Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Is Angel a Curse?

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“Isn’t ‘angel’ a curse?”

Lian, now floating aimlessly in the water, thought with a dazed expression.

‘How did things end up like this?’

As he absentmindedly glanced around, he noticed the white steam clouding his surroundings. The bathroom, befitting only the “Demon King,” was elegant and luxurious.

Crystal candleholders shimmered with magical lights, and a statue of a woman pouring from a large jar released hot water. The sound of the flowing water made his already blank mind even more vacant.

The ceiling of the bathroom was adorned with intricate paintings, and though Lian didn’t know much about art, even he could tell they were extraordinary.

In the center of the bathroom was a bath, carved with delicate patterns forming graceful lines. In that bath, which seemed fit only for those of noble blood, a black slime floated.

‘I just wanted to help a little…’

Lian—no, now a slime—floated in the water, his expression blank as he reflected on his memories.

The first memory that came to mind was the chaotic meeting room. Black-robed figures scattered everywhere, and the Demon King’s dazed expression.

At that time, Lian had wanted to convey that he wasn’t an enemy of the Demon King.

Lian had only picked up the iron ladle with the intention of helping her a little, but from the Demon King’s perspective, it must have looked like an invisible entity was wiping out her allies with an unseen attack. She must have been either terrified or enraged by the unknown intruder.

Due to his weakened spiritual power, unlike when he attacked, he couldn’t even write letters to convey his intentions.

With no other option, he gently placed the white flower from a nearby vase in front of the Demon King to show he had no hostile intentions.

It was an action akin to waving a white flag, but the Demon King seemed to interpret it differently. She clutched the white flower tightly in her hand and began to shed silent tears.

That sight reminded him of Iris and Jess, whom he had left behind at home, and he felt even more attached to her.

From that day, Lian began to hover around the Demon King, handling those who tried to harm her with his iron ladle. You wouldn’t think anyone would dare to trouble the Demon King, but—after sticking close to her and observing carefully—he started to see things he hadn’t noticed before.

He realized that the actions of the attendants, which he had previously thought were mistakes, were intentional. They were small things: handing her a chipped cup, making her drink bitter tea, or stocking her room with damp towels… petty harassment that became visible to him.

[ ‘Are they begging for death or something…?’ ]

At first, Lian thought they were just foolish attendants struggling to die. But the Demon King neither reprimanded nor killed them. She simply let it happen, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Wondering what was going on, Lian followed the attendants and discovered they were connected to the black-robed group.

Those people were tormenting the Demon King endlessly, even out of sight.

[ Oh… They haven’t been beaten enough, huh? ]

That was enough reason for Lian to pull out his iron ladle.

Strangely, whenever he tried to help the Demon King, his spiritual power grew stronger, and it became easy to strike down the black-robed figures who snickered behind the scenes.

The immense power he gained, even while struggling to turn the pages of a book, became addicting to Lian. At some point, he began hitting the heads of those who threatened the Demon King, not just out of sympathy, but for his own amusement.

After about a week of such days, the attendants, terrified, stopped touching the Demon King’s belongings or committing any more petty acts.

Even the black-robed men, at some point, began to mistake Lian for “Him” and repeatedly begged for forgiveness with their heads bowed.

By then, the Demon King also realized that some kind of guardian angel-like presence was hovering around her.

“…Are you… here?”

Her trembling voice echoed through the air. Lian had no intention of revealing himself. Though he believed there was a final boss somewhere, they might end up as enemies. He wanted to avoid getting involved directly.

“Dad…?”

But the Demon King easily shook Lian’s resolve with just one word.

Anyone who had seen Lian caring for Iris would have easily predicted this. Despite never having married or had children, Lian was overflowing with paternal affection. Perhaps because he had supported his mother throughout his life in the gag world, he was incredibly weak toward fragile people who seemed in need of care. Especially if they were beautiful women.

[ Ugh… This isn’t right…! ]

Lian couldn’t ignore the desperate, hopeful gaze of the charismatic, mature woman as she pitifully called out for her father.

In the end, Lian brought the white flower, which had been placed in a vase from the meeting room, and laid it in front of her.

“…”

The Demon King silently stared at the white flower, then began to shed silent tears once again, her sobs so quiet that they made it even more heartbreaking for anyone listening.

After becoming certain that an unknown presence was hovering around her, she stopped crying and self-harming.

Instead, she tried to confirm every day whether Lian was by her side.

“Are you here?”

“Are you next to me?”

Despite her indifferent face, her voice was filled with loneliness, and Lian couldn’t bear to ignore it. He manipulated the old doll rolling around in her room to embrace her, or handed her a handkerchief whenever she was about to cry, letting her know he was by her side.

At first, Lian wondered whether she was mistaking him for her father, but since she called him “angel,” it seemed she knew he wasn’t her dad.

[ ‘But… isn’t calling the Demon King an angel a curse?’ ]

Lian had grown accustomed to the Demon King to the point where such trivial thoughts crossed his mind.

As the Demon King’s mental state stabilized, Lian became increasingly anxious. He was worried about his companions back in the Empire, and he hadn’t gathered much information about the final boss, which made him uneasy.

But whenever he tried to leave the Demon King’s side to focus on gathering information, she would show extreme anxiety, making it difficult for him to leave.

[ ‘Just what happened to her?’ ]

She was a being who was naturally born to rule over others, a predator with noble blood, an existence with justified arrogance and charismatic charm.

She was like a perfectly crafted ruler.

Her personality was neither weak nor shy.

The more time Lian spent by her side, the more he learned about her true nature, and naturally, he couldn’t help but have countless questions.

What on earth had happened in her past for her mind to be so broken that she would harm herself?

It wasn’t long before Lian’s curiosity was answered.

Since he couldn’t leave her side, he ended up spending a lot of time going through the Demon King’s belongings in her room. Whenever Lian pulled out a book to read or picked up and put down objects, the Demon King seemed more at ease, so he freely rummaged through her things.

[ Wow, there’s a lot of interesting stuff. ]

Most of the items Lian rummaged through were gifts—bribes, really—that the demons had offered to the Demon King. She had piled them up without paying them any mind, leading the demons to believe that unless the gift was of extraordinary value, it wouldn’t catch her attention.

Thanks to that, the room was filled with all sorts of items.

While wandering around among the objects, Lian found something that looked like a communication orb.

[ …! ]

Thinking it might be a real communication orb, he picked it up, but his spiritual power was too weak, and he ended up dropping it. The orb, which had been placed on a higher shelf, rolled down to the Demon King’s feet.

Chasing after the orb like a cat after a ball of yarn, Lian reflexively reached out and grabbed it just as the Demon King picked it up.

Whirrr…!

[ …Gasp! ]

In that moment, his vision flipped, and an unfamiliar scene began to unfold.

A red carpet spread across the floor, and at the top of a set of stairs stood a grand throne. The royal hall, which Lian had seen several times while following the Demon King, appeared before him.

Lian, flustered, tried to look around, but his head wouldn’t turn, as if his gaze was locked in place.

“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”

A crazed laugh echoed through the hall, and his fixed gaze turned toward the one standing before the throne.

‘Ugh…! Isn’t that the original Demon King?’

Though the figure’s face was painted black as if someone had smeared it with paint, the outfit was so distinctive that Lian recognized it immediately.

“Why…?”

Suddenly, Lian froze at the familiar voice of the Demon King piercing his ears. It didn’t take long for him to realize that the owner of his current vision was the Demon King herself.

‘Then this is… her memory?’

No sooner had he grasped the situation than the Demon King’s trembling voice echoed again.

“You said you wanted to talk to the Hero to create a world where demons and humans no longer fought. But why…?”

A white hand briefly blocked his view. It seemed she was wiping her face in confusion.

“Why did you kill the Hero!?”

Her voice, filled with anger and a sense of betrayal, was directed at the previous Demon King, who was laughing maniacally. The former Demon King, who had been cackling, turned toward her and spoke.

“It was a necessary step to break free from the cycle.”

“What do you mean…?”

Clack, clack.

The former Demon King slowly descended the stairs and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Yes, it’s time I told you. Why the battle between the Hero and the Demon King has been endlessly repeating—”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence, as he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Fa…ther?”

End of Chapter