Chapter 21
“…Cent! Crescent! Come on, wake up!”
“……”
Mmm…
A faint groan escaped my lips as I slowly opened my eyes. My consciousness was gradually returning.
When I blinked up, I saw two faces hovering above me, silhouetted against the bright sky.
A blue sky, so unlike the Demon Realm.
Could it be… we’ve returned to the human world?
At that moment, a familiar system window appeared in my field of vision.
[Divine Power increases due to successful rescue of Learwin Pluto!]
[Divine Power increases!]
[Divine Power increases!]
Huh?
Oh, right. Rescuing Learwin had been a good deed too.
Everything had happened so fast—I hadn’t even considered the possibility of leveling up. But this marked my second success in increasing my divine power.
Talk about an unexpected jackpot…!
[‘Holy Knight’ level has increased to 22!]
[Divine Power has increased to level 34!]
[Swordsmanship remains at level 10!]
Level 34 in Divine Power!
My eyes widened at the sheer number.
“Oh, Centi! You’re awake!”
Learwin clasped her hands together, tears welling in her eyes. Next to her stood Meteor, looking visibly relieved.
Feeling fully lucid now, I bolted upright.
“Huh? Did we make it back? This isn’t the Demon Realm anymore, is it?”
Looking around, I saw the familiar gardens of the House of Earl Heyrot—just as they had been before we crossed over.
Then Meteor’s voice came.
“Are you alright? What were you thinking disappearing like that on your own?”
“Huh? Oh….”
Right. I’d gone off alone to find the Marchioness. It must have looked pretty reckless from Meteor’s perspective.
Clearing my throat, I responded.
“Thankfully, I found her. By the way… did you find the door inside the Aldred estate? That’s amazing.”
I smiled faintly as I spoke.
I hadn’t expected Meteor to locate the portal in Aldred’s mansion so quickly. Thanks to him, the threat I made to Aldred must’ve landed with extra weight.
But despite my praise, Meteor remained stern.
“Don’t ever do something that reckless again. Even if you were immune to demonic energy then…”
His voice trailed off, likely judging this wasn’t the time or place to go into detail.
Just then, Marquis Miles spoke up.
“Meteor. Now that everyone’s recovered, let’s head inside. You can explain everything after some rest.”
“Yes, Father.”
Only then did Meteor finally take his eyes off me. With Learwin’s help, I began walking toward the mansion.
Thankfully, it looked like everyone who had been transported to the Demon Realm had made it back safely.
We were given something warm to eat and drink. After a brief check-up from the holy knights, the rest of the group went off to rest in guest rooms.
Only a handful of us gathered in the drawing room—Meteor, Learwin, the Countess of Heyrot, myself, and a few holy knights.
The purpose was to discuss what had happened with the high-level demonic magic.
Marquis Miles was the first to speak.
“…Meteor. Of all of us, I suspect you know the most. What exactly happened?”
Meteor inhaled deeply and began calmly.
“It happened in an instant. Crescent had just finished playing the cello, and everyone was waiting to hear the next performer. But suddenly, everything went dark, and the space around us changed.”
“Wait, Crescent played the cello?”
Even in the midst of this grave discussion, Miles blinked in surprise at the unrelated revelation.
Apparently, me playing cello was as shocking to him as being attacked by high-level magic.
Learwin answered for me.
“Mhm, you should hear it sometime, Miles. It was truly an incredible performance—too good to experience only once.”
She let out a sheepish cough, as if realizing the conversation had derailed.
Miles glanced at me briefly, then returned his focus to Meteor.
“And what happened next?”
“It was someone’s mansion. Fireworks were going off outside, and a black mist filled the hallways—it made me certain we were in the Demon Realm. Then a girl appeared, around fifteen years old. She introduced herself as Lady Aldred and declared that we were offerings for a banquet in the Demon Realm.”
“Offerings? But the Demon Realm’s been quiet for centuries. Why abduct humans now?”
Miles’s expression reflected his utter confusion.
But those of us who had been to the Demon Realm understood the reason.
The problem was… how do we say it out loud?
I decided now wasn’t the time to interrupt.
Suddenly, the Countess of Heyrot raised her voice, her face contorting.
“What is wrong with all of you? Did you swallow honey? Why can’t you say it? You all heard what kind of banquet it was!”
She opened her mouth confidently, then faltered. Apparently, revealing the truth took more courage than she expected.
Then, mustering her strength again, she cried out,
“The Demon King… the Demon King has returned! That banquet was to celebrate his return! We’re all doomed now! Hrrk!”
She buried her face in her hands.
Shock swept through the faces of Miles and the holy knights.
But Learwin calmly stated,
“It’s too soon to say we’re doomed.”
“Is it true? The Demon King… has returned?”
Miles asked the room, and Learwin nodded.
“Yes. That’s what they said. That’s why they needed human sacrifices. We were lucky to survive this time… but now that the Demon King is back, who knows what happens next? We need to spread word immediately—warn everyone to beware of demonic energy.”
“…I can’t believe this.”
Miles rubbed his face, visibly shaken. The mysterious, youthful aura he usually carried was replaced by something a decade older.
Understandable, given that a world at peace was now about to shift into a wartime footing.
Still looking disturbed, he turned back to Meteor.
“But how did you make it back alive? If you encountered demons, that couldn’t have been easy.”
“The girl—Lady Aldred—gave us a chance. She said if we solved a riddle and found the door hidden inside the mansion, it would open and take us back to the human realm.”
“And you found it?”
“Yes. Thankfully, before everyone was overtaken by the demonic energy. The demon said to find the door, then released the miasma. Everyone passed out.”
“….”
Miles gave Meteor a quiet look—grateful, but with a hint of guilt.
And I suddenly felt a little bad too. I hadn’t expected much from a nine-year-old.
But a male lead is still a male lead, no matter his age.
The Earl of Heyrot, who had been silent till then, spoke up.
“You did well, Meteor. All of us owe you our lives.”
“What does it matter? The Demon King’s back… We’re all as good as dead,” the Countess sobbed again.
Everyone ignored her words, choosing not to acknowledge them.
Learwin spoke up, changing the subject.
“Oh, but how did I make it back alive? I was supposed to be offered as a plaything to the Demon King.”
“What?!”
Miles leapt to his feet, bellowing.
A plaything for the Demon King—blasphemy no matter how you heard it.
Learwin shrugged.
“That demon girl had taste. Said I was too pretty to be used as a common sacrifice and kidnapped me separately. Looks like she let me go too?”
At her words, Meteor furrowed his brow and stared at me. I flinched at his suspicious gaze.
“…Crescent. You ran up to the second floor, saying you’d save my mother. What happened up there?”
“What? Centi tried to save me?”
Learwin’s eyes grew wide. The others looked just as surprised.
Before I could even answer, Meteor continued.
“And while everyone else passed out, you were the only one unaffected by the miasma. Without divine power, that’s impossible…”
