[You, you…! You insolent human!]

The head that had rolled on the ground screamed in rage.

Thanks to Iscallion, we safely defeated the demon, but the conclusion was absurdly anticlimactic.

As the matter was being wrapped up, Pinion appeared with Nerva. He didn’t seem too surprised even at the sight of the princess’s severed head.

“So, that woman was indeed a demon. And… it seems I was a step too late.”

“You see? We managed just fine without Your Majesty’s help.”

“I acknowledge that.”

While I chatted with the Emperor, Gined took care of the princess’s body and offered a prayer.

“Then I’ll take this demon to the Holy Kingdom. With holy power, we can seal it for the next 100 years.”

“No need. Someone will be here soon to deal with this creature.”

As soon as I lightly whistled, Raum appeared. Recognizing him, Hagenti let out a wail.

[Raum? Is that you, Raum…? Why are you here…?]

[Long time no see, Hagenti. I never thought I’d get to drag you back to hell myself. I can die happy now.]

Raum laughed heartily, making a dull joke. It seemed there was bad blood between him and Hagenti in the past. But I wasn’t particularly interested in their history, so I didn’t ask.

[Stop it, please! Aaaah…!]

With a scream, Hagenti and Raum disappeared.

In the ensuing silence, the Emperor spoke.

“With this, everything is finally over.”

“Yes… Thank goodness.”

“I still feel like I can smell the stench.”

As the men continued to chatter, someone approached us lightly. It was a beautiful woman with green eyes. For a moment, I was startled, thinking Hagenti had returned, but I soon realized it wasn’t him.

When our eyes met, the woman smiled softly. She was the ‘real’ princess. Even without words, I could feel her deep gratitude towards me.

“You can go peacefully now. You know how to go, right?”

The princess hesitated.

— I’m a little scared.

“It’s not scary. It’s a path we all must take someday.”

Despite my advice, the princess still couldn’t make a decision.

I sighed lightly. No matter how good a soul is, lingering in this world is not ideal.

“If you’re really scared, I’ll take you there.”

Though it was a hassle, I decided to be kind just this once. Even though it wasn’t my fault, I felt guilty about her body being damaged.

The princess nodded cautiously and began to follow me.

Deep in the deserted forest, I opened the entrance to the Underworld.

From the ground, the Underworld looked dark but was calm and peaceful like a deep sleep.

“How is it? It’s not as scary as you thought, right?”

The princess nodded.

“Goodbye. Oh, wait.”

I plucked a pearl from my dress and placed it in the princess’s hand.

The princess, who had been staring at the pearl with a somewhat surprised face, soon smiled brightly. At first, she kept looking back at me, but eventually, she disappeared into the darkness.

Though the process was a bit absurd, I felt relieved after finishing my task.

Just as I was about to close the entrance to the Underworld and head back, a strong, thick arm grabbed my wrist.

[That Raum guy, his skills have improved so much that I had a hard time shaking him off.]

“Huh, what…?”

“Why aren’t you coming? Hurry up and finish—”

I met the Emperor’s eyes as he urged me from a distance. The color drained from his beautiful face.

He immediately dashed towards me at a terrifying speed, but it was already too late. In an instant, my soul was separated from my body and dragged underground.

“Lou!”

The entrance to the Underworld closed, and Pinion’s cry echoed futilely. Then I was sucked into the deep, deep abyss.

[Hahaha! Ahahaha! Even if you fall into hell, you can’t go alone! Suffer with me in hell…!]

Hagenti laughed maniacally.

‘Damn it.’

What kind of guy is Raum that he couldn’t even properly drag away a low-level demon like this and let him escape?

I tried to suppress the nausea as I gauged the seemingly bottomless pit.

Even though I was the Queen of the Underworld, I couldn’t afford to act recklessly while falling into the Underworld.

How long had we been falling?

Finally, we arrived in hell.

I tried to stand up confidently but felt nauseous. As I grimaced, unable to hold back the dizziness, Hagenti seemed to think I was scared and whispered wickedly.

[Hehe, human girl. How does it feel to be in hell?]

I pretended to open my eyes wide and looked around. The smell of burning sin and screams filled the air.

“Oh, this is the hell I’ve only heard about…!”

[Yes, you must be scared. Unfortunately, you will never escape from here.]

“Such frightening words…!”

I pretended to be scared and waited for Shahar to come.

But despite my best efforts, the demon soon realized I was acting. He must have seen me yawn a moment ago.

He started giving me a long lecture about the horrors of hell.

[You may be bold now, but you won’t be able to keep it up forever, foolish human. Can a lowly being like you even comprehend the horrors of hell?]

“Yes, yes, Hagenti, you’re completely right.”

Still, in some ways, Hagenti was a remarkable demon. After all, he had accomplished what the first creature, the wolf, had failed to do.

While half-listening to Hagenti’s threats, I thought about what I was most curious about.

‘By now, Shahar must know I’m here, right?’

The fact that this was hell and that Hagenti was beside me didn’t matter at all. My heart raced with the thought that Shahar would soon come to rescue me.

[Hmph, I’ll show you firsthand how great a demon I am and how dreadful hell can be.]

Hagenti dragged me around hell, showing me various places filled with punished sinners.

Indeed, hell was dismal and despairing just to look at. If I were an ordinary soul experiencing hell for the first time, I probably wouldn’t have been able to endure it and would have gone mad.

There was a time when I found this place utterly terrifying too. But things were different now. I had overcome my past traumas and even enjoyed a few hellish dates with Shahar as a form of extreme sports.

Thanks to that, I had developed quite a resistance, and knowing that the souls here deserved their punishment, I felt no sympathy at all.

[Huh?]

Demons and souls that had recently been judged quickly recognized me. They stared at me, ignoring the fact that their souls were burning.

Especially, Paulson, a vicious murderer who was sentenced to hell last year for killing thirty people, gaped when he saw me. He was the first sinner I had ever sent to hell.

[H-Huh…! Why are you here…!]

As cries of shock erupted from all around, Hagenti seemed to think their reactions were due to his own notoriety. His arrogance grew even more.

[That’s right, greatness does not fade with time. They have not forgotten me. Hell, I have returned.]

‘What a load of sh*t.’

[Do you know what’s more terrifying than burning in the eternal flames of hell?]

Seeing Hagenti, eager to answer his own question, I reluctantly asked back.

“What is it.”

[Eternal silence, eternal loneliness.]

As soon as the question left my lips, Hagenti answered, puffing up with pride.

I knew I shouldn’t have asked.

[I’ve heard that even the first demon, the wolf, went mad from endless solitude. The King of the Underworld pitied his own bloodline and granted him the mercy of annihilation, but such grace will not reach a mere human like you.]

Hagenti muttered ominously, unaware that it was my husband who had taken down that very wolf.

He dragged me to another location.

This time, we arrived at a dark and silent place with no light or sound, a place even I had never known.

[How about I throw you into this place for eternity?]

As Hagenti whispered threateningly, I felt a cold and chilling presence behind me, one that could freeze even the flames of hell.

[What is this?]

I immediately recognized whose presence it was. I wanted to run and throw myself into the arms of the owner of that presence.

I struggled to break free from Hagenti and go to Shahar, but of course, my strength was no match.

“Hey, let me go while I’m asking nicely.”

[What? Hey? Human, have you finally gone mad?]

“I’m saying this for your own good…”

Of course, with Shahar here, there was no way Hagenti would come out unscathed. His soul was sure to be obliterated before the day was over. But if he wanted to lessen his pain even a little, he should heed my words.

Naturally, he didn’t listen to my advice. Or rather, he didn’t have the leisure to. Hagenti started trembling like a leaf as he recognized who had come for him.

[Sh-Shahar… Sir…?]

Ignoring Hagenti’s words, Shahar strode towards us.

[Why would someone who has no interest in hell come here…?]

“I came to find my wife.”

Shahar’s calm voice reached me. But I could sense the deep and cold fury hidden within.

[Wife?]

“Yes. My wife, whom you have kidnapped.”