Chapter 53
I was sure I had climbed ten floors by now, but it was disappointing to realize otherwise.
“That’s because you never drank milk to begin with.”
Even if I wanted to muster the strength of a baby drawing from its mother’s breast, there was none to draw upon—since I had never had any.
“……”
Siderius retraced his steps down the stairs, squatted in front of Esther with his back to her, and said:
“Please get on.”
“Ah… speak casually. We’re friends, after all….”
Afraid their bond of friendliness might weaken and cause the parchment to vanish from sight, Esther hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
“……”
She draped herself loosely on the boy’s back, preparing to gather mana to use magic.
The warmth that welled up from within her collapsed with a pop just as she was about to form a spell.
It wasn’t an explosion.
It was more like a soap bubble bursting—the magic simply unraveled.
‘…Huh?’
Siderius, carrying Esther on his back, silently stood up.
“Magic doesn’t work here.”
“……”
Esther’s eyes widened.
She had been careful, trying to cast in secret. To think that this child noticed so easily—it was unbelievable.
She didn’t even have time to fuss about him slipping back into honorifics.
“…How did you know?”
“I’ve known since birth.”
That was all he said before continuing up the stairs with Esther on his back.
He wasn’t a particularly large boy. Even though Esther was small, she was at least half his size, yet he carried her without effort.
Not a flicker of change crossed his face, nor did a single drop of sweat fall.
‘…Is he really human?’
As Esther’s suspicion deepened, they finally reached the top of the spire.
The boy unlatched the iron door with practiced ease, entered, and locked it again behind them.
The spire’s summit was far roomier than it appeared from outside. Large enough to gather a small company of knights for training.
Which also meant that for just two people, the space was oppressively vast, cold, and barren.
“……”
Opposite the entrance was a window, just big enough for two people to perch on if they huddled together.
A stone ledge jutted out slightly beneath it, and there a woman sat.
She wore a plain white dress, her frail body fixed toward the outside view beyond the window.
And Esther saw it—
Above the woman’s head, a pitch-black exclamation mark. Blacker than any she had ever seen.
So black that Esther half-feared dark magic would seep out of it at any moment.
Around her oozed a viscous aura invisible to all others—but starkly clear to Esther—coiling around the woman’s body.
‘Wow… such a pitch-black exclamation mark. What a windfall.’
Esther blinked.
The boy moved about the room with familiar ease, his gaze sweeping his surroundings.
“Mother, why didn’t you eat your meal?”
“……”
“If there’s something you’d prefer for lunch, I’ll bring it.”
“……”
No matter how respectfully or clearly he called, Siderius’s mother gave no answer, her eyes fixed firmly on the world outside the window.
It was as though she desired nothing—or perhaps desired only what lay beyond that view.
“…I’ve brought a friend from downstairs. Would it be alright if we shared today’s lunch with my friend?”
Only then did the woman slowly turn her head.
She was beautiful.
Her long, lustrous hair shimmered violet, and her emerald eyes gleamed brightly. An utterly beautiful woman.
‘She’s as beautiful as I was in my prime.’
Esther thought.
Yet there was no vitality in her eyes, no strength in her body. Nothing but skin and bone, a woman devoid of the will to live.
Esther glanced at the boy beside her and noticed his expression brighten just slightly.
“Mother! For lunch, shall we—”
“…Nothing heavy. I don’t want the burden.”
“Yes, I’ll prepare something soft and easy.”
The boy’s face, normally cold and lifeless, lit up with warmth and joy.
Even Esther was a little surprised.
This child had seemed trained in the expressionless discipline of an assassin, yet now he smiled as though in a dream.
“Please take care of my mother.”
“Uh… okay.”
Esther watched as Siderius carried away untouched, cold food with a radiant face.
She then scanned the room before taking a few steps closer to the woman.
As she approached, the parchment unfurled.
[One who longs for death.
“I want to die.”]
It bore only a single line.
There was no lock upon it, but neither were there detailed explanations. Just that one phrase.
The letters were thicker and darker than usual, brimming with desperate intensity.
“……”
Esther was struck speechless.
Not simply because the woman wished to die.
After all, countless people in the world yearned for death.
Some fought desperately to live each day, while others found survival itself torment.
There were those terrified of tomorrow, those crushed by guilt, those who despised themselves, those who cursed their existence.
Yes—many longed for life to end.
And Esther usually did not interfere.
She was no champion of justice.
She was the Demon King—now a Demon King’s seed in a child’s body, destined one day to govern death, evil, and demons.
But she was here on a commission.
A son’s desperate wish for his mother’s survival had brought her here.
Yet what she found was a mother whose own dearest wish was death.
Granting one would mean failing the other.
It was absurd.
“……”
Unable to decide, Esther was left at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, the woman turned her lifeless gaze—like a barren, dead field—to Esther.
“It has been… such a long time since I last saw a demon.”
Her voice was dry, heavy, yet still carried a faint soprano lilt.
Esther’s heart lurched.
“…A demon? Esther doesn’t know what that is!”
Eyes wide and innocent, she tilted her head, playing the fool.
Then came a sigh, as though air had escaped.
Esther was startled.
She had never expected someone to recognize her as a demon just by looking.
“It’s alright. I only sensed it because I’ve studied demons for so long. My senses are a little keener.”
“……”
Esther narrowed her eyes.
No wonder that aura felt so familiar—it was indeed a trace of dark magic.
“…But this is my first time seeing a demon child.”
She exhaled softly.
“It’s also the first time Sid has brought a friend.”
“We just met outside! I came here to see the Emperor!”
Esther decided to keep acting the clueless child.
Even if someone had noticed, there was no need to reveal everything. That would be foolish.
“…Ah, to meet His Majesty.”
“……Yes.”
The sudden heaviness in her tone puzzled Esther, though she nodded.
“…When will you meet him?”
“Ah, probably this evening? I’m number forty-nine!”
“Almost the last… If you ever come again, please, visit me often.”
Esther noticed the faint tremor of her eyelids.
“…And, if you don’t mind… next time, could you tell me how His Majesty is doing?”
“Yes!”
Esther answered brightly. So the Emperor was connected to her somehow.
‘Ah, good thing I came.’
There were exclamation marks everywhere—what a treasure trove.
If the Emperor had one as well, helping him could earn great favor.
‘…Between the two commissions, killing her would be easier…’
But committing murder in the heart of the imperial palace would draw too much attention.
‘Annoying as it is, saving her is the better option.’
And if she lived, her wish might shift away from death.
“Yes! Let’s shake hands!”
Esther trotted closer, extending her hand.
The woman widened her eyes in surprise, then extended her gloved hand.
Esther tilted her head.
“My hands… are unsightly.”
She explained, as though sensing Esther’s gaze.
Esther could tell it was a lie, but she didn’t press, only smiled brightly.
That day, Esther stayed at the tower all day.
With two black exclamation marks before her, it was best to build rapport in advance.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
So much so that she rose to leave only late in the evening.
“It’s time to see His Majesty!”
“I’ll escort you.”
The descent was far easier than the climb.
Outside, the sky was stained crimson, night soon to fall.
“I’ll come again!”
“…Not just anyone may enter here.”
“Yeah, but I’m a genius, so I can!”
“…Can my mother be saved?”
At the boy’s trembling voice, Esther blinked.
“Mm, yeah. Probably?”
She answered lightly—when suddenly she saw his neck.
Until now hidden beneath his long clothes, it was bruised dark, with the clear imprint of slender hands.
“Please save my mother… If you do, I’ll do anything you ask of me.”
Esther’s eyes curved gently.
It might not be a bad idea to gain such a blindly devoted follower.
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Next time, you can speak casually with me!”
At her words, the boy’s eyes widened slightly, then softened into a faint smile as he nodded.
“…Alright.”
With his reply, Esther turned lightly on her heel.
Her steps were buoyant.
