Rael and Esh’s laughter echoed through the corridor. “I seriously thought it was made from fire lizard eyeballs and nearly threw up everything I’d eaten!” Rael exclaimed.

“Chapir has always been quite the prankster. But for you to believe him—hoho, you’re quite innocent, Rael,” Esh replied with a chuckle.

“Did you see the shape of that thing?”

They were discussing how Rael had nearly been turned inside out by the bizarrely shaped snack Chapir had made. In just a few days, Rael and Esh had grown remarkably close, conversing with the ease of old friends.

Rubellan sat perched on the bed, quietly listening to Rael’s voice coming from beyond the door. After the commotion continued for some time, the door finally opened with a creak.

“Rubellan?”

Rael looked at him with surprised eyes, not having seen him for several days.

“My lord Demon King.” Esh dropped to her knees before Rubellan, surprising Rael. Despite knowing there was a hierarchy among demons, she hadn’t expected such immediate genuflection.

“Rise,” Rubellan commanded in a low voice, and Esh stood up.

“Leave us.”

At his words, Esh quickly backed away and disappeared through the doorway. By the time Rael turned around, Esh had already vanished without a sound. Perhaps this was what it meant to disappear like smoke.

“You seem to have been enjoying yourself, Senior,” Rubellan remarked, his languid gaze fixed on Rael.

“It’s been a while.”

In truth, Rael had been curious about Rubellan’s absence—where he’d gone, why, and whether he planned to leave again.

“Did you miss me?” The corners of his mouth curved upward into a gentle smile.

“Think whatever you like.”

Why should she care what he thought?

“You weren’t worried at all?”

“Are we the type of people who worry about each other?”

“We share our bodies but aren’t close enough to worry about each other?”

A mischievous laugh followed. Sensing he was about to tease her again, Rael sighed and walked toward Rubellan.

“Where have you been?”

Rubellan reached out his hand as Rael approached. Of course, she merely stared blankly at it.

“Oh, somewhere nearby.”

Despite Rael’s cold attitude, Rubellan didn’t flinch as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.

Her body followed, and Rael found herself trapped in Rubellan’s embrace. His hands wrapped around her waist, creating a soft but sturdy fence that imprisoned her body.

“Huh?”

Trapped in Rubellan’s arms, Rael noticed something strange.

“Why is your body so hot?”

“Perhaps because you’re standing in front of me.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rubellan’s body had always been cold. Every part of him that should have contained warmth had been ice-cold, so why was he now burning with fever? Having pressed her flesh against his daily, she was particularly sensitive to this change.

But Rubellan was hiding the reason.

“Does this have anything to do with why you’ve been away?”

Something clicked in her mind.

“You’ve always been clever, Senior, then and now.”

Rael’s intuition had never been poor.

“Would you show me sympathy if I said I was in pain?”

“Are you in pain?”

Could demons even feel pain?

“You seem to hope so.”

Her voice was too light to suggest genuine concern. She sounded almost pleased by the news.

“…Surely not.”

She laughed awkwardly, dismissing the possibility, but Rubellan didn’t seem convinced.

His head dropped heavily against Rael’s solar plexus. He still radiated intense heat.

“I’m in great pain.”

“At least you won’t die.”

Rubellan laughed softly at her heartless response to his childish complaint.

“How cruel.”

“How bad could it possibly be?”

Just how much pain would make a demon wish for death?

“Imagine your bones and flesh decomposing and regenerating.”

“…”

Hearing about such suffering, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

“Why is this happening to you?”

“God’s twisted sense of humor.”

“God?”

“Gaining immortality while being condemned to suffer excruciating pain eternally.”

If Rubellan’s words were true, she couldn’t imagine a more perverse joke. To gain immortality only to experience endless agony that made you wish for death.

Poor demon.

That was Rael’s honest thought. Seeing Rubellan looking somewhat pitiful, she raised her hand and stroked his black hair.

“Are you pitying me?”

“Well, a little.”

“You never learn. I told you not to do that.”

Rubellan smiled faintly, having apparently anticipated her reaction.

How could someone with such a soft heart hope to deal with demons?

He collapsed onto the bed, seemingly drained of energy, still holding Rael in his embrace. Then he closed his eyes. With the addition of steady breathing, he appeared to be asleep. The unfamiliar heat radiating against her back felt strange.

Throughout the night, his temperature fluctuated between burning hot and cooling down, but Rubellan held Rael in his arms until dawn broke.

When Rael, who had dozed off, opened her eyes again, Rubellan was gone from the room.

Looking at the cold empty space beside her, she knew he had gone to wrestle with some other pain.

What changes had Rubellan undergone during this time? Was it related to why he had suddenly sought her out?

The mysteries surrounding Rubellan were sinking deeper into a labyrinth.

* * *

“Cough, cough!”

Fire had broken out in the castle’s dining hall.

“What were you trying to make that burned down the whole kitchen?”

“I borrowed some hellfire to improve the heat, and this happened.”

The castle was filled with black smoke due to Chapir’s mistake.

“Open all the windows and doors!”

Even demons apparently weren’t immune to smoke, as they began opening every door in the castle for ventilation.

“You’ve practically destroyed the entire kitchen!”

“You think I wanted this to happen?!”

Esh and Chapir bickered.

“Cough, cough. Hmm…”

Rael glanced outside through the window. Yuswen was trimming tree branches in the garden. Despite her light gaze, he immediately raised his head and looked at her.

‘His reactions are so animal-like.’

To sense someone merely glancing from a distance was remarkable.

“No snacks today! Unless you want to eat ashes!”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve been eating so well in the castle lately that I’ve gained weight.”

Rael smiled gently, but Esh continued muttering and blaming Chapir.

Rael truly was fine. More than fine—she was actually quite pleased with the situation.

All because of the castle doors that now stood wide open.

She could barely act normal, trying hard to hide her gaze that kept drifting toward the doors.

* * *

“Sleep well. Goodness, I still smell like smoke even after changing clothes.”

Esh checked Rael’s bedding while sniffing her sleeve.

“Good night to you too, Esh.”

Rael bid her a cheerful goodnight.

After Esh left with a graceful movement, Rael counted to one hundred silently. Moving too quickly would alert Esh, who would surely return with her uncanny intuition.

After finishing her count, Rael slowly moved to the window. Looking at the castle gates that remained wide open, she smiled broadly. Heaven seemed to be on her side—there was no one in the garden either.

Carefully fastening her shoes, Rael threw a robe over her nightclothes. Her docile behavior in the castle had been for this moment. She had been biding her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape.

What foolish human would immediately give up everything after being captured and resign themselves to their fate by staying put?

‘South.’

She needed to head for the southern forest she had been observing.

Though startled by the suddenness of this escape opportunity, Rael knew such a chance might never come again and felt a sense of urgency.

Tap, tap.

Her light footsteps on the grass made wet sounds. The ground was damp from the rain that had fallen late in the afternoon.

Mud splattered on her white shoes and clothes, but she had no time to worry about that. Rael ran straight toward the southern forest, following her memory. The rain, which had briefly stopped, began falling again.

Plop, plop.

Though the dampening clothes felt unpleasant, she considered it fortunate. The rain would mask the sound of her hurried footsteps. However, the increasingly sticky ground clung to her feet, sending chills down her spine. But fearful thoughts would be of no help now—they would only hinder her.

“Huff… huff…”

Focused on her pounding heart, she hadn’t realized how out of breath she was until she reached the edge of the forest and her suppressed breathing burst forth.

“Made it.”

The dim entrance to the forest created an eerie atmosphere, like ghosts might appear at any moment.

But ghosts were hardly the issue now—she wouldn’t be surprised by demons or beasts or anything else. Rael swallowed dryly and carefully entered the forest.

Chirp—

Caw—

Ribbit, ribbit.

The sounds of insects chirping, birds cawing, and frogs croaking stimulated her hearing.

Her skin reacted sensitively to the chilly forest breeze. All her senses were on high alert. The pitch-black darkness probably contributed to heightening her awareness.

‘What if I get lost and die here?’

She could perform simple illumination magic. But using such magic now would make her position too easy to detect. She couldn’t risk casting spells rashly, just in case. Yet in such darkness, could she maintain proper direction?

But leaving during daylight had been impossible. Not only were the castle gates an issue, but there were too many watchful eyes, making it harder to find an opportunity.

‘I have to get out of here somehow.’

Though the sticky mud kept trying to hold her feet back, she couldn’t stop moving forward.