If I had headed to Helium without receiving divine power from Mora, would I have been able to maintain composure? Suddenly, such thoughts co to mind.
Cecily walked slowly to the palace without using teleportation, keeping our arms crossed. She moved her steps as she conversed cordially, like a lover that had recently started dating.
I, too, suppressed the excited heartbeats with the divine power I received from Mora. Moreover, I was familiar with Cecily’s physical contact, so I could handle it to so extent.
Of course, that doesn’t an I’m not excited. The deep collarbone that was clearly visible continued to captivate my gaze, and the aura emanating from her was extraordinary.
It could be called a kind of pheromone, or perhaps allure. The atmosphere was several tis more intense than usual and felt sticky.
I had a strong premonition that if I fell for it, I wouldn’t be able to escape.
‘Now the horns have completely turned red.’
Except for the tips, Cecily’s horns were filled with red color. It ant that soon, due to the evil cycle, she would no longer be able to control herself properly.
Will she be able to exert self-restraint until tonight? Last ti, she had the worn-out necklace to rely on, but this ti, there was no guarantee. So caution was necessary.
How much ti had passed since I walked the road with Cecily? Before we knew it, we reached the entrance of Helium’s palace.
“We’ve arrived already. I wanted to walk a bit more.”
“Yeah, it’s a sha.”
“If you’re disappointed, do you want to walk a bit more?”
Cecily, with a subtle voice, urged while pressing her chest against my arm. It was tempting, but I exercised self-control.
In my heart, I wanted to have a conversation with Cecily a bit longer, but it was already late at night, and there would be plenty of ti after we entered the palace.
“No. Your parents must be waiting. Let’s go inside.”
“Tsk. Fine.”
At first, Cecily expressed disappointnt, clicking her tongue.
“The long night will be long anyway.”
“… …”
“So there’s no need to have a conversation outside.”
She whispered softly near my ear, her lips brushing against it and her mouth curled up. She even tightly hugged my arm.
In the midst of the dark night, I glanced at Cecily blushing, finding her adorable, and then my eyes caught sight of the Palace of Helium. Thanks to becoming accustod to the darkness, I could make out its rough appearance.
The imperial palace of Minerva was gleaming like it was coated in gold, visible even in the middle of the night. On the other hand, the Palace of Helium was ordinary.
Historically, it had been exactly 2000 years since Helium had a ‘king.’ Unlike humans, they had consistently maintained their position since that ti, so it was only natural for it to appear ordinary.
However, it looked solid enough to have endured for over 1000 years. It resembled a fortress combined with a palace more than a re palace.
‘But are there no guards?’
Even though we approached the main gate, I couldn’t see any guards on duty. Or perhaps the surroundings were too dark for to see.
Beyond the main gate, only the street lamps scattered along the path cast their light. The Helium Palace was generally dark and dreary. It wouldn’t be surprising if a ghost suddenly popped out.
“Why are you looking around like that? Is it strange that there are no guards?”
“Yeah, usually there should be so strict security, right?”
“Don’t worry. They are just hiding in the darkness, unseen. In reality, they are quite strict.”
“Hiding in the darkness? Like camouflage?”
“Not exactly camouflage, but they wear black clothes to blend in and not be easily seen. If they were walking around with a lantern, it would be like advertising their presence, right? You would only use the lantern when you can’t see ahead, but darkness ans nothing to our kind.”
I always think about this, but demons are a cunning race incomparable to elves. And in so aspects, they stand out even more than elves, making humans seem infinitely inferior.
It’s fortunate that demons are friendly toward humans, otherwise, if they intentionally started a war, it would surely end in our defeat. It’s a relief that such a thing hasn’t happened.
Creak!
As I approached the front gate, the iron gate swung open wide, much like an automatic door. I looked around on both sides, wondering if there were personnel responsible for opening the gate, but all I saw was pitch-black darkness.
Curious, I expressed my doubts, and at that mont, Cecily explained from the side.
“This is a magic gate. It might not be easy to see at night, but there’s a device in the center of the gate. It recognized and opened the door.”
“What about other people?”
“People who reside in the palace or those who frequently visit usually show a token. Think of it as a key.”
Indeed, magic’s uses are infinite. So inventions seem unfit for their ti due to the influence of such magic. As I gazed at the slowly closing door, I suddenly realized that Gartz had disappeared. It seems that Cecily must have sent him away for a mont.
Afterward, we began to make our way toward the main entrance, using the street lamps as the only source of light. In the anti, I didn’t forget to ask a question.
“Can demons conceal themselves in the darkness like Dark Elves?”
“It is possible, but it consus a considerable amount of mana, and it is not as perfect as the concealnt used by Dark Elves. The Dark Elves’ concealnt blends seamlessly with the surrounding environnt, making it difficult to detect even through perception.”
“I see. Since both of you worship Mora, I thought it would be natural.”
“There is a reason why the Elves are a chosen race of the gods. Instead, she grants us peaceful nights and rest, so there is no need for jealousy.”
“Doesn’t noona pray every day? Once in the morning when you wake up and once before going to bed?”
“Yes, I rember it well. Originally, before going to bed, I would offer a prayer of gratitude for providing us with a peaceful rest for tonight. But this ti, it seems it will be slightly different.”
“What will be the content of the prayer?”
“Hmm~”
As I asked the question, Cecily looked at with an intrigued sound escaping her lips. There was a hint of redness in her crescent-folded eyes, resembling a blush.
She followed by licking her lips seductively, then spoke in a husky voice mixed with a hint of allure.
“Should I tell you now, or should I show you later tonight?”
“Hmm… Show later. It won’t be fun if I know in advance.”
“Okay, you can look forward to it.”
I wondered what kind of prayer it was that made her tell to look forward to it. I looked at Cecily with a smirk, as if unable to contain myself.
At that mont, Cecily, with a cheerful smile, leaned her face against my shoulder as if she was really excited about it.
Poke!
“Ouch!”
“Oh, oh my. I-I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“Ow… No, it’s fine. Surprisingly, the end is sharp.”
There was a minor mishap where her horn accidentally pricked my arm. Fortunately, I was wearing thick clothes, so I didn’t get injured.
I reassured Cecily, who was making an apologetic expression, that I was fine. As I comforted her, we were able to reach the main gate of the palace located at the end of the road.
As demons have a deep appreciation for art, even the palace doors were beautifully carved. At the top, a woman, presumably Mora, was depicted ascending, while demons below were in prayer.
The dim light of the torches faintly illuminated the main gate, allowing us to observe it more closely.
As I stood still, gazing at the carved images on the door, suddenly, with a creaking sound, the main gate began to open slowly. It was my first ti being invited to a palace instead of a mansion, so I felt a slight tension.
Above all, I must et Cecily’s parents soon. Even though Cecily assured that everything would be fine, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. No matter how much of a writer I am, eting my partner’s parents is still nerve-wracking.
Sigh
Finally, the main gate of the palace swung open wide. And what caught my eye first was the color red. The entire floor was covered with a deep red carpet.
Behind that, there were stairs leading to the upper floor and several corridors lined up, but there was one person waiting behind the main gate. It wasn’t a maid but a woman in a neat red dress, wearing a gentle smile.
Despite her beautiful appearance and the dress covering her, her figure caught my attention, but what stood out the most was undoubtedly her face, which closely resembled Cecily’s.
While Cecily had bangs, the woman in front of had her forehead clearly exposed, and she was wearing a silver circlet.
“Welco. Thank you for coming all this way.”
When I vaguely guessed who she was, the woman politely bowed and greeted . If Cecily had a seductive and sexy voice, the woman in front of had a mix of maturity and sensibility.
She straightened her waist after bowing and introduced herself in a calm tone.
“My na is Eisilia Drat Vin. I am the Queen of Helium. It’s an honor to host the benefactor of the demons.”
As expected, she was indeed Cecily’s mother and the Queen of Helium. In fact, she looked so much like Cecily that it was not difficult to imagine them being sisters. But Cecily ntioned before that she was an only child.
“I am Isaac Ducker Michelle of the Minerva Empire. It is an honor to et the Queen of Helium.”
After she finished her introduction, I politely greeted her according to etiquette. It seed that she was already inford about our relationship, judging by the fact she was referring to as a benefactor of demons and the fact that there was not a single maid accompanying the Queen.
Queen Eisillia nodded her head in response to my greeting and spoke with a gentle tone.
“So, you’re the one with the attractive red hair and golden eyes that I’ve heard about.”
“Thank you. Your Majesty is also beautiful.”
“Hoho, thank you. Have you had dinner yet?”
“No, I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“Well, that works out nicely. Let’s et our husband first.”
Referring to him as a ‘husband’ instead of a ‘king’ indicated a more informal eting. After all, even if I was formally invited, I was here as Cecily’s lover, nothing more.
Cecily and I started following Eisillia as she began to guide us. Whether it was because we had entered the palace or for so other reason, Cecily kept holding my arm, even in front of Eisillia.
“I heard from my daughter that you’ve been a great help at the Halo Academy.”
“I don’t think I’ve helped her much, to be honest…”
“Well, good people tend to forget the good deeds they’ve done themselves. Only the recipients rember them.”
When did I ever help Cecily? Honestly, I don’t rember well. Until I revealed that I was Xenon, we simply had a mischievous noona and obedient younger brother relationship. I could only think that Cecily spoke kindly to . Even if she had told , there was a high possibility that I wouldn’t have known.
As we followed behind Eisilia, I diligently explored the interior of the palace. Unlike the sowhat ordinary and shabby exterior, the interior fully embodied the atmosphere unique to demons.
The floors were unified with red carpets, and now, in the evening, I could feel a sense of eeriness relying solely on candlelight. Perhaps it was because I had beco too accustod to darkness, I could discern my path even with the faintest light.
While demons might view it differently, it gave humans a slightly eerie feeling. The calm yet profound silence had settled to the point that nothing seed out of the question, even if sothing were to jump out. Even the paintings installed on the corridor walls seed to crawl and co to life.
“By the way, Lord Isaac, I have sothing I’m curious about. May I ask?”
“Yes? Ah, yes, you may.”
“You said that you had no connection to demons before eting Cecily.”
“Yes.”
“But I was curious why it was described like that in Xenon’s Biography. As you know, before Xenon’s Biography, demons were more or less devils, right?”
Eisilia turned her head slightly and asked, drawing in a breath. In truth, I had received similar questions countless tis before. I first received it from my parents, then from Marie, and finally from Cecily. Especially Cecily, who was a demon, asked in more detail.
The problem was that I couldn’t rember exactly what I said back then. Ipondered for a mont and then answered honestly.
No. It was exactly the mont I was going to do it.
“Perhaps…”
“What?”
“As rumor has it, you’re from the future?”
“…”
Little did I know that I would hear those words from Cecily’s mother. In my confusion, I wondered what I should say, but Eisilia gently spoke up.
“Actually, it’s almost impossible for soone like Isaac, who hasn’t even turned 20 yet, to have such thoughts. About 50 years ago, I’ve even seen a 5-year-old human child point a finger at a demon, calling it a devil. Originally, Prejudice is terrifying.”
“That’s true.”
“But Isaac saw us demons from a different perspective. Especially when the fifth volu of Xenon’s Biography ca out, Isaac was 16 years old. That ans you wrote it during your adolescence, a period of emotional turmoil for humans. It’s only natural to have doubts about whether it’s possible to write such a story during that ti.”
Well, before the three consecutive hits, the world only regarded Xenon as a highly experienced sage. Not only does Xenon possess great writing skills, but the incidents and accidents within the Xenon saga are nearly impossible to write without diverse experiences.
However, vivid mories of my past life were deeply ingrained in my mind. I am a soul that crossed over from another dinsion due to an accident in this place. I lived within the sea of information called the internet and indirectly experienced various civilizations. It is natural for my perspective to be broader than the people here.
Of course, I cannot simply state this fact outright. After listening to Eisilia’s story, I pondered for a long ti and responded with a question.
“I see. Then, do you think the Queen believes that I ca from the future?”
“I keep that possibility in mind. Of course, only Isaac and the gods know the truth.”
“For now, I can say with certainty that I didn’t co from the future.”
“I understand. Then, what do you think, Cecily?”
Eisilia sought Cecily’s opinion next. Cecily, who had been standing with our arms crossed, lifted her face from leaning on my shoulder and looked up at .
I, too, t her gaze directly with my eyes, which were as red as blood. The reddish energy emanating from her cheeks and sparkling pupils exuded a captivating charm that seed to draw in.
After staring at for a while, she smiled lightly and tightly embraced my arm, responding energetically.
“It doesn’t matter to , Mom, no matter what.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, there’s no need to complicate things, right?”
After saying that, Cecily continued in a sticky voice.
“Anyway, he’ll beco my man in a little while.”
“… …”
“I don’t want to think about complicated things right now.”
Seems like she’s completely absorbed in desire. As I looked at Cecily, who had started to emit a heart-like glow, I let out a bitter smile. At that mont, Eisilia murmured softly from the front.
“Is our daughter really Lilith…”
No, she isn’t.
Translators note:
Reviews
All reviews (0)