CHAPTER 10
‘Wh… Why?’
I froze, unable to believe myself.
But when I saw the Demon King, I instinctively felt relieved.
Tears streamed down my face at that sense of relief.
The Demon King embraced me tightly and whispered urgently.
“Elysion.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry I came so late.”
Children would often cry to their parents even after being healed.
I finally understood that feeling now.
Then suddenly, the Epikus sisters knelt down.
The Demon King’s voice, cold enough to chill the spine, rang out.
“Epikus sisters. You understand your sins, don’t you? You were together, and yet this happened.”
“Your Majesty, please execute us.”
“We are ashamed, Your Majesty.”
Just then, Dracon, who had been helping the collapsed Ares to his feet, sprang up in protest.
“Your Highness Erebus, this is a matter for our family—”
“Silence, Ismenios! I will hold the duke accountable later.”
…What is going on?
I just barely managed to calm the situation, and now the atmosphere is turning again?
‘Please, just let this pass quietly!’
I grabbed the Demon King in panic and coughed.
“No, cough, no!”
“Elysion? You can speak—?!”
“It was, cough, my fault… I hit Ares first…”
The Demon King didn’t know whether to be overjoyed at my sudden speech or furious at the situation.
Eventually, his face hardened.
“No, Elysion. Even if you beg me—”
“Cough, plea… please… Iver…”
I couldn’t get the words out with a child’s mouth.
I clung to the Demon King’s chest, struggling.
If they had just handled the child with some care, this wouldn’t have happened.
There was no realistic way for me to leave Tartarus right now anyway.
‘I should’ve just endured it. I… I’ve done it again—’
Suddenly, Talos’s voice echoed in my ears.
‘That’s right. It always ends up like this because you couldn’t endure it.’
His chilling sneer began to dig into my memories.
The garden view before me faded.
In its place, the graveyard of Halcyon’s temple flickered into view.
…It was the day I buried a child I couldn’t save.
Kneeling before the tombstone, Talos approached and sighed.
‘This happened because you didn’t save them, Thirteenth.’
‘How is… this my fault…’
‘Not your fault? You held back your divine power, and now look what happened.’
Talos smiled softly and looked down at me.
But I really couldn’t draw out any more divine power.
I had reached my limit.
‘I had my limits too.’
No matter how many I saved, it was never enough.
Talos sneered at my hollow expression.
‘It’s because you’re selfish. You wanted to forget everything and run away.’
‘I’m selfish…?’
‘Yes. You fell for the enemy over a stupid dress?’
My heart sank.
Then Talos whispered ever so sweetly into my ear.
‘You’re truly disgusting.’
Just as he said, I began to smell a sickeningly metallic scent.
Coming from my own nose.
“Sniff…!”
“Elysion!”
Panicking, I tried to cover the nosebleed with my hand.
But my little child hands were too small to help.
‘Why?! Why is this happening again?’
And Ares…
I looked with blurry vision at the pale demon boy.
If I wanted to save him, I had no other choice.
I couldn’t let him get hurt in front of me…
My blue dress was now stained with dark blood.
‘Ah, this dress… I really liked it too.’
I wondered vaguely if nosebleed stains could even be removed.
As I stared blankly, the world slowly went dark.
* * *
The ‘playdate for the princess’ ended in the worst possible way.
Ares’s magic had gone berserk, injuring people in the Ferzen Palace.
And Elysion had collapsed.
Even though the princess had finally spoken for the first time, no one could celebrate.
Phobos waited outside the princess’s chamber with a heavy heart.
‘Damn it. Why did Ares’s magic have to explode then?’
The whole family could be executed over this.
No one even knew how that intense flame had disappeared.
‘Did Ares somehow manage to control it at the last second?’
Ares was too shocked to remember how the fire went out.
Just then, Lete quietly stepped out of the chamber.
Phobos hurried over to her.
“Young Lady. How is the princess?”
“She’s sleeping soundly, My Lord. Please come in.”
They entered the room to find the princess resting in bed, with Erebus at her side.
Next to Minte stood an old physician, known for his silence.
He was the royal doctor who had long known of the princess’s speech delay.
He gave the worst diagnosis possible.
“The bleeding has stopped, but there is a more serious issue.”
“What is it?”
“The princess’s magic is blocked, Your Highness.”
“…”
“I cannot say for sure if it’s due to this incident. However… when she tries to gather magic into her horn, something is obstructing it.”
At that, the Epikus sisters pleaded desperately.
“No, that’s impossible!”
“Does that mean… she’ll never use magic again?!”
The doctor bowed his head in distress.
“Once she recovers her health, she will certainly improve. But… the extent of her magic will likely be less than before.”
He wiped away sweat as he continued.
The future Demon King, who needed to be the strongest of all, now had a problem.
Then Erebus quietly commanded:
“No one outside this room must know what was just said.”
“Yes, Your Highness…”
The physician responded quietly and withdrew.
Those remaining were left in bleak silence.
Phobos was the first to break it, falling to his knees.
“Your Highness. I will accept punishment.”
“…”
“My family is responsible for this reckless act.”
Erebus slowly shook his head.
His fallen daughter had asked him one last thing.
“When this child wakes up… I don’t want her to face any more sorrow, Phobos.”
“Your Highness, it was my negligence. Please punish—”
“Phobos.”
Erebus gently but firmly cut him off.
“When Elysion remembers me… I don’t want those memories to be painful or filled with grief.”
“Your Highness…”
“Not at any moment.”
Erebus gestured for everyone to leave the room.
Only when they were gone did he bury his face in his hands.
“I told her we’d live together…”
The thought of losing this child was unbearable.
Even as the strongest Demon King in Tartarus.
Then, a faint rustle came from the bed.
Lifting his head, he saw large teal eyes blinking weakly.
“Elysion!”
“…”
Elysion’s cheeks were flushed with fever.
Her vision seemed too blurred to recognize him.
“Elysion, are you alright?”
“…”
“It’s your father. Can you recognize me?”
What if her eyes were damaged too?
Even the Demon King could hardly breathe from fear.
But then, Elysion placed her hand over his.
A tiny, warm baby hand.
And yet, it patted his hand as if to comfort him.
“…Don’t…”
“Hmm…?”
“Don’t cry…”
“…Ah.”
Erebus looked at the tear that had fallen onto his hand.
He hadn’t even realized he’d been crying.
“…Alright.”
He grasped her little hand tightly and whispered.
As she drifted off again, he silently vowed:
He would never let go of her hand.
Even if she committed the greatest sin.
* * *
What a fate.
“…Ha.”
When I opened my eyes, I was still living as Elysion.
Given the lilac canopy over the bed, that much was clear.
‘I really thought I was going to die right at the start of my second life.’
I’d barely survived the theocracy, and now here I was—sick with a nosebleed.
How unfair.
“Princess! Are you awake?”
Lete, who had been preparing medicine beside the bed, rushed to my side.
Her right arm was wrapped in bandages.
I looked up at this demon woman and opened my mouth awkwardly.
“…Lete.”
“P-Princess?”
“Did it… hurt…?”
