summoning paper presumed to be on Issac’s bedroom desk. Specifically, not Cyris Lunatic’s summoning paper, but Gartz Balack’s.

Gartz is always on standby to modify the typewriter according to Issac’s taste. He’s also assigned the important(?) task of immediately responding to repair minor breakdowns.

Because of this, there’s a high possibility that a summoning paper was placed in the bedroom. While Gartz is Cecilly’s guard, he also serves as Issac’s.

‘I should tell her about this later.’

If he told Annah this fact immediately, she would summon Gartz without preparation. At the very least, Issac should be given some time to escape.

While such schemes were being plotted at the mansion, Issac…

“So, son-in-law. Is Jin really going to die?”

“… …”

Found himself being questioned not by Annah, but by his mother-in-law, Isillia Draught Vin, Cecilly’s mother.

‘He’s not going to die…’

Just be patient for two weeks.