Side Story – 01
Deep within the Demon Realm, at the heart of the Demon King’s Castle.
For the first time in hundreds of years, countless demons had gathered before its gates.
A full year had passed since the birth of a Demon King who had earned overwhelming support from both the Human Realm and the Demon Realm.
By now, interest should have faded somewhat…
And yet, demons continued to visit the castle without end.
Their king was cruel, ruthless—
And at the same time, breathtakingly beautiful.
Moreover, she had absorbed the power of the god Hasent, as well as Mammon, one of the greatest of demons…
Becoming an existence of terrifying strength.
Some demons resented such a Demon King.
But those who had witnessed her power firsthand could do nothing but bow their heads before her overwhelming might.
“Do you think we’ll even be able to see the Demon King today?”
“Of course not. The Demon King is extremely busy. I heard there are already over a thousand demons waiting for an audience!”
“Tch… Then I guess we won’t see her within this year.”
More than half of the demons gathered outside the castle had already been waiting for months.
Naturally, the newly arrived demons were placed far back in line.
It couldn’t be helped.
The Demon King only met around ten demons a day—
And even that number was decreasing with each passing day.
And of course…
There was a reason for that.
* * *
Inside the Demon King’s Castle, in her office.
Among piles of paperwork stacked like mountains sat Lilith, looking utterly exhausted.
After absorbing the power of Hasent and Mammon, demons recognized her strength, and she was elevated to the long-vacant throne of the Demon King.
But the position was not something one could obtain through support alone.
To truly become the Demon King, one had to be chosen by the ancient “Throne of the Demon King,” which had existed in the Demon Realm for ages.
And Lilith, naturally…
Had been chosen.
When she ascended, her subordinates—Pen, Lin, and even Elias—rejoiced wholeheartedly.
But Lilith’s expression alone remained grim.
Because she knew demons would surely become a nuisance.
And her prediction proved correct.
For an entire year, demons had relentlessly sought her out, and she had been forced to grant them audiences time and time again.
They spoke of problems arising throughout the Demon Realm.
And Lilith provided solutions.
But her duties did not end there.
Beyond audiences, she had countless responsibilities to oversee the realm as a whole.
At the same time, she had to consider Elias and the believers who followed her.
Even with ten bodies, it wouldn’t have been enough.
“Lady Lilith… you look very tired.”
“That’s right. Are you okay?”
Pen and Lin asked, staring at Lilith buried beneath documents.
Lilith brushed her messy hair back and answered bluntly.
“No. I’m not okay.”
Then she tossed the papers she’d been reading onto the floor.
“I’m going to rest for today.”
“B-but you still have so much work to do…!”
“Y-yes!”
Pen and Lin cried out urgently, but the moment they met Lilith’s cold gaze, they fell silent.
“For the past month, I haven’t left this office even once. So at the very least… I will rest today!”
With that declaration, she vanished from the office.
How could her servants dare stop the Demon King?
Pen and Lin could only stare helplessly at the empty space she left behind.
* * *
Click. Click.
The sound of heels echoed against the floor.
The place Lilith arrived after leaving her office was deep underground within the Demon King’s Castle.
Far beneath, there existed a space no one could enter except the Demon King herself.
Lilith reached out toward the handle of a massive iron door.
Whooooo—
Dark crimson power flowed from her hand, wrapping around the door.
The enormous gate opened effortlessly.
Lilith stepped inside with a faint smile.
As she entered, light automatically bloomed within the darkness.
The ceiling began to glow, revealing the room.
There wasn’t much inside.
It was filled with flowers like a garden—
But it was no ordinary greenhouse.
Because at the center of the flower field stood a transparent glass coffin.
Lilith walked straight toward it.
A soft smile formed on her lips.
“It’s been a while… Asmodeus.”
She whispered quietly as she approached, then bent down and sat beside it.
Inside lay Asmodeus, his face pale.
There was no sign of life.
“Today is finally the day.”
Lilith smiled with genuine joy.
For the past year, she had visited this place once every month.
Each time, she used a portion of her accumulated power to reconstruct Asmodeus’s body.
And last month…
She succeeded in restoring it completely.
Only one thing remained:
To summon his scattered soul back.
For that, Lilith had spent the last month gathering immense power.
Absorbing the strength of demons who faded into nothingness…
Even collecting the souls of humans who had fallen into hell.
The hardest part of all was fusing two opposing forces—
Hasent’s and Mammon’s power—into one.
It consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
And yet, she endured.
And now…
At last…
The day of Asmodeus’s revival had come.
“Asmodeus…”
Lilith felt her heart tremble at the thought of meeting him again.
It was a feeling she only realized after losing him—
And thus, it was all the more precious.
She gently placed both hands on the coffin.
From this moment, she had to focus.
To call back his soul, she needed perfect control…
And memories.
Fwaaash—
Dark crimson energy flowed from her hands.
Lilith closed her eyes and recalled her time with him.
The moment they first met…
The happy times…
The moments of anger…
And finally…
The last moment she saw him.
Every memory remained vivid.
And guided by them…
Asmodeus’s soul began to return.
Fragments scattered across the world gathered like stars, flowing into his body.
It began at his toes.
Countless shining pieces seeped into him, radiating light.
Lilith kept her eyes closed for a long time, immersed in memory.
Nearly three hours passed.
Finally…
Asmodeus’s entire body glowed.
And when Lilith opened her eyes—
Her lips parted without her realizing.
His eyelashes were trembling.
“Asmo…deus…”
Her voice shook as she spoke his name.
She carefully touched the lid of the coffin.
The moment her fingers met it, the lid dissolved into nothingness.
Lilith could only stare, unable to speak.
And then—
Asmodeus’s eyelids fluttered open.
Light returned to his eyes.
The same vitality he once had.
“…Li…lith?”
Asmodeus spoke weakly.
Tears instantly welled in Lilith’s eyes.
“Asmodeus!”
Without thinking, she threw herself at him, wrapping him tightly in her arms.
“Kgh! W-wait! Lilith!”
Asmodeus panicked at the sudden fierce hug, but Lilith refused to let go.
No…
She couldn’t.
To Lilith, a great demon, the time that had passed was short.
But this time was different.
A world without him felt like eternity.
And so she clung to him, tears of joy falling.
“Hic… Asmodeus…”
She sobbed like a child.
“Lilith… kgh… just a second!”
Asmodeus struggled, flustered—
But then his eyes widened at her words.
“I… missed you.”
For a moment he froze.
Then, gently…
He hugged her back.
“Me too.”
