CHAPTER 02
‘If this isn’t insurance fraud, then what is it.’
“Sigh…”
“Your Majesty the Demon King, is something troubling you?”
As I let out a deep sigh, the man standing closest to me quickly spoke up.
His dark blue hair shimmered around his waist.
It was the second day of my twelfth possession as the Demon King.
Right now, I was at the weekly tea party attended by the most powerful demons in the demon realm.
I shook my head at the demon named Illei, who looked at me with concern.
“It’s nothing.”
“Yes… but please do tell us if something troubles you. Your Majesty’s worries are ours as well!”
Even if I told you, would you believe me?
At first, the absurdity of the situation made me want to cry.
But I soon changed my mind.
This body I possessed was incredibly beautiful, noble (sort of), the ruler of demons, overpowered, and filthy rich—basically, the dream setting for any transmigrator.
Being the Demon King might be a flaw, but so what? Status can be bought with money anyway.
Over twelve lifetimes, I had lived through every kind of possessed life imaginable.
I’d lived lavishly as a Demon King drunk on wealth and power.
I’d also hidden my identity, bought a noble title in the Empire, and pretended to be human while running a business.
I even tried reforming villainous families and helping abused wives escape their cruel in-laws.
You could say I’d tried it all.
Moreover, this time, I hadn’t been shoved into an existing Demon King’s body but had awakened in a brand-new one.
That meant I wouldn’t be hunted down for being “different,” which was a huge advantage.
No matter how I acted, no one would find it strange.
I could live however I wanted.
So there was only one problem.
‘When does this ever end?’
A life that wouldn’t end.
‘At first, I thought I was being punished for living too recklessly.’
I had no clue when or how I would regress.
Some lifetimes lasted decades, while the shortest one ended just two days after awakening as the Demon King—
which, in other words, could be today.
I would close my eyes, and then I’d wake up again.
The insurance agent had said that once I reached the “ending” of my possessed world, I could finally rest in peace.
Tired of endless regressions, I had once chosen to end my own life—in the fourth round.
But even after taking my life, the cycle didn’t stop. I woke up again.
As if nothing had ever happened.
‘Why is this happening to me? What the hell do they want from me!’
I once vowed to kill whoever was making me regress.
But as time passed, that anger faded into dust.
Whether I lived or died, life went on.
I had fallen into deep apathy.
I once thought transmigrator life was supposed to be exciting, but I was wrong.
‘Other transmigrators summon systems or status windows and thrive…’
And me? I just talk into the air like a delusional Demon King.
While thinking about the cause of my regressions, I remembered what the angel said right after my second regression.
‘Yes, well, each god does have a preferred ending or storyline. If they don’t like how it’s going, they might nudge things a bit… but it’s not that bad! Promise!’
The “nudging” of gods, huh.
Was my endless regression their way of forcing me into a story they liked?
‘You damned novel…’
By the tenth regression, I was just tired.
The small details changed each time, but the major events stayed the same.
I glanced at the group of demons chatting among themselves.
At the far end of my gaze was the large door to the banquet hall.
Alright, watch this. On the count of three, someone will run through that door.
One.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Demon King!”
‘Didn’t even reach two.’
Before I could feel awkward, a demon burst through the door, running straight toward me.
A leisurely Demon King, a panicked demon, and the others watching in silence.
“What is it?”
Before I could ask, Illei, the blue-haired demon beside me, spoke up first.
Unlike his urgency, my interest in the report was nonexistent.
I’d heard this exact thing twelve times already.
‘Is it about another saint appearing in the human world? Or a holy man this time?’
Whether woman or man, old or young, it was always the same story—another messenger of the gods had appeared.
That’s how it had gone the past eleven times.
“The Holy Knights have entered the dungeon near the Demon Realm’s capital! They seem to have come through a new dungeon gate from the human world!”
“What?”
…That’s new.
I stood up before I realized it. Fate had changed.
“The Holy Knights invaded?”
Illei’s eyes darkened with fury.
“The dungeon exit leads straight to the Demon Realm capital. We’ll need to prepare for a large-scale battle. This time, a horde of human mages came too!”
“How dare the humans act so boldly when His Majesty is present. Their insolence grows by the day.”
Illei muttered through clenched teeth, his hatred for humans practically radiating.
“Your Majesty, if you allow me, I’ll take care of them swiftly.”
“You’ll go yourself, Sir Illei?”
Unlike the surprised extras, Illei looked more than ready—like he’d just found his lifelong enemy.
He clearly didn’t like the idea of humans invading right after the Demon King’s awakening.
Illei was the second strongest being in the Demon Realm, right after me.
‘If I let him handle it, things would wrap up neatly. Easy.’
But Illei—
“No, I’ll go myself.”
***
“You’re really going like that?”
“Yeah.”
I left the tea room and went back to my chamber.
My current outfit looked too much like a villain’s, so I needed to change.
My maid watched me with worried eyes.
“You look… too gentle, my lady.”
That’s the point.
I was now wearing a modest dress a noble lady from a romance novel might wear.
Definitely not combat attire—I had no plans to fight.
Just in case, I warned the other demons to stay far away, not wanting anyone to see me mingling with the Holy Knights.
‘No demon would dare disobey the freshly awakened Demon King.’
I also packed a few magic-infused accessories for safety. Everything was ready.
“Alright, I’m off!”
Leaving the Demon King’s castle, I entered the dungeon alone without hesitation.
The path didn’t resist me.
No monsters attacked, no traps triggered.
After all, the Demon King ruled over every dungeon.
It almost felt like the place was tiptoeing around me, afraid to offend.
The only problem was the labyrinthine structure—it was too easy to get lost.
“This is like an ant nest.”
The dungeon was nothing but dirt and stone.
I had no idea how long I’d been wandering.
The pitch-black tunnels made it hard to see more than a few steps ahead.
“So annoying.”
If there’s no path, I’ll just make one.
I pressed my thumb against my middle finger and flicked toward the wall.
It was a motion as light as snapping a finger.
A faint gust brushed past.
Then—
Boom! Crash!
The wall in front of me shattered, creating a massive open passage through the maze.
“Wow…”
Covered in dust, I clasped my hands together quietly.
What the hell? Did I get stronger?
It had been a while since I used magic, but I was sure I wasn’t this powerful before.
‘If I’m exposed as the Demon King and have to fight, I’ll just hold back and retreat.’
Nope. Better not fight at all.
***
“What in the world just happened…?”
“Huff, haah… Is everyone alright?”
Sian, brushing dirt off his uniform, looked around.
His black eyes scanned the area sharply.
Everyone seemed shaken but not seriously hurt.
“Sir Sian, what was that?”
“Looks like something—or someone—just entered the dungeon.”
He said it calmly.
They had been wandering the dungeon for quite some time.
There was still no exit in sight, and the endless attacks from minor monsters had worn them down.
Then came the massive tremor that nearly buried them alive.
Thankfully, the mages had reacted fast enough to cast shields and block the falling debris.
“Everyone, stay alert.”
Sian’s gaze turned toward the massive opening ahead.
The maze-like walls had collapsed in several layers, revealing clear connected passages.
At least finding the way out would be easier now.
‘Power like that…’
Could it be—the Demon King?
