“Then how could I possibly use it?”

Though she wore an expression of incomprehension, inwardly Natalie was filled with anticipation.

The Demon King’s dimensional gate. If she could use that gate, perhaps she could return safely without any danger. So she needed to gather as much information about it as possible.

It was especially opportune since the Demon King’s closest aide had temporarily become her ally.

“I know part of his name. It’s Demon de something, and if you infuse the power you received from His Majesty, it might work.”

Natalie finally understood why Demon had never told her his name despite her asking several times.

He couldn’t possibly reveal his name—essentially a password—to her, even though he had shared his power, which was like a digital certificate.

But what now? I already know your name perfectly.

She couldn’t hide the triumphant smile that rose to her lips. Lilith scolded her with a prim voice.

“Stop smiling. It makes me not want to help you. I’m doing this because I want to get you away from His Majesty right now, but honestly, I’m barely restraining myself from twisting your neck.”

The way she gritted her teeth after speaking couldn’t have been more genuine. Yet despite Lilith’s warning, Natalie found it difficult to suppress her smile.

Oh my, I’m sure you would. But what can you do? I’m actually hiding my power too.

For a moment, she almost let her lips twist in a surge of emotion, but fortunately, Natalie managed to maintain a proper smile.

“I’ll live with gratitude even after I return.”

After all, there was nothing to gain by turning against the Demon King’s closest aide—her only ally, albeit temporary—in this demon realm full of disadvantages and harms.

How long had they been running through the narrow, dark corridor, led by Lilith’s hand?

Just as Natalie was beginning to feel anxious about how much further they needed to go to exit the castle, she felt a faint breeze coming from the end of the corridor.

Narrowing her eyes to look, it appeared to be a door leading outside.

She brightened again and increased her pace, just reaching the door when someone pulled her back with rough strength, and her head bumped against someone’s solid chest.

“Natalie!”

Feeling the hot, moist voice pouring down on her crown, Natalie’s eyes reddened. She leaned her face against the person she had missed and whispered.

“I’ve missed you, McClain.”

“Is this really the time for you two to be like that? Honestly, the things these worthless humans do.”

Only after hearing Lilith click her tongue in disgust did Natalie finally pull her face away from his chest. In that brief moment, the spot where her face had rested was soaked with how many tears she had shed.

She hadn’t expected this herself. Just as she hadn’t expected to develop such deep feelings for him.

It had only been two days, yet it felt as painful as if they had been separated for a hundred years.

Her resentment toward fate—no, toward this system—that had forced them apart immediately after their first kiss without even giving them time to enjoy the sweetness, poured out all at once.

How dare they drop an innocent person into a strange world to create a proper happy ending, only to interfere like this when they were about to reach that ending?

There should be at least some sweet time together for the subsequent separation to feel more poignant and tender.

While she was resenting the system, McClain’s hands, which had been wrapped around her waist, now carefully cupped both her cheeks.

Seeing his reddened eyes and roughened complexion, her emotions welled up again.

How have you been, why is your face so worn, how much did you suffer to find me here?

Countless things she wanted to say to him flashed through her mind, but Natalie couldn’t utter a word. Not only was her voice choked with emotion, but Lilith urged the two with an even colder voice.

“If you’re going to keep doing that, I’ll just go back. I’d rather create an alibi than waste time waiting to get caught by His Majesty.”

It was McClain who stopped Lilith as she turned sharply as if about to leave immediately.

“No. I’ll do as you say, so please… help us. Where should we go to safely escape this place?”

His voice was different from usual—desperate and sorrowful. Even Natalie momentarily suspected that he might have fallen under Lilith’s hypnosis.

However, Natalie immediately dismissed her suspicion at McClain’s subsequent whisper.

“I’ve received the final quest. We should be able to return now. So the rest, when we get back, when we get back, I’ll definitely…”

“Yes, let’s go, McClain. Let’s go back together.”

However, both McClain and Natalie had a premonition that returning smoothly would be impossible.

The fact that he had received the final quest meant that a situation would arise where he would have to defeat the Demon King. So it was perhaps natural that the Demon King was standing right in front of the room they had hurriedly rushed to.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Demon King’s anger was first directed not at the two of them, but at Lilith.

“Lili-th! You dare betray me? You dare!”

Facing the Demon King who was rolling his eyes and exploding with rage, Natalie finally realized it.

That she would have to defeat this tremendous psychopath to return to her original world.

And that it wouldn’t be an easy task.

And Lilith, as she had already experienced, was a character who could switch sides very quickly.

“Your Majesty, I had no choice, I’m sorry. I’ll go into solitary confinement and reflect on my actions.”

After Lilith fled with her tail between her legs, Demon’s killing intent immediately turned toward the two of them.

More precisely, toward McClain.

“You, rat bastard! I thought it was interesting so I let you live for a while, and this is what you do? Didn’t I warn you? That I wouldn’t let you off if you did something useless!”

The Demon King’s thunderous voice not only echoed through the narrow, dim corridor but made the walls shake.

However, McClain’s response to Demon was remarkably calm. He shrugged his shoulders as if it couldn’t be helped and slowly moved to block Natalie.

“Well, for me, this isn’t something useless but something very important.”

“You bastaaaaard! How dare you!”

When Demon raised his hand fiercely as if to eliminate McClain immediately, ominous red sparks flew in all directions. Witnessing this scene over McClain’s shoulder, Natalie hurriedly stepped forward and shouted.

“Just let us go back! It’s not like feelings that weren’t there will suddenly appear!”

Perhaps Demon had his own narrative. It might not have been described in the original work, but she hadn’t tried to know! He might have had a very sad and heartbreaking story.

However, currently,  Natalie had no capacity to empathize with the villain’s narrative.

She didn’t want to know, nor did she have any reason to know.

The only two things that mattered to her now were being by McClain’s side and returning to reality.

Demon seemed surprisingly quite hurt by Natalie’s words. He dropped his hand limply like someone deeply disappointed, then cried out reproachfully.

“Woman, how could you betray me! I treated you so well, even gave you my power and took care of you, how could you do this to me!”

But Natalie remained completely unmoved by his lament.

Still calling me ‘woman’ without even a name.

And after that, can he really claim to have given his heart?

It was so absurd that she even momentarily felt the urge to explain what it means for a man and woman to share emotions before leaving.

Unaware of her thoughts, Demon continued to speak, still trapped in his self-centered thinking.

“Yes, you must have been uncomfortable. It must have been burdensome to be suddenly brought here without being fully prepared. I understand. I’ll forgive you just this once, so don’t think foolish thoughts, woman, and go back to your room. I’ll come find you right after I deal with this rat.”

Seeing Demon raise his killing intent again, Natalie spread her arms to protect McClain.

“No, I can’t do that. We intend to use that dimensional gate over there.”

At her answer, Demon blinked for a moment as if he had heard something incomprehensible. Then he burst into laughter as if he couldn’t contain himself.

“Hahaha! What? Use the dimensional gate? You two? Hahaha!”

After laughing for a while, even clutching his stomach, Demon finally straightened up. Then he shook his head as if in pity and continued.

“Only I can enter this place. It’s a gate that activates when my name is spoken and my power is infused.”

“I’m sorry, but I already know your name, Demon de Marteva.”

When Natalie emphatically pronounced his name as if she’d been waiting for this moment, Demon’s eyes widened enormously. His expression was closer to shock than simple surprise.

“You, you, how could you possibly know my name!”

“And as you know, I also possess some of your power…”

Before Natalie could finish speaking, McClain urgently pulled her aside.

“Be careful, Natalie!”

Only after seeing the ominous energy brushing past her shoulder did Natalie realize the Demon King’s rampage had begun.

Soon, the corridor filled with the Demon King’s furious screams and frenzied attacks as he struggled with rage and betrayal.