3

They had long been walking. Eventually, Mariana and the boy arrived at the place where the Hero’s party was resting.  

“Where’s the water?”  

“And who’s this brat?”  

Phylon and Brandon stood up as they spotted her and the boy. Randall, however, remained seated, not even turning his head, staring into the campfire.  

“Well, I… I got chased by wolves, so…”  

“Ugh, useless as always.”  

Phylon’s scornful words made Mariana’s chest tighten. She wanted to shout, “I almost died!” but before she could, the boy spoke up.  

“You three are strong men here. Why’d you make this big sister fetch the water?”  

The boy tilted his head in curiosity, and Brandon puffed up his chest as he replied.  

“Kid, do you even know who we are? We’re the heroes who are going to defeat the wicked Demon King and save the world. Got it?”  

“Really? Then what about her?”  

“Well, she’s technically a priestess, so we brought her along, but… What use is someone who can’t even fetch water properly?”  

“Is that so? So only you three are heroes, huh?”  

The boy grinned and then snapped his fingers with a sharp sound. For a brief moment, his eyes glowed red.  

“Guys, capture the heroes.”  

“What did you just say?”  

“You little brat…!”  

Sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, Brandon drew his sword, Randall stood up, and Phylon began forming hand signs for a spell.  

But it was already too late. Out of the darkness, figures with glowing red eyes appeared, moving without a sound, and pinned them down.  

“L-let go of me!”  

Brandon, the most muscular of the group, thrashed wildly. But the creatures easily broke his limbs and slammed him to the ground.  

“Gaaaaah!”  

Soon, Randall and Phylon met the same fate.  

Mariana, untouched, collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out as she watched the horrifying scene unfold.  

Upon closer inspection, the attackers all had crimson eyes and skin so pale it seemed tinged with blue. Without realizing it, she muttered to herself.  

“D-Demons? Then you’re…!”  

The boy winked at Mariana. In the next instant, his body dissolved into black smoke, scattering briefly before reforming into the shape of a tall young man.  

Long black hair flowed down his back, two large ram-like horns protruded from his head, and lavender-colored skin shimmered under the moonlight.  

At this point, Mariana could no longer doubt his identity.  

“Th-the Demon King…!”  

“Ha, so you were the Demon King all along?!”  

Phylon gritted his teeth and shouted as he lifted his head.  

“Only now you figure it out? Tsk, heroes these days are so pathetic.”  

The boy—no, the Demon King—chuckled mockingly. He gestured to his demon subordinates.  

“Throw these fools into the underground dungeon.”  

With a snap of his fingers, the captured heroes and their demon captors vanished in an instant.  

“Now then, what should we do with our dear Saintess?”  

The Demon King crossed his arms and gazed down at Mariana with an intense look.  

“K-kill… her.”  

She closed her eyes, bracing herself.  

Would my head be severed? Or would my heart be pierced? 

Either way, the pain would be unimaginable.  

But no matter which it was, Mariana’s life was now over. At last, she would find rest without pain.  

However, what happened next was neither of those things. Instead, the Demon King lifted her chin with his fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze.  

His lava-like, burning red eyes stared deeply into hers before he finally spoke.  

“Looking closely, you seem to be a human with a bit of demon blood mixed in, don’t you?”  

She screamed, almost convulsing.  

“That’s impossible! I’m a Saintess! From the moment I was born, I’ve served only the gods!”  

The Demon King’s lips twisted into a long, mocking grin.  

“Is that so? Then let’s go confirm it.”  

He slung her over his shoulder and, in an instant, disappeared to somewhere unknown.  

The place where the Demon King teleported with Mariana was his bedroom inside the Demon King’s castle. He threw her onto a luxurious bed adorned with black, red, and gold decorations. Then, he began undressing in front of her.  

“W-what are you doing?”  

Mariana was gripped by fear. But the Demon King continued to strip. His well-defined, muscular body and pale lavender skin gradually came into view, revealing intricate magic circles tattooed across it.  

Finally, when the monstrous size and shape of his er*ect p*nis, standing tall between his thick thighs, was exposed, Mariana realized what he intended to do. Her pupils dilated, and her voice trembled.  

“How… how dare…!”  

“Dare what? Don’t stutter—speak clearly. ‘How dare a vile demon try to defile a Saintess!’ Say it with more conviction.”  

The Demon King chuckled as he climbed onto the bed, completely n*ked. Up close, his member was as long and thick as an adult woman’s forearm. It twitched as if eager to split her body in half.  

A body imbued with holy power would be cursed if it engaged in relations with a demon.  

Especially if the partner was a powerful demon like the Demon King, it was said that the victim would experience the agony of burning alive and die shortly after.  

‘I’m going to die from that thing… I thought at least my death would be honorable, but now it’s all ruined.’  

Resigned, Mariana tightly crossed her thighs and wrapped her arms around herself. Tears streamed down her face, dripping onto her chest.  

The Demon King leaned in closer. Mariana squeezed her eyes shut.  

“Stop crying.”  

Something soft and warm touched the tears running down her cheek. Startled, she opened her eyes to see the Demon King licking her tears with his long tongue.  

“…!”  

Yet, for some reason, the dark purple hue of his tongue didn’t disgust or frighten her. Instead, it felt warm, leaving her confused.  

‘W-what’s happening to me?’  

“There’s a faint sweetness to it. Seems I was right.”  

The Demon King chuckled in a low voice. Mariana felt a strange tingling sensation in her lower abdomen at the sound. It was a feeling she had never experienced before and couldn’t yet identify.  

Slowly, the Demon King licked away all her tears, swallowing them. Watching the movement of his prominent Adam’s apple for some reason made Mariana’s heartbeat quicken.  

‘This… is strange….’  

The large hand that gently wrapped around her shoulder was warm. Was that why? Mariana found herself unable to resist as the Demon King slowly leaned in to kiss her. In her daze, she simply accepted his tongue as it slipped into her mouth.  

“Mm… Ugh…”  

The gentle movement of his tongue, exploring and stimulating every corner of her teeth and the inside of her mouth, caused Mariana to let out an involuntary moan.  

It was her first kiss in her entire life. Never had she imagined that something like this would happen to her in this lifetime.  

Yet, surprisingly, it didn’t feel unpleasant. Even though she was kissing the King of the vile Demon Race, it somehow felt as though she was being held in a warm embrace.  

‘I’m a Saintess; this is wrong!’  

Suddenly, a sense of guilt gripped her heart tightly. Snapping back to her senses, Mariana realized that she was now lying beneath the Demon King. His hands were gently removing her clothing.  

“N-no… stop….”  

She resisted weakly, but even that ceased when the Demon King whispered into her ear.  

“How much you must have suffered, wearing these ill-fitting clothes and living among humans.”  

“….”  

“That’s all over now.”  

For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes. It had been such a long time since anyone had spoken to her so kindly.  

And to think it was the Demon King who would say such words to her….  

As Mariana wiped away the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing, the Demon King undressed her completely, from head to toe. Then he climbed back on top of her, meeting her gaze once again.  

“Yes, just lie there quietly like that.”  

The Demon King embraced her body and kissed her again. This time, the kiss was deeper and more intense, but with no experience to guide her, Mariana simply accepted it, clueless and passive.  

‘My mind keeps growing hazy. Why is this happening? Did the Demon King place some kind of curse on me? It’s strange… it doesn’t feel bad. No, to be honest… it feels warm and soft, and… good. But this… this isn’t right….’