TFPOTRN | CHAPTER 08

CHAPTER 8

I was the one who ended up startled by Sian’s reaction, which seemed far more serious than I expected.

“Do not worry.”

“I have no intention of sending you back to the Demon Realm ever again.”

…Huh?

“I will take responsibility for you. For the rest of my life.”

Sian spoke in such a firm tone that he almost looked determined.

Wait a second, something’s wrong here.

“…Pardon?”

“You became a demon because of me, didn’t you?”

“No, it’s not exactly like that—”

“You tried to save me…”

I said that’s not it!

Before I could correct him, Sian opened his eyes again.

He looked even more resolute than before.

“As I said earlier, I will take responsibility.”

“What?”

“I’m saying I’ll stay by your side and look after you. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

His bright eyes stared straight into mine.

“I understand it must be painful to recall, which is why you’re having trouble speaking about it.”

“But… could you tell me even a little? Just a little bit?”

“…”

Sian didn’t seem willing to listen to a single word I said.

It was like he was drowning in that typical knightly sense of duty.

How do I fix this mess?

I pretended to think for a moment, then lowered my head deeply.

Sian bent down on one knee before me.

His eyes dropped to my level as he looked up at me from below.

“The Administrator might come looking for you. He seemed quite fond of you.”

That’s true.

Sian’s voice turned gentle, as if coaxing and comforting me.

But before things spiraled even further out of control, I felt an urgent need to hit the brakes on this runaway knight.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

I cut off Sian’s anxious words.

Rona would have to be insane to come looking for me.

He’d just finished his duel before I met Sian again.

If he had any sense at all, he’d stay far away from me.

No one in their right mind would want to show up again after being marked by the Demon King.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Uh, well…”

“It may be unpleasant to hear, but demons never let go of what they consider theirs.”

“They are creatures of intense possessiveness.”

I knew that better than anyone.

For crying out loud, I can’t just say, ‘I’m the Demon King’…

My confidence began to crumble.

How could I convince this overly responsible man that he didn’t need to take care of me—without revealing who I really was?

Sian seemed to think I was some fragile little creature that might just drop dead if left alone.

Simply saying, “I don’t need to live with you,” wouldn’t be enough.

My expression soured as I tried to figure out how to untangle this, and Sian’s eyes flicked toward me, watching my face.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name.”

“…What?”

Was he finally trying to change the subject?

It was a rather abrupt thing to bring up, but maybe he thought shifting topics would help my mood.

“It wouldn’t do for a husband not to know his wife’s name, would it?”

Is he really sticking to this married-couple act even when it’s just us?

I quietly moved my lips.

My name…

I realized I had never told Sian my name.

What was it again?

Maybe it was the repeated regressions, but I couldn’t quite remember.

When I first possessed this body, I’d boldly come up with one… I think.

No demon ever dared speak the Demon King’s true name, and whenever I acted human, I always used an alias.

A different alias each time, meaningless and forgettable.

So I’d never gotten attached to any of them.

I hesitated and looked at Sian.

Why did I suddenly not want to use another made-up name like before?

I met his eyes directly.

“…Give me one.”

I needed a name anyway, at least until I regained my power.

Sian’s eyes widened in surprise.

***

“You… want me to give you a name?”

“Yes.”

It was a simple answer.

Sian lowered his gaze quietly.

She was impossible to read.

He hadn’t expected her to refuse to even share her name.

When someone hides their name, it’s always for a reason.

Either they must conceal their identity—or they no longer wish to live under that name.

Which is it for her?

Sian’s eyes lingered on the woman before him.

She’d been suspicious from the very first moment they met in the dungeon.

Wandering alone inside, calm even when everyone else was on the verge of collapse.

‘Aren’t you going?’

‘Ah, I don’t have the energy for that.’

Utterly lethargic, yet…

‘If you let the others go, I’ll tell you.’

Someone willing to risk her life for others.

‘Now you have to tell me who you really are.’

He’d once doubted her identity, but looking back now, perhaps she’d been like that because… she no longer saw meaning in living.

And now she wasn’t merely dying—she had become a demon.

Standing there, alone, bleeding in the outskirts of the Demon Realm without even a weapon in hand…

She looked as if she were quietly waiting for death.

The moment he saw her bleeding by herself, all the doubts he’d harbored vanished completely.

Sian slowly replayed everything that had happened as he looked at her.

She still wore that same calm, indifferent expression, as though it didn’t matter whether she lived or died.

Judging by her clothing when we first met, she must be a noblewoman.

Was she abandoned? Or did she run away?

Either way, her refusal to reveal her name made sense.

It almost hurt to think about.

Since I’ve vowed to protect her…

Sian felt a sense of duty weigh on him.

He decided he would give her a new name.

A name worthy of the woman who had risked her life to save others.

“Serena.”

He rolled the name off his tongue.

It sounded pleasant, fitting her somehow.

“Serena. I think that name suits you.”

***

Serena…

Not bad at all.

I’d used countless aliases before, but this one might be my favorite.

Maybe because it wasn’t something I came up with—it was a name someone chose for me.

Whatever it is, I like it.

Even if I don’t know what it means.

“You… don’t like it?”

Sian asked cautiously.

Since I hadn’t said anything, he looked almost deflated.

“Oh, no. I like it. Serena… What does it mean?”

He didn’t answer right away.

It felt like he was hesitating.

I was ready to accept it even if he said it meant nothing special—just that it sounded nice or suited me.

So there really is a meaning behind it, huh.

I waited patiently for his reply.

After a short silence, he spoke.

“…It means flame.”

“Flame?”

“Yes.”

Daisy, rose, mist, hyacinth—there were plenty of flowery names for women.

But out of all those, he chose “flame”?

That actually fits the Demon King quite well.

It felt like he had truly thought about me when naming me.

It stirred a strange feeling in my chest.

Serena, Serena, Serena.

The name rolled smoothly on my tongue, and I found myself repeating it a few times.

It felt different from all the meaningless aliases I’d used before.

Good thing I asked him to choose.

Just as I was trying to calm the odd flutter in my chest, Sian raised his voice slightly to change the subject.

“Actually, while I was out earlier, I signed a lease on a house. Would you like to go see it?”

“What? What do you mean?”

A lease?

We were speaking the same language, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

“We can’t keep relying on this place. You’ll stay there from now on. Once the sun rises tomorrow, we’ll move your things.”

“What?”

“I told you I’d take responsibility.”

He looked completely satisfied with himself.

“I’ll live there with you and protect you.”