“My dweam is to conker the world.” (My dream is to conquer the world.)
It was the time when all the orphans shared their dreams.
With a solemn expression, Flora stared down at the piece of paper she had scribbled on and read it aloud clearly, though her pronunciation was far from perfect.
“I wiww become a coow viwwain and tuwn the world into my pwace! Evewyone wiww kneeew befowe me and tweembo in feaw!” (I will become a cool villain and turn the world into my place! Everyone will kneel before me and tremble in fear!)
All eyes turned to her at her bold declaration.
Feeling proud, Flora placed down the paper with the black squiggles that looked like worms crawling across it.
Yet everyone continued staring at her.
Some had wide and surprised eyes, while others were covering their mouths in shock.
Despite how absurd her words were, not a single person at the orphanage laughed at Flora’s dream.
No—they didn’t dare.
Because this was a place where—
“Then I want to be Flora’s Number 1 minion!”
“What are you talking about, Johnny! You said you wanted to be a great chef! I’m the Number 1!”
“Then I won’t be a minion, I’ll be Flora’s right hand!”
“Gasp, Sophia, you genius! Then I’ll be the left hand!”
Everyone here adored Flora.
As Sophia and Kay snapped back at Johnny, the other kids jumped in, each trying to claim a spot by her side as if it had never occurred to them before.
A new round of heated debate had begun.
“The kids really do love Flora, don’t they?”
“She’s the youngest and the cutest, after all.”
At Lian’s comment, Mrs. Fini covered her mouth and chuckled.
“And she’s kind to the other kids. Honestly, I can’t even imagine this orphanage without Flora.”
It was a hilarious scene—children noisily changing their declared dreams on the spot in front of everyone.
Still, the director, Mrs. Fini, and the staff member, Lian, watched the chaos with nothing but fond smiles.
“Evewyone, be queeeiiiet!” (Everyone, be quiet)
As if used to this, Flora shouted with all her might, pulling everyone’s attention back.
Despite being just a small child, the room fell silent as if on cue.
Satisfied, Flora put her hands on her hips and scolded them with a stern look.
“You can’t just decide who my minions awe! I’ww choose my own minions!” (…are! I’ll choose my own minions!)
She was only four years old.
Yet everyone scrambled to please her like loyal subjects.
“That’s right, that’s fair—Flora should choose!”
“Yeah, that’s the only fair way!”
At Johnny’s agreement, Sophia nodded firmly, and Jenny, seeing her chance, held up a cookie pouch.
“Flora, I haven’t eaten my cookie today. Want it?”
“Jenny! Bribery’s not allowed!”
Kay jumped in to stop Jenny with raised voice but Flora just scoffed in disbelief.
“I’m a viwwain, so bwibewy is fine.” (I;m a villain, so bribery is fine.)
At Flora’s dignified tone and expression, Kay hesitated then quickly offered up a chocolate.
“Here, take mine, Flora!”
“Hey, no fair! You cut in line!”
The room descended into chaos once more.
Before she knew it, a mountain of snacks had piled up in front of Flora, and though she tried to maintain her serious expression, the corners of her mouth twitched.
Sigh. This popularity… so exhausting.
Some might find that thought arrogant, but anyone at the orphanage would just nod and agree.
Flora, only four years old.
With her adorable looks and lovable charm, she was the undisputed star of Fini Orphanage. But who could possibly have known—
That this tiny little girl was the reincarnation of the greatest enemy of mankind, the Archdemon Morus, who once tried to destroy the world?
Watching the rowdy children, Flora mumbled quietly to herself, so no one could hear:
“Phew… It’s hawd being the fowmer Awchdemon. Evewyone wikes me too much…” (…It’s hard being the former Archdemon. Everyone likes me too much…)
***
‘How did things end up like this?’
Flora woke up with the same thought every single morning.
The sun was already high in the sky, and soft golden light poured onto her pink bedding.
Time had passed quickly since her rebirth—she was already four years old. Yet neither this cute little room nor the life around her ever felt quite familiar.
Blankly staring at her blanket, she slowly got up from bed as the sound of the other children’s laughter drifted in from outside.
She stepped into the bathroom to wash up and a large mirror greeted her.
Shiny light-pink hair fell gently past her shoulders, and her golden eyes sparkled like they held captured stars, shining even in the daylight.
Her flawless, soft white skin, cheeks tinted with pink, large round eyes under softly curved brows, and a high nose paired with lively little lips.
Despite having just woken up, she looked like a doll and there’s not a trace of sleepiness on her face. Flora let out a sigh.
Her short, childlike pronunciation made her not even want to speak, but she couldn’t help but grumble:
“Why’d I have to end up wike this?” (Why’d I have to end up like this?)
A long, long time ago…
The Creator God, Beshart, brought the world into being, crafting countless living things with His own hands.
Humanity revered Beshart as their god and developed the world under His guidance. But there was one being who sought to destroy that peaceful world.
That was none other than the Archdemon Morus.
The Archdemon committed unspeakable crimes, flooding the world with chaos and evil, even taking countless lives. In the end, five heroes—Laktacia Filinaud, Babylon Hermannus, Opera Bellacia, Gzet Decimo, and Etar Lucifer—rose up by the will of the gods and defeated Morus.
However, contrary to people’s hopes, the Archdemon’s followers did not die with their master. They continued to threaten humanity.
So the five heroes, continuing the will of the gods, established the Empire of Filinaud to protect the world.
The royal house of Filinaud ruled the continent, with Hermannus in the East, Bellacia in the West, Decimo in the South, and Lucifer in the North as their loyal vassals. Even after a thousand years, they remained in power, guarding the peace of the empire.
Why all this backstory, you ask?
Because I’m the Archdemon who was killed by those very heroes.
The origin of evil.
The butcher of mankind.
The destroyer who spread chaos across the world.
No matter how many dark titles you attached to her, they all fell short. The Archdemon had died by the hands of the heroes, expecting her soul to vanish completely.
But against all odds, she woke up again—miraculously.
It was no different from receiving a second chance from the Creator God Beshart.
Fueled by Beshart’s expectations and by her resentment toward the humans who had labeled her a demon, Flora resolved that this time, she would conquer the world and bring ruin to humanity.
However… such an ambitious plan wasn’t going to come true so easily.
〈A-boo-boo.〉
〈Oh dear, Flora, you’re so beautiful.〉
〈A-boo-boop!〉
〈Are you hungry, little one? We don’t even have enough food for such a precious baby.〉
〈A-boo-boo!〉
She had been reborn as a literal infant, unable even to speak.
And to make matters worse, she was born in the middle of a bitterly cold winter—only to be abandoned by her parents the moment she came into the world.
Well, at least they left her at the orphanage instead of somewhere worse. Maybe they had some shred of conscience.
But even then, abandoning a newborn in the snow? That’s not exactly what you’d call “conscientious.”
“Hmm… I guess not having pawents is bettew aftew aww.” (… I guess not having parents is better after all.)
If she’d grown up under the parents who dumped her like that, she probably would’ve erased them the moment her powers awakened.
“Pawwicide is twicky to covew up.” (Parricide is tricky to cover up.)
Muttering words that didn’t suit a four-year-old at all, she finished washing up.
As she changed and stepped out of her room, the luxurious hallway of the orphanage greeted her—something quite out of place for an orphanage.
‘At first, I thought I’d starve to death.’
The orphanage director, Mrs. Fini, and the only staff member, Lian, were truly good people.
Even in the harsh winter, when they could barely feed themselves, they took Flora in and raised her with love and care.
But kindness doesn’t pay the bills.
The orphanage was poor. The children could hardly get one meal a day, and the crumbling house looked ready to collapse at any moment.
When monsters from the Forest of Demons attacked the nearby village, even the townsfolk became cold and uncharitable. Donations became a thing of the past.
And when she found out Mrs. Fini had been scammed by an old acquaintance, all hope seems lost.
Everyone had assumed they would starve to death but somehow, they survived.
How?
Flora was lucky.
Very, very lucky.
Her first stroke of luck was being abandoned, allowing her to live free from others’ expectations.
Her second stroke of luck…
“Hmmm. What shouwd I do today to gain even more popuwawity?” (What should I do today to gain even more popularity?)
Just as Flora was stomping down the sturdy staircase—so different from the ones in her memories—she sensed something bad and quickly hid behind a pillar.
“Flora, where are you? The young lady of House Hermannus is here to see you.”
Just as she feared, Mrs. Fini’s voice called out.
‘Ugh, why does she keep coming over uninvited? She could at least send a heads-up.’
Then she’d have stayed hidden without a word.
Rosaria Hermannus.
