Click. The old hinges creaked as the silver mirror revealed itself. Valen couldn’t bring himself to look directly at his reflection within. His eyes scanned the simply decorated frame before he opened his mouth as if leaping from a great height.
“Show me the safest shortcut to the border.”
A massive magic circle burst into view. Different lights flashed and leapt up, piercing the magic circle before splitting apart like fountains.
Then a tremendous roar thundered. The floor twisted, and light collided in all directions, shifting course. Each time the light streaked past, a sharp sensation like scraping metal raked across the skin, and a heavy wind roared in the ears.The lights, which had been darting everywhere, suddenly merged into one. Then—.
CRACK!
The magic circle shattered like glass. A black mass surged upward with a tremendous explosion. It charged at Valen with ferocious speed, gaping its black maw wide and swallowing him whole in one gulp.
“Ugh…!”
Only then did Valen realise something was terribly wrong. The black, cold wind enveloping him became a violent whirlwind. The carpet tore apart, curtains flew up. The space warped chaotically, and a howl like a scream from somewhere threatened to burst his eardrums.
“Aaargh…!”
A powerful demonic force was trying to swallow Valen whole. His feet scraped against the floor as he was pushed backward, and finally, his knees buckled.
“Guh!”
Thin blood spurted from his mouth. It felt like beastly fangs were gnawing through his body, starting from his lower back. The immense pain stifled even a proper scream, and he could feel his life being chipped away drop by drop with every passing second.
Valen clutched his heart with one hand and braced himself with the other. A horribly agonising burning sensation consumed him.
No matter how much he struggled, inescapable death loomed overhead. Before the colossal beast, Valen was no more than an ant crushed under a finger. He fought desperately not to collapse from the pain, but it was futile. At that moment, Valen’s backpack burst with a pop, its contents spilling out like entrails.
“……”
As death loomed before him, Argen’s skirt hem rose, emitting a white light. It faintly radiated a cold, dazzling light like her hair, then began pushing back the black magic. The agony crushing Valen gradually lessened.
The two lights collided like a struggle for dominance. Soon, the savage force that had been raging wildly curled its tail and fled before a gentle yet unyielding resistance. As if time itself had reversed, the spreading black light rapidly coalesced into a single point before vanishing without a trace.
Valen lay face down, gasping for breath. The floor was soaked with the blood he had vomited, and sticky saliva mixed with blood dripped from his mouth. After a moment, a white hand lifted his cheek.
“…Argen.”
She looked down at Valentine with an inscrutable expression. Would she tremble with betrayal, or sneer? He deserved to have his throat slit right then and there.But Argen gently closed Valen’s eyelids with her small palm, as if caressing them.“Don’t think about anything. Just sleep and wake up. But don’t sleep too long.”
Valen’s body collapsed completely. His consciousness plummeted into the abyss.
The Demon King’s Castle Council Chamber.
The ceiling soared as if piercing the sky. Demons packed every tier, gazing down upon a single spot. Where all lights and gazes converged, Argen sat.
“Officials of the Demon Realm! Noble Guardians! Hear my words well!”A booming male voice reverberated through the chamber.
“Her Majesty retreated alone during the war against those despicable humans who used children as shields. Soldiers! Henceforth, do not risk your lives for any king, nor pledge your loyalty. I earnestly hope you will be cowardly or treacherous. Even if you raise your swords to protect Her Majesty, the King will not remember your loyalty.”
A torrent of scathing, blunt criticism poured forth. No sooner had the first Elector finished speaking than voices rose from all corners. Half defended Argen, while half echoed the first lord’s condemnation. Argen remained silent.
“Your Majesty. We are arrogant and insolent subjects. Yet we are also those who uphold loyalty and faithfulness to the Demon Realm. That the Electors have spoken with one voice and one mind is a matter that should make you doubt, again and again, whether your rule is truly benevolent.”
“I ask you, Your Majesty. Is one foolish human man more precious than all your subjects? If not, we beg you to execute him in the public square for all to see.”
“Gah, spit! Damn old fools. They’ll say anything in front of Lord Argen!”
“They criticise no matter what, don’t they? I heard the Electors once even thrust a sword at the late King, demanding he commit suicide.”
“Convening the council for ten straight days is unprecedented. Those bastards are determined to drag Lord Argen from the throne. Ah, but the elders won’t agree, so don’t worry, Lord Argen.”
“It shames me to be your lord and rely on you.”
“Not at all. Lord Argen has relied on us, trusted us, and loved us all our lives… I wish you’d been closer to us than to that nameless bastard No. 38.” Finn wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his face against her shoulder.
Argen’s face remained heavy with worry. The Electors had begun to gang up on Valen, which was quite a headache. Unless he were beheaded in the square, this turmoil showed no sign of abating.
“By the way… what are we going to do about that guy? Keep him around…? Executing him would weigh heavily on our hearts too. But secretly sending him back seems like it would cause even bigger trouble…” Nadol scratched his brow as he spoke.
“I know we’ve built some affection over time, but if he becomes a threat to the throne, I think it’s right to eliminate him.” Still clinging tightly to Argen’s side, Finn whispered into her ear.
Though she’d grown somewhat attached to him after all their frequent bickering, that was all it was. If Argen had to abandon the throne over a mere human, then eliminating him was the right choice.
“Hmm…”
“He tried to use the relic left by the late King. He betrayed you, Argen. What a fool.”
If Valen had heard someone call him a fool, he would have rolled his eyes and raged. But his actions back then were exactly what you’d call foolish.
Would the late King have given his only daughter just any gift? It was a mirror that could only be cast using Argen’s magic. A curse was activated that would instantly take the life of anyone else who tried to use it.
“I believe everyone has their own circumstances.”
“Aren’t you being too lenient on that bastard?”
“If he hadn’t had any feelings for me at all, he wouldn’t have kept torn hem of my skirt.”
From the moment Valen opened the door to Argen’s secret chamber, she could sense him. This place was saturated with her magic; any outsider’s intrusion would be instantly detected.
At first, she dismissed it. He was transparent, his schemes obvious, and she was willing to give him anything he desired. That was before he opened the wardrobe door.
The moment she sensed the mirror activate, her mind went completely blank.
‘No Name 38 is going to die.’
A suffocating anxiety made her heart race erratically. She couldn’t just let someone dragged here by the Demon Realm’s ambitions die in the Demon Realm.