Chapter 7
Late in the afternoon.
Kyrios kept glancing anxiously toward the door before muttering in annoyance,
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t that annoying little brat shown up today?”
Normally, she would suddenly poke her head in early in the morning, chirp away cheerfully, and busily run around the castle.
But today…
The entire Demon King’s Castle was as silent as a grave.
“This is a little…”
“It is strange, isn’t it?”
The three men looked at each other.
After a moment, Kyrios stood up while grumbling.
“Seriously… what a pain.”
Then he looked at the other two with an annoyed expression.
“What are you two doing? Aren’t we going to look for the kid?”
“I thought you said she couldn’t be trusted.”
“That was different! This is different!”
Embarrassed, Kyrios snapped back.
Zigfried and Caesar finally stood up as well.
But even after searching every corner of the Demon King’s Castle…
They couldn’t find a single trace of Tatiana.
“Where in the world did that little brat go?”
Kyrios complained loudly.
Ignoring him, Zigfried pointed toward a door hidden in one corner.
“We haven’t checked that room yet.”
The old wooden door looked completely out of place in the magnificent Demon King’s Castle.
It was half-open.
Judging by the broken doorknob lying on the floor…
It seemed the room had originally been locked.
Kyrios walked over and peeked inside.
“Hey, kid. Are you in—”
His eyes suddenly widened.
The room was filthy.
No sunlight entered.
The smell of mold filled the air.
On top of an old blanket full of holes…
Tatiana lay curled up, her face pale.
The three men froze.
“W-What…?
What’s wrong with her?!”
Kyrios was the first to move.
He rushed over and tried to help Tatiana sit up.
Then he bit his lip.
“She… she’s burning up.”
Her tiny body felt like fire.
Her thin arms and legs hung limply like wet cloth.
“Ah…”
Tatiana slowly opened her eyes.
Her unfocused sky-blue eyes looked at the three men one by one.
Then, as if out of habit…
She gave them a small smile.
“Why did you come all the way here…?”
Tatiana tried to sit up.
But her weak arms couldn’t support her body.
They kept collapsing beneath her.
Unable to watch any longer, Kyrios frowned.
“Just lie down! Why do you keep trying to get up?”
“N-No… I’m fine…”
“How can you say that when you’re like this?!”
Kyrios raised his voice without thinking.
Then he clenched his teeth.
Caesar stepped in.
“Kyrios, please stop yelling at a patient.”
“I… sigh…”
Kyrios let out a frustrated sigh.
Just then—
Tatiana suddenly doubled over.
“Cough! Cough, cough!”
She hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands.
But it was useless.
Drops of blood slowly seeped through her fingers.
She had coughed up blood.
The three men stared in shock.
“Hey, kid!”
“Miss Tatiana!”
“Did you just cough up blood?!”
Startled by their reactions, Tatiana quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“I-It… it’s just…”
She tried desperately to wipe the blood away.
But she only made it worse.
Blood spread across her mouth…
And even stained her cheeks.
Why did I have to start coughing at a time like this…?
Tatiana clicked her tongue inwardly.
I’m doomed.
That was the last thing she thought before…
Everything turned black.
Tatiana lost consciousness.
✦ ✦ ✦
Inside endless darkness…
Voices echoed as though coming from deep inside a cave.
“A filthy half-breed is the Demon King? What a disgrace to demonkind.”
“Why don’t we just kill her and wait for the Demon God to choose another Demon King?”
“What if the Demon God becomes angry?”
“Then we’ll simply act as the Demon King’s representatives instead of this mongrel…”
I instinctively covered my ears.
I don’t want to hear this.
Come to think of it…
Everyone I had ever met hated me.
It felt as if the entire world pointed at me and called me worthless.
So…
I had always wondered.
Maybe…
Maybe I should never have been born.
“I want to run away… I hate this place…”
Just then…
I saw them.
The three Heroes.
The saviors of humanity.
The people who had freed me from the high-ranking demons.
“W-Wait!”
I ran as fast as I could.
But no matter how fast I ran…
The three of them only seemed farther away.
“Please… wait for me!”
I tried to call out.
But it felt as though someone was covering my mouth.
No sound came out.
I forced my aching legs to keep moving.
My lungs burned.
My legs felt ready to collapse.
They seemed so close…
Yet I still couldn’t reach them.
“No! If you leave…”
“I’ll have to keep living in that hell called the Demon World!”
Leaving the Demon World safely…
Growing up peacefully…
Getting revenge on the people who abused me…
Everything would disappear.
Finally—
“I got you!”
After what felt like an eternity…
I finally grabbed the sleeve of Caesar’s long priest robe.
“Please don’t leave…”
The three men silently looked at me.
They didn’t smile.
They didn’t comfort me.
But…
Just knowing they weren’t walking away anymore…
Made me feel relieved.
“Hehe…”
Only then…
Could I finally smile a little.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t leave…”
Along with that tiny whisper…
A small hand tightly grabbed the sleeve of Caesar’s robe as he watched over her.
After quietly examining Tatiana’s condition…
Caesar looked down at the hand holding him.
“…”
The three men were now inside a luxurious bedroom that had probably belonged to one of the Five Demon Kings.
Caesar had insisted on moving Tatiana there.
According to him…
Anyone would get sick living in that filthy room.
Kyrios leaned closer to look at her.
“Hey…
Can’t you heal the kid with holy power?”
Caesar shook his head.
“I can’t.
Even though she’s half human…
She also has demon blood.”
“You know that holy power and demonic energy are complete opposites.”
“Well… that’s true.
But maybe it’ll still work?”
Kyrios shrugged.
Then he added with a bitter smile,
“Seriously… why is that little brat always causing us trouble?”
“Kyrios.”
Caesar looked at him.
“You should choose one.
Either keep insulting the child…
Or worry about her.”
“Tch.”
Kyrios clicked his tongue.
Even though he kept speaking harshly…
His eyes never left Tatiana.
“So why is she sick?”
Caesar slowly shook his head.
“Who knows?
Miss Tatiana is the only human-demon half-breed in the entire world.”
Even Caesar…
Who had heard countless stories as the High Priest…
Had never heard of such a case.
Still…
If Tatiana really was half human and half demon…
“This is only my guess…”
“But I believe her own demonic energy is attacking her body.”
“What?
What are you talking about?”
“I told you before that Miss Tatiana’s body is almost completely human.”
“But demonic energy…”
Caesar sighed.
“Naturally rejects humans.”
Silence filled the room.
After a while…
Kyrios asked impatiently,
“Then how do we cure her?”
“For now…
We’ll have to focus on treating her symptoms.”
“So just temporary treatment?
That doesn’t solve the real problem.”
“I know.
But we don’t have another choice.”
“No, don’t just say we don’t have a choice—”
Caesar interrupted him.
“Then tell me.”
“Is there anyone among us who can remove Miss Tatiana’s demonic energy?”
Kyrios and Zigfried fell silent.
Because…
It was impossible.
Even they—
Heroes who had reached the level of legends—
Couldn’t do it.
Which meant…
No human alive could cure Tatiana.
After a long silence…
Kyrios quietly asked,
“Then… does that mean she’ll have to live like this forever?”
A moment later, he asked again.
“Isn’t there any way for her to be completely cured?”
Caesar sighed softly.
“I don’t believe anyone else can cure her.”
“She has to overcome it herself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Tatiana has to learn to control her own demonic energy.”
“There is no other way.”
Kyrios and Zigfried’s expressions darkened.
Even they…
Heroes who stood above all others…
Had no confidence they could control demonic energy.
Yet that small…
Fragile child…
Had to master the very power that was slowly destroying her body…
If she wanted to survive.
Kyrios’s voice trembled.
“Then…”
“If she never learns to control it…”
He swallowed hard.
“…Will she die?”
