Chapter 1 (Part 2)

“Theorion, are you bothering the young lady again?”  

“If you keep indulging Theorion’s whims, he’ll grow up spoiled. Hmm, maybe he already has…”  

“Hohoho, you two still get along as well as you did when you were young.”  

The servants nearby approached and chimed in one by one.  

“I’ve never been bothersome~! And stop treating me like a kid. I’m an adult by human age too!”  

Theorion pouted his lips and set Eryllis down.  

His somewhat youthful and playful tone, which didn’t match his large build, was just like in the original story.

Eryllis pretended to straighten her wrinkled dress and glanced at Theorion.  

In fact, the Duke and Duchess took pity on young Theorion and brought him to the duchy to create a ‘friend’ for Eryllis.

Their daughter, Eryllis, also treated Theorion as an equal, which made the servants in the household friendly towards him.  

‘Theo’s personality is naturally so amiable…’  

A cheerful personality contrasting with his noble appearance.  

However, this was merely a facade. In the original story, Theorion was a pleasure-seeking killer who murdered humans with a smile.  

The reason he acted kindly on the surface was also due to a perverse thrill he felt from seeing humans despair when betrayed.  

‘But so far, I haven’t seen any signs of him being a killer.’  

She watched him daily, fearing he might secretly kill small animals to satisfy his murderous urges, but he ended up growing into a timid coward who was even afraid of cockroaches.  

‘Of course, I’m scared of cockroaches too…’  

As she shivered, Theorion wrapped his arms around Eryllis and asked,  

“Master, are you cold?”  

“Huh? Oh, no. More than that, stop calling me master.”  

“Why~? You’re the master~.”  

Theorion clung to Eryllis, swaying his body side to side.  

“Ugh, ugh, Theo, you’re going to make us fall!”  

“We won’t fall~. Ahaha.”  

His actions made him seem like a large dog unaware of his size, still acting like a puppy with his master.  

Yes, a large dog.  

No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like a pleasure-seeking killer mad with bloodlust.  

He also didn’t reveal his demon traits like horns and wings to show off his power as in the original story.

‘Could he have been reformed?’  

The prevailing interpretation among the fandom was that Theorion felt deep disillusionment with humans due to the abuse he suffered as a slave.

Then, given that he grew up surrounded by humans who were favorable to him since childhood, there was a high possibility that he had not turned dark.  

Which means…  

‘My interpretation of him being a congenital psychopath was off-character.’  

Honestly, the interpretation of him being an acquired psychopath seemed too shallow and felt off-putting, so it was fortunate that she only imagined it without creating any fan content.  

Eryllis, unknowingly, was displaying her fangirl tendencies from her past life.

“What is fan content?”  

Oops, she let her guard down.  

Theorion was a demon. Among them, he was a top-tier demon with wings, capable of reading others’ thoughts.

Of course, not entirely, but he could read fragments when the other person was deeply engrossed in something.  

“Ugh, Theo! Did you read my thoughts again?”  

“It’s way past my walk time! You promised to take me on walks twice a day!”  

Theorion retorted with anger at Eryllis’s scolding. His shamelessness was also just like in the original story.

‘Has he really changed…?’  

Eryllis thought as she looked at the merely ornamental restraint still around Theorion’s neck.  

“Come on, let’s go for a walk~! And don’t forget to pat my head on the swing, Master.”  

“Ugh. Ah, okay. Let’s go, let’s go!”  

***  

That night.  

Eryllis had a dream.  

In the central hall of the Duke’s mansion, Theorion stood at the top of the stairs. And in his arms was someone.

‘That’s… me?’

Seeing herself limp like a corpse in his arms sent shivers down her spine.  

And currently, she was observing all of this from above, like a soul out of her body.  

“Theorion! What have you done to our daughter?”  

“We raised you like a son!”

In the first-floor lobby, the Duke and Duchess screamed in despair.  

The servants gathered behind them also had faces filled with either fear or anger.  

“Oh, really? I never really considered you my parents.”  

Theorion rolled his eyes clockwise and muttered indifferently.  

“Ah~, I’m tired of it all. Now, kill each other.”  

With that one sentence, the light vanished from people’s eyes, and merciless slaughter began.  

Eryllis shouted for her parents, who were strangling each other, to stop.  

However, her earnest cry dispersed in vain, never reaching the scene of slaughter.  

The smell of blood thickened.  

Ah, please. Let all of this be a dream…  

“Gasp!”  

Eryllis inhaled sharply and sat up.  

Despite the cool weather, her entire body was drenched in sweat. It was all due to the terrifying nightmare.  

‘Is this really Eryllis’s past?’  

She recalled the contents of the original story.  

After killing someone as an example, the remaining people were made to brutally kill each other.  

A similar depiction appeared in the game as well.  

It was time to reprimand her past self for liking such a character, no, such a murderer.  

“Umm…”

A familiar breathing sound came from beside her.  

Eryllis turned her head slightly. Theorion was sleeping soundly, unaware of the world.  

‘Master. Can we sleep together tonight?’  

‘Again?’  

‘I won’t have nightmares if you’re by my side…’

‘Okay, fine. But just for today, alright?’  

‘Yes!’  

Theorion often slept beside her.  

Since they had occasionally slept in the same bed since childhood, it was hard to draw a firm line now.  

Besides, since they really only slept, she felt reassured.  

But today was different.  

‘Is this appearance all fake too? What if he hasn’t really changed?’

Eryllis clenched her fists tightly.  

The lifespan of a demon is long.  

Ten years might be a short time for Theorion.  

Considering the cruelty he showed in the original story, he was a murderer who could deceive humans for ten years for his temporary pleasure.  

‘I can’t lose precious people again because of this monster!’  

Huh? Again…?  

It might have been just a simple nightmare. Nevertheless, she felt that nightmare was real. So vivid as if she had experienced it herself.  

“Huff, huff…”

When she came to her senses, Eryllis found herself straddling Theorion, holding his neck.

“Ugh, Master?”

Long eyelashes fluttered open, revealing emerald eyes.  

Oh. I had woken him up.  

Eryllis, frozen like ice, stared at Theorion, who was lying quietly beneath her.  

“What are you doing on top of me~?”  

Why do you sleep beside me every night? I can’t understand what you’re thinking!  

Continuing her thoughts inwardly, Eryllis suddenly came to her senses. Theorion could read the minds of others.  

Fortunately, Theorion still looked half-asleep.

“I-I thought the sealing sphere looked uncomfortable.”

Eryllis answered, gently touching the seal around Theorion’s neck.  

“It’s not functioning properly anyway… Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to remove it?”

“Function properly?”  

Following Eryllis’s words, Theorion murmured and added in a cold voice.

“Do you want to suppress my power, Master?”

Theorion’s emerald eyes gleamed ominously. At that moment, Eryllis felt her heart sink.  

“Huh? Ah, no? That’s not what I meant…”  

In the first place, Theorion’s power at this point couldn’t be suppressed by a mere human-made sealing sphere.

He was the strongest in the world. A pleasure-seeking killer.

And she was his first…

“Theo, I,”

“Master.”

As Theorion’s hand approached, Eryllis tightly shut her eyes.  

Scared. Terrified. Dead. She would die. She would be murdered. In the most brutal and horrifying way…  

“Your expression isn’t good. Did you have a scary dream?”  

“……!”  

Theorion caressed Eryllis’s cheek and looked at her with worried eyes.  

The gentle touch and soft voice made Eryllis feel her tension gradually easing.  

“It’s okay. I’m always by your side, Master.”

Eventually, Theorion sat up and hugged Eryllis tightly, adding,