The monster was too busy devouring his parents’ corpses to notice. Valen urgently covered his mouth with both hands, afraid the sound of his rough, gasping breath might escape. He took advantage of the moment his parents’ bodies were being chewed and swallowed to escape. Once he had gained some distance, he ran like a madma
He stopped before reaching the castle’s main gate. His waist bent forward, and vomit gushed out from within. Cough, cough. Hot coughs erupted as tears streamed down his face. He vomited everything that surged up.
As he groaned, kneeling on the ground, a dog with a bulging belly sniffed around Valen before wandering off. The meat scattered that morning had already been devoured by others.
Now, all that remained for Leto was Valen.
His brother had lost his health, his vitality, his nanny, and his parents. It was Valen, himself, who had taken all of that away.
Had he not switched shifts with Helena, Valen might not have become an orphan.Karma felt like an arrow shot from a crossbow, piercing his flesh with countless holes. Valen didn’t even have the luxury to grieve freely. He became the lord of an empty castle and had to take responsibility for his sickly younger brother.Soon after, Valen learned that the monster that had devoured his parents was a demon. Similar atrocities were occurring across the continent, and Valen tracked down that demon and killed it. He tore its limbs to shreds and fed them to wild beasts.
“I got it.”
“How did you do it?”
“I killed it.”
“Cruelly? Painfully? Did it scream until the very end?”
“Yeah.”
For the first time since the funeral, Leto, who had been plunged into deep depression, smiled.
Working as a mercenary, he secretly took on missions to eliminate demons. Before long, people began calling Valen the ‘Demon Hunter’.
Every time Valen visited the castle, Leto asked about demon hunting. The more details he shared, the happier Leto seemed. For his brother, struggling to overcome depression and physical illness with little to smile about, tales of demon hunting were like rain in a drought. Valen often carried stories in his mind, like gift packages, specifically for Leto.
Just as Valen was everything to Leto, the same was true for Valen. Had Leto not been there, he didn’t know what choice he would have made after his parents’ funeral.
Valen was giving everything for his lone remaining brother. It wasn’t for some grand reason like a great resolve or conviction. It simply took shape naturally as he lived, and that became the driving force that moved Valen.
“Leto…”
Another sleepless night began. Closing his eyes brought Leto’s face to mind, mercilessly tearing at his conscience.
After witnessing the rampaging demon die horribly before the city gates, a profound change occurred within Valen. His mind had finally come to its senses.
What the hell was he doing here?
He had raged, consumed by lust, feeling free because he sensed no eyes watching him.
He had only spoken words like “horrible,” “disgusting,” “insulting”—but in truth, it wasn’t like that. His mind and body felt at ease, as if he’d finally fallen into a long, deep sleep. He could sleep soundly, free from worrying about tomorrow.Completely forgetting about Leto, left alone in the human world.
Snap. Valen’s jaw clenched. His only sibling, Leto, endured that brutal treatment, looking only to his brother as her sole support.
He had enjoyed that vile comfort under the excuse that it was unavoidable since he’d been kidnapped by demons. He couldn’t deny it.
Even as the demons he loathed so deeply intruded upon his daily life, no discomfort or murderous intent surged within him. Instead, he grew accustomed to it. It felt like breathing freely, finally free from those who constantly judged and exploited him, free to act as he pleased.
Without even realising it, the cracks in his prejudice grew, shattered, and finally crumbled away. They were cowardly, simple-minded fools with intelligence so low it was disgusting. But they were demons. They showed not a shred of hesitation in killing their own kind.
Don’t they say humans see what they want to see? Subconsciously, he began to think perhaps demons truly desired peace.
Forgetting they were the ones who tore his parents to shreds.
How could he forget, having witnessed countless humans slaughtered mercilessly? He realised he mustn’t let his guard down against their flawed actions. Belated vigilance snapped him back to his senses. Sunlight, as if ablaze, fell upon his face, devoid of emotion like a sculpture. It moistened his straight eyebrows, lingered on his nose, then reflected off the bracelet hanging from his wrist.
Click. The sound of a lock releasing, then the door opened. It was Nadol. “No.38. Are you okay?”
Valen didn’t answer. He straightened his bent waist and faced Nadol. Nadol’s eyes flicked.
“…You haven’t been to Lord Argen’s bedroom since that day, have you?”
A twisted sneer appeared at the corner of Valen’s mouth. The contract. That was it. “You want me to go serve her now?”
The shackles binding Valen. As he rose, a massive shadow stretched out across the floor like a giant yawning.
“No, that’s not it… Lord Argen is worried about you.”
“I’ll pay my respects for her kindness. And serve her while I’m at it.”
As he stepped out of the bedroom, Nadol blocked his chest with a hand. “She’s not here anyway. Human armies have invaded the border. 200,000 troops, but the problem is the children…”
Nadol paused. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke again. “It’s a rather difficult battle, so Lord Argen personally led the expedition. Finn, Zephyr, and I will be leaving tonight as the rear guard. The Demon King’s Castle won’t be empty for long, but make sure you eat your meals properly.”
Nadol patted Valen’s chest comfortingly before leaving the bedroom. Thud. The door had closed a while ago, but Valen remained frozen in place.
The Demon King’s Castle will be empty.
The most threatening figure, Argen, and her three subordinates are all leaving?
Worse still, Valen now possessed the bracelet that allowed him to freely use the castle’s artifacts.
It was like a prisoner obtaining the keys in a prison left unattended by the guards.Valen’s heart began to pound wildly. This was his chance. A chance to return to Leto. He couldn’t remain trapped here forever, waiting for the demons to release him.
He waited only for darkness to descend. As dusk fell and the white crow let out a long cry, the soldiers began their disciplined march. Their numbers were less than ten thousand. The human realm’s forces numbered 200,000; their’s were less than half of half that.
But even with just them, the human army would be crushed.
Meanwhile, Valen packed his belongings.
He gathered the incomplete map of the Demon King’s Castle, a winter coat for the sudden abnormal cold, dried jerky, and various tools that could serve as weapons.
Finally, after sheathing the dagger at his waist, something caught his eye. It was a torn piece of fabric from Argen’s skirt. Valen gazed at it briefly before tightening the straps of his backpack.
The preparations for escape were complete, but a problem remained. He didn’t know the way back to the human world. While he had a good sense of direction, memorising the path he’d traversed over two months ago was difficult. The route wasn’t a single, clear path; it was littered with places like forests consumed by magic or troll nests, where stepping carelessly meant certain death.
If only he had a map to safely reach the border… There was no way such a useful resource existed here.
As he pondered, something suddenly occurred to him.
‘It’s a mirror that shows you whatever you desire. I’ve only used it once, so I’ve been saving it. When I miss someone, I’ll open the wardrobe door. Maybe in a hundred years or so… I might want to see you then.’
That could guide the way. But he didn’t want to. Valen brushed his troubled face with his hand.
Why couldn’t his feet move easily, even though there was absolutely no reason to hesitate? This was enemy territory. He had to escape as soon as possible and inform Leto of his fate. Before Leto suffered a fatal shock.
Valen whipped himself into action and stood up.
The secret space of young Argen. All the way there, Argen’s face remained vividly before his eyes, shaking his resolve. Pretending not to notice his faltering steps was exhausting. Valen deliberately dwelled on the scene of slaughter the demons had wrought. Things he had tried so hard not to recall. Forcing himself to ignore his fingers growing cold, he threw open the wardrobe door with all his strength.