Chapter 28 …
“Wow, this marbling is amazing.”
My mouth watered just thinking about it.
It was the day Griffiths had gone on an errand with a gold coin, and the puppet troupe aunt and uncle had come back with an absolutely extravagant amount of meat.
“This is for tomorrow’s soup. That one will be dried into jerky. And this one? We’ll grill it for you today. You need to replenish your strength, Lord Demon King.”
But that wasn’t all. Seizing the opportunity, they had also gone out and bought clothing and tools for farming.
Plows and axes. Seeds and fertilizer for wheat.
“If we grow wheat, does that mean we can eat bread?”
“Probably! We’ll make bread for you, and cakes too!”
“That’s perfect!”
At least we could be self-sufficient in bread and cakes!
Even though the wheat seeds hadn’t been planted yet, I already felt as content as someone with a full granary. I leapt up and down with excitement, and the aunts giggled.
“Oh? Look, Lord Demon King. He’s here again.”
At that moment, the puppet troupe aunts pointed somewhere.
They had spotted none other than Han Hyun-jin, standing there with an embarrassed expression.
That guy… I did allow him to come, but he’s practically worn out the threshold of this place going back and forth.
“Uncle!”
“Uncle!”
The children nearby ran over and clung to him.
Hyun-jin, looking a bit awkward, responded to the children with a faint smile.
“Oh my, you come here so often. You don’t really do much when you come, yet you come every day—how strange!”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“There’s no honey jar here either, hohoho.”
Even the aunts thought it strange that Hyun-jin frequented this place as if it were his own home.
Then, the aunts who had been laughing suddenly stiffened and whispered conspiratorially.
“But… isn’t it kind of strange? Normally, men don’t keep going somewhere unless there’s a woman they’re interested in, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Even my husband never cared about the butcher, but he’d come see me all the time.”
“Oh my, isn’t this basically showing off?”
“Hoho, my husband did the same during dating, too.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about why that young man keeps coming here…”
“Why?”
What? Why the sudden whispering? Why are they all huddled together, gossiping?
I slid closer to eavesdrop.
“Well… it seems like there’s a woman he likes here. Otherwise, why would he come as if it were his own house?”
“Oh my, oh my! I was just thinking the same thing!”
I was shocked, my eyes widening.
What did they say? Hyun-jin has a woman he likes?
Could it be…
‘Me?’
I listened to the aunts with a serious expression.
Following the mirror servant’s instructions, I had tried to make Hyun-jin obey me, but I never intended to make him like me romantically.
And yet… is he smitten with me?
It didn’t seem likely that Hyun-jin liked any woman other than me. Naturally, I assumed he was attracted to me.
Why? Well… I’m the Demon King. I’m incredibly strong.
In the animal kingdom, the strongest and most magnificent usually claims the resources.
‘Of course, that’s for males.’
Anyway, I shrugged my shoulders, filled with baseless confidence.
“Hehe. There will be some romance drama in this village. Ah, nothing is more fun than other people’s love lives.”
“Who says not? This will be entertaining for a while!”
“Oh my, I was rooting for the hero and the saint couple, what a pity…”
“I support any handsome couple, really.”
The aunts, ignoring my proud self, glanced at Joanna’s house.
Wait, why are they looking at Joanna’s house?
I frowned and looked at the aunts.
“Wait, wait. Are you saying Hyun-jin likes Joanna?”
“Yes! Who else could he like besides the young woman here, not the Saint?”
The aunts nodded as if it were obvious. They dismissed married women and widows.
Hearing that, I felt a strange twinge of jealousy.
‘…Why do they just assume Hyun-jin is attracted to Joanna?’
I’m right here, after all.
Sure, I’ve been asleep for a hundred years and must be over a hundred years old!
But Hyun-jin also woke after sleeping for a hundred years. Age-wise, we match.
And yet, they’re pairing him with Joanna as if I don’t exist… somehow, it irked me.
“…Joanna is a Saint, you know? Saints dedicate their entire lives to God. Joanna can’t even think about dating or marriage!”
My outburst of inferiority made the aunts’ eyes widen, then they burst out laughing.
“Oh, anyway, the Saint has left the temple, and God is more flexible these days than in the past. It’s fine if she dates now!”
“Right! As long as the Saint is faithful, that’s all that matters!”
Ha! These aunts! Saying things God might scold them for without a care.
Suddenly, the aunts started supporting Joanna’s romantic prospects, defying me.
I felt deeply betrayed, my lips drooping.
‘No, this won’t do.’
Hyun-jin must obey me.
Only then can I survive, and my dungeon remain safe…
‘Is he really interested in Joanna?’
I couldn’t help but steal glances at Hyun-jin, sinking deeper into worry.
“Uncle! Uncle! Didn’t you bring anything to eat today?”
When the children clamored, Hyun-jin awkwardly pulled some candies from his pocket.
“I was busy, so this is all I could bring. Sorry.”
“Candy! We love candy!”
“Wow, I got lemon flavor!”
“Mine’s strawberry!”
The kids grabbed handfuls of candy and stuffed their cheeks like little hamsters. Hyun-jin gave a faint smile.
He sat with the children in the fields.
A cool breeze blew from the forest. The sky was clear, the fields smelled of fresh soil, and the children chattered like birds.
When was the last time he had been able to sit so peacefully after awakening as a Hunter?
Every time he entered the Demon King’s dungeon, he felt a warm momentary escape from reality.
A Demon King who was both human and monster.
Both human and monster energy flowed through him.
Because of that unique feeling, he had been visiting to understand her… but somehow, there seemed to be another reason now.
‘How many years has it been since I had this kind of peace?’
Years spent closing gates at the risk of his life, fighting the Association, and seeking revenge for a friend.
The outside world was still a battlefield for him, but here, some of the burdens he carried felt lighter.
Children chattered, and the aunts in the distant village laughed as they hung laundry.
Hyun-jin had lost his only friend in a gate accident and, after a hundred years, lost his family as well.
Being among people now felt awkward, yet comfortable.
The villagers never stopped smiling.
Maybe, just maybe, Kim Ana is a wise ruler, as Griffiths said…
Just then, Hyun-jin was staring blankly at the sky.
“Hey, Han Hyun-jin.”
Turning, he saw Ana walking toward him with a sullen expression.
“Why?”
“Come here.”
Her face was stiff. Curious, Hyun-jin left the children and followed her.
Ana led him to a secluded spot behind the Demon King’s castle.
“Is there a problem?”
Her expression wasn’t good. Usually oblivious to others, Hyun-jin couldn’t help but notice Ana’s unusually serious demeanor.
Her back seemed tense, almost angry.
Before he could worry too much,
“Demon King…”
Ana spun around and pressed him against the castle wall.
Bang!
The section of the wall beside Hyun-jin crumbled under Ana’s hand, sending stone dust flying.
Thud… thud…
Hyun-jin looked down at her, startled.
It wasn’t lethal, but the attack was strong enough to make him break out in cold sweat.
What the hell?
“How is it?”
Ana lifted her head, her expectant face framed by black hair, her cheeks slightly flushed.
How is it… what?
“What do you mean?”
“Excited?”
“…What?”
Hyun-jin asked back, bewildered.
