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Chapter Text

Deon was sitting in his room, working on paperwork that he detested with his soul. Of course, he was doing paperwork with Ed since he refused to do a mountain of paperwork alone. And besides, Ed was more suited for this task than he was.

"Sir Arut this should be the- S-sir Arut?!"

Ed stammered, he looked at Deon who had his head face-planted on the table.

"Ed... I'm going to sleep. don't. disturb. me."

Deon said in a low tone, reciting each word slowly, in hopes that Ed would understand and let him sleep. However, his tone led Ben to misunderstand, and he assumed that Deon thought that Ben was challenging his authority. Which was not true.

"Y-yes!"

Ed quickly mustered up enough courage to reply. He grabbed each document on the table and bowed dozens of times before hurrying out of Deon's room.

"Haah... I want to retire."

Deon exhaustingly sighed. He wanted to run away so badly. But the security in the Demon King's castle was too tight!

Exhausted, Deon decided to lay on his bed. He thought about the resignation letter he was going to give to the Demon King.

***

"Where... Where the hell am I...?"

When he woke up, Deon was in an unfamiliar space, yet it also felt familiar. The place made him feel more relaxed and less on guard than his own house. It was as if he had been here multiple times before...

It was a pitch-black room, as if the curtains were shut tightly; not leaving any hint of sunshine in. No color or light was shone in the room, but he could clearly see his feet and hands.

"My child, you're finally here."

A man with white hair akin to his, and bronze skin appeared in Deon's vision. His appearance was truly handsome, like a god appearing in the mortal realm. However, when Deon saw this man for the first time, he seemed familiar, but he wasn't able to pinpoint why. And instead of being in awe of the godly appearance before him, he felt a strange urge to punch him even.

"Who- Ugh?"

Deon was about to ask who the man was but clutched his head in agony. He felt a splitting pain, even more painful so than the blood he coughed and the feeling of being burnt in the sun. If possible, he would've rather die than experience this pain..

As soon as the pain subsided, memories flowed into his head. A red-haired man who was similar to him appeared in them. The two of them wanted a peaceful life, but life decided to fuck them over. It was like fate was playing a cruel joke on a poor and tired man after giving him a prize for all of his hard work, seemingly sweet yet cruel.

Cale Henituse was the name of the man, and that man was also him...

"God of Death.."

Deon finally spat out the name of the deity in front of him through gritted teeth. His smile was strained as he curled his lips and hands simultaneously. Another question appeared in his head as he stared at the detestable god in front of him.

How come every single one of his lives absolutely sucked?!

"Haha, my dear Cale, you finally remember me!"

God of Death practically squealed in a jovial tone. He seemed to be glowing in the dark room all of a sudden because of Deon's acknowledgment. The once serious and busy god was nowhere to be found as soon as his favorite human was involved.

"I don't go by Cale anymore. Besides the last memories I had when I was Cale were not pleasant at all."

Cale- no, Deon said, his voice getting more strained by the second in anger. He held his hands out and a jar of cookies magically appeared in them. His hand subconsciously reached into the jar before absentmindedly putting it in his mouth and chewing on it.

"Now that you have your memories, you should know what world you're in, right?"

The God of Death rested his chin on his palm while looking at Deon, who was now daydreaming of his rich retired, and slacker life. He inwardly chuckled at the sight of this. In every life he watched Deon go through, whether it was Kim Rok-Soo or Cale, the man before him seemed to have never changed; always wanting a slacker life.

Despite this, his life as both Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse was by far one of the most depressing ones yet. They were both lives where he should've lived a happier life, yet he lost all of his loved ones, and even when he gained a new family, he was betrayed.

Deon Hardt wasn't exempted from this either, he was neglected by his family and was soon drafted to war; thinking his family hated him, only for it to all be a misunderstanding. And in the end? He found this out all too late.

Now after living for twenty-four years without memories of his past life, Deon Hardt was able to regain them.

"Aiya...Yeah, I do know about this world, I know it very well. Just how did you reincarnate me as the main character, and out of everyone else? Seriously?"

A sigh of disappointment escaped from Deon's lips. If only he reincarnated as a nobody, then he wouldn't need to worry about the impending doom that was heading straight towards him.

"..."

That was a lie, and they both knew that.

Cale Henituse would end up as a main character no matter what, even if he was reborn as a villain. His temperament and ideals were a part of the reason, but the gods also played a role. Specifically, the God of Hope and God of Death were the culprits behind this. Not only that but he was favored among the majority of gods, making him the beloved child of the gods.

"You remember our deal right, C- Deon?"

"Yes, yes. I need to prevent the destruction of the world and the main character himself. It doesn't matter how I did it as long as I can prevent it."

Deon absentmindedly back.

However, another question arose, when did he make that deal? Ah, well, being the God of Death, perhaps he made the deal with him while on the brink of death? It was strange since he didn't recall a thing about the deal, yet he was able to answer back confidently.

"But I didn't expect that main character to be me..."

Deon wanted to bury himself in his own grave right now.

It was too late to even avoid the plot since he regained his memories two years after killing his parents. Had he regained them just before the act, things might've turned out differently.

The worst part was that before becoming Cale Henituse, he read a novel about this world. Besides Deon killing his parents, his own brother died in front of him which eventually led him to despair. All of that was because of Stave Illuster, the only Duke of the Empire.

However, he did not anticipate that he would become that main character destined for doom.

He suddenly realized why the God of Death was so confident.. That was because he reincarnated as Deon!

"Ahem... As for the award for preventing the destruction of the Nameless One, or well Roan Kingdom, we Gods decided to let you keep your ancient powers; abilities; and memories."

"That's it? Don't you think I deserve more than just that? Keeping my abilities and memories is a given, I worked hard for those. At least help me with my current condition."

"...That's true.."

"So?"

"Alright, I can lessen them. But since you were born with albinism, a full cure is not possible. Unless you were cursed. Neither can I change your appearance back."

"That's fine by me, it would be more suspicious if I looked like Cale anyway."

"Oh and one last thing before you go. Choi Jung-Soo and Lee Soo-Hyuk wanted to tell you to live happily and that they'll always be on your side no matter what."

"...Is that so."

Deon mumbled, his vision was slowly obscuring, a signal that meant it was time to go.

***

Plop!

Deon stared at his hand, a teardrop landed on top of it. He reached for his face, feeling a few more tears rolling down.

Bang!

"Sir Arut! His Majesty- S-sir Arut?!"

Ed stood there in a daze, surprised at the scene in front of him. Deon gave him a glare, which was actually a confused look.

"Ed, it's not what it looks like. You better not tell anyone."

Deon wanted to curse himself at the moment, this was a bit embarrassing. What if the other commanders saw him crying like a pathetic kid? He'd be humiliated to death and his facade as the second strongest would crumble to pieces, eventually leading to his death.

He knew full well as to why he had tears streaming down. It happened before when he met Lee Soo-Hyuk when he was unconscious. The affirmation that his two friends were on his side no matter what choices he made touched him, if he had to tell the truth. But there was no way he'd admit this in front of them.

"Actually Ed, pretend you also never saw that."

Deon said in a monotone voice. His eerily gentle smile made Ed tremble, it didn't look gentle in the eyes of the poor Zeroth Corps Vice Commander. However, what scared him the most besides that was the immediate change in emotions.

"Y..yes sir."

"So what was it that you had to barge into my room like that?"

Deon rested his head on his hand, the tears on his face were long gone by then. Ed who was across from him finally regained his composure after a moment.

"His Majesty has called for you."

"I see... I'll go see him right now."

Deon rose from his seat, pushing Ed out before wearing his commander uniform. Once he got out, he could see Ed waiting for him diligently.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

***

Thud.

Deon threw a white piece of paper on the Demon King's desk and stood across, placing his hands behind his back while looking at the Demon King without a hint of emotion.

The Demon King watched Deon's hand withdraw after placing the paper on his desk. He looked down at the paper on top of the desk and saw the words 'resignation Letter' written on it. His eyes widened, and his face turned ashen before he could even lift his head.

Deon looked at the Demon King's shocked expression and spoke in a firm voice, without a hint of emotion.

"I want to resign."

If the Empire has 'Heroes', the Demon Kingdom has
'Corps Commanders'. Just as the Empire puts forward its capable generals, the Demon Kingdom also puts forward its 'Commanders'.

Therefore, the Corps Commanders serve as both the sword and shield of the Demon Kingdom, as well as a symbol of strength.

Officially, there were a total of twelve Corps Commanders in the Demon Kingdom, numbering from one to twelve; but in fact, there is one more hidden in secret, the unmentioned Zeroth Corps Commander.

The people of the Demon Kingdom, and even the enemy Empire's army, know of the open secret Zeroth Corps Commander.

The person in charge of the Zero Corps was none other than the one who had killed the last 'Hero,' virtually the strongest commander in the Demon Kingdom. Having such a powerful Commander suddenly say he will resign was unimaginable.

"No! Never! You can't abandon me!"

With great determination, the Demon King grabbed his subordinate's legs and kneeled on the ground.

Usually, the Zeroth Commander hardly speaks and moves around, so when he came here personally, the Demon King wondered why and was even a little happy at the sudden visit.

But to say something like this.. Maybe he wasn't being sincere. As always, it was just a test. It must be a test. There's no way his Arut would just resign like this, right? He gave him everything a human needs since the human diet and needs are different from demons.

He raised his head while still holding onto Deon's legs tightly. Yellow eyes met red eyes, and silence flowed through the air.

Deon could tell from his eyes what he was trying to say.

'If I go this far, you can't tell me that you're really going to quit, right?'

His eyes, which had been stiff all along, trembled slightly at the sudden action. At first glance, it was not obvious, but the Demon King, who was concentrating on him, was able to catch it quickly.

It was shaking.

Deon's eyes, in fact, were trembling while convincing himself not to laugh at the pitiful sight of the Demon King. It was a sight that nobody would believe even if he was the Zeroth Corps Commander.

The Demon King felt more shameless than Alberu at times. It wasn't like he wanted to bring up that crazy bastard, just thinking about him gave Deon goosebumps. However, he couldn't deny the fact that this devil indeed had thicker skin than expected.

The Demon King let go of the legs he was holding on to and stood up abruptly. Instead, this time he grabbed onto both of Deon's shoulders.

"Why? Is there something not to your liking? Do your subordinates treat you badly? Are they discriminating against you just because you're human? Which bastard is it? Tell me, I'll make them regret being alive!"

Contrary to his harsh tone, the Demon King was convinced that no one would do such a thing. The power of this human was so strong that everyone had no choice but to acknowledge it.

What is 'acknowledge?' To the demons, he possessed overwhelming strength that couldn't be obtained even with hard work. He was far from being friendly, everyone was in awe and respect, who would be brave enough to mess with him? Mess with him once and your whole body would be sent to the grave in pieces!

Nevertheless, there was a reason for doing this.
Deon Hardt, known as "Demon Arut" in the Demon Castle, was the only human in command after the Demon King.

He was the only human in the entire castle, so he didn't know what other humans were like. However, unlike other demons, he was extremely reluctant to see someone's blood unless when it came to his enemy. So when it came to this, there was no choice but to react somehow.

As expected.

Just as he was about to leave the office, his wrist was grabbed.

Turning around, he saw a pair of red eyes glaring at him with quite a menacing gaze. The Demon King forced on a smile as he stopped in his tracks

Looks like you're finally willing to talk?

The other party was his treasured person and the one who had just handed in his resignation letter. Instead of shaking him off, he let out a deep sigh and sat down with a tired expression.

"I'll ask you again. What is the reason?"

"Are you going to discard me and then kill me off?"

It was a genuine question coming from Deon despite knowing the answer. He knew full well that he was just entertainment for the bored Demon King and the despaired Emperor.

The Demon King, with an ominous gaze, looked at Deon.

What did his gaze say? Is it a gaze that says, 'What ludicrous things are you spewing now?' or was it 'Are you that desperate for death to ask me that?' Or perhaps it was a gaze that said, 'Maybe after I'm done playing with you when you no longer have any worth.'

Deon was conflicted on whether or not to apologize. It was a weird question to ask, it made him look more stupid now that he thought about it.

Neither could he avoid the intense gaze that was directed at him, he could only stand still emotionlessly while watching the Demon King who clung to him a while ago in utter horror.

While that happened, the Dominating Aura activated to keep Deon standing. Of course, the Demon King was able to sense it; but did not pry any further. There was no malicious intent spotted, so the topic itself was ignored.

"..."

As if the Demon King was trying to read Deon's mind, the Demon King finally lowered his head.

"There is no way I could kill you, and neither would I discard you. What's the reason? Talk to me."

Though Deon hesitated, it was only for a moment.

He wanted to escape from the castle, and procedures like this were technically necessary. But, would the Demon King really listen to him? Besides, even if he escaped, his white hair made it easy to spot him. That's why, this plan was already excluded. It wasn't like this place was like Roan Kingdom, the Demon King could easily track him if he chose to do so.

So hesitantly, Deon opened his mouth.

"...It's-"

Suddenly, the familiar metallic smell and taste of blood spread from Deon's nose to his mouth.

"Cough!! Cough!"

Deon was finally able to grasp the situation. This body of his! Of all places, to vomit blood here?! And he wasn't even feeling stressed, why did his nose start bleeding?

His eyes glossed over at the blood-stained papers. Even the Demon King was drenched in his blood.

'What a shitty life.'

Deon quickly covered his mouth and backed away. The papers were already stained, and the Demon King's hands were covered in his blood. Deon saw him clench his teeth as if he was angry and shivered. The feeling of oppression was heavily felt, making him unconsciously back away.

He swallowed back the screams that wanted to erupt out of his throat as killing intent pierced throughout his entire body. Thankfully, the Dominating Aura helped him ease the feeling of danger.

However, this also left him with no other choice but to apologize for the mess he created, so Deon slowly opened his mouth to talk.

"I apologize. I dirtied the papers..."

"That doesn't matter right now! Doctor! Call the Zeroth Corps Commander's doctor!! What is he doing when the patient is so sick?!"

Deon was no longer bothered by the action. These events frequently occurred even when he was Kim Rok-Soo or Cale Henituse. Back then, he always had a nosebleed or ended up vomiting blood from excessive use of his powers, and that didn't change even as Deon.

A wave of exhaustion swept through Deon, this all happened just because he had a nosebleed and ended up coughing blood. However, with Record and Vitality of the Heart, he freshened up in an instant as if nothing ever happened, if you ignored the bloodstains.

'So instead of blaming me, he'll blame the doctor, does that make any sense at all?'

As Deon stood still, a question appeared in his head.

Why did no one find out he had an illness and that it wasn't because of a side effect?

Ben was also a demon since this was the Demon King's castle. Every demon in the Demon Realm was made up by magic from the Demon King, in a sense, he was technically their creator or father. It didn't make sense that Ben couldn't sense his illness, or was he keeping quiet in the Demon King's favor?

'Just a bit more and maybe I can be free from this awkward situation..'

Resigning to his fate for now, Deon slumped down in his seat with a bitter expression. His mind wandered about, thinking about his regrets and the torture he went through.

He'll surely get his slacker life soon, right..? It might take a bit but he will get it!

***

"What is he doing when the patient is so sick?!"

The overwhelming magic power swept through the entire castle. Demons nearby and afar could barely breathe under the influence of the tremendous power, some even fainted.

It was obvious who the source of this dense and heavy magic power was. Ben, the Zeroth Corps Commander's doctor, hurriedly packed his medical bag for remote visits and was prepared to die today by the angry Demon King's hands.

Of course, the Demon King's only concern was the patient Ben was in charge of, the Commander of the Zeroth Corps, Demon Arut.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Of course, the Demon King's only concern was the patient Ben was in charge of, the Commander of the Zeroth Corps, Demon Arut.

***

When Ben arrived at the Demon King's office, he saw two things; Deon sitting on the sofa with his mouth covered and blood dripping down onto his hand.

As a result, the carpet and papers in the office were ruined, yet the Demon King didn't seem to mind at all and instead looked distressed over Deon's current condition. Seeing this, Ben slowly approached Deon.

It seemed that Deon didn't want to get up seeing as he was slumped onto the sofa, possibly because his legs were weak. Ben shut his eyes for a moment before hurriedly going over to Deon.

The patient was ill, and Ben was unable to arrive quickly, which disqualified him from being a doctor. There was nothing that Ben could say if Sir Arut got angry and even snap his neck.

But before that, Ben would have to start with the treatment before dying.

First, he stretched out three fingers. To first check if Deon was conscious.

"Sir Arut, can you hear me? How many fingers do you see here?"

"Three..?"

Deon gave an uncomfortable look as he answered. Ben ignored the glare and propped his glasses up, he was engrossed in checking on Deon's safety and health.

Consciousness normal, vision normal.

The demons nearby felt pity. Everyone in the Demon Castle knew why Demon Arut was like this, how could they not know? Because everyone had seen it clearly. The scene of him holding back the Hero, who was about to self-destruct, with nothing but his mortal body.

Not to mention, the scene where the Hero died with just a small move from him. It was only natural that his body would be damaged since he took the force of the Hero's self-destruction all by himself.

So, who could possibly look down on him?

A weak body and weak combat ability were two different things. Ben was not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but this person was special.

Ben could definitely take this life right now if he really wanted to. But then he wouldn't even realize he was dead until it was too late.

Even though he was spewing blood at the time, it didn't appear that way when looking into his vividly alive eyes.

Red eyes that made you question whether this is what happens when fresh blood forms into a circle. These eyes, which stood out even more due to his white hair that not even vampires have carried a clear 'murderous' intent.

Murderous intent is something that can only happen after killing countless people and witnessing countless deaths. How could Ben possibly look down on him?

Suppressing his fear and awe, Ben calmly opened his mouth.

"...As you might have guessed, this is an after-effect."

As if the Demon King had expected it, resignation flashed across his face. His mouth was shut for a moment, and a look of bitterness was visible. However, it was different for the person in question, Demon Arut.

A look of indifference. No, that was a fed-up look.

The Zeroth Corps Commander had heard it so many times that he had gotten fed-up with the word 'after-effect.'

As Ben was speaking, out of nowhere, Deon put the handkerchief he had received from the Demon King over his mouth and buried himself deep inside the soft sofa.

"That is true, but I didn't call you here for something that I obviously already knew about, did I now?"

The Demon King glared at Ben who could only lower his head helplessly under the immense and dangerous aura coming from the Demon King.

"Find a way to cure him in the quickest way possible. If you fail... you know what happens, right?"

"Yes. I will do my best..."

Ben answered back immediately. He gulped down the saliva that was forming in his throat and looked at the indifferent Zeroth Corps Commander in front of him, as expected, he didn't budge even at the threat coming from the Demon King.

"Arut, let's continue our talk next time. I want you to focus on your recovery! Bring the Zeroth Corps Commander to his room now!"

The Demon King sent the order, and immediately demons entered the room.

Deon looked at the scene unfolding in front of his face with slight bewilderment. Although it was interesting to see things in the novel unfold as usual, he was still confused about where the hospital bed came from. Just where on earth did the demons pull it out from?

Shortly after, he snapped back to reality after feeling a tug on his sleeve. Deon realized that Ben was already dragging him back to his room.

"Wait, I'm alright, I can go by my-"

"No! I'll bring you there!"

Deon wanted to refute Ben, but he was already beaten to it by Ben who gripped on his sleeves even tighter and dragged him.

At times, Deon regretted being reincarnated into this world. But it was way better than being stuck in the Roan Kingdom where all of the ridiculously strong and obsessive people loitered around. Deon, no, Cale would rather be here even if it meant that he was headed straight for doom.

Even if he was headed for a horrible end, he could still change it. He had done it once, who said that he couldn't do it again?

His initial plan was to escape from the Demon Realm. However, seeing the demons who were physically stronger than him, he gave up and laid on the hospital bed. Perhaps in the near future he could at least try.

It wasn't like there was any more trouble other than Stave Illuster and the war, right?

"Oh my, did Lord Arut's after-effect kick up again?"

"I can't help but feel bad, he absorbed the Hero's self-destruct and now he's suffering from the after-effects..."

"But isn't it amazing how he's still the second strongest in the whole castle?"

"Yes indeed! I'm astonished that he's just right behind His Majesty even after taking a blow from the Hero's self-destruction!"

But now that Deon thought about it, where did these crazily exaggerated rumors come from?

***

"Lord Arut, are you feeling fine?"

"His pulse is now fine."

"Get him a wet towel now!"

'Strong person.. Me, Deon a strong person?'

Deon sympathized with himself. Even in his life as Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo, he was still arguably the weakest one out of everyone. Despite having helpful abilities, they only weakened his body even further.

He wanted to cry. Special treatment was good and all, but they treated him too well.

'There's something wrong with me..'

Deon shuddered. Back then, he would be overjoyed with the out-of-the-world treatment he received, after all, free food and bedding was the best. So why did he feel uneasy?

He clutched the blanket that was placed over him by a servant and closed his eyes before opening them again. His eyes glanced over to the three red moons, ignoring the demons bowing towards him.

"Please have a good rest."

Click!

The demons quickly left, giving Deon some time to himself, at least for now.

It gave him time to think about his miserable life and the misunderstandings that were the core reason for his life.

He wasn't as strong as rumored, and neither was he a blood-thirsty beast. Combined with his unique albinism traits and weak constitution, you may as well call him the weakest human. Even a kid could injure him heavily, especially his past life. However, with past life experiences, he was still strong in intellect.

***

"I'll take the cup with me once you're finished drinking."

"Thank you."

Deon picked up the glass of water and quickly finished it in one go. His hands under the sheets were tightly clenched in annoyance and nervousness. He wanted to be alone to test his ancient powers, yet he was currently being stared at to death by servants.

His hand mindlessly placed the cup near the platter and was unaware of the fact that the cup began to tip over.

"Ah... M-my apologies!"

"..."

Deon stared at the demon in front of him, his emotionless face only startled the poor servant even more.

However, he was currently confused.

Did demons just have a hobby about apologizing over everything? He was the one who made the mistake, why did they need to apologize?

Yet what came out of his mouth weren't the words of comfort.

"Please leave."

"Yes!"

The demon quickly fled from the scene as if he were the culprit of a murder that took place.

Deon widened his eyes at the speed of the servant. Even low-ranking demons were ridiculously quick..

"She left so quickly.."

His body flopped right back on the bed like a wet noodle.

A groan came out from his lips. He had only just realized how tiresome it was to be someone of high status and well-known.

Deon Hardt was the only human who could reside in the Demonic Realm. Born with the weakest body, that would collapse at the slightest hint of stress. He was someone who was 'mistakenly' regarded as a strong individual. And thus was how he became the Zeroth Corps Commander, a subordinate of the Demon King.

This was something he wouldn't have dared to tell anyone in the Demonic Realm.

Even if he was ratted out for being a fraud, the Demon King wouldn't forsake him. He was a being who looked forward to entertainment, and he was just the thing the Demon King needed.

However, because of this, it was the reason why he was soon fated to die.

"...I don't want to die again.. I need to get out of here and away from the Empire altogether."

Deon sprung up from his bed, his hand caressed his nape as if his head was chopped off.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon sprung up from his bed, his hand caressed his nape as if his head was chopped off.

***

Bang!

Ed entered the room with a concerned gaze. Deon could tell it was a sincere gaze just by looking at how Ed's eyes were slightly trembling and how his pupils shrunk.

"Ed, did you come back from your trip from the human realm?"

"Yes!"

"I also got a new cube gadget which is known as a mirror cube."

"So... A Rubik's cube?"

"Pardon Sir Arut... But what is a Rubik's cube?"

"It's nothing, ignore it."

Deon forgot that he wasn't on Earth, nor was he Kim Rok Soo, or Cale Henituse the Supreme Commander anymore. He was grateful to Ed who brought home different trinkets from the Human Realm. Though he was used to abnormality thanks to his past lives, it was nice to have some normal gadgets that technically hailed from his world.

Ed was one of the few demons he was comfortable around, although he was a little violent... He stood by his side no matter what.

After remembering the contents of the novel, Deon was more comfortable now rather than being on guard like he was back then.

"I heard that you collapsed again! Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine now."

Deon played around with the mirror cube as he listened to Ed's scolding about taking care of his health. During this reprimanding, Ed reminded him of a certain ginger who was always on his side...

"How could you be fine?! When will you ever be free from this after-effect..."

"Probably when in my next life? Oh, there's also something I should tell you too."

He looked down at his chest, the tattoo representing his ancient powers was beneath the shirt he wore. When he thought about it a while ago, he made the decision to tell Ed about his ancient powers. While he wasn't sure if this world had ancient powers, he trusted that Ed wouldn't go spreading it around; at most, it would be told to the Demon King.

Moreover, Ed wouldn't lock him up like they would, right?

"..I have a regenerative ancient power."

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

Ed looked at Deon with disbelief in his eyes, his pupils contracted from the sudden revelation of knowledge that he wasn't informed of.

"Sir Arut, you have ancient powers?"

"I do... quite a few actually, they like to flock around me."

Deon wasn't wrong now, was he?

Seven out of all of his ancient powers were in the Roan Kingdom! It did make him question whether or not the Roan Kingdom was secretly a blessed land. However, he didn't want to linger on the past too much, especially with places associated with his "family."

"I heard that ancient powers were extremely rare to find, and finding them was like once in a lifetime... As expected of Sir Arut!"

The sudden revelation made Ed look at Deon with a gaze filled with admiration and awe. The look made unsettled Deon, but he didn't mind it as much now.

"Oh."

'So ancient powers do exist here and still have the same concept, thank god. That means I don't have to explain what it is.'

Deon mentally sighed in relief. If they didn't exist in this world, he'd have to explain what it was and where they came from, it was too much work.

"Ahem, please get some ample rest Sir Arut. It seems that I've taken up your time."

"Hmm? Okay, have fun..."

Ed quickly excused himself and left the room more cheerfully than he had a while ago, leaving Deon in his room by himself.

"Should I go and test out my ancient powers capacity soon?"

Deon placed the cube on his bed. He made a firm decision to head to the training grounds soon, a place he would never even dare to approach before.

Ancient powers, his specifically were mostly based on how much dead mana there was and how unbalanced nature was. They also depended on the host's ability to wield them. If you possessed a powerful ability but didn't know how to use it, what was the point then? This was why Deon wanted to test his ancient powers out, to test if anything happened to them.

***

"His resignation letter... There's just no telling what he's thinking and planning to do with that emotionless face of his. Well, Arut has always been that unpredictable ever since the first time we met."

That did take him back to the first time they had met on the battlefield.

***

"Did he just kill the Hero...?"

"It seems like it..."

"He seems to have killed and blocked the Hero's self-destruction."

"How is he still on his feet after taking that power head on..?"

Hah! The Empire sent a pretty interesting guy here. Who would thought that someone would kill the hero, and even block the hero's self-destruction? This was definitely not what Caver was expecting.

"You, what's your name?"

This interesting man showed such great courage and loyalty by jumping into the middle of the battlefield for the Empire. Caver couldn't believe they sent someone as useful to such a dangerous place and died in vain.

"..."

"...Deon Hardt."

"I see then, Demon Arut. What do you think about joining the Demon King's army?"

If Caver was Eduardo he would never let such a person go here, perhaps even keeping the person by his side at all times. But alas, it was too late. But, instead of dying such a pathetic death here, shouldn't such an interesting man just join his army instead? That would be a better use for such amazing talent.

***

Caver recalled the events that happened and picked up the resignation letter before burning it. There's no way he's gonna let Arut go that easily with just a measly piece of paper.

"Thinking back... Arut has been too free right? But it's not like I can really send him on a mission right now.."

Oh?

What's this now?

Caver noticed a document on his table, his lips then curled up and displayed a sinister smirk. He snapped his fingers and summoned a servant who immediately greeted him.

"I'm calling for a meeting of the Corps Commanders, gather all of the Corps Commanders right away!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After the servant left, Caver continued to look at the document in his hands. His eyes were still curled into crescent moons as he placed the document down.

"With this, Arut should be satisfied."

Caver smiled at the document in his hands, misunderstanding Deon's whole situation.

***

'Damn it. Right when I was about to go test out my ancient powers... I'm so pissed off right now.'

But, was he seriously so focused on testing them out that he forgot about this part?

Deon was walking down the hallway in an irritated mood. Unbeknownst to him, he was exuding a dangerous aura, stilling everyone around him with fear.

He mentally sighed. This time the other commanders were coming too...

"Is he feeling better now?"

"It seems he might be angry due to the sudden summons?"

Ah..

He forgot to maintain his expression. He rarely showcased his emotions in front of everyone, always displaying a poker face in front of allies and enemies alike. The only time he genuinely showed his emotions somewhat was when he was with his Team Leader and Choi Jung-Soo.

Inhaling and exhaling, Deon reverted to his stoic face. It would be a ticket straight to death if rumors of him getting angry over the Demon King's summons were to spread around. A social execution even!

"Hmmm? He's that rumored human right? It's my first time seeing him. His name was something like..."

"Oh, are you still unable to remember his name? I was there when he killed the hero! Back then when the Demon King asked for his name he replied nonchalantly with, 'I'm Demon Arut.'"

"Oh! That's the most demon-like name I've ever heard so far!"

Deon snapped his head towards the gossiping guards and glared at them with contempt. He didn't bother covering up the 'misunderstanding' since he was genuinely mad.

'I said my name was Deon Hardt, not Demon Arut? Where the fuck does everyone get Demon Arut from?'

"Eek! Watch out, I-I think he's in a bad mood right now!"

Both guards trembled at the sight of an angry Deon. They've overheard rumors that the Demon Arut had a lot of pent-up stress from not being able to fight.

This meant that they needed to move out of the way before Demon Arut moved them to the afterlife first!

Deon turned his head back as if he never heard anything. In truth, Deon Hardt in the novel was indeed strong. However, that was only when he was unconscious or drunk, later on when he merged with the Heroes Fragment was when he no longer relied on his unconscious state.

Nearing the destination of the meeting room, Deon decided to put on his Demon Arut act so that no one would find out his real personality.

"Ah! L-lord Arut!"

"Open the door."

"Y-yes!"

***

"Last but not least, the Zeroth Corps Commander has entered!"

Deon stood in front of the meeting table emotionlessly, preparing himself and accepting his fate to go on the mission. But on the bright side, he could blow off some stress and test out his ancient powers right?

"You're here."

'...God this atmosphere still sends shivers up my spine please stop.'

[You should sit next to his majesty]

"You should sit next to his majesty."

Jaykar, the First Corps Commander was already telling him to sit next to the Demon King. Well it seems that everything is still going according to the novel so that's fine.

Deon took a quick glance at Asilde the Third Corps Commander who was looking at him yet didn't seem to notice Deon was looking at him. Well, it's fine, he already knows what he's thinking, as well as everyone else.

"Tch, is accomplishing an objective any excuse to be- What the hell Idelia?!"

Bellitan the Sixth Corps Commander, cursed as he turned his head to Idelia who smacked him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure he had his reasons. So shut up."

Idelia glared at Bellitan who immediately shut up at her words. Across from them was Lilinell who was glaring at Bellitan.

'How dare that block of muscle disrespect Lord Arut!'

Deon decided to not pay attention to Lilinell. She was a little... different? She reminded him of Clopeh, but more tame and worse was one way to describe it.

'So many commanders here... I want to curl up in a grave right now.'

Deon sat right down next to the Demon King. Crossing his arms and legs, he looked up at the Demon King who then spoke.

"Arut, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I apologize for being late."

"Don't worry about that, you weren't late on purpose."

"Yes..."

He decided not to tell Caver that he had gone late on purpose because he didn't want to be here with all of these ridiculously strong people.

"Lord Arut... I'll pour you a drink."

A servant came by with a bottle of 'wine.' Although, Deon already knew there was no wine, and it was grape juice instead.

"No need."

"P-pardon?"

"I said: There's. No. Need."

"..."

Just the cold tone coming from Deon shocked most of the commanders into fear, some were even in awe at the strength he displayed just from talking.

"Arut, I thought you loved drinking?"

Caver was slightly intrigued by the change in Deon today, usually he would take the offer gleefully.

"Alcohol doesn't help anymore." doesn't help with my survival.

The other commanders could only swallow their saliva and peek at the Demon King who was conversing with Deon.

If Arut only drank to keep himself busy from not fighting.. Didn't this mean he was at his limit now and would even kill anyone who pisses him off slightly right there and then?

(A/N): loud incorrect buzzer🔥🔥🔥

"...If even alcohol can't help you must be really antsy to fight right now."

"..."

Deon said nothing and kept silent before smiling. He actually hated fighting, but this body was actually somehow stronger than his past as Cale... Thankfully, he has records of Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk's fighting and training so he can at least fake it until he gets caught as a fraud.

(A/N): FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT !!!

"Sixth Corps Commander, share the details of the document that you submitted to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty! Although the Twelfth Corps Commander has been protecting the village so far, there was a sudden and abrupt increase in demonic beasts and the Twelfth Corps Commander could no longer handle them."

Deon could anticipate what Bellitan was going to say next.

"After the demonic monsters destroyed half of the village, we evacuated the remaining residents to a bigger city with fortress walls. However, we are unsure when or if that place will also be ambushed so we need more reinforcements to hunt the demonic monsters down."

"Oh dear, I was wondering why the Twelfth Corps Commander wasn't around. Did he perhaps get killed?"

"By mere demonic monsters...?"

"Watch what you say, even mere demonic monsters can become a formidable foe if they band up together. That's why it's always best to be on alert."

"But they're just failed products aren't they?!"

'Wow... They're making a huge ruckus over it. If this was the old me I would have wondered why, but it's not. I know a good example of weak things overpowering someone extremely strong.'

Deon sat still quietly, waiting patiently for the Demon King to bring it up, or at least someone else to so that he could volunteer. As much as he disliked it, he needed to try out the strength of his powers and see whether or not they were sealed, and if they changed or not.

"We're also at war every day as there are too many demonic monsters, and we still do not know the abrupt increase of them either."

"The now-deceased Hero used to go on expeditions to kill those monsters. It's no surprise that he got killed by them."

"Ah... The Hero..."

"..Lord Arut was the one who killed him..."

Everyone fell silent, they then turned to Deon who had flinched at the Demon King's words.

You would think that they were going to kill Deon. It was quite reasonable considering how vicious their gazes were; yet in reality, they were all looking at him with admiration.

After a brief moment of silence, Deon raised his head slightly and opened his eyes.

This was the moment Deon in the novel gets forced to go to the expedition.

Knowing this, Deon looked at the Demon King and gave a quick look. The Demon King noticed the signal given, and turned to the rest of the Corps Commanders, clasping his hands together.

"Don't worry, the Zeroth Corps will be dispatched as reinforcements."

Deon didn't know whether to sigh in relief or cry out tears of agony. He hated working but still went to work either way, it was hypocritical of him.

No. He was doing it because he needed a slacker life! That's right, to get a slacker life, one must work at least a little, no?

"Go there and relieve some stress Arut."

"..Thank you, Your Majesty."

Deon couldn't bear to look at the other's suffocating gazes. Their sparkling eyes were killing him.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon couldn't bear to look at the other's suffocating gazes. Their sparkling eyes were killing him.

***

"My life so chaotic..."

The only thought in Deon's mind was to strangle the God of Death to death. However, in reality, he had no one to blame but himself.

He glanced at the wine bottle in his bag, "Should I take a sip?" The thought lingered in his mind. After all, with his regenerative ancient power back, he couldn't get drunk no matter how much he tried.

***

"You've already packed up? You must be dying to move your body, it's a shame I didn't assign you a mission earlier."

"...Yes, it's been so long since I fought.."

"I knew that sending you was a great choice, and in the end, it works out for you too right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty.." No, it really doesn't but it's fine.

Now he felt like fleeing, but he probably couldn't flee to the Empire. With the manipulative Emperor and the Duke there, it was just asking him to get tangled up in a mess and die. Could Cruel protect him? That's what Cruel did in the novel. However, what if it was just a misunderstanding like The Birth of a Hero?

He immediately discarded the thought; there was no way it could be a misunderstanding. Some key details were hidden in The Birth of a Hero, but most were explained only from Choi-Han's point of view. It was the reason why he had initially misunderstood many people involved in the guidebook. However, in this case, it was explained from Deon's perspective. So, it was nearly impossible for it to be a misunderstanding.

Deon knew how competent the Zeroth Corps and Ed were from the novel and from rumors he overheard while on 'break.' They were able to get into formation quickly, but it looked like they didn't know much more than the other Corps since there wasn't anyone else to command them besides Ed.

Pulling back the curtains, Deon rummaged through his luggage to take out a black choker with a small ruby in the middle of it.

The God of Death had told him to watch out for his followers who were much more fanatic than the ones in Roan Kingdom, and this choker was given to him to hide the Aura of Death he exuded. Ever since dying once and evading death almost every single time, the death aura he exuded grew stronger than ever; it was practically nourishment for species of death, only if they genuinely feasted on humans.

While most people would be ecstatic, Deon could faintly feel that this was a ploy to make him the God of Death's Saint.

"...Let's just wear it."

Imagining the scene of hundreds of fanatic believers revering him as a deity scared him. So he rushed to wrap the choker around his neck before securing it. The choker came with a note. Deon could sense a bad premonition just at the sight of the sealed note. However, he felt that if he didn't read it, he would regret that choice for life.

Deon sighed and reached out to the edge of the paper in one go, his hands undone the creases so that he could see the message.

"..."

???

"I forgot to mention... don't let that Demon King see your choker

Both jewels on your neck and his outfit exude the power of death. While yours contains purer forms, his is an aura of destruction.

Anyway, good luck!

— Your favorite, God of Death"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

For the first time after recovering his memories, Deon felt infuriated and cursed out the God of Death. His hands that were holding the note delicately were now ripping the paper to shreds mercilessly.

After ripping the note, Deon finally felt better. He even felt that his actions were a good choice. While it was written in Korean courtesy of the God of Death, who knew if someone could understand it?

Meanwhile, Ed stood guard of the carriage outside with a solemn expression. A pang of guilt struck him as he imagined the face his commander was making.

'...Sir Arut is very quiet right now.. He even drew the curtains. Perhaps Sir Arut isn't feeling great? Was it because of the incident that happened before we departed?'

***

Deon looked at the horses' missing heads, yes, literally, missing heads. Instead of what was supposed to be a horse head was a black flame located where the head was supposed to be. The flame gave off a sinister feeling, prompting Deon's hands to twitch. He felt the urge to burn it with his ancient powers.

Looking back at his unsealed memories, he felt a sense of curiosity seeing the headless horses' in person.

"S-sir Arut! Please wait! I know you want to ride horseback, but please, think about your health and ride in the carriage until you have fully recovered!"

Deon glanced at the corps members and identified each one of them. However, they didn't notice and misunderstood that Deon was disappointed. Who else could the reason be blamed on but Deon's expressionless glare?

"...Well.. Alright."

He gave a reply in a low tone before heading back into the carriage. His half-closed eyes gave a sense of oppression and anger, prompting the corps members stuck in their places.

Ed wanted to tell his commander that it was fine to do as he pleased as it was known that he tended to suppress his desires on a regular basis. However, an order from the Demon King is absolute, and no one can go against it, yet they didn't want to either because it was for Sir Arut's sake.

"Lieutenant! The village up ahead..."

"How terrible..."

"I guess the demonic monsters have already swept up this area and left."

"U-up ahead!"

"That!"

Hordes of demonic monsters soon appeared, rushing at them as if they were waiting for their prey all along. Their eyes shone a dangerous red light as if they'd devour them within a heartbeat.

Were they waiting for them..?

Ed was slightly confused. Most demonic monsters relied on instinct and had no sense of thinking, so how were they able to form a plan even if it wasn't as good of a plan?

"Tch- Everyone, get ready to battle!"

"Fight for Sir Arut who's depending on us!"

Both the Zeroth Corps Members and demonic monsters dashed at each other, ready to strike each other down. Deon watched this while sweat-dropping; it seriously sounded like he was some king after they said "for Sir Arut," and it creeped him out.

'It doesn't seem that anyone is looking now, right?'

Deon looked around his surroundings, checking to see if anyone was surveilling him. After verifying that nobody was, he decided to head out to the ongoing battlefield.

Now was the time to check out his ancient powers!

***

"Shit... There's no end to them.."

Ed looked at what seemed to be an unfathomable amount of demonic monsters surrounding them from all sides of the village.

"Sir Ed! Watch out!"

Ed turned around to face a demonic monster attacking him. He would have dodged however the gap between them was too small that there was nowhere to go.

Bang!

A fiery thunderbolt struck the demonic monster, completely burning it into ashes as if there was never a demonic monster that was about to attack Ed. The corps members stood in shock, their minds unable to process what just happened.

Suddenly, a familiar cold voice spoke in a maniacal tone.

"Haha... At times like this, the best way to relieve stress is to burn and stab your enemies to death!"

Deon maniacally laughed as he struck down more demonic monsters with the Fire of Destruction. The Corps Members and demonic monsters couldn't help but watch as fear stilled them, rendering them unable to move; yet they were in awe at the newfound power of their commander.

"This...?"

"Ahem... This is Sir Arut's ancient power. He wanted to try them out."

"Ancient power...?"

"Don't you need luck that rivals god to get even one ancient power?"

"As expected of Sir Arut..."

The Corps Members watched as Deon wiped out the rest of the demonic beasts.

"Sir Arut! Sir Arut watch out!"

A fireball rushed toward Deon at a rapid rate. Ed ran up to him in horror, his eyes dilated from the horrific images conjuring in his mind.

***

'My ancient powers seemed to have grown ridiculously stronger.'

Deon stared at the demonic monsters he just massacred mercilessly. He never felt this strong in his life.

"....out!"

"-Sir Arut watch out!"

Jerking his head to where Ed was, Deon completely missed the attack heading straight towards his head.

"Huh?-"

He suddenly felt intense heat coursing throughout his head. The fireball managed to hit his head, avoiding every other part of his body.

Mustering up the last bit of strength, Deon conjured water orbs and splashed them onto his head to extinguish the flame.

"Sir Arut- are you okay?!"

Ed came rushing towards Deon, shaking him back and forth to check for injuries. The scene suddenly resembled that of a mother hen checking on her child.

"Sir Arut- S-sir Arut?!"

Plop!

A few strands of white hair fell onto Deon's hands, and by a few, he meant a lot.

"S-sir Arut... Your hair has grown longer!"

Ed looked at Deon who now had longer hair than before. The hair reached past his shoulders, and reached his waist, creating an alluring effect. Yet the person involved in this spectacle was completely unfazed by this.

"Don't mind.. my hair. Let's get back quickly."

Deon wiped the remaining ash off of his face. He felt like crying in relief and fear right now. Why the hell does something always happen to him whether he wants it or not?

However, on the bright side, it repaired his hair cells. Sometimes he was glad that the Regeneration of the Heart wasn't just centered on internal organs but rather every cell in his body.

***

"Commander of the Zeroth Corps?"

"Yes, a soldier sent to survey the Demonic Realm reported that the Commander of the Zeroth Corps participated in the demonic monster subjugation this time. He was extremely strong and brutal as the rumors say."

"I heard that the Zeroth Corps Commander is the Demon King's most prized talent.... It's making me miss someone."

Eduardo tapped the armrest of his throne impatiently.

Yes, that's right, Deon was indeed talented and even the Demon King sought him out when he saw his potential.

"Hmm.. If that's how they want to come out of the Demonic Realm, then we should make preparations as well."

"I seem to have the perfect candidate as well, what do you think?"

"...!"

"I'm giving you a special opportunity to make an achievement-"

"I accept the Royal orders!"

"..Yes... I hope you become 'that talent' then."

Eduardo looked at the hooded figure with a cold gaze. That man accepted his orders without knowing it was all a setup. It only showed how loyal, or well, how desperate he was.

***

"Cale-nim we'll take care of the White Star for you, so please stay here and be still until we get back, okay?"

No, I refuse. I don't deserve to be locked up here. Let me go, you're just talking crazy! Who else can kill him besides me?!

"Human! These cuffs will stop you from using your ancient powers and it will stop you from coughing up blood!"

You... Do you know what you're talking about?! Did you forget how you were locked up while being powerless?!

Everything I did for survival and freedom.. Did it seriously go down the drain? How could you betray me like this?

You.. You guys aren't my family. Where is my family? They wouldn't do this to me...

I despise you all! To hell with you all! I hope the White Star ends up killing you all! I'll never forgive you, I detest you, and I will never let you go safely the next time we reunite.

***

"Hah?!"

Deon woke up in a cold sweat. He could feel sweat dripping down his forehead, and his hair slightly damp. The feelings of despair and resentment still lingered in his heart.

'What a horrible memory..'

Deon sat up, his hands clumsily wiping the sweat off of his forehead. When he looked around, he noticed that they were back at the Demon King's castle.

"..My room..."

"Are you awake now?"

"Oh... Ben, Ed.."

"Sir Arut are you alright?! You were asleep for a whole day!"

'Only one day? That might've been one of the shortest times I've fainted..'

"We checked if you had any injuries, but none were found. However, you randomly puked up a ton of blood, and we were worried so we checked in case... Do you know how shocked I was to see you covered in blood? And this wasn't the enemy's blood either, it was your blood!"

"..I...Well.."

How was he going to explain that he had ancient powers? Wouldn't it be weird to just go, "oh well I actually have ancient powers, and one of them helps me to regenerate my body cells!"

"Well, it's alright. I don't need an explanation since Ed told me. But please be careful in the future, Sir Arut."

"Oh..."

Deon said nothing more and looked down, his fingers fiddling with his now longer hair.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Oh..."

Deon said nothing more and looked down, his fingers fiddling with his now longer hair.

***

"Ahem, thankfully you weren't harmed after being, lit. On. Fire. Right?"

"..Yeah..."

Deon guiltily looked away from Ben's reprimanding and invasive gaze. A sense of familiarity arose within his body from the amount of worrisome feelings emanating from Ben.

"Sir Arut! You were amazing, I never knew ancient powers could be as powerful as magic!"

"And you overdid it with your powers how else would someone faint for a whole day? So please be careful from now on."

"I got it..."

Wasn't it better to get the job over with? He completed it with max efficiency; even if he bled a little, there were no casualties.

"That's right! We, the Zeroth Corps exist solely for you, Sir Arut! Please believe in us!"

"..I will...?"

Of course, the Zeroth Corps existed because of him, he was the reason why it formed in the first place.. Was he missing something? How come he felt that Ed didn't mean it that way?

"Sir Arut!"

There it was. The other commanders were finally here to argue with each other in front of him.

"..We heard you're awake! But... something seems to have changed."

Idelia stared at Deon's longer hair. She knew that the Zeroth Corps Commander was handsome, but she never imagined that with longer hair, he'd look more beautiful than handsome, as well as saintly... He was almost like.. A Demonic Saint, alluring, yet deadly.

If Deon had known what Idelia was thinking about, he would have lost his temper for the nth time already.

"Ah, don't mind it. I might cut it soon."

"But I think longer hair suits you Sir Arut."

"...I also agree with Idelia!"

Deon turned to Aslid, it was a rare moment to see such people in agreement; these were the corps commanders after all, half of the time spent together was them fighting.

"What are you even doing here? Do you want me to play with you or something?"

Deon stared at Idelia with an incredulous look. See? Not even a minute in and they've already begun fighting!

"Stop joking around, I'm obviously here to pay my respects to the Zeroth Corps Commander!"

'That's definitely not what you want to do..'

Both Idelia and Deon looked at Aslid with a skeptical look, it was obvious what he came here for.

"You guys are all the same."

'Why the hell are you even here?!'

Deon watched as Jaykar barged into the room, his face slowly darkening. Currently, he felt miserable with all of the people in here.

"Ahem... if you're going to visit him just greet him quietly, and then leave. Sir Arut seems to be quite angry."

Jaykar turned his head away from Deon who was death glaring at him. There was a feeling that The Zeroth Corps Commander was angry at them.

"Huk-"

Both Edellia and Aslid turned away at the sight of an angry Arut that was glaring at them in a menacing way. That gaze seemed to have said—you're annoying me get out before I kill you.

'He must be extremely sensitive as of right now since he just woke up after the mission... It's best to be careful.'

Aslid looked at Arut nervously. It was best to be cautious now, he couldn't expect everyone to go along with what he said; especially with someone stronger than him, would they really agree? Couldn't they just kill him before he even uttered a sentence? In a way, he was being granted mercy right now.

"...I understand your feelings, but please don't fight in the Demon King's Castle.. Don't kill each other."

"Kill..? What would I even gain from killing an all brute and muscles head?"

Seriously he was basically Toonka but even more of a brute, there was not a single braincell in Aslid's head. Toonka at least recovered some humanity after a pep talk was given, but would Aslid even listen to him?

"B-brute...?!"

Deon stared at Aslid in a daze, seemingly realizing something, he muttered to himself, "Ah.. did I say that out loud...?"

"Pfft- Ahahaha! Sir Arut's right! You are just a brute Aslid."

"Ahem.. Anyway, I heard you successfully completed your mission in just a few hours. You must've worked extremely hard."

"What Sir Jaykar said is right! There is so much talk about you all over the castle Sir Arut!! They said you even wiped out not half, but the majority of monsters with an ancient power!"

Idelia clasped her hands together while looking at Deon in awe and amazement. Such a feat is difficult to obtain even if you were strong, and it would be nearly impossible if you were weak.

"..."

However, this was ignored by Deon. His gaze was subtly lingering on Aslid.

"Aslid do you have something to say...?"

Deon cautiously asked. With this kind of probing, he was just asking for death; but when has he never done that?

"..I've also heard about the news from other demons and I was wondering if you could spar with me!"

"..."

He said that pretty quickly.. Does he have no shame?

Deon looked at Aslid's face which contained not even a hint of shame on it. He felt extremely exasperated.

"Oho, now that sounds fun."

Jaykar voiced out his thoughts, the Zeroth Corps Commander has never sparred with anyone ever since becoming a Corps Commander. Would it be considered greedy of him to want to see his abilities?

"Oh my! To see Sir Arut spar sounds wonderful, I'll find as many as spectators as possible!"

"Wait- Idelia.."

However, Deon's plea was never heard. Idelia had already excitedly exited the room

Deon was too late. It seemed that this time Idelia was way more excited than the original and now that led him to having to actually fight Asild.

"I don't really want to fight him though?"

Deon shamelessly said, each word jabbing at Aslid's ego. Even when he was Cale, he never directly fought someone; it was always the people around him fighting!

"I'll definitely come over to watch your sparring."

"Are you sure it's gonna be just sparring?"

A gentle smile appeared on Deon's face as he asked. While he looked seemingly innocent and pure, they all knew the Zeroth Corps Commander was the complete opposite of innocent.

The question that seemed harmless caused everyone in the room to shiver, especially Aslid.

However, while Aslid was in a dilemma, the person who asked the question was even thinking on how he should mess around! Whether it was tossing him around like he did with Toonka; playing cat chasing a mouse with the White Star; or deceiving the God of Despair, it surely wasn't going to end well for Aslid.

"Pardon..?"

"It was nothing. You can go, I'd love to spare with you soon, Asild."

Deon smiled wickedly at Aslid, his eyes were shining and looked like they contained stars in them. This ethereal appearance left them in a daze, both in fear and in awe. Both the first and third commanders felt themselves shivering once they realized what they heard.

He would love to fight? Were they going to be safe? However, they couldn't voice these concerns.

"...Well then, if you will excuse us Sir Arut. However, I do have one request.. If possible, I'd also like some guidance."

While the words came out like flowing water, Jaykar couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as soon as he said that. But, there was no going back, he had already said it.

With that, Jaykar took one last nod and quickly left the room with Aslid, leaving only Ed, and Ben who had been silent the whole time during the talk between the commanders.

'... Someone kill me.'

Deon currently felt like fainting.

***

'...I can't believe I'm actually going on a walk outside..'

Deon rested his arm on a pillar and recalled what Ed had told him after Jaykar and Aslid had left.

Visit the Zeroth Corps? Go outside? Spar with Aslid and Jaykar? He was too lazy for that!

Feeling a bit of anger being pent up inside him, Deon kicked a stone with full force. Of course, this was only achieved with the Super Rock.

"Ahh! Who was that?! Which asshole- hik- y-you're..."

Well, here came another annoying pest interfering with his slacker time.

"L-Lord Arut?!"

"Greetings, Zeroth Corps Commander!!"

"Sorry if we caused a disturbance... our apologies!"

"...If you know then go."

"Y-yes!"

Yes, Deon was pissed at them. For multiple reasons, but it was mainly for venting his anger on them.

'Zeroth Corps Commander Arut...'

Hien looked at Deon with a fearful look. His body trembled even though the other demons had fled far away from him solely because the Zeroth Corps Commander was there.

It was understandable. Demon Arut was an extremely rare talent, a kind only seen once in a few hundred years. Even the Demon King has acknowledged this spectacular talent, what more could be said?

"Can you stand up? They're gone now."

The look in Deon's eyes weren't looking at Hien with disgust but with genuine goodwill. How long has it been since he had been treated with such kindness?

Hien looked at Deon with teary eyes, making the poor albino feel uncomfortable. Both the fact that he was going to get eaten by a plant monster and the gardener's fervent gazes made him feel unsettled. The shine in Hien's eyes reminded Deon of Saint Jack, and many other worshipful people he had met.

"B-but I'm an incubus... Aren't you disgusted by the fact you'll be in physical contact with me...?"

"If you say that.. Then does that mean you're disgusted by the fact that I'm human?"

Deon pulled Hien's wrist, lifting him from his feet. He patted the gardener's shoulders like a mother checking her child for any wounds.

"T-that can't be!"

"Then so be it, there's no need to worry about such trivial matters. Right now, I need to head off and check on my corps members who are training now."

Deon quickly excused himself. The reason he gave seemed reliable and made sense, so Hien didn't inquire any further.

In truth, he just didn't want to stick around Hien. Who would want to be around such a lunatic? It wasn't that he didn't like Hien for being an incubus; he didn't even care what species that gardener was! The only thing was that nobody in the Demon Realm wasn't normal, everyone was a total lunatic.. Even gardeners had an eccentric personality and crazy hobbies!

"He already left... What a shame, I was looking forward to showing him my beautiful garden.. Maybe I could send him one of my plants as a gift next time, Lord Arut seemed to be in a hurry."

Hien smiled strangely. His arm extended out, gently caressing a plant's leaves. There was a hint of blush creeping up his face, giving off an eerie feeling. As he smiled, his eyes curved into crescent moons while he watched the albino leave.

***

"Arut, are you al... Hmm?"

Just as Caver walked in, he noticed that Deon seemed to have been missing. The bed still contained wrinkles in the middle, indicating it had not been long since the person had left.

He wondered just where his Zeroth Corps Commander could have gone in such a short amount of time. But one thing that was obvious was that Arut had ran away from his room.

Caver glanced back at the empty bed, intrigued. His Arut has always been restless and unpredictable, and that was what made him more interesting than ever.

Perhaps making the deal came with its benefits. Though he felt a hint of guilt for involving such an innocent person in this, the deal was too enticing not to do. Even the thought of Deon completely breaking ties with the Empire and betraying them unconsciously smile.

However, the thought of having Deon as a genuine ally passed by in his mind like a drift of wind. He suddenly felt a sense of loneliness after confirming that Deon wasn't truly on his side.

Deon the person mentioned was completely unaware of this. He was now in his corps commander uniform and was now heading towards the training grounds.

"...Since the Thief and the Cheapskate usually worked together back then, maybe I could also mix these ancient powers together."

He could try making a water spear with a destructive fire force that was protected by a layer of rocks and surging winds. It seemed that it could work. After all, not even the Crazy Kid could put out the Cheapskate's fire; in short, these could all be conjured up together without any mistakes happening!

Suddenly, he felt that he was a bit childish for thinking of such things.. Was it just his imagination?

However, he wasn't Cale Henituse the Supreme Commander who seemed almost omnipotent in front of everybody. He was Deon Hardt, someone who had emotions and his own free will now. There was no need to conceal emotions and whatnot.

Deon pushed the negative thoughts aside and summoned a spear of water. He imbued it with the Fire of Destruction; summoned a whirlwind; and carefully formed rocks that twirled in the miniature tornado.

However, due to the existence of demons, the strength of his ancient powers seemed to have increased tenfold. Normally, this much would've been enough to send him into a coma.

"Sir Arut?!"

The Zeroth Corps members were overjoyed yet terrified when they opened the door. What was the terrifying disaster in their commander's hands?! The spear that seemed to defy nature yet go along with it exuded an air of purity, yet it was tinged with a feeling of oppression and execution. They felt that just that small spear could destroy this entire castle!

"G-greetings commander!"

"Are you feeling alright now?"

"You haven't come by for a while so we were worried!"

"We were just taking a break.. We weren't slacking off at all! Please trust us!"

"Commander, you were amazing on the mission!"

The Zeroth Corps members flocked around Deon like hungry birds.

The said commander felt awkward being praised so earnestly like this, but this feeling wasn't so bad.

"...I'm fine. Thank you all."

Deon dispersed the ancient powers and gave out a genuine smile. The smile was short and hard to notice; yet everyone felt captivated and shocked. Such a commander was smiling gently at them!

Although it was practically known to the demons that worked for the Demon King that the Zeroth Corps Commander was exceptionally good-looking. Better looking than most demons in fact. However, they felt as if he was shining today. Their commander looked even better when smiling!

Yet that wasn't the reason why they were shocked, they were shocked because this was the commander known for being stoic and cold-blooded who was actually smiling!

"..Well... I just came by to check up on you that's it... You can resume your training."

Deon immediately retracted his smile. He wondered if anyone had ever seen him smiling like that, he hoped he didn't look too weird. But seeing the dazed expressions on his corps members, he felt that he should stop smiling lest he embarrass himself.

"Sir Arut you should smile more!"

"T-that's right, you look better when you smile!"

"..I will try..."

He suddenly felt as if they were setting him up, or was he mistaken about something? The strange feeling lingered before Deon shook it off, adverting his attention to another event.

He remembered that there was an assassin deployed amidst his corps, waiting to ambush him as soon as he turned around.

"Well then, I'll get going now."

Before Deon turned around, he made eye contact with the assassin. His eyes squinted at the robed man mixed amongst the group of ecstatic demons. He lowered his lashes, and gave a quick glare to the assassin.

"Mess with me and my corps, and you won't make it."

Each word mouthed to the assassin coiled around the assassin's neck, and a feeling of suffocation overwhelmed him. As he made eye contact with the infamous Zeroth Corps Commander, he flinched and began to tremble.

He knew. He knew that he was here and what his purpose was!

While the assassin was in a dilemma, Deon finally let out a short chuckle. He turned his heel and slowly walked away from the group of demons. With this provocation, the assassin would be agitated, which would cause him to reveal himself sooner or later depending on his personality.

"Die!"

[Die!]

After hearing those exact words, Deon ducked down immediately and dodged the dagger that was aimed at him. Experiencing this firsthand was way more scarier than he thought, had he been a second late then he would've been long gone.

"How did you-"

The assassin spat out a question, yet wasn't expecting Deon to not show mercy to him. A delicate and fragile-looking silver shield was aimed at him, they seemed to be missing something but still looked eye-catching. Yet despite looking fragile, it only took one hit to knock the assassin out and bounced back like a boomerang before completely disappearing.

"Commander!"

"Sir Arut!"

"What is up with that son of a bitch? How dare he attack our commander!"

Deon looked at the demons frantically approaching and raised a brow. Son of a bitch? Were his corps members the type to ever cuss? Why was he questioning this anyway, they were demons in the first place!

"Lock this man up, and report this event to His Majesty. This man is not from the Demon Realm."

A cold glare was given to the assassin by Deon before he finally walked out. His head began to ache, prompting him to quicken his pacing.

"Could that mean.. He's a human?!"

"But how come we never noticed?!"

"Sir Arut seemed to be immensely disappointed in us... We let the intruder in, yet he was the one who caught him.."

"Immensely is an understatement. I'm sure he is more than just immensely disappointed in us"

Despite this, all of the moves executed were so fluid and quick. It was as if he had been long anticipating this assassin. He even was able to counteract and render the assassin immobile and unconscious!

The corps members of the Zeroth Division all had one thought in their heads, 'They must get stronger, and get recognized!'

Yet with his strength being only to second of the Demon King, how could they possibly get acknowledged? They probably weren't even the strength of his toes..

"There's no time to waste! Let's continue our training right away, we'll train until we're of help to Sir Arut! So let's train without rest starting from today!"

Using Deon as encouragement, the corps members immediately resumed their training. This time, they were training with even more vigor than usual.

***

"...That was too close."

Deon rubbed his nape until it became red, which wasn't too long. Just a while ago this specific part was the target of the assassin's blade. But even if he wasn't able to dodge it in time, the World would've protected him in another way

"Well, I've already dealt with and handed over the troublesome task to my corps. It should be fine to head back to sleep now."

The most important thing in this place was his bed. For some reason, the beds in the Demon Realm were especially soft and comfortable. If he had to choose between the Empire's beds and the Demon Realm's, he would've chosen the latter in a heartbeat.

As soon as Deon laid on his bed, he hugged the pillows around him. The pillows here were ten times better than the Roan Kingdom's and the Empire's!

***

'That was one of the best naps in my life. I would rate this experience a ten out of ten, if possible, I would've brought these pillows everywhere with me.'

Deon looked at the soft pillow with a hint of regret, yet his shining eyes betrayed the glee in them as he gazed at the pillow in his hands.

Perhaps staying in the Demon Realm wasn't as bad?

Deon immediately dismissed that horrific thought. He needed to get away from these people, he couldn't be distracted by mere pillows! If things went as the guidebook said, he might actually die!

Suddenly, a deep voice cut his train of thought.

"Did you sleep well?"

"???"

"You must have been exhausted since you slept so peacefully."

"Your Majesty..."

Sometimes Deon wondered if the Demon King in front of him had some sort of fetish. Why else would he watch him sleeping in his room like a stalker?

"Your sleeping habits are so unusual, are all humans like that? I never expected my Zeroth Corps Commander to hug a pillow quite adorably like that."

"..."

Wait.

Did he just say it was adorable? Or was he hearing things?

Chapter Text

Previously...

"..."

Wait.

Did he just say it was adorable? Or was he hearing things?

***

"Anyway.. Sorry to bother you after waking up, but I need to talk to you for a moment."

"This must be about the intruder that was sent after me, correct?"

"As expected of Arut, you never fail to get right to the point. Now come with me, I'll take you to him."

The Demon King stood up, leading the way for Deon. As they walked through corridors, the halls became more desolate and quite eerie. Soon after a few minutes, they arrived to a set of stairs that led them down to the basement.

'The underground prison.. This is where that guy is at. But, he hasn't seen my face yet, unlike in the guidebook.'

Deon looked further into the endless jail cells in the hallway. Although the prison seemed empty from the outside, there were numerous leftovers of past prisoners. Tons of clothes, bones, and bloody nails were left behind. These were the ultimate fates of prisoners who ended up here, and that assassin will inevitably end up the same as well.

"Oh dear, it's such a mess in here."

The Demon King sighed solemnly, yet the tone in his voice was too joyful to be considered as solemn.

Deon gave a small glance at the good-looking devil before withdrawing his gaze, and thought of something. But by the time he came back to his senses, they had already arrived at the last prison cell.

"Arut, take a look at him. Doesn't he seem familiar? With that sheer willpower strong enough to take down demons, and that same willpower grows even stronger when it comes to contact with me, the Demon King."

"He must be a Hero, or has a fragment lingering within him." I already knew that though, so this isn't surprising.

Deon concluded his thoughts to the Demon King who also agreed with his words.

"It's not even funny anymore. Sending a Hero to the Demon Realm? And to even try to kill my Zeroth Corps Commander, isn't he fantasizing too hard?"

"Can you even consider him a Hero? He only carries a small fragment of the Hero's powers, otherwise he wouldn't get taken down so easily in one hit."

"I guess we can consider him a Hero candidate, it fits more than calling him a Hero. A Hero wouldn't be this weak and get apprehended by mere corps members."

"I second that.. However, Your Majesty... I think it'd be great if I could have a nice and gentle chat with him. I have something to ask him."

"Alright, I'll be waiting in the front."

"I won't take too much of your time, Your Majesty."

Deon waited until the Demon King had left. When he turned around, he was faced with a chained up man looking at him in disdain and resentment.

"...Deon Hardt you fucking traitor!"

"..."

"How dare you! You earned the trust of the Emperor, and even became one of the Heroes of the Empire. Yet you go and betray them, and even going far as to switch sides to the Demon Realm?!"

"What does.. A mere disposable pawn like you get to say in this?"

"W-what...?"

"Is your head so small that you cannot think? Why would the Emperor send you here to take out me? You know, too much loyalty will end up backfiring you someday, I guess that someday is today though. And why would he, the Emperor, send a Hero candidate to assassinate the Zeroth Corps Commander who is only second to the Demon King?"

Deon didn't bother to correct the assassin. The questions he probed were enough to make him rethink everything. Besides, it was enough that he knew the truth. The Emperor wasn't trying to eliminate him; why would he? Both Eduardo and the Demon King were fighting each other to see who would get the 'once in a lifetime talent,' Deon Hardt.

"I-impossible..."

"I don't have much time so, you can think about it as you die here. Although I'm not sure of what crimes you committed.. It must've been pretty bad for you to be set up like this, and by your own Emperor."

Deon didn't worry about whether or not this assassin would live. He wasn't one of his people, and he tried to kill him; so why would he care if the assassin would live or die? He's not a saintly hero, why did he save everyone? Only when the person was wrongly accused would he save them, but it was clear that this assassin wasn't particularly clean.

"Well, I have to go now. Enjoy your stay here."

Deon turned around, ignoring the assassin who was cursing out the Emperor.

He would vow to take revenge? Let's see if he could get out of the prison cell alive first.

"Oh, you're back. Has your curiosity been up-filled yet, dear commander?"

The Demon King waved at Deon cheerfully, his eyes curved up into crescent moons. It was clear that this scheming devil was overjoyed at the outcome.

"No, it was just a mere pawn. But, if you want, you can torture him to get some information out of him."

"I'll get Jaykar to handle that, he's exceptionally good at collecting information from prisoners."

The Demon King then signaled the guards to bring over Jaykar.

***

"Your Majesty, I heard you called for me."

"That's right."

Jaykar stood there nervously in his disheveled clothes. Both the notorious Demon Arut and the Demon King were standing in front of him.

The duo who both played a role in killing the Hero. The Demon King who weakened the hero until he could no longer fight and had to resort to self destruction, and Demon Arut who absorbed the hero's self-destruction yet was still alive and as strong as ever. Even with backlashes, he was still second to none.

"My dear Arut wants you to torture someone for more information, and we were wondering if you could do that for us."

Dear?

Jaykar felt like he heard some things wrong when he heard the Demon King address Deon as 'dear.'

Was he just overthinking things?

"Yes, I also have a good method if you want to hear it."

Deon interrupted Jaykar's line of thought, and redirected his attention to a different topic.

"I'd like to hear it."

Jaykar immediately agreed, completely forgetting about what the Demon King had just referred to Deon as.

It was understandable, this was a rare chance to get more information about Arut and some teachings as well. The Zeroth Corps Commander was one of the most and only treasured talents ever, excelling both in strength and intellect. It would be a dumb move to not agree.

"If you want... You can torture them until near death experience, and just as they're about to die.. You heal them. Then you can repeat that process until they confess. Another option is to mentally torture them, but I don't have any methods for mental torture."

"..."

"..."

"...Is there a problem?"

"Not at all Arut."

"No, Sir Arut."

Both the Demon King and Jaykar unanimously agreed on one thing: the Zeroth Corps Commander seemed to have gotten even more vicious than before..

While they should've expected this.. The level of brutality was on a whole new level now.

"Then I'll do just that."

"Okay."

Deon replied dryly. His facial expression seemed to be screaming, 'I don't want to be here.' Which wasn't wrong; his legs began to ache from the long-term standing and walking. If it was possible, he would've gone back to his room and slacked off already!

"Ah, I'll see you on the battlefield, Zeroth Corps Commander."

"I see. Then I should be getting back as well. I'll see you there." Fuck, even without the Demon King asking me for a favor it's still brought up in another way.

Jaykar bid his farewells before teleporting back to the battlefield on the front lines where he was fighting the newly appointed Hero.

***

"Haah..."

'In the end, I really can't escape from this, huh..'

Deon stood there, leaning against a wall with his hair tied in a mid-low ponytail. He was extremely uncomfortable.

And extremely was an understatement.

Does he really have to fight his older brother? What type of cliche protagonist manhwa bullshit was this? Well... He did reincarnate as one, so it might as well be his fault.

"Sir Arut, all preparations have been complete!"

"Thanks, Ed."

'I wonder if it'll still carry out as usual when I go unconscious since I now have more control of my body. But it might not work now since I'm now aware of everything and now have record unsealed.'

If that's the case, then they might find out that he was weak. Well, that doesn't matter if they find out; he'll just run away, change his identity, and live a slacker life!

Deon smiled at the thought of his backup plans, which Ed misunderstood as him being happy to go out and fight again.

"Sir Arut!"

"Ah, Lilinell."

"I really, really missed you!"

Lilinell came running at Deon before hugging him. Deon, stunned, was unsure what to do and patted her head.

"Ehehehe..."

'Crap, I totally underestimated this side of hers. Doesn't she even create a cult for me in the future? I need to do everything I can to stop her from doing this.'

Another Clopeh would be the death of him.

"Oh! Sir Arut, I made this necklace for you! I casted a defensive spell on it, so it'll prevent you from dying at least once."

"Thank you, Lilinell.." What an amazing item indeed! Although I have the Unbreakable Shield, this would also boost my chances of survival.

Lilinell handed the necklace over to Deon. Ed, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much, Miss Lilinell. I know that Sir Arut is strong; however, I still couldn't help but worry. However, I can now rest easy thanks to the necklace you gave him!"

"To think of Sir Arut to that extent! ..You are such a great lieutenant!"

"Continue to serve (my) Sir Arut with that attitude!"

"Yes, Miss Lilinell, leave it to me!"

"...Do whatever you want..."

Deon boarded the carriage quickly to get away from these insane people. Now, thinking about it, why did Ed always stick with Deon even until his doom? Was he just that loyal?

Well, it's useless to think about it. At least he knows Ed is and will always be by his side. Until Ed leaves him on his own, which would be preferable.

"But seriously... how did rumors about me get this bad?"

Deon wondered how rumors about his brutality spread so quickly, even though he barely went on missions. Sure, he went berserk on each one, but it was only a few he went on, so who's spreading these rumors about him?! Besides, his corps members were very diligent and trustworthy; could someone be spying on him?

***

"Sir Arut, we have arrived."

'So this is the battlefield between the Human Realm and Demonic Realm.'

"Sir Arut, I've been waiting for you since our last encounter."

Deon took the hand that was extended out to him and shook it. He glanced at Jaykar. It seemed like his brother was stronger than he initially knew now that he saw the current state he was in.

Now thinking about it, every single one of his lives sucked. In his first life, he lost everyone he loved because of a curse from that White drug; in his second life, he died because of my crazily obsessed comrades; and now in his third life, he went to war for eight years?

Deon scoffed at his horrible luck; his luck had to be so horrible in order to have lived each one of his lives that miserably.

'As expected. He's looking forward to the battle, seeing how his face has eased up after leaving the Demon King's Castle.'

"Sorry to disappoint you, but currently, there's been a lull in fighting. However, we do not know when the battle will resume. So, you can prepare in advance."

"Alright, my corps... and I will go pack up." I seriously don't want to do this! Let me slack, please..

Deon replied hesitantly to Jaykar. He just wants to sleep in a bed comfortably, but this world has other plans for him

***

"Sir Cruel, we've gathered more intel!"

A soldier reported, handing over a stack of paper to Cruel.

"According to our scout that was patrolling, they overheard that the Zeroth Corps Commander will be joining the battle, which is why so many demons are in high spirits. However-"

"Stop. That's enough."

What a headache he has to deal with. Why did that infamous bastard come here?

Cruel looked at the report from the scout he had received from the knight.

Zeroth Corps Commander... The joker card of the Demon King, and the presence that's known to be even more outstanding and stronger than the First Corps Commander, who's said to have been the strongest out of all twelve commanders.

"Sir Cruel... What shall we do if this is indeed true? Our chances of victory are close to zero."

"We will send in an assassin."

"An assassin for the Zeroth Corps Commander? How are you so sure it'd work?!"

"That's only if the Zeroth Corps Commander actually exists. Although his rumors are outstanding, no one has ever been able to confirm if these were true or not."

"Are you saying that..."

"Yes, perhaps the Zeroth Corps Commander's existence is that of nothing but an illusion to life up the demons' spirits created by the Demon King."

The knight watched as Cruel placed the report down to the side, his fingers fidgeting in nervousness.

"Continue to gather information about the Zeroth Corps Commander. If we can reveal whether or not their existence truly exists or not, it would be a huge feat on our side."

"Yes, Sir Cruel!"

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Continue to gather information about the Zeroth Corps Commander. If we can reveal whether or not their existence truly exists or not, it would be a huge feat on our side."

"Yes, Sir Cruel!"

***

Deon seriously wanted to cry right now; death would be the word, but he loved living no matter what the circumstances for him would be.

"Sir Arut, are you alright? You've been silent for some time already..."

"...I'm fine." No, I'm not fine.

"Alright then, I shall continue."

.

.

.

"Alright! With this, we'll be able to wipe all of the humans out without worrying!'

'Ed, did you forget I'm also human?!'

Deon stared at Ed in a stupefied manner, meanwhile, Ed was unable to see his expression because he was facing the ground.

"Ahem! This cloth was specifically made by the Demon King. It will deflect the sun's light and keep your temperature regulated, this is courtesy of His Majesty's magic! And as long as it isn't torn, it will restore by itself too."

"..I see." I already knew that; tell me something I don't know.

"Judging by how His Majesty is using his magic without a limit for you, he must treasure Sir Arut a lot!"

'More like bribing and convincing me to stay by his side.'

Deon rolled his eyes. He didn't want to be on either side. Why did he have to be a pawn in the Emperor's and Demon King's game of chess?

Unlike in Nameless One, where the Roan Kingdom resides, magic here violates the law of the world. However, magic is limited, unlike the Nameless One, where you can regain mana by drinking potions or waiting for it to replenish. Once you have used all of your magic here, it is gone forever, and you cannot replenish it.

Adding on, using more demonic energy or magic would cause a Hero to appear; in this case, that Hero would be him... But he hasn't awakened that fragment yet, which is why he doesn't feel any intent to kill the Demon King. At least, not yet.

But the thing is, he isn't sure what made him awaken it. He only read a bit of the guidebook before he found 'The Birth of a Hero.'

"Sir Arut, I've finished it all!"

Ed called out, stopping Deon's train of thought.

"Thanks, Ed."

"I guess they've been working hard, huh? I don't see them slacking off."

Deon said, pointing out 'slacking off' so Ed could hear. While Ed thought Deon was angry at the corps's laziness, Deon was actually sulking over the fact that he couldn't slack off while they could.

"That-"

"It's fine, I'll head out for a bit now."

It's almost time for him to get a dagger thrown at him and poison in his wine. How exciting...

***

"It's the Zeroth Corps Commander!"

"With this, we no longer have to worry about losing!"

"Just seeing him lifts my spirits!"

Deon stood there awkwardly, watching as the other demons praised him and huddled up around him.

Jaykar stood from the side, smiling as he watched the ongoing interactions.

'Looks like his Majesty was correct. Even his presence alone brings stability and hope amongst the soldiers.'

Jaykar thought as he looked at the once-gloomy soldiers who were now happier and relieved at the sight of the Zeroth Corps Commander.

Yet unbeknownst to them, except for Deon, an assassin was waiting for the right moment to attack.

However, Deon quickly noticed him.

'So that's where he is. Now all I have to do is wait- Oh?'

Deon caught the blade that was thrown at him. His casual stance and catch made it seem as if he was out for a leisurely stroll.

?!

This wasn't supposed to happen yet? So far, everything's gone according to the story, so why is it now changing like this?'

Deon held the blade in his hand and looked back to the spot where the assassin was. The thick branch where the assassin stood by was now empty. His gaze darkened at the sudden realization of skill coming from the perpetrator.

"Sir Arut, are you alright?"

Jaykar inspected Deon to see if any wounds had appeared.

"I'm fine, I guess they heard of my arrival, which is why they're trying to get rid of me now."

"How dare they..."

"I said it's fine. More than that, have someone check this, but be careful; they wouldn't just randomly throw blades at me."

"If that's what you wish."

Deon handed over the poison-laced blade to Jaykar carefully, making sure not to cut the First Corps Commander.

"Then I'll head back in now."

Deon said before walking back into the tent. Inside, he could smell a faint scent of wine coming from deeper inside the tent.

'Oh great, it's almost time for another near-death experience. My life is so fun...'

Deon mentally sighed as he looked at Ed, who was bringing out a wine glass to the table.

"Sir Arut, this is for you!"

Ed quickly poured a glass of wine and handed it over to Deon, who hesitated for a bit. He was contemplating whether or not to take the wine glass.

"Okay."

Deon looked at the glass for a few seconds before chucking it right at the assassin, who immediately dodged after realizing where it was aimed. However, due to the minimal space inside the tent, he was instead discovered in a humiliating.

"Ed, did you know I detested rats?"

Deon said, he gave a cold look to Ed, who flinched at the look of indifference that was filled with hostility. If the phrase "being lazily cold-blooded" was a thing, he would no doubt be a picture-perfect example of it. Just the look in his eyes and lazy appearance was enough to still them with fear. If he had actually acted upon the word 'cold-blooded,' perhaps his notorious image might have escalated further.

He spared a few glances at the assassin who was on his knees. The incident that happened just happened, whether it was the poisoned dagger or the wine incident; all of these had happened in the guidebook. Although the unfolding scene was quite different than the guidebook itself, it still played out one way or another. The only difference was that he purposefully let everyone see the assassination attempt.

"Tch, are you gonna kill me now that you finally decided to reveal me?"

"No, you can go."

"S-sir Arut, he's an enemy we can't-"

"If you can get past every demon here right now, I'll let you go."

Of course, there was no way Deon would just let an enemy go like that. Even when he was still Cale, such things never happened.

"Aren't you just asking me to be killed?! This is bullshit!"

"This is enemy territory, you can't expect the enemy to go easy on your right?"

"..."

Well, that did make sense.

"What do we do with it now?"

"If Sir Arut wants, we can toss him to Sir Jaykar!"

"Let him go and report what he needs to Cruel Hardt."

"Y-you even knew who sent me...?"

Deon smiled at the expression the assassin was currently making. He kneeled to the same height as the assassin and whispered in a low tone that was just enough to be heard by them.

"I know everything that's gonna happen here. You being sent here to observe and assassinate me is just one of the many things I know."

The assassin's eyes shook, dilating at the revelation of information. If the Zeroth Corps Commander already knew everything, could it be that he was just toying with them? Thinking about this, he started trembling and looked at the cloaked man in fear with a hint of resentment.

"Well, off you go now. And don't tell him I let you go."

The ropes that clung tightly to the assassin went loose and finally fell, freeing him from imprisonment. He took one last glance at Deon before fleeing.

***

"Sir Arut, I thought you said that you were resting?"

"Jaykar, keep this between you and me."

"Yes?"

Jaykar stood still. His mind was racing as he looked at the unbandaged commander in front of him.

Why did Sir Arut come to him to speak privately? It was already day, and this time, even his bandages were loose. It was as if he wasn't scared of anything. Was he that confident in his abilities to overpower the new Hero?

In contrast, Deon was actually feeling uncomfortable with the bandages on his face. He felt that even if he went out, he would be somewhat fine. After all, he had the Vitality of the Heart which could heal him everytime he gets hurt.

But that would be torture. However, this was Deon, he was unaware of that fact.

As Deon continued to adjust the bandages on his arm, Jaykar stared at him in silence. He felt that the Zeroth Corps Commander was more than just handsome now, it was the beautiful yet exotic type; pure white hair that even vampires didn't possess, at best it would be a darker tone of silver; red eyes that seemed as if it were formed by blood droplets forming into two pairs of eyes, and the pale skin that was only possible for vampires to have. Was it even possible to describe these looks? Just one glance and it would be impossible to take ones' eyes off of him.

However, those trains of thought immediately dispersed when Deon started talking.

"There was an intruder. It was the same one."

"The same one?!"

"That's why I came here to ask if you could level the security. I also noticed other people from the Empire were here. Although they aren't dangerous, they were extremely agile and silent."

"Yes, I did notice that the Empire always seemed to overpower us or were just at the right level, which always ended up in ties."

Deon wondered if he should even be helping the Demon Realm, but it'd be strange if he wasn't, so he might as well just play along, right?

And he was unaware once again that he had said the same thing when he helped a certain vampire duke....

"If it's just as Sir Arut says, we might need to enhance our security. Thank you very much for noticing this on my behalf. I'll talk to the rest about this."

Deon nodded, too lazy to say anything else, and walked away shortly after.

"Is that the Zeroth Corps Commander? He looks more... beautiful than I thought. Judging by the rumors, I thought he'd look more like a brute or madman."

"I have to agree with you, Azar. Although most commanders do have good visuals, Sir Arut looks much more unique. Perhaps its the fact that he's human?"

If Deon had heard the conversation between Azar and other demons, he would've startedcrying right on the scene. Thankfully, he wasn't.

(A/N): Azar does NOT exist in the novel/manhwa, I just needed a name holder.. And Azar sounds like a name a demon would have so...

***

Dangerous.

The Zeroth Corps Commander is a dangerous individual. At this point, the Empire's full forces aren't enough.

That's what the assassin said. And that assassin was no small fry, and yet he returned, completely horrified after he returned from his mission.

"Now that it's confirmed the Zeroth Corps Commander is as strong as the rumors claim to be, we might need that bastard to bring victory to the Empire since they have the Zeroth Corps Commander."

"Perhaps do you mean the other Hero of the Empire, Sir Cruel?"

"That's right. However, since he's not here right now, we should retreat."

As Cruel said that, a certain whitehead on the opposite side of the battlefield began sneezing upong his way back.

"But that'll make it seem like we are scared of the Zeroth Corps Commander! And people will start to look down on us."

"We will retreat, but if there is any of those things that follow and attack. We just need to give them a most 'certain' death. We do not need to raise our weapons for useless desolate lands where no sun reaches."

'We will retreat eventually without showing our weak side; however, we need to indicate that we will not fight unless they invade first.'

"I will relay that message to everyone, however, the Empire..."

"The orders I received were to repossess the lands taken by the Demonic Realm. Not expand our territory into the Demonic Realm, and we have already done just that."

"There is no need to cause any more friction between the realms, so we will leave it at just that. This will be our report."

"Let's just hope that Zeroth Corps Commander guy doesn't cause trouble for us."

"I heard he barely participates in battles, so we should be fine-"

"C-commander! The demon troops are charging forward! And they are being led by the Zeroth Corps Commander!"

"Shit!"

Cruel cursed under his breath. Just what was his luck? But now, thinking his brother should be somewhere near the demon troops... He could only hope his brother was safe and that he could explain everything Deon needed to know when the time came, though it would be better if Deon assumed that he hated him.

***

"Kugh?!"

Deon slashed the Empire's soldier hesitantly. His blade aimed for non-vital points, ensuring they wouldn't die; however, some soldiers were too weak and died due to blood loss, while some were knocked out by Deon's hand.

He dodged enemies both left and right, parrying every movement swiftly and somehow elegantly. His movements scared the Empire's forces. What type of monster was this?!

Unbeknownst to them, Deon was currently overlapping his records of both Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk, dodging while fighting monsters from back in Earth One. As he was engrossed in these recors, he was unable to hear the Empire's declaration for retreat.

Deon knocked out another soldier with the handle of his dagger, his eyes looked down at them with a look of indifference.

A soldier nearby happened to see all of this and fell. He continued crawling his way out until he hit a large tree obscuring his path.

"D-devil!"

That same word had snapped Deon out of trance. He stared at the soldier's horrified expression and scoffed. He didn't kill anyone, did he?

"Why are you sitting still? If you have a chance to escape, then escape. Are you stupid enough to let go of a chance to survive?"

Deon stared at the soldier as if they were stupid. Well, they were stupid. Who just sits there when the enemy lets you go? It would take a miracle for that to happen, so you might as well take that chance and run.

However, just as Deon was reflecting on the soldier's actions, he remembered something crucial.

He backed away from his spot and activated the Unbreakable Shield at full power. He no longer cared whether or not the wings would show up. Between the wings and survival, surviving such a deathly attack with no ancient powers and just a magic artifact was suicidal..

Bang!

A helmeted Hero clashed his sword with the Unbreakable Shield that Deon had summoned. The strong collision caused Deon to back away a little. However, it wasn't strong enough to break completely; only a few minor cracks appeared on the small and feeble shield.

Blood came out of his mouth due to the recoil. His bandages were soon soaked in blood, creating a somewhat terrifying image. Standing there, he finally lifted his head up, causing the hood to fall.

'White hair? No.. Deon has shorter hair, but it's been six months.. No, he wouldn't join the Demon King's troops...'

Cruel stared at Deon with conflicted feelings. This man reminded him of his brother; however, his brother did not act like that at all. His brother was weak and born with an illness, this man acted like he had infinite lives.

If Deon had heard him, he would've jokingly said that he technically did have an infinite amount of lives. Well, perhaps just three extra lives.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Cruel stared at Deon with conflicted feelings. This man reminded him of his brother; however, his brother did not act like that at all. His brother was weak and born with an illness, this man acted like he had infinite lives.

If Deon had heard him, he would've jokingly said that he technically did have an infinite amount of lives. Well, perhaps just three extra lives.

***

"I was going to kill you in one shot."

"Really now?"

Deon replied nonchalantly, ignoring his current condition. As he got into his act, he thought of one thing: if he ever revealed himself as Deon, would Cruel spare him? Or would he be branded as a traitor?

After all, human emotions tend to betray human words a lot. Just like Choi-Han, he promised to always protect him and stand for justice, but in the end, he ended up doing the exact same thing as the White Star: imprisoning him until his death.

"I'd love to fight right now since things got interesting, but... I'm getting a little bored, though.. It'd be nice to fight with you, but I don't have as much time anymore."

Deon needed to find the abilities that the God of Death said he'd send him and learn more about Duke Illuster and his plans.

"...Why are you attacking us?"

Cruel wanted to know the reason behind the sudden attack from the demon troops led by the Zeorth Corps Commander. There has to be a reason to invade and then retreat. There's no way anyone would do all of that and just retreat right off the bat.

"Because I wanted to see what this hero was about? I was just curious."

"..."

"I have some feedback for you, though. Take it as a grain of salt or not; it's up to you, but I gotta go soon."

"Spit it out..."

Cruel wasn't sure why, but he felt like the Zeroth Corps Commander held no animosity towards him or the Empire. It was as if he didn't care about the current dispute between the two realms. He could even feel a sense of weariness from the albino in front of him, and for some reason, his heartbeat began to quicken in anxiety as he realized that.

"...How do I put this? Don't save him; he can't, and neither does he want to be saved. Saving him would be useless, he knows what he's doing. "

"You!"

How did the Zeroth Corps Commander know about his brother? What happened to his brother? What did he mean by 'don't save him, he doesn't want it?'

When Deon shared his inner thoughts to Cruel, he truly meant it. If he dragged Cruel into this mess from his past life, he couldn't guarantee his safety, and he didn't want Cruel to die in vain for him. He would never allow such an outcome to happen.

Even if it meant he would have to die in their stead, it was better than someone dying for him.

"Okay, I gotta go now, that's it for today!"

Deon quickly walked away from Cruel, leaving a bitter taste in Cruel's mouth. Although Cruel had no idea why he felt so bitter after hearing those words come out from the Zeroth Corps Commander, he stood there silently as he watched the demon troops retreat.

"..We will retreat as well."

Cruel walked back to his troops as they retreated to their base. Since they both achieved what they originally wanted, it should be fine. However, he still couldn't shake off the bitter feeling from the words of the white-haired commander even after they had retreated to their base.

'What a waste to back down like this. This would be the perfect opportunity to push forward with the enemy troops demoralized from the fatalities on their side. However, there is always a reason behind Sir Arut's decisions.'

Jaykar stood there and watched Deon walk back to them, he felt slightly disappointed. But it wasn't that much of a loss, either.

But since the demon troops weren't dissatisfied with the results, it should be fine. They must've felt a sense of accomplishment after successfully protecting their land.

"Good work."

"..."

"This damn recoil of mine..."

"...!"

"Sir Arut?!"

Jaykar quickly caught the unconscious Deon and finally grasped the condition of the white-haired man.

Jaykar quickly caught the unconscious Zeroth Corps Commander and finally grasped the condition of the white-haired man before him and why he returned so quickly.

'He's burning up? How was he fighting in such a state? Now it makes sense why he retreated so quickly after landing a few blows onto the Hero.'

He could feel Deon's body temperature rapidly rising. Although fighting in this condition would usually be lethal, Deon could still fight under such circumstances.

'No wonder he is highly respected. Even I would not be able to fight constantly in this condition.'

"You must be his Vice Commander and doctor?"

Jaykar noticed two men running towards him. He easily concluded that this was for Deon since he wasn't injured as much, nor was he in a state like him.

"That's right, Sir Jaykar. I am Ed, and this is Ben, Sir Arut's doctor."

"I see, then, please."

"Of course, Sir Jaykar."

"Please leave everything else to me, 'Demon Arut.'"

If Deon was still conscious and could read minds, he might've started cursing on the spot. However, he was unconscious, so he had no idea what was going to happen.

***

"God of Death, what is it now?"

"Deon, you have to become my saint right now."

"What?! No way, I will never become your saint-"

"It's regarding your ex-family. They're trying to resurrect you."

"What?"

Deon stared at the God of Death, his face slowly morphing into shock and horror. Was locking up not enough, so they had to resurrect him now?

"That's right. If you become my saint in this world that I am surveilling, your soul would be tied down here and anywhere I go."

Deon contemplated for a moment. Part of him didn't want to become a God's saint, and part of him wanted to stay away from his past. He could even feel like the two sides were beginning to argue!

Although he didn't necessarily like the God of Death, he was also the same person who helped him in his most desperate needs. Not only did he get to meet his team leader and Choi Jung-Soo, he was able to escape from the clutches of his terrible ex-family.

"Haah... They are also bombarding my temples. It's become a little annoying now."

"They're attacking your temples now? Jeez, what a crazy bunch of people."

"Yes, they are demanding me where you went, what I did to your soul, and to bring you back to life now. So what will be your choice be? Here or your ex-family?"

"Fine, I'll become your saint."

"Great! May death always guide you through your journey."

The God of Death placed his palm onto Deon's chest and pushed him down. A black symbol started forming on Deon's top chest.

"This is my stigmata; all beings who follow or are made by me will immediately recognize it. And it's best not to let that stigmata be revealed in front of my followers in this world. Despite this, my divine helpers and beasts will automatically know. No worries though; they aren't as crazy as my followers."

"Please do not die, my child."

The God of Death said with a hint of solemnity as Deon returned to reality.

***

"Haah..."

Deon woke up and immediately sprung up from his seat. It seemed that they were near the Demon King's Castle now. If he calculated the time he took on the battlefield and the time it took to get from the Demon Realm to the battlefield, they should be a day early.

"He said that I now have his stigmata and I shouldn't let anyone see it... I wonder what it looks like."

His hands tremored slightly as he closed the curtains and quickly pulled down his shirt, ignoring the buttons and latches he needed to take off first.

"It's... Better looking than I thought..."

The symbol was two black lines slightly curved down looking like a round rhombus with a gap in the middle; there was a small dot in the middle of the two lines. It was simple yet also looked good.

"Sir Arut, we are back!"

"Just a moment."

Deon quickly fixed his shirt, covering the stigmata near his clavicle, before opening the carriage door. When he got out, he noticed a familiar little devil waiting for him at the entrance.

"Oh, Arut, you're back earlier than I thought. Well, welcome back."

"I heard more information from Jaykar. You went crazy there too, huh? You never let me down, Arut. So tell me, how was your meeting with the new Hero?"

"I need information on the God of Death."

"God of Death?"

"Yes, I need it now."

"There is some in the library, you can go there to check sometime soon. I'll also send you information on the new Hero from the Second Corps commander, Devilania."

"Thank you, your majesty." Good god, not her.

His eyebrow unconsciously scrunched up, showing a hint of displeasure on his face. The Demon King noticed the small action and began laughing.

"Pfft- Judging by the look on your face, you don't like that Second Corps Commander at all, huh? But don't worry, she should be busy. Just watch out though; she might be slacking off and will eventually find you."

Controlling his laughing, the Demon King swung his arm over Deon's shoulder and pulled him into a side hug.

This shocked some, if not, every demon present. It was widely known that the Demon King was someone who'd never engage in physical interactions and rarely did so; at most, he would pass over papers by hand or pat a shoulder.

"You should get some rest. Tomorrow I'll talk to you, Arut."

The Demon King then walked away, ignoring all of the shocked gazes from the demons and Deon himself. His face held no expression, as if he had never done such an action.

'What the fuck just happened?'

Deon wondered if he just hallucinated about the Demon King hugging him. His brain felt like it was being fried from all of the processing he had to do for just that one action.

But that wasn't important! He currently needed more information on the God of Death in this world. While he knew some information on the said deity, most of it was obscured; everyone always referred to him as a merciful and mysterious god. If that wasn't strange, then what was? He also had no information on how the God of Death was seen in the eyes of others in this world; after all, before he regained his memories, he had nothing to do with gods.

But before that... He should get changed..

Deon looked at his bloody clothes and frowned. If he walked into the library like this, wouldn't he scare everyone off?

So the moment he stepped into the castle, he went straight to his room. While others assumed he was heading back to his room to rest, which he would've loved to, he was actually changing his clothes. Perhaps because of the years he spent with his ex-family, his cleanliness seemed to change; he used to never mind how dirty he was because being alive was better than a bit of dirtiness, right?

However, he was now dressed in his commander uniform. His outer shirt was draped over his shoulder, and he wore a white collared shirt that was loosely buttoned up, as well as his regular dress pants.

The moment he stepped into the hallways, he gained a few stares from demons nearby. But who could resist looking at such a beauty, especially one who was your superior?

***

"I'm finally here.."

Deon felt a sense of accomplishment and the urge to cry. He had finally found the library. The number of twists and turns he had to go through to find the library felt horrifying. Why did royalty love to make complicated buildings?

He opened the doors silently and made his way through, making sure not to draw any attention to himself. His eyes glanced over the sections in front of him before walking towards the one he deemed most useful.

'Empire Analysis Reports... And that strange book with the Demon King's name, Caver... But these are all books I already have seen..'

Oh?

As soon as he said that, Deon stumbled upon a book with the author, "Heartfelt Death." This was the divine domain; the God of Death materialized as a book, so he should take that. Besides... He was also his saint now. It would be weird if he still didn't have any divine items from him..

"But... there are still no books on the God of Death."

Deon cursed under his breath. Why is it so difficult to find information about that bastard here? He's not gonna go around asking people about it. He'd rather wander around until he found it than ask someone in the library for help.

A few minutes had passed, and to no surprise, Deon still hadn't found the books he needed.

'I might as well head in deeper into the library...'

Walking deeper into the library without anyone else noticing, Deon waltzed his way into the section labeled 'Deity Analysis Reports.' This section had to have information on what a saint for the God of Death did, at least. He needed information on the God of Death more, but this could do.

Deon flipped through the pages at an inhuman speed, and soon after a few seconds, he closed the book. He looked towards the other books; the information on each saint was intriguing. Each saint had different abilities than the ones in Roan Kingdom. They were much stronger than the current ones, however, the Sun Goddess remained quite strong in each world.

'So, the Saint of Death can summon a weapon given to them by the divine, and usually, it comes with their stigmata. They also can control some demonic monsters however, the limit is low to medium high monsters. Adding on to the fact that the Saint of Death could heal and make a Vow of Death with their divine powers...'

He's pretty overpowered now, wasn't he? These abilities made him sound like a main character.

Well, he is one now...

Deon sprung up from the floor and began looking for more books on information of the gods worshipped in this world.

But Deon couldn't find a single one so far to no avail; only the God of Death was briefly mentioned because of past events experienced by the Demon King himself. The books slowly piled up around him, and he soon began to feel drowsy.

Naturally, doing nothing but flipping through pages of gods would bore anyone, especially Deon. He was now too lazy to return to his room, and after spending the entire day reading books, he felt particularly tired.

***

"Your Majesty!"

Lilinell gleefully greeted the Demon King, who was searching for Deon. However, he hadn't found that unpredictable commander of his.

"Eleventh Corps Commander, what brings you here to me today, hmm?"

"Has Your Majesty seen Sir Arut today? I couldn't find him since yesterday and today as well..."

"Ah, if that's the case, why don't we both search for him?"

"Lillinell would love to!"

'...I might get a heart attack soon.'

The poor vice commander watched as the Demon King and Lillinell wandered off to find the infamous Zeroth Corps Commander as if he was nothing but a friend and shuddered. Everyone in the Demon Realm seemed to be obsessed over the white-head; even the Demon King would yield for him, which made it all the more scary.

"Where do you think Sir Arut might be, Your Majesty?"

"Hmm... either the garden, the training grounds, his room, or... the library."

But so far, they have checked every one of those places, and no Arut was in any of them. This left them with one last choice: the library.

"Shall we head over there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

***

Walking through the library felt odd for Lilinell. She usually didn't go there and tended to guard the seals outside of the Demon King's castle, nor was she that much of a bookworm. However, she never took Sir Arut to be the type to read books either.

"G-greetings, Your Majesty and Dame Lilinell!"

"Relax, have you seen Arut here?"

"Sir Arut...? I don't think anyone has seen him here."

"Really? What a shame. Did he sneak in here, then? How could he be nowhere in this palace?"

The servant bowed nervously while listening to the Demon King's conversation with the Eleventh Corps Commander.

Did the Zeroth Corps Commander really come in here without their knowledge?! How could they not have noticed?

"It's so silent in here. Could Sir Arut really be in here? I don't see him here, or here, or here either.. Oh!"

"Did you perhaps find something?"

"I found Sir Arut, Your Majesty!"

Lilinell pointed at a sleeping figure lying around a stack of books. The two of them looked at the sleeping Arut and noticed that he looked peaceful and serene in his sleep, unlike when he was awake, when he'd have the usual stoic and on guard expression. He looked more innocent when sleeping than when he was awake.

'Sir Arut actually did come here?! How come we never noticed his presence?'

The servant was even more confused and shocked.

When and how did Sir Arut come here? What was going on? How come there were so many prominent figures in this measly library?!

"Oh... He's asleep. I guess he's been sleeping in here since yesterday then."

"Do we make him up?"

"Well... I think there is no need for that."

Lilinell turned back to see Deon stretching his arms out before rubbing his eyes, sitting up from the most comfortable yet uncomfortable position.

"..Am I dreaming?"

"No, you aren't, Arut."

"..."

"So you were here all along! How did nobody find you? Even Ed and Ben were concerned since they couldn't find you for your daily checkup, you know?"

"I must've fallen asleep while reading information about the Saints of Gods and their abilities." I can't really tell them that I was looking at what abilities I had as a Saint of Death.

"Ah, I just wanted to tell you that we were going to have a banquet tomorrow. I already told the rest of the Corps Commanders, but I have yet to tell you."

"A banquet...?"

"That's right, Sir Arut! His Majesty decided to host a banquet to celebrate our success in driving the Empire forces away!"

Lilinell excitedly explained the news of the banquet to Deon. However, Deon was in turmoil. This banquet never happened before when he returned from the frontlines, so how come there is one now?

"I see... I will get ready for tomorrow then.."

"Alright, I have some important matters to attend to now, so I have to go."

"Yes, goodbye, Your Majesty.."

"See you soon, Your Majesty!"

Deon and Lilinell bid farewell to the Demon King before he left the library.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Yes, goodbye, Your Majesty.."

"See you soon, Your Majesty!"

Deon and Lilinell bid farewell to the Demon King before he left the library.

***

"Then, I'll have to go get ready for the banquet now... How troublesome.."

Deon mumbled about the miseries of his life. Before he transmigrated as Cale, he still hated attending social parties. That was part of the reason why everyone referred to Kim Rok-Soo as the iron-blooded team leader.

The worst part was that he was definitely the main focus of the spotlight!

"I think I can help with that!"

A woman's voice could be heard from behind Deon and Lilinell. The voice, while sounding deep and soothing, it sent shivers up Deon's spine

"...Devilania..."

Now.. Who let her out?!

"Dame Devilania! Sir Arut and I were going to get ready for the banquet!"

"I can definitely help! Please allow me to, Sir Arut."

"Devilania, shouldn't you be working on paperwork?"

"His Majesty, let me go on break as tomorrow is the banquet!"

"But... You never told me your hair grew! You look so much more beautiful now with long hair."

"You can see it too, right, Dame Devilania? Sir Arut is truly breathtaking!"

"We should do our best to dress him beautifully to match his appearance then!"

Deon stood there, feeling the urge to curse the God of Death as the two other commanders dragged him out of the castle.

***

"Here we are! I rented this whole place for today, for you, Sir Arut!"

"As expected of Dame Devilania!"

"Now, Sir Arut... Please wear this first."

Devilania held up a dark green gown with lighter green and black lace, designs etched throughout the dress, and white ruffles on the hems, sleeves, and collar.

"That's a dress..."

"That's the point?"

Deon quickly turned to Lilinell, considering asking for help; however, he was met with a pair of pink eyes sparkling in anticipation.

"Let me know if you need help, Sir Arut!"

"Like hell I would let you in here while I'm dressing up!"

He retorted to Devilania, feeling a spike in anger. Even if his mood worsened, what could they do? Demon Arut was known for his notorious behavior.

Putting on the outfit, Deon walked out of the room stiffly as he watched Devilania and Lilinell check him out from every angle possible. However, Deon seriously wanted to lock himself in his room forever; this was seriously embarrassing.

"...You fit this gown better than I thought, it's starting to intrigue me. Oh, that's right! We need a dress for Lilinell, too!"

Right at that moment, Devilania pulled up another dress from the many options in the boutique. The dress was black, much like the one Lilinell had always worn, but it was also more frilly, with a multitude of white and pink lacing adorning the dress. It looked more befitting of a doll than a person.

"Look, you can even add your scarf here!"

"This is perfect! Thank you, Dame Devilania!"

Lilinell admired the dress that Devilania had picked out for her, while Deon was putting back his old clothes on, he refused to wear the gown any longer.

"Ah, Sir Arut... We aren't done yet.."

"...Just pick whatever outfit. I'm going to leave."

Because if he stays here any longer, he'll be stuck here until next year!

"Then I'll make sure it's the most beautiful one ever!"

Deon quickly ran out of the boutique after giving a short nod. Had the Demon King been here, he would've immediately imagined a scene of a small white fox running away with its tail tucked between its legs.

However, as soon as he walked out, he realized he was lost.. After all, despite reading the novel, there wasn't a single map!

The worst part was that he was now in a forest! Was this what they called the cliché 'running away' trope?!

!!!

He suddenly felt a small stinging sensation on his hand. When he looked down, he realized that a tree branch had cut his hand; could his skin really be that delicate?

'Fuck that hurts.'

Deon lifted his hand, which had been cut just a moment ago; it immediately healed as if it had never been cut.

However, positives came with negatives.

"Death butterflies?"

These Death Butterflies, commonly known as the poisonous butterfly in the Empire, are a type of demonic monster. They are a type of butterfly that contains poison in them and and suck up blood for nutrition.

Another thing was that a huge disaster happened during the eight-year-long war, with these butterflies involved in it; later on, they earned the name the 'Death Butterflies.' The name of the disaster was nicknamed 'The Massacre of Butterflies.'

This disaster wiped out one whole village of civilians, many of whom were children and young people.

The worst part was that these butterflies are uncontrollable as well. Even the Demon King couldn't control it, hence their name was later labeled as a failed product. It was later revealed that they relied on survival instincts only, much like the demonic monsters.

However, Deon realized the whole incident was somewhat of a misunderstanding.. But they still killed an entire village!

Besides, the only reason his fear lessened was because of what he heard.

"You are our master's child!"

"Wow, a Saint of Death! It's been so long since we've seen one!"

"Hello, Child of Death! We are the God of Death's divine helpers!"

"You guys... are divine beasts?"

A moment of bewilderment washed over Deon as he continued listening to the Death Butterflies speak. If they were helpers for the God of Death.. Why did they kill an entire village?

"Yes! We're so hungry though... But we are glad to meet you, child!"

"What... do you eat..?"

"Blood! It would be better if it were a saint's blood, but any is fine!"

"Yes! That's why we came here when we smelled sweet blood!"

"We've been hibernating for so long that our senses have gone awry too..."

"Maybe that's why we couldn't control our bodies at all.. At least until you came!"

Sweet? That was what Fredo told him when they first met.. He was also the first person to object to locking him up. However, what stuck out most to him was the fact that the Death Butterflies lost their senses and didn't control their bodies.

"Why don't you come with me? I will feed you."

The best first impression is to be someone who provides delicious food. Not only could he gain a divine beast, but he could also make sure that these little critters wouldn't go insane like they did years ago.

He felt a slight sense of deja vu, but he stopped caring and cut his palm, letting the blood flow out. It stung his head for a bit, but thankfully, the Heart of Vitality could heal his wounds.

'But... My ancient powers still aren't talking..'

Deon thought as he watched the butterflies flutter around him. The divine beasts seemed to be trying to find blood as they flew around his hand that had been cut a while ago.

"Thank you for the meal! It was so good!"

"So sweet!"

"Thank you!"

"No problem, but can others hear you?"

"Nope! Only the Saint of Death can communicate and command us! We also recognized the stigmata on your chest, Silly Saint!"

"Oh.. I see."

Deon awkwardly smiled. Those butterflies just now called him stupid, right?

Well, it wasn't his fault he didn't know! There was almost no information about them–he didn't need to research it at that time!

'Now I need to head back, however... my sleeves and shirt are covered in blood.. I probably would have been nagged by Team Leader for injuring myself long ago, but what can I do?'

Standing up, Deon headed back in the direction he came from, ignoring the unsightly blood on his sleeves. After a few minutes, he eventually made it back to the front gate of the city, where he was forced into interesting clothes by Devilania.

As Deon approached the gate, he realized how strange it would be if he were traveling with a horde of deadly butterflies that suck the vitality out of a person.

"Can you guys go away or be invisible so I don't draw attention to myself?"

"Yes, we can! You can summon us at will anytime as well, just put your mind to it and we'll appear!"

"Alright..."

Does that mean all he had to do was think about them and they'd appear? That was kind of overpowered...

As he thought about his ancient powers, his thoughts started wandering off to his 'family' back in Roan Kingdom. If they were genuinely willing to resurrect him.. Didn't that mean they had done enough research and could potentially travel through worlds?

Just thinking about it made Deon frown, worsening his mood.

"Who goes there- S-sir Arut?!"

"Are you going to let me in?"

"Y-yes! Please come in!"

"Okay."

Deon walked past the guard, oblivious to the misunderstanding he had created. He was unaware that the face he made from the theory he made up with the blood on his sleeves made him look fiercer.

***

"Sir Arut isn't here...?! What do you mean by that?"

"That's right, he should've returned by now..."

Lilinell and Devilania were bewildered. By now, Sir Arut should have arrived already. It's been an hour, getting back to the Demon King's Castle shouldn't take this long.

"Ah- Sir Arut seldom goes outside the Demon King's Castle. Perhaps he got lost?! What if someone takes Sir Arut away from us... No, that can't happen, I won't let that happen! Such a strong individual cannot go to the human side!"

Lilinell was concerned about Arut. Especially since he was a little too oblivious, she had to admit. He didn't even know a demon was hitting on him and convincing him to do heinous acts with them until she chased them off!

Letting her imagination go wild, Lilinell became even more concerned about Sir Arut.

"Perhaps if we wait a little, Sir Arut will show up soon..."

"Who's going to show up soon?"

"Sir Arut!"

Lilinell immediately ran up to Deon and hugged him tightly, sobbing in his arms. Confused, Deon looked at Devilania, only to be met with a pair of eyes looking at him in concern.

Why was everyone acting like he almost died?!

"Sir Arut, you made it back safely."

"Of course I did?"

Deon had only one thing going on in his mind.. What the fuck is going on here?

Chapter Text

Previously.

"Sir Arut, you made it back safely."

"Of course I did?"

Deon had only one thing going on in his mind.. What the fuck is going on here?

***

The guards stood there in fear and anticipation. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a Corps Commander off duty, but three was like a miracle! Including the fact that the Zeroth Corps Commander rarely showed his face to the public, it was very rare to spot him around.

"Ahem. I'm glad you made it back safely, Sir Arut."

"...Thank you...?"

What is up with her now? This wasn't the usual Devilania he interacted with.

"Y-you must be tired, get some rest, Sir Arut!"

"I will, thanks, Lilinell."

Deon quickly took the coat he was wearing a while ago from them and then walked away from the two Corps Commanders unaware of the conversation and the misunderstandings they had about him. Not that he would even want to know if he did find out anyways.

(A/N): Sometimes I forget that anyways isn't technically a real word

"Sir Arut didn't overhear us right...?"

"If he did we might have to apologize over a million times, Sir Arut doesn't like gossip..."

"Let's be glad he didn't overhear us then or else he would've been angry!"

"Angry Sir Arut..."

"Lilinell...?"

Devilania looked at Lilinell concerningly. Lilinell seemed to be in bad spirits after hearing the words angry and Arut together. Perhaps she was scared?

"Angry Sir Arut is so hot!"

Yeah, no. Not scared at all. Devilania should've expected this from the biggest Arut fan; Perhaps she was even a bigger fan of Sir Arut than the Demon King himself.

***

'So tiring... when can I just seriously slack off for once?'

Deon felt fatigued even though he shouldn't be feeling any exhaustion, as the Heart of the Vitaliy would usually help with that.

While walking to his room, Deon suddenly felt extremely uneasy about what was behind his door. But who even put whatever it was in his room?

Opening the door slowly, Deon could finally see what was going on. Suits were laid on the ground and... many gowns were mixed in the pile of clothing.

'When she said she'd get me a lot, I didn't anticipate that it would be this much just for a party?'

This was truly the work of Devilania, who was obsessed with looks and clothes.

'I don't want to clean this... but Ed isn't here...'

"No way, I'm not cleaning this." Over the God of Death's dead fucking body.

Deon decided to ignore the pile of clothes that were huddled up in the corner of his room and headed to his bed, and knocked himself out

***

"My child!"

"...You keep talking to me in my dreams, but you can also just talk to me in my mind since you're a God..."

"It's more fun seeing you in person rather than watching you through a screen."

"What."

"Anyways! I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

The God of Death quickly changed the subject with a brand new topic. It seems that he realized his mistake just now.

"Bad news, then good." It's probably something about my so-called loving family.

"They found a way to travel through dimensions."

"Haah... I should've expected this, but they sure are persistent in finding me."

"They're not just going after my temples for answers about your soul's whereabouts; they're also attacking Angelina's and the God of War's temples now."

"Them attacking you is understandable since you are the God of Death who oversees death. You would have the most information about me and my whereabouts and reincarnation, and they were right."

"They may be right, but they dare to attack a god. I only tolerated them because of you, just know that. However, the moment you died, I stripped all contact with them."

"...Even Cage?"

"Yes, at least she got what she wanted, no? She wanted me to stop nagging her, and I did just that."

Deon sweatdropped at the God of Death's actions. This was very different from what he was used to; he also never knew that the God of Death tolerated his 'family' because of him, and he felt something warm and comforting hearing those words.

Realizing what he was thinking, Deon mentally slapped himself. No way he was seeing the God of Death as family?! That will never happen, not even after his death and reincarnations!

"Well, good news is even if they find you, the neckpiece I gave you hides the scent of your ancient power to all beings that can sense it. Though I said it covers the Aura of Death, it also covers those as well."

"So kind like Fredo's bracelet..."

"Yep. Besides, if you were a God, you'd be the God of Acting since you're so good at it."

"That sounds like my worst nightmare."

"Ah, well, I gotta get going now. Expect changes to happen even if they all seem to go according to the guidebook; you are a variable, you know Deon, or well, Kim Rok Soo."

The God of Death waved goodbye to Deon, who seemed to be more relieved and less tense after hearing the good news he had given.

***

"Urgh... how long was I knocked out for.."

Deon woke up with his body all stiff. He couldn't tell what time it was since it was always night outside.

"Sir Arut!"

"Ed..."

"Not another word! We are late for the banquet."

"Can't I just not go..."

Deon mumbled to himself; however, Ed was able to hear it even if he was on the opposite side of the room.

"Not go?! Sir Arut, this banquet is for you and Sir Jaykar, you can't miss it!"

"...Fine."

"Perfect, now we just need a suitable outfit. Thankfully, Dame Devilania helped us with that yesterday."

Ed pulled out a row of outfits, each one was unique... and extremely extravagant that it almost made Deon want to scrunch his face up in disgust.

However, one outfit stuck out to him. Was it nostalgia he was feeling, or was it disgust from the outfit? Deon didn't know but decided to go with that outfit since it was also one of the simplest outfits.

"This one."

"But that one is a little..."

"I want it."

"If Sir Arut wishes to wear it, then I will go according to your wishes."

Ed took a bow and put the outfits back into the closet before exiting the room.

(A/N): I'm gonna pretend there is a closet if there's no closet...

Deon looked at the outfit one last one.

The outfit held a striking resemblance to the one he had worn when the plaza was being terrorized; however, this time, a cloak adorned with fur at the top, the tailcoat was now longer and was able to cover his knees, and much more gold linings and jewels were adorned on this suit.

"It's so much more fancy now..."

However, it was the only outfit that was the simplest of all the others. It was the only outfit he could choose... Well, he could also just choose to wear his uniform, but Ed would probably say something along the lines, "No, you mustn't! You are the center of today's banquet, so you must look the part!"

Thankfully, he had some experience with wearing noble attire. Although Deon wouldn't call it experience since he recorded the moment his servants wore the same attire on him.

Putting on the attire, the only thing left was the cloak, which he hesitated to wear.

It was a black coat with white fur on it.

He's for sure not wearing that.

'I'll just... hold onto it.'

Deon picked up the cloak and held onto it. He felt like the world was fucking around with him which they kind of were but that's not the point.

Walking out of his room, he came to meet with Ed, who was now with Ben.

"Sir Arut, it's time to go!"

"You can go first, I need to wear this."

Deon made an excuse to stay back. He needed to mentally prepare himself for the gazes directed at him the moment he came into the banquet hall.

"I see... then we will wait for you there."

Ed and Ben quickly left Deon, heading towards the banquet.

"Although I made an excuse to wear this, I think I have to wear it now..."

Deon put the cloak on one side of his shoulder rather than both of his shoulders, like how anyone would usually wear a cloak.

***

After a few minutes of walking, Deon had made it to the banquet.

Before him were two guards who immediately flinched after seeing Deon.

'Wow... they must be that scared of me..'

However, unbeknownst to Deon, the guards flinched because of Deon's appearance.

They were newcomers and had heard many rumors of the Zeroth Corps Commander from other servants and outside, but one thing they did not expect was how normal in terms of strength he looked. He looked as if he couldn't even hurt a fly, but they knew that they shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

They quickly opened the door for Deon, who stood there looking at them with a menacing look. However, Deon was thinking about what act he should play when he ever meets his ex-family again. It needed to be flawless, and seem as if he does not have a single memory as Cale Henituse.

"Now entering, the Zeroth Corps Commander!"

Deon could feel all eyes look towards him the moment he stepped into the room. It did feel suffocating, but he had to deal with it, at least until he greeted the Demon King.

"Well, if it isn't the star of today's banquet. Welcome, Arut."

"I greet His Majesty."

Deon curtsied, giving a perfect and elegant posture. It was something he was eventually used to when he became Cale Henituse.

The Demon King smiled and raised his hands.

"Then let's let this banquet begin and celebrate our dear commander's achievement."

'Finally, I can sit in a corner and do nothing!'

Deon was currently happy, but his legs were starting to ache from standing there waiting for the speech to finish.

Heading to the corner of the ballroom, he sat down on a sofa by himself. He was contemplating his life decisions right now, he hated to admit, but he felt betrayed by the Henituse family's approval of Choi Han's idea.

Deon, no, Cale genuinely saw the Henituse family as family after some time transmigrating. They were technically the first to treat him like family.

'Ah, I should stop thinking about them and bury them behind my records.'

Just thinking about their actions worsened his mood even more.

"I kind of feel like an outcast..." Well actually... I am an outcast, I'm the only human in the realm..

Deon mumbled to himself, well, unfortunately, to him, demons have more heightened senses than humans, so some were able to hear him. On the bright side? It was only some of the Corps Commanders who were near the surrounding area where he was.

"Sir Arut!"

"Lilinell?"

What was she doing here? Leave him alone! Let him slack off before he gets sent to a battlefield again!

"...Well, please sit with us.."

Lilinell blurted out and proceeded to drag Deon to where the other Corps Commanders were. Without his opinion.

"Oh my! If it isn't Sir Arut!"

"Devilania..."

"You're wearing one of the outfits I chose! But this one's so plain, how come you didn't choose the other ones? Should I get one inspired by the Demon King next? Oh, must I say you look beautiful in that outfit!"

"First off... I'm not a fan of extra things, and no, please don't get me an outfit inspired by His Majesty."

"How sad... I was hoping to see you in it."

No words, Deon had no words to say. Was there anyone who was obsessed with dressing him up more than her? Probably not, she spent all her time and money to buy clothes for him every moment she got, and some even had to get thrown up because of the excessive amounts of clothes.

Deon looked around for a moment, everyone's eyes were all on the Corps Commanders, including himself, or not. That was when he accidentally made eye contact with the Demon King, who smiled back at Deon.

'He probably has something to say to me. It's most likely about going back to the Human Realm, or I'm being too cautious.'

Deon walked over to the Demon King, who had stopped talking a moment ago after he noticed Deon walking over to him.

"As expected, you even knew that I wanted to talk to you."

"..."

Well, no shit. You looked at me, looking like you wanted to talk to me..

However, Deon kept quiet; it'd be best if he said nothing. If he showed any signs of looking forward to going to the Human Realm, he might actually get killed right on the spot. It was easy to do that since he had always kept a stoic face for his whole life, showing any signs of emotions would end up horribly for him.

"Arut, don't you think it's time you head back to the Human Realm?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I think you should be heading over there right now, or else you'll be late."

'He even knows about the banquet for Cruel, too? Wow, he must have spies or something in the Empire, because how does he know this? Well someone other than Illuster he doesn't count, he's always had a screw loose'

"Then I shall depart right now."

"Alright, it will arouse suspicion if you are away from the Empire for too long anyways."

"Yes.. your majesty."

"I already have a horse ready for you to quickly get there rather than a carriage. I heard from Ed that you've been itching to ride on one, so I thought it'd be nice for you to go on one."

'Like hell I'd enjoy riding horses, that's too tiring.'

Deon internally rolled his eyes. He was a slacker in soul; why would he like to ride horses?

However, he didn't say anything and stealthily left with the Demon King's permission, heading out of the castle.

'Seems like no Ed today, I wonder if he'll ever take up the position of the Ninth Corps Commander.'

Deon looked back at the Demon King's castle, checking if maybe Ed had run out to him. But there was no Ed. Well, that was to be expected since this time he's going out in secret.

While walking to the horse given to him, Deon wondered if he would ever get his wish to come true. It may seem stupid, but he wants to live a life where he can slack off.

He was tired of fighting. Deon had always hated pain, and the eight-year-long war did not help at all.

More importantly than that, is there a way he could prevent his brother from dying? Deon didn't like being alone in this world with no one by his side, or maybe he was just acting like a kid right now...

***

"Haah... I was forced to suck up to the Demon King and act like a strong commander and now I have to act like a hero and suck up to the Emperor."

Deon cursed his current circumstances. He must be the unluckiest person yet luckiest as it seems the world refuses for him to die.

And the Emperor is just as horrible as the Demon King. Now, don't get him wrong, he may have made Alberu the Emperor in his past life, but he learned his lesson.

Never trust the Imperial family...

'Royalties always have loose screws.'

No, never mind that, he's supposed to get attacked today, right?!

Well he's fucking doomed that's one thing for sure.

Chapter Text

Previously...

No, never mind that, he's supposed to get attacked today, right?!

Well he's fucking doomed that's one thing for sure.

***

"What a troublesome life I have..."

Hold on, is it even possible to run away? The one thing the Demon King didn't do was add the tracking spell on him, which he was supposed to do.

Did the Demon King forget to, or was there something else he was missing? He doesn't particularly know what is going on in the Demon King's head since he's always had a screw loose, but he does know that the Demon King is similar to Adin and his gut screams danger whenever he is near the Demon King.

But one thing he is aware of is that the only one he can trust for now is himself. Not even the Emperor is trustworthy.

'Now that I'm thinking about it. Why did the Emperor just allow it even when he found out, and even start a bet with the Demon King? Yes.. Both the Demon King and Emperor want me on their side, but...'

Haha, no way they'd start a war over him.. They saw him as a pawn. What a hilarious joke!

Unfortunately for Deon, there is a huge possibility of that happening. After all.. It technically happened in the novel too.

'Haah, I suddenly don't want to go to that banquet. Should I just head home...'

Right, he could just meet the Emperor the next day. Why does he have to go right now? There really wasn't a need to.

"Fuck the Imperial Family, I'm going home."

Deon looked around to check if anyone had heard his comment before turning around to head back home. He doesn't even know why he rode a horse for so long, just for this to happen, but home is home, and he can slack off at home!

After two hours, Deon finally reached the estate he inherited. His beloved home with actual normal people who aren't batshit insane in the head!

"Stop! Who goes there?"

"Who goes there? I, the owner of the house."

Deon decided to make it quick and pulled down his hood, which was given to him by the Demon King. He wanted to go back to his room and slack off. His stoic face was shown under the cloak, revealing a cold beauty.

"M-My lord! Welcome back!"

Both of the guards were startled by Deon's appearance.

'They're looking at me weirdly again...'

As he walked by, he noticed the guard's cheeks flushing up. He felt concerned by their wellbeing, and wondered if a doctor needed to be called. Of course, he never thought that the sole reason was because of his looks.

Finally opening the door to his estate, fully expecting everyone to be asleep. All of the servants were there to greet him.

"Shouldn't you all be asleep by now? It's nighttime."

"But the owner of this estate was finally coming home, how could we not?"

One of the maids retorted, she didn't seem to be afraid of yelling at Deon. That was only because Deon hardly enforced any hierarchy in his estate; naturally, even when reincarnated, he wouldn't care that much about hierarchy. Besides, these were the people he found and saved during the eight-year war. He could even consider them as family.

"Don't tell you were going to laze around in your room, you have a beautiful face like this, show it off to the world! And there's a banquet today too!"

"Thank you, Sheri, but no."

Deon immediately turned down Sheri's ideas. He's not getting killed today and he refuses to encounter Duke Illuster at the party. He could just go tomorrow.

"What about these-"

"Oh my, it seems to be quite lively here despite the time."

"Remember!"

"Greetings, Count Hardt."

Remember, quickly greeted Deon with a slight bow. Usually, this would go against etiquette, but did anyone in this estate really care? No, they don't.

"Will you be visiting his majesty today?"

"No way."

Deon immediately answered Remember back, however, no one in the estate was surprised at their lord's answer.

"I'll be heading to bed, then see you."

"Have a good night, Count-nim!"

"You too."

Was there ever a superior who treated their servants this warmly? Most likely not, most if not all of the servants here were refugees who had to flee from their homes, and he was the one to help them back on their feet.

He saw them as equals and understood their worries. How could they not feel friendly toward him, even if he was a noble? Noble or not, he was their savior, and they will always be by his side.

***

"It's so nice here, no one throwing daggers at me, no one asking me to fight them, and no one making me go on crazy missions."

Deon sighed happily. This was the life he dreamed of (for all three lives he lived). It was nice to be able to sleep in comfortable pajamas and lie in a soft bed rather than the cold hard floor and having to be alert at all times due to monsters roaming the city, or having to run everywhere to prevent the Arm organization from destructing more property, and turning the terrorization into a full-scale war that could have lasted for twenty years, compared to twenty years eight years sound much better in Deon's opinion.

"God of Death?"

"My child, you finally called!"

"...I'm starting to regret this."

"Urk- that hurts me..."

"Anyway, what is this jewel made of?"

Deon picked up the neckpiece he had gotten from the God of Death and spun it around his finger. The red jewel shone in the bright moonlight, revealing its bright ruby color underneath the light.

"That's... a core from a high-ranking demonic monster. I enchanted it with my divine powers. In Earth One, it would be a high-unranked monster, so it should not break upon any impact."

"...You are better than you look."

"Of course, anything for you! By the way, I can see many people outside your house right now."

"Really now?"

Deon put the neckpiece back on and looked outside. He could see people with a blue armband with a single white bird engraved. It was the revolutionary army that was formed during the eight-year war by people who lost their homes.

"The revolutionary army... should I give them a welcoming party?"

Deon thought about the Death Butterflies he encountered during his stay at the Demonic Realm and channeled his divine power. He wasn't sure why, but it was easy to use, perhaps it was because, in a way, divine powers were pretty similar to ancient powers; the only difference was that ancient powers derived from nature while divine power came from the Gods.

"Hello, Saint!"

"Silly child, what do you need us to do?"

"It's been so long since you summoned us!"

"Are we doing something fun today?"

Deon smiled at the horde of butterflies surrounding him. It was a very mischievous smile that was akin to the one he would usually have adorned on his face when scamming someone or planning something on a large scale.

"Yes, something fun with those people down there."

The butterflies fluttered their wings in what seemed to be excitement after hearing Deon's response.

***

"Death."

"Oh, if it isn't Angelina."

"This is serious."

"I can tell, so please hurry up and say it."

The God of Death could see Angelina's ragged and tired state from doing paperwork and running all the way to his domain.

"They're a few worlds away from Cale now, Deon's world. We need to find a way to suppress them."

"What about sending an oracle?"

"An oracle? Would that really work..."

"It might work, at least the people there will be on guard and won't let a single thing slip through or try to at least."

Sending down a false yet somewhat true oracle might not work since the "hero" team might resort to violence to gather information about Cale here and eventually find out about his reincarnation.

Both the God of Death and the Sun Goddess could only pray that Deon could stay as far away from them as possible.

***

Extra :

"I-it's so cold out here..."

Deon shivered as the snow hit him. Every single part of his body felt numb, especially with his weak body made it even worse.

Cruel looked at Deon coldly while Stave and Eduardo stared at the brothers' interaction. They both thought: this might be the calmest interaction they've had.

Cruel sighed as he looked at Deon's pitiful state.

'At this rate, he might die from hypothermia.'

Suddenly, Cruel's older brother's instincts kicked in, and he wrapped Deon with his jacket, shocking both Eduardo and Starbe.

"...Thank you.."

"What did you say?"

"...I said thank you." Is he teasing me right now?

Deon turned to look at Cruel, who was giving him a smirk. He was definitely teasing him right now!

"I still can't hear you."

"I said thank you!"

"..."

"..."

'That was so embarrassing...'

Deon's face was flushed right now and clearly visible due to his pale skin. Embarrassed, Deon quickly covered his face with both of his hands.

Cruel looked at Deon and slightly smiled, and patted Deon's head. The nobles watched this interaction with fear and speechlessness, especially Stave Illuster, who was thinking of possible reasons as to why Cruel was treating Deon like a brother if he wanted to kill him so badly.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Yes, something fun with those people down there."

The butterflies fluttered their wings in what seemed to be excitement after hearing Deon's response.

***

"You must be hungry, right? You can have some food down there, but leave one or two alive."

Deon pointed to the revolutionary army members who were below his balcony, in the garden. Of course, none of the members knew that the hungry butterflies who were craving for vitality were going to appear, or who would assume a 'demonic beast' would appear in the Hart estate?

Of course, these weren't demonic beasts at all; these were divine beasts created by the God of Death. Of course, since it's the God of Death, these butterflies naturally will have something to do with death; in this case is a human's vitality.

"So hungry!"

"Thank you, silly saint!"

The butterflies flew around Deon excitedly before heading down. The scene would have been mesmerizing if it weren't for the fact that those butterflies were about to massacre a whole army of revolutionary knights.

Deon obviously didn't care for the enemies that were invading his house. One thing he definitely knew was to never let your enemies go, no matter how hard they begged. Unless they were willing to join his side, then he'd consider it.

Looking at the garden where he and his family used to play made him feel nostalgic and guilty. It was his fault that both his and Cruel's parents were dead; it would have been nice to have gained his memories prior to that incident.

'No, it's not all of my fault, I'll just blame it all on Illuster since he was the one who sent me.'

For now, the least he could do was get revenge and get back at Duke Illuster for his parents. Even if his parents wouldn't like that idea, Deon wasn't the type to let grudges go so easily. He was never that type of person.

The moment he catches on or finds out is the moment he'll start forming plans to get back ten times at the person who messed with him and his family.

'But what about the other two, Eduardo and Caver? The two people who want to take advantage of me.'

Technically, he could kill the Demon King right there and then whenever he gets back, but something was telling him not to kill the Demon King. Deon could trust his gut feeling very much; it was one of the only things that helped him survive throughout all of his lives.

'I guess I'll put that off for now.'

Deon opened the balcony door and was able to see blotches of red in his garden. One thing is for sure that this will take a long time to finish for sure.

"Do I want to jump down or not?"

Deon looked down from the balcony. He wasn't scared of heights, but the thought of an error happening that could lead to his death was very scary; he completely ignored the fact that he could use the Sound of Wind to get down.

Fuck it, he's just gonna go downstairs like a normal person.

***

Deon walked around the garden of dead Revolutionary troops. many either had their vitality sucked dry and looked like a rotting corpse or they had nothing left of them, only the splatter of blood onto the grass was the only visible sign of them being here.

"Well, if it isn't the revolutionary troops."

"Uhh..."

The remaining knight stood frozen as they watched Deon get closer.

"D-die, you dog of the Emperor!"

"Dog?"

Deon was genuinely pissed. He knew that this was his nickname, but that just made him even angrier.

He was not a loyal dog; everything he did was for survival. Nothing more, surviving is the best after all. It didn't matter if he was writhing in pain or rolling through a piece of dog shit, the most important thing was to live.

Summoning a decently sized rock with his ancient powers, Deon whacked the revolutionary knight in the head.

"You."

Whack!

"Really."

Slap!

"Think."

Whack!

"That I am merely doing this because I'm loyal?"

Thwack!

"Everything I do is to survive. Even if it meant sucking up and licking someone's shoes I'd do it if I could live! I don't give a fuck about what happens to this damn Empire."

Whack!

"Huff..."

Deon panted in exhaustion as he dealt the last finishing blow to the knight, which caused them to pass out almost immediately.

"Cough!"

Blood trickled down from both Deon's nose and lips. This time he's really overdone it.

'Even if I'm tired now, it was nice taking my anger and stress out on that person.'

However, the real question now was, what does he do with the knight? He could give it to the butterflies to eat, but he also needs to get more information on the Revolutionary Army and Duke Illuster.

"Maybe I can help?"

"What can you specifically do?"

Does he have some sort of lie detector skill or what?

"Well, I do have this one skill called Confession of the Dead, it is a skill that'll allow you to see right through the person's motives and check their memories, this can also force them to say the truth, kind of like a Vow of Death."

"That does sound definitely useful to have. But there's definitely a downside to it, right?" After all, such a skill cannot have its bad sides as well.

"That's right, the target must be dead, hence why the name Confession of the Dead."

"Well, it's a power of the God of Death for a reason, I guess."

It was slightly disappointing, but that's to be expected since he's the God of Death (and uselessness?)

"I'll just hand this over to Remember. He scares the living daylight out of me now, but that's fine, I guess, better than Ron, that's for sure."

Deon still couldn't forget the cold look he had gotten from Ron when he begged him to get out of his own house. At that time, he was gullible and naive, thinking that his "family" would surely eventually let him go.

'I'm seriously trash.'

He put his trust in the wrong person, yet took away his trust from the right people who harbored no ill intentions. If that wasn't trash, then what is it?

He now recalled the exact expressions of his mother and father as he ruthlessly murdered them. It was a gaze of guilt, sorrow, and relief in their eyes.

"...I'll just go to sleep."

But that's gonna be one hell of a walk. It made him want to use his ancient powers.

Deon might be the only person ever to use his ancient powers in his everyday life, but it made his life easier, so why not?

Crawling back into his bed, Deon thought about his current life. It was useless to think about what was going to happen in the future, 'what ifs' were useless and did not help a lot.

'At this rate, I might even develop eye bags even with the Vitality of the Heart...'

"Please sleep, my child."

An unknown voice talked into his head before a wave of drowsiness hit him, rendering him unconscious.

***

"Look who's finally jumping in. If it isn't the God of Hope."

Death smiled mischievously, his white hair, which looked similar to Deon's, glistened in the light.

"Death... you seem to be aware of what is happening with Cale's soul now, right?"

"First off, it's not Cale, it's Deon. Second, yes, his karmic debt is gone, but the fragment on him is still tied to the Demon King."

"That's right..."

"But I wonder whose fault that was? It surely couldn't be me since I am a being of neutrality in this world, I can take either the demon's side or the human's side. So I wonder who did it?"

The God of Death questioned, his eyes curving up into crescent moons. However, they were not curving up in happiness; rather, they were curving in anger and amusement.

This was the same god who wanted 'Cale' to be his saint, or rather, a Seed of Hope. How ironic was it that the same hero fragment that was derived from the God of Hope's powers was the same powers that would eventually kill the one whom he had chosen as a Seed of Hope?

"... There are two ways. If we get the God of Despair, it's possible."

"That's hilarious, but we worked forever to seal him off with the help of Cale Henituse."

"Well, one other way I thought of was you give him a blessing. Make him your blessed child."

"...He won't like that."

"That's the only way. In order to get rid of something from a God, you need another God's power, which is the opposite force of it. In this case, only death and despair are the opposite of hope."

"Haah... I'll talk to him about it. But if he curses me out, it's your fault."

"He's always cussed you out anyway."

"Ouch, that hurts!"

The God of Death returned to his playful self again. Hope was used to this demeanor, yet he sometimes wondered why the variable who used to be Cale was the only one who was able to retort back to the God of Death. One thing he noticed was that 'Cale Henituse' was definitely the God of Death's weak point.

***

"My Lord, you're finally awake."

"...Remember?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Let me go back to sleep."

"I'm afraid not, you must meet His Majesty today."

Remember pulled Deon out of the bed as always and proceeded to dress him up. This was a daily routine that had formed throughout time. His master was very lazy to get up in the mornings and detested meeting the Imperial family.

"Can I not go?"

"..."

"His Majesty summoned you."

"Fuck."

'Damn it, why did he call me?'

There wasn't a particular reason as to why the Emperor had called him, since in the original timeline, he never called him. Was it because he didn't go to the banquet for Cruel?

"We're finished! This is my best work yet!"

Sheri wiped the sweat off of her forehead and looked at Deon, who was now dressed in a white suit which was decorated with gold accents and lining and a black cape.

"...It's so extravagant."

"Please bear with it, my lord."

Remember commented on Deon's distasteful comments on the outfit that was chosen for him to wear to meet the Emperor.

Deon said nothing as he left the estate and boarded the carriage, and departed to the palace shortly after.

***

'I seriously don't want to be here.'

Deon walked through the palace hallways leading up to the Emperor's office. The servants all looked at Deon with strange looks that he could not comprehend. Of course, they only looked at him because he had grown his hair and looked fairer now.

"Your Majesty, it's me..."

He hated every single royal. Why do they always boss me around...

"Oh, Count Hardt. Do come in."

"Yes..."

Deon walked into Eduardo's office. It was messy to an extent, at least on the Emperor's desk. He seemed to be tired as usual. Deon wondered if the Emperor had started hallucinating yet, or not, but he should have already started to do so if he was right.

'Our meeting is now different since I wasn't covered in blood and met him a day late. But we might discuss the same things.'

"So has anything happened recently?"

"No, but I was ambushed by the revolutionary army at my estate. Though that's already been handled."

Did he seriously just ask him about his day?

Deon answered back immediately in a monotone voice. He really wanted to make this quick and get back home, being alone with the Emperor is appalling.

"An ambush... those sick bastards.. So, are you alright? Should I call in a doctor?"

"I'm fine."

He doesn't even need a doctor anymore, so stop making him go into debt for you!

"Alright."

Eduardo looked at Deon Hart, who was fixing his cuffs. He knew that Deon Hardt was seen negatively by the whole Empire.

What fools, what other talent has achieved as much as Deon Hart? As the vanguard of the eight-year war, Deon achieved a grander feat than any other. When he left as the Hero's comrade, he was able to retrieve the Hero's corpse.

Which no one has ever done, usually the Hero's body, who was defeated by the Demon King, would be tossed to the demonic monsters as fodder, since he no longer has a use.

And yet, Deon was able to bring his body back in one piece. Had he not done so, the Hero would have suffered the same fate. This was an incredible feat itself, especially while facing off the Demon King.

However, there was always a price to pay for such achievements.

"Have you figured out a way to get rid of the curse yet?"

"...No, I haven't yet."

Deon shamelessly lied to the Emperor, who had no clue about the lies Deon had just spouted. The Demon King hasn't put a tracking spell on him, but it would be better to lie, right? Beside,s the Emperor already knows most things about him.

"I guess you'll need to go back to the Demonic Realm. It pains me to send such a rare talent to a horrendous place."

'You're literally using me as a spy, but go off...'

Deon looked at Eduardo with an emotionless face, giving the Emperor a hard time to determine what it is that Deon wants; he only knew that Deon originally wanted Cruel dead.

"So, what's been happening over there at the Demon King's castle?"

"There is nothing new."

Deon said, leaving out the information about the assassin who had infiltrated and tried to kill him. He needs to obtain more information from the assassins. Besides, even if he didn't say anything, the Emperor would assume that the assassin had died before reaching the castle.

"Alright, I see you can go then."

"Before that if I may..."

"Oh? Something that our dear hero needs now, this is rare, go ahead, I'll allow it."

"Can I go to the Imperial Library?" It's over if he says no, because where else am I gonna get information on the God of Death?

After noticing the Demon King's wary expression when he brought up the God of Death, Deon could only come up with one thesis. It was either that the God of Death is an ally of the demons in this world, or he could be neutral and very useful for the demons or humans.

"Of course, you can go, after all, I gave you special access to visit me or the palace anytime."

"Thank you."

Deon took a swift bow and excused himself from the Emperor's office and immediately headed towards the library.

'Can you hear me?'

"Hi, silly saint!"

'Is it just you?'

"Yes, it's just me, the others couldn't come since there are too many eyes here."

Deon let the butterfly rest on his finger as he looked outside the window of the hallway. The servants walking by watched this with sparkling eyes; however, Deon was too absorbed in his conversation and was unaware of the people staring at him.

'Go to Duke Illuster's estate and spy on him for me, if you can't, then at least look through his paperwork. There's bound to be something useful. Don't get caught.'

"Okay! But even if he tries to kill me, I'll revive, so don't worry, you can't kill us divine beings that easily."

'I'll leave it to you then.'

Deon let the butterfly fly out through the window he had just opened and continued walking to the library as if nothing had ever happened.

***

EXTRA :

"C-Count Hardt!"

"Hmmm?"

Deon turned around to meet a boy similar to his age. He had dark navy blue hair and blue eyes. If Deon didn't know about the original timeline and novel, he would have assumed this guy was a male lead straight out of a romance novel.

"This is for you! Please accept them."

The man handed over a huge bouquet; the flowers were fresh and were a mix of white and red roses.

"...T-thank you...?"

What is up with this obnoxiously huge bouquet?

Deon, who had no idea that the man had confessed to him, accepted the flowers.

Cruel looked at the scene unfolding in front of him, horrified.

This was definitely Cruel's worst day ever.

Of course, while everyone saw an adult just receiving flowers from another man, all Cruel could see was an innocent eight-year-old looking around the banquet, trying to understand what was going on.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon let the butterfly fly out through the window he had just opened and continued walking to the library as if nothing had ever happened.

***

"The differences between the two libraries are insane..."

Deon looked at the library before him. It was much grander and fancier; there were red carpets laid out in various places. There was even a resting area. While the Demon King's did look sophisticated, it looked like a library you would see in universities.

'I should find the section with Gods in it.'

Deon looked through the countless sections of the library. There were even novels in it, which was rare for nobles, as they found fictional novels as something a commoner would read and therefore refused to read them.

Spending an hour going through the library, Deon finally stumbled upon a book relating to the God of Death

"There it is." Fuck that took so long to find a book about him.

Deon flipped through the book quickly, recording every detail there was on each page.

'Hmm?'

What the hell is this?! Deon looked at the page he was currently reading. The whole page was written in Korean; the thing was that it looked almost as if a toddler attempted to write in Korean, that's how bad it was.

Sorry for my poor handwriting; I was in the middle of completing another piece of paperwork, so I wrote with my left hand.

I'm busy right now, so this was the only way to tell you, as you refuse to open my book, how mean!

Anyway, you, Deon Hardt. You are the one who is destined to die, no matter what. Yet you still manage to find a way to survive. This is why you specifically make humans interesting.

So this is why I advise you, my dear saint, do not kill the Demon King just yet, as he is a part of your destiny. Should you do so, your soul shall fracture into pieces just like the Demon King.

"...Is this how I find out that I can die an even quicker death?"

Deon looked at the paper, which seemed to be speaking nonsense, as it burned into ash as if it had never existed in the first place.

'If I or anybody kills the Demon King, I'll die? That doesn't sound nice at all.'

Deon immediately closed the book shut. Although no one would be able to find out, he might die if the Demon King dies.

'Let's just go outside...'

He'll just ignore what the paper said and live his life as he wants to. Let's just hope the Demon King doesn't die until the God of Death fixes the problem.

***

'God, my face is already pale, why did it get even paler? Was I just that scared of dying? No, anyone would be scared of dying. Why should I be ashamed of that?'

...Those years in Roan Kingdom really got to him, didn't they?

Deon walked through the halls quickly, trying to avoid bumping into anyone like the crown prince and princess or a noble.

It'd be shit if he bumped into someone right now.

"Ugh-"

Deon almost fell backward from the sudden impact on his weak body, but was caught by the person he had bumped into.

"Sorry-"

'Holy fuck...'

Deon looked up to see Cruel staring at him coldly. If looks could kill, he would have been dead on the spot.

"...Brother."

What should he say? That he's sorry that he killed our parents, please forgive him? Brother, it's been so long? Deon stressed over what to say, unaware that his nose had started bleeding.

"You- your nose is bleeding."

"Ah..."

Deon backed away from Cruel, wiping his nose, which caused his gloves to get coated in his blood. Cruel noticed this could only take his extended hand back in what seemed to be in disappointment.

'He seems to be in the right state of mind today.'

Cruel looked at Deon, who was internally panicking. Although his face was emotionless, he could Deon's eyes were shaking when he noticed him. No one would notice, but Cruel was always by Deon to know his small habits ever since they were children.

'Now that I look at it, he resembles our mother more than our father.'

Back then, it wasn't as noticeable since he had shorter hair, but he could see that Deon resembled their mother. Maybe a younger version of her, except with white hair and red eyes.

"Oh, my Count Hardt!"

Elphidius walked in with Alethea trailing behind him. Deon cursed himself for his unluckiness. Was his team leader really correct when he said that he always attracted trouble?

"Y-your Highness."

"No need to be respectful, we're friends, right?"

"How could that be? I am only an honorary count."

No way in hell would he be his friend!

"It's alright, we are the same age, so let's be friends! But s-something seems to have changed about you, Count Hardt.."

Elphidius looked at Deon's short hair, which was now way longer than it should be. Could hair really grow that long in a few months?

"Brother, don't be rude! I think Count Hardt looks beautiful!"

"You're right, Alethea."

'Why are they talking about my hair? Does it look that bad?'

Deon picked up a lock of his hair and looked at it, confused. Was it that bad that even the crown prince had to say something about it?

Cruel could only mentally sigh at what was probably going through his dense brother's head. His brother was very smart at times, but could be so dense about something to the point he wanted to shake his brother and tell him that they were complimenting him.

"If you could please excuse me."

He wanted to get out right now, being in a room with two royals and his brother was very stifling. He just hoped that Duke Illuster wasn't gonna come here as well. However, seeing how Cruel is also here, there is a very high possibility of Starbe coming here as well.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well, Count Hardt?"

"Should we call the doctors?!"

Elphidius and Alethea surrounded Deon, checking for injuries as usual. Deon stood there nauseated.

'Fuck... I need to cough up blood right now, it's building up in my throat.'

Deon covered his mouth, scared of getting any blood on the two royals on the ground. Right at the moment, a butterfly clutched onto his cape.

"Oh... you must be facing a recoil after using us."

'Is it because you are the God of Death's direct creations?'

"That's right! It's best if you go somewhere isolated... You might cough up excessive amounts of blood. But don't worry, you have a recovery ancient power! You should live."

'Wow, that's so reassuring...'

"Count Hardt, is something wrong?"

"N-no, everything's- cough!"

"Count Hardt?!"

Elphidius immediately caught Deon, who suddenly started coughing up blood. He immediately took a handkerchief from his pocket and covered Deon's mouth. However, it wasn't enough, and the handkerchief eventually was dyed red.

"S-so much blood..."

Alethea looked at the scene in horror as she watched the blood pool up on the ground while Cruel watched the scene in front of him with shaking eyes.

"I-it's fine-"

Another coughing session from Deon happened again as he tried to talk and started choking on it.

"Stop talking, Count Hardt!"

Both the prince and princess yelled, grabbing another handkerchief from who knows where, and covered Deon's mouth.

"I'll call a physician."

Cruel shortly left, looking for a physician who could examine what was going on with Deon.

***

"Huff- I am- here!"

The physician, brought by a menacing Cruel, came running into the hall with his suitcase and disheveled clothes due to being rushed by the raven-haired man.

"Please sit still, Count-nim."

'I already am sitting still? It's just that I keep choking on my damn blood!'

Deon internally screamed as the physician checked his body.

'Please heal before he checks on me...'

"H-how could someone be alive like this...?!"

'Oh my fuck.'

Deon wanted to cry. His body hurts, blood is everywhere, and the physician found out.

"Sorry, child... since it's a recoil from divine powers, it takes a little longer to regenerate..."

'Well, as long as I don't die, I guess... It hurts, but it's better than dying.'

Deon looked up to see the crown prince and princess's horrified yet confused expressions. He could also notice that Cruel's eyes were shaking.

"Many of his internal organs have ruptured, but it seems to be slowly regenerating, which is very lucky, it is. If it didn't, he would've been dead."

The physician fixed his glasses as he explained to the three about Deon's condition, their faces widening even more, though Cruel was able to control his expressions better.

"This is serious! Let's get you resting immediately!"

"I can go home myself-"

"No way, the Hardt estate is too far away! Stay here."

"..."

'This backfired so hard...'

"Hik... I'm sorry, we saw that you didn't receive the recoil right away. We thought that you'd be fine, but we didn't think it'd be this bad."

The butterfly fluttered its wings while hiding itself in Deon's cape.

'No, never mind my current state- my house! They're gonna set my house on fire!'

"..My house..."

"Count Hart...?"

"Those- those rascals are gonna set my house on fire!"

Deon shouted, his voice raspy from all the coughing and dehydration. Yet he didn't care, if his house gets on fire he'll have to live on the goddamn streets, he can't have that happening ever!

Elphidius and Alethea, at the moment, felt like their lifespan was lowered by fifty years from all of the random bomb drops from Deon; of course, Cruel was not an exception at all.

"W-who?"

Alethea slowly recovered from shock, but then returned to her dazed state when she heard Deon's reply.

"The Revolutionary Army."

"Pardon?"

"What?"

Alethea almost felt like fainting if it weren't for the strong smell of blood (from Deon) and the sudden revelation.

"Oh, the Revolutionary Army! Haha, I must've heard wrong."

"You didn't."

"...Count Hardt, you really know how to surprise people."

Elphidius always knew that Deon never cared for himself and never paid attention to his body, which resulted in him always getting injured.

"Please do not worry about your estate. I will send reinforcements and people to fix your house over there, so for now, you can stay in the guest room."

This was step one on how to get the third hero on their uncle's side! With oppression from the noble faction led by Stave Illuster, they needed someone who was also strong and still had influence and wasn't swayed by the duke, yet.

"I see..."

Deon reluctantly agreed to Elphidius's request to stay at the Imperial Palace.

***

"Can my day get any worse..."

Deon sighed as he lied in the bed. It was comfortable to a certain extent, but the fact that he had to stay in the Imperial Palace made him want to cry.

'Time to face relentless amounts of assassination attempts on me because they find out I'm here, so excited!'

Excited his fucking ass. He was going to end up dying before even changing his fate!

Bang!

Deon flinched at the loud sound. And of course, the slam came from the Emperor himself, who came to check up on Deon.

"Deon- Count Hardt, I heard you coughed up an irregular amount of blood. Are you alright?"

Eduardo checked on Deon with a concerned expression. He seemed very concerned, if it weren't for the fact that he was acting.

Deon, who knew this, kept his mouth shut as the Emperor checked up on him.

"I'm fine..."

"Haah... You're always like this. Alright, I'll let you rest, so please do not move around a lot since the curse could also harm you."

"Yes, your majesty..."

And just like that, the Emperor left the room shortly after.

'Wow, he's actually good at acting.'

If he didn't have his memories back, he would have been completely fooled by both the Demon King and the Emperor.

Knock, knock!

"...Come in."

Deon's heart pounded with adrenaline as the Unbreakable Shield was ready to protect its owner, just like when he first gained it. She was always there to protect him, no matter what.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in."

"You have received a gift."

A servant opened the door; their expression was stiff and nervous; they probably had already heard about all of the rumors surrounding the name, 'Count Hardt.'

"Put it on the table. I'll look at it later."

"Yes, Count-nim."

The servant quickly left after giving Deon the crimson colored box. It matched his eye color perfectly. He wondered if there was anybody who could actually get the color of his eye almost right.

Opening the box, Deon could find a small box of chocolates. These were the brand of chocolates he had always enjoyed as a child.

'Oh...'

Deon held the box of chocolates closer to his chest. He felt so bubbly and warm when he found out Cruel had sent these to him.

"Count Hart!"

"Your Highness.."

Deon turned to the door to see Elpidius and Allethea, who had arrived with gifts as well.

"We came to visit you! My brother took a lot of time off to visit you, so of course I had to come along!"

"You didn't have to?"

Why would he want you to hear anyway...

"It's common courtesy to visit someone if they're not well!"

Alethea retorted, a playful pout appearing on her face.

"But who did you receive that from?"

Alethea looked at the red box that Deon was holding closely to his chest. She looked into his eyes, curiosity evident in them; the color of the box perfectly matched his iris color.

"Ah, just a gift from someone."

Deon replied, unaware of the bright smile that decorated his face, which almost blinded Alethea and Elphidius.

The two royals had a sudden thought appear in their minds: was it humanly possible for anyone to look this angelic?!

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon replied, unaware of the bright smile that decorated his face, which almost blinded Alethea and Elphidius.

The two royals had a sudden thought appear in their minds: was it humanly possible for anyone to look this angelic?!

***

Elphidius and Alethea stared at Deon speechlessly as he returned to his stoic face as if he had never smiled. There were times when they were creeped out at the wide range of emotions Deon had.

"I see..."

"T-then we'll just leave them here for you, Count Hardt! Don't mind my brother, he is very awkward."

Alethea quickly butted in, leaving the mountains of presents behind for Deon before leaving while dragging Elphidius with her.

Deon looked at the number of gifts in front of him; there were a lot. His eyes sparkled with anticipation. He always loved free stuff.

'It won't hurt to open one, right?'

Deon held up a purple box with bright red ribbons wrapped around it. Inside, it was a gold necklace with a white diamond in the middle of it. The design was simple, yet it showed off the wealth a noble had since white diamonds were expensive to make. Deon then opened the letter that was attached to the gift, which read that they hoped that the war hero would get better and they should come over to their house sometime.

'This noble is a part of the noble faction..'

That means he was a part of Duke Illuster's faction. He's definitely not going to their house; he'd probably die the moment he set foot near their estate.

Ten minutes had passed since Deon looked at the gifts that were sent to him. So far, all of them were just exaggerations and flattery to get him on their side. The gifts were great and all, but reading the letters attached to them tired him out as he kept seeing the same words worded differently each time.

"I give up."

Deon threw the last letter on the ground as he read it. Did that person just admit they liked him? No, it's most likely a setup by Duke Illuster since half of the nobles were a part of the nobles' faction.

***

"The Imperial Knights have arrived!"

"Oh? Look, the Imperial Knights are here! Did the captain send them?"

The Lofty Knights looked at the Imperial Knights who had just arrived with Lianne in the back.

"Count Hardt wasn't lying at all..."

Lianne looked at the burning estate in shock. There were many broken places in the estate, debris could be visibly seen, the tiles and stone statues were broken, and most of the employees had already fled to the front and were being protected by the Lofty Knights.

"Dame Lianne, it is wonderful to see you here."

Sheri greeted Lianne and acted as if there was no bombing and it was just a normal day at the estate. Lianne flinched a bit seeing Sheri again, she didn't know why, but Sheri gave off an eerie feeling sometimes, like Remember; she wondered if Count Hardt had ever noticed it and ignored it, or if he never noticed it.

"Is everything alright?"

"You needn't worry! The Lofty Knights have defeated the Revolutionary Army, all that needs to be done is to fix the estate now!"

Sheri said in her usual cheerful tone, which threw Lianne off. Whenever they met, Sheri always had a serious face like Deon adorned on her face as she cleaned the estate or did her tasks.

"I see..."

"And Mr. Remember also caught two Revolutionary Soldiers to interrogate!"

Sheri pointed to Remember, who was holding two of the Revolutionary Soldiers as if it were nothing. Lianne finally concluded that nobody here was normal except for Count Hart.

"Huh...? What is this?"

Sheri held up a circular object that was in her hand. Lianne, who noticed panicked at the bomb that was in Sheri's hand.

"That- that's a bomb!"

Hearing those words, Sheri immediately threw the bomb towards the bush where the last soldier was.

"Bullseye!"

"As expected of Sheri, your aiming skills are still this good even after years! It reminds me of when we first met, you were pointing a-"

"Shhhh!"

Sheri covered the Lofty Knight's mouth, and an angry smile adorned her lips.

Yes, Sheri and Remember were assassins.

Deon had first found her when she tried to kill Deon out of anger and revenge for losing her home during the eight-year war, but was caught immediately. She was desperate at that time and pointed a dagger at Deon's throat, but received no reaction.

"C-Captain?!"

"You look horrible, Captain."

"Shut up."

Deon was tired of his troops. How did they even get here anyway? He didn't even get ambushed on his way. He was also wrapped in bandages on his chest to cover up the stigmata given to him by the God of Death. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed and wore a random cloak over himself, which isn't wrong.

"Did I come here for no reason?"

Deon looked at the scene before him; it was destroyed obviously, but it was more sorted out now. Let's hope the palace doesn't freak out over his disappearance or visit him.

"Captain, we missed youuuu!"

The Lofty Knights all surrounded Deon and gave a suffocating hug. Deon wasn't phased by this and decided to give up, they were stronger than him anyway. However, Lianne watched this with horror.

"I have to hurry up before I get caught that I'm not in the palace."

"Did you perhaps... escape from the palace?!"

"Yeah?"

It was easy, actually; there were barely any knights where he was. So he just walked past, making up a believable lie while leaving in pajamas to not raise suspicion. If he had gone out fully dressed in attire ready to run away, they probably would have refused.

"..."

"P-please hurry up, Captain! We can't have you dying!"

The Lofty Knights lifted Deon up before bringing him to a horse. Deon was confused by the sudden commotion and stared at his knights weirdly. Unaware of how scary and indifferent the Emperor was to the Lofty Knights while he was gone.

"A-alright?"

"Count Hardt! There you are... We were looking for you-"

'Well, it's too late now.'

Deon hopped off the horse the Lofty Knights put him on and walked to the Imperial soldier who had called him. The soldier who finally saw him backed away, flustered, of course, Deon was oblivious to the reason and thought that the soldier was just sick.

"A-ah, His Highness and His Majesty are looking for you."

"I see, let's head over there then."

Damn it, why are they looking for him now?

Deon followed the soldier back to the soldier back to the palace, ignoring his troops' pleading eyes to stay here with them.

***

"Your Majesty, you called for me?"

Deon bowed down, ignoring his current state. He was currently tired and wanted to pass out from the pain in his abdomen from running and walking to the main palace.

"Ah, yes, although I don't like doing this that much, there has been a request for help near the Empire. So I have to ask if you could go on a subjugation with your knights."

"I will do as you say."

"Alright then, now that this matter is settled, you can go."

"Yes."

Deon quickly curtsied before leaving. Usually, he would get called out for being disrespectful by the Emperor as a 'joke' and be let off, but this time he said nothing.

'Damn it... Now I have to go on a subjugation; at least it's near my house, though.'

"I'm back!"

A butterfly appeared on top of Deon's hand, fluttering its wings.

"Welcome back, have you found anything out?"

"Yes! I found out the purple-haired man was planning on defaming that yellow emperor!"

'Tell me something I don't know...'

"Uhhh... around November twenty-fourth, he's planning to assassinate you! But black hair found out."

Shit. How was it so simple to find out how his brother died?

Well, it was no use now. He was already finding a way to change it.

'So in the end it's all my fault, just as it's always been.'

It felt as if part of the curse from the White Star was still lingering on him, even though it was already gone. It didn't change the fact that all of his loved ones died one way or another; in the end, they all died by his hands or died for him.

The divine beast noticed Deon's sullen expression and attempted to comfort him by flapping its wings on his hand.

"Are you comforting me?"

Deon gave a small smile as he caressed the butterfly's wings. It was a little sad that he was being comforted by a butterfly, but at least he wasn't being used by everyone around him.

'Not even the prince and princess are on my side, so I should be wary of them too.'

Although they showed that they supported him, in reality they only needed him to be tied to the Emperor. It seemed that no one in the world particularly liked him.

"Honorary Count Hardt."

"...General Nemeseus.."

Deon snapped out of his thoughts as he finally met with Nemeseus. He didn't know what to say at all; more than that, he was extremely uncomfortable with him.

"I apologize, I have to go!"

It'd be better if he just ran away from all of his problems; that problem itself was currently Nemeseus, who was staring at him as if he were a criminal.

Nemeseus watched as Deon ran away from him as if he were aware of something.

'Is he finally aware or will he keep running away from it...'

An image of a child barely past the age of 15 overlapped with the current Deon, who was running away.

***

"...Haah."

His life is so troublesome.

Deon rode on the horse as the Lofty Knight, and Lianne headed towards the border of the estate.

This time, he'll actually sit back and do nothing; if he can just protect himself from that assassin who wants to go after his head.

"Why do I have to go.."

"What do you mean, Captain? How could you miss out on such a fun mission?"

"I'd rather slack off at home."

Deon shamelessly said proudly, his eyes sparkling at the thought of being able to slack off once he fixes this whole plot to his liking.

"Haven't you been feeling stifled at home? Now is the chance to move!"

"I actually like doing nothing while lying in a very comfortable bed."

Deon retorted. How come no one could understand his dreams of slacking off after retiring?! They all treat him like he's crazy, and it's driving him insane.

Sulking, Deon whispered curses to the God of Death. The Lofty Knights could only sweatdrop at the amount of cussing and curses that came out of their captain's mouth.

"Look at that, the monsters are here, so get ready!"

'What a bunch of lunatics.'

Deon thought while watching the Lofty Knights go crazy, ripping up arms and body parts with blood splattering everywhere.

"Will you not be participating, My Lord?"

"No, I'm too tired to do that."

Or well, too lazy to do that.

Lianne looked at Deon worriedly. However, Deon was oblivious to what was going on in Lianne's mind after he replied to her.

He was also on edge since Choi Han and the others could come over here any moment. He just hopes it isn't now, but if it is, he'll have to act to the best of his abilities.

But thankfully, courtesy of the God of Death, the neckpiece he has should block the scent from anyone who can sense ancient powers.

Chapter Text

Previously...

He was also on edge since Choi Han and the others could come over here any moment. He just hopes it isn't now, but if it is, he'll have to act to the best of his abilities.

But thankfully, courtesy of the God of Death, the neckpiece he has should block the scent from anyone who can sense ancient powers.

***

Deon looked to his right and spotted a group of assassins who were ready to attack him. Deon's heart started pounding even faster with the Unbreakable Shield ready to protect him. If he gets shot here, it's over for him.

"Lofty Knights, we seem to have some guests."

Fuck it, he's not getting shot today. Getting shot hurts, so why would he let the enemy harm him? Since he's already fucked up some of the plot he might as well fuck it up for real now.

"Make sure two are alive, we'll need to interrogate them."

He also needed to ask Jaykar if he was able to get any more information from the assassin.

"Got it!"

The Lofty Knights took out the drugs and swallowed them. Deon didn't really want them to use it, but whatever works, as long as two people are still alive.

Afar from them was a group of two who were watching the conflict unfold. It was the King of Ileon and his close servant who watched the scene from afar in greed.

"That must be Deon Hardt, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Judging by his white hair and red eyes, it should be the third hero."

"If we file a complaint saying that they ambushed us, we could be rewarded tremendously by the Empire..."

The King of Ileon was as greedy and prideful as his name suggests. He only did things that benefited him, whether it was bad or good, he would still do it.

"Your Majesty, if I may."

"Go ahead."

"I believe it'd be best to get on the third hero's good side as he is one of the Emperor's favorites."

"Hoh... You are right. If we get on his good side, we might get on the Emperor's good side as well."

The King of Ileon began to stare at Deon in greed, thinking about the massive wealth and honor he would get from using Deon.

Unaware of the king's new plans, Deon shivered. He felt like something bad was going to happen to him.

'Ugh... Is someone praying for my downfall?'

Deon looked at the now bloody battlefield. He didn't like the sight of it, but had to bear it since it was now recorded in his head.

"Captain, we finished!"

The Lofty Knights rushed over to Deon, who was still in clean clothes, surprisingly. They held up two of the assassins in their arm,s who were now tied up, and threw them on the ground.

'Ah, what crazy ass people. They scare me.'

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Deon quickly turned at the new voice to see the King of Ileon and his servant. Although they looked mad, Deon could see a pool of greed in the king's eyes.

'Shit... This never happened..'

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Hoh? You seem to recognize me, you may lift your head up."

Deon looked at the King of Ileon with suspicion. He knew something was up since the king had never gone down to the middle of the borders.

"Of course, I am a noble and a citizen of the Empire. I should know common information."

In truth, he was actually irrelevant. He just happened to record the information of the Ileon King while reading.

Deon gave out a bright smile, which scared the Lofty Knights and Lianne as they'd never seen a smiling Deon that wasn't when he was murdering other people.

A creepy and wicked smile crept up on the king's face.

'Ugh... I'm too used to good-looking princes, I think I might actually throw up.'

The closer he looked, the king began to look even worse than a dehydrated, scrunched-up pig, maybe even worse than a boar.

That was how ugly the King of Ileon was; if he looked like the Emperor or the Demon King, he would've understood the king's pridefulness, but he was nowhere near the two men.

"You must be Deon Hardt of the Empire."

"That is correct."

Please get away from him... The appearance was too nauseating; it was worse than Billos's.

"Well, we must show some manners to our guests, as you've been ambushed near our borders. Come and get them cleaned and treated!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The King of Ileon left with a smirk on his face that went unnoticed by the others, except for Deon, who noticed it right away.

***

"This is one of the palaces here. We will send you a carriage to go home shortly after a few days."

The servant excused himself. Leaving Deon and the rest of the Lofty Knights in front of a simple but sophisticated palace. Of course, it looked more shabby than Deon's estate somehow.

"Why did that king even bring us here?"

"For his benefit, of course. If he develops a good relationship with us, he could get a chance to meet with the Emperor and ask for a reward."

Deon closed the curtains, blocking out all the light. Doing this reminded him of his childhood.

"What's wrong? You seem dispirited."

A butterfly landed on the top of a flower in the guest room Deon was using. It of course immediately sucked the vitality out of the flower, causing it to wilt. Deon sweatdropped as he saw the flower wilt quickly as the butterfly ate it. Sometimes he was glad he became a saint, even if he didn't like it; at least he wouldn't die from these vicious butterflies.

"Meeting royals is so tiring. At this point, I might even join the Revolutionary Army..."

He sighed as he laid on the bed. Hell, even the bed was uncomfortable. He'd rate this bed a negative number even, and never come here again, but sadly, he can't.

"Can you send this to the emperor? You should know how he looks; he has blonde hair and gold eyes, if you forgot."

Deon handed over a small note to the butterfly, which clasped it between its legs and disappeared.

'I should also find a way to relinquish my title. That'll be a huge step to being a slacker.'

But first, he should really check his surroundings. He came here blindly and defenselessly, so he has a higher chance of getting assassinated here, too. The least he could do is find an escape route.

Walking outside, Deon could hear the maids looking at him and whispering. He could tell it was something bad about him. But he was already used to this, he endured this as Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse, who's to say he can't endure it as Deon even if he's more emotional now?

That was when Deon overheard something terrifying from a group of maids that made him understand the whispers and concerned gazes.

"That must be the third hero. I hope he doesn't run into the Second Prince. Things would end badly for him if he did."

"That's right... The prince has an extreme obsession with rabbits and birds with white fur and red eyes. If he ever were to lay eyes on the third hero..."

"The last woman he saw who had platinum blonde hair and pink eyes was found dead too..."

'Ah fuck, what's with this world centering things around me? Are you that desperate for me to die?! Are you sure you're watching over me?!'

Deon internally cried as he quickly walked past the maids to the main entrance of the palace. The safest place to be would be the lunatic Lofty Knights; they'd at least protect him from that crazy prince.

He really should've run away the moment he had a chance to...

***

"Captain?! What're you doing here?"

"To protect myself from a crazy ass guy."

The Lofty Knights sweatdropped at the choice of words their captain used, while the Royal Knights looked at Deon concerningly the moment they noticed his features and realized what he meant by that. They could only pray that the Second Prince wasn't going to come train today.

"Don't worry, I'll just sit over there and watch you guys. I'm kind of a bag of luggage right now anyway." I was always luggage for people to hold in the beginning.

Deon went over to the bench and sat down, making sure to pull down his hood even more so the sun wouldn't hit his skin since he wasn't wearing a mask right now. Thankfully, he was in the shade, so the chances of that happening were lowered.

He could see most people struggling to fight the Lofty Knights due to their extreme fighting techniques. Every time a knight got up, another went tumbling down by the Lofty Knights.

Later, the break time for the knights arrived, and everyone immediately fell down on the ground, excluding the Lofty Knights; their endurance and stamina went beyond his imagination.

Deon could see a knight leave for a brief moment before coming back with a drink and handing it over to him. Deon picked up the glass of what seemed to be juice and drank out of it. He didn't know why the knight did that, but if it did contain an aphrodisiac or any type of poison, it wouldn't take any effect on him thanks to the Vitality of the Heart.

'Oh? Is this a sleeping pill? I'm guessing the Second Prince ordered him to do this, but too bad I'm gonna stay here until I die.'

He could only conclude that the sleeping pill came from the Second Prince, seeing how the king only wants to build a relationship out of greed with the Empire. That Second Prince is a bit of a nut crack, isn't he? Why is he trying to start a feud between two nations?

'I'm so thankful for the Heart of Vitality...'

He really was; it was the ancient power that helped him survive all of those years during the war with the White Star and his imprisonment.

Deon looked up and noticed a red butterfly fly towards him and land on his leg. It fluttered its wings slowly as if it were tired.

'You must be hungry.'

Deon cut his pinky a little with the corner of the bench and held it out to the butterfly to feed on. The Lofty Knights picked up the smell of blood and immediately looked over to Deon, but saw that nothing was going on.

Were they going insane? Why is there a faint smell of blood on their captain? Where was it coming from, and why was it happening?

'They're probably thinking why there's the smell of blood here if no one here is hurt...'

Deon looked back at the Lofty Knights, who were staring at him with a smile, making the Lofty Knights shiver at the smile on their captain's face.

"My child."

'God of Death?'

"We've tried everything we could, but the world has already deemed them as wanderers. It will be hard to prevent them from coming here, so please be prepared."

'Damn it... I don't want to meet them..'

Deon bit his lip harshly, causing blood to flow out from his lips. His mood was already bad with the Second Prince trying to knock him out for whatever reason there was and now his family was considered as wanderers that could come here any moment?

This might be his worst day ever.

"Haah..."

Deon sighed. Maybe he should tell Cruel? Would he believe him? He wasn't sure at all. It might be best to keep this a secret, though, he can't risk getting others involved in his problem.

'It seems the poison is completely gone. I can go now.'

Deon felt much lighter than before, ignoring the blood that was slowly rising from his throat. He was used to this, though; it was just the aftereffect of the Heart of Vitality working, it wasn't that serious.

He quickly got up and exited the training grounds to return to his room. He should get out before he pukes up blood in front of everyone. He didn't feel like explaining everything to them either.

***

"Cough- cough!"

Deon spat out blood from his mouth as he sat on the ground.

'I feel more refreshed now.'

Wiping the blood that leaked through his hands, Deon was interrupted by a knock on his door, which made him annoyed.

'Why does everyone interrupt my alone time? What did I do to deserve this, please I just want to have a peaceful, slacker life!'

Deon felt like crying as he opened the door to see a brown haired man who had a similar eye color to the king.

'Fuck... Fuck my life, I hate you so much God of Death.'

This was definitely the Second Prince who had some weird obsession with rabbits. He doesn't even want to know why the prince had an obsession over birds and rabbits, just leave him out of it he isn't an animal!

"You must be the infamous Deon Hardt, third hero of the Empire."

The man smirked with a glint of creepiness in his eyes as he checked Deon out. This irritated Deon in so many ways, first off: he hated people who acted or talked like this. It annoyed him.

"That's right, although I don't know what that has to do with you, though?"

It was an honest question. what did the prince have to do with him other than his crazy obsession over rabbits? What did he possibly do for the prince to be so hellbent on possessing him?

"I was just hoping if we could have some tea together."

"Is that so?"

'Tea my fucking ass.'

Deon looked at the prince with an emotionless face. It was hard for the prince to discern what he was thinking at the moment. This was an art Deon mastered; masking one's emotions and face, appearing as strong as one can be for survival.

Sometimes bluffing can even save your life.

"Well, I'm busy and have to return soon. I don't have time for tea."

And he just didn't want to be near such a weirdo

One thing he knew was that people who try to knock others out with drinks are dangerous, and he should get away from them as soon as possible. Too bad that wasn't a choice here.

'Reminds me of when I got locked in my room.'

Deon thought about the time when he ate food right after finishing the war with the White Star, he immediately blacked out, only to open his eyes to his room, except that there were restraints on his hands that restricted him from using his powers.

"That's such a shame, then I hope we can become friends soon."

Disappointment was evident on his face, but he kept a steady tone and left.

As soon as he left, Deon dropped to the ground. Holy shit, that prince was seriously batshit. He could see the malicious look just in the eyes alone, no need to find evidence, his face is enough evidence for that.

***

Eduardo was working in his office when he spotted a red butterfly in the room.

'This red color... a death butterfly? What is it doing here? Did that duke manage to find a way to control them when even the Demon King couldn't?'

He looked at the red butterfly that flew right onto his desk, then placed a note there and seemed to be waiting for him. It confused Eduardo; he could tell the butterfly was being commanded by someone, but who was it?

Eduardo picked up the note and unfolded it to see the message.

At King Ileon's palace. Get me out.

He could tell who it was right off the bat just by the choice of words and handwriting. It was Deon Hardt, one of the most talented people in his field.

"He must've met that second prince already. I hope he makes it out without a marriage proposal being sent my way."

Eduardo picked up a pen and wrote on the note. He should at least send some people to pick him up, right?

'Hmmm, what about Cruel Hardt?'

He knew the two weren't on the best of terms, but he still decided to send him. He didn't know why, but he felt like it might be a good decision.

Eduardo gave the note to the butterfly, which then disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. This made Eduardo think of Deon in a new light.

Did he perhaps find a way to control these demonic beasts? If so, they could maybe use it to their advantage.

Ah, he should call Cruel in now. After all, the notorious Deon Hardt is desperately asking for help when usually he doesn't.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Ah, he should call Cruel in now. After all, the notorious Deon Hardt is desperately asking for help when usually he doesn't.

***

"Your majesty, you called for me."

"Ah, yes, Crue, can you go to the Ileon Kingdom?"

"..."

Cruel was slightly confused; why did he need to go to the Ileon Kingdom? The Ileon Kingdom's king was known to be greedy; however, they had no specific ties to the Empire, except for the fact that it was a neighboring Kingdom.

"The third hero has gotten in a little bit of trouble over there."

"I see, I will start heading over there right away."

"Make sure you both don't try to end each other's lives on the way there."

Eduardo joked about the situation of Cruel's and Deon's relationship. Although he joked about the Hardt siblings' current relationship, he seemed to be concerned about whether or not sending Cruel was a good decision.

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

Cruel internally huffed. Like he could ever kill his younger brother, Deon was all that he had left. He would do everything to protect himself, even if it meant the cost of his own life.

He wasn't sure why the Emperor had sent him out of everyone he could have chosen, but he did want to meet his brother again without being in his defensive mechanism, if possible.

***

Two days have passed since the Second Prince started to try an initiate conversations and hang out with Deon, who was desperately avoiding him, making up excuses on how he was busy and couldn't go to blaming his health as affecting him.

'It's been two days, why is this guy so fucking persistent.'

Deon wanted to choke the Second Prince so badly, like he did with Adin. But he would get executed for laying his hands on a royalty when he's just a Count's son. Moreover, he was also a fallen noble, so no mercy would be granted for him if he did; if he was at least a noble, then maybe some leniency could be granted.

It's also been two days since he contacted the Emperor to get him out of here. Though he didn't trust the Emperor, he knew that the Emperor would have to anyway to convince him to go over to his side rather than the Demon King's.

'He always appears in my room at this time.'

Deon could hear the long-awaited knock on his door; the knock had a very demanding tone to it, which belonged to the Second Prince.

Usually, he'd answer, but today he had another idea: what if he jumped out the window?

Deon rushed to the window to open it. He could hear the door that was just a second from being forcibly opened by the Second Prince, and jumped out.

'Finally! I can get away from that weirdo!'

Deon activated the Sound of the Wind as he was nearing the ground. When he safely landed on the ground, he decided to wander about.

For the last two days, he was either in the training grounds with the Lofty Knights, who were able to stop the prince from entering the room multiple times somehow, or he'd stay in his room pretending to be sick or sleeping, which would usually end up with him sleeping.

'Oh, this place looks better than the other places, but it's too red.'

Suddenly, Deon had a horrible premonition about what might happen to him. He was either going to get caught by the Second Prince or he was going to be caught by someone else, and the Second Prince would be informed. Either way, it'd still end with the Second Prince finding out.

"Save..."

Deon jolted back from the source of the voice. Don't tell him this place is also haunted. Why are there people screaming for help here? That only happens in horror films. Did the genre suddenly change to horror?

A pale lady with pale blonde hair—similar to Deon's, except it was blonde; if she had no pigment in her hair, it might've been exactly like his hair color. She seemed to be around the same age as him, just a bit younger

The girl looked up to Deon with pleading eyes that were shaking; her dress was ripped and had many scars littered across her body.

'This is... the girl from the rumors? No, she was confirmed dead... So this guy goes around kidnapping people with similar features? What a fucking creep.'

He looked at the young girl, who was struggling with all of her might, trying to survive, trying to escape death. For a brief moment, he saw an image of himself in the girl.

"I'll save you."

Deon put his hand over the girl's head and began to heal her with the God of Death's divine power. He ignored the feeling of déjà vu as he healed her.

She looked at him, her eyes widening; her gaze was now like a believer rather than determined.

"You... are you an angel?"

"No?"

Deon looked at the girl, perplexed. Just a few moments ago, she was begging to be saved, and now she's asking if he was an angel? He didn't even look like an angel.

"I'm Deon Hardt, I'm being chased by a crazy prince and now currently on the loose."

"... I am Karina of the Eastguard family. It is a pleasure to be meeting you, Count Hardt."

Despite still sitting on the ground, Karina gave an elegant greeting with perfect posture to Deon. Though even if she just introduced herself by her name rather than a proper greeting, he wouldn't care if it lacked manners.

"I am the eldest daughter of Marquis Eastguard. I met the Second Prince while I was sneaking out, and you can tell what happened from here. Thank you for saving me."

"Does he have a weird obsession over people with similar features to you or something? He keeps trying to take me out, and it creeps me out."

"To be specific, he has an obsession with you. Just look at yourself."

Karina pointed at Deon's hair and eyes bluntly. It was still visible even if he wore a cloak and covered his whole head with it; that was how noticeable his hair was.

"...Me?"

"Look at this rabbit."

Karina held up a dead rabbit in her arms casually. The rabbit, of course, had white fur and red eyes, much like Deon. However, the main character of the entire scenario was more concerned about the fact that Karina was holding a dead rabbit in her hands; she was definitely not normal.

"What about it...?"

"Ah- You must not have heard it since you're from the Empire."

"That's right."

'From the Empire my ass, I was dragged into war by a purple haired freak.'

"Then I'll tell you. But first, it'd be best to get away from here since this is the second prince's garden."

"Are there any more survivors...?"

"...Sadly, no, I am the last one; he took many other people, ranging from blonde and pink to my hair and eye colors. You are probably next if we stay here any longer."

Karina motioned for Deon to follow her into the woods. It was more isolated but still a part of the kingdom, and it was also connected to a route that led to the border, which was usually guarded.

"This far should be good enough."

Karina looked around, making sure that no one was near the area they were in before speaking.

"It started a few years ago, I believe, when you were sixteen."

'So two years after I was fighting in the war.'

"The Second Prince caught hold of an exotic bird that wasn't native to the Ileon Kingdom, I say caught hold, but it was a gift from a foreign kingdom. He was very attached to it and was seen everywhere with it; if anybody tried to touch it, he'd punish or execute them personally."

"Oh, what a crazy ass."

"I agree, he's fucking insane. That's why most people thought he was the spawn of a demon."

Deon looked at Karina with sparkling eyes.

Hey, he was starting to like her. Every single noble he's met always tried to use flowery words to cover up insults, but Karina didn't seem to care and outright cursed him out. He wondered if she also drank wine.

"Moving on, the bird died the next week died and he was in distraught. He went missing for a few weeks and returned completely hypnotized by something."

'I have a bad feeling...'

Deon had a bad premonition about what was about to happen next and didn't want to hear the next words out of Karina's mouth.

"He apparently met an angelic boy with white hair and red eyes while he was missing and said that the 'angel' saved him. The moment he returned, he sent out multiple orders on finding the boy; he even looked through the whole list of citizens in the kingdom."

'Fuck, no, there's no way I met him. Where have I even met him?!'

Deon panicked as he fully absorbed the information from Karina. He never met the Second Prince, nor did he remember meeting him; there were too many people he had met during the war that he had a hard time counting.

Besides, he had brown hair and eyes, which were the most common hair colors in the Empire, so if he did ever meet the Second Prince, he wouldn't even know.

"Adding on, he said that they were destined to be together. He thought the boy was the bird who reincarnated into a different body to meet him again."

"...Thanks for telling me this. Now I know I really need to get back to my home."

"Aha, I'm glad to be of service to you. I'm guessing this is where we shall now separate paths."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Eastguard."

"Likewise, Count Hardt."

The two exchanged their farewells and went their ways. Deon, who walked back into the second prince's garden, and Karina, who walked away from it and to the border, ready to go home and return to her successor lessons. After all, despite being in the same age range, she still wasn't free from personal lessons from her father.

***

"Oh my, Count Hardt, where have you been? I was searching for you all over the palace grounds."

The Second Prince walked up to Deon the moment he had come back from his miniature journey. Deon, who had run all the way from the second prince's garden to the central grounds, was tired and was trying to get his breath back.

"You know, you've been delaying our tea time for too long. I believe now is the time to have it, hm?"

Grabbing Deon's hand harshly, the Second Prince attempted to drag Deon away.

'This lunatic! It hurts!'

Deon attempted to get away from the prince's grasp but was too weak to break free. He could feel his wrist starting to go numb from the force coming from the second prince, and his eyes started tearing up.

"Your Highness, might I ask what you're doing to my brother?"

'Cruel?!'

Deon looked at Cruel, who had just arrived at a crucial moment, but immediately flinched after noticing Cruel's cold glare.

'What the fuck, why does he look so scary?!'

"You are..."

"I am Cruel Hardt, one of the heroes from the Empire. I came here to pick up Deon."

Cruel continued to look at the Second Prince fiercely. He could see how Deon was trying his best not to cry as Deon was biting his lip until it bled.

"You misunderstood. He just didn't listen to me."

The Second Prince let go of Deon's hand, which Cruel immediately grabbed and brought Deon to his side.

"I didn't know the Second Prince wanted to wage a war against the Empire, seeing you grab a prominent figure like this as if he were nothing but trash."

'But I am trash?'

Deon looked at Cruel, who was still holding onto his hand. The current situation sort of reminded him of the incident eight years ago.

'What's gonna happen now?'

He could still see his older brother's cold glare that he frequently saw back then whenever they met each other briefly, only this time it was directed at the prince.

'Isn't he overreacting? Besides, if word gets out that he protected me, Duke Illuster wouldn't let it slide and might hurt him.'

Deon didn't know what to say as he watched the prince walk off, disappointedly and begrudgingly. Wow, that was a first seeing the Second Prince like that!

'What was so appealing about me that you had to search for me for six years straight?'

The second prince sounded like those second male leads that did everything for the female lead to find out she doesn't love him, except that he was crazy. What made it funnier was that he was the Second Prince as well.

Wait, doesn't that make him the female lead? That would be a nightmare to think about.

"What are you doing here?"

That... That came off very bluntly..

"His Majesty told me to pick you up."

'What is he, our dad now?'

What type of Emperor sends someone out to pick up their younger sibling? He was expecting some soldiers and a carriage, not his brother, who possessed a hero fragment as well.

"Do you know that kid?"

"...Apparently I've saved him before."

Cruel gave Deon a look that said—What did I expect? You're a magnet for trouble anyway.

"It's not my fault."

Deon tried defending himself. He didn't even know he saved a prince at that time, okay? He was more focused on surviving.

"...I know."

Cruel put his hand on Deon's head and ruffled Deon's hair. Deon could see a hint of sorrow in Cruel's eyes, but chose not to dwell on it; this wasn't his problem anyway.

"C-captain!"

The Lofty Knights stared at the scene of Deon and Cruel actually getting along with each other in utter terror. Since when did their captain stand there letting someone pat his head?

"That's Count-nim to you now."

Lianne walked in and whacked both Cletter and Milan, who called out to Deon as captain. Deon sweatdropped at the scene, didn't they call him Captain a while back, too?

"It seems we will be going back to the Empire."

Deon could tell that Lianne seemed to be happy at the news of going home. She had told him that the knights here had kept looking down on her for being a woman, then proceeded to call her a witch after she put them in their place.

"Yes, there is already a carriage that's been prepared."

Cruel led the group to the entrance of the royal grounds. A carriage with the Empire's crest could be seen on it; usually, only the royal family and prominent figures like heroes could sit in it.

"Then we will guard the carriage as you two sit in the carriage."

Lianne excused herself and went with the other knights who were surrounding the carriage.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Then we will guard the carriage as you two sit in the carriage."

Lianne excused herself and went with the other knights who were surrounding the carriage.

***

Deon sat awkwardly next to Cruel who said nothing as he looked outside of the carriage.

The silence was stifling, but it was better than sitting across from him. It probably would have been worse if he sat across from Cruel.

Deon could feel something crawl up from his arm, and he shivered. But he soon calmed down after seeing what it was.

"Little saint, how come you never call for us? We still end up doing whatever we want because of this."

The maroon butterfly crawled onto Deon's shoulder with what seemed to be curiosity. They were divine beasts; most people would kill to use or possess them.

'Well, you need your freedom too right? It's stuffy having to hide yourself and not be able to do whatever you want.'

Maybe he was self-projecting himself onto these butterflies, but not being able to do what you wanted and having to be hidden away isn't fun, even for animals.

"...We are divine beasts, we do not have any emotions. We were created with divine power."

'But you still have a conscious like every living being, don't you?'

"You are very strange."

'A lot of people have said that about me.'

Many people have told him he was strange, sometimes in a good way... Or bad ways; either way, he didn't care.

'Sometimes I'm glad I can talk to you guys in my head rather than speaking out loud... I would sound crazy.'

"...Are we that strange?"

'No, it's just that everyone thinks you guys are demonic beasts.'

"Demonic beasts?! How absurd, we are divine beasts! Much better than those mindless things. Whoever said this shall be met with our rage!"

'...Yes, you are better than them.'

Deon couldn't refute it at all. He felt like he'd be roasted to death or rather, his vitality would get sucked until he died. He didn't want to face a divine beast's rage, which sounded terrifying.

Thud!

The carriage stumbled and began to shake alerting Cruel and Deon. They began to hear swords clashing and people screaming.

Deon put his hand on the handle but was stopped by Cruel who pulled his hand back.

"Don't go, it could be dangerous."

Cruel said as he exited the carriage before Deon who sat there confused.

***

Cruel stepped out to see that even the Lofty Knights had been knocked out. Not far away, he could see a group of three people standing amid chaos.

Although their hoods covered their faces he could still see their hair. One had long white-gold hair and pointed ears; the second had black hair identical to his; and in the middle seemed to be their master. He seemed to not even be in his twenties. Truly, an odd group of people.

"...Who are you."

First, he needed to find out who these people were and what business they had with him and his brother.

"We don't mean any harm."

"How ironic, just how can I believe your words when you attacked our carriage?"

"I'm sorry, they didn't mean to... We are just in a rush to find someone."

The brown-haired boy explained to Cruel. From what he could tell, there was no one named Cale Henituse. And even if there was he wouldn't be here.

"I don't know who that is, but this Cale Henituse isn't here. It is just me and my knights; there was no need for you to attack us."

"That's impossible- it says that Cale-nim should be in this world!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but he's not here. So I have no idea what you are talking about."

Cruel felt confused and wary.

Why did these people attack their carriage for just a noble? Who was this Cale Henituse, and why were they in a rush? What did they mean by 'in this world?' There seemed to be more than what the boy had explained to them.

"We apologize, sir, if you want, we can take you to where you are heading."

"No thank you, it's alright. We'll just take the horses."

He didn't know why, but he felt like allowing these people to stick close to Deon was not a good idea. Cruel couldn't let his plan to protect Deon he had planned for years, crumble just because of a few strangers who could be from Duke Illuster's side.

"But we insist-"

"Like I said, it's alright. It's not your fault."

"..If you say so..."

The boy seemed to really regret his subordinates' actions. It made Cruel feel bad; however, his brother was more important than strangers. Unbeknownst to the two, Deon listened to their conversation in horror.

'What are they doing here?! Damn... None of them can leave me alone; if Cale is dead, let Cale die.'

Deon covered his mouth, preventing any sound from coming out of his mouth. He didn't dare to make a single noise.

'No, it's fine...'

He immediately took the neckpiece from the God of Death and wore it. He didn't wear it frequently since they hadn't appeared, but now that they were, it'd be best to wear it all the time.

Covering his face with a mask and hood, Deon headed outside anxiously.

"Brother... Who are these people?"

Deon asked, pretending not to know who the group of three were.

"Deon- you shouldn't go out."

Cruel rushed over to Deon, who seemed to look confused about the current situation happening currently.

'How am I gonna explain this to them?'

Cruel looked at the group of three who seemed to be expecting an answer from him. He didn't want Deon to step out because of the bad feeling he had but now it was too late.

"You shouldn't go out, your body is weak Deon. What if you injure yourself?"

Cruel decided to change the subject. He felt like if he gave any more information about Deon it would end horribly. He wasn't sure why but his gut feelings were usually correct so he decided to put his trust into his gut feeling.

"I apologize but my brother has a weak constitution so I need to hurry up."

"...That's alright. I'm also starting to realize how much we have in common. You see, we are searching for my hyung-nim actually, he also has a weak constitution."

"Is that so? Well, I need to get going; even a bit of sunlight isn't good for him."

"But I have one question, why does he look so different from you? White hair and red eyes aren't common."

Shit.

Cruel cursed himself for the predicament he was in. It seemed that the other party wasn't going to let go of this matter so quickly.

"He was born with a condition. That's all I can tell you, this is a family matter."

"I see, sorry for asking then. You seem to be in a hurry, we apologize for taking up your time."

Basen apologized to Cruel who was still covering Deon from the others. He was a bit skeptical but decided to let it go.

Cruel said nothing as he helped Deon get on the horse and went past the hooded group.

***

"Shit- They already made it."

The God of Death cursed, this was a dire matter. If they managed to find out who Cale was, it would be over. He didn't want to see the child he had always looked after fall into despair again.

"Angelina, Hope."

"I got it we will send down an oracle right away."

"Thankfully we go by different names here so they wouldn't know it's us. We've only told them the name we went by in their world."

"That's right Angelina, or well 'God of Justice'."

"Of course, Abyss."

Though they may have the official title of the Sun Goddess and God of Death, they also went by multiple other names that did not correlate with their title.

So did the many other Gods. The God of War is also known as a Star of Retribution in another world. While the God of Despair is known as the Demon King of Temptation in another world.

Angelina and Hope hovered their hands over a glowing white orb. This reminded them of when they made Cassius a hero, who was the deceased hero whom Deon had brought back.

They infused their powers into the oracle and draped a slip of paper over the orb.

"Let it be known that a group of disasters presumably worse than the King of Demons has arrived. Should you let them in a hero in white and red shall fall further into despair."

Both Angelina and the God of Hope spoke at the same time as they infused more of their power into the orb.

For Cale Henituse, they were willing to do this much and even more. Though he may not love them as much as they loved him, they did watch him alongside the God of Death. To clarify, only sometimes; they weren't as weird as Abyss.

From his happiness, through his despairing moments, and his transmigration, they had always been there for him. They don't want to admit it but they've seriously grown attached to this human.

"The upper gods might get mad but who cares."

Angelina and Hope were exhausted after channeling their divine powers into the orb since the orb could only be used with permission. However, the God of Death breached the system, which is why it took them a little more than their original strength output.

"It's fine. I will file a complaint with them about a group of people who went against Heaven's Law."

"While you do that Death. Me and War need to figure out how they were able to hide it from the upper gods."

Angelina needed to find out more about their human ex-companions. There was no way they could actually hide this from the upper gods since they watch over the universes.

And a non-transmigrator or anything similar shouldn't be able to find a way to travel worlds. Not much less native inhabitants to the specific world they lived in unless they had the help of a god.

'And Choi-Han can't travel either even if he is from a different world. He can only do that when he dies...'

Choi-Han was a single-lifer, not a transmigrator or reincarnator. That was his destiny and that has been recorded in the records before he was even born.

She should definitely ask an upper-ranking god about this. The situation was definitely getting out of hand and breached many laws of the world.

Although Cale Henituse should have also counted the difference was that he was a variable. Variables were unpredictable and thus had fewer rules placed on them as they were able to change their destiny.

That was who Cale Henituse was. If he had died before the God of Death transported his soul into the world of I'm Not That Kind of Talent, he could've become at least a divine being or possibly even a god, and would have been treated well in the Divine Realm.

But, reincarnating him was better than making him a god. This was what they promised Jour as well.

Despite not being a transmigrator, Jour was also a variable. Had she not given birth to Cale Henituse, the world would have been doomed. She could have chosen whether or not to give birth to Cale, but she still did, even when she had foreseen her death.

'This is also a promise I made to the very first head of the Thames household.'

Angelina recalled the last conversation she had with the very first Thames.

"Angie, can you promise me one thing?"

The girl had crimson red hair that was identical to Jour's and Cale's hair color except her hair was more short.

"What is it?"

"Please protect my future descendants."

"You act as if I'll live forever and become omnipresent. But I'll do my best so just trust me Yurisina! After all, I am way stronger than you."

Angelina smiled brightly at the stoic redhead who smiled back at her. That was the last conversation she had with her before she had to end Yurisina with her own hands.

"The Thames household is unpredictable... Time research was something we gods had never expected ...But I did what you asked for, are you happy, Yuri?"

Angelina looked at the holographic screen with a girl on it, she had black hair and reddish brown eyes and had foreign features like Kim Rok Soo. She had been keeping watch of Yurisina's reincarnation the whole time, protecting her in the worst moments.

***

"Our dear Heroes are back. How was your trip?"

Eduardo welcomed the two brothers back from their trip from the Ileon Kingdom.

"We greet His Majesty."

Both Cruel and Deon greeted Eduardo as he put his hands on their shoulders.

"It's nice that you got back, but there is some bad news."

"Bad news?"

Cruel and Deon had a feeling about what the bad news was. It could be either about the Demon King or a third party.

"Yes, I'll let this shaman explain it to you though. She has the fuller picture."

A young girl who seemed to be around Deon's age walked in front of the Emperor and exchanged her greetings.

She had foreign features. Blackish brown hair and eyes and chestnut skin. She had a face of confidence and maturity. It reminded Deon of Litana who also had similar facial expressions as the girl in front of him.

'This girl should be the old lady's granddaughter right?'

"Greetings to the Children of Eternal Resting."

"Eternal Resting...?"

Cruel and Deon looked at the shaman, confused, having completely different thoughts from one another.

Deon was pensive; he was sure that Cruel wasn't a saint of death, so why did she call him one?

"Don't you both have a marking somewhere on your body? If so, that is a stigmata; a sign that the Gods have marked you."

Both Cruel and Deon flinched at the word marking.

Cruel looked at the top of his palm while Deon looked at his chest.

"So I was right. When did you get them?"

The Shaman asked with curiosity. This was her first time meeting two saints of the God of Eternal Resting; several long years have passed since a Saint of Eternal Resting existed, much less than two.

"Around a few days ago."

Both replied at the same time before looking at each other with a look saying—when did you get a stigmata at the same time as me?—They felt as if a lot of secrets were being hidden from each other (which wasn't wrong).

"That's great. Please come with me, my grandmother and I will explain to you in private."

Chapter Text

Previously...

Both replied at the same time before looking at each other with a look saying—when did you get a stigmata at the same time as me?—They felt as if a lot of secrets were being hidden from each other (which wasn't wrong).

"That's great. Please come with me, my grandmother and I will explain to you in private."

***

'This is the person who called me a disaster.'

Deon took off his hood when he arrived inside the palace and looked at the elderly woman, who was supposed to look at him negatively; this time, she was looking at both him and Cruel anxiously and with concern.

"You, child..."

The shaman grabbed hold of Cruel, who stood still the whole time. He didn't know a lot, except that his brother was in grave danger and that he might not ever see him again, that is what the veiled man with white hair, similar to Deon, told him.

"You have to protect the Child of the World! The moment the Child of the World is taken, this whole world will collapse!"

"Child of the World...?"

Deon peeked behind Cruel's back with curiosity. Who the hell is a Child of the World?

Your mom is a Child of the World! Your whole family is the Children of the World!

"Ahem, I'll explain. The world is the purest and most important form ever. This being said, if they get taken away or die..."

"You- it's you!"

The elderly woman shifted her gaze to Deon, who was behind Cruel. Deon, who was still hiding, flinched at the sudden yelling. She wasn't about to call him a disaster right there and then, was she?

"You mustn't fall to the temptations of those otherworldly disasters!"

'Otherworldy... No way.. Does she mean Choi-Han and the others?'

"Ahem... Time to butt in! Sorry, we weren't able to prevent them from reaching here; we first calculated that they'd arrive at least tomorrow from the progress they were making. This is why we improvised and made an oracle to prevent them from getting near you."

'What if they go to the Demonic Realm?'

"That won't be possible, I hope at least; they all despise demons ever since they found out that the White Star was going to summon the God of Despair."

'Oh, that's good... That means only some other kingdoms might accept them then. The Empire has many enemies, so they'd be bound to find a place to settle down.'

"That is true, you just have to hope they don't, though. Since we did add in the oracle that if you go down, the whole world will."

'Wow, that's some top-tier lying.'

The God of Death stayed silent when Deon said that. He couldn't tell his (self-proclaimed) child that this could happen. But if he said that, his child would curse him out even more! But surely Cruel wouldn't hate him, too, right?

"I won't."

He had made his decision long ago. No way is he ever going back to that wretched place that used to be called home.

"Good, good."

Both of the shamans sighed a breath of relief after hearing Deon's answer.

"I will say this one more time. Cruel Hardt, only you can save him. Please protect him."

"I will, that's always been my plan ever since."

Cruel exclaimed, muttering the last part. Though he wanted to say it out loud, he felt that it would be awkward to say it after eight years.

"Then we will head back now."

The two shamans excused themselves as they returned to the front of the palace.

'Deon is in grave danger... So this time it isn't because of Duke Illuster.'

Cruel felt like he had an inkling of who it was. The group he met earlier before returning home definitely seemed out of the ordinary.

'Perhaps they don't mean it literally. That blonde man had pointy ears like a demon and was traveling with two humans as well.'

He concluded that 'otherworldly' meant out of the ordinary. Cruel wasn't sure whether or not people from another world existed, but he decided that the group of three was definitely strange.

"Brother?"

"...Deon.."

Cruel snapped out of his thoughts immediately when Deon called him. He noticed these days Deon rarely used his split personality; he wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but times like this, when Deon looked up innocently at him, it made him remember their childhood.

If it weren't for the Duke, his brother would have never done these things. He could have been the cheerful Deon Hardt as he always was, the treasure of the Hardt family.

"It's nothing."

It seemed that he's been getting weaker lately, emotionally at least. If he keeps this up, Duke Illuster will find out, but at the same time, moments like these are rare to come by. His younger brother was always on guard, which resulted in his split personality kicking in.

"Count Hardtttttt!!!!!!"

"Alethea- Don't leap at him!"

Elphidius held back the excited Alethea, who was just a few seconds away from breaking all of Deon's bones.

"We greet the future of the Empire."

"Enough, enough! No need to be formal, we're friends, right?"

"I-"

"I will excuse myself."

"Ah, yes, goodbye, Sir Cruel!"

Cruel quickly left, leaving a betrayed Deon behind with the two royals. But as always, this was a misunderstanding. He thought that some friends around his age could help. So when he saw Elphidius and Alethea enter, he left.

***

'No! I did everything in order to avoid them; not have tea with them!'

Deon sat in the middle between Alethea and Elphidius in the imperial garden. He felt awkward sitting between two people who were acting like they liked him.

"Count Hardt, please try this!"

Alethea sweetly handed over a piece of cake to Deon. Luckily, she didn't shove it into his mouth right away, or else another accident would have happened.

Deon took a bite out of the cake that Alethea handed over to him. He didn't want to admit it, but it was really good. It felt like he was floating on cloud nine when he first took a bite.

"..It's good."

Food is surely the best.. Even when you're being forced to eat it.

The two siblings brightened at Deon's answer. They were making loads of progress. At first, Deon had said nothing for a long time; now he was answering them, although it was a short conversation, it was progress to them.

"I heard from His Majesty that the Second Prince has been pursuing you, Count Hardt."

What the? When did that spread out?

"Yes... I felt like if I stayed longer, he'd probably... Force me to marry him."

It sounded so horrible just talking about it. He prayed that he would never see that crazy lunatic again. He might be worse than Clopeh..

"Please be careful, Count Hardt, we wouldn't like it if another kingdom took our most prized hero. That'd be a shame."

"That's right! He isn't worth it, you deserve someone better, Count Hardt."

Deon said nothing and drank the tea that was poured for him. It's not like it mattered which kingdom he was tied down to, since he would definitely run away when he ever gets a chance to. Just give him some time to find a perfect moment to run off.

'Fuck, reading about his plans is already horrible enough. I don't want to hear it in person.'

"Your Highness, may I excuse myself for a moment?"

"Huh? Oh, go ahead."

"Thank you."

Deon quickly got up and headed back into the palace. The siblings sat there smiling, it seemed that they had caused their dear hero to run away.

"But all of this is for the Empire. Uncle needs someone to be on his side who would cut down anyone in his path, even if it is royalty."

"That's right, this is why we're coaxing him to join our side, right?"

"Of course, brother, we don't want anything happening to our Uncle. Even if it meant that we'd die."

***

"This place is too big for my well-being."

Deon walked through the empty hall. He thought about Choi-Han and Eruhaben, who were the ones who most likely suggested traveling dimensions to find his reincarnation. Had he not known about everything, he probably would have been taken away already.

'Just thinking about it makes me uneasy. They're way stronger than most of the people in this Empire.'

'It should be here, right? Where is that person?'

Deon had briefly read the description of each place in the novel, and so far, this hallway matched the description the most. When he looked up, he saw a servant sneaking out from the door with a stack of papers in his arms.

'There he is.'

That was the 'servant' who would accidentally show the Emperor's important and secret paperwork about staging a war. Normally, he wouldn't care, but he didn't want Duke Illuster to win anything at all.

"You, what do you think you're doing?"

"U-uh-"

The 'servant' stumbled back upon seeing Deon walk up to him. He couldn't get caught by the third hero right now! He tried so hard to get these papers and failed numerous amounts of times!

"Die!"

Deon dodged the attack from the 'servant' and avoided being stabbed. However, he didn't anticipate that the 'servant' would stab him in the chest next.

'..That's gonna hurt.'

Deon immediately coughed up blood from the stab wound right in his chest. He miscalculated and thought that the 'servant' would only try to attack him to get away, not stab him right in the fucking chest.

'I rely too much on the novel, I should probably also think of other possibilities. I also did this as Cale Henituse. But thanks to the Heart of Vitality, the stab wound healed immediately.'

Just as Deon was about to apprehend the 'servant,' Cruel ran in with messy hair and held the 'servant' by the neck. He seemed to be in a horrible state since his eyes widened at the sight of Deon; his veins bulged from his forehead to his hands.

'Oh, that's the budget. I'll take that, no documents for you, Illuster!'

Deon secretly picked up the document that held the budget for an upcoming war before Duke Illuster had entered. He couldn't afford to let Duke Illuster see this. But either way, he'd probably still go forward with his plan. However, if he hides the budget, he might not know how much to deploy for an assault and how much he'd lose or win.

'It's at least halfway to the part where the war starts. I need to prepare.'

He needed to prepare for the upcoming war; from the assassins, he found out that they were going to be deployed around his new birthday; from the butterflies who helped him, to the future. Since he doesn't have all of the knowledge about the novel, he needs to be even more vigilant.

"Oh my, Honorary Count Hardt."

"Duke Illuster."

Deon greeted Stave, who was coincidentally walking around after he had met with the Emperor. Yeah, coincidentally his fucking ass. It was probably planned.

'Oh shit, my leg is asleep-'

Deon tried standing up but fell over. However, he was caught by Cruel and Stave.

'What the actual fuck.'

Deon was horrified at what had just happened to him. It wasn't about his older brother, but Duke Illuster. Did he just catch him with his bare arms?!

"Count Hardt, are you okay? You shouldn't move since you have a stab wound."

Starbe said with frantic concern. His face seemed to be deeply worried for Deon if it weren't for the fact that he had tried to kill him so many times already.

"I'm fine."

Deon didn't want to talk to Duke Illuster any longer and decided to fake a cough, due to the blood still in his mouth, it was more believable than it already was.

"Oh dear, this isn't good. We can't have our third hero suffer from a stab wound; Cruel, take him to a physician."

"Yes."

Cruel lifted Deon into his arms by Stave's command. He would have done so anyway, even if the Duke hadn't ordered him to, since Deon is his younger brother, but he couldn't let the Duke know that.

***

Bang!

"W-who is it- hik!"

The physician jumped out of his seat immediately, intimidated by the sight of an angry Cruel, and bloody Deon.

"I need to use this room for a second."

"P-pardon?! Isn't there a patient in your arms?!"

The physician was bewildered. Why did the Hero, Cruel Hardt, need this room? Wouldn't it be better to get Deon Hardt checked?

However, Cruel's gaze became even more menacing in the physician's eyes, and scared him off, running out of the room immediately.

'Wow... he's so scary.'

Deon couldn't get used to his brother's angry face. It was... Intimidating, and he meant it with every being in his body.

Cruel sat Deon down on the bed. He didn't really know if it'd work, yet it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. He took Deon's hands and tried channeling divine power through whatever that nutcase told him in his dreams.

He noticed a pure light appear, surrounding Deon's body, and it dissipated soon after as if nothing was ever there.

Deon watched this with sparkling eyes. Was it because it was his brother? It looked cooler than when others used their divine powers. Maybe he was just biased... But when other people used it, he didn't think much about it.

'It worked, I guess that veiled nutcrack was right after all.'

Cruel thought about the veiled man he met in his dream a few days ago, before Deon had returned to the Empire. The veiled man talked about the method of using the divine powers and what he could do with them. The only thing was, he kept calling him his child.

'Oh, my hands aren't stinging anymore.'

Deon looked at his hands, which were stinging a while ago from the impact of the ground; they weren't stinging anymore. Back then, this treatment was common, but it lacked warmth, especially with what was going on at that time. But could you expect any warmth in a locked-up room?

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon looked at his hands, which were stinging a while ago from the impact of the ground; they weren't stinging anymore. Back then, this treatment was common, but it lacked warmth, especially with what was going on at that time. But could you expect any warmth in a locked-up room?

***

"Is there any more I should know about? I know there's more than just this."

Cruel looked at Deon, who flinched. Deon knew this question would be asked soon since his brother was smart and was originally the heir to the Hardt family. He probably felt that something was off immediately when they met the shaman.

"A few days ago... The God of Death told me that I'd die if I went with a group of people."
That should be enough, right...

"...The group of people we encountered earlier on our way back?"

"Yes-"

"Haah..."

Cruel sighed. If he had known, he wouldn't have disclosed any information on Deon to those people. His dear younger brother was giving him a headache; at this rate, he may have grown grey hair earlier than anticipated.

He looked at his younger brother, who seemed to be blissfully unaware of his current situation. It made Cruel want to flick Deon right in the forehead.

No, Deon has always been this way. Ever since he was a child up until now, many of his habits and thinking have remained the same. It was only when his split personality took over was when he didn't act like a child.

'Is this what the shaman meant by innocence? Childhood is usually the purest moment of people's lives. No, maybe I'm just overthinking it.'

Cruel looked at Deon, who was avoiding eye contact with him. He could notice how nervous Deon was despite his stoic facade; at first, he thought if he distanced himself from his brother, maybe, just maybe, he could be safe from the duke's eyes; but now he has to watch out for another group of people who may want Deon dead.

Bang!

"Count Hardt!"

Alethea and Elphidius barged into the physician's room with teary eyes. They had just heard the news of Deon being stabbed and rushed over right away. They genuinely were concerned about Deon, even if they wanted to coax him onto their uncle's side. Being stabbed is a big deal.

"We heard you were stabbed while apprehending a spy!"

Elphidius rushed over to Deon with Alethea on the other side, checking for injuries. Deon, who was being surrounded by them, felt suffocated; he was seriously starting to hate this place. Why does he keep getting into these situations? He thought that he'd just get an injury on the arm and it'd be fine, but now a bigger mess was caused.

"No- I'm fine-"

"You call that fine?! You're still bleeding even now!"

Elphidius could see blood dripping down from Deon's mouth and nose. It'd make people lose their morale if they found out that Deon was gravely injured, even if the public did not particularly like the third hero.

"This must be because of the Demon King's curse."

"General Nemeseus.."

'What the fuck. How did he even get here?! I wasn't even in the hallways...'

Deon mourned for his slacker life that had disappeared from his life yet again. He wondered if it was too late to run away yet.

"I came here after hearing from Duke Illuster that Honorary Count Hardt was here. His Majesty has summoned Honorary Count Hardt."

'Duke Illuster.. That crazy bastard.'

Deon mentally huffed. That man sure is good at keeping his act up. He really managed to fool the Empire, except for a few select people like him. Was he even allowed to say that he faked being trash if the original Cale Henituse was the one who did it?

"I see... I will-"

"No."

"Pardon?"

"His Majesty isn't cruel enough to make you go while in that state."

Nemeseus pointed at Deon's clothes, which were covered in blood. Though he did not approve of Deon's way of coping, he wasn't going to make an injured child go walking.

"It can't be helped, I suppose next time he will inform you."

'What the fuck?!'

What about the Redemption Church? That was what Deon wanted to ask. He could at least inform the Emperor that the whole thing was orchestrated by the duke.

Nemeseus walked out of the room shortly after delivering the message. Deon wanted to retaliate, but soon realized he hadn't really told anyone about his ancient powers.

***

"Cage, have you been able to contact that God of Death yet?"

"Argh! Not yet—why did he completely cut contact with me?! It randomly stopped two years ago after the day Young master Cale died, but I could still feel the presence of death. Now I am unable to as if I never wielded the power of death..."

Cage sighed in frustration while wanting to rip her hair out. Why did that bastard god stop talking to her?! The Holy Maiden Cotton and Saint Jack haven't been cut off yet, so why her?

'Tch, why am I thinking about those traitors anyway? They sided with Fredo and Clopeh, who voted against Cale's safety."

Rosalyn looked at Cage in concern, seeing her this angry was rare. But it was understandable; they needed to contact the God of Death about Cale Henituse's soul's whereabouts. Adding on to the fact that his soul was suddenly gone when they tried to resurrect him.

"It should be fine, Choi-Han, Young Master Basen, Eruhaben-nim, and Raon-nim are looking for Young master Cale. Sooner or later, he'll be back."

"I'm so gonna beat that god up when I ever get the chance to. And I'll get back to those traitors."

Rosalyn patted Cage's back. She, too, shared the same sentiment as Cage; everyone here missed their red-haired commander dearly and wanted him back in their safe arms. Everything they did would be for him.

"It'll be soon, after all, they said they'd help us get Young Master Cale back."

"I guess you're right. They were even able to open a portal for us if we sacrificed a ton of blood for them."

Everyone in the hero's party happily obliged; no amount of blood was greater than the amount their commander had shed during just the two years of his commanding. So when they heard the price to pay was just blood, they immediately agreed.

"Miss Rosalyn."

"Your Highness, you are here today as well."

"Well, I do miss my dear Dongsaeng."

Alberu walked into the room Cale used to reside in. It still stayed the same even after years of being untouched. Including the chains near the bedside.

Everybody tended to hang around in their commander's room when they missed him. Although it worked for a bit, they realized he wasn't there moments later and were back to being gloomy.

This was why they needed to bring the God of Death down for Cale. They wanted to do so to show him that they were capable enough to protect him. And they needed information from the God of Death on where Cale was.

However, unbeknownst to the trio, the God of Death was watching and reading their current conversations and feelings along with Angelina.

"How arrogant! They think that Cale helped them once, and they're now invincible enough to take us down?! We have been here for thousands of years!"

And watched how many times their child had died in their so-called loving arms. It was left unsaid by the two gods.

They had been rewinding the world so many times that they had lost count of the number of times Cale had suffered and died. That was until this regression, when the God of Death came to a conclusion and reincarnated Cale immediately after his death.

If they had regressed one more time rather than reincarnated, Cale's soul could have shattered into multiple pieces, and Kim Rok Soo as well as Cale Henituse would cease to exist.

But due to the amount of rewinding they had done, Cale's soul was cracking. Although it didn't shatter, it was still broken if someone did anything with his soul one last time, whether it was resurrection, regression, or reincarnation, Cale would be in grave danger.

They had to admit: it was their fault for this problem, but they were so desperate for Cale to be alive that they didn't even think about reincarnation.

"You seem to be in trouble, hmm?"

Angelina immediately turned around at the familiar voice coming from afar. When she finally saw the silhouette, Angelina widened her eyes in shock.

"Death- no way... You unsealed Despair?! You know that he was trouble!"

"Mmm... Calm down, Angelina; he may be unsealed, but he can't use his powers. Besides, he has the most information out of all of us, even if he is a lower rank than us. The upper gods really liked showering him with information."

Angelina couldn't retort and sat back down. What the God of Death said was correct, though the God of Despair held a lower rank than them, he had the most information on numerous things because the upper gods didn't think he was able to do anything with it.

"So, how do you think they could travel through dimensions? Because one thing I know is that they fucking can't unless they're that determined or they had help from a third party. I'm leaning more on the latter, though."

"Well, you'd be correct. You can travel through dimensions as long as you pay a price."

"...Hunters..."

Both Angelina and the God of Death said at the same time. How come they never thought about hunters? Did they underestimate how low they would go for Cale Henituse that they left out hunters?

'No... who the fuck would think hunters would get involved...'

The God of Death sighed as he put his hand over his face. Thinking about everything that has happened in these last regressions.

"I still need to check on Kim Rok Soo and Jour's reincarnation. It's been a few days since they've been in my domain."

"Mmm, I'm guessing they died?"

"Yeah, you already know who killed them."

"Oh dear... Those crazy bastards seriously went after him. I'm starting to feel bad."

"Haah... Believe me, I'm sick and tired of this, too."

That was the nth sigh heard in that room as all of the Gods present in there were mentally worn out.

The God of Death forced himself to get up as he went to the second floor of his domain. He had let the original Cale Henituse and Jour stay up there since he was the one who handled the deal, it'd be unfair if he separated them.

"God of Death?"

A new, young-looking Kim Rok Soo was now sitting on the sofa with a red-haired lady. Both had died and became younger than they already were, since Jour was already young she went back to her original body.

"...Hey.. It'd be nice to talk, but I feel like retiring right now."

"I didn't know Gods could retire! That's such an interesting thing, it'd be such a great thing to add to my research!"

Jour clasped her hands with excitement from the new information she had obtained. She had learned multiple new things when she had reincarnated as Kim Myung-Hee, but she also missed researching more about time and gods.

"It's so nice to be reunited with my child. But where's my other one? He doesn't seem to be in that world."

Jour asked, already claiming the original Kim Rok Soo as her son. If they were going to transmigrate as Cale, they were already her child! No takebacks at all.

"We had to reincarnate him."

"...What?! I thought he was living fine in my body?"

Kim Rok Soo was confused. He remembered that Cale said he was living fine, and he was now happy, so why did they have to reincarnate him?

'Actually, I take it back. Those guys somehow killed me and my mom, no wonder he had to reincarnate.'

Kim Rok Soo shivered when he remembered the crazy look on that punk, Choi Han's, face as he killed him and his mom. He just hopes that Cale is safe and happier than he was.

"It's probably what you may be thinking. That is why we had to reincarnate him before they did something to his soul that could have shattered it."

"Shattered a soul...? That must be very serious then."

Jour said, hugging Kim Rok Soo tightly, who resigned to his fate. Even if he was forty, his mother would always treat him like a baby, not that he minded. He missed his mother's embrace.

"Yes, and they got help from hunters most likely to get to the world that he's now in."

"How obsessive... I don't like it."

"Hah! You should've seen what your husband agreed to do with your son."

The God of Death said, tattling to Jour about Deruth. It was also his fault that Cale suffered, so he's gonna make him pay back tenfold when he ever gets the chance.

...Had Jour heard the inner thoughts from the God of Death, she would've begun to understand why her baby became his saint.

Chapter Text

Previously...

The God of Death said, tattling to Jour about Deruth. It was also his fault that Cale suffered, so he's gonna make him pay back tenfold when he ever gets the chance.

...Had Jour heard the inner thoughts from the God of Death, she would've begun to understand why her baby became his saint.

***

"What did my foolish husband do again?"

Jour's face immediately went from joyous to serious. Although she loved her husband, her child was the one she loved and cared for the most.

"Hmm, how about you two come here and watch the record yourself."

The God of Death motioned the mother and son duo to the desk he was sitting at. It was the place he tended to use to watch Cale, or rather Deon.

The record began to play the moment Jour and Kim Rok-Soo were near. They watched the scene, their faces morphing from shock to anger.

"I knew my father was not the best, but this is..."

Kim Rok-Soo suddenly felt conflicted. Would the father who used to smile so brightly at him be like this? But at the same time, he was also the father who neglected him as a child after his mother's death.

Kim Rok Soo turned to Jour, who was quiet while watching the record play. He noticed her shoulder shaking and was about to comfort her. However, Jour immediately stood up and slammed her fists on the table.

"Those motherfucking assholes! How dare you treat my son like this, you sons of bitches!"

'Comforting... Comforting my ass! Mom can be terrifying too...'

Kim Rok-Soo had never seen such an angry side of his mother. It scared him since this was the first time he'd seen her get this mad, and at the same time, he was also angry at Cale's so-called loving family.

"First, they kill Rok-Soo, and now they're doing this to Cale?! Not to mention that they are now resurrecting him, which is taboo to the law of time!"

Jour continued to cuss out the group. She was angry, and angry was an understatement. First, they killed her child, and now her other child is being subjected to what is considered torture. How could she not be mad?

"Haah, and I thought I was bad. But no, these guys may have taken first play by working with the hunters."

The God of Despair walked, sighing for the nth time this day. These guys made him want to become the God of Hope and actually save people. He almost looked like a saint compared to them... A God of Despair looking like a saint compared to literal humans!

"They are... working with who?!"

"The hunters..."

Jour was even angrier now when she heard they were working with the hunters. Her husband was working against her household's family.

This was a nightmare for Jour; she couldn't believe this was happening. After all, she had done everything to make sure her children would be able to live happily and save the world.

This was then that Jour and Kim Rok-Soo realized they were killed most likely as a sacrifice. They were crazy enough to go to Earth One and kill them as a sacrifice so they could go to Cale's new life.

"I want to talk to Deruth."

"Seriously? He'd bawl his eyes out if he saw you again, you know. You and Cale are practically his weak spot."

"Weak spot my ass, that bastard betrayed me the moment he did that to our child we raised together."

"Very well. Write on this piece of paper, I'll make it so one of my followers sends it to him."

The God of Death handed a piece of paper with a pen to Jour, who immediately took it and wrote a message on it for Deruth. Kim Rok Soo was curious and decided to take a peek at the paper his mother was writing on.

"Do you want to have a go, Rok Soo?"

Jour handed the paper over to Rok Soo, who received it with two hands. Rok Soo looked at the paper and wasn't surprised by what he saw, based on what he heard a while ago, this was to be expected—don't you dare think of me as your wife anymore after what you did to my child—the rest being all curses.

Kim Rok Soo wrote right underneath Jour's message: Why did I ever think of you as a good father?

It was a genuine question. He wondered why he ever thought of Deruth as a good father if all he had ever done was ignore him for his red hair and reddish brown eyes that were identical to his mother's. He was glad he didn't inherit his father's looks and instead inherited his mother's looks, or else he might've inherited his stupidity as well.

"Wow, this is gonna be a huge blow on him... I can't wait to feel his despair!"

The God of Despair cheered as he looked over the God of Death's shoulder, who was holding Jour's and Kim Rok-Soo's message to Deruth. The God of Death then walked outside to put it into a mailbox that was labeled 'for my followers' and walked back.

"Oh, who is this?"

Jour looked at the holographic screen with a familiar white head with red eyes on it. He looked just like her, but with white hair! He was so adorable, she felt like going down and squishing his cheeks.

"That's Cale's new life."

"He looks so angelic, it's scaring me."

Kim Rok-Soo commented on Cale's new look. Pure white hair, red eyes, and a slender and lean physique? He looked like those angels in the novels he found lying around in his house.

"What's his name?"

"Deon, Deon Hardt."

"Hmm, that fits him alright! I like the meaning of his name, a mighty and all-powerful God."

"Sure fits him alright, he's so powerful that he was able to change the fate of the universe. I wonder how he'll do so here."

Kim Rok Soo looked at his (self-proclaimed) younger brother. Maybe the few times they had met before the incident happened slowly made him attached.

He saw how Cale lived in his original life, being abused and losing everyone you had loved to the apocalypse, and many more would have destroyed someone already.

But Cale had no choice but to keep going because those people had all died for him, even if he couldn't go, he had to keep going for the people who sacrificed themselves for him, at least.

"I do hope he gets to live a happier life this time."

Cale Henituse has suffered enough in his life. Having to fight to stay alive was exhausting; now imagine having to do that for all three of your lives. Kim Rok Soo couldn't imagine it at all. That is why he genuinely wished for Cale to be able to live in peace soon.

***

Deon was walking through the palace grounds with his hood on, and suddenly felt a chill on his back. Was someone watching him or talking shit about him? He was pretty sure someone was already talking shit about him.

'Man, I swear if I bump into a noble again...'

Just as Deon jinxed it, he bumped into a noble while exiting the palace. The noble was around his forties and had the generic dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Guessing that there were only two marquises and he had already seen them, this man was most likely a count, viscount, or baron.

"Oh.. Honorary Count Hardt. It's me, Count Nemour."

"Ah... I am Deon Hardt. It was a pleasure meeting you."

Something about this man gives him horrible vibes!

"How could you not remember me? I helped you during the Great War. This saddens me."

'...I'm guessing my split personality had taken over since I don't remember this guy at all.'

Recently, he found out that his record ability split into two when he gained a second personality. If he wanted to find out what happened during the war, he'd have to dig through all of his records, which doesn't sound pleasant at all. He would probably end up nose bleeding again as a backlash, and it would be hell to experience such heat while it was still hot outside.

"I apologize, I was under a lot of stress back then since I was young."

Deon apologized and immediately ran away. He wasn't going to linger around this guy any longer because sooner or later, he'd end up in bigger trouble than he already was, and that'd go against his plans for a slacker life.

If he even had one.

There was another reason why he wanted to get away. His gut feeling told him that it was dangerous the more he got involved with this man, and his gut feelings were never wrong. This feeling helped him survive in his life as Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse, that was until they did that to him.

'Ah, shit... That stupid cult created by that Duke too... Should I tell the Emperor about it?'

He didn't want to deal with it, and getting himself covered in dirt didn't sound comfortable at all when he could just tell the Emperor about it.

'Guess I'll have to go back in now.'

Deon walked back into the palace begrudgingly, heading towards Eduardo's office again.

***

"Count Hardt... I heard from Nemeseus that you'd be taking a rest. How come you are here now?"

Eduardo put down the documents he was holding and looked at Deon, who was sweating, and thought he was still hurt. In reality, Deon didn't want to go near the Emperor and desired to avoid him at all costs.

"I came here to report something."

"Oh? Well, go ahead then. You should hurry up, I don't want you to overexert yourself, alright?"

"Yes, one of my subordinates happened to come across a church that was called the Redemption Church."

Eduardo widened his eyes at the familiar term he heard from Deon, but said nothing and continued on. Just a while ago, Duke Illuster requested that the church be taken down since it was a cult.

"They found out that Duke Illuster was the one who made it or had some affiliation with it. They saw him talking to one of the church officials, and they handed them documents."

He flawlessly lied about the method of gaining this information, his face saying stoic the entire time as he confidently listed out more things.

"Adding on, the official was also seen near the duke's estate. I have seen them myself."

Well, the butterflies did, not him.

"Is that so..."

Eduardo sighed. That Duke seriously wants to become king, doesn't he? Too bad he'll never allow him to become king.

"They also infiltrated and found a weird stone somewhere, but couldn't enter it... I'm assuming it was magic."

"...I see, thank you. You can go now, Honorary Count Hardt; take a rest."

"Thank you."

Deon walked out of Eduardo's office feeling refreshed. He messed around with Duke Illuster and his plan to defame the Emperor, and he didn't need to move around to solve the whole problem.

'I never got the chance to eat the chocolate...'

Deon looked around the place, checking to see if anyone was watching him, and took out a bag of chocolates. They were the same ones that Cruel gave him; he just transferred them into a bag so he could bring them around with him.

He also needed to go to the sorcerer's village and get more information about what they knew. Now that his future will definitely change because of Choi-Han and the others, he needed to at least know the forthcoming so he could prepare.

***

"Haah... I didn't.. think it'd be- that hard to climb..."

Deon breathed out in exhaustion as he finally managed to reach the village. However, originally, he was supposed to go here for the Redemption Church; this time, it was for himself. He knew they were already expecting him, so he decided to walk right in as if he owned the place.

"My child! You're back!"

"Yes..."

The elder looked at Deon with expectant eyes rather than the scornful eyes she had in the novel. Deon didn't think much of it as he was dragged into the village.

Of course, the only reason why she treated Deon so well was that his hatred for his family was gone. However, she also saw that his fate was drastically changing.

When she foretold his fate once again, she was horrified at the possible ending for the child who was once a disaster. Finally, she realized the world could be very cruel to certain people sometimes.

"We meet again, I didn't have the chance to actually introduce myself, did I? I am Ran, and I am this old grandma's granddaughter."

The same shaman walked up to Deon, who was right behind the older shaman. She still held the stoic but confident look.

"Yes, I have a lot of questions."

"Very well, come along with me. I'll answer them for you."

Ran walked to the back side of the village with Deon following her from behind. She knew he had a lot of questions regarding his future and wanted answers. She also knew about how Dan's fate had changed because of all of the hate that had disappeared from the whitehead.

"My first question is, what did you and your grandmother see about me? Why is it that she looks at me with such a look of guilt and horror?"

"That... Your future is very grim, those otherworldly people will bring disaster to this world and you if you go along with them."

Deon noticed how, instead of him becoming a disaster, it was now Choi-Han and the others who had become disasters. He wondered if Dan's future had changed as well. They were going to see him soon, since this exact scene played out in the novel, except there was no Cruel.

"Explain more, I-"

"Don't worry, that young man who is your older brother will keep you safe. I am sure of it, I've taken a peek at his feelings and fate; he is doing everything he can to protect you."

"..."

"I promise you. No, I swear to the stars of truth that what I'm saying is true."

Deon didn't know what to say. Was Cruel able to get stronger than Choi Han and Eruhaben? For all he could know, they were way stronger than anyone else in this world and would be able to destroy it in a matter of minutes.

"If that's the case, do you know anything about my soul?"

Deon decided to move on from the matter of his so-called fate; he would never go along with those people, no matter what life is.

He also needed to know about the matter of his soul since the God of Death told him that they were trying to resurrect him. He knows reviving someone has something to do with tampering with one's soul. This was why he wanted to ask if Ran knew anything about it.

"Your soul? I could try, though I'm not sure it'd work."

"Thank you."

Ran put her hand over Deon's head. She could feel the dread, despair, and happiness that Deon had felt these past days. However, right at that moment, her hand started burning.

"Ugh..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Y-your soul is slowly breaking... And there seems to be one more thing..."

Ran could see a blurry image. It was so blurry she could only interpret it in her own way, rather than seeing the full picture.

But one thing she knew was that this was bound to happen even if Deon tried to change his future. She knew fate could be changed if the person had tried hard enough, but this time, she had a feeling that this couldn't be able to changed, even if one tried hard enough.

It was a blurry image of what seemed like two people. One had black hair, while the other was most likely Deon. The future was so blurry and disfigured that she could not tell what was going on.

Ran continued to attempt and read Deon's future despite her hand beginning to burn up even more. She thought that if she continued, she could make the image in his fate less blurry.

"Ugh.."

Ran immediately backed away the moment she saw a clear glimpse of it. She was surprised and scared of the future she had seen.

"Miss Ran, are you okay?"

"I'm fine... Moreover, please be careful in the future. Around November is when something bad will happen to you."

"I will, thank you, Miss Ran,"

'Around my birthday... Then it might be my brother's death?'

Deon could hear footsteps from nearby that were heading right to them. He turned around to find a boy who had the same features as Ran only except he had brown hair rather than blackish brown.

"You are..."

You are definitely that crazy Dan kid!

"Dan, you are here."

Ran gave a small smile as she greeted Dan, who did the same thing back. He seemed to be happier and less angry than what was described in the novel.

It was either because the novel exaggerated too much like The Birth of a Hero, or it was because the future had changed.

"Deon, this is Dan. A few years before you became a Child of Eternal Resting, Dan's future had changed drastically. At first, he was the disaster's right-hand man, but now he is fated to become your helper, including Sir Cruel."

'Oh, this time brother is involved. And a helper, huh? I wonder what he can help me and my brother with?'

Deon was a very curious type; unbeknownst to him, he would try to deny it and say his slacker life was important. But how would you think he gets into such huge messes? That was because he was too curious and noisy.

"You must be one of the Children of Eternal Rest."

"Yes- I am?"

Sometimes Deon forgot he was a saint of the God of Death. Not forgotten literally, he always buried the thought of him being a saint in the back of his head and didn't think much about it.

"Where is the other one? I may not have as much education or practice, but I'll do everything I can to help you!"

'Wow, he's very... chatty.'

"My brother isn't here right now."

Deon replied. He was tired ever since coming here, and he felt like he might die even though he was full of vitality.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"My brother isn't here right now."

Deon replied. He was tired ever since coming here, and he felt like he might die even though he was full of vitality.

***

Dan's mood immediately went sour when he found out the other saint wasn't there. He really wanted to meet the other person who changed his fate.

"But I'll let you meet him next time!"

Deon blurted out anything he could think of. He doesn't know if he'll regret it but what's done is done already. It should be fine since Dan isn't a crazy kid who's so set on doing his part of his apparent destiny. He could immediately see Dan's expression brighten after he said that. Well as long as he's happy?

"Ran!"

"Grandmother?!"

The group could see Ran's grandmother, the elder shaman, run towards them, out of breath. Deon could only assume something horrible had come, judging by how angry and horrified her expression was, he could guess it had something to do with Choi Han.

"T-the disasters have come! It is not safe here, you must take Deon and leave with Dan immediately!"

And he was right.

"But what about you?!"

"We will stall them for as long as we can. I expect you all to be gone by the time they come here."

Ran could only nod as she took both Deon's and Dan's hands and dragged them farther away from the village. If what her grandmother said was right, Deon would be in extreme danger if he ever met them.

'Do they know it's me? No, that can't be it, this neckpiece hides the scent my ancient powers have from people who can sense it.'

Deon turned back to the grandmother, who was slowly walking back as if nothing had ever happened.

"Should we go faster?"

"Is it possible? We're going as fast as we can right now."

"You'll feel much lighter and faster, trust me."

A swirl of wind appeared under everyone's feet. Ran and Dan felt much lighter and faster than before as they ran. This was the work of Deon's ancient power: The Sound of the Wind.

"We should hurry."

Deon knew the risk of using his ancient powers right now. The moment he uses it, Eruhaben would notice it and guide the group to where he was. But what was worse? Going slow and eventually getting caught by the group, or going faster to the point they can't get to him, but they notice his ancient powers? Besides, he has a hood on, they can't see through cloaks unless his hood falls off–thankfully, it doesn't most of the time.

***

"What are you doing here? Get out, this place doesn't accept disasters like you!"

"These bastards..."

"Choi Han, calm down, remember this is a different world."

Eruhaben put his hand on Choi Han's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. They finally found a place where they could find traces of him; they couldn't kill these people off.

"Strong Choi Han, Goldie Gramps is right! We need to find the weak human. This place is too dangerous for him!"

Unbeknownst to them, this place might be safer for him than being with them.

Choi Han calmed himself down as Raon Miru and Eruhaben calmed him down. Everything changed when they found out their Cale had died suddenly; they wondered why he had died and left them. Of course, they were all unaware of the fact that Cale held a regenerating ancient power.

If they said sorry, would he come back to them? Since he's so kind, he should forgive them, right?

Everyone looked at the group with disdain and scornful looks. They had finally realized the disasters were true, and they needed to help the young man get away from these dangerous people.

"Wait, I can sense his ancient powers!"

Eruhaben pointed behind the village. He didn't know the locations of this world so he could only use magic to hasten their speed until he got a better look at the world.

"You aren't allowed here, disaster of this world."

"Why not? We haven't done anything yet."

"As you can see, we don't allow people in and through this village. Find a different path."

The villagers blocked the entrance from Choi Han, and the others could not go in. Seeing this, they retreated but decided to go invisible and go from the sides. It wasn't trespassing if they didn't go into the village.

Of course, this was going to Deon's plan. He wanted to bait them into believing Cale Henituse was here, which he was, and then lure them to go into a different kingdom. There may be a slim chance of them believing him, but it's worth a shot.

"Everyone, if a group of people ask you where Cale Henituse is, don't say a thing and let me handle it."

Deon turned off the Sound of the Wind and took out a bracelet. This bracelet functioned like Fredo's bracelet, but instead, he could only change the hair and eye color of his appearance. This was a bracelet he received from the God of Death along with the neckpiece; he just never found the time to use it until now.

Putting on the bracelet, Deon turned his hair color blackish brown and his eyes a deep brown like Ran and took off his mask. They have never seen his face since he was wearing a mask, so he should be fine–none of them had any abilities like Record. Deon then ripped the mask, turning it into a ragged ribbon to tie his hair up.

'They should be here soon.'

Deon smiled when he saw two people running towards them. It seemed that Basen wasn't here, for now.

"You there."

Eruhaben gave a cold glare to Deon and his group. It was a look he only saw on Eruhaben when it was directed at the enemies. He gave a more creepily obsessive look whenever it came to his "safety," which was relatively the same, except his cold glare wasn't as twisted as his other one. He deeply regretted giving him a longer life span.

"You must be the disaster that grandmother talked about. What are you doing here? Didn't you see a while ago that you aren't welcome here?"

Deon flawlessly lied, acting like he had never met Eruhaben and the others at all. It was easy to lie, even if they tried to shut him up and never let him get a say in things. After all, lying was what helped him survive when he was Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse.

"So you're with her, huh... Tell me, where is Cale Henituse?"

"You're very much demanding. But I do not know who you are talking about, at least give me a description of him."

"He has blood red hair and reddish brown eyes, he's in his early twenties, and has a more feminine body."

"Ah, you must be talking about the young man who ran past us a while ago. He came from the mountains and immediately ran off somewhere over there, I assume."

Ran and Dan stayed silent as they watched Deon perfectly lie about his identity and where this 'Cale Henituse' was. Deon could tell what they were thinking, but he continued on with his charade as he pointed to the left.

"Thank you. Let's go Choi Han."

Eruhaben took Choi Han and immediately left to go find 'Cale,' who was right there all along. Deon made sure they left before taking off the bracelet and putting his mask back on. It seemed that the plan had worked. He was skeptical if it would since they could tell if he dyed his hair, but thankfully, they didn't; it was most likely due to the neckpiece that blocked out any aura from ancient and divine powers altogether.

'That was close, thankfully they bought my lie. Even if they go there and don't find Cale, they'll assume he ran away to somewhere else.'

Deon turned back to the young duo and thanked them for going along with his plan. They could just choose not to and out him to them right then and there, but they didn't. Of course, Deon just assumed that.

In reality, they would go along with his plan anyway because that was what their grandma instructed, adding to the fact that Deon would be in danger if they found out about him.

"I'm starting to think you aren't safe anywhere."

"You're probably right about that."

He couldn't even refute Ran's claim because she was right. Deon did indeed (somehow) attract all kinds of troublesome people around him.

"I might start shutting myself in my room to avoid everyone at this point."

Deon sighed as he walked back to the village with Ran and Dan behind him. While walking back, he dreaded having to go to the Demonic Realm once again. It was going to be a nightmare when he got back.

***

"So this is the palace..."

Dan looked at the palace with curiosity in his eyes. This was his first time seeing such an extravagant place. Deon, however, got bored with the sight of both the Empire and the Demonic Realm.

'Going back and forth to the Demonic Realm and back to the Empire makes me tired. Should I be glad that Eruhaben and Choi Han can't trespass there?'

Deon walked through the palace grounds, ignoring the looks on people when they noticed him bringing in Dan with him.

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

"I got it."

Deon immediately left for the Emperor's office after he received an answer from Dan. He honestly didn't want to go to the Demonic Realm, but it's somewhat safer than here, at least, right? He doesn't need to be chased by assassins, and the only thing that might get him killed is the missions he goes on (forcefully).

"Ah, Honorary Count Hardt."

"Your Majesty."

"Thank you for the report you gave me last time, it was extremely helpful."

"I only did what I had to do." I had to do it for the slacker life.

"Hmm, you probably already know this since you were the one who gave me the document back. But I'm going to wage war on the Ileon Kingdom."

'That sounds so nice. Thank god I'm being left out of this.'

Deon stood still as the Emperor walked closer to him. He could already tell what was going to come out of the Emperor's mouth.

"I want you to head to the Demonic Realm and make sure the Demon King doesn't get involved with the war."

"Yes, Your Majesty." I doubt he will anyways.

Deon took his leave after receiving Eduardo's finish, giving his orders. When he arrived outside, he was met with two nobles messing with a (not-so) calm Dan.

"Haah... What is going on here?"

He couldn't help but sigh. Do people here in the palace have nothing to do that they have to go after some innocent kid?

"My Lord..."

"E-eek! Count Hardt."

'Since when did this kid call me lord?'

Deon stared at Dan with an emotionless look. Giving a death glare to the servants that screamed—mess with me or any of my people, and I'll personally kill you myself

He huffed as he watched the servants flee away from just a look from him. Sometimes he was glad to be referred to as the 'Vampire Count,' if being a vampire count can really get people to run away from him, he will gladly do just that.

(Maybe they were awestruck by your beauty.)

"It's time to head home and then leave again. But are you really okay with leaving your village like that?"

"I can always visit them whenever I can."

'That's true...'

Dan was able to walk back and forth between the village and the estate. Though it'd take some time, he could still do it. Besides, he was definitely way stronger than him anyway.

"If you have anything you want, just tell. Remember, he is my butler. I'll be gone from the estate for a while."

"Yes!"

Dan happily followed Deon back to the estate. At times like this, he really did appear to be like a kid (and a dog). It made him notice that most of the novels he had read all had no good endings at all.

And he always managed to end up in that novel.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Dan happily followed Deon back to the estate. At times like this, he really did appear to be like a kid (and a dog). It made him notice that most of the novels he had read all had no good endings at all.

And he always managed to end up in that novel.

***

"Remember."

"My Lord, you're back."

"Yes, take care of him while I go on a mission for a while."

Deon miraculously pushed Dan over to Remember, who caught the boy immediately. Deon could feel the Lofty Knights rushing towards him and immediately headed off on his horse.

"Captain!!!!!"

"You can't abandon us!"

"Please take us with you, Captain!"

"Remember- don't let them near me!"

Deon quickened his pace as the Lofty Knights trailed behind him. Remember immediately lifted Cletter with one hand and caused the rest of the Lofty Knights to fall one after another.

"Are you alright?"

"...Yes."

The Lofty Knights wanted to cry. How could their captain just leave them alone while he ran away?! Especially with the Emperor, who was as scary as ever! Everyone may call them rabid dogs who have no sense of danger, but that was completely off the hook. Though they may be reckless a lot of times, or well, most of the time.. They know when something or someone is dangerous, and that someone is the Emperor. Their captain may be brutal and cold, but he treats them as equals, maybe even family, and doesn't see them as disposable things.

While Deon was heading to the Demonic Realm as tired as ever of almost everyone around him. How come no one can leave him alone?

Deon slowed his pace as he got near the Demonic Realm. He knew that the Emperor's knights and the Revolutionary Army were right behind him, and his brother was also arriving. He ignored the distant sound of swords clashing and people screaming as he headed into the Demonic Realm.

'He'll still find out either way, ugh...'

Deon took a quick look behind. He could see that no one was there and kept going on the path to the Demonic Realm. He wasn't even sure why he looked, but he felt like something was way off from what was supposed to happen.

Meanwhile, Cruel held his bloody sword out in front of two hooded men. Yes, that's right, it was Choi Han and Eruhaben. They followed him to where he was. Cruel could only block where Deon was headed; he couldn't let these people head to where Deon was.

"Let me ask you again."

Eruhaben waved his hand, and a swirl of dust appeared around Cruel, who stood still; he could tell that one move and he was a goner. He didn't know why these bastards kept trying to go after Deon and him.

"Where is Cale Henituse? I'm sure you know something since you have a scent of his ancient power on you."

"Again, I said I don't know who that is."

Cruel was baffled. Did these people seriously go after him for someone he didn't know? He already said he didn't know who Cale Henituse was, so why would they ask him again?

"If you're going to ask, at least give me a description of what they look like. There's no noble named Cale Henituse."

"But how do you know that?"

Cruel didn't know what to say. Was this raven's head brain-dead? Only nobles and royals could have surnames; commoners rarely had a last name unless they were an illegitimate child, then they'd at least have a surname and would either be thrown off or live in the said noble's house.

"Because only nobles and royals can have surnames. Unless they are a royal?"

"So this world is indeed that different..."

The blonde 'demon' raised his chin in curiosity. Cruel was starting to realize what the term 'otherworldly disasters' meant. He thought at first it was because the group was so abnormal that they'd look otherworldly, but now he understood it. These people were seriously from a different dimension. Cruel wasn't sure how it was possible, but it seemed that this Cale Henituse was running away from them and sounded like he was in trouble.

'Maybe he's not a demon? But what else could he be?'

Cruel looked at the hooded duo who were now discussing things right in front of him in a foreign language he couldn't understand.

"Well, I guess he was telling the truth. His heartbeat hasn't changed ever since."

Right after that, the blonde-haired man flicked his fingers and made all the dust dissipate, and made the two of them suddenly disappear. Cruel felt like he could breathe more easily now that the two were gone.

'I'll go back after I find out where this path leads to."

Cruel left off back to the trail that Deon was on. He made sure that none of the duke's men made it out alive before continuing on.

***

"Haah... When is Sir Arut coming back? I miss his long white hair, it was the only pleasant thing to look at!"

Lilinell pondered as she stared at the three red moons in the sky. She had been waiting for Sir Arut ever since he had left. Her vice commander could only internally cry as he watched Ririnell go fanatic over Sir Arut.

He couldn't help but feel even more pity for the poor whitehead, always being surrounded by Corps Commanders and the Demon King. It must be a nightmare being surrounded by such insane people.

"Hmm? It's a signal from the western wall!"

Lilinell immediately cast magic, getting ready to leave and desert the Vice Commander.

"It was a different Corps Commander last time! And His Majesty said to stop using so much magic!!!!"

However, none of the Vice Commander's pleas reached Lilinell as she had already teleported away to Deon, who had just reached the gate.

"Sirrrr Arutttttt!"

Lilinell immediately launched herself onto Deon, who was surprised by the sudden action. He didn't expect Lilinell to launch herself at him like a cannonball at all.

"It's been a while, Sir Arut!"

"Yes... It has."

Aiyo... She scared the living daylights out of him!

Deon took deep breaths in while still maintaining a stoic face as if he wasn't surprised at all. In reality, he almost felt like screaming, but resisted the urge to scream at the top of his lungs.

"How was your mission?"

"...It was something... I went on an expedition and got courted by some random prince. And found a crazy cult and religion created by a noble."

Deon could only sigh at the crazy situations that had happened to him over the past few days. He didn't even get a chance to take a break at all over there!

"Religion? What is that?"

"It's nothing."

He was not letting Lilinell create a cult for him; that would never happen in this timeline!

Deon brushed off the word religion. Originally, if he explained it, Lilinell would have created a cult for him, which he does not want at all!

"Oh well... Since you're back, you must be here to meet the Demon King! He should be in the central garden right now."

"I see, thank you, Lilinell."

Hopefully, she wouldn't learn about what religion meant when he was gone.

Deon prayed that the moment wouldn't happen as he headed over to the Demon King's castle. This was the day he was going to meet the other species, and that Eruhaben look-alike. Thankfully, it wasn't Eruhaben, just a look-alike.

He recalled the information in the novel, the Demonic Realm, which was commonly known as the realm of demons, originally went by another name, which was the Abyss, where many other species resided.

'This will be my nth time hearing insults or that I'm untrustworthy.'

"....This is great, the agent I sent to the human realm is back. Welcome back, Arut. How was your trip?"

"Quite horrible, the Empire is planning on waging war with the Ileon kingdom. They deserve it, though."

The last part was said in a whisper; however, everyone there had heightened senses as they weren't human, and were all able to hear it and sweatdropped.

"I guess that means the Empire is planning to take over the continent, huh?"

"Yes, your majesty. The Emperor is embarking on a conquest over the continent."

Great, here comes that blonde elf talking.

"I've heard a lot about this 'agent' of the Demon King. But is a human really that trustworthy?"

"Well, as long as Arut is here, he is trustworthy."

The Demon King put his hand on Deon's shoulder. The gesture tensed up the other sovereigns since they were used to the Demon King being aggressive.

They suddenly felt as if an air of ambiguity was wafting around the two.

"So what did the Emperor order you to do?"

"He told me to make sure and surveil the Demon King if he tried to interfere with the war, and stop him from doing so; as well as if Your Majesty did interfere, then I must return immediately."

"Seems Emperor-esque enough."

'Didn't think he was the type to use esque... Never mind, I won't dwell on it.

"Regarding another situation: recently, magic has been used in the human realm, and a new oracle was passed down."

"Magic and oracle... Tell me more about the oracle."

'Right... demons are usually hated by the world and gods in novels. Why did I expect him to know..'

"They said an otherworldly group of disasters has appeared. If we let the Child of the World near them, this whole world will collapse along with the innocence."

"Child of the World..."

Everyone in the garden looked at Deon. For some reason, they felt as if he fit the title, 'Child of the World' perfectly...

"...Is that so? Well, I'll investigate the magic and oracle after this. Go take a rest."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon turned back one last time as he left. He could feel the heavy gazes from here, making him uncomfortable. When he took one last glance, he noticed how he and the Vampire Queen had eerily similar eye colors.

Deon could tell why people in the Empire assumed he was a vampire; if he just dressed up a bit, he might even be mistaken as one by a vampire.

***

'It's been a while since I've been here... I wonder what chaos has ensued while I was gone.'

Deon was unaware that he was the chaos that happened wherever he went.

Whoosh!

'...Who is throwing daggers outside right now?'

Deon touched his cheek, which now had blood dripping down over the now-healed wound. He was certain that it was the work of a Corps Commander, having been too excited.

"Sir Arut!!!"

Ben rushed over to Deon with his bags while in a disheveled state. He had rushed over immediately while doing paperwork when the necklace made of Deon's blood and the Demon King's magic had gone off.

"Ben..."

"I came as soon as this stone went off! Are you alright?!"

Ben circulated Deon, though he knew that Sir Arut could regenerate fairly quickly, he couldn't help but be worried. Sir Arut didn't seem to care about his health as well, so he could at least check for injuries or issues with Sir Arut and help him in some way.

"I'm alright. Someone just likes to play with knives. I didn't think I'd get cut, though."

Ben sighed as he followed behind Deon, who replied with the same answer for the nth time. Sir Arut seemed not to care whatsoever about his health. Was it because he was so strong, even if he was weakened, that he just didn't care?

"Sir Arut! You're back."

"Ed, I'm going to sleep."

Deon immediately headed towards the bed in his room. He lay in bed as he quickly fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Ed, I'm going to sleep."

Deon immediately headed towards the bed in his room. He lay in bed as he quickly fell asleep.

***

Deon woke up the next day feeling refreshed. It's been so long since he could sleep in peace; every time he tried to take a break in the human realm, he had assassins attacking him or a random mission from the emperor.

He might as well run away to another kingdom. He even had an artifact from the God of Death that could help him disguise his exotic hair and eye color!

But... they'd probably chase after him, wouldn't they?

'I still need to ask Jaykar about that assassin. Although the assassin is useless, any amount of information is useful.'

Deon opened his closet to find his uniform, except there was a slight change. The bottom part of his shirt had increasingly grown in length.

'It was definitely Dvelania.'

There was only one type of person who would even think of changing his uniform. The Second Corps Commander, Dvelania, was the only person who was obsessed with dressing him up; it wouldn't be a surprise if she did this as well.

At least it wasn't a dress like last time, was what Deon thought as he put on his uniform. If he stayed here for any longer, he'd have to greet a Devilania who wouldn't hesitate to throw a dagger at him and the Eighth Corps Commander, Hell, who's literally made of shadows.

'Damn it, I'll definitely kill you, Stave. How could you ruin my slacker life like that!'

Deon angrily stormed out of his room, scaring many nearby demons; an angry Arut is something everyone in the castle dreaded.

'Haah... Never mind, I'll get my chance when the time comes. Firstly, where would Jaykar be?'

Deon inwardly sighed as he continued walking down the hallways. He needed to find Jaykar since he'd most likely have all of the information on the assassin.

'Would he be in the training grounds...?'

Would Jaykar really be in the training grounds? He remembered last time he 'promised' Jaykar and Asild for a sparring session–without his consent obviously.

Deon wandered around the castle until he found the First Corps training grounds. He wondered if it was right to open it. He felt as if he opened it, he'd die right on the spot by a wooden sword.

'Fuck it.'

Without hesitating, Deon opened the door to the training grounds. The corps members in the training grounds were shocked at the sudden appearance of the Zeroth Corps Commander, who barely came out of his room and only went outside for missions.

"S-sir Arut! What brings you here to the First Corps training grounds?"

"Jaykar... Where is he?"

"T-The commander should come in any minute!"

"Ok."

Deon looked at the corps members in confusion. What were they scared of? It might be Jaykar since they were slacking, right? Speaking of which, he wished he could just slack off and do nothing the whole day like them...

After a few minutes, Deon could see the door to the training grounds open and saw Jaykar walking in a bit haggard. Did something happen while he was gone? Why did Jaykar look like that? Nothing happened to him in the original either.

"Sir Arut.."

"First Corps Commander. I was going to ask you about the person I tossed to you a week ago, but it seems you're in a bit of pain."

Deon pointed at Jaykar's left arm and abdomen. He noticed Jaykar hugging his abdomen in pain, and his left arm was still bleeding even though it was tightly bandaged. He wondered what type of monster got Jaykar this hurt.

"It's alright, I'll explain it to you as we go out. I just wanted to check on my corps members."

"Very well then."

***

"First, I'll explain the information we got from them. Though it may not be a lot since they were practically a pawn, like you assumed."

Jaykar explained the information he had received, including when the man obtained and became a person holding a hero fragment, as well as who his sponsor was behind the scenes.

'So he was one of Stave's pawns. That was something new, but not surprising. I already know he was sent by the Emperor, and now it makes a bit more sense as to why he was sent here.'

Deon could easily assume the reason why the assassin was sent here to the Demonic Realm after confirming the details. The Emperor must've found out that the man was one of Stave's men and ordered him to go on a suicidal mission to get rid of him.

"Then, explain why you're in such a state."

"I am ashamed to say this, but while I was sent to patrol a village that was near the Human Realm, two mysterious men appeared and looked around for something or someone and then proceeded to destroy the village. I could barely fight them off; their strength might even be on par with one of the sovereigns here."

'...Oh shit, that might be my fault..'

Deon recalled when he had given Eruhaben and Choi-Han instructions on where 'Cale Henituse' was. Well, it was a trick answer since he was Cale Henituse.

"Do you think I'd be able to fight them? It sounds fun."

Jaykar immediately turned to Deon, who had just said that. He could see the whitehead smiling as if the world was nothing but a game, while his eyes were duller than usual.

"...Since Sir Arut is right behind His Majesty in terms of strength, it could be possible."

With hesitation, Jaykar answered back. He had heard from other people that when Sir Arut's eyes went dull, it meant that it'd be a dangerous situation and he should be careful. Of course, he wasn't aware that half of it was acting and half of it was a genuine question.

Deon wanted to see the faces on the others if he ever decided to fight them one-on-one. What would their reaction be, what would they feel, and would they regret doing that to him? But at the same time, he knew he was weak when it came to strength.

He admitted that what he was thinking was indeed not right in the head, but after years of being locked up, who wouldn't go more unhinged? In his defense, he was much more sane than ever!

Those questions circulated his head as he gave his acting smile to Jaykar, who immediately felt chills on his back.

"I'll trust your judgement then."

Deon answered back shortly as he exited the training grounds after hearing Jaykar's response.

As soon as he arrived at his room, he could see Dvelania, Hell, and Nine in his room. Deon wondered if Corps Commanders were really that busy, seeing as how both Devilania and Hell were at his door.

"...What's going on here?"

"Oh my! Sir Arut, you weren't here. I was gonna come and ask you how you liked the uniform I re-tailored for you!"

'I knew that it was her.'

"It's fine, as long as it doesn't disrupt the things I need to do."

"That's great to hear! By the way, Eighth Corps Commanders, there seems to be something you have to do in a nearby village."

"Hmm, you have a mission to do? Good luck then, I believe in you."

It must be hard keeping his identity a secret.. Deon felt a little bad for Hell, who worked to keep his identity a secret from the whole world. He should at least encourage Hell, right?

He could feel Hell's aura immediately brightening up after he had encouraged the shadow.

"Oh dear, this might be the first time Sir Arut's complimented someone."

Dvelania walked off while placing a handkerchief underneath her eye dramatically. Deon watched this with a deadpanned expression while Hell immediately disappeared to remove the threat to Arut's identity.

'Hoo... Who knew that talking to corps commanders was like talking to children?'

Honestly, he didn't even expect more than half of the corps commanders to act like kids in front of him. Anymore of this, and he might need to resort to his trashy antics.

If Kim Rok-Soo were here and heard this, he might've said something along the lines of, "Perhaps the trashy antics were the friends we made along the way.." However, he wasn't, so Deon continued to delude himself.

'I still haven't found out much about the Gods here... I mean, I knew that they play a role in sending messages through shamans and have churches here, but so little is known about them.'

Deon still hadn't found out why the Demon King's expression turned grim when he brought up the God of Death. While he was born in this world instead of transmigrating like last time, very little information about the Gods was passed around.

'To the library again I go. And find absolutely nothing that helps.'

Sighing, Deon made his way to the library. The library there contained too much information, and he didn't feel like skimming through every book.

***

'No matter how I look at it, it feels like I'm back in university...'

Deon walked into the library once again, looking for the spot where he had found the books about the divine beings and their saints.

"W-Welcome, Sir Arut!"

The demons immediately rose from their seats. They couldn't afford to disrespect the Zeroth Corps Commander again like last time. The last time that had happened, they were scolded by the Demon King immediately after Sir Arut had left.

Deon said nothing as he rushed over to the information section and immediately grabbed the nearest book he could find.

Flipping through the pages with inhumane speed, Deon started heating up while recording book after book. He unbuttoned the first few buttons as he continued to record the pages.

After a few minutes, Deon had finally found a book that seemed to contain enough information. Just as he was about to grab the book, he could hear the door to the library slam open.

"I-Is Sir Arut here?!"

He could hear Ben calling out for him, asking every demon in the library. Hearing this, Deon immediately took a handkerchief and wiped his forehead, getting rid of any evidence of him heating up. Well, if you ignored his flushed cheeks, making him seem as if he were sick

'I'll just wait until I cool down and then I'll come out.'

Deon waited until he felt cooler and came out of the section of the library he was in.

"You were calling for me, Ben?"

"Sir Arut, are you alright?! The necklace started glowing a lot!"

"I'm fine?"

Why wouldn't he be fine? It was just a recoil from using his record ability. It's not like he was going to die or something..

'Yeah, there's no way I'll end up in a near-death situation.'

If he played his cards right, he should have had an overwhelming victory. After all, he only does something if he knows that he'll win overwhelmingly against someone.

Deon walked back to his room with Ben, who was still concerned over his health; after all, he had just witnessed the necklace that was monitoring Deon's health glow brighter than usual.

However, while Ben was stressing over him, Deon was thinking about the mission the Demon King would make him go on, along with Dvelania.

'It'll be bad if I have to meet Oelle too... She asks a lot of questions about the human realm.'

It's not that it was a horrible meeting; she just was way too curious about the human world, and since he was the only human in the Demonic Realm, she could only ask him about human-related stuff.

'I should be able to take them out with my ancient powers, so it won't be that much of a big deal.'

He just needed to make sure he doesn't puke blood in front of everyone, or else they'll freak out.

"Oh, Sir Arut. Here you are, I was looking for you this whole time."

"Dame Dvelania. Did something happen?"

Deon could hear what was about to come out of the Second Corps Commander's mouth; however, he wished he couldn't hear what Devilania had just said.

"Yes, his majesty asked me to bring you along to visit the second city with me."

"I see... I guess I'll have to pack up then."

His poor slacker life.... He will definitely retire once this stupid problem is over with!

Deon silently cried to himself about the misfortunes in his life. He wished he were reincarnated as a side character who had no relevance to the plot.

Chapter Text

Previously...

His poor slacker life.... He will definitely retire once this stupid problem is over with!

Deon silently cried to himself about the misfortunes in his life. He wished he were reincarnated as a side character who had no relevance to the plot.

***

"I thought it would just be a trip with just us, Sir Arut.."

"His Majesty ordered this."

"But, I don't want to go with you."

Dvelania pouted while having a glaring competition with Ben, who did the same right back at her.

Deon watched this with an expressionless face and sighed. Who knew a corps commander could be so childish? Did they live for hundreds of years?

'Why are they suddenly like children whenever in front of me...'

Deon sighed as he watched the two demons continue their glaring competition, and opened the book he found in the library. He quickly flipped through the pages at inhuman speed, stopping the two demons from their little contest. They looked at Deon, baffled. Did he remember all of that?

"Sir Arut... Do you remember all of that?"

"Umm, yes?"

"......"

Dvelania and Ben exchanged a glance, checking to see if they had heard the information correctly. They then looked back at Deon, who was still recovering from the information in the book.

'What the fuck?! The God of Death is neutral? There are also many cases of his saints helping the Demon King and a lot of others who helped the Human Realm.'

Deon could tell why the Demon King sounded disappointed when he brought up the God of Death. It would be bad for the Demon King if the saint ended up on the Empire's side, considering how overpowered they were. Well, too bad that saint wants to run away from both now.

Bang!

"Sir Arut! Dame Dvelania! There is an emergency, there are too many demonic monsters!"

Deon closed the book he was holding and peeked over the demon's shoulder to take a look at the demonic monsters that were beginning to swarm around them.

'Holy shit, that is as much as the first day of the cataclysm..'

The group quickly got out of the carriage and observed the current observation. They could see the Second Corps Members fighting, so far they were doing well, for now. But Deon knew that soon after, he and Devilania would have to jump in.

"Then I'll join the battle first."

Deon looked at Dvelania, who immediately rushed in and joined in the battle with the rest of the corps. He could feel Ben's gaze on him while he stood still and remembered the contents of the conversation Ben had with the Demon King.

'Me being used? That's bullshit, the only person who can use me is myself, not even the God of Death can use me. Just thinking about it makes me pissed. Why does everyone want to use me?'

Deon slowly walked towards the group of demonic beasts as he activated Dominating Aura just enough to scare off the lower-ranked to middle-ranked demonic monsters.

"Dame Dvelania, it seems that the number of demonic monsters miraculously decreased."

"...I'll set up a trap for the remaining demonic monsters. But please, be careful."

"I'll leave it to you."

Dvelania set up an array of wires, trapping the high-ranking demonic monsters in one place. While some moved and immediately died, the rest used their survival instincts and stayed in place, waiting for the right moment.

With the array of wires now set up, Deon ran to the horde of monsters and summoned dozens of rock spears, aiming them at the demonic monster's weak point while luring the others into the clusters of wires that Devilania had set up just a moment ago.

***

"...We've completely wiped out half of the demonic monsters... You can put them away now."

Dvelania nodded and put away the clusters of wires that were once hanging around, slicing up demonic monsters hesitantly. She didn't know why Sir Arut wanted to put away the trap set up, but did so anyway.

However, she was unaware of the next ongoing events that would happen. Of course, Deon knew that Silua, the 7th Corps Commander, would eventually come even if he didn't call the Demon King through Ben. That was because he saw someone run back a while ago as they exited the carriage.

"Sir Arut! Behind you-"

Kieeekkk!

With a loud shriek, the demonic monster behind Deon immediately fell with a dagger in its head. A blonde woman appeared right in front of Dvelania and looked straight at Deon, who kept a stoic face that seemed cold.

"Sir Arut! I'm here, were you expecting me?"

"..."

"Oh, is it the other Sir Arut this time?!"

"You seem to know a lot about me."

Deon stood still and looked at Silua coldly as she circled him excitedly. He knew that she was one of the corps commanders who knew he had a split personality.

"Oh? This is a new side of Sir Arut. I haven't seen this side of him when he was rational."

'What a crazy ass.'

"No reply, that's disappointing... Oh well, go attack the demonic monsters!"

After a few minutes, when the demonic monsters had been successfully wiped out or fled away, Deon covered his mouth. He noticed that the recoil was about to happen since he used the Super Rock for a fairly long period.

Turning around, Deon headed towards a nearby tree and coughed up a lesser amount of blood than he usually would as Cale Henituse.

"Sir Arut- are you okay? The necklace lit up!"

"I'm fine."

Thanks to the amount of blood he got on him from the demonic monsters, the blood leaking from Deon's mouth wasn't as noticeable. Though Deon noticed that Silua kept looking at him or giving side glances ever since she had arrived here.

"Dame Dvelania... Has Sir Arut ever had hair this long?"

"Ah... well, I'm not sure either..."

Truthfully, Dvelania had never seen Sir Arut with long hair in the past two years she had met him. But it didn't matter since he was still their Zeroth Corps Commander, and she also had fun dressing him up. And she would proudly admit this again.

"Ah! We'd better get going to the second city now. I guess this is where our paths will diverge from now, Dame Silua."

"...The Tenth Corps Commander..."

Silua gritted her teeth as she thought about Geistel, who was the Tenth Corps Commander and the one who oversaw the second city. Deon could understand her, seeing as to how he was treated like a blessing in there, made him want to cry. He doesn't want to sit on a sedan chair at all!

"Haah... I don't want to meet him."

"Well... we'll have to do so..."

Deon rolled his eyes at Devilania's response. He doesn't care if he has to meet that crazy bastard; he just doesn't want to meet him at all.

"Hmm?"

Deon noticed something lurking in the bushes and went over there to check. He remembered that there shouldn't be anyone hiding here, so why was there someone here? Grabbing whatever he could hold onto, Deon lifted whatever was here, or tried to.

"Oww!"

'What the fuck-'

Deon backed away immediately after hearing a little girl's voice. He glanced back to see a raven-haired girl with red eyes similar to his. He could only assume she was a vampire based on her hair and eye color, as well as the small fangs she had.

"?!"

The girl immediately bit Deon's hand, causing blood to drip from his hand. This alarmed Ben since the necklace lit up once again, and he rushed over to Deon, who was on his knees, staring at the girl without a hint of emotion.

"Sir Arut?!-"

Deon lifted his free hand to Ben, stopping him from getting any closer to him. After a few minutes, the girl let go of Deon's hand and started crying. This confused both Deon and Ben. What type of kid cries after sucking someone's blood?

"...Ben, do you know why she's crying...?"

He didn't hit her repeatedly or raise his voice at her... Why is she crying?!

"No, not at all... But I believe we should get going... Our trip is being delayed right now..."

"Alright."

Deon got up from the ground and went to the carriage with Ben. What he didn't expect was the girl clinging to his leg. He turned back and tried to shake the girl off his legs, which did not work at all.

In the end, he had to bring her along with him into the carriage.

"This girl is..."

"I don't know; she kept clinging on to me."

Dvelania looked at the young vampire who was still clinging to Deon. This was the first time she had seen a young child outside near the outskirts, where many demonic monsters were lurking around.

'Her parents either abandoned her or died, and she was the only one alive.'

He looked at the girl who was now sleeping in his lap. Looking at the girl sleeping so comfortably made him want to sleep too. He also wanted to sleep! Yawning, Deon slowly closed his eyes and fell to sleep right away.

***

"You're finally here, you were the last to arrive, my child."

"...I'm not your child."

"Well, now you are!"

Deon gave a glare to the God of Death, who brushed it off and looked at Cruel, who paid no attention to him at all.

Why do his children hate him so much?!

"Anyway... I came to talk to you two about something. It's about you, Deon, so you should probably listen."

"I kind of don't want to hear it..."

"Well, you have to anyway, Deon."

The God of Death snapped his fingers, and the scenery changed from a pitch black room to a modern office. Deon realized this place as the office that the God of Death used frequently.

'Hey... if you're gonna talk about my past life...'

"He already knows."

'He does...? And he's not mad?'

Deon remembered when he tried to talk to Deruth and his family about his transmigration. They first played it off, but when they realized he was serious, they screamed curses at him, telling him to give back their son's body. He had to lie and say it was just a disguise. He remembered Choi Han's indifferent look while he got yelled at; it was the first time he'd ever seen such a side to them. Things only got worse from there.

"Geez, it's either in the Thames blood or you overthink things too much."

The God of Death flicked Deon's forehead, causing the latter to flinch in pain, rubbing his forehead.

"Back to the main topic. As you know, your past family is trying to resurrect you, or well, bring your soul back into your old body. So far, they're setting stuff up for the ritual, but we already blocked the pathway through both worlds."

The God of Death could see a vein appearing on Cruel's forehead. He knew he had chosen the right person to be his child's older brother. Originally, Cruel was supposed to live a happy life with his parents without Deon, but if Cruel wanted a little brother, why not actually give him one?

He knew it was quite heartless to change the fate of his life by reincarnating Cale there as Deon, but what choice did he have left? In the end, it all worked out despite the sufferings; it was also one of the world's farthest away from the Nameless One, where the Roan Kingdom resided.

When that happens, Deon will immediately fall into a brief coma. He might experience symptoms similar to a cold, but they will be more severe than a usual flu. That's because we minimized the pain he'd feel as much as possible.

"Is it because my soul would in between the two worlds?"

Deon concluded that it'd have something to do with his soul. Since they were trying to bring him back and the gods were trying to keep him here, it would probably make his soul go back and forth.

"Precisely, which is why I need you, Cruel, to immediately get Deon away from those crazy lunatics. Right at that moment, Deon will be more vulnerable than ever, and if he dies, it will cause an imbalance, and he will automatically go back to his world."

"I was already planning to do so even if you hadn't told me."

"Yes, yes, of course. I'll send you both back now, make sure to always be careful."

"Ok.."

The two siblings replied in perfect unison before the God of Death snapped his fingers once again.

...If Kim Rok-Soo were here, he might've laughed at the scene, thinking it was akin to a dad telling his children to be safe when in school and to not cause trouble.

Chapter Text

"You know, Cruel, I've been noticing how close you've been around Deon Hardt these days."

Cruel flinched at Stave's observation. These past few days, the Duke has been on edge and sharper than usual. It made him paranoid about the fact that the Duke would eventually discover his plans.

"I'm sure that's not the case, though, right? You're just there since the Emperor has been calling you in these days."

"That's correct, Your Grace."

Thankfully, Stave had not caught on to his plans yet. Which was a relief, if he had been discovered, he'd die before he could figure out why the Duke was so adamant on killing his brother.

"Then you can go now."

"Yes."

Cruel quickly left after being excused by the Duke and walked out of the office. By the time he had reached his room, he looked at a photo that looked as new as ever. He held up the photo and looked at it with nostalgia.

It was a photo of him and Deon with their parents. However, those days have now come to an end; now it was just him and his younger brother. He recalled the moment he saw Deon when he had finally gotten home; that was when he decided to protect Deon, the only remaining family he had left.

Cruel placed down the photo as he made his way to his bed. He thought about Deon, who was currently in the Demonic Realm. If the time comes, he should bring Deon over there for safety before the Duke decides to plan another assassination attack on Deon.

He lay there in silence while looking at the ceiling, before his eyelids started to feel heavier, before he drifted off to sleep, that a certain god caused.

***

Opening his eyes, Cruel noticed he was in a pitch-black room. He realized he was again back in the God of Death's place. There were times when he'd go to sleep and find himself in this room with the God of Death, and he would train him.

'He acts strange though...'

The God of Death tended to gush about his younger brother in front of him. Though he had no room to talk at all, he admitted he had the same thoughts as the God of Death.

"Here you are."

The God of Death appeared right before Cruel. This time without the veil, he noticed that the God of Death wore veils sometimes and didn't the other times. He wasn't sure why, but it wasn't his business to talk about.

"I need to talk to you about something, it's important and it's regarding Deon."

"I'm listening."

"You must've already known about me making you my saint to protect Deon. But you also don't know the full story about it. Do you recall someone bringing up Cale Henituse?"

"The otherworldly people?"

"That's right, they're searching for Cale. Specifically, Deon."

Cruel widened his eyes at the sudden revelation. He knew something was up with Deon and those people from the shamans, but he didn't anticipate him to be the person they were searching for. Did that mean Deon wasn't his brother? He had too many questions, but he decided not to jump to conclusions. It didn't matter; his only objective was to protect Deon, though he did feel a tinge of guilt for not noticing the changes, even if it was slight. He will still make an effort to protect this Deon.

"Don't worry, he's still Deon. Aiya, this is why I like you more than the rest; you don't jump to conclusions."

"This is just a little shocking to hear..."

"That's true. Then I'll start explaining now, or well, show you."

The God of Death summoned a holographic screen in front of Cruel. It played the beginning of Kim Rok Soo's life, then it transitioned to his new life as Cale Henituse, before it slowly morphed into a nightmare not even a heartless person would dream of, before it showed a scene of the Gods reincarnating Cale as Deon, leaving out the thousands of attempts to save him.

Cruel stared at the holographic screen in disgust. That was no way to protect someone you loved, though his approach wasn't the best and caused many misunderstandings to ensue between the two of them. Locking someone up and stripping them of their power isn't protection... That would slowly kill them

"This isn't how you protect someone... I'm surprised Deon even managed to survive for two years."

He felt a load of emotions at once.

Anger, sadness, disappointment, sorrow, ambition, and relief.

Cruel felt angry and disappointed in this 'family,' and sadness and sorrow for Deon, while he also felt more ambition to protect Deon, relieved that he was no longer with those people. He really was a fool for his brother, wasn't he?

The fact that Deon reincarnated didn't matter to him. Deon will always be his younger brother, no matter what happens.

'I'll need to get stronger.'

He decided that he'd need to get stronger even more now. Not just to protect him from the Duke, but also to protect him from his past family. He'll make sure of it, even if it costs his life.

"So you now know why we reincarnated him. Let's move on to you before your brother arrives."

"There's something about me, too?"

"Yes, regarding Deon being born in your world. How do I put this... Originally, you were never supposed to have a brother. This only happened because of me; I forcefully reincarnated him there, which is why he was born weaker due to the after-effects."

"Deon was never supposed to exist...?"

Now this was shocking news, even for him. What did the God of Death mean that Deon wasn't supposed to exist? He couldn't imagine a life without his younger brother.

"Well, you were supposed to be an only child... Then I made him reincarnate into your family, though I didn't expect a guidebook made by one of my friends to work."

The God of Death recalled the novel 'I'm Not That Kind of Talent' that his friend wrote. He at first didn't get why he was handed this guidebook and decided to throw it down into Earth One, where Kim Rok Soo had picked it up and read it.

"That means there's only one universe with Deon in it because Cale Henituse is a variable. A strong one at that. And there's only one Cale Henituse; he had already changed the fate of the other Kim Rok Soo, so there is no longer a second Cale."

That meant that, if Deon died here, it would be over forever. His soul would most likely either shatter into millions of pieces and cease to exist, or he would go back to his world, but it would most likely be the latter, since his soul was just extremely strong, even if his soul broke.

While the God of Death explained the situation to Cruel in even more detail about his soul and how it was linked to the Demon King as well, due to the previous hero, Deon, having finally appeared in the God of Death's domain.

Both Cruel and the God of Death turned to Deon, who walked over to both of them. The God of Death's expression immediately changed into a joyful face.

"You're finally here, you were the last to arrive, my child."

Chapter Text

Previously...

The two siblings replied in perfect unison before the God of Death snapped his fingers once again.

...If Kim Rok-Soo were here, he might've laughed at the scene, thinking it was akin to a dad telling his children to be safe when in school and to not cause trouble.

***

"Hannah, I've got a message!"

"A message from the Sun Goddess?! Was it about young master Cale?"

Jack nodded at Hannah's question. Ever since they had to run away from the hero's party, they had gone out to seek refuge with Bud and Glenn. They then moved to the Endable Kingdom, to which Fredo graciously welcomed them.

"She said that young master Cale was safe and is living much better now!"

"That's good to hear, he's been making me feel all worried ever since that crazy shi- incident happened."

Hannah sighed in frustration as she ran her hand through her hair. That Cale Henituse really knows how to make her worry the shit out of him.

Especially during that time, she had disagreed with the hero's party, and she and her brother were both ostracized by everyone. They really thought she'd agree with them? No way, just because they were his allies didn't mean she'd mindlessly agree with them. She and her brother only joined because of Cale Henituse.

If that man is gone and killed by those people who had claimed to be his family and would protect them, then there was no point in staying.

"Do you think we should tell Duke Fredo? Who's been worried over the young master for quite some time? He's even skipped his meals a lot."

"If that'll get him to eat, then we should because at this rate he'll die of starvation somehow."

Hannah lifted her twin brother and held his hand. After Cale Henituse was gone, the Sun Goddess altered her blessings that were for them specifically. Now she and her twin brother could do things they would always do and heal people who lived off of dead mana. Though they weren't sure if this applied to other priests, their divine energy didn't harm anyone except for Hannah's divine sword she had gotten from Cale.

Hannah and Jack stood in front of Fredo's office. They didn't know whether he was there or not, or was sleeping. These days, the Duke seemed to be unable to sleep at night, only sleeping in the morning.

Hmm... Exactly like a doting father.

Maybe Cale was secretly his biological child? He was even more doting than his real father...

"Duke Fredo."

"Oh, what brings you too here?"

"The Sun Goddess delivered a message about the young master! She said he is now okay and living better than before."

"Better than before... I'm glad then. Now that's one less thing to worry about."

Fredo sighed as he looked out the window. There used to be only one human residing here, which was the Holy Maiden Cotton; now there were five people: Bud, Glenn, Hannah, Jack, and Cotton. There were also now a lot of forces from the Raon Kingdom secretly deployed, the worst part was that they were also Dark Elves, so it would be much harder to catch them all.

"Then we agree not to say a word, right?"

The twin siblings nodded their heads vigorously. There's no way they'd share that Cale was safe. If they did say it, things wouldn't end well for Cale; they couldn't let that happen. So just knowing that he was safe was enough for them.

"What about us then? Can't we know too?"

Bud and Glenn walked in. This time, instead of being the drunk man he usually was, he was acting like his usual self rather than being drunk all the time. Glenn sighed. It took him long enough to drop his drunkard act like Cale.

"As long as it's not Clopeh... I don't want to hear him screaming, 'Oh, the legend will always live on, I knew it!'"

Bud and Glenn stifled their laughter as they heard Hannah's response. But she wasn't wrong, Clopeh would definitely say something like that.

***

"Sir Arut, we're here."

"Haah... Let me go behind you, I don't want to see him."

Deon immediately went behind Ben while walking into the second city. He doesn't want to meet Geistel at all! He'd rather die than do so.

"Sir Geistel."

Ben greeted Geistel, who came in a rush, with a sedan chair–Deon's worst nightmare. Deon could see the Tenth Corps Commander looking around for him, and continued to hide behind Ben, while Dvelania could only sigh while holding the vampire girl's hand. The whole time in the carriage, they still hadn't learned what the girl's name was and continued to call her 'kid.' That was how unwillingly she was to talk.

"Hmm? Where is Sir Arut?"

"...Here.."

Deon gritted his teeth as he appeared in front of Geistel. He could see the demons whispering and gasping as he walked out from behind Ben. Well, shit, he forgot to put his hood back on while they exited the carriage.

"And Geistel, what is that?"

He pointed at the sedan chair that was decorated with loads of flowers. It felt sickening to look at the sedan chair, the longer he looked at it. Deon could see Geistel's expression brightening as he began to explain what it was to him.

"If you think I'm gonna sit on that..."

"It's optional!"

Geistel sweated nervously as he signaled a few demons to put away the sedan chair. He then led Deon and the group through the parade of demons.

Because the 'Demon Arut' was such a notorious figure, Deon could notice demons either staring at him or whispering something that was most likely about him, making him quickly pull up his hood.

While walking, Dvelania spotted another boutique and immediately dragged Deon into it while the others came running behind them. She threw a few outfits that suited Deon and threw them into his arms, urging him to try them on. After a few minutes, Deon barely managed to make it out of the boutique.

'Come to think of it, there should be another kingdom near here. It was called the Southern Kingdom, right?'

Deon looked at the dozens of mangos near a stall in the city, then looked back at Geistel, who looked at him nervously as if he were a child being caught doing something bad.

"Geistel, there's a border here, isn't there?"

He could notice the Tenth Corps Commander flinching and Dvelania's face morphing into shock, immediately turning to Geistel for answers, to which he complied.

"Well... a few weeks ago, we happened to come across a border between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm."

"And you hid it?!"

This time, Dvelania shook Geistel's shoulder. She was angry, and angry was an understatement. She was angry over the fact that he didn't even report it to the Demon King at all.

"It's fine, we'll go check it out and then report it to the Demon King. It's not as big of a deal."

Dvelania let go of Geistel as she sighed. She couldn't say anything against Deon, who didn't see it as much of a deal. She went behind Deon, who dragged Geistel to bring them to the Southern Kingdom, who had no choice but to do so.

***

"So this is the border..."

'Wow... It looks pretty.'

Deon stared at the bright sky in a daze. It was bright and free, and the birds flew straight through the sky, free of any shackles stronger than ever. Unlike him, who gave in to the abuse, the imprisonment, and the torture of the feeling of loneliness.

"Sir Arut, you should be careful! The sunlight here is strong!"

"It's okay."

He ignored Ben's warning. It's been a very long time since he's seen such a clear sky ever since years ago. He wanted to admire the view even if it was just for a moment.

Deon could also see the monsters lurking around them as they walked through the forest. The demonic monsters aimed for them, assuming they were prey, only to be slain immediately by a spear made of water, wires... And a suitcase.

'But... I really don't want them to cause a ruckus in the kingdom.. Thank god I managed to somehow convince the two vampires to stay back.'

Before they had gone, Deon had convinced the girl to stay back with Geistel using the excuse that it was too dangerous for her, and the similarity in their races. It would be dangerous if she was found out, but overall, their team was way too overpowered for anyone to die.

"What the hell? What is your business with us?"

Dvelania readied her weapon, but Deon stopped her. He knew exactly who these people were; he found it funny that the king sent people over to them. Was he not scared of Dvelania and Ben?

"..We'd like to thank you, mercenaries, for slaying the monsters here..."

The group could see the knights shivering as they handed over the bag of gold. Deon didn't hesitate at all as he took the bag of gold; free money was free money. He was truly in bliss right now; he couldn't get the smile off his face.

"Your king really cares for you, huh?"

Must be nice... His kings either used him or locked him up in his own house.

Deon handed the cloaks over to Dvelania and Ben, who wore them immediately. The knights shivered under Deon's monotone voice.

"P-please have a good journey!"

The group went past the knights, who moved over to one side. Deon looked back at the knights who were now on the ground, sighing in relief.

"Don't cause a ruckus while we observe them. Even if someone bumps into me."

He doesn't want attention to be directed at him...

The two nodded in response and continued to walk behind Deon until they reached the Southern Kingdom. The kingdom was as lively as the novel had described it; food stalls were packed with people, and a mixture of loud chattering and laughter filled the place.

'Come to think of it, the name of this Kingdom was Taehon and was mediocre in terms of manpower and everything, just like the Roan Kingdom. Except this time, the king wasn't as arrogant as Alberu.'

"It's so lively here..."

Dvelania commented on the loud sound of people talking. It was quite different than what she was used to, and Ben could agree with her. Though it was loud in the Demon King's castle, it wasn't as loud as this.

"Congratulations, you know what I go through now."

Deon joked in a sarcastic tone and chuckled before returning to his stoic expression. Devilania watched this with sparkling eyes while Ben stared in shock at Deon, who didn't pay attention to what he was doing.

'Oh, this reminds me of those guys.'

Holding up a charm with a red butterfly on it, Deon was reminded of the divine beasts that took the form of a butterfly. It's been some time since he had contacted them, he remembered that he assigned at least one of them to spy on Stave Illuster.

'They must be having that conversation about the causes of the deaths of the First Prince and my family right now.'

Duke Illuster was seriously a greedy and crazy bastard. However, unbeknownst to him, he was collecting more karma as he kept trying to climb up the stairs for a measly worn-out crown that'd soon be the cause of his end.

He smiled at the thought of paying him back ten times the amount as he dropped a gold coin for the butterfly charm. He also needed to find a way to get rid of Choi Han and the rest of the other people who crossed over here as well. However, right now he was too weak to do so and would have to leave them alone, for now.

Chapter Text

Previously...

He smiled at the thought of paying him back ten times the amount as he dropped a gold coin for the butterfly charm. He also needed to find a way to get rid of Choi Han and the rest of the other people who crossed over here as well. However, right now he was too weak to do so and would have to leave them alone, for now.

***

Deon tossed a gold coin to the merchant who was selling the butterfly charm. It felt nice to do this again; he loved the feeling of spending money that wasn't his. It meant that his wealth wouldn't decrease.

He turned around to see Dvelania arguing with someone after hearing yelling from behind him. But hearing how he insulted Dvelania first, he didn't care much about it; that was her problem, and it had nothing to do with him.

...So why did he jump in?!

"What are you doing to my comrade?"

Deon gave a glare at the man who had his hand on Dvelania's hand. She must've known that she couldn't kill him out of anger, or else they'd be found out and resorted to yelling. The man immediately stumbled back upon the sight of the hooded Deon.

"I thought this place was pretty decent, but guys like you always exist here."

He was most likely a random noble with a pretty high stature in this kingdom, seeing how everyone looked away when he grabbed Dvelania's hand. In the distance, one could see the royal knights running to them in the corner of his eye, prompting Deon to let go of the man's wrist.

"Get that bastard!"

The noble grinned sinisterly as soon as he heard the royal knights rushing towards them and started complaining to the knights... Only to be arrested by the said royal knights and carried to the palace prison.

Deon returned the sinister smile to the noble as he lifted his hood and put his finger to his lips, which made the noble widen his eyes. He could tell what the noble was thinking in his head, his shaking eyes that screamed in fear—You are a demon?!—It was obvious what the noble was thinking. Sadly, he was completely off the mark. Deon is completely human and not a demon at all, perhaps, personality-wise, to his enemies, yes. But he is fully human.

"We should head back now."

He sighed as he turned back and motioned for Dvelania and Ben to follow him. The people in the human realm can sometimes be extremely annoying.

***

"Can you stay here? This is your home anyway, right?"

"No! I wanna go with you!!!! Don't abandon me!"

Deon attempted to pull the girl off of him with the help of Geistel, but no attempts worked in trying to get the girl away from the Zeroth Corps Commander.

"I have to go back..."

"Then bring me with you!"

Dvelania stifled her laughter while looking at the interaction between the two red-eyed duo. It was her first time seeing the Zeroth Corps Commander so flustered; he was usually emotionless and always serious.

"Sir Arut, why don't we bring her with us?"

"Bring her with us...?"

"Only if-"

"Okay, we'll do just that."

Deon used the Super Rock to strengthen his arms and lifted the seven-year-old girl in the air. Now that he was thinking about it, he should probably ask for her name. No one here, not even Geistel, knew of the girl's name or her parents.

There was a subtle feeling of familiarity, but he shrugged it off and adjusted her into a more comfortable position. Had On, Hong, and Raon seen this... Who knew what they'd be feeling? A mix of anger, envy, and so-called 'worry.'

"What is your name?"

The girl looked at him with confused eyes as if she didn't understand what his question was. Deon immediately sighed at the reaction; he knew what type of reaction this was. Her face was practically saying—What name? I don't have a name—the type of look you'd see on a stray kid.

"...From now on, your name will be Hana. It means number one, so always put yourself first before others and don't get attached before it's too late."

And don't be like him, was left unsaid by Deon as he looked at Hana without a hint of emotion.

He specifically chose this name because it was the least suspicious name, but still held a meaning in Korean. When he saw Hana begging him not to leave her, he felt a tinge of guilt and sympathy; he could see himself in the girl's shoes.

No parents, no home, no relatives on her side, all alone. What a lonely child both Kim Rok-Soo and Hana were.

"Okay, let's get going."

Deon headed to the carriage first with Hana in his arms with the help of Super Rock, and left no room to talk or ask questions, making the ride back to the Demon King's castle silent and awkward.

***

"Visiting Geistel wears me out.."

Deon sighed for the nth time as he exited the carriage, with a child in his arms. It was truly a sight for the people in the Demon King's castle, witnessing such an odd scene of a gentle Arut, while Dvelania fantasized about many things as she watched Deon head into the Demon King's castle.

When he got in, he set Hana down and walked to the Demon King's office. He decided to skip the sparring match between the Twelfth Corps Commander Trover and the Fifth Vice Corps Commander Dernivan. That would mean the majority of the corps commanders would also be there.

'Just thinking about showing up with a child to Oelle sounds horrible.'

Deon knocked on the Demon King's door before entering. He could see the Demon King sitting behind his desk as usual, this time with a map on the table. Deon could only guess that the Demon King was going to make him head back to the Empire, since this time Eduardo was planning to conquer Esperanas, a small kingdom where Remember hailed from.

"Your Majesty."

"Arut, you're here, that's great. I was just about to call you."

The Demon King stood up from his chair and made his way to Deon with a map in his hand. Deon could notice the Demon King seemed a bit concerned over the fact that the Empire had already unified half of the continent. He could notice that the usually slicked-back raven hair was messier than usual. Though it was probably an act to get Deon to comply with his needs

"Yes... Is something the matter?"

"You should head back to the Empire immediately. I guess the Empire isn't all bark only, they do know how to bite."

Caver unrolled the map in his hands, the nations marked red were nations now under the Empire. Deon could see that half of the map was shaded in red, which meant the flow of the story was still going as usual. He didn't know when everything would change drastically, but he knew it would eventually happen.

Just like how his parents died in the car crash, how he was betrayed by the people he considered family, and how he was sent to war by Duke Illuster. You can never know when everything will come crashing down, so it is best to be on guard all the time now.

"I see I will head back right I-"

Bang!

"Miss, you cannot enter here!"

Deon and Caver turned to look at the raven-haired child who was picked up by Deon. In his defense, Hana wouldn't let go of his hands, no matter what he did, she still clung onto him and cried while begging him not to go."

"This is...?"

"A kid I somehow picked up while on an expedition with Devilania."

He still didn't know why the girl was so adamant about staying with him when they had never met. He was also too lazy to shake her off of him, so he decided to just bring her with him. Yeah, he was just too lazy, so he brought her with him.

"I want my mama!"

Hana immediately hugged Deon's leg, making Deon speechless, right in front of the Demon King?! With the Demon King on the verge of dying from laughter, and Deon, who was baffled at what just happened and how Hana even got in here.

"Pfft... She called you her mama..."

"...Hana, I'm not your mom."

"Umm... Mom?"

"No, I-"

"Mama!"

"No, I'm not your mama!"

Deon blurted out in frustration. Does he look like a mom to her? And why does she keep clinging to him? He is a human and couldn't possibly be her parent. But he quickly took it back when he saw her reaction to what he had said, he could see her teary eyes that were ready to shed thousands of tears.

"Not my mama?"

"...Err... Yeah.. I am your mom."

Caver covered his mouth, trying to prevent himself from laughing. He, as a Demon King, has been living for a long time already, but this was his first time seeing a vampire call a human their mom. It's been a long time since he has had a good laugh.

"But moving on, since the Empire wants to play like this, I guess I have no choice but to join in the game as well."

"I will get ready to go then."

"Well, take your time. It's not time yet, I'll call you when it is or send a message."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon excused himself as he consoled Hana, who was sniffling. He walked out of the office with a girl, who was holding onto the tail coat of his uniform. The demons in the vicinity watched this in shock.

He walked through the hallways with Hana still running behind him and slowed his pacing down. He was trash, but not trashy enough to make a kid run after him, alright?

Deon could hear loud footsteps rushing down the hallway in front of him. The footsteps sounded like something that belonged to a giant. When the footsteps got louder, he could see who the loud footsteps belonged to.

'In the end, I can't escape this...'

Deon met face to face with Trover, who was looking at him with expectant eyes. He thought he could slack off in his room and wait until the Demon King sent him a signal to go to the human realm.

"Sir Arut, please spare with me!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so?"

"But fighting you sounds exhilarating, so pleaseee!"

Trover repeatedly asked the same questions to Deon during their whole walk to the training grounds that he forced himself to go to.

"Sir Arut, let's fight-"

With a whirl of his hand, Trover was sent up to the roof and back down thrice. And yet he still came out with minor injuries and one serious injury.

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to get that hurt."

Actually. He was glad Trover did, maybe then he could stop begging him to spar.

The other Corps Commanders watched this with excited gazes. That was one of the ancient powers that the Zeroth Corps Commander was rumored to have. They had first heard it from the Zeroth Corps members and Ed, who were there to witness it firsthand.

"Magic?"

"No, I'm pretty sure humans don't have magic? Well, go fight while I sit on the side, I'm too lazy to fight you."

Deon walked over to the sidelines. He could see Hana rushing up to him as he got closer and sat down with her. He wasn't used to such a clingy kid, but it wasn't that bad.

"Sir Arut... Where did you get this blessing?"

"Blessing...?"

...That scared him so badly! Where did she come from?!

"That's right, I heard that in the human realm, children were often referred to as blessings."

Oelle explained to Deon, who intently listened to her explaining what she had found out about humans in the human realm.

"Blessings, huh? Well, I guess you aren't that far off. A child is usually born when two humans love each other, which is why children are often referred to as blessings of the parents' love."

"I see... I would like to have a blessing with Dernivan, if it were possible."

'Oh, trust me, you definitely will.'

Deon thought of the future events where Oelle had brought in a human baby to the demonic realm.

...A whole fight over it..

Aish... Sometimes it sucked being related to time and fate.. Why did he have to be connected to the God of Death?

'Ugh, I can't believe I would have worked for the God of Death if I died anyway; that sounds like a nightmare.'

He would never work under the God of Death under any circumstances. He just wasn't cut out for working under Gods.

Though it wasn't like they would want to work him to the bone either, unknowingly, to Deon, they all dote on him.

"Little girl, what do you think of Sir Arut?"

"Mama is the best!"

"Will you ever call me something other than mama?"

"Mama!"

'I give up. She's too persistent...'

Deon sighed in defeat as Hana smiled innocently while sitting in his lap. He thought about how much the little kid had changed in just a few hours. At first, she was quite timid and defensive; slowly, she became more clingy, and now she was a mix of the previous and mischievous.

Not that he minded, it was good that she was beginning to change. It showed how comfortable she was and how she no longer felt the absence of her parents, despite them no longer being here.

While watching the match continue, Deon could feel a tap on his shoulder. It was a servant who came to tell him it was time to go.

Setting down Hana, he made his way to the front gates. Of course, Hana chased after him of course which resulted in him having to convince her to let him go.

***

"Hooh... Thank god I didn't get as close to Hien as I originally did. No monstrous plant with me!"

Deon sighed in relief as he walked back to his estate. He was so happy that he didn't have to deal with a monster plant in his bag. He also managed to shake off Hanna somehow before he returned. It took him a long time to convince her to stay in the Demonic Realm.

"I'm back...?"

Deon walked through the gate to see Sheri chasing the Lofty Knights with a roller in her hand, which was worn out from whacking them. He didn't know whether to say nothing and walk through or help the Lofty Knights out.

"Oh, my lord!"

Sheri threw the roller at Milan, who was the last one behind the rest of the Lofty Knights, immediately knocking him down. Deon could feel the pain from here, judging by how Milan was now bleeding in the head.

"Sheri... What is going on...?"

"Ah, that, well, you see.. They were all in the training grounds to train, and during that time, one of them decided to throw a sword, and it almost crashed into me while I was cooking!"

'These crazy lunatics...'

Deon looked at the mess in the estate. He did expect something to happen, but his whole house was a mess, and it'd take forever to clean this up!

Chapter Text

Previously...

'These crazy lunatics...'

Deon looked at the mess in the estate. He did expect something to happen, but his whole house was a mess, and it'd take forever to clean this up!

***

"Remember."

"Yes, My Lord?"

Remember appeared right behind Deon, who kept silent despite the shock. The Lofty Knights immediately stiffened at the sight of Remember appearing; they knew this man was no ordinary person, especially with the way he could hold the knights down so easily.

"Clean this up. I'm going to change clothes."

"Yes, will you need me to help?"

"No need."

Deon immediately went inside the estate, and it was cleaner than the outside, for sure. But he could see some dust around the corners due to the negligence of the servants, not that he cared. He didn't mind if there was a bit of dust or dirt here and there. Staying alive was much more important than that.

Speaking about him, his older brother now knows about his past. Deon wondered how Cruel felt; he didn't get to see his expression since the whole time all he saw was a stoic expression on his brother's face.

...It might just be a Hardt thing, now thinking about it.

'Haah... It'd be great if I didn't have to meet Choi Han and the others any time soon.'

Deon unbuttoned his shirt and looked back at the shield tattoo that used to be on his chest; it was now on the back of his neck in the mirror. Then he looked at the God of Death's stigmata on his chest, and continued dressing himself. He wore a simple shirt that covered his neck and black pants; he didn't have as many clothes like his previous lives since he was more focused on food and the current state of the estate.

He looked at the huge pile of paperwork on his table. It was a lot... Moreover, no one was able to finish it all just yet. Just looking at the stack of documents on his desk made him feel nauseous; he hated the thought and action of doing any sort of work, unless he was paid, of course.

'I should... probably do it right...?'

Deon picked the quill up with quivering hands. It's been a long time since he has ever done the dreadful task of doing paperwork; the last time he did so was in Korea. After that, he had never done a single piece of paperwork.

Well, it should be fine since he has a record and could finish these documents in less than an hour. After that, he will definitely slack off!

Deon started rushing the paperwork, the servants who went by in his room watched with concerned gazes as they could notice his nose beginning to bleed at times due to the backlash of his ability. Though it looked like he was half-assing his work, in reality, each one of the documents was inspected closely and written clearly and coherently. If you had given these documents to an official in the Empire's palace, they would have had their jaw dropped and they would immediately request to hire this person.

After a few minutes, Deon had finally finished the documents that were placed around his desk, with lots of bloody handkerchiefs that would soon have to be thrown out. He placed the finished documents into one pile and cleaned off his desk. That was when the communication crystal from the emperor began to light up.

"He finally contacted me."

Should he mess around a little?

Deon picked up the communication crystal. He had a mischievous grin on his face as he accepted the Emperor's call.

"Greetings to Your Majesty, the sun of the Empire, this one is honored to receive a call from Your Supremeness."

"...Enough."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Report what happened in the Demonic Realm."

Judging by the Emperor's tone, he seemed to have really annoyed him with his flowery words. That was Deon's goal the whole time: to annoy the shit out of Eduardo, who was already on guard with Duke Illuster. But he didn't care and just complied with the Emperor's needs, talking about what happened in the Demonic Realm and the border in the Taehon Kingdom.

"I see, so that's what happened... Thank you for the valuable information. Looks like all of humanity will have to unite. I'll see you in the hunting competition next week. By the way, make sure to wear the garments I sent you."

"...Yes."

Deon looked at the obnoxiously red cape in his hands. He had opened the gift before the Emperor had asked him to do so.

'What the fuck? I knew it was probably bad, but this...'

It was very red. It looked like something a girl would wear... Well, he'll just have to deal with it. What could he do? If he refused the Emperor, he would probably die. So all he could do was just suck it up and wear it on the day of the hunting competition.

***

"Remember, you're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Deon could see Remember walking right behind him, saying nothing while smiling brightly. He was also the one who kept telling him to wear the hood while still in the estate. It had been a week since he got to slack off and got to do nothing but sleep after he finished all of the documents.

He looked incredibly stupid; he looked like a red riding hood lost in the city. Especially with the bag in his hands, tying it all together.

"Is this the merchantry you talked about?"

How the hell did he do this in just a few weeks again...?

Walking in, the young master and butler duo could see dozens of people grouped up. Some were advertising their products, some were arguing with each other, and others were conversing happily with each other. It reminded him of the inn he opened in Nameless One.

"Dan."

"My Lord! You're here."

Deon felt blinded by the sparkling eyes of an innocent kid in front of him. How exactly did he become the owner of a merchantry again...?

"Ah, yes... I'm here for a bit before I have to go to the hunting competition."

"The hunting competition? If it's possible, could I go with you?"

Deon felt like running away from Dan's pleading eyes and Remember's expectant gaze directed at him. It's not like he had a say in this either way!

"A-alright..."

"Thank you! I even picked up the sword, and I'm quite competent with swordsmanship."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! I learned a lot, and my sister helped me a lot!"

Was it because Dan was younger than him? He felt like he was looking at a younger brother rather than a 'sword' that was made to protect him. He didn't think much about it as he got onto the carriage with Dan, who was obviously excited. It was Dan's first time going to a hunting competition, usually hosted for nobles only.

By the time they had gotten there, he could see the Lofty Knights, Royal Knights, and Dame Lianne standing in front of the carriage he and Dan were in.

While getting off, he could see the Royal Knights stiffen up as the Lofty Knights brightened up. He took off his mask, shocking the Lofty Knights. He just felt sick of the fabric on his skin; luckily, thanks to the Heart of Vitality, he was safe for a little while.

'That bastard God of Death hasn't even told me why I can't talk to my ancient powers yet...'

He could tell they were still there, but he couldn't hear them. Deon knew it definitely had something to do with his body, but what could he do?

"Ah, Count Hardt. You're here!"

"Yes."

"Great, then I have a request for you!"

Here comes that stupid monster subjuaction task from the crown prince. Thankfully, if he stands still, Lianne will handle it for him; he's decided he's gonna do absolutely nothing!

"As you know, this is a monster-hunting competition; however, there are too many monsters here. If it's possible, could you go and take out a good amount so it's safe around here with the murd- Lofty Knights?"

"I will do as you say."

"Great! Then that's settled, then."

Elphidius quickly left for his tent and left the monsters to Deon, who carried out the orders immediately and brought the Lofty Knights to the location to wipe the monsters out. Of course, he did nothing as he held onto the bag with the God of Death's book in it.

Only when a monster came running without anyone did he kill it without any hesitation, while his face was expressionless, scaring the Royal Knights.

He should really blow off some self-esteem soon.

***

Deon walked out of his tent by the time the hunting competition had started. He was met with a very piggy bank-like man in front of him. He could immediately tell this was the pawn used by the collateral family side of the Hardt family.

"How dare they treat an Honorary Count with the same prestige as a real Count? It is a stain to the nobles; however, I am the true Count Hardt, unlike you, a fake! Especially with your features, how could you be part of the Hardt like that?"

'Ugly and annoying... How did you get the worst combination of mankind? If you were going to be bitchy, at least look good while doing it.'

Deon huffed as he looked at the 'True Count Hardt' flaunting his wealth and achievements. He didn't really care since he didn't want to be the Count anyway. Besides, he didn't do anything to harm him yet.

Well, he spoke too soon. The count took off Deon's hood, exposing his face to the sun that shone brightly. The people looked at this in shock, that noble seriously doesn't know what he's getting himself into by messing with Deon Hardt, the Empire's Third Hero, and Eduardo Dessere's only favorite sword.

And last of all, he was extremely pretty that which made the women's jaws drop. They felt envious of how smooth one's hair could be... If only they found out that Deon didn't really take care of his hair that much.

Deon rubbed his eyes because of the sunlight that got in his eyes, creating a huge misunderstanding. The nobles gathered around gave judging looks to the Count, who backed away immediately. Only to bump into Cruel, who was giving him a death glare that could kill even demons.

"..."

"I-I have to go!"

'Why is he so scared? What even happened?'

He continued to rub his itchy eyes, which were slightly red as if he had cried. Well, the sun suddenly getting into his eyes did hurt a little.

Maybe it was because it's been a long time since he's directly looked into the sun by accident, but it hurt! The last time he felt this way was when he was a kid.

"Oh my, to make the Empire's Hero cry. One has to be a wicked and stupid man..."

"Especially the fact that he is the Emperor's favorite sword. Messing with him is messing with the Imperial Family..."

"Such a rude and disgraceful man. How dare he bully others outright? He is not fit to be a noble at all. If he were to do it, at least do it discreetly, what is all of this?"

"To be a noble is to have manners, be graceful, and be dignified. He did none of those things at all..."

"Truly disgusting of that man..."

Unaware of the gossip going around, Deon placed his hood back on only to find out that the so-called true Count Hardt was gone and only an angry Cruel was there, staring in a far distance.

'Wh- What's going on...?'

He spaced out only for a moment. Why is everyone whispering things? Why is his brother here?! Thankfully, before things could get out of hand, the Crown Prince interrupted right at that moment and seized everyone's attention.

"Welcome, everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank you all for attending. Now let's begin the hunt!"

Oh, it was time to give your lovers or families handkerchiefs now. In the Empire, it is a tradition to gift your families or loved ones a handkerchief, wishing them good luck and safety.

'I only have this one...'

Deon held up a decorated handkerchief, which had gold rims with a dark green limelight hydrangea sewn in the middle of it. He had bought it during his time in the second city with Devilania and Gaicytel. Well, he got it for free, and of course, he'd take it if it were free.

While sorting out the things in his bag, he unknowingly put the handkerchief onto Cruel's hand, who stood there watching Deon sort out his bag.

The people in the vicinity watched the scene unfolding in front of them while sweating. Imagine how the duke would feel if he had seen this very scene unfold right before his eyes.

'I finally found it!'

Deon made a happy noise as he brought out a dagger he had in his bag before realizing what he had just done.

'What do I say?!'

Deon looked around, feeling lost. He turned to Dan, who put his thumbs up with sparkling eyes, definitely not the one to look for advice. He then turned to Lianne, who was looking at him with an expectant gaze that seemed to be saying—go and wish him safety, Count Hardt!

"...Don't get hurt.."

He managed to muster up some words to say, and he could immediately notice the aura around his older brother change.

Hell, he could even see flowers and sparkles around him... The happy aura remained around Cruel as he tied the handkerchief on the hilt of his sword before they separated paths.

That would mean it was almost time to get ambushed by assassins.

'Well, I won't die by just that.'

It takes more than just assassins to kill Deon Hardt. Not to mention that he's lived this way even in his life as Kim Rok Soo, prior to transmigrating as Cale Henituse.

'Hmm... The Revolutionary Army should be making their moves now, or at least try to.'

Deon thought about the leader of the army, Daniel. He was a man who stood for justice and equality, truly a gentleman. But sadly, even in a world where people were equal, there was bound to be a hierarchy either way. He knew this by experience, even when the world fell in Korea, people still developed hierarchies to maintain power.

Now, he didn't care about hierarchies, but if you want a place that was safe and so-called equal, there would still have to be someone to keep it in check. Even democracies still had a form of hierarchy; it was inevitably impossible to get rid of it.

'Starting a war during a war is stupid.'

Why would you kill the person who was the last line of defense? Deon, of course, didn't like the Emperor, but he was obviously the only one who cared about the commoners.

"Haah... Why am I even trying to defend that lunatic?"

Deon walked into the deserted area alone. This might be the biggest mistake ever made.

For the assassins at least.

'Over there, here, and there'

Deon pointed to each of the trees, a wicked smile making its way onto his face as if he was about to scam someone big time. Red butterflies matching Deon's eyes started appearing on each of the trees he pointed at. Now that all of the preparations were complete, he could also see Cruel standing in the distance.

'Thinking about it, he used the Duke's money like crazy while hiring those assassins. Just for them to be killed by him either way.'

It was seriously an indirect way of saying—fuck you, I'm not your subordinate or dog. Thanks for the money, though; I'll blow it all off—and yet, he somehow still remained as his most loyal servant in his eyes... How laughable.

Deon could hear the faint sound of footsteps marching towards him. Maybe he was glad it was only him here since he didn't want anyone to see what shit show he was gonna do.

"You must be hungry, go eat. Treats on me."

He let the large group of butterflies go on a rampage as they took down every single assassin, leaving not a single bit of vitality left. The remaining assassins tried running away after realizing what was killing their comrades, but ultimately failed; they ended up reuniting with their comrades, at least.

'I killed all of the assassins, so that should be-"

Deon immediately fell to the ground. His chest randomly started hurting. It hurt so bad, it was as if someone took a dagger and stabbed it into him while carving and skewering out his skin like a pumpkin.

'It hurts so much!'

Deon tried to breathe for air as he knelt on the ground. He could see more assassins coming, even though he had already wiped out the first batch of them.

He summoned the Unbreakable Shield, layering it with the Super Rock in an attempt to protect himself. Right at that moment, Cruel jumped in after he had received a message from the God of Death and immediately headed towards the deeper part of the forest.

"What the?! Get those two!"

The assassins immediately rushed for Cruel, who held onto Deon in his arms. With one swing, a black aura shone on the blade Cruel was holding. Any of the assassins who were even slightly grazed by it died right away.

After instilling fear into most of the assassins, Cruel made a run for it by heading deeper into the forest. He needed to hurry. Thankfully, none of them realized that it was Cruel who was protecting Deon. Though they may have suspicions but they would quickly brush it off

Cruel looked back at Deon, who fainted, partially because of the gods. He needed to get to some place farther away from here, a nearby kingdom would be nice, but he'll have to settle for the deepest part of the forest for now.

In his mind, a message replayed from the God of Death repeatedly as he continued to run for who knew how much longer—The whole resurrection process has three attempts, Cruel. The first attempt obviously would hurt; however, the pain will gradually increase as the world in Nameless One attempts to pull Deon back into their world, since it sees that it is not working—An easy death for anyone who was the victim of this process.

Cruel was glad that he didn't bring anyone with him. It would have been worse if any of the Duke's people had seen him.

Chapter Text

Previously...

In his mind, a message replayed from the God of Death repeatedly as he continued to run for who knew how much longer—The whole resurrection process has three attempts, Cruel. The first attempt obviously would hurt; however, the pain will gradually increase as the world in Nameless One attempts to pull Deon back into their world, since it sees that it is not working—An easy death for anyone who was the victim of this process.

Cruel was glad that he didn't bring anyone with him. It would have been worse if any of the Duke's people had seen him.

***

"...It.. hurts..."

"Just wait a bit longer."

Cruel closed Deon's eyes and continued to make turns in the forest. He needed to at least find a cave for safety. He could tell it would rain soon by the grey clouds beginning to show up in the sky; he needed to find shelter before it began to rain. Otherwise, Deon would get sick.

He looked around the forest, slaying monsters left and right before finally stumbling upon a cave. Though there were also monsters in there, so Cruel began exterminating the monsters until not a single living being was in there besides him and his younger brother.

He took his cloak and placed it on the ground before laying Deon down on it. The only reason why he couldn't go to the main area was because of the Duke's spies were there to report everything that had happened. The handkerchief wasn't a huge problem; he could make up an excuse for that, but saving Deon would put him in more danger than he already was. Cruel couldn't put Deon in more danger than he already was.

"Now it's my time to shine, place your hand on Deon's forehead and channel divine power to him. It'll help ease his pain, then I'll take care of the rest. You should also stay here for a while."

"Okay.."

Doing what the God of Death said, Cruel placed his hand over Deon's forehead. He could feel it heating up; it reminded him of the time when Deon had gotten sick back then, when they were still children. He channeled divine power from himself over to Deon and could immediately see the effects and how Deon eased up after he did so.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince had just received the news that both of the Hardt siblings had disappeared suddenly, soon after the hunting competition had started. He stood up from his seat, concerned and shocked. What did they mean by both of the Hardt siblings were missing?

"What did you say?! Both Honorary Count Hardt and Cruel Hardt are gone?!"

If this were true, that'd be horrible; he couldn't afford Deon Hardt to die. Deon was an important person, more specifically, a talent that not even the first and second hero had. He was able to bring back the hero's corpse while also leading the frontlines with the Lofty Knights for eight years.

"Dispatch the knights immediately and search for Honorary Count Hardt and Cruel Hardt!"

"Yes, your highness!"

The knights immediately took off, searching for the Hardt siblings who had gone missing right after the hunting competition had started. The nobles around gossiped among themselves, wondering what had happened to the Hardt siblings once again.

"Brother, what happened?"

"Ah... It's nothing, Alethea, just a minor problem. Don't worry about it."

Alethea sighed; she knew something was up with the way her brother was acting. She also had seen plenty of knights being dispatched into the forest. She hoped that whatever happened could get resolved as soon as possible.

***

"It's starting now, we'll have to slowly mend his soul back."

"Hopefully, Cruel can keep Deon safe, this time."

Angelina sighed as she hovered her hand over a cracked red orb with the God of Death. These days, they have been working overtime just for the fact that the other side was starting to begin the ritual. It was torture trying to surveil them while separating the world Deon was in from the one his past 'family' was in, mostly since the hunters were now involved.

"Well, thanks to us severing the link between the two worlds, a restriction was placed on them. Though they are still strong, most of their powers are now blocked. And-"

"If they try to go past the restriction, a heavy backlash will be placed upon them. But I like to call it divine punishment."

The God of Death smiled mischievously as he held up a black lance with an ominous aura surrounding it. The moment they attempt to break free from the restrictions they placed on them, this lance will pierce the orb, and they will suffer from the feeling of lightning striking down on them repeatedly.

"Also, did you see the kid Deon brought home? She's so cute!"

"Hana was her name, right?"

"Does she like candy? What about cookies? Maybe frilly dresses, I want to dress her up so badly!"

Angelina and the God of Death looked at the holographic screen of Hana walking around the Demon King's castle with the Demon King. They watched as Hana kindly and forcefully took Caver to go on a walk with her in the garden. She really changed the entire hierarchy in the Demon King's castle in just a few days. Of course, no one in the Demonic Realm, not even the Demon King and Dvelania, knew why they obeyed Hana's wishes.

"She's so cute, I want to squish her cheeks!"

"But she's half human, though. However, her parents are both dead."

"Argh, Abyss, stop being such a pessimist!"

Angelina began shaking the God of Death back and forth; she was sick of him always focusing on the death of others! Why can't he just focus on the bright side?

"Wait- is it even possible for her to be half?"

"Anything is possible if you try hard enough!"

"Angelina, what the fuck-"

"Just shut up, Abyss."

Angelina pushed the God of Death out of his house. He should probably take a break after being cooped up in his house for so long, she almost felt bad for him. Besides, the Goddess of the Eternal Night, Nyx, would surely be angry if the God of Death didn't take a break.

Nyx was technically also a God of Death in a way; however, she was more of the Moon Goddess, which was opposite to what Angelina was. She had the same white hair and obsidian eyes as the God of Death. She was more authoritative than the other gods, but was gentle with the lower gods.

And she particularly spoiled the God of Death the most since he was the only God who had a similar title to her, the God of Eternal Rest.

Angelina sighed as she brought the God of Death to the central district where the Gods would hang out when stressed or in their free time.

She waved at the God of Hope and Despair as they walked towards them. It was quite ironic for the God of Hope to be lingering around with the God of Despair when they were polar opposites, though she couldn't talk as she also got along with Nyx.

"How is Ca- Deon doing?"

"Ohh... The one I wanted to be my saint."

"Despair, I think everyone in this realm wants him as their saint..."

Well, no one could refute that after all; many gods had their eye on a specific person, that person being Cale Henituse. Either for a reason or just because they liked him, that was why a fair amount of Gods envied the God of Death because he was able to contact the said person as many times as he could.

"We're here to blow off some stress! Of course, only he will go; I will work on his stuff."

Angelina pulled the God of Death in front of the other Gods before going back to the God of Death's residence.

***

"It's raining... I hope Honorary Count Hardt is safe..."

Elphidius stared at the group of confused nobles who were being prevented from heading anywhere by the Royal Knights. It wasn't like they wanted to leave anyway; they would rather die than get their fancy outfits wet and dirty.

"Uncle- Your Majesty."

"It's okay, you don't need to greet me. Moreover, I heard something quite interesting."

Elphidius flinched; he knew what his uncle was talking about. It was the news about Deon's and Cruel's disappearance.

"I... I was just reported a while ago that both Cruel Hardt and Honorary Count Hardt have disappeared."

"Mmm, well, that's no good."

Especially with the war that will soon happen

If Deon were here, he'd most likely think of something like—The war is only happening because of you... If you didn't want it to happen, then don't wage war and let me live a slacker life!—What was the point of complaining if you were the one to start it?!

Eduardo sighed. Something was definitely changing. With Deon Hardt becoming more tame to the point it was like he never hated his brother, to Cruel Hardt, who also acted like he never hated Deon either. Many things were changing, and he didn't know whether it was for the good or for the worse.

'Well, it seems that the Duke doesn't know yet, since he hasn't said anything yet.'

That much was good for him, even if Deon Hardt and Cruel Hardt didn't despise each other anymore, he could still bring the two to his side and bring the Duke down.

It'd also be like getting an extra reward. After all, he was greedy; winning one person on his side in this game with the Demon King was great and all, but two people is even better.

"I apologize..."

"It's alright, you did your best. I'll take over from here."

Eduardo walked out of the tent, heading over to where the soldiers were searching for the Hardt siblings.

From the information he had heard from the soldiers, Deon went to a secluded place as usual to hunt for monsters, while Cruel had already gone missing during that time.

Looks like he'd have to dispatch a few more knights to find the Hardt siblings.

***

'How many hours have passed already?'

Cruel looked outside of the cave, the rain had stopped falling, and it was now bright outside. The trees and plants around were all damp and shone in the sunlight. By now, the knights should be close to finding them or at least somewhat close to finding them.

He looked back at Deon, who was now sleeping peacefully, no longer writhing in pain. It's been a long time since he was able to take care of Deon like this without having to worry about the dangers of doing so.

'Do I go or no...'

Cruel contemplated whether or not to go. On one hand, he needed to know why the duke wanted to kill Deon, while on the other hand,d he wanted to stay back even if it meant the duke would find out that he was never on his side.

Hmm?

'These are... death butterflies?'

He looked at the red butterfly that had landed on Deon's forehead before flying onto his head.

"Are you the other saint?"

'Oh, it talks. I would have never expected this.'

"Ahem- That's because we aren't just any old butterflies, alright?! We're divine beasts of the God of Death!"

Cruel sweatdropped at the butterflies cussing. Never in his life would he ever expect to hear a butterfly cuss right in front of his face, and he'll also ignore how they're communicating telepathically. Though everything seemed to have gone far beyond the definition of normal ever since Deon had returned from the Demonic Realm.

'Are you here for Deon then?'

"Yes? No? We wanted to tell you that there are knights in white clothes nearby!"

Looks like they had finally arrived. Cruel could now hear the knights shouting from the left and right in an attempt to find him and Deon. Well, he could tell it was too late to leave now and decided to remain in his spot.

"Mm...Ugh.."

Deon groaned as he opened his eyes. He had woken up from the loud noise of the knights screaming. He had no idea what had happened a while ago; the last thing he remembered was Cruel telling him to wait, and then he blacked out from the immense pain he felt as Cruel covered his eyes.

'I feel much better now...'

Deon tried lifting up and stretching his arm and saw that nothing was wrong with it. Though unbeknownst to him, Cruel had healed him during the time Deon passed out with the power of the God of Death.

Chapter Text

Previously....

'I feel much better now...'

Deon tried lifting up and stretching his arm and saw that nothing was wrong with it. Though unbeknownst to him, Cruel had healed him during the time Deon passed out with the power of the God of Death.

***

Deon waved his arms up and down while Cruel sat in place. They were currently in their tents after being found by the knights Elpidius had sent to find them.

A while ago, when the knights finally found them, Cruel made an excuse, saying he was just resting here because of the rain.

Somehow, the knights believed him. Well, to them, Cruel was a trustworthy person who wouldn't lie, too bad that he was the total opposite of that and completely lied about his whole persona.

'I wonder who will win this time.'

It for sure couldn't be him since he didn't kill a single monster this time, well, if assassins counted as animals, then sure.

"Captain! It's time to go."

Cletter opened the curtains to the tent Deon was in; he expected only Deon to be there, but to his surprise, Cruel was also in the room. Though he didn't understand why, it wasn't his business to begin with. As long as Deon didn't mind, then it was all okay.

"Great, I have to move again. Can't I just not go?"

"Pardon?! His Majesty will be there..."

"So I'm obligated to go then..."

"Everyone here is."

Deon sighed as he got out of bed. He was tired of having to move around. He just wanted to lie in his bed and sleep; he also didn't want to meet that son of a bitch of the collateral family.

He walked out and immediately met with the man who proclaimed himself as the true Count Hardt. Deon sighed as he walked right past the man; he didn't want to interact with him at all.

However, he didn't notice Cruel giving a glare to the noble, who backed off immediately.

Cruel looked at the noble who took off Deon's hood. Had Deon not pulled it back on right away, he would've been in a grave situation, and everyone there would have found out about his weakness, which was the sunlight.

He grabbed the Count's shoulder and dragged him to a desolate place.

Once Cruel reached somewhere far enough where no one could hear or see what he could do, he threw the man onto the ground. The Count backed away as soon as he was met with Cruel's cold look.

"W-what d-do you want from me?!"

"Let's have a talk. A talk about my brother."

The Count backed away even further until he hit a tree pathetically, like a cornered prey running from its predator. Cruel watched this spectacle as he slowly walked towards the Count and aimed a sword right in between the Count's legs, just a few centimeters away from the poor noble's manhood.

"I'll make this quick. If you even think about doing anything to my brother, whether it is harming him or something else. I'll make sure to make your life miserable."

"Hik- I promise! I won't do anything to Deon Hardt!"

"Good."

Suddenly, a black circle appeared beneath them—it shone brightly. Unlucky for the Count, nobody saw it due to the distance between the two locations, as well as the lights that surrounded the place where the nobles were.

"If you don't keep your promise, you'll die immediately. No one, not even physicians or shamans, will be able to find out the cause of your death."

It was a truthful threat; what Cruel did just now was a vow of death. If the other side of the party didn't keep up their promise, then they'd die immediately, and nobody would understand how or why, except the priests of death, who usually stay confined in the temple.

The Count stared at Cruel in shock and fear. A hero? What hero would do this? This wasn't a hero, it was a demon... A demon in disguise.

Cruel walked past the petrified Count and headed back to the banquet that was now being hosted. He could see Deon looking at the plate of cookies with sparkling eyes, and Cletter sweating as he got more cookies to satisfy Deon's appetite.

"Captain, I think this is too much..."

"I don't care, I'm hungry."

Deon took another bite of a cookie while ignoring the noble's watchful eyes. He then noticed the Count coming back with shaking eyes as his knight attempted to soothe him.

"What the hell is wrong with that bastard...?"

"He looks like he might shit his pants soon."

Deon ignored the use of vocabulary as he answered Cletter; it wasn't like anyone could hear him since they were both whispering. Well, he didn't care anyway in the first place.

"His Royal Majesty the Emperor is now making an entrance!"

"Glory to the Empire!"

The nobles all said in unison while greeting the Emperor, who looked tired from the dark circles underneath his eyes, yet nobody but Deon noticed it.

"I hope you all enjoyed the hunting competition hosted by the crown prince on my behalf. I also heard that a small issue was resolved, so that's good. I will now announce the winners since there is something I must announce after this."

'Looks like he'll finally announce the war against the demons.'

Deon stayed silent as Eduardo announced the winners. He wasn't expecting to win this time since he wasn't able to hunt any monster plants.

"In third we have third we have Elphidius Dessere, who hunted five monsters. In the second, we have Deon Hardt, who hunted four monsters, although it was only four; I gave you additional points because death butterflies are hard to kill, and you killed four of them. Lastly, we have in first place is Cruel Hardt, who killed ten monsters."

Deon scoffed as he heard the announcement. He didn't even kill the butterflies; they were merely acting dead and should have flown away by now.

Everyone looked at Deon in shock; death butterflies were known to be dangerous in every kingdom and were hard to kill due to the fact that they were extremely quick to dodge attacks and countered back right away.

"Now that that's finished, there is one more announcement I'd like to make."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Eduardo, who had something else to say. They didn't know what the Emperor would say, but were shocked by his announcement.

"We will now stop all wars with neighboring kingdoms and wage a between the demons. The Demon King has proclaimed that they'd partake in the war against the humans. We can no longer turn a blind eye to this."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty- but what about the other kingdoms?! Would they willingly accept this situation?!"

"They have no choice but to, we are the only nation that can actually stand against the Demon Realm."

The nobles immediately stopped refuting. What Eduardo said was correct; this was the only nation capable enough to fight back against the demons. Without the Empire, the whole world might end even quicker.

Though the world would end even sooner if Deon or Cruel died, no one knew of this fact other than the Hardt siblings, the shamans, and the Gods.

"You are dismissed."

Eduardo dismissed the nobles who went to do their own thing. He walked up to Deon, who was still eating his snacks that he got from Cletter.

"I need you for a moment."

'I don't really want to go, but ok.'

Deon stood up from his seat and followed the emperor to a more desolate place where nobody would be able to hear them.

"I hope my sudden summons doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"...Not at all."

"I'm glad I gave you crimson clothes. How scary would you have looked if you returned, covered in blood, usually?"

'That technically wasn't really me...'

"Anyway, I will send the prizes for second place to your estate soon."

Deon felt like screaming in joy and jumping around. It's been so long since he was given money for free; he didn't even do any monster hunting. All he did was lie about the butterflies and somehow got rewarded.

"But moving on, I've decided that you'll also be joining in on this war as well."

Deon's face immediately darkened. He was so tired of war. Why did he have to go to war? He just wants to take a rest in his house and have the feeling of freedom and relief. Can't they just resolve it with a peace treaty or something?

"And I believe it's time you've made a decision, Honorary Count Hardt. Who will you side with? The Human Realm or the Demonic Realm? I've given you plenty of chances after all."

"I didn't punish you when I found out you provided the Demon King with intel from me. Do you need another opportunity?"

"And all of the intel I gave back to you wasn't a lie either."

Deon was getting even more pissed. Can't this bastard just go get a peace treaty? He's so sick of this. He can't even choose because Hana resides in the Demonic Realm. If he sides with the Empire, then she'd be in danger. If he decided to side with the Demonic Realm, then his people in his home would also be endangered by the war.

This was different than the war with White Star. He had people who were allies with him on both sides. As well as the Demon King did not discriminate between races, he would only use force if the person disrespected him.

'Wow, that makes him sound like such a good person...'

Maybe he would have sided with the Demon King if he actually did care for him.

But who knows, maybe feelings can change over time? Or not?

"Yes, that's why I left you alone. If we kill the Demon King, that curse will surely be gone, right?"

Well, the Demon King never put it on him ever since, but Eduardo was right to an extent.

But hey! He would die too if Caver died, please don't kill him just yet...

"Everything you have accomplished is here; you can't always live in the dark just because you're weak to sunlight. You're a human, so remain here."

'Hearing you say this makes me want to do the exact opposite, at least bribe me with money.'

Eduardo looked at Deon, who had a serious face on; he could tell it was his other personality kicking in. Well, in reality, it in fact was not; it was just Deon thinking about it seriously and making sassy remarks.

"Well, I shouldn't keep you here, you're dismissed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

***

'I'm starting to miss Hana...'

Deon didn't want to admit it, but Hana was really adorable. Maybe he'll side with the Demonic Realm just for her.

'Wait no- get a hold of yourself.'

Deon mentally slapped his cheeks; he couldn't just side with one place just for his kid. Well, he can actually, and he might actually do it.

"Honorary Count Hardt!"

Deon turned around to face Alethea, rushing towards him. God, that scared him so badly.

"Your highness..."

"I heard something happened during the competition! I should've paid more attention."

"It's alright, Your Highness."

He looked away from Alethea's shining eyes as she looked at him with an even closer view. He didn't know why Alethea's eyes were even looking at him like he was some saint. Well, he is, but that's not the point..

Little did he know that Alethea was admiring his looks and thinking about how much prettier he looked now.

"Is something the matter, Your highness...?"

"Ah, no- I was just thinking about how pretty you were."

"Thank you?"

Deon was confused. What was she even talking about? He knew that the main characters tend to look better than usual, but pretty?

"Your Highness, if you'll-"

"Oh, if it isn't my junior."

It was Stigma. The very person he didn't want to meet, simply because he doesn't want to fight him at all. No, he doesn't want to be near anyone in this place currently.

He could also see the Margrave, Tenter, running towards him and Stigma.

"Wait, why're you involving him in-"

"Hmm, because I like him?"

Stigma pulled Deon close to him as if they were the best buddies in the century. Deon, who was the victim of this random bet, was obviously weirded out by this. For one, he didn't want to be involved in this, and two, he definitely didn't want to be a judge in their dispute.

"I don't know what's going on, but don't involve me in this."

"Don't worry! I'll make this quick, then!"

'Please don't even talk.'

Deon wanted to cry as Stigma explained the situation between the Bibari tribe and his land in more depth, despite saying he'd make it quick.

"Attempt to talk to their leader if it doesn't work, eliminate them. They could also side with the demons even if they are humans."

Deon said as he quickly ran away from the scene. Usually, he'd stay for some wine, but he didn't want to now, considering the motives behind Stigma's moves.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon said as he quickly ran away from the scene. Usually, he'd stay for some wine, but he didn't want to now, considering the motives behind Stigma's moves.

***

'Did I just wander off into the city? Without a hood...?'

First, he should get a cloak. His features were too distinct, and it made it easier for people to notice him. Plus, this was when he'd meet Daniel, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and he wanted to avoid meeting him at all costs. Getting choked when you're already weak is a horrible experience that he doesn't want to go through.

He ran through the streets while people stared at him. It was most likely because they could recognize him even just by his hair and eye color. White hair and red eyes were rare, even among vampires.

"Ack!"

"...I apologize, are you alright?"

"H-huh oh... I'm okay, sorry for bumping into you..."

Deon backed away immediately. He felt like he had just gotten into a bigger problem. He was so occupied with finding a cloak that he didn't even realize the man was clenching his fists in anger.

"By the way, do you know where I can find a cloak easily? I'm not supposed to be here."

"And why is that?"

"Come here for a second."

Deon went on his tip-toes and whispered something in the man's ear, who flinched at the sudden action. It seemed that he didn't expect Deon to do that. Well, who would expect a stranger to whisper in their ear?

Yet another lesson for stranger danger. Unfortunately, Deon hasn't learned that yet.

"..."

"Right, please tell me where I can buy a cloak! I don't want to get found out..."

"..Over there..."

The man pointed over to a booth where a commoner was selling hoods. He looked to see if Deon would say something rude. However, the reaction he got in return was completely the opposite of his assumption.

"Thank you!"

Deon immediately ran to the stall where the commoner was and bought a cloak. Of course, Deon was unaware that the man he had just talked to was Daniel himself.

'Thankfully, I didn't cough up any blood-'

He spoke way too soon. Deon could feel blood flow out of his nose. The seller looked at Deon in shock and immediately handed him napkins.

"I'm sorry... I got your items dirty.."

"Sorry?! You're bleeding!"

"No- It's normal... Please take this as compensation..."

Deon didn't particularly like handing out money, but it really was his fault this time. He handed five gold coins to the seller and took the napkins.

"No, how could I-"

"Then think of it as me buying your cloak and napkins."

Deon quickly ran off, leaving the seller no room to retaliate or stop him. He ran away to the point that his legs began to hurt.

'Now that the Redemption Church is brought down after being exposed for using magic, I wonder if Paul ever joined the Revolution Army...'

Walking around the city, Deon stumbled upon the Redemption Church. Or what was originally supposed to be the Redemption Church.

'What the fuck?! What is that...'

He looked at the booth, which had two people behind it with an abundance of food and supplies in the back. It seemed to be a charity for the common folk, seeing how there was a line going; it was already so late, and they were still lining up.

'Oh, isn't that Paul and Silla?'

Deon could immediately tell who the two behind behind the booth were. Although they weren't major characters, their features were pretty different than ordinary people. The dark navy hair and olive eyes with bronze skin checked out, and the little girl must be Silla; she was brunette and had brown eyes.

'This turned out better than it did in the novel. At least they don't have to starve anymore, and their only home is still intact now only except Siren isn't the one managing it.'

It was definitely much better now. Although they were still mistreated for their status by nobles, at least they didn't have to worry about food and shelter now. They also didn't have to separate from one another.

It was like killing two birds with one stone; he got rid of the Redemption Church and could slack off, and he also prevented Paul from losing Silla.

'Wait- tomorrow... the Crown Prince will hand over a bouquet of flowers...'

That sounded like a nightmare, being handed over flowers by the crown prince? Especially with the reason why he did so made Deon dreaded the next day.

'Come to think of it, that Alberu bastard also did it. But this Crown Prince is at least not twisted.'

Was this a trend among princes? Because every single one of them sent him flowers in some sort of way.

It was, in fact, anything but normal.

Whatever it was, he doesn't want to see an obnoxious amount of flowers shoved into his face, and he never wants that to happen.

"Hey! It's late, you should be in bed by now!"

"What do I look like?! A baby? Why are you telling me to go to bed?"

Deon whispered back to the God of Death, who spoke to him in his mind. Since the streets were bustling with people, his voice was drowned out by the loud chattering of people in the festival.

"...If you go to sleep right now, I'll give you gold."

"Even adults should have their own curfew."

He immediately answered back. As expected of Deon, and his an unhealthy obsession with money and food. The God of Death knew of this and bribed him to sleep with money.

When he arrived at his house, Deon walked through the gates once again, this time without the Lofty Knights running around in his yard. That was when it finally hit him: he had just become a Marquis.

'I didn't think much about it because I was spacing out, but... This is worse than becoming the son of a Duke!'

Fuck, he should have declined when he still had the chance.

"Why did I have to space out? Out of all the times I could do that, it just had to be at that moment."

He already knew that it was bound to happen since he had also become a Marquis in the original timeline as well. You know what, he just won't think about it. Yeah, he's still an Honorary Count.

"My lord! Where have you been? His Majesty has been worried about you ever since it was reported that you abruptly left."

"I just wandered around in the city. I'm going to sleep now."

He walked past Sheri, who gave him a stink eye and quickly ran off. He could tell any moment that she'd explode and wondered what the Lofty Knights would do again to piss her off.

Well, she never yelled at him, but whenever she had a stoic look or a happy one on, she was mad. And mad was an understatement. Sometimes it made him wonder why she never got mad at him; there were even times when the problems were even his fault, yet she never blamed him.

'I love the feeling of my bed- what the fuck?!'

Deon looked at the crack appearing on his hands, it looked like the same as the time when his plate had broken and Mila fixed it for him.

'This definitely has something to do with my soul-'

Oh.

He finally realized why he couldn't hear his ancient powers talk. His soul was too damaged, which had caused the ancient powers to be sealed to the extent that he couldn't hear them talk anymore.

Damn it, does he have to start wearing gloves now? How did it get this bad? He remembered last time that it wasn't like this, so how did it get this bad in just a few hours?

Deon scoffed as he got into bed. Sometimes, he doesn't even know if he is a lucky or unlucky person. On one hand, people praised his survival luck; on the other hand, people pointed out the number of times he had gotten into near-death situations.

He shut his eyes, trying not to think about how his soul was on a free ride to the afterlife. Just thinking about it makes him even angrier. Are they aware that if they keep doing this, he'll probably die?!

***

Deon opened his eyes to a modern office rather than the pitch-dark room he'd usually wake up in. This was the third time he's ever been here.

Come to think of it, the Gods seriously have so much work to do because why the hell is there one whole table covered in documents?! He looked at the table in horror, even though it wasn't his paperwork, it just looked mortifying to look at.

While looking through the God of Death's stuff, Deon didn't notice a red-haired lady walking into the room.

"You must be Deon!"

"Huh..."

What the.. isn't this Kim Rok Soo's mom? What was she doing here?

"Look at you, you take after me so much. You're so adorable."

Jour pinched Deon's cheek, who stood still awkwardly. Thankfully, Kim Rok-Soo was able to intervene before she gave out her death hug.

He only named it that because her hugs were so tight that it felt like she was choking someone to death.

"Kim Rok Soo...? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hey, that was also my question. Why am I even here?"

Kim Rok-Soo sighed to himself; his life was pretty miserable. First, his mother died when he was still a child, then his father remarried, and that was when he started his trash act, then Basen got injured in the plaza and eventually died along with the rest of his family in the war. Lastly, he went through hell trying to survive in the twenty-year-long war.

Well, it could've been worse, but he at least had his mother on his side while Deon didn't; that's what made the two so different. While Kim Rok Soo knew his mother was on his side no matter what happened, Deon lost the majority of his own family, who betrayed him and his safety.

"Anyway, the God of Death isn't here, so I'll say it for him."

"Did you become his helper or something?"

"...Maybe?"

Kim Rok-Soo hesitantly answered back; he didn't even want to be the God of Death's helper. But here he was, doing just what he said he didn't want to do, truly ironic of him.

He placed his hand on Deon's head as he explained the current condition. Kim Rok Soo looked back to see Deon nodding his head mindlessly like a cat. Shit, he's starting to understand why his mother was fawning over Deon.

"U-um anyway, take this. This ring should stop the spreading of those cracks, though it won't help much. On the good side, it'll make it harder for them to spot you."

He handed over a ring to Deon, who placed it on his pointer finger instead of his ring finger. The cracks on Deon's hands soon disappeared shortly after he put the ring on, as if he had never had any in the first place.

"Bye, don't come back here dead. I'll only accept your visit if you're alive."

"Bye, cutie, it was nice to meet you. We'll miss you!"

Deon looked at Kim Rok-Soo, then at Jour, who had an identical face to both Deon and Cale Henituse, and smiled.

"I will come back alive, who said I liked dying?"

He gave a small wave to the mother and son duo before returning to reality. Of course, when he woke up, he could see a heap of money in his room.

'Wow, the God of Death seriously doesn't play when it comes to money.'

He looked at the pile of gold coins in amazement and with shining eyes. This had to be the best day ever, with the fact that he might be receiving even more money today from the emperor.

Chapter Text

Previously...

'Wow, the God of Death seriously doesn't play when it comes to money.'

He looked at the pile of gold coins in amazement and with shining eyes. This had to be the best day ever, with the fact that he might be receiving even more money today from the emperor.

***

'I guess I have to get dressed now...'

Deon took a white buttoned-up shirt paired with black pants and wore it. Usually, he'd need help with the buttoning part since he'd often button it the wrong way. Well, even if he did know how to dress himself up, he felt like Sheri and the others wouldn't allow him to do so.

"Hachoo!"

'What the?'

Was he suddenly sick? No, that can't be possible, he has the Vitality of the Heart. That should prevent him from getting nasty scars and from diseases. Is it just too cold then?

Deon decided to brush it off as he went out of his room. He could see the servants who were hired by the Emperor flee the moment they saw him.

'Wow... they're so scared of me that they run away, it's actually shocking.'

It's not like he ever went into this manor in blood or threatened to kill someone. Most of the time, he ignored everyone, including Remember and some of the others as well. Deon wasn't as good when it came to communicating, at least when conversing with other people—staying quiet was just easier. Commanding was easier for him somehow; was he just cursed to be a commander in every life?

Deon walked to the main office, where most of his belongings were, since he was too lazy to place them anywhere else. By the time he got there, he could see the book that he had found in the Mogeru Kingdom from the God of Death.

'I should write down everything I know.'

He took a pen from the drawer and wrote on a piece of paper in Korean so that nobody would be able to understand. Deon knew that he'd be switching sides when fighting in the war a lot and eventually, a rumor of the Zeroth Corps Commander and Deon Hardt being the same person would surface.

'Which is why I will only use my ancient powers in the Demonic Realm.'

If he used only his ancient powers when fighting for the Demon King, then only using a dagger on the Empire's side, rumors of Demon Arut and Deon Hardt wouldn't have happened at all.

'I just hope nothing bad happens during that time...'

He would also have to deal with the assassins that were going to be dispatched during the war if he didn't want his brother to die.

'It's also said that heroes chosen by the world would eventually forget their names. Now I'm starting to feel bad for Cassius.'

Imagine being a normal kid one day, and the next second you become a hero, trained like crazy, only to forget your own name and the only thing left to identify you is your urge to kill the Demon King?

'Is there a way to get rid of the fragment? Besides the identity part, I don't want to die!'

Wait, if he just asks the Gods, maybe they could get rid of the fragment for him. It would definitely help him in a lot of different ways if they just got rid of it.

"My lord, the Crown Prince is here."

"Oh... tell him I'll be right there after a few moments."

Let him mentally prepare first!

Deon got up from his seat and made his way to the reception room where Elphidius was. Did he really have to meet him?

'Maybe there's still hope that he won't give me any!'

He opened the door to the reception room. And to his 'liking,' Elphidius was there without a bouquet of flowers!

"I greet the future of the Empire."

"Ah, hello, Marquis Hardt. Have a seat."

Deon did as Elphidius told him to. He sat on the opposite end of the sofa, and he could guess what the crown prince wanted to say.

"Marquis Hardt, have you decided on which side you want to be on yet?"

"No."

"Really? Well, although his majesty already said it once, I'll say it again. Please hurry up."

"I'll choose to do whatever I want."

Deon started to get annoyed. These royals seriously liked doing whatever they wanted; at this rate, he might join the Revolutionary Army.

"Well then, I'll get going. Please think wisely."

Elphidius shortly left after he delivered his message. It seemed that this time he said this specific phrase later than usual. Deon got up from his seat after the crown prince left. He made his way to his room, where he put on his cloak.

By the time he got out, Deon could see Remember standing with the knocked-out Lofty Knights. He sweatdropped at the fact that it took ten minutes for them to pass out; it was probably his fault after giving them pills that would numb their senses and make them go maniac for a while.

"Looks like it'll be easier to get out this time."

"That is indeed what it looks like, My Lord. Ah, if you're wondering about the child, he is also knocked out."

"Thanks Remember."

Wow, he gave everyone, including Dan, sleeping pills? What a nuthead, this guy isn't as normal at times, too.

Sometimes he wondered why Remember even worked for him if he was also a noble. Deon brushed that thought away as he made his way to the front gate, where three knights sent by the emperor were waiting for him.

'Three knights? No... that one in the middle is a spy.'

Looks like the Revolutionary Army was now upgrading. He did expect them to do something, but sneaking in a spy in front of the Emperor was indeed a bold move. He probably would have done the same thing, but the spy's moves were so obvious that it made Deon wonder how the other two hadn't caught on yet.

Deon got on his horse and let the other three follow from behind. He soon noticed that the one in the middle disappeared like he was never there.

'Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty.'

He summoned a black dagger using the power of death and hid it in his pocket. Since the weapon could change at will and would remain the same mass, he could also wield a sword if he wanted to. The only problem was that he'll have to rely on the record again to do so, since he didn't have as much experience in using the sword as Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo did.

When they reached the destination of the secret border, the two knights stopped and made their way back, which left Deon alone with the spy and many other assassins.

"I know you're there, so it's best to come out before I burn this place down."

And he wasn't bluffing; he could burn this whole forest down with just a flick of his palm and summon a sea of fire here if he wanted to. Though he may have a drawback, that's what the Heart of Vitality is there for.

Clang!

The spy dressed in the Empire's knight attire attacked Deon from behind; however, his sword clashed against the Unbreakable Shield. The spy could see Deon smiling before coughing up a ton of blood.

"Wh... w-what did you do to me...?"

"Just a little bit of blood was extracted from you."

Deon smiled as he held out his hand and let a Death Butterfly land onto it while another landed onto his left eye, creating an eerily beautiful scene. Unfortunately, the spy couldn't enjoy the scene as his eyes shook as he realized what was going on. Deon Hardt was a traitor of the Empire.

Unfortunately for that spy, he was only half correct; Deon was the embodiment of neutrality, just like the God of Death. He would help both sides, but overall, he was on neither of the Empire's nor the Demon Realm's side.

"Y-you... traitor..."

"And he's dead."

Deon got up as he took out the dagger from his pocket, which he had conjured with the power of death. He could hear the loud chatter of the divine beasts talking to him about dozens of assassins waiting for him.

He walked further into the woods to get to the border splitting between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm. The moment he was halfway in, loads of assassins blocked his path.

"Finally, you guys showed yourself. I honestly thought that you were just gonna stay in place."

This was good, he needed to blow off some stress, and what better way to do so was killing assassins?

Deon positioned himself as he got into a preparation stance and lunged towards the enemy. He slit one of the assassins' throats swiftly before getting another dagger from his bag and doing the same to another assassin.

The trees started swaying violently as the tree trunks grew in size and squeezed each of the assassins' bodies until they burst into nothing but a pile of blood. The remaining assassins backed away in fear as Deon got closer to them. He raised the dagger conjured by divine powers and transformed it into a long sword before slicing the rest of the assassins' heads off.

"They're finally gone."

Deon sighed as he wiped off the blood leaking out from his mouth and nose before continuing on with his journey.

He walked until he made it to the cliff where he'd usually throw away the medicine made by the physician.

'I should probably get rid of it altogether.'

Even if he couldn't rain lightning from above, he could still summon pillars of it from underground. Making it thunder would attract too much attention towards him, so the only choice he had was to make pillars of fire shoot up from underneath.

'What a great day to get choked to near death by a bored Demon King who has nothing to do with his life... What the fuck is going on over there?'

Deon arrived at the Demon King's castle only to see that horrendous cult that he thought he had prevented from happening. He then realized it would've happened either way because of Dvelania, who would tell Lilinell about it.

"Sir Arut! Welcome back!!"

"What is this..."

Why is it double the size it originally was?!

Originally, it was only about half of the people in the Demon King's castle who joined; now, it looked like more than half of the people here had joined it. He was baffled at the doubled amount

"It was a cult! Dame Dvelania told me everything about religions and cults when she arrived back from one of her trips!"

'...Fuck..'

He should have made Dvelania shut her mouth about religion before he went. Now he still had to deal with a cult that was now twice the size of the original timeline. What this meant was that the amount had now doubled in members.

"Dismiss. Them. Now."

And just like that, the entire cult disappeared in a matter of a few seconds. Deon's day was even further ruined with the fact that the cult was still formed either way, and now he was walking his way into a lion's den, which was the Demon King's office.

"Your majesty."

"Ah, Arut. You're here."

Deon stood still as he steadied his heartbeat. He was quite good when it came to acting; he knew how to keep his heartbeat steady as if he were calm. He knew how to keep a straight face when lying about something, and lastly, he knew about keeping his eyes from shaking. Even if your face was still, if your eyes gave off any sort of reaction, you'd be found out immediately.

"So, do you have any information? Or did anything happen while you were in the Human Realm?"

"The Emperor tried to convince me to stay in the Human Realm."

This time, he won't hide anything. Even if he knew how to steady his heartbeat, it'd be useless in front of the Demon King, who had already sensed his presence and heartbeat before he even stepped into his office.

"Have you thought about it?"

"No, I told him that I needed another chance."

The Demon King laughed at Deon's response before walking towards the windows. He could see the red sky behind the Demon King, who opened the windows.

"If that's the case, how about listening to me for a second? In the Demonic Realm, everyone besides me will be kneeling at your feet, which means you are free to do whatever you want. You also needn't need to worry about the sun."

"Because it is always night here?"

"That's right, it may always be night here, but the moon is still bright as if it were morning. It also wouldn't affect you since it is the moonlight, not sunlight. Besides, you aren't revered here as you are in the Human Realm, right?"

Deon stood still as he watched the Demon King recite the same words in the novel. Thankfully, this time he didn't get choked. He didn't like getting hurt, even if it was for a brief moment.

"I could even conquer their land if you so desired a part of their land. Just tell me whatever it is you want and I'll get it for you."

The Demon King said as he cupped Deon's chin. Whatever it was the Emperor offered, Caver was sure that he could offer something even better than that. But he shouldn't go overboard, or else Deon might run away again, like a rabbit in danger.

"Think about it carefully, Arut."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon walked out shortly after being dismissed. By the time he got out, he could see Ed standing in front of the door.

'Damn it, all of this choosing is making me irritated. What is so interesting about me?'

Deon clenched his fist until it bled. He didn't even care as he walked past Ed with an angry expression. Ed, who saw this, was concerned, specifically for his well-being. Though he couldn't say anything as he walked into the Demon King's office after Deon had left.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon clenched his fist until it bled. He didn't even care as he walked past Ed with an angry expression. Ed, who saw this, was concerned, specifically for his well-being. Though he couldn't say anything as he walked into the Demon King's office after Deon had left.

***

Deon made his way back to his room. He could see Hana on the floor drawing something, who immediately ran up to him the moment she realized he was back.

"Mama!"

"Hana."

He gave Hana a pat on the head as she continued to hug him. And with just a hug, Deon was able to calm down a bit. He then sat on the ground, watching Hana draw whatever it was, and could see two people. It looked to be both him and Hana together.

'This is... actually adorable. Since when was it that I had an actual normal kid who did normal kid things?'

The kids he raised the past fucking locked him up if that said anything about the kids he raised himself. He didn't even expect kids to be able to do that, but look at him, now in his next and most likely last life as well.

"Hana, what did you do while I was gone?"

"I made Mister Demon King go on a walk with me!"

Deon choked on his spit when he heard Hana's response. Did she actually force the Demon King to go on a walk with her? She won't go on and self-proclaim the Demon King as her dad next, right? He could also notice that she had various new clothes as she was now dressed like a noble's child.

He was unaware that he had just jinxed everything.

'Did Dvelania do this?'

He looked at Hana's outfit. It resembled his uniform, but it was more frilly and cute; definitely fit for a child. The dress was black with red lining on the sleeves and skirts to represent his uniform, though the end of the skirt and sleeves had tons of ruffles and frills that were also on the collar of her shirt. Lastly, she had black platforms to go with his black boots, he'd tend to wear in the demonic realm.

And the red eyes didn't help with anything at all; if anyone looked at them, they'd immediately think that they were a father and daughter matching, well, if he was wearing his Corps Commander uniform, it would. But sadly, he didn't even change out of his outfit from the human realm yet.

Honestly, it was quite cute, he will admit. He never got to match with any of the kids he looked after, so this would be his first time doing so.

'I'm craving food, but there's not really anyone I can call.'

Deon sighed as he got up; the kitchen was so far away. He didn't really wanna walk all the way there, and Ed still wasn't here, which led him with no choice but to go to the kitchen himself. And of course Hanna followed him right behind him.

He walked to the kitchen as Hana held onto his cape. The demon servants walking by watched this with anticipation and cooed at the cuteness of the father (mother) and daughter duo. It was a refreshing sight for some of the demons here since most Corps Commanders and demons were violent.

"Wait outside, I'll be right back."

"Okay!"

Deon walked inside the kitchen with Hana waiting outside. He looked back to make sure she was okay before entering. When he entered the kitchen, he noticed the chefs stiffening up, which he didn't understand why they were. He wasn't hitting them, so what's their problem?

"S-sir Arut! What brings you here?"

"...I just came to get food for Hana."

The head chef, who was talking to Deon, stiffened up even more. The chef felt he wasn't doing his job well when Deon had to walk all the way to the kitchen to ask him for food. Of course, the only reason he came was that he had just arrived in the Demonic Realm.

"Y-yes, here you go!"

"...Thanks?"

Deon took the plate of sweets and walked out. The moment he walked out, he felt like dropping the plate of food.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He looked at the two demons, then at Hana, who was on the ground. Deon could tell what was going on here just by the scene in front of him. With just a glare, the two young demons in front of Hana stiffened up and ran away.

Deon lifted up Hana using the Sound of the Wind and walked off as if nothing had happened. The demons nearby watched this with shaking eyes as he walked past them with Hana in the air, supported by his ancient powers.

By the time they reached the room, he placed Hana down and opened the door with his free hand, and let Hana enter first before going in himself.

"Mama! What was that? It's not magic like what I've seen before."

"What I used are ancient powers, they are natural powers left behind by people in the ancient world."

Deon explained what ancient powers were and which ones he had to Hana, who listened attentively. He showcased his ancient powers to a small extent for Hana to see. Hana was intrigued by the similarities and differences of ancient powers and tried to imitate Deon.

"Don't use your magic, you won't be able to replenish it."

"It's okay, I have a lot of magic! Miss Lili said I almost have as much as her!"

That was the first time Deon felt like fainting. She almost has as much magic as Ririnell? Just who was even her father? No wait, how does she have a father in the first place? It should be impossible for the demon race to have children, as they were all made from the Demon King's magic.

"Are you half vampire?"

"Yes, Hana is half human! Did Mama forget?"

Deon patted the girl's head. Yeah, he never knew that was even possible, now he was wondering if the Demon King knew she was half vampire. Was this also the reason why she thought he was her mom? If what she says is true, that means the father was a vampire and her mother was a human.

"I was just joking, can you forgive your mom?"

"Fine, only because it's Mama!"

'Are you implying that if I weren't your mom, then you wouldn't forgive me?'

He stared at Hana, who just looked at him with an innocent face. She gave a happy giggle as she hugged Deon again. Maybe he was just overthinking things, right?

"I want to go outside!"

"Already?"

"No! I haven't been able to go out this whole week!"

"Okay, okay, we'll go after I get changed."

Hana's eyes lit up as she ran out first before Deon could even get up. He wondered where kids could even get that much energy? Well, it wasn't that bad. Kids do need to go outside and play, after all, they're still children.

***

"Oh! What is that?"

"That's cotton candy, it's a soft candy that feels and is shaped like a cloud. Do you want one?"

"Yes, I want one!"

Deon took a stick of cotton candy and handed it over to Hana, who ate it immediately. He did wonder why the person handed it over to him so quickly, but brushed off that thought. He felt as if he decided to delve into it more, he would regret it. And he was right, that demon was a part of the Demonism Cult that was run by Lilinell.

"Sir Arut! Would you like to try this game?"

"..A game?"

"Y-yes! You just need to shoot the apple in the middle and make it fall into this body of water with this bow."

Deon picked up the bow and arrow, then looked at the target while the vendor stood in place, shaking; they didn't expect him to actually come over.

'Let's see... a bow and arrow is akin to a gun. Though with arrows you need a little bit more precision than guns, so this should be easy to use.. I hope it is at least.'

He positioned the bow and arrow as he remembered how people used them in events and how he used guns. Aiming at the apple with extreme precision, Deon shot the apple right in the middle. Archery was a competitive sport.

"He got it right in the middle..."

"Doesn't that mean he can perfectly aim at vital points easily?"

"As expected of the Zeroth Corps Commander... to do it in his first try."

The demons watching the scene whispered among themselves. Hana, hearing this, smiled proudly. Her mama was the best! No one could beat her mama!

'It still didn't fall though...'

Thwack!

Deon hit the middle and pierced the other arrow, yet it still didn't fall. He was starting to get impatient as he kept shooting, but the apple just wouldn't fall!

All he could wonder was one thing: why the hell would the apple not fall?!

This time, Deon covered the tip of the arrow with a thin layer of the Super Rock and shot the apple for the nth time. It finally fell after so many attempts. Was his grip just too weak that even an apple couldn't fall?

"Hoh, you seem to be having fun here."

"Your majesty."

"Mister Demon King!"

"Ah, you're here too, Hana."

Deon raised his brow at the word. Did the Demon King and Hana really get along with each other over time? No way, she would have told him, right? Should he even care, he'll have to run away sooner or later and possibly have to leave Hana behind.

"Since when did you two get along? Last time I checked, you two didn't even know each other?"

"Am I suddenly not allowed to? She runs up to me in the first place. Ah, never mind that, follow me real quick."

Caver took Deon's and Hana's hands and teleported away. The remaining demons left processed what just happened; did the Zeroth Corps Commander seriously argue back with the Demon King himself, moreover than that, over a child?

Almost like... They were fighting over child custody..

No, what were they thinking? The esteemed Demon King and Zeroth Corps Commander wouldn't do that..

The moment he could feel the air in the area change, Deon opened his eyes to the World Tree right in front of him. It's been a long time since he was able to see the World Tree.

He also had to admit that the world tree tried its best to keep him alive.

Sharing your vitality with a human who was far away from your location was quite tough. He could only guess that it was most likely because of the link he now had to the World Tree after he stabbed himself with it.

"How is it? Doesn't it look beautiful even though we're in the middle of nowhere? Sadly, it is unlike the elves that live here."

"What crazy nonsense are you talking about now?"

The Elf King walked towards the group that had just arrived. He had been waiting for them, especially for Deon. The World Tree was always excited or sad whenever they brought him up; it was as if they knew who he was. Nature also seemed to go according to the whitehead's wishes, though nature couldn't be controlled, he could see nature bending around just for him.

It was odd. Just how much did nature love this child that they had to bend the law of life itself for him?

"Moreover, this human. The World Tree wants to talk with him. They also asked you not to use that power..."

'Huh, He must be talking about the Fire of Destruction?'

Deon recalled how the World Tree always freaked out whenever he came to visit or to talk to them. He couldn't believe they were still scared even after two years, despite him not using it to threaten them, at least not anymore.

He looked at the Demon King, who gave him a nod and made his way to the world tree. It seemed that it was much stronger and safer in this world, seeing how it looked even more divine and ethereal than it did in the Nameless One.

Deon ignored the elves and fairies staring at him in interest and shining eyes as he placed his palm onto the World Tree and closed his eyes

"Ah, we finally meet again, Cale. No, it should be Deon now, right? And don't worry, you can talk to me with your mind."

'Yes, it has been one hell of a life for me. I can't believe I had to jump dimensions three times.'

"You've been suffering for long, my child. But fear not, I can tell this world will make you safer and happier than all of the other worlds that you've been in."

A trunk from the World Tree swayed as the leaves fell onto Deon's head as if they were comforting him, before a trunk fell to the ground. Thankfully, it wasn't numerous amounts of them like last time in the Nameless One.

The elves and fairies looked at this with even more curiosity. The World Tree had never talked for this long with anyone and certainly hadn't risked a branch falling down for anyone either; moreover, that someone was also human.

"It looks like my time is up. I'll see you next time we meet."

The tree branches immediately stopped swaying the moment Deon took his palm off the tree. He turned back to see Hana right behind him while the elves and fairies were fighting off demonic monsters.

Bang!

Suddenly, something clashed with the demonic monsters, which instantly knocked them out. The Elf and Demon King immediately steadied up their magic and weapons, preparing themselves for whatever was coming at them.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Bang!

Suddenly, something clashed with the demonic monsters, which instantly knocked them out. The Elf and Demon King immediately steadied up their magic and weapons, preparing themselves for whatever was coming at them.

***

"Who goes there-"

"Hey, you, is this where that damned world tree is?"

Well, shit, it was none other than Eruhaben in the fucking flesh. Deon wanted to punch the golden dragon, but resisted the temptation of doing so. If he did that, they'd immediately realize that he's Cale, since no one should know about their identities.

"...Your Majesty, something's off about them. I think it's best to keep your guard up."

"You're right, their auras are pretty powerful."

Deon whispered as he went behind the Demon King and put his hood on. Luckily for him, he made sure to bring a cloak, which meant he could cover his face. He tightened the neckpiece around his neck to make sure it wouldn't fall off mid-battle, in case a fight did happen.

It was weird to wear a hood with a corps commander uniform, but whatever works. At least it was dark red and it matched with his uniform. Though his hair did stick out a lot, being white, they were in the Demonic Realm, so maybe they won't notice.

"What right do you have to ask me that?"

"Right? Do I need a right?"

Eruhaben exposed his reptile pupils to the Elf King, who was taken back. Dragons were obviously higher than elves and fairies in terms of ranking and were higher than some demons, if not a majority of them. They are beings that are just behind the Demon King and the Divine.

Deon looked at Hana, who was hiding behind him. He could see her giving the golden dragon a dirty look that seemed to say—I don't even know you, but I already hate you, so don't come near me. Just as expected of someone who was babysat by the Demon King...

"I'm gonna destroy that blasted tree once and for all."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"And why not?"

"Even if I don't really like the elves that much, the World Tree is necessary."

Caver went in front of the Elf King, who stood still in place. He didn't know why this reptile was intervening and trying to destroy the world tree, but he couldn't let that happen. The World Tree was necessary to tell him when a hero would eventually appear, which is why he cannot let it die.

"Are we fighting again?"

"I guess, if he doesn't want to back off."

"This'll be my first fight with you then."

Deon walked alongside the Demon King and pulled out two daggers, one made by the power of death, and another dagger that was white; it was the world tree branch he stabbed himself with back in Nameless One.

Could he even fight Eruhaben? A better question is, can he fight him without him knowing he was Cale, or would he eventually get caught mid-fight?

"A human? I didn't know demons could actually like humans."

"That's none of your business, I believe."

The Demon King said as Deon pointed the dagger at Eruhaben.

Well, he fucked up because he accidentally pointed the world tree dagger and not the dagger made from the power of death. He could see Eruhaben widening his eyes as he got closer to him.

"You- where did you get that dagger?!"

"I was gifted it just recently, why? Do you have a problem with it?"

Deon put on his 'I don't even know who you even are' act and pretended that he didn't know Eruhaben. He may have fucked up with pointing that dagger at him, but he still has a chance to get away without being caught that he was Cale Henituse, or at least having no recollection of being him.

"If you don't like it so much, I can use another dagger to stab you with."

"Arut, calm down."

Deon sighed. He wasn't even angry. He was just... provoking that son of a bitch of a dragon, can he even kill Eruhaben anyway? Probably not, he is weaker than his past self, despite his plate suddenly becoming stronger. Well, it worked well in his favor since the others wouldn't be able to notice him immediately due to the fact that his past plate was glass. The one he had was close to wood, and he could use his ancient powers to an even better extent than before.

"I won't fight, but he will."

"What- you-"

Deon immediately turned around and transformed the dagger made of divine power into a longsword and blocked Choi Han's attack from the air. It hurt badly, but he didn't care and shielded Hana from the raven-haired swordsmaster.

"You bastard..."

His anger and resentment increasingly grew after he saw Choi Han try to attack Hana. Seriously, are they targeting children now? Just how twisted have they become to do that? Was the question that popped up in Deon's head as he gave a death glare to Choi Han, who only looked at him emotionlessly, but with his eyes wavering.

'Ah, I see. His eyes are shaking because it reminds him of me and Raon.'

Deon scoffed as he noticed the trembling in Choi Han's eyes. Still thinking about him even after he died, huh? Maybe he would've missed them if they weren't the direct cause of his death.

"You have the nerve to attack a kid you know? I mean, I'm a demon king, but even I wouldn't kill a kid without hesitation."

Caver turned back to Choi Han, who now had his back turned against the white and raven-headed duo. Even if Deon didn't like the Demon King as much as he did anymore, he had to agree with him.

Could he even consider the Demon King as one of his favorite characters now if he was one of the causes why he was sent to war? Actually, that may be just because most, if not all, of his favorite characters had black hair or were main characters.

'Out of every character, he's one of your favorites?' Was what Kim Rok-Soo would've said if he saw this scene unfolding. Unfortunately, he wasn't. It was only Deon and the others.

"I told you, he's not friendly to strangers."

"Sounds like to me he's just a wild dog. If I were you, I'd get the owner to put it on a leash, oh wait. Does the doggy even have one?"

Deon taunted Eruhaben and Choi Han, who had veins showing up on their faces that looked like they could pop any moment. Looks like his provocation worked; these guys were so emotionally weak now that it baffled him. He guessed it was true when people said sometimes strong people were the weakest people when it came to emotions.

"You son of a..."

"Choi Han, stop. He doesn't know anything about him."

"But he!"

"Stay rational, Choi Han. We'll find him soon."

What a bunch of lunatics they were, was what both Caver and Deon were thinking while they looked at the otherworldly duo's argument. What kind of person attacks a kid and gets offended when they get the same treatment back?

"I knew they were bad people..."

Hana sulked in Deon's arms with teary eyes. She didn't like them at all; they just tried to attack her mama! She summoned an array of magic arrows and aimed them towards Choi Han out of a fit of rage.

Clang!

"Hana...?!"

Deon looked at the arrows; they were bright and a mix of dark red and purple. The typical color you'd see when casting magic, if you ignored the dark red aura that came with it. Caver looked at Hana, then he looked back at the arrows and sweatdropped. Is a kid at her age supposed to have this much power?

Deon looked back to where Eruhaben and Choi Han were supposed to be at but was replaced by the fog of dust that was caused by the collision of Hana's magic attack. He couldn't see their silhouette anymore and concluded that they had teleported away the moment Choi Han deflected Hana's attack.

"Looks like we're heading back now. I'll have to tell the other Corps Commanders to watch out for them as well."

"They are annoying."

"Oh dear, it seems that our Zeroth Corps Commander is angry. I'll hand you a glass of wine when we get back, how does that sound?"

"I will work with a hundred and ten percent work efficiency with whatever it is you wish for."

Deon immediately replied back with a pair of shining eyes, smiling brightly—startling the Demon King as they teleported back to the castle. The wine from the Demonic Realm is even better than the Henituse duchy's wine; maybe even better than the Gods' wine, but he hasn't tried it yet, if they do have any.

He opened his eyes and saw that the Demon King was already heading into the castle.

"I'll see you at the next meeting. Ah, but you don't really need to participate in it, so don't go if you don't want to."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon took a swift bow as the Demon King left to head to his office to summon the Corps Commanders.

He brought Hana to his room and handed her over to Ed, who happily agreed. Just as he left, he looked back, seeing the look at betrayal on Hana's face.

As soon as Deon left the room, he walked across the hallways quickly, passing by every demon in the castle as he made his way to the meeting room. And by the time he made it, Deon could see the rest of the Corps Commanders sitting down as if they were awaiting his arrival.

"Sir Arut, you're here!"

"You sure are diligent with participating in every meeting, Sir Arut."

Lilinell jumped up from her seat while Jaykar crossed his arms. Deon could see Oelle about to comment on something, but Dernivan immediately covered her mouth and prevented her from doing so. He ignored the commanders' usual shenanigans and made his way to his seat right next the the Demon King and rested his cheek on his palm.

"Let's begin our meeting now that Arut is here."

The Corps Commanders gathered around the meeting table, calmed down, and sat back down in their seats as they looked at Deon, who sat silently. The one thing they all had in mind was that if he was uncomfortable or interested in the topic, since they were about to discuss waging war against the Empire and the Human Realm.

"Is it true we're finally going to war against the Human Realm? It seems like a big loss to the Empire if you ask me."

"Why would he do something so idiotic? He could have just stuck to fighting against the border every so often-"

Tap, tap, tap...

Deon tapped his finger against the surface of the table, and the commanders immediately stiffened up. Usually, when he tapped on the table or played with a cube, it meant he was either bored or interested. When he tapped against it slowly, it meant that he liked the idea; when he tapped against the table quickly, it meant that he was against that idea.

'It's so boring, I should have brought the cube with me... Why did I even leave it?'

Deon tapped the table slowly and internally sighed while the other corps commanders continued their discussion. He was aware of what they were thinking, but chose not to stop it; he was too lazy to do that and took too much energy to correct himself.

"He's just so eager to die, isn't he? He feels so much guilt from killing his family, but he can't die, not with the amount of responsibilities he has."

'That's true.'

Deon nodded to himself as the Demon King continued to talk about the Emperor. It was true that the Emperor felt terribly guilty after that incident caused by Stave.

"Anyway, we both will head into war three days after Arut leaves for his mission. So prepare yourself."

"What?! They're going to attack us when our strongest weapon is gone?!"

"Those humans are indeed cunning."

Asild and Jaykar voiced out their opinion. The empire was indeed very cunning for launching an attack three days after the Zeroth Corps Commander would leave for a mission.

'Three days? This never happened.'

Tap.

No, this was good. Although the war was delayed by three days, that meant that he now had three days to prepare himself. He should ask the God of Death for a protective necklace. Deon knew he'd get a new one from Lilinell, but Cruel wouldn't have one.

The Corps Commanders sat back down as they heard Deon's last tap. When he tapped slowly one last time, it meant that it was the best course of action to go with. That meant that from here on out, there was no turning back.

"Then I'll begin to head out."

Deon got up from his seat and headed towards his room, where Ed and Hana were. He could see Ed waiting outside while Hana was still inside the room.

"Ed, get me a cloak. Don't let Hana know."

"Yes, Sir Arut."

Ed immediately understood where Deon was heading and brought a cloak from a different place to not alert Hana. Deon immediately took the cloak and began heading towards the gate outside of the Demon King's castle.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Ed, get me a cloak. Don't let Hana know."

"Yes, Sir Arut."

Ed immediately understood where Deon was heading and brought a cloak from a different place to not alert Hana. Deon immediately took the cloak and began heading towards the gate outside of the Demon King's castle.

***

Deon made his way to the emperor's office, his hair in a disheveled state from the running he had done. A while ago, while he was returning and heading to the Empire, he was attacked by assassins and the Revolutionary Army; he was able to fend them off, but the horse he used died in the middle of the battle.

He combed his hair just until it was neat enough before entering the emperor's office.

"I greet the shining-"

"Enough. I'm sure you have something to tell me, right?"

"Yes..."

Deon began explaining the Demon King's plan and how he decided to attack three days after his departure. He could see the emperor's eyes widening a bit, even though it wasn't visible to the eyes of normal people.

"I see, you may take your leave then. We'll thoroughly prepare in three days. Ah, I should also give you a reward for working so hard, right? Do you have anything in mind?-"

"Money."

"...Got it, I'll send it to you after you leave."

Deon immediately responded to the emperor. If he was being used because he was so useful, then he should rip both the Emperor and the Demon King off of their money and wine!

From here on out, the moment the war started, it meant that he had to figure out what to do himself instead of relying on the novel. He didn't know what was going to happen in the future, but whatever it was, he would make it to his liking.

'Get revenge on Illuster and ex-family. And then I'll decide what I'll do with the Emperor and Demon King when I'm done with those.'

The whitehead walked out of the palace and rode in a carriage back to his estate. When he arrived, he could see the prize from the hunting competition he had earned being moved by servants, his eyes were obviously sparkling with glee as he continued to look at it.

"Since I have some time before the war starts, I'll just slack off after I do something."

Deon made his way to his bed and lay on top of it. He stared off into nothing while thinking about Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk. It's been a long time since he's seen them. Last time he heard of his Team Leader, the God of Death said he reincarnated with his memories intact, while Choi Jung Soo became a wanderer.

"God of Death..."

"Hmm, what is it, my child?"

"Is there a protective necklace you can make for my hy- brother?"

"Oh, that, that's easy! I'll get it done in no time! Just wait for me, alright. It'll be the best protective necklace you've laid your eyes on ever! This'll be done in a day!"

"Thank you."

That meant that one problem had gone away; now he only had about two more, Stave Illuster and his ex-family, who were both looking for him. Well, it's four if you counted the Emperor and Demon King, but even if he didn't like them as much anymore, he needed both of them to survive.

A punishment of life and guilt would suffice for these two, right? Well, who knows, after all, he hasn't decided what to do with both of them yet, either way. But he will definitely scam the shit out of both and run away from everyone, that's for sure.

Deon was about to close his eyes when he suddenly felt a sharp pain, even though his body didn't have any injuries. It was even worse than before during the hunting competition; this time, instead of his body parts feeling like they'd been ripped apart into pieces, it felt like he was being stomped on his jaw with every part of his body being broken.

'This hurts- Is my soul being torn up again?'

He took deep breaths and tried to calm his heartbeat down, and eventually the pain subsided after a few dozen minutes. That meant that there would be one more aftershock before he could possibly end up in a coma; he could only hope that it wouldn't be during the war.

Deon eventually fell asleep after all of the pain he felt a few moments ago. A nice bed after having your soul torn apart once again was the perfect remedy.

***

"My Lord, it is time to wake up."

"...Remember...?"

"Yes? Did you somehow get your hands on wine? How come you're so tipsy?"

"No, I didn't.."

Deon rubbed his eyes; he was feeling a sense of déjà vu again as he woke up. It was a very familiar scenario, one that he could remember very vividly. That was one of the last times he was known as trash before becoming a 'hero'.

He got up from bed and changed clothes. Apparently the Emperor summoned all (alive) heroes to his palace for some reason, which he had never done before, even in the original timeline. It was mostly one or two one-on-one meetings that the Emperor had.

"Isn't this too much for just a meeting?"

"My Lord, you're just too used to simple clothes that you aren't able to tell what is simple or too much."

"...That's not true.. right?"

Deon thought about what Remember said seriously. Were the clothes he wore really that simple? Maybe it was because he lived in Korea for so long that he still couldn't get used to wearing such fancy clothes.

He looked at his outfit, which was mostly white with a blue vest. There were gold accents and lining across the suit and boots; the tie was adorned with a rose brooch, and his hair was tied into a low braid.

'Wow... I look.. so angelic, I hate it.'

The white and gold didn't help with it being in the majority of the outfit, with only a few blue colors. If someone looked at him from afar, he felt like he'd get mistaken for an angel. It was that bad.

Deon looked at the necklace on the nightstand. It was made of white diamonds, and a small ruby was in the middle. The ruby was also the exact shade of his eyes—like freshly spilled blood that looked like it had physically formed into an eye, and it captivated people's attention in many ways.

He then looked at the note that was placed right by it. The note was written in Korean and was from the God of Death once again.

Hello, My Child!

I'm writing this because you'll probably be paranoid about the necklace and wonder how long it could withstand blows!

The necklace should be able to withstand a couple of deadly blows before breaking. Once it breaks, it'll send a signal to me and the God of Protection.

(PS. He is also the God of War; Protection is just his other title.)

—God of Death

'God of Protection? That is definitely a new title that I heard of today.'

Well, it's not like he knew of every God and title they held in the Divine Realm, and he certainly did not want to go there under any circumstances whatsoever. He never really met the God of War many times either, it was mostly the God of Death and the Sun Goddess.

'Why am I even thinking about those insane Gods?'

Deon took the necklace and put it in a black box before putting it in his pocket. He went outside of his room and headed to the palace as slowly as possible.

***

"God of Death... why did you lie to that child? You say there is only one world with Deon, but that is not true."

"Goddess of Temptation..."

The God of Death turned around and faced the Goddess of Temptation, who had invaded his domain once again. She had black hair and a pair of deep magenta eyes that represented the lust for things that people could feel; it was like love, money, fame, and even salvation were all compiled into one color and formed into an eye.

He sighed before laughing at the Goddess. What she said was right; there couldn't be only one version of a variable. Take Kim Rok Soo, for example; the one during the God of Despair's trial was another version of him. However, due to meddling, his fate was changed, and he no longer needed to transmigrate anywhere.

"Well, I didn't technically lie if all other versions of Deon Hardt died right in Cruel Hardt's arms?"

"I guess you're right, but in one universe, Deon Hardt does become the disaster and ends up dying alone, right?"

"That only happened because of you twisting things. Why do you think you were demoted to a lower high-ranking God?"

The Goddess of Temptation laughed. She knew what she did was true, but could you blame her? All beings have the temptation to do things whether or not it was good for you, and she? She just had the temptation to do whatever it was she wanted during that moment.

Of course, originally, Cruel Hardt was supposed to be the only son and become a renowned knight. But due to the Goddess of Temptation messing around, it caused Deon Hardt to be born, and the fate of Cruel Hardt began to topple.

In the first life? Chaos, it was pure chaos. Deon Hardt had died, right in Cruel's arms, and it drove him past insanity. The fall of the Empire and eventually the world happened, leaving the demons to victory. While the Demon King remained undefeated, still waiting for a glimmer of hope of someone who could kill him.

Deon Hardt was dispatched to war as per the Duke's plan, even in his second life. But, he had died just moments before he could return home, the devastating news reached the Hardt Estate, and Cruel and his parents were the only ones who attended Deon's funeral. This led to the Duke eventually taking over the Empire, and chaos still ensued in the end.

"But look at them now, it's different! Deon isn't dying like all of those other times, right?"

"If you don't do anything, sure enough, he will. It's only because of you that the guidebook 'I'm Not That Kind of Talent' was made."

Had the Goddess of Temptation not interfered with that world, maybe both Deon and Cruel Hardt could have lived a happier life than in the previous worlds.

She smiled eerily at the God of Death's words and walked off. He could tell that she was not going to do what he just said, even if they were a rank apart. The God of Death sighed as he went back to do his paperwork. He could only hope that she wouldn't intervene with the two ever again and cause mayhem as she did in the past worlds. But considering how she is a rank higher, she won't take it seriously and still continues to do whatever she wants; that was how she always was, even when she was a lower rank than him.

***

Deon walked towards the throne room after arriving and could immediately see the rest of the heroes gathered in front of the emperor. He, of course, was the last one late; he'll just make up an excuse about his chronic illness acting up, and he had to stop for a break because of it.

"Ah, now that the Third Hero is finally here, we can start. Go stand beside Cruel and Marquis Stigma."

"..Yes, Your Majesty."

Eduardo began explaining what would be happening during the war and where each hero would be deployed, besides Nemeseus, who would be by his side for the majority of the time.

While listening, Deon could feel himself falling asleep multiple times but managed to stay awake until the end of the announcement.

"Since now that we've gone through the positions and where you'll be dispatched, you're dismissed."

The four heroes bid their farewells to the emperor and exited the throne room, except for Nemeseus. Deon could see Stigma immediately taking off to his nation in a hurry; he could only guess that the Barbari tribe was still causing trouble for him and his soldiers.

Deon looked to the right and could see Cruel leaving to go back to the Duke's estate and report. He tried following Cruel from behind, of course, Cruel realized it and intentionally slowed down, which caused Deon to eventually bump into his back.

'Ouch..'

He rubbed his nose and immediately backed away. Deon felt a strange sense of déjà vu, but that was strange; he hadn't really ever bumped into his older brother's back like this ever, so why did he feel a sense of déjà vu?

"Deon!"

Cruel immediately grabbed hold of Deon's shoulders. He could see blood dripping down from the whitehead's nose.

Deon saw the blood dripping onto his hand and tried to cover his nose. While some did drop onto the floor, most of the blood went onto the handkerchief Cruel carried with him. And Deon could recognize that handkerchief anywhere; there was now blood on it, but it was definitely the one he gave to Cruel!

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon saw the blood dripping onto his hand and tried to cover his nose. While some did drop onto the floor, most of the blood went onto the handkerchief Cruel carried with him. And Deon could recognize that handkerchief anywhere; there was now blood on it, but it was definitely the one he gave to Cruel!

***

"I-"

"Don't talk, there's still blood running down your nose, it might get in your mouth."

Cruel continued to wipe the blood off of Deon's nose, who stood still and let him do so. He noticed that Deon was bleeding a lot more than before; usually, he'd bleed just a little, but now he was bleeding a lot worse than just puking up blood ever since the hunting competition. Cruel was beginning to worry because this amount of blood should have killed someone already.

Deon had no time to explain what was going on since he never told Cruel that his soul was starting to break. Well, he didn't know that Cruel was aware of it all and that this was the second phase, but if he knew that, he'd start cussing the God of Death out.

"Now it's all gone. What was it that you wanted to say that you followed me?"

"Umm... This, I wanted to give it to you..."

Deon put the box with the protection necklace into Cruel's hand. He could see Cruel opening the box and looked at the necklace skeptically. Deon thought that Cruel was still skeptical and tried to explain.

"It's a necklace with protection runes engraved on it-"

"Thank you."

Cruel smiled as he ruffled Deon's head while putting on the necklace. Though unbeknownst to the two, many people were able to witness the siblings' interaction. Their faces were a mix of shock and pleasantry; they didn't know how to react since they all thought that the two brothers hated each other, but here they were acting like actual siblings!

"You should get home before it's late."

"Okay..."

He said okay, but was Deon really going to listen? No, not at all, he's gonna go to the God of Death's temple today and scam the shit out of the priests and make them. Deon waited for Cruel to leave before heading in the opposite direction to the Hardt manor.

By the time he made it to the God of Death's temple, he could see priests waiting outside for him already, his guess? It was obviously the God of Death's doing since he could send out messages to his priests as long as they were in the prayer room. The priests went out of their way as he continued walking inside the temple.

When he got in, Deon could see what seemed to be the high priest talking to someone of his age. The person was very loud and arrogant, and just watching his expressions and tone annoyed him. He guessed it was the supposed saint candidate since saint candidates could also exist, if the candidate was deemed not to be an actual Saint, then they could either leave the temple or remain as a priest there.

"Are you the high priest?"

"..S-Saint-nim..."

'Ugh... he also already knows I'm a Saint.'

Deon internally groaned as he gave a fake smile to the high priest. He ignored the supposed saint candidate who was clenching his hands like he was about to punch him.

"I am Deon-"

"Saint? What Saint?! I'm clearly a Saint, don't you remember choosing me as a Saint candidate?"

"I apologize, but we have recently received a message from our lord that one of the real Saints has arrived at our temple."

The high priest immediately retorted to the angry Saint Candidate, who stomped out of the room in anger, leaving only Deon and the high priest.

Deon sweatdropped at the Saint Candidate's personality before he spoke to the high priest. Well, he would have spoken if the high priest had been even there.

Deon wondered what the high priest was left for, was he chasing after the saint candidate to apologize and then kick him out for interrupting their conversation? He sat down on one of the benches and waited for the high priest to return.

"Saint-nim! I have brought back what you wanted, I heard from the Lord that you needed these while praying and these items appeared on the altar."

"This is..."

It was definitely the top's whip and... a gun.

"Ahaha! How do you like my gift? We never talk a lot but I wanted to give you this anyways, it's a gun powered by ancient powers!"

Suddenly a really annoying and loud voice was talking in his head. It was the God of War; if it served Deon's memory correctly, in Greek mythology, his name was Ares. After learning that Gods existed and many had the same titles as Greek Gods, he wondered if the God of War's name could also be Ares.

"It's good, but why did you send me this?"

"Hmm, I wanted to give you something since Abyss always spoils you and we never get the chance to."

Deon casually talked to the God of War while the high priest felt even more inclined to follow Deon. It had been long since a saint from the God of Death had chosen another apostle and this time he chose two people.

When he finished talking to the God of War, he checked outside of the window and could see that it was already sunset. He should really head back now before the people in his house go crazy while looking for him.

***

"Oh? Isn't this interesting..."

"Here you are snooping through my things again Temptation."

"Oh but Death, you can't blame me. I just wanted to have a look at this interesting artifact here."

She held up a black spear and played around with it like it was a toy. This was one of the many things he hated about the Goddess of Temptation, she always snooped through your stuff as long as you were below her.

Very prideful. Very arrogant, just like many Gods.

"You act all high and mighty when you only bribed the other higher-rank Gods for that position."

"Jeez, it's not that big of a deal no? I say it worked out quite well."

"Quite well for you, not well for those poor people at all."

The Goddess gave a laugh before she reached for a broken shard. She held it up in the air and her eye was reflected upon the shard and plopped it into her mouth, the God of Death grimaced at the thought of even eating a demonic crystal as he sighed at the Goddess of Temptation's actions.

"Thanks for the demonic crystal, I'll head back now."

"You crazy bitch."

The God of Death cursed at the Goddess of Temptation as she flapped her wings, creating a massive mess in his room. He snapped his fingers and rearranged everything back into place before hearing someone else's footsteps.

"Oh, Sui Khan you're here."

"Didn't you tell me to come whenever I missed my dongsaeng?"

"Right, that's what I gave you and Choi Jung-Soo that tablet for."

The tablet he gave to both of the Soos allowed them to travel to the Divine Realm. Of course, only with a God's permission. But since Choi Jung-Soo was already a wanderer, he didn't need it, but he gave it to him anyway.

He looked at Sui Khan, who was previously Lee Soo-Hyuk, observing Deon through the holographic screen; his wings fluttered with delight every moment his (self proclaimed) younger brother appeared on the screen.

The God of Death could tell he really missed the white-head, that was practically one of the reasons why Lee Soo-Hyuk chose to reincarnate with his memories and tried as much as he could to contribute to sealing the God of Despair. It was so that he would be able to remember Kim Rok-Soo and talk to him like they used to do, but fate had some ridiculous plans that day and decided not to do so.

"Then I'll let you watch over him while I do some other things, try to resist going into that world. I can tell what you're thinking based on your expression and wings."

"Got it, got it."

Sui Khan rolled his eyes and continued to watch Deon who was now drinking wine on the balcony. Of course, even if Deon could feel someone watching him he would never find out that the Gods were responsible for that.

***

Deon took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and poured it into a glass as he sat outside on the balcony. He had recently just finished taking a bath after his servants washed his hair like crazy; they said that it was such a waste that hair like that wasn't being taken care of properly, and washed it like crazy before brushing it.

"I missed the taste of wine."

He continued to drink the wine from the Emperor like it was water. Well, it was like drinking water, to him at least. He wanted to drink all of his worries away before the so-called negotiations started.

He also ignored the assassins deployed right inside his bedroom. Deon had no clue who sent them, but he would make sure that they'd regret messing with him. But right now, he had two guesses: the Second Prince or the Duke sent them after him

Clang!

Deon dropped his glass of wine after one of the assassins tried to abduct him by covering his mouth and such. But something like that wouldn't be able to knock him out so easily, he ducked down and dodged the needle after him.

He looked at the needle and could immediately guess who sent the assassins to him. Stave Illuster wouldn't want his assassins to knock him out with a needle; he'd rather just have him dead on the spot, so the only choice left is the Second Prince.

Only the Second Prince would want him alive since the needles were laced with anesthetics used to drug people; he would've concluded that it was the Duke if the needles were laced with deadly poison, but it wasn't, so he could safely assume it was the Second Prince.

"Tell your prince I don't want his obsessive ass!"

Thwack!

Deon punched the assassin in the face. Of course, it did hurt his hand, but he didn't really care. He continued dodging the needles; he couldn't afford to get hit by them. First of all, it'd hurt getting pricked by tons of needles, and second of all, he would be at a disadvantage. Sure, the Heart of Vitality helped with preventing drugs and poisons from killing him, it wasn't omnipotent, and the most it could do was disperse the toxins before they affected him even more.

He summoned four Death Butterflies and waved his hands at the assassins in his room. Now that his appetite for wine was ruined, he might as well get it over with and go to sleep.

"Arghh!"

"Just.. what..."

The two assassins fell as two red butterflies emerged from them; the rest of the assassins backed away in an attempt to escape, but it was too late. Deon lunged forward with the dagger made with divine powers and plunged it into an enemy's vital spot, killing them immediately. Another butterfly landed on the other assassin's eye and immediately started feasting on the assassin. After a few minutes, the once clean bedroom was now messy, and the assassins were now dead, lying on the ground.

"My hand hurts now... That crazy ass prince."

Deon cursed as he waved his bruised hand, which was slowly healing. He'll make sure to never punch an enemy barehanded anymore. But now he couldn't sleep. What if they came back again?

He incinerated the bodies of the assassins before lying on the bed. He contemplated running away, but that'd mean there was a greater chance of things going astray, and his older brother could also die.

This world seriously hated him. Why did it keep making him the center of the spotlight? He'll definitely have to talk to the world tree when he gets back. If he remembered right, it should only be protecting him in serious situations, not putting him in even more dangerous situations. Why did his other self even save that prince?!

'Not to mention that Count Nemour guy is really suspicious, I tried going through both memories, but I've never even met him.'

Why would he lie about meeting him? There was no need to lie about it at all; he could have just said he always wanted to meet him.

"No... Count Nemour never existed. I fucked up. He's a hunter."

That man was definitely a hunter. Hunters had the ability to disguise and manipulate memories as well. That man was either a hunter or a noble from another country. But it was leaning more on the latter side, didn't he claim that they had met in the war? Well, they never did, so he was a hunter.

"Hunter... how did you encounter a hunter already? You shouldn't unless they come after you.."

"I met them a while back in the palace."

"Well, this is bad... hold on, I need to give you something."

Deon was a bit confused. What dangers would a hunter have to do with him? He wasn't a single-lifer like Choi Han; he was a reincarnator and transmigrator. Unless they were working with the hunters, which would explain the God of Death's panic when he mentioned a hunter.

"I got it! Make sure to wear this, it blocks the senses of hunters when they get near you so they won't be able to tell whether or not you're a variable or single-lifer."

"Even if it's too late?"

"Well, even if it is, we can at least confuse them. At least until the problems are resolved."

A pair of black stud earrings landed in Deon's hands. What sucked was that there wasn't any piercing machine that could help with getting them pierced like in Korea, thankfully, he at least knew how it worked after reading a manual about it. He didn't know everything about piercing ears, but he at least knew the method of doing so.

...He seemed to be reading a lot of random things during his free time, wasn't he...?

Deon shook his head and took a needle from the ground that came from the assassins and washed it clean with the Sky-Eating Water.

Sometimes he was glad to have ancient powers; besides using them in battles, he could also use them in his everyday life. After that was done, Deon took the needle and pierced a side of the ear and put on one of the earrings before doing the same on the other side.

Though very crude and unprofessional, it was better than nothing.

"Ugh... It really hurts, but whatever.."

At least he didn't need to do anything since the Heart of Vitality would be able to deal with it, and he didn't need to request something that could prevent his ears from swelling up. Now he was decked out in divine items, from his neck and ears to his hands. They were now all adorned with divine items made by the God of Death specifically.

Was this what they called favoritism?

Chapter Text

Previously...

At least he didn't need to do anything since the Heart of Vitality would be able to deal with it and he didn't need to request something that could prevent his ears from swelling up. Now he was really decked out in divine items, from his neck and ears to his hands. They were now all adorned with divine items made by the God of Death specifically.

Was this what they called favoritism?

***

"Should I just prepare everything while I'm at it?"

"You probably should, I don't think you'll be staying here for longer. Be sure to stay safe, I'll also tell your big brother that."

"...Okay.."

Deon rubbed his ears as he went over to the drawers and pulled out the God of Death's book, along with the top whip and the God of War's gun. He left the gun out on the drawer while putting the book and whip into the bag.

'Would extra daggers help?'

Taking a look at the extra daggers he received from the Emperor and Demon King, Deon decided to only take four. Partly because he had many more weapons that were way more powerful than those.

The dagger that he could conjure by his divine powers was powerful in wide-range attacks and could shape shift into whatever weapon he was thinking of. He also had the dagger of the world tree; since his blood was already on it, he just needed to put it through a reincarnator's weak point, and it would immediately kill them.

He also had the God of War's gun. The bullets were charged by his ancient powers, and took less of a toll on him when using them. Sure, he might feel tired as a backlash, but it wouldn't cause him to faint, unlike him using it to the max.

Deon took his uniform and laid it on a chair; it's been two years since he's used it. He wasn't excited at all to wear it again, who would be? Fighting in the war for eight years was torture, not to mention the fact that he had to continuously fight in every life.

"I'm not sure if they'll attack right away or if they'll start negotiations. But we'll see."

Deon went to bed and lay on before closing his eyes slowly, unaware of what would happen in the future. But not even God could foretell what his future would be like; after all, he was a variable that not even the God of Balance could control as much.

***

'I guess we're starting with negotiations today then...'

Deon looked above and watched as the two kings fought with words. On the other hand, the Demon King looks saintly enough for people wanting to side with him. On the other hand, the Emperor is beginning to look like a bad ruler to his subjects. That thought is overruled when the Emperor brings up the fact that the demons would always be unreliable.

He was currently outside in a city, watching the debate. Of course, he was already in uniform, but his cloak covered most of it, so people didn't notice him while he stood there. Deon noticed that Daniel had brought in a new successor instead of having Paul; now that he hadn't lost his home and Silla.

"Fuck..."

Deon cursed under his breath and immediately turned away when he realized that he and Daniel had made eye contact with each other. He tried ignoring the older male, but it was too late, as the older male was already in front of him.

"...What do you want?"

"I'm wondering what a supreme hero like you is doing out here?"

Daniel looked at Deon with a suspicious gaze as Deon pulled down his hood even further.

Though what Daniel said was correct, someone like him had nothing to do here; but he really had nothing to do, so he went here instead of going to the Emperor. If he wasn't called to the palace, then he isn't going!

Deon shot back a glare at Daniel, who gave a look that seemed to say—all of you nobles are the same, always thinking you are better than others.

"What I do isn't your business, do you even know me personally? What right do I have to tell a stranger anything?"

"..."

Deon scoffed as he walked away from the older male. What did he even do to that guy? He has nothing to do with the Emperor; he just wants to live. The moment he got further away from Daniel, Deon sprinted to a quieter area where it was less populated by people.

'...Fuck.'

He picked up the purple crystal in his bag and ran into a nearby alleyway, and picked up the call. He could immediately hear the Emperor's voice calling for him as he had just finished trying to negotiate with the Demonic Realm. Now he needed to head to the barracks and prepare for war.

Seriously, give him a break, please... he just woke up..

Deon placed the communication crystal back into his bag as he sprinted with all his might to the barracks. It was quite far away, so he ended up having to take multiple breaks even while using the Sound of the Wind. By the time he made it, he could see the Lofty Knights and everyone already there waiting for him.

"Captain- Marquis-nim! You're here!"

"Y..Yeah..."

Deon panted while out of breath and sat down. He wanted to slack off, but he randomly decided to check the city and watch the debate and negotiation unfold in front of his eyes. He could even feel his heartbeat rise; it was because the day the elite assassins would be dispatched after him was getting even closer than before.

He tried not to make it noticeable, but the Lofty Knights could immediately sense Deon's discomfort and ran towards him and embraced him in a hug.

"Marquis-nim!!! What's wrong? Is it Cletter? Was he acting stupid again?"

"Hey- I'm not stupid!"

"No, no, Milan's right, Cletter. You sometimes act stupid and insane as well, you really only turn into a fool when Capt- Marquis-nim is around."

"Don't you all too?"

"...Fair point.."

Deon watched as the knights squabbled while still hugging him. He didn't know what to do and stayed put while the Lofty Knights continued to argue with one another. While it felt nice to be comforted, he had no clue as to why the knights were even acting like this. Moreover, he was suffering because he would have to fight on both sides without rest.

'Damn it, instead of dying because of an attack, I might die of overworking.'

Deon sighed as he made his way to the tent and put his bag down. There weren't that many of his belongings, except for the divine items and daggers he brought; of course, he would have brought more, like the other soldiers who also brought along a change of clothes, but who even had the time to change clothes? Deon picked up the world tree's dagger and gun and placed them into his pockets, and the dagger made of the God of Death's power disappeared.

He could see the other crystal he usually used for the Demon King light up as soon as he set down his items. He picked up the crystal and could hear the Demon King's voice coming out of it. Deon didn't really worry about anyone eavesdropping because the Emperor gave a strict order not to disturb him when he entered his tent unless he allowed it.

"Arut, I see you just got there. Could you come over here and fight as the Zeroth Corps Commander for me? Since you just arrived, they wouldn't notice anything."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Thanks, Arut~"

Beep!

The call immediately ended once Deon gave his answer to the Demon King. He sighed as he made his way to the Demon King's army. He could see Ben and Ed at the front holding his uniform. Thankfully, the Demon King's troops and the Empire's weren't that far in terms of distance, so it didn't take that long to get there, thanks to that.

Deon changed into his clothes right after he arrived and was handed the bandages that would cover his face, made by the Demon King.

"Should we start heading-"

Boom!

A loud explosion was heard from the battlefield. It was an irregular kind of explosion, one that shouldn't be possible with magic at all, that was when Deon saw it. A black yong rose up into the sky, it looked like it could even devour the sun.

'No... no way!'

Deon immediately ran to the location of the battlefield. If he remembered correctly, Cruel was also there. Since it was just the first day of the war, Cruel was dispatched first. Then it would come to the other heroes being dispatched.

He ran until his legs felt weak and he couldn't stand anymore; he hit his legs with the scabbard of his dagger and continued to run. Deon could feel himself starting to go out of breath as he continued to run to the battlefield.

By the time he got there, Deon could see Cruel and Choi Han fighting each other. Both of the raven-haired swordsmen's black auras clashed. Only except.. The one from Cruel was formed by the power directly from the God of Death and was able to push Choi Han back a bit. But he could tell if Cruel fought any longer, he'd be at a disadvantage because of Choi Han's high stamina.

"Sir Arut!"

"What is going on?"

"While we were fighting, a large blast came from the side. We thought at first it was the Empire's secret troops ambushing us, but that was when they tried accusing us of ambushing them."

"And that's when you realized that a third party was involved?"

"Yes, that is correct."

Deon received the report from a member of Silua's Corps. He was also able to hear a clearer report on the mysterious man's appearance, though no one knew he had a long history with these people. He took the white dagger from the world tree and made his way to the location of the battle. He could get a better look at the fight now that he was closer.

Clang!

"Who..."

"Surprise, did you miss me? I still wasn't able to completely get back at you since that day, so here I am now."

He gave a haughty look, one he would have given to the nobles as Cale Henituse when he walked by them. Twisting the dagger, Deon stabbed it directly into Choi Han's left thigh, which made the swordsmaster flinch at the sudden pain and back away from Deon, who landed right next to Cruel.

Choi Han frowned at the whitehead as he made his aura brighter and larger. He seemed to have switched from the Despair trait to Hope, but it would be useless against a God's power. Deon cut a part of his hand with the dagger, and the dagger began shining brighter than usual. He dodged the aura blows that Choi Han copied from Hannah.

'I can't use any of my ancient powers here, I should be careful.'

Deon deflected the attacks from Choi Han as Cruel went in and attacked Choi Han. Since his dagger was from the world tree, it could withstand a lot of blows from Choi Han despite the frail and fancy look it gave off. He could see Cruel and Choi Han going crazy; he even saw moves that he had never seen from Cruel before, and wondered where he learned them from.

Of course, only Deon was unaware of the swordsmanship lessons the God of Death and War gave Cruel, which made him learn new techniques that he could use in battles. Occasionally, Cruel would wake up in a room full of swords and other weapons littered across the floor and the back. It was one of the training grounds that the God of War owned; the God of Death teleported him there for swordsmanship lessons.

Since time in the Divine Realm was different, just as the time between the Demonic Realm and Human Realm, what could feel like hours or even up to years was just a few hours in the Human Realm.

'Wow... he looks like a main character more than me...'

Deon watched as Cruel and Choi Han continued to fight until both swords were flung out of the two swordsmen's hands. He could see Choi Han picking up his sword and placing it into his scabbard before leaving, which was weird; usually, he was persistent with whatever it was he was tasked with. It was all too strange that he couldn't pass it off as a coincidence; something was going on, and he and everyone else were left in the dark about it.

Looks like he'll have to report this to the Demon King, and so would Cruel. Perhaps this would lead to a new part in history?

Well, no one would be able to know until that time comes.

The God of Death looked at Deon walking back to the Demon King's barracks, wiping off the blood running down his nose through the screen. Something always happened to Deon, it was amusing, but he felt bad for the poor whitehead who just wanted a slacker life and to retire from both the Demon King and Emperor.

"Good luck, my child, I sincerely hope you get to be happy with your brother this time, Raven."

Chapter Text

Previously...

The God of Death looked at Deon walking back to the Demon King's barracks, wiping off the blood running down his nose through the screen. Something always happened to Deon, it was amusing, but he felt bad for the poor whitehead who just wanted a slacker life and to retire from both the Demon King and Emperor.

"Good luck, my child, I sincerely hope you get to be happy with your brother this time, Raven."

***

'Someone's talking shit about me again...'

Deon felt his ear twitch as he grabbed the communication crystal from his pocket and waited for an answer from the Demon King. After a few minutes, he could hear a voice coming from the other end.

"Arut, I heard something happened. Can you explain in full detail?"

"Something did happen, I ended up teaming up with the hero in the end, though."

He began to explain Choi Han's attack, and how he was one of the people that was proclaimed a disaster in the oracle. Deon could hear the Demon King sigh as he explained Choi Han's and the others' abilities; he must have realized how grave the situation had become.

It went from just a war between demons and humans, which had a huge chance of occurring once again, to a war against otherworldly people who were a threat the the world as a whole, even demons. It was like the world was playing a prank on the Demon King, forcing him to be on the losing side constantly.

"Thank you, Arut. I'll think about what to do, you can go now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon hung up the call with Caver and went back to his tent in the Demon King's barracks. He could see many demons looking at him in awe and expectant gazes as he walked by them. He ignored them all as he made his way to an empty tent with the other Zeroth Corps members huddling around it.

"Sir Arut!"

"It's great to see you again, Commander-nim!"

The demon corps surrounded Deon excitedly, bombarding the whitehead with questions and praises. Deon sweatdropped at the amount of questions directed at him; he almost felt like fainting right on the spot. When the conversation ended, Deon tried to walk into his tent but was stopped by a gentle tug.

It was one of his corps members; they were scared to ask him whether or not he could go out and hang out with the other corps members, along with the corps commanders who were attending the war as well.

'Do I even have a choice...?'

Deon looked at his demon corps' pleading expressions, which were begging him to go along with them. Usually, his corps members would avoid him, but this was one of the first times they'd ever tried to initiate a conversation with him.

He felt inclined to go with them; to be fair, he never talked to them ever, nor did he do much of his job as a Corps Commander working for the Demon King. All Deon could do was sigh and nod his head at the corps member's reluctant question, to which they immediately brought him over to where Jaykar was located.

That day went by with Deon socializing (for once) with his demon corps members.

The following days passed in an instant as Deon continued to fight on both sides of the war endlessly. Though because he hadn't shown the Empire his use of ancient power yet, no rumor of whether or not the Zeroth Corps Commander and the Third Hero of the Empire were the same people ever surfaced.

This was because while fighting on the Demon King's side, Deon would use his ancient powers to knock out enemies. On the Empire's side, he tended to use the dagger made from the power of death to escape suspicion of using the same dagger that he used on the day he rushed over towards the battlefield; he also used his gun in some fights.

Since the ancient powers were going through a medium, it was harder to tell whether or not the bullets he shot out were the same as the ancient powers he used on the Demon King's side.

The result?

A tired out Deon who was both hungry from the drawbacks of using his ancient powers and sore from the sleeping he did while on both sides, while not stretching. He was told many times to start stretching after he woke up, but he was just too lazy to do that and never did.

***

'Today finally marks the day that the assassins will be dispatched...'

Deon looked out of his tent. He could see soldiers rushing by and many still training while some sat down side by side and ate food together. No one was focused on him, which was a good thing. It meant that he could sneak out; his goal today was to take out the assassins after him and quietly head back.

No Cruel? Check! No one tailing him? Check!

No Lofty Knights watching him from the bushes? Check!

Deon confirmed his surroundings and took his belongings before walking out of the camp. Since he was one of the four heroes, he didn't need any verification for any sort of thing. Perhaps people just felt like putting all their trust into the heroes.

'The thing is, I don't know where it is specifically.'

Well, he walked around in the cold snow for a while. He could find the location soon, well, if he was ambushed by assassins yet then he could. Deon walked around the barren mountains for what seemed like a few minutes before catching an arrow that was aimed at him.

"...You're finally here."

"Hmph, since you were expecting us.. be prepared to die alone here, Deon Hardt!"

The assassins all attacked Deon at once.

Luckily for them, Deon had a surprise gift for them all. It was a stone spear that pierced right through their heart, a nice and quick death for the assassins that went after him. He summoned five more butterflies and aimed them at the horde of assassins.

If this were him in the past, he might've been scared, but he fought things much worse than this, like the bears and lions that surrounded him while in the final battle against the White Star. He was "cornered" by Sayeru and the entirety of the bear tribe, who were dead set on killing him, or maybe even the unranked eel monster that he faced alone before backup eventually came for him.

"You probably haven't ever heard of this, but they don't call me the one man army for no reason."

That title is so cringey, who even came up with that title for him?!

Contrary to Deon's thoughts about the title, he gave an arrogant look as he stabbed down the assassins with a water spear. Just as an assassin was about to lay another attack on him, Deon crushed the assassin with his shield. He didn't even know that was possible, but more new ways to take down enemies...

Deon continued fighting the assassins that kept coming for him for what felt like ages. After a few minutes, he could see the large number of assassins disappearing at his hands. Now only a few were left on the battlefield, just as he raised his dagger once more, Deon could feel his whole body burning up, not just burning up. It felt like he was being boiled alive, with each of his body parts being disfigured and torn apart.

'Damn it.. Just now of all times?'

He crouched down as he held onto his dagger. He could sense the enemies coming closer as he continued to lie in the snow. Well, he tried to play a hero unlike his other lives and failed. Was he really cut out to be a main character if he couldn't even protect himself? He sometimes wondered what went through the God's head while reincarnating him, seriously, a main character?

"Argh!"

"Cruel Hardt, you traitor-"

One by one, the assassins fell as Cruel made his way to Deon in a hurry.

Two red butterflies were sitting on top of his shoulders as he looked at Deon with a concerned gaze. But now wasn't the time to be concerned, Cruel had to get out of here. He could see even more assassins heading towards the location they were at.

He lifted Deon up and ran deeper into the mountains. If he was right, then the Demonic Realm should be near here. The assassins still followed him as he ran around the mountain to stall time, clearly that wasn't a good choice since the assassins fired their bows at Cruel.

Clang!

A black shield appeared around Cruel the moment the arrow was aimed at him. It looked like there was no choice but to fight them, at least until their numbers were significantly lowered. He still had to take Deon to a safer place; if he died here, then that'd mean that Deon would die too, and he couldn't ever let that happen.

Cruel held up his sword and quickly took down the nearby assassins before heading towards the archers. They were indeed at an advantage, but if he engaged in a battle with them at close range, then they'd be at a disadvantage.

Clang!

That was strike number two; it meant that the necklace could withstand one more attack before becoming unusable. But Cruel wasn't aware of that as he continued to eliminate the assassins while also preventing other assassins from getting near his baby brother. There was no way he'd let them pass through him while he was busy with the other assassins; he'll take them all down if it's necessary.

"In the end, he chose to protect his brother, what a shame. We'll start to attack Cruel Hardt first and then go after Deon Hardt."

"As if I'd let you do that!"

"Urgh... what.. is this?!"

Plop!

The assassin immediately fell down onto the ground while a red butterfly flew back to Cruel. It was the Death Butterflies that Deon would tend to use in his battle; they were now obeying Cruel's command.

The Death Butterflies only had one rule: be a Saint of the God of Death.

Even if you were a devoted priest with divine power near a saint, they wouldn't obey you. The Death Butterflies strictly followed the God of Death's words and his Saints, who were the closest to Death itself after the God of Death, who was a personification of it.

"T-these are Death Butterflies!"

"Continue attacking Cruel Hardt! He is the median, which is why the butterflies are attacking us."

The assassins began launching even heavier attacks on Cruel, who barely dodged them all. He took his sword and began to swing it again against the assassins. He sliced their bodies apart with ease due to the aura of death that was imbued onto his sword.

Cruel relied on the butterflies to take out the assassins that got past him as he focused solely on the archers who could aim above him. He was starting to realize that the overwhelming number of assassins was way more than he expected. Did the Duke find out about his betrayal for so long? Those thoughts circulated through Cruel's head as he continued to take down the assassins.

Clang!

The necklace finally broke along with the sword Cruel held in his hands as he took one final swing. Of course, the assassins took the time and attacked Cruel shortly after. An arrow pierced his left leg while another pierced his arm; luckily, they weren't vital spots, so he could still fight.

"Go now, Cruel, we will take care of this."

Cruel could feel a light force pushing him towards Deon as tons of more shields enveloped both of them, preventing the assassins from getting near them. Without hesitation, he took Deon and continued to run to the Demonic Realm.

As he continued to run, he could feel his steps getting heavier with each step he took. The attacks from earlier were finally getting to him as he finally made it to the Demonic Realm.

Cruel ran and hid behind a tree before wrapping Deon up in his cloak. He could see that the few streaks of tears from the pain were now dried, and Deon was shivering from the cold. He felt useless as he watched his younger brother suffer, even when he passed out. He ignored the wounds he had himself and focused on Deon's health. For now, they could hide here for a bit and eventually return.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Cruel ran and hid behind a tree before wrapping Deon up in his cloak. He could see that the few streaks of tears from the pain were now dried, and Deon was shivering from the cold. He felt useless as he watched his younger brother suffer, even when he passed out. He ignored the wounds he had himself and focused on Deon's health. For now, they could hide here for a bit and eventually return.

***

By now, the Duke should have found out that he had betrayed him and protected Deon instead of killing him like the Duke wanted. Cruel sighed. Why was the duke so hellbent on killing Deon? It was something he still couldn't investigate, no matter how much he investigated Stave.

Cruel checked the entire estate, including the basement, for any clues as to why Stave Illuster wanted to kill Deon. But no matter what he did to investigate, it was like he never did anything suspicious. He then remembered Senzer, who was with him before he abruptly ran out; he has probably also reported everything to the Duke already.

"Where have they gone?!"

"Be careful- this is the Demonic Realm. If we get caught here, we'll die in an instant."

He could see the two assassins searching around the vicinity. They were probably the only two who were determined to find him, most likely because they needed to kill either him or Deon at least, and bring a body part to the duke.

"Stay put! I'll deal with it, you're still injured, remember?"

'Are Gods able to intervene with the Human Realm?'

"Let's say, I got a little bit of help."

The God of Death gave a playful giggle. A second later, Cruel could see an abundant amount of black arrows aimed towards the two assassins that successfully wiped them out, with a few screams as a reward.

Not much longer, a pair of footsteps was heard from afar. They did not expect Cruel since they began to talk about plans, he could tell these people were demons just by the fact that they kept talking about the Empire in a bad light. He felt like he shouldn't be hearing any of this, but here he was unintentionally eavesdropping on them.

That was when he heard it, one of the demons addressed the other in a respectful tone. More specifically, they called him 'Your Majesty,' which meant that this was the Demon King and his corps commanders.

"We might have to change targets."

"Your majesty, our target has always been humanity!"

"Aslid, Lord Demon King, has a point. Have you seen Sir Arut's report? That man is a threat to us; they aren't even on the Empire's side either."

Aslid stayed silent after Idelia's rebuttal; she was right. The report Deon had given about the man's abilities already said a lot about the possible strengths of the other group members. Even if they destroyed the Empire, the Demonic Realm would be the next target of destruction, which would ultimately end with the termination of the world.

Just like how the oracle predicted, the world would be doomed if these entities stayed for any longer in this world.

Rustle!

"Who's there?!"

Fuck, he accidentally moved from his place and alerted them. Cruel could only stay in place as the Demon King and corps commanders immediately ran to the source of the noise.

"Oh? You must be the new hero."

Caver turned around and blew the tree over just enough so it wouldn't harm the person on the other side, immediately revealing an injured Cruel who was covering something with his cloak. Though they hadn't realized, Cruel was covering Deon with his cloak while he was running away from the assassins

"Your Majesty, we must kill him and get rid of whatever is in that cloak!"

"I usually never agree with Aslid, but this time I do. He could be a dangerous individual against you, Your Majesty."

Both Idelia and Aslid tensed up when they saw Cruel. They believed he was a dangerous individual for the Demon King; they knew His Majesty was strong, but they were concerned about the fact that the man before them was a hero who grew stronger when facing the Demon King.

Cruel said nothing as he hugged the covered Deon closer to him. This could be his only chance to get Deon to safety; if he delays any longer... who knows what would happen to his younger brother. The otherworldly people could kidnap him and put him through pain once again; the Second Ileon Prince could also harm him; and lastly, the assassins were still roaming around the mountain even if they hadn't gone into the Demonic Realm yet.

He remembered what the God of Death had told him about Deon's broken soul; his soul would go through three phases. As each phase passed by, so too would the pain, right now Deon was on the last phase and would most likely not wake up for some time. Until the problem is solved, he will do anything it takes to get Deon away from the duke.

As of right now, Deon was in a temporary comatose state and had a high fever with cracks appearing all over his body. Cruel couldn't imagine the pain that Deon had to go through while he was awake; he was only glad that the boy was now asleep rather than awake.

But resuming back to the problem he was currently facing, the corps commanders stared at him with a gaze of animosity. He could tell that the corps commander duo obviously felt distrustful towards them.

"...You can't.."

Not until you bring Deon back with you at least.

"Aren't you being too arrogant for a hero candidate? I could kill you right now if I wanted to."

Aslid jumped in, he was getting angrier and angrier by the second for not being able to kill Cruel. He wanted to eradicate all threats to the Demonic Realm and the Demon King himself. When he saw Cruel sitting there defenseless, he knew he had to take him down in order for the Demonic Realm to be safe.

"Let's hear what he has to say and why he trespassed into the Demonic Realm first."

Idelia pulled back the Aslid, who was about to tackle Cruel. She was tired of his brute and brawn, yet no brain, just as Sir Arut had said. She had no idea why a hero of the Empire would come all the way over here, but he must've been in a grave situation, which left him with no choice but to rely on the Demonic Realm.

"...Protect..."

"There's no way we'll protect you-"

"Aslid, calm down."

Caver pulled Asild back from attacking Cruel once again. He did find it strange but interesting that a hero was asking him to protect something, the Demon King, out of everyone.

"Protect Deon for me."

Cruel revealed Deon. He was unconscious; he looked peaceful while asleep.

Too peaceful that it made Cruel worry for his younger brother; he was scared that Deon might not open his eyes forever.

Both Idelia and Asild jolted back in surprise. They were expecting anything or everyone, in this case, but the Zeroth Corps Commander to be in the hero's arms.

"We definitely will now. But what is your relationship with Sir Arut?"

"..Brother .. He's my brother... We're on the run from assassins, he's currently in a comatose state because of... something."

Cruel explained his explanation while stopping mid-sentence at times to catch his breath and ease the pain on his body. It was an injury he had gotten when an arrow pierced his left foot and arm while fleeing from the assassins.

Both Idelia and Aslid didn't know what to say, and looked at the Demon King, who seemed to be pondering the situation as well. It could have been a farce in order to attack the Demon King, but the wounds and the comatose Deon said otherwise.

"Alright, I'll let you stay. After you heal up, I'll decide what your payment will be."

"Thank you."

Cruel's face brightened at the answer from the Demon King. He knew he was weak, weaker than most of the groups chasing after him and Deon.

That was why his only choice was to go to the Demon King. Last time he followed Deon, he noticed the path led to the Demonic Realm; he noticed how Deon walked in there so confidently and realized that his younger brother was the Zeroth Corps Commander.

But that raised another question. Why did Deon tell him not to save him? Was he aware of the variables chasing him, and did he think it was too late? Or was it something else? Even if it was either of those, he refused to give up on Deon, even if it meant going against his younger brother's wishes on abandoning him.

How could he abandon Deon, his baby brother, whose life was even more important than his?

He thought about the moment Deon had murdered their parents, then about Duke Illuster, who was so set on killing his brother.

'If it weren't for him, Deon would have never done that.'

That's right, if it weren't for the Duke, could they have lived a happier life rather than fighting for survival? If only that were true, that would mean his kind and friendly younger brother would have never had to get his hands dirty with the blood of their parents.

Just why, why was it his brother who had to go through such things? If only he could turn back time and find some way to prevent it. But it was useless to think about what-ifs. Deon is still alive, and that is what matters.

He thought of a possible outcome for their family without the duke intervening as his consciousness slowly slipped away.

***

Cruel woke up in a white room rather than a black room. There were multiple bubbles with scenes playing in them, one of which was him and his parents. Except they were older, it seemed that Deon didn't end up killing them in this universe.

He continued walking through the hall and was suddenly stopped by an unknown force.

"How do you like these sweet dreams?"

"Who... are you if I may ask?"

"Me? Well, you can just call me Temptation."

The Goddess of Temptation crossed her legs as she sat on a floating staff midair. This marked Cruel's third time meeting a new God, who wasn't the God of Death or the God of War. He wondered what business she had to do with him since she summoned him instead of what would usually be the God of Death.

She jumped down and walked over to Cruel before whispering something in his ear.

"These are all universes with your darling parents alive. I'll give you the honor of choosing one to transmigrate in. How does that sound? Oh, no need to pay anything."

It was a tempting offer indeed, but one thing he noticed was that Deon wasn't in any of them. He couldn't live a life without Deon; he was everything to him after they both had lost their parents.

Cruel stood there, stationary, while the Goddess continued to whisper tempting offers in his ear. But he won't choose any good ending if Deon wasn't in it; he had sworn to protect Deon and to make sure he would be able to live a happy life. That was his life goal that he always stuck to. What was the point of a happy ending if his younger brother wasn't there? It was the promise he and their parents made together. A promise not even Deon was aware of, despite reading the full guidebook.

"Where's Deon? I noticed in all of these that there was no Deon in it."

"Because he doesn't exist in these, the only way you can be happy is if Deon Hardt doesn't exist or is dead. It's still a tempting-"

"No, I don't want any of them."

One by one, the dream fragments were cracking, and the room began to shake. Cruel took that chance to run as his gut told him to do so. He didn't bother looking back; what was there to look back on?

His life revolved around Deon, his younger brother is the most important person in his life. How could he go into a world without him?

"W-wait! Get back here, you..."

Despite the Goddess's calling, he still fled. He ran past a fragment with a child version of himself with his and Deon's parents. They were embracing him in a hug, without Deon in sight.

The longer Cruel ran, the more possibilities without Deon began to surround him. He rejected them all as he continued to run down the hall; a world without his baby brother wasn't a world worth living in; that would be considered torture for him.

Crack!

The room began to crack, and Cruel could feel himself falling through another abyss. He didn't know where he would end up again, but it was better than remaining in that room that suffocated him with alternative worlds.

***

'Where am I...'

Deon looked around the white room. Unlike Cruel's, this room had no world displayed of himself and his older brother. This definitely wasn't the work of the God of Death since his rooms were usually all black, or it would end up being his office.

That was when he saw two silhouettes; he got closer and could see the God of Death and another person who felt familiar but unfamiliar at the same time. The person had black hair like Cruel's, but had grey eyes instead of green.

"...Deal..."

"...Y... ...Deal..."

The words blurred out due to the distance between him and the God of Death(?) and raven head, Deon couldn't hear what the two were talking about, and he got closer to them. The scene replayed for him once he got closer and was now able to hear the two voices.

"I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

"Yes... I want to change Cruel's fate. Is there any way I could do that?"

"There is, but the price would be for you to reincarnate without your memories once again. Are you sure you want this, Raven?"

There it was, that strange name ringed in Deon's head once more as he listened to the conversation between the God of Death and Raven. He seemed to know who Cruel was based on the tone of his voice. Was he a relative of theirs?

Suddenly, the room changed to his room at the Demon King's castle. He could see a mirror that was out of place; he never carried a mirror in his room, so why was there one here? Deon decided to check it out and got closer to the mirror lying on his desk.

Deon picked up the mirror before dropping the mirror with shaking hands. His reflection was that of Raven, who the God of Death was talking to a while ago. He then turned around, and the scenery changed to what seemed like to be his room in the Roan Kingdom.

'What is that irregular-sized box? I never had one in my room...'

He made his way to the box that was lying on his bed. Deon felt as if he opened it, he would be met by something he could never imagine, but if it was the only way to get out of this dreamlike world, then so be it.

And he was right; it was something he would never imagine seeing. What was Cruel's head doing in there? Did that mean that he would die later on despite his efforts? Deon had no idea as he felt tears coming out of his eyes; he wiped them as he sat down on the ground.

His brother dead? No, that would never happen. Would Cruel die no matter what he did, even going as far as to ask the Gods for a necklace tailored to protect him? That couldn't be true.

Suddenly, Deon felt someone walking past him as he held onto the box with Cruel's head in it. He turned around to see Raven and... Cale Henituse, his past self.

"You should leave."

"That's right, this isn't your future. Don't let those shitty Gods tell you what your future is, remember mother and father said?"

"...To always keep going despite the harsh times, like our name suggests."

"That's right, so go."

Deon stood up. That's right. What his 'past selves' were telling him was correct; this was his life, and some illusion played by the Gods wouldn't stop him from doing whatever he wanted. He watched as Cale Henituse disappeared, leaving only Raven and him in the room.

His appearance went back to his current self as he looked at Raven.

"I guess my wish came true then, let's continue to keep our hyung safe."

"I will."

Deon walked out of the door as Raven slowly disappeared while staying in the room with the box of Cruel right beside him. These people weren't his future; they were his past, and he would make sure that he would never end up like that.

After all, Deon, no, Kim Rok Soo always liked happier endings rather than sad ones. If he was doomed by fate... He'll do everything in his power to make sure that outcome never happens.

He could feel himself slowly regaining consciousness as he walked down the hallways filled with what seemed like to be memories of his past.

Chapter Text

Previously...

He could feel himself slowly regaining consciousness as he walked down the hallways filled with what seemed to be memories of his past.

***

!!!

Deon jumped up from his bed. Wait, bed?!

Hold on, why was he in the Demonic Realm? Where is his older brother? He had so many questions and theories circulating his head, yet he quickly snapped out of those thoughts when he felt someone touch his forehead.

"Deon, are you okay?!"

"Huh..."

The record of Cruel's head replayed in Deon's head. Blood began trickling down from Deon's nose, and he quickly covered his nose, seeing the blood getting on the bed covers.

"You.. You're still sick, lie down."

Cruel quickly made Deon lie back in bed as he wiped the whitehead's bloody nose. Ben and Ed came rushing into the room shortly after, his hair and clothes were both disheveled, while Ed had a concerned look on his face.

But... Deon was still confused as to why everyone had such confused looks on their face as he looked around the room.

He could see the bedroom was messier than usual, tons of bandages were littered on the table, and a broken sword was lying against the wall. Ben and Ed didn't seem to be surprised to see Cruel or even scorn him for being a hero. Seems like Cruel was being decently taken care of here; he was worried for nothing.

Bang!

Hana and Lilinell slammed the doors open once again. Soon enough, the Demon King will have to replace that door because there is no way that door is surviving another day. Lilinell had a face full of tears while Hana jumped into Deon's arms. She sobbed in his arms while Deon had to comfort her.

He didn't notice the glare Cruel sent to both Ben and Ed, who flinched; they could tell what the older raven-head was thinking of. Since when did his younger brother have a child?

They ignored the heated glare from Cruel, who immediately reverted back to a smile when he looked at Deon, who was unaware of the dual attitudes.

"Mama! I was so scared! You were passed out for an entire week..."

Hana sniffled while Deon continued to comfort the girl in his arms. Well, one week was certainly a long time in this world; at least one week was nothing when he was still Cale Henituse.

And yet again, Deon was unaware of the horrified look on Cruel's face when Hana addressed to him as her mother. Although he was unaware of the look on his older brother's face, the whitehead could see Ben and Ed leaving the room in a hurry; there was also one more detail he noticed about the two. They looked so scared, and for what?!

'Is it because of me?'

Of course, Deon was unaware of the things that happened during the time he was passed out; he didn't even expect the time to go by so quickly in the Demonic Realm. It was just a few dozen minutes in the dream he had.

***

The moment Cruel could feel himself leaving the Goddess's domain of Temptation, he immediately sat up. He could see he was most likely in the Demon King's castle. It was truly a miracle for a hero to be alive after encountering the Demon King; nonetheless, resting in his castle was even more bizarre.

"You're finally awake, Mister Hero."

"You are... the Fourth Corps Commander."

Cruel turned his head towards Idelia, who held a fan in front of her face. It seemed that she was in charge of surveilling him.

She looked at him skeptically, not that he was suspicious. Yes, he was a hero who had a chance to kill the Demon King, but what was even stranger was his hair color. Idelia had already recorded information about him, but it was even stranger to see the black hair you'd tend to only see on demons and vampires on a human; was it a genetic thing?

Both of the siblings looked human, yet had features only demons and vampires would have

"...Sir Arut is in his room. I can tell by your face that you want to see him. Just for your information, you woke up first. It has been four days already."

This new piece of information was also shocking to her; she didn't expect the Third Hero to be the Zeroth Corps either. She only knew something was up when the Demon King said not to record information on Deon Hardt, but now she understood why. In order that the Empire wouldn't find out that the Third Hero betrayed them, he strictly prohibited any information on him from being recorded.

The two walked towards Deon's room, and they passed by demons who gave Cruel strange looks but quickly looked away when they were met with a sharp glare from him that reminded them of the Zeroth Corps Commander.

Edellia opened the door to Deon's room, and Cruel could see an unconscious Deon on the large bed. The cracks on his hands were slowly healing and reforming, and he could see that the Gods were working on fixing the current situation.

'He really cares for Sir Arut...'

He cared for his younger so much that he was willing to cross to the Demonic Realm in order to ensure his safety. It was a foreign feeling that many demons, including Idelia, could feel; many demons liked to see blood splattering in front of their eyes. They didn't care whether or not someone died, that was until the Zeroth Corps Commander arrived.

He brought in many new feelings for the demons who resided here. Fear, joy, and concern were all things they were able to experience after the Demon King brought in Deon Hardt.

She left the two siblings alone and exited the room. According to Oelle, human siblings needed time alone since their bond was usually much stronger than demons. Before leaving, she could see the older raven head checking up on the whitehead.

The next day, Ben and Ed entered Deon's room to see another foreign person in it. They said nothing and greeted Cruel. A while ago, they were warned by the Fourth Corps Commander and Demon King that the Zeroth Corps Commander's older brother would be in the room. They shared the same shocked reaction as Idelia; no one had expected the ruthless Demon Arut to have an older brother.

"You must be Sir Arut's older brother. His majesty ordered me to bring in bandages for you. We're currently on a strict ban on using magic."

"...You can leave it there."

Cruel gave an indifferent expression as he talked to the two; he didn't really care for his wounds and was more concerned with Deon's current well-being. He didn't eat for five days, five days! That was definitely unhealthy.

That was when both of them realized one thing: the Zeroth Corps Commander's older brother was exactly like his younger brother!

In the next few days, Cruel gained a reputation in the Demon King's Castle. He was known for how doting he was with the Zeroth Corps Commander. Whenever anyone had tried to talk to him about anything unrelated to Deon, he would mindlessly nod as if he wasn't paying attention (because he wasn't). But whenever it was something about the Zeroth Corps Commander, he listened with full attention.

It was quite different from the Human Realm, where Cruel Hardt was known for 'hating' his younger brother, Deon Hardt.

***

"Did you finally fix it?"

"Yeah, his soul is now stable again, for now. All that's left is Choi Han and the others."

The God of Death swirled the pen in his hand while Angelina continued to watch over her saint and holy maiden; she wanted to make sure that they were safe.

They also had just received an order from the higher-ups that intervening was possible and that there wouldn't be a backlash in doing so. That is, if you didn't intervene too much. But, in the first place, the so-called Heroes Party breached the code of the world!

Just thinking about it made the Goddess feel even more salty. If only that crazy Temptation didn't take the God of Death's place before he was able to get it, then she'd have more power.

She looked over the God of Death's shoulder, and the Sun Goddess could see the man focusing on his documents, as well as a golden fragment in an orb. But she could recognize that anywhere, that was a hero fragment that usually came from heroes! Was the God of Death up to something again?

"Abyss!!!"

A woman dressed in normal office attire showed up in the room. She had black eyes with beaded eyelashes, and silver hair that was just a shade darker than both the God of Death and Deon. Angelina could notice the person's look anywhere; it was the Goddess of the Night, Nyx.

Usually, Gods who oversaw the night and day, sun and moon, were typically in higher positions, as night and day and stars existed everywhere, no matter where you went. But due to a certain Goddess tampering with the rankings, Angelina and Abyss were demoted to high middle-ranked Gods. Originally, the God of Death was speculated to be at least a low high-ranking, and even higher, while Angelina was supposed to be the highest mid-rank Goddess.

The two greeted the Goddess of the Night as the high-ranking Goddess began to give the two a lecture on not using their powers too much, or else they would be forced to retire from their positions as Gods.

She was probably the most sociable among the high-ranking Gods.

Perhaps it was due to her past career as an actor, hence why the beaded eyelashes; she even talked to the lowest-ranking Gods. But she had an attachment to the God of Death, who was the only one with a similar yet different title and appearance.

"I can tell you've guys have been using a lot of your authority, what are you guys risking so much of your positions for?"

The two Gods flinched.

"...Hey Death, is it that obvious?"

"I.. I don't think so...?"

The Goddess of the Night continued to stare at the two younger Gods and sighed. It was definitely because of that individual, Cale Henituse.

"Just don't use up too much, you can ask me for help any time you'd like."

Soon after that, Nyx left, and now it was just the two Gods again. Angelina slumped down on the sofa while Death felt like fainting. Every time the Goddess of the Night had visited them, she would start lecturing the two of them.

Angelina turned around and looked at the God of Death, who was now working on another thing. Upon a closer inspection, she could see the God of Death working on the world's coding. The coding of the world was changed soon after Deon regained his memories. It used to be immature, but now that it was replaced with the coding of the world tree in Nameless One, it was much better than before.

"Haah, there's so much work to do... I just finished it all today!"

"I think I still have some from three years ago..."

Yep, they were definitely never getting out of the never-ending torture of paperwork. Perhaps this was why Deon refused to become a God.

***

"Baby..."

"...I don't want it."

Deon stared at the medicine, which was lemon-flavored. Oh, how he hated lemons with a burning passion; he wanted them to be gone! It was... also the first time he had refused to do something.

Cruel held the spoon of medicine provided by Ben; it wouldn't help with the fever his baby brother had because of the backlash of preventing his soul from wandering around, but it could at least lessen the fever a bit.

The older male sighed before putting the spoon down. He couldn't give it to Deon if he didn't want to drink the bitter medicine. It was understandable too, as a child, he would refuse to drink medicine because of how bitter it was, and their mother and father had to convince him, eventually, he would drink it all in one gulp and would be rewarded with sweet candy.

Oh, he should have done that from the start.

"You can have this... candy after you take some medicine."

"...Fine."

Cruel smiled and gently spoon-fed his sick baby brother medicine. After Deon (immediately) finished drinking the medicine, he gave him a piece of candy. It was strawberry flavor, which he knew was a flavor that Deon was fond of as a child.

The whitehead frowned at the bitter taste of medicine; it was much milder than the ones he had as Cale Henituse, but god, did it taste so horrible. Deon quickly plopped the strawberry candy in his mouth, and the results were immediate: a milky taste with a strong hint of strawberry could be tasted. It was the brand of a candy he liked as a kid.

Creak...

Ed entered the room halfway, with his body still outside of the room, and the two siblings' attention focused on the vice commander who had just entered the room. He paused for a bit before greeting the two.

"...Lord Demon King has called for you both."

Chapter Text

Previously...

Ed entered the room halfway, with his body still outside of the room, and the two siblings' attention focused on the vice commander who had just entered the room. He paused for a bit before greeting the two.

"...Lord Demon King has called for you both."

***

"Your Majesty, you called?"

"Ah, Arut and... Cruel Hardt? You're finally here."

The two entered normally, but the only thing that ticked off Cruel was Hana, who was sitting next to the Demon King, eating sweets. The child that his baby brother looked after, next to the Demon King...

"I came here to discuss your older brother's position."

"Position...?"

Caver held up a stack of papers and held it up to his chin. Deon could see the names of each Corps Commander and Vice Commander on it.

Was Cruel joining... the Demon King's army?! He quickly turned to his older brother, whose silence did not help answer his question.

"You can leave Arut, oh, and take Hana with you. She misses you a lot."

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon quickly took Hana and left. He turned back once more to the Demon King, who handed the stack of papers to Cruel, who read them diligently before leaving. He had no idea what the Demon King was thinking, and what the Demon King wanted with Cruel..

As soon as Deon left, Caver opened his mouth.

"So, what position do you want?"

"You want me to pick a position here?"

"Yes, pick one out of all of these."

Cruel read through the list of commanders, and he could see Deon's title as the Zeroth Corps Commander, and so on. There was also a blank spot titled Fourteenth Corps Commander. But it was useless since he had already decided what position he wanted.

The Vice Commander for the Zeroth Corps Commander, taking a position as one of the Thirteen Corps Commanders, was useless since he couldn't be near Deon, so he took the closet position to the Zeroth Corps Commander.

"I want to be the Vice Corps Commander for Deon."

Caver looked at Cruel with an expectant look as if he had expected Cruel to say that, he was then handed back the list of the Corps Commanders and Vice Commanders. He quickly dismissed Cruel, who immediately headed back to Deon's room.

"Well... this'll be even more fun now."

A new variable has joined the little game of chess between him and the Emperor. Caver held up a crystal that projected to him a screen of the Emperor dispatching knights to search for the two missing heroes, and a screen of Choi Han and Eruhaben planning something with Basen.

This was the group of people who were set on destroying the world. Caver couldn't let Deon die, nor could he let the immature world die in the hands of these people. It would be the first time since he's used magic to prophesy the unforeseen future; usually, he wouldn't since the outcome was always the same, but new variables have appeared. Perhaps demons and humans could finally have a chance of coexisting?

Dense magic quickly surrounded the crystal and the room the moment Caver imbued his magic, making him drop the crystal shortly after.

"...Haha.. This is.. an insane outcome..."

God's having to intervene was one thing Caver did not expect to see in the future.

Deon was indeed telling the truth when he said that these people's strengths were not to be undermined or underestimated at all. Well, he probably could beat them, but he wouldn't be able to regenerate magic power, unlike that dragon.

'It must've been nice to be recognized by the world and the Gods, wasn't it?'

Being able to regenerate magic and being seen as natural beings by the world would certainly be a miracle. Who would even think that it'd come true after hundreds of years? It was nearly impossible for that to happen.

***

"..."

"This... This is Hana!"

Deon held up Hana with the help of the Super Rock to Cruel, who stared at the child; she held a similarity with Deon, but did not look like him at all, except for the red eyes.

Cruel felt conflicted; since when did his baby brother become a parent?! No need to care about his past life; his past lives were different. But now? No way is he letting anyone take his baby brother's heart!

"I found her while out on a mission. I will never date anyone!"

"Oh, I see."

So his brother wasn't with anyone.

A smile began to appear on Cruel's face. It was quite radiant and bright. Deon stared at his older brother with a baffled face while Hana jumped down from Deon's arms. She stared at Cruel for a brief moment and jumped into his arms.

"Uncle!"

'Uncle?! And you still call me mama even though you know your pronouns...'

It was on purpose at this point; Hana only called Deon her mother while calling everyone else by the right terms, whether it was uncle, auntie, miss, or mister. She only referred to him as her mother!

Deon could see Cruel and Hana interact with one another, mostly talking about him. The conversation could have lasted for days if Ed hadn't intruded into the room.

"Sir Arut... Commander Trover asked if you wanted to watch his rematch with the Fifth Vice Corps Commander."

"Again? He's just gonna use his fist again, though, right?"

Ed flinched at what Deon said; he couldn't put it into words, but there had been a strange thing happening during Deon's time away from the Demon King's castle and the Demonic Realm in general.

***

"Why is... Trover using magic...?"

"A-actually... We aren't sure as to why it happened, but we were able to recover our mana, though so far only the Corps Commanders have recovered a bit of it. But the thing is, we haven't told the Demon King about this yet..."

Lilinell explained to Deon the strange occurrences that had been happening over the last few days.

It was indeed a strange incident when Trover suddenly was able to use magic. Then came Jaykar, who had pointed out that he had recovered his mana. Next was Idelia, whose gusts of winds had their strength doubled. And lastly was Lilinell herself, who now almost had as much magic as she did in her prime.

Deon listened to the explanation closely. It was indeed weird that the demons were now slowly recovering their magic; it was as if the world was beginning to accept demons as actual beings rather than errors of the world.

He thought about the World Tree, which was now able to communicate with him. Since the World Tree here has now gained consciousness, it could mean that they were now maturing. Originally, in the novel, the World Tree did not necessarily have any means to communicate, or was able to at least; that's what he read in the novel.

'That is a possibility, but either way it's not that bad, I guess?'

Deon continued to watch as Trover began his second match with Dernivan; he was now using magic like there was no limit. Which was partially true; there was a limit, but so far, only Corps Commanders could recover magic.

The story was indeed going haywire. Well, it already went off track when Cruel survived the assassin attacks, and now with the Gods' intervention, unlike the original. That was a good thing; it was a good thing that these changes were happening.

But what about Choi Han and the others? They would surely appear once again to haunt him; that was how they were like. No matter how far he could run, they were always a step behind him.

"I don't know what you're thinking in that head of yours, but you don't need to worry."

Cruel ruffled Deon's head; he knew Deon was overthinking things. It was a habit he saw Deon develop during their childhood; he would tend to bite his lip or bite his nails until they bled, and Cruel would frequently wrap Deon's hands in bandages. Their parents were quite worried as well since it caused health problems to Deon's body.

While the two siblings talked with each other, the other Corps Commanders on the side watched the two interact. It was a spectacle for them; they never thought they'd live to see the day that someone would spoil and treat the Zeroth Corps Commander as a child.

"If Sir Arut looks up to him and sees no fault, that must mean Sir Arut's brother is a great man!"

Lilinell concluded with one final look at the siblings; they seemed to have a great relationship, and he even risked his life for Arut! There was no way he could be a bad man; no bad brother would risk their life for their younger brother.

Idelia found herself agreeing with Ririnell, though she was on guard only because he was a hero of the Empire. So far, he has done nothing but stick with Deon; none of them could sense any ill intent from the Fourth Hero.

"I heard the moment he woke up, he went to check on Sir Arut. Was that true, Dame Idelia?"

"That was indeed true. He woke up and immediately went to look for Sir Arut."

Idelia answered back to Oelle while unfolding her fan. Oelle, who heard this, was intrigued. She never knew that the Zeroth Corps Commander had an older brother; nobody in the Demonic Realm knew about this either.

So, imagine their surprise when they found Cruel in the Demonic Realm with Deon in his arms while hiding from assassins, and even asking the Demon King for help. It was a predicament that not even the world or perhaps even the Gods could foretell.

But maybe it won't end up as badly? Like the elves, many of the demons dreamed of looking at a bright sun and the colorful flowers around them, but alas, the world had other ideas. But why? Weren't they also people as well? Even if they weren't human, they still had feelings and could get hurt as well. So why was it that the world hated them so much?

That was why, when the Demon King had finally introduced them to the Zeroth Corps Commander, who was allegedly a human, they were both intrigued and excited for many reasons. It had been some time since they had a new Corps Commander added, and it was also because they were curious about the Human Realm.

Though it was strange when the Demon King would dote and trust Sir Arut blindly, they couldn't and didn't want to say anything. After all, they've been doing the same as well.

'Why are they looking at me like that...?'

Deon could feel the gazes of the other Corps Commanders from across the bleachers and felt like shriveling up right in that spot.

Cruel paid no attention to the Corps Commanders and continued to slice the apple in his hand from who knows where he even got it. Cruel, of course, fed the apples to Deon, who was trying hard not to run back to his room.

Deon, even as Cale Henituse to Kim Rok Soo detested too much attention on him, it was nice to be recognized by family and people close to him, but when it came to others, he didn't like it.

Not to mention the fact that he was extremely bad at communicating, that was until Lee Soo-Hyuk and Choi Jung-Soo helped him. It was mostly because he didn't know how to interact with others and was too self-conscious of himself about whether or not what he said would offend someone, which was how his Team Leader described him.

Was he really that bad at communicating?

***

"Let's make a deal."

"A deal, you say?"

"How about we call this a temporary truce, we ally up for a bit, and defeat those otherworldly guys? They're not just affecting you but us too."

Eduardo stared at the blue screen with the Demon King on it. What the Demon King said was true; the group of otherworldly people wasn't on any of their sides and would definitely cause harm to everyone based on what the shamans he met said.

The Emperor thought about it for a moment before coming to a conclusion and opening his mouth.

"Fine, this'll be a temporary ally."

A smile made its way to Caver's face as he heard the words he expected to hear.

"Great, a deal is a deal then. I hope we can wipe them out quickly."

The Demon King's hologram disappeared shortly after the private discussion between the two sovereigns ended.

Eduardo sat in place and sighed. What he was doing was definitely against what the Empire had been doing for all of these ages. But the otherworldly people were a much larger threat than the Demon Realm, who would also suffer from the actions of the third party.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Eduardo sat in place and sighed. What he was doing was definitely against what the Empire had been doing for all of these ages. But the otherworldly people were a much larger threat than the Demon Realm, who would also suffer from the actions of the third party.

***

'Why am I here again...'

Deon walked in and saw the Demon King, who was writing something on a piece of paper. He just wanted to slack off and sleep. Moreover, Cruel was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, my dear treasure. You're here. Go take this to the Emperor."

Caver stood up from his seat and made his way to Deon, who had just entered the room. He placed a fancy scroll into Deon's hand that was already out.

"..Yes?"

Deon stared at the scroll in his hands—personally signed by the Demon King. Since he told him to give it to the Emperor, it had something to do with the ongoing conflict.

Caver watched as Deon walked out of the office and a smile crept up onto his face.

'I can't wait to see how your fate will unfold, my dear Arut.'

***

Deon walked through the Emperor's palace. He could see people whispering amongst each other while looking at him. They probably think he killed Cruel, but why would he? Maybe it was all for the better; they could all avoid him, and he wouldn't need to deal with their shenanigans.

"...Brother?"

"Deon."

Cruel made his way over to Deon and patted the whitehead on the head. This would have been fine usually, but he did it right in front of the Duke's face.. He seriously had no fear or shame in doing so.

Deon could see the Stave's expression go from skepticism to fuming. Hell, he could even see a vein about to pop in the Duke's face as Cruel continued to fix his outfit.

"Sir Cruel, what is the meaning of this?"

I thought you were trying to protect yourself from Deon Hardt, which is what the Duke was trying to say. Cruel looked at the Duke with a cold look.

"I thought I told you? I wanted to protect something."

'Hold on, this is straying off course! You aren't supposed to do that!'

No, Cruel Hardt would have never exposed himself like this. But he only did this because soon, the Duke wouldn't be able to lay a hand on Deon, no matter what his excuse would be.

"Is that the scroll he told you to deliver?"

"How did you know?"

Deon tilted his head to the side, quite adorably in fact. It made Cruel want to pinch his brother's cheeks, but he resisted the urge to do so. In the end, he could only savor the endearing act in his head as he patted the albino's head.

"He told me beforehand."

'So I was completely left out on this?'

Deon knew that the Demon King would form a new plan after new unforeseen variables showed up. But, wouldn't allying with the Empire cause backlash from the people on both sides?

Creak!

Eduardo motioned the two Hardt siblings to enter his office. He took the scroll in Deon's hands and unfolded it. Cruel and Deon stood as they watched the Emperor read whatever was on the scroll in front of them.

Deon could conclude that it most likely had to do with the negotiations and the new collaboration between the two. How surprising would it be for the Empire's people and the whole world to suddenly hear about the Demon Realm and Human Realm now suddenly joining hands? Surely, even the Revolutionary Army wouldn't be able to guess it either.

A perfectly secret collaboration that only the four people involved in it knew about.

"Hmm, should we announce the collaboration now or soon?"

"If you do it right in front of the Duke, he won't be able to find any counterattacks. However, if Your Majesty waits, he might find out sooner or later."

In short, what Deon meant was the sooner the better. Heavy backlash will happen due to Eduardo already announcing war on the Demons and now withdrawing the war. It wasn't a bad idea to announce it early; sooner, the people would realize how much of a threat Choi Han and the rest would be to them.

That was when Deon was suddenly sitting in front of a crystal, a communication crystal to be exact. He immediately turned to Eduardo, who just smiled and motioned for him to talk since the hologram was now playing live in front of many citizens.

Deon gave a betrayed look to Eduardo before he opened his mouth.

"..Hello, people of the Empire, I am Deon Hardt, the Third Hero. Today I'll be announcing the withdrawal of the war against Demons. There's been a bigger issue than just demons that could affect the whole world and not just the Empire."

The people in the Empire looked at the screen with Deon on it. His face was still and emotionless as always while he announced the stop to the ongoing war before going into detail about Choi Han and Eruhaben, without exposing too much.

A mixture of feelings stirred in the air as they all continued to watch Deon talk. Anger, surprise, fear, relief, joy, and sorrow were all felt throughout the Empire.

"We've decided on one more thing. We will join hands with the Demons to take down these worldly disasters. That will be all. Public negotiations will happen soon. Thank you for listening."

Deon gave a smile at the end of his message before the communication crystal turned off. He immediately left his seat the moment it ended and ran to Cruel, who happily embraced the whitehead.

Why couldn't the Emperor do the announcement himself?

That was what went through Deon's head as the Emperor dismissed the two of them out of his office. When he got out, he could see Stave fuming as he left the room with Cruel.

The servants nearby looked at the two Hardt siblings either in shock or in bafflement. Everyone had thought that the two siblings hated each other.

So why was the Fourth Hero wrapping the Third Hero with a scarf?—Where did he even get that scarf from?!—It was such a strange day for everyone in the palace, first seeing the usually calm Duke about to pop a vein, now the Hardt siblings were acting like they never hated each other.

***

"...The snow here."

Deon looked at the snow dwindling in the wind. He never got a chance to admire the scenery around him. It was either war or the place would eventually be destroyed by his own hands. It was quite refreshing to take in the view in front of his eyes in peace.

He walked around the snow plains while the Death Butterflies followed behind him. Of course, Cruel was just behind him since they went here together.

"Hyung-nim?"

"Who...?"

Deon stared at the boy in front of him. He backed away vigilantly once he realized who the voice came from. It was Basen, someone he did see as a younger brother at some point. Only to be completely betrayed the moment he began to think of Basen as his younger brother.

But what was he doing here? Surely it couldn't be because of him, right?

No, who was he kidding? It was definitely about him. Worst of all, his face was broadcast to everyone. That meant that they recognized him as Cale, or at least his reincarnation. He couldn't even blame the Emperor about it since Eduardo had no idea what was going on, except for him and Cruel.

"Do I know you?"

Basen flinched when he heard Deon ask him that question. He realized that his Hyung-nim didn't remember anything about his past. No, perhaps it was for the better. They could treat him right, and he wouldn't know of their past deeds—their past mistakes.

"Hyung-nim I-"

"Deon."

Deon immediately turned around when he heard Cruel call for him. He made his way back to his older brother, who fixed the scarf around his neck. He didn't know why, but he had a sudden urge and opened his mouth.

"...Hyung-nim.."

Cruel stood there still for a brief moment before a smile made its way onto his face. Deon could even see a flowery aura surrounding Cruel. Did he make a mistake?

"Let's head back now, you're gonna catch a cold."

"I'm coming!"

Deon went in front of Cruel, who then looked back at Basen, who was staring at the two's interaction in jealousy. He gave a triumphant smirk before turning back to Deon, who was now rambling about the sweets he wanted to try once they got back.

Basen, who saw Cruel's smirk, gritted his teeth and scowled. He realized that the man in front of him knew that Cale had lost his memories. He was sure of it; the man was taking advantage of him! He needed to report this to Choi Han and Eruhaben-nim. Thankfully, Raon was also there and quickly teleported them back to their temporary base.

***

"My Lord, you have returned."

"Remember."

Deon looked at the manor for a while. He could see that the painting of him and his family was now uncovered, still shining ever since.

'My family...'

Even as Cale Henituse, he never had a picture of himself and his family, so seeing a picture with him in it along with his family made him feel bitter.

"Do you want another picture? We can go commission one."

"Can we?"

"If that's what you want, then I'll get multiple."

Cruel smiled as he and Deon walked past the painting of their family hung on the wall. If a picture of them is what Deon wants, then he will make sure that Deon gets something even better than just one picture.

He and his parents took the wrong approach at first to the frail Deon. But now, he'll make sure that Deon will get whatever it was that he wanted.

"Sir Cruel, someone is requesting your presence."

"Who is it?"

"He claims that his name is Senzer."

Cruel frowned at the familiar name. If it was Senzer, then it was the last person who was on his side—before Stave Illuster bribed him.

There were two possibilities as to why Senzer was here. It was to pry information out of him on why he 'betrayed' the Duke, or join his side once again.

'It's most likely the former option.'

It was obvious, given the fact that Stave Illjuster had already bribed Senzer. But did Cruel care anymore? The answer was no. He found a way to protect Deon openly, and he will stick to that.

The moment the negotiations started between the Demonic Realm and Human Realm, the Duke wouldn't be able to continue the assassination attempts unless he wanted this Empire to get wiped out of existence.

Cruel opened the door to the reception room and spotted Senzer sitting inside. He didn't feel like taking time to talk to a disloyal person decided to make it quick. Besides, his baby brother was waiting for him in the indoor garden to try the new pastries brought in by Remember. How can he miss a moment of eating with Deon?

"Make it quick. What do you want?"

"...Why did you betray the Duke?"

And he was right, Senzer came here to ask him about the Duke. If it was the latter, then he would've stayed longer and asked for Senzer's motives, but since it wasn't, then there was no need to pry any information out of him.

"You seem to have forgotten everything ever since the Duke bribed you, but it no longer matters. It's actually best for me if you forgot why I joined him in the first place."

Cruel walked out of the reception room. He could spot Senzer chasing after him in the corner of his eye as he made his way to the indoor garden that was specifically made for Deon. He ignored Senzer's yelling as Remember escorted him out.

He felt nostalgia walking through the hallways. It's been so a long time since he stepped foot into the Hardt manor.

"Hyung-nim, you're back! How was your conversation?"

"Deon, you should have eaten while waiting for me."

It seemed that Deon had gotten more comfortable with the term 'Hyung-nim' as he was now calling Cruel that without hesitation. Of course, even if Deon didn't want to call him that, Cruel wouldn't force it upon him.

He sat down beside Deon, who was now eating a strawberry chocolate mousse. Cruel called in a servant to pour in tea for them. He made sure that it was a sweet flavor rather than sour or bitter. He thought of a flavor that his baby brother would like.

"Get us Golden Lily tea."

The servant left for a moment after receiving the order from Cruel. They returned shortly after a few minutes with a tray in their hands. The servant then poured the Golden Lily tea into the two cups and left.

"You should drink something if you're going to eat."

"Is it bitter?"

"No, it's sweet."

Deon took the cup of tea and took a sip after Cruel's confirmation. He didn't think much of it, but it was really good.. And sweet as well, it reminded him of the Milk Oolongs he would tend to drink as Kim Rok Soo.

"It's sweet.. It's like flowers and apricots in the spring. I like it."

'The exact same taste as mother, too. Looks like we'll have to stock up on Golden Lily leaves.'

Cruel recalled about their mother's taste; she didn't care much about what she ate, but she liked Golden Lily. Most of the time, she would even have it during dinner or while doing documents. Because of that, their father had to stock up on Golden Lily leaves to satisfy the deceased Countess.

Chapter Text

Previously...

'The exact same taste as mother, too. Looks like we'll have to stock up on Golden Lily leaves.'

Cruel recalled about their mother's taste; she didn't care much about what she ate, but she liked Golden Lily. Most of the time, she would even have it during dinner or while doing documents. Because of that, their father had to stock up on Golden Lily leaves to satisfy the deceased Countess.

***

'This is heaven! No bitter food, no sour drinks, everything is sweet!'

Deon happily smiled as he continued to snack on sweets prepared by chefs. Of course, he would also occasionally cleanse his throat with tea as instructed by Cruel.

He noticed a servant whispering something into Cruel's ear, which resulted in Cruel breaking the teacup he was holding.

'What the... Why is he so mad?'

"That god damn Second Prince..."

Cruel gritted his teeth in anger. Who wouldn't? He was just notified that the Second Prince of the Ileon Kingdom had apparently sent a marriage proposal to his baby brother!

He already knew that the prince was bad news; this made him want to beat that prince to a pulp even more now. First, he hurt Deon; now he was sending marriage proposals? Not on his watch!

"Hyung-nim...?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Deon looked at Cruel, perplexed and concerned. He could see his older brother's nails piercing his palms. What happened for him to get so angry? It was almost scaring him, even.

Cruel reassured Deon and pushed another plate of cake in front of him. As long as Deon didn't know about the marriage proposal, then that was good. He'll deal with that blasted Second Prince's proposal without anyone knowing.

The day went by quite peacefully, if you ignored Cruel burning the marriage proposal sent by the Second Prince while Deon was blissfully unaware of it.

Night eventually hit, and the two Hardt siblings headed to their respective rooms.

***

'What the hell?'

Deon sat up from his spot and looked around. He was in front of his house, except that the house was up in flames with no signs of any life in there. He checked around the house yet found not a single sign of anybody in the manor.

It seemed to look like what happened when the Revolutionary Army bombed his house, but it was different. The flames were even harsher than before, and the manor looked more destroyed. As if they were trying to rid themselves of any trace of the Hardt Family.

'Maybe the original timeline...?'

It did make sense, right after Cruel Hardt died. His past self was set on destroying the Empire and ultimately sided with the Demon Realm, later on being referred to as a 'Betrayer of Humanity.'

But what was the point of showing him this if he already knew about it? That is, if a God did set him up here.

'Wait- the Empire, let's check the Empire!'

Deon ran to what was supposed to be the Empire. He watched as civilians rushed out of the city, the sky being painted red as if blood was poured all over the sky, and lastly, the place where the palace was located was also up in flames.

Homes, buildings, statues, and fountains were all destroyed as multiple buildings began to fall apart. By the time he got there, Deon could see the Emperor's palace crumbling down right in front of his eyes.

"Isn't this what you wanted?! I merely made it happen quicker."

'This is the Duke's voice?'

Deon walked towards the source of the Duke's voice. He was able to see the Duke, on the ground in disheveled clothing and ash on his face and all over his clothes. There was also.. Cruel here, he was pointing a sword right at the Duke's throat.

That was when it dawned on him, this wasn't the original novel. Cruel was alive here and fighting the Duke; well, it'd be better to call it a side beat-down rather than a fight. The Duke looked like he was going to die any moment, and he was, by Cruel's hands.

The Duke gave a glare at Cruel before he realized that the man in front of him was no longer a 'loyal dog' as he thought of him to be. He was about to die, in the hands of the very boy he sponsored.

Cruel lifted up the sword with one hand and slashed the Duke's head off. Blood went everywhere on the former Fourth Hero's clothes as he wiped off the excess blood on his cheek.

Deon walked closer to Cruel. He was now following behind him as the older male's footsteps hastened.

"..Deon... Baby.."

'...I'm dead?'

He watched as Cruel hugged a lifeless body, not just anyone's lifeless body; it was his body, and he died. How did he die here? Did that mean he would die shortly?

"!!!"

Deon immediately sat up in his bed. He looked around the room. It wasn't burning down, and neither was the Empire. But don't get him wrong, he didn't necessarily care about the Empire; it's just that his house was burning down and he was dead, actually dead in there!

He looked around the house. The scenes between the dream and reality overlapped with each other as he walked around. Record eventually began to overheat his body, which caused Deon to sit back down on his bed. His nose soon began to bleed as a backlash for Record overheating. Thankfully, he was lying down in bed, so not much blood went on the floors and bed.

'Was that a different universe? Or was that my future?'

Whatever it was, he's not gonna end up dying in the near future. Deon had already decided that he was going to mess up this entire story, shaping it into whatever it is he wanted.

Deon stood back up. It's been a long time since he contacted the God of Death; he should probably ask him questions. Or, well, he tried to, but no answer was given to him as he called out to God.

To the Church of Death, it was then.

A paper note appeared in his hands as Deon wore his cloak. He read the note as a Death Butterfly landed on his head.

—Contact me when you get to my church.

'So much work for just contacting.'

Deon sighed as he made his way out of his room. He could see Dan approaching Cruel as he walked down the stairs. It looked like Dan had finally met Cruel.

"Where are you going?"

"Church of Death."

"..Don't get hurt, and don't follow strangers, and especially don't wander off in secluded places."

"...Yes.. Hyung-nim.."

Cruel contemplated whether or not he should go with Deon. In the end, he decided to let Deon head out by himself. Deon could protect himself, and neither did he always have to be there for him. Deon's comfort and necessities will always come first.

He fixed the hood on Deon before the whitehead headed out. Cruel just hoped that nothing bad would happen.

***

'It's so bright out here...'

Deon walked through the city, barely able to keep his hood on from all of the people bumping into him. He finally managed to get to the Church of Death in near matter of minutes after avoiding the people bumping into him.

He listened to the whispering coming out of people's mouths, both negative and positive. It was mostly about him, and him only.

"Did you see the current news from the Third Hero?"

"They said that they'd stop all ways and band together with demons? After so many knights were drafted there, luckily none of them died..."

"So that was the Third Hero... He looked more angelic than I thought. With all the rumors circulating around him, I thought he would look worse.."

"I'm not sure about you, but the Third Hero's smile is so... adorable!"

Yeah, he won't even question what he's hearing. Him, angelic? The people in this Empire have gone insane, totally nuts... Deon felt like closing his eyes to ignore all of the words from these insane people.

He wasn't a hero; he was the cause of everyone's deaths around him, and he only does things for his own benefit. The title of the Third Hero was practically all a hoax; he didn't possess a Hero fragment, and neither was he heroic.

'Someone's following me?'

Deon turned around after noticing a presence behind him, yet he didn't see anyone appear behind him. Which was strange; it meant that the person tailing him was skilled, too skilled in fact, that he wanted to run away right now.

But he couldn't, at least not until he got answers directly from the God of Death. Was he actually Raven? Was he Deon all along? If so, why did the God of Death agree to the deal?

There were many things to ask the God of Death about, but day by day, Deon seemed to know less and less about the Deity who seemed to fawn over him, as put into the Sun Goddess's words.

"Welcome, dear Saint!"

The priests lined up as they greeted Deon. He'll never get used to this type of greeting, no matter what type of life he lives in. Being greeted earnestly and happily by other people was always weird; they either did it in fear or they were trying to suck up to him. This was one of the particular reasons why he didn't go out to socialize as much as others.

Deon ignored the suffocating gazes directed at him and walked to the prayer room, except this one was an exclusive one for Saints and Holy Maidens.

He waited for the door to close before he kneeled on the ground and hesitantly clasped his hands together. Never would Deon expect that he'd be doing something like this at all. He had always hated the thought of religion and the forced practices of it on him.

His consciousness slowly faded away as he recited the worst prayer he ever had to utter out of his lips. It was truly a nightmare for him to be seen as a Saint, but what could he do? It was either he accepted and got to stay alive, or he would die a painful death and eventually be resurrected to hell again.

Deon opened his eyes to a black room once again. There was a familiar silhouette in front of him. It was the God of Death.

"Ah, my child, you're here. I guess you have a lot of questions to ask."

"A lot in fact."

"Then shoot your shot."

The God of Death flicked his fingers, and the room soon turned into a familiar space. In fact, it was very familiar. How could he forget the room he resided in when he was disguised as Naru?

He won't admit it, but those times were enjoyable, especially when he got to mess with the White Star multiple times as well.

"..Am I really Deon Hardt?"

"...I didn't think you'd find out this quickly..."

The God of Death pursed his lips as he heard Deon's question. There was only one person who could pull off such a thing, the Goddess of Temptation. The Deity walked over to Deon and ruffled his Saint's hair.

There was no need for him to remember the past as 'Deon Hardt, the Traitor of Humanity' who now no longer existed in the records of time. Only 'Deon Hardt, the Variable' remained from the result of Raven's past actions.

"There's no need for you to remember the specific details of your past.. But yes, that's you."

"...Are you avoiding my question?"

"It's not like that, my child. Knowing this info would shock your soul too much if you keep remembering your past lives like that."

The God of Death wasn't particularly lying when he said that it'd bring shock to Deon's, or well, Cale's soul. Although the human's soul in front of him was strong and had an unpredictable destiny, it was also delicate, much like the person who owned that specific soul.

Knowing too much didn't always help, especially not with Record, which already affected Deon in many ways, both emotionally and physically. Knowing and experiencing his past as Deon, the traitor of humanity, would completely destroy him.

The Deity watched as his Saint in front of him came up with possible theories and conclusions before sighing.

"Then, one last question, what happened to the fate of this world?"

Both Deon and the God of Death gave a similar look to each other, like they both already knew the answer.

"The fate of this world has changed according to your will. You've changed it completely. Including the coding of this world."

"That's good."

It was the kind of answer that Deon wanted and expected to hear. Everything was going according to his plan, and his success was a good thing; all he had to worry about was Choi Hn and the rest.

But he already had a solution for that.

"By chance, is there an artifact that reduces the life span of someone?"

"The opposite of that jug you gave to that Golden Lizard...? There should be one somewhere in your world if you're doing what I think you're doing."

Deon gave a small, innocent smile that gave off anything but innocent. It was the most vicious smile the God of Death had ever seen on Deon.

The God of Death handed a paper over to Deon, who immediately took it; there was a map with a generic x-mark on it. It was like your usual map that contained vague yet enough information for him.

Deon could see the marking was near the border between the Ileon and the Empire. Just great, he might encounter that crazy ass prince again.

He tucked the map into his shirt pocket as he slowly regained his consciousness.

"Haah..."

Just talking to the God of Death was so tiring. Now, he had to find an artifact that is able to do the reverse of giving extra life to someone. It could slowly kill someone, specifically their soul and vitality.

Deon looked outside the temple. He realized it was already night; he was so done for. He made his way through the hallways as the remaining awake priests and guards respectfully greeted him.

And yes, not even one step out, he was attacked already. Just what was his luck?

Deon dodged the attack from someone's bare fist. Hold on, bare fist? This wasn't ending well for Deon at all. He knew only one person besides the people here who could break a part of the floor with his hands.

'Choi Han... You're taking action now, huh? Did Basen tell you to?'

Deon slid back as the robed man continued to walk closer to him. He stood up and pulled his hood down even farther. He didn't want to see that twisted bastard's face at all, not after what Choi Han put him through by suggesting all of those ideas.

"Cale-nim..."

"Cale-nim? Do I even know you? Besides, that isn't even my name. Don't you also know how rude it is to attack a noble like that? Do you want to face an execution?"

Deon looked down on Choi Han with a condescending look, as if everyone he saw before him was below him. He then scoffed and gave a snobbish smirk. It was like he was never Cale Henituse and was just some random noble.

Choi Han backed off a little after hearing Deon's snobbish behavior. His Cale-nim would not act like this at all.

"If you have nothing to say, then I'll get going. Though I do hope to never meet you but if we do, learn some etiquette. I hate people with no manners."

Deon walked away after his last comment and made his way back to the Hardt Estate. He suddenly felt like he'd get scolded by his older brother for coming home late, but it shouldn't be that bad... right?

***

'Magic is slowly regenerating...'

Caver sensed the magic flow around him; the Demon Corps' magic was gradually returning. It was a strange phenomenon. Originally, magic wasn't supposed to be able to regenerate.

That was what it was like for hundreds of years. So why is it now regenerating as if magic were natural? Didn't magic go against the laws of nature?

Now that he thought about it, after his dear Zeroth Corps Commander tried to resign from his position, everything began to change, whether or not Caver liked it.

"Do we still have a chance?"

Human, that's what many demons wanted to be treated like. Ordinary people, however, that was only possible in the Demon Realm. Even with the new collaboration, humans would continue and perhaps forever look at demons in a bad light.

It was also quite interesting how Deon didn't seem to be prejudiced or hateful towards other demons; he always kept a calm face, despite being scared out of his wits. Not even a face of disgust would be seen on the Zeroth Corps Commander's face.

"...What am I thinking of..."

Caver sighed before making his way back to his seat. It was useless from the beginning. His ending would be to eventually die in the hands of the Hero, and forever be seen as an evil being who tried to take over the world, not as Caver, no, never as Caver. It would be a miracle if a human even referred to or knew his name as Caver.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Caver sighed before making his way back to his seat. It was useless from the beginning. His ending would be to eventually die in the hands of the Hero, and forever be seen as an evil being who tried to take over the world, not as Caver, no, never as Caver. It would be a miracle if a human even referred to or knew his name as Caver.

***

'I can't believe it... They're going so far as to attack me now.. So much for trying to resurrect me.'

He had no choice but to act like a typical noble in front of Choi Han. Well, what choice did he even have? If he acted like he did know Choi Han or as trash, then his cover would be blown. It was safer to act like an arrogant noble; they would never expect him to be like that.

After all, fooling your enemies' senses and deterring them from their goal is what he was best at.

'I feel like a kid sneaking back into my room...'

Deon opened the door to his estate carefully, trying not to make a single sound slip out. When he succeeded, he breathed out a relieved sigh.

"And where were you?"

'Holy fuck..'

It was none other than Cruel, with a very reprimanding, but somehow still a gentle look on his face. Deon almost felt like screaming, but suppressed the urge to do so. He will never get used to people appearing

Deon turned around and faced Crue, who crossed his arms. He heard a sigh from Cruel, who placed Deon's cloak on the stairs.

"I won't pressure you to tell me what happened, but you had me concerned. You didn't come home for hours."

"..."

Is it something that serious?

Deon pondered it. He knew that he would get scolded for coming back late. That's what happened to me with his uncle, except, instead of a scolding, he had a bottle of alcohol thrown at his face.

Getting scolded was way better than alcohol bottles thrown at him; that was an obvious fact. Sometimes he's really glad that he reincarnated.

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine, it wasn't your fault. You should head to bed. It's not good for you if you don't get enough sleep."

Cruel stroked Deon's head. He knew what was going on through his baby's head but chose not to dwell on it. After all, it wasn't his baby brother's fault that he now acted like this. Slowly but surely, he'll heal Deon's wounds eventually, but for now, this was good enough.

He walked Deon to his room. An aura swept through the two of them as they walked to Deon's bedroom, as they did when they were children. Deon immediately fell asleep under the influence of the black fog while Cruel remained awake to catch the falling whitehead.

"The God of Death..?"

"..Sorry about that, I need to fix something."

Fix?

Obviously, it had something to do with Deon seeing how he immediately passed out while Cruel remained awake and unaffected by the black fog.

Perhaps it also worked in his favor as he could sense about six people in Deon's room. But who could have sent them? The Duke or the Second Prince?

He walked into the room, and immediately all six assassins jumped at him. Since Cruel possessed a Hero fragment, it was rather easy to apprehend each of the assassins. He didn't even need a weapon to knock them out; all Cruel had to do was hit their vital points, and they'd pass out.

"Remember."

"Yes, Sir Cruel."

Remember immediately appeared behind Cruel, who still had the sleeping Deon in his arms. Cruel pointed at the six assassins passed out on the ground and motioned for the butler to bring the assassins to the underground prison.

Cruel laid Deon in bed as Remember dragged the assassins out. He had no idea what a man like Remember was doing here as Deon's butler, but since he didn't cause him any harm, it was fine.

***

"Haah..."

Deon yawned as he sat up in his bed, perplexed. Hell, he doesn't even remember what conversation he had with the God of Death the moment he passed out. He did remember some bits and pieces of the conversation they had, but it was still too vague for him to understand.

What did the God of Death mean by world errors? All he remembered was that the God of Death apparently was able to get rid of the Hero fragment embedded in his and the Demon King's souls.

'Since when did I have a fever too?'

He touched his forehead and felt it burning. It was even worse than when he overused Record for an entire week. Well, at least he can still move. That was a good thing.

'...Huh, why do I feel hair...'

"Mama!"

"..."

He won't question it anymore; he must be dreaming. There was no way Hana was here, yeah, he was just dreaming. Who was he kidding? He could feel his nails digging into his flesh, which hurt a lot. Now to answer the bigger question, what was Hana doing here?

Deon looked at Hana, who somehow managed to sneak into his bed. Who even gave her the coordinates to his house? He was well aware that Hana was capable of using magic and teleporting, but he was pretty sure that he never gave her the coordinates to his house, not in the Human Realm at least.

"Hana, what are you doing here-"

"Why not?"

"..."

Alright, he won't ask anymore. His fault for asking.

Hana looked at her 'mother,' confused. Was she not supposed to be here? What's wrong with her being here? She missed him, so she should obviously visit!

Deon looked at Hana and lay back down in his bed. He resigned to his fate. He knew no matter how much he would convince her, she wouldn't budge even an inch.

'Is it just me or do her eyes look more yellow now...?'

He took a look at Hana's eyes. They were still red like his eyes, but there was now a yellow hue on the bottom of her iris. Which was strange; her eyes weren't like that before.

Deon continued to think of plausible theories as Hana looked around the unfamiliar place. It was her first time in the Human Realm, so it was no wonder that she kept looking around. It must've been her first time outside of the Demonic Realm.

Knock!

"My Lord! The... The Second Prince is here!"

"...What?"

Deon lay in place as he heard Dan's desperate pleas. The Second Prince had been pressuring him to bring Deon out to him for the past few minutes. What's worse was that Cruel was on an errand to discuss the timing and location of negotiations privately so that the Duke wouldn't find out about the specific details.

He opened the door and motioned for Dan to come in. He could feel the weird stare he got from Dan as he sat down on the bed while Hana lay beside him.

"A few minutes after Sir Cruel left, His Highness demanded that you come out."

"Ugh... Fu- I'm starting to get a headache..."

Oops.

He almost forgot Hana was here.

Seriously, he really needs to learn how to censor his mouth around children. The number of times he's almost or cursed in front of children is almost baffling.

Deon turned to Dan, who was calming down after he was able to get away from the insane Prince. He patted the boy's head out of instinct and thanked him.

"You did a good job keeping him out."

"T-thank you!"

And that was how the infamous Third Hero of the Empire, and Zeroth Corps Commander, adopted another child. Unbeknownst to the fact that he had practically already adopted half of the Demonic Realm, or more specifically, the Corps Commanders, despite being younger than all of them.

"Is Remember handling the Second Prince right now?"

"That's right, Mister Remember is dealing with the Second Prince."

Deon looked at the door, and immediately, he went over there and locked the door. He knew for a fact that the Second Prince would obviously force his way through to get to him.

After he locked the door, Deon went over to the balcony and unlocked the door before opening it, for emergency measures. He remembered last time when he wasn't prepared enough when the Second Prince came to 'visit' him; he struggled unlocking the window, but eventually, he escaped through the window.

Knock!

Deon tensed himself as he stood in front of the balcony door. He was even thinking of turning to religion just to pray that it wasn't the Second Prince in front of his door.

"My Lord?"

Luckily for him, it was Remember at the door instead of the Second Prince. Deon let out the biggest sigh of relief as he went to open the door for Remember.

"Remember, did you deal with the Second Prince yet?"

"I have successfully convinced the Second Prince to turn back My Lord."

"Oh.. Thank goodness he's gone."

Remember left shortly after he delivered the news to Deon. Dan shortly followed after. Now, it was just him and Hana left in the room.

"It's a butterfly!"

"Wait- Hana, don't touch that."

Deon lifted Hana up and away from the Death Butterfly that appeared on his nightstand. He knew that the butterfly would most likely not hurt Hana, but he was just being paranoid. You never know when an accident might happen if you're too lax. And of course, he didn't lift Hana up with just his strength; he had to use the Super Rock again to do so.

He could feel a gloomy atmosphere emitting from the Death Butterfly as he placed Hana back down on the bed. Deon almost felt bad for the butterfly, but he was just being cautious. Guess he'll have to make it up to them somehow.

"...The leader of the Revolutionary Army is dead. There's a new leader, though!"

"A new leader, who is it?"

"From what I remember, one had black hair and eyes and another had gold hair and eyes."

'Fuck.'

This was certainly bad. Deon knew that Daniel was bound to die anyway, but to be replaced by Choi Han and Eruhaben was even worse. It wouldn't be as bad if a new person who was never introduced in the story replaced Daniel, but with Choi Han and Eruhaben as the new leaders, things won't end well.

This also meant that the Duke had a higher chance of allying with the two. First, the Duke needed him dead for a deal with the Demon King, and now, Eruhaben and Choi Han also need his physical body to die to bring his soul back to the Roan Kingdom.

"Damn it..."

"Mama, are you okay?"

Hana hugged Deon in an attempt to comfort him. She always observed how her 'mother' always got into trouble with the golden lizard and the black-haired man. Which was why she always stuck to her mother's bright soul; she was not letting those guys take her mama away from her!

"..Yes, I'm fine. Something just happened."

"But you don't look okay..."

Well, Deon couldn't refute that; he just went through a mini breakdown right in front of her. But this was something that children do not need to concern themselves with; this was his problem and his issue that he'll resolve on his own.

But other than that, he was fine, really he was fine. The God of Death managed to remove the Hero fragment, although he forgot how the God did it. But it was fine, right? The cracks on his skin were also gone, as well. He was practically back to his old self.

Crash!

The windows to his room were broken as two assassins broke into his room. Judging by how silent and the bloodlust he could feel, these two were elite assassins. Obviously, they were sent by the Revolutionary Army, which meant that Eruhaben and Choi Han had sent them towards him.

He only knew this because the assassins wore the same clothes and had the exact same moves as the assassins who attacked him at the hunting competition.

"Hana, I want you to observe me as I use my ancient powers. I don't really know how the magic you possess works, but I can teach you how to maximize the efficiency of it at least."

Deon wasn't sure if he would always be by Hana's side since he would now frequent between the two realms more than before, along with the fact that Choi Han and Eruhaben were now a part of the Revolutionary Army. So the most he could do was help Hana in some way use her magic efficiently.

He materialized the Indestructible Shield as soon as the assassin aimed for both him and Hana. He pushed the shield forward and flung both of the assassins far enough so they wouldn't harm Hana.

A rock spear then appeared from the ground as an assassin attacked him from the back. Of course, during those few seconds of being free, Deon made sure to order the Death Butterflies to keep Hana safe.

***

"These guys were persistent..."

Deon wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He overused his ancient powers a bit, but it was fine. He wasn't coughing up blood, at least. Sometimes, he was glad that this world had a large number of demons living. His ancient powers were stronger than ever, and he could also protect himself from other people, specifically, Choi Han and Eruhaben.

He looked at Hana, who was still standing there in place, and wondered if he shouldn't have taught her that. Those thoughts quickly went away when Hana ran up to him and hugged his leg.

"It's like magic even though it's not!"

Hana, who observed the whole fight, was amazed. These powers were so cool and powerful! She also felt a stronger urge to do the same thing while she watched the fight. She wanted to be cool like her 'mother' as well!

She definitely learned a lot and got even stronger from just observing her mother engage in a fight.

Chapter Text

There will be character spoilers for the sequel of INTKOT: The Immortals Guardian Spirit !!!

Previously...

She definitely has learned a lot and got even stronger from just observing her mother engage in a fight.

***

"Mama, what's that?"

"That's a candy apple, it's an apple covered in sweet syrup."

"I want to try it!"

Hana pointed to the candy apple stall as Deon walked over to grab a stick for Hana. He was currently disguised; instead of white hair, it was now black. His eyes, which were originally red, were now disguised as brown. He would have done reddish brown like Kim Rok Soo and Cale's eyes, but that was too risky.

The two walked around the city, free of watchful eyes and assassins after them.

While in the city, Deon would buy whatever it was that Hana looked at or even show interest for a split second. He was so focused on wasting money (from the Emperor) that he didn't even notice someone tailing him.

Ring!

Deon opened the door to a jewelry store. He realized he never specifically bought Hana anything, so he took his time to bring Hana out to buy things for her.

"Oh, welcome, miss. Are you here to buy jewelry for you and your child?"

Miss...?

"Just for her."

"I see. Please wait."

The worker left and returned a few minutes later with a few boxes with a variety of jewelry, from bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings. The gems varied from topaz, rubies, and lastly diamonds and pearls; and the designs were tailored to be fit for children rather than adults.

Deon picked up a cup of sweet tea as Hana looked at the jewelry in amazement.

"Are these for me?"

"If you want all of them, I'll get all of them for you. I'm rich."

Man, it felt good saying that. When was the last time he used this much money and was actually rich? After that incident, most of his belongings and money were taken away as a means of 'punishment', and then came his freedom being whisked away.

Deon looked at Hana, who showed him each of the jewelry pieces she was wearing. First were the ruby earrings; they were small and looked like the ring he wore to hide the cracks on his body. He was still wearing it, but it no longer had an effect on him as the issue was now resolved.

"What about these?"

"Hmm... Let's just get them all."

Deon picked up the catalog where each of the pieces of jewelry was labeled. He checked off each of the items that Hana wore and picked up before handing them to a worker who had just entered the room.

It was the best when you could spend as much money as you wanted to without limits; it was a dream lifestyle. He picked up the boxes of jewelry and placed them in a bag before heading towards the café for a break.

"What do you want on this menu?"

"..I want this one!"

Hana looked through the menu before pointing at a strawberry cake. Deon then called over a waitress and ordered the food that Hana wanted. So far, his day was going well. No one tried to kidnap him, kill him, or even be a creep in general like the Second Prince.

Of course, Deon had jinxed that once again.

***

"Death, aren't you gonna tell him what happened? He doesn't remember a single thing that happened between your guy's conversation."

"I...I can't.."

The God of Death knew he messed up, but he couldn't afford to tell that to Deon! Sure, he was the one who originally made him reincarnate and transmigrate several times, but Deon, no, Kim Rok Soo only read the novel, not the sequel.

There was no way he could tell him about that! He's not telling Deon about how he had five kids! Keyword, had. The moment he reset the entire world and the errors, the World Errors that were born after the Mythical Era also disappeared. Resetting the world was one thing, but resetting the errors within the code and adjusting them to however you see fit was another thing.

But... He never expected them to be reborn, again, and just right at the moment he removed Deon's Hero fragment and severed the bond of life between him and the Demon King.

Now, he was forced to look after Raven, or well, Deon, but now he was genuinely scared of Deon dying. If Deon dies, not only would Deon cease to exist due to being a variable and a possible error, then his soul would shatter, rendering it impossible for either Deon, Cale Henituse, or Kim Rok Soo to exist.

"..Are you referring to this kid being the result of taking the Hero fragment out?"

Angelina held up a kid who had a striking resemblance to Deon. He had white hair, and his sclera was black while his eyes were red. Did she forget to mention that the kid was very grumpy for no reason? Well, now she did. The kid in her hands was very grumpy and gloomy, like he didn't want to be here.

While the boy did have the potential to become a God, it was nigh impossible due to the strict construct of the system. It was only possible to become one if you either were a single lifer or, two, you gained enough worship to the point you ascended to Godhood.

So far, only one person has been able to almost do that recently. It was Cale Henituse, now Deon Hardt; only he so far had the qualities to ascend to Godhood. With his popularity reaching even the Divine Realm, he was bound to become a God eventually. That was, until that happened to him and a forced reincarnation ensued.

"...Deceiver, do you want to meet your parents?"

"Yes!"

The God of Death sweatdropped at the immediate answer. This kid really hasn't changed ever since. Perhaps he still has his memories, but that would be impossible since he reset the entire code for this world, right?! There's no way he'd make a mistake in that. He was sure that along with resetting the world, the World Errors would cease to exist as well.

While he had no idea where the other three were or if they even existed yet, he did know that Deception and Observer existed. He just didn't know where Observer was except that she wandered off somewhere before the fragment was removed.

Truth be told, it happened when he was trying to resolve the conflict between Deon's soul being in between the two worlds. He tampered with the Hero fragment for a bit. He was trying to find a way to remove the Hero fragment without it causing harm to Deon, since that child didn't like any pain.

"Do we even know who the dad is?"

"...Well, if you take a look at his sclera..."

"..The... The Demon King?!"

Angelina looked back at Deceiver before letting him go. Now that she took a closer look at the child, she realized that while Deceiver had the same iris color as Deon, which was red, he and the Demon King shared the same colored sclera, black.

The God of Death looked away from Angelina. Of course, she wouldn't know about the World Errors. He exerted a lot of power in order to reset the entire world and coding, which would cause even Deceiver and the others to be erased from records. It was Raven's last wish before he went on a journey to reincarnation without memories of his past.

"Now, should we get started? Follow me, Deceiver."

Deceiver followed the God of Death, who led him to what seemed to be a magic circle. The Deity motioned him to stand in the middle. The circle immediately glowed up, feeling the presence of Deceiver standing in the middle.

"And with this, they'll be reunited now, I guess."

Let's hope he can find Observer before she sets off somewhere on her own, wandering between the worlds again.

***

"You got something on your face."

Deon wiped the icing from the cake off of the side of Hana's mouth while she continued eating her delicacies. He ignored the people staring at him as he drank his tea, and yes, he ordered Golden Lily tea. He also ignored the weird gazes from both noblemen and women who stared at him like he was a joke. They were probably being overdramatic again.

But he had no idea some of the older nobles only stared at him because he looked like the Late Countess Hardt, his mother. They had thought for a split second that the Countess Hardt had returned somehow.

'Maybe black wasn't the best choice...'

Deon lamented over his choice of dyeing his hair black and eyes brown. Maybe it wasn't the best choice now that people were staring at him profusely. He probably should have dyed his hair brown instead of black or red, but that's too obvious for Eruhaben and Choi Han.

He pulled his hood over just enough so that it'd cover his hair on the bottom. It wasn't like black hair was impossible to get; a few noble houses had black hair. The House of Hardt was just the most renowned family that had black hair, but the feature that stood out the most was their green eyes... Though pitch black was also near impossible, only the Hardt family had it.

Green eyes that shone like emeralds and were almost impossible to possess unless you were an elf or demon, as well as black hair that only demons and vampires had. It was a weird occurrence for the nobility to meet such a family with these distinct features.

"..It's getting late."

"Are we going home?"

"Yes."

Deon smiled softly at Hana and fixed the bow in her hair, unaware of the fact that he was being watched, at least from a whole different planet.

While in the Roan Kingdom, On looked at the cintamani. Her eyes were full of jealousy. How come that girl was able to feel Cale's affection? She should be the one right next to her guardian. It was unfair that he lost his memories and moved on so quickly.

"That's supposed to be my father."

"Noona..."

Hong looked at On, who continued looking at the cintamani left behind by Cale. After he died, the cintamani began to glow and that was when she saw the scene of Cale with a mysterious girl who was about Raon's age.

It wasn't fair for them, while they couldn't even be in their father's embrace, some girl they didn't even know about was able to snatch their father's attention away from them.

A brilliant idea was then struck into the bright On's head: what if they made him remember it while erasing his bad memories?

He always sacrificed himself for them, so sacrificing himself a bit more wouldn't hurt him, right?

"Our youngest and Eruhaben will bring him back, right?"

"That's right, Hong. We'll be a family again."

On patted her younger brother on the back and looked back at the Cintamani one last time to look at Cale again before putting the orb away. They'll soon be reunited, so she should wait a little longer. She's a big girl now; she can wait.

However, she had no idea that this waiting for Cale Henituse to come back would never happen. Cale Henituse is dead and will stay dead. Resurrecting death was ultimately impossible unless you were a God who oversaw death and life itself.

But, would they ever know? The short answer would be no, they were too blinded by mourning and insanity that they would do anything for Cale Henituse.

What they were doing was just eventually killing him; there was no physical body he could come back to. In the end, he would come back as a spirit and be unable to communicate with them unless a Spiritualist existed there, but sadly, none did.

To be specific, an Elementalist could technically communicate with spirits, but the spirits they communicated with were elementals; spirits made of nature and were a part of it themselves. A Spiritualist could contact the dead or those whose souls lingered around; they were directly linked to death in a way. They would help the spirits ascend through death themselves; that was what a Spiritualist did.

However, Spiritualists went extinct hundreds of years ago. There was absolutely no way to find a Spiritualist.

But wasn't that why the Hunters targeted them? Why take the hassle to destroy the world when they could just make the Heroes destroy it themselves?

***

'Why did she want to come here?'

Deon stared at Hana, who wanted to go near the border between the Human Realm and Demonic Realm. Perhaps she just missed her home? After all, she came from the Demonic Realm, right?

He walked behind Hana, who guided him to a certain spot that was just between the Demonic Realm and the Human Realm.

'Wow, this place looks like something the elves and fairies would live in.'

The trees although were a darker color than usual due to the demonic energy that lingered around the area, the leaves on it were like the Man-Eating Tree after he fed it enough bread to eat. It was quite a mesmerizing sight for Deon, who had never traveled beyond the Empire besides the Demonic Realm.

Rustle!

"Who-"

"Dad!"

A child with white hair threw himself into Deon's arms, who fell onto the ground. Deon stared at the kid with a baffled face. Seriously, another kid calling him their parent? Why do kids like to claim him as their parent so much?

Hana looked at the kid in front of her. She knew who it was. Why wouldn't she? That kid was the World Error of Deception, and her brother, Deceiver. They traveled between worlds together along with three of their other siblings, Creation, Chaos, and Balance.

Together they caused chaos and deception in worlds and created new things while adding balance to them. Until he left one day, following their reincarnated father. But then, slowly after about a hundred or so years, they all started disappearing one by one, like someone was fixing the errors.

Deceiver looked up at Deon with teary eyes while Deon was still confused and hugged his dad even tighter. He was finally back with his dad!

"D-dad?!"

'No wait- this kid... Why does he look exactly like me?!'

Deon looked at Deceiver in astonishment. He doesn't remember having an actual kid, so why does this kid look exactly like him?! Not to mention the kid's sclera was black, like the Demon King's, or maybe he just held a similarity?

Deceiver looked past Deon and at Hana before opening his mouth.

"Observer?"

Hana, who now had a fully yellow iris as well as a black sclera, looked back at Deceiver and then back at Deon, who had no idea what was going on.

When she found out that she landed back in the Mythical Era, she didn't know what to do. That's when she remembered what Deceiver said about their supposed father. She then went around the Demonic Realm, and that was when she bumped into Deon. When she saw Deon, she immediately knew this man was her father, the one whom Deceiver kept talking about.

What Deceiver said about their father was true; his soul was indeed bright and thriving. She then decided that she'd stay with her father. Her choice then led to her meeting her other father, the Demon King.

It was weird meeting both of them since she and her other siblings had never met their fathers. But now, it might've been worth it to be regressed back in time to when her father was alive.

Chapter Text

Previously...

It was weird meeting both of them since she and her other siblings had never met their fathers. But now, it might've been worth it to be regressed back in time to when her father was alive.

***

'God of Death... Do you have something to say?'

"..."

Deon received no answer after calling the God of Death. As expected, the God of Death refused to disclose any information about him once again. Anything that had to do with his past was not disclosed.

He looked at 'Hana', or well, Observer, then at Deceiver. Hana was now calm and quiet and unlike how she used to be, outgoing and energetic.

Wait, but this meant that Hana wasn't a vampire due to her sclera being black.

Moving on from that spectacle, what does this kid mean that he's his dad? Hana and this kid knew each other? Usually, he would say he knew what was happening, but this time he genuinely had no idea what was going on. The only thing he picked up was that he was apparently this kid's dad.

"Deceiver, you're here too..."

Deceiver, Observer, who named you guys...

Deon looked at his supposed biological children, Hana, who was now quiet, and Deceiver, who was still hugging him. He completely ignored the fact that the two called him their father. Sometimes, it was best to stay blissfully unaware about some things.

"...Calm down.."

He patted Deceiver's head, who sniffled. Hana felt like rolling her eyes at the scheming Deceiver. While Deceiver did miss and cherish their father, he did not act like this; he was cunning and pitiful, but cruel as the Demon King.

After some time, Deceiver eventually 'calmed down' and Deon could see the boy's features more clearly. Deceiver was a carbon copy of him, from their hair, eyes, and facial features. Deceiver was a perfect copy of Deon, minus the sclera, while Hana represented the Demon King more.

No, he's just overthinking things. These guys couldn't be the Demon King's kids at all. Since when did he even have kids? Yeah, he was just overthinking things...

"Do you want to go home now?"

He turned to the two siblings, who nodded in response, but just as Deon was about to get up, Hana channeled her magic and teleported them out of the forest. Perhaps it was the best decision, as both Deceiver and Hana could feel a presence lurking in the back; it was only because they could sense magic.

They could feel someone far away using magic to remain hidden. It was either that the person who was doing so was rather immature and didn't know how to conceal their magic, or it was someone purposefully using magic on purpose.

Whirr!

Deon landed on his bed with Deceiver landing right on the side of him. He sat up, took off his cloak, and laid it on the nightstand.

"Tomorrow I have to head to the Demonic Realm, damn it... Whatever, it's better than being here."

Both Deceiver and Hana listened to Deon talking to himself while he wrote something unreadable down and burnt it. They then saw Deon write on another piece of paper before a Death Butterfly landed on his side and took the note.

'It's a butterfly now?'

Deceiver stared at what was supposed to be a raven that was now a butterfly, flying away with a note in its arms. He watched as his father walked to the door of the room and ordered another servant who was walking past not to disturb him in the morning.

"Hooh... Now that that's over with, I'm gonna go sleep."

Deon walked over to the bed that was once empty, now occupied by children whispering to each other. He lay on the side of the two of them who were in the middle and draped a blanket over them.

It has been some time since he's taken care of children: approximately four years or so. He hummed a lullaby his mother used to sing to him and his older brother. The two looked at each other before looking at Deon, who was already sound asleep.

***

"Haah..."

'They're gone?'

Deon looked beside his bed and didn't see either Deceiver or Hana beside him, and felt a moment of panic. He checked next to the bedside and saw a note lying on top of the table. He picked up the note and read it.

—We're going back to the Demonic Realm. Deceiver wanted to meet Father.

'Father? Who is their father?'

He looked at the note and felt like something bad was about to happen. Hopefully, nothing crazy will happen over there with Hana and Deceiver.

Over on Hana's side, she reverted her eyes back to yellow and changed her sclera back to white, with Deceiver following in the same actions.

"Ed, can we visit the Demon King?"

"Of course."

Ed didn't notice the change in Hana's eyes as he guided her and Deceiver to the Demon King, though he did have questions about Deceiver. He was advised by both the Demon King and Deon not to delve too much into Hana.

Once they made it to Caver's office, Ed knocked on the door thrice before he heard the Demon King's voice telling him to come in.

"Oh, Hana, you're here. You weren't in your, ahem- 'mama's' room for so long I almost thought you ran away."

Caver, of course, made sure to point out how Hana called Deon her mother. Well, today he was going to be in for a surprise from both Hana and Deceiver. Who would ever think your 'subordinate's' daughter would call you their father?

Ed quickly left after Hana and Deceiver went inside the room.

"So what brings you here today?"

"Father... can we go on a walk in the garden?"

"Kugh-"

Caver choked on the tea he picked up. He didn't expect Hana to call him by such a title. He looked at Hana, who now had golden eyes, and then looked towards Deceiver, who was a carbon copy of Deon.

When did Deon pick up another kid, again?

He put away the finished documents on a separate section of his table before he opened his mouth.

"Yeah... Go ahead.. You're under Arut's care, so you have free will to go anywhere."

"Thank you, Father."

"..."

Hana waved to her father and took Deceiver's hand, and walked out the door, leaving the bewildered Demon King sitting at his desk. He thought maybe it was just a phase the young child was going through and brushed it off. Surely, they wouldn't call him that again.

While with Hana, Deceiver looked around the castle, it was different from the ruined and abandoned Demon King Castle he had seen. It was lively; demons were walking back and forth, and it was spotless, unlike the dusty and destroyed palace he saw, and unlike the original timeline. Both of his fathers were still alive, and no reincarnation had happened yet.

There was no Raven, no Five Disciples; mostly everyone was alive, and no one was dead. It was so different from the world he was used to.

***

"Remember, we're going out. Don't let the Lofty Knights follow me."

"Yes, My Lord."

Remember took out a small vial of liquid. It was a drug that knocked someone out immediately. Deon looked at the vial and shuddered; he was glad he was not the Lofty Knights. Well, he's their leader, but it's different!

Deon and Cruel left the mansion and walked past the gate until they made it to the forest.

While assassins from the Revolutionary Army attacked them, Cruel killed them off while escorts from the Emperor killed the rest that were at the entrance. No one could know where he and Deon were going, not even the knights escorting them.

"I'll see you back at the negotiations."

"See you later, Hyung-nim."

Deon waved farewell before he crossed the border. He crossed the cliff where he would usually dump the mixtures made by the physician from the Emperor's palace. A few minutes later, he made it to the Demon King's castle. Multiple servants lined up to greet him as he went inside the castle.

"Welcome, Sir Arut!"

"Ed, where's the Demon King?"

"His Majesty is in his office."

"I see."

Deon took off his hood and walked up the stairs. The servants quickly made way for him to walk in the hallways. A much more positive reaction than the Empire's, that's for sure. Some even talked badly about him right in his face.

It wasn't that he cared; he really didn't care if anyone talked badly about him. It was just that it was right in front of him. If you were gonna talk smack about him, do it somewhere else where he can't hear it.

"Arut, you're here."

"I've returned."

"That's great. I need to talk to you for a minute."

Caver led Deon out of the castle and into the garden. He recently had replaced them with flowers from the Human Realm for Deon.

"So, how do you think we should approach those people?"

"..We could either go after their main source, the Duke Illuster, or two, lure them in with something they desire. We could also-"

Deon stopped midway in his sentence at the scene he was looking at before he started talking again.

"But before that, I believe we need to root out some bugs here."

"I guess you are right about that. It's been some time since I've cleaned my castle."

"Y-Your Majesty?!"

Caver lifted up the demon in front of them with one hand while Deon approached Hana and Deceiver. Deon knelt down to the crying Deceiver and Hana, who was trying to comfort him. He then tried to comfort the boy by pulling him into a hug, and it worked, albeit a bit too well.

Deceiver, who had his head resting on Deon's shoulder, stuck his tongue out at the demon who was insulting his father, he recalled when he and Observer, no, Hana, walked in the garden. That was when they heard a demon talking badly about the Zeroth Corps Commander, how he was just a human, and what the point of the Demon King showing special interest in him was.

"Deceiver?"

Deceiver looked at his father, who had just called him. What was once black hair and grey eyes that turned to green were now back to white and red, just like him. He then looked at his other father, black scleras like his.

Deon wiped the tears off Deceiver's eyes, which were now identical to the Demon King's. Maybe it was because he had some strange fixation on leaving children alone even if they did something wrong, but he decided not to point out that Deceiver was acting.

How did he know? It was obvious that, although Deceiver looked like he was pushed onto the ground, he had no dirt marks on his clothes, nor did he have any signs or bruises from the fall. But nonetheless, if that demon did do something, then so be it; he'll play along with this child's antics.

"I guess some people still undermine my authority here."

"That's sad news. I made sure that everyone knew that you're my most prized person."

Caver narrowed his eyes at the demon who insulted Deon; insulting the Zeroth Corps Commander was like insulting the Demon King himself. A commander treasured by the Demon King and Corps Commanders, he was also the second strongest person despite facing setbacks.

He was second behind the Demon King in terms of power and position. It could even be considered blasphemy to insult him; that was how loved the Zeroth Corps Commander was.

But would he ever know about that? Perhaps not. Deon Hardt was an individual who paid no attention to himself; his self-esteem was so low that not even he would notice that he, too, was insulting himself.

At least, that's what Caver knew anyway.

"Okay, back onto our conversation-"

"Father!"

Deceiver ran up to Caver and hugged him by the leg. Deon watched this and felt his heart drop. The so-called father they were talking about was the Demon King. No, why were they even calling the Demon King their father?

The demons nearby decided to walk away from the source of conflict. They felt as if they stayed for any longer, the Demon King would mercilessly kill them all.

"What do you mean by father?"

Deon stood up and walked over to Deceiver, who was still hugging Caver's leg. Both Deon and Caver were utterly confused by Deceiver's remark. When did they have a kid together?

Besides, wasn't it impossible for that to happen? They haven't known each other for that long to get that intimate.. In the first place, they have never been intimate anyway.

"How about a blood test?"

Hana spoke up. Of course, most of this was a ploy set by the two so that neither of their parents would die. But they had forgotten that both of their parents were completely unaware of their existence. They knew why, of course; they were only born right after both of their parents had died.

It was no wonder that they were both confused and skeptical; after all, they were the ones who started clinging to them first.

Both Hana and Deceiver watched as their parents made eye contact as if they were communicating with just their eyes, hesitant on whether or not they should really go with what she said.

"...Okay."

"..Then... It's decided, let's go."

Caver hesitated for a bit before teleporting them all into his office. He immediately took out two cups that were already filled with water and laid them on the table.

"Arut, give me your hand."

Deon obediently laid his palm out for Caver to get a drop of his blood. Caver made sure to not exert too much force since human flesh was ultimately weaker than demons.

"If the water turns gold, they're related. If it turns red, they aren't."

Hana and Deceiver watched as the two dropped their blood into the two cups. They felt like they were watching a blood vow usually used in weddings in this particular world they traveled in. Well, technically, it did count as one since they were making sure that neither the Demon King nor Deon could die.

"Is it my turn now?"

"Well, you don't have to do it but-"

"I wanna do it!"

Deceiver pricked his finger and dropped his blood in the two cups. He already knew what the outcome was going to be, which was gold. There was no way he would get it wrong; he knows what his parents look like.

"Ah... It really turned gold.."

"We.. actually have kids?!"

Usually, Deon would stay calm in these situations. But right now, he felt like falling to his knees. If Hana and Deceiver were siblings and Deceiver was his kid, then that meant that he had two kids. Two kids with the Demon King, the one person he was trying to run away from so badly!

Caver stared at the cup that was now replaced with golden-hued water. It was something he had never expected to use, and neither did he expect it to be used on himself. He was a Demon King, a species completely separate from demons, unlike the other species. How could he dare to think of having children?

Chapter Text

Previously...

Caver stared at the cup that was now replaced with golden-hued water. It was something he had never expected to use, and neither did he expect it to be used on himself. He was a Demon King, a species completely separate from demons, unlike the other species. How could he dare to think of having children?

***

While the two thought that they could conceal the fact that they miraculously had two children somehow, word had already spread throughout the Demonic Realm of the spectacle. It was due to the demons who still remained in the garden, yet far enough not to be in the Demon King's vicinity.

Now, if Cruel had come back to such news, he might've fainted already and perhaps even used his title as the Fourth Hero to use.

"How did this even happen?"

"I'm not sure myself..."

Deon and Caver sighed at the same time.

The albino man looked at Deceiver, who suddenly flinched and clung to Deon before asking quite a surprising question.

"You won't dye your hair black permanently, right?"

"..No? Why would I...?"

Deon could see Deceiver brightening up the moment he answered back. Why was he so happy that he said no? Maybe it was just a child's instinct in wanting to match with their parent, right? Surely it couldn't be for another reason.

Well, he'd be right to a certain degree. However, matching wouldn't be quite the correct term for it. Perhaps the refusal for him to be 'stained' would be a more correct term for Deon's analogy about what the Deceiver wanted.

"Never have I ever thought that I would be teaming up with humans."

Who would even think that demons and humans would band together all because of a new entity that not even the Demon King knew about?

Tomorrow would be the day and first time that the negotiations between the Demonic Realm and Human Realm started, and Deon's debut as the Zeroth Corps Commander would be known to the world. The whole Demonic Realm and Human Realm would uncover that the hidden Zeroth Corps Commander was the Third Hero of the Empire this entire time.

A new future for the once doomed world, a new disaster forthcoming, and a new rising figure will all show in due time. It would be a history that not even Hana and Deceiver knew about, a future where Deon Hardt and perhaps even the Demon King would be alive.

***

"So this is the Empire. It's quite lively."

"If you ignore how loud and crowded it is, the Empire isn't as bad."

"Ah, really? I thought you liked living at my place more, Arut."

Caver and Deon walked towards the gate of the Imperial Palace. They could see the guards immediately tensing up. Who would expect a Demon King to appear in front of the gates? Moreover, demons couldn't trespass into the Human Realm.

The only way to do so was if the demon was in a contract or made a deal with a human, which the Demon King just so happened to have done.

Deon could hear the whispering among the servants and aristocrats gathered around in the Imperial Palace. It was no wonder; this was the second time they had seen the Demon King, as well as the first time seeing him in person.

'He really gives off such a mysterious and cold vibe..'

Seriously, it kind of sucked to have favorite characters that were pretty much antagonists or villains in the story. Well, he only liked most of the characters in novels he read for their appearance anyway. No, he definitely wasn't fixated on appearances at all, definitely not.

If we ignored how he kept complimenting people's looks, then yes, he wasn't. But unfortunately, there was too much evidence of that.

"That's the Demon King, right? Who's that next to him then?"

"He's only bringing one person to accompany him like His Majesty did with bringing Sir Cruel..."

"Wouldn't it be Count now? I heard the 'true' Count Hardt had died mysteriously, and he took back his position as the true heir."

'That guy died? How, though?'

How, when, and why did the 'true' Count Hardt die? Deon didn't care as much, but the Count never died in the novel. He knew the course of this timeline would go astray, but it was mostly major events.

The Count was just a minor character that would eventually be forgotten. He was not important; he held no value nor any relevance in the story. In short? He was just some hideous Count who overtook the Hardt title and eventually got used.

'Bait is complete.'

Deon smiled. Of course, the bait would be him. His debut as the Zeroth Corps Commander will be broadcast as the Duke, Choi Han, and Eruhaben see it.

He wasn't sure if Raon was here since he could barely sense magic thanks to being a Saint, so if someone with high levels of magic did conceal themselves, then he would be unaware of it. Well, luckily for him, Raon was indeed here, though he wouldn't be aware of that until it was too late.

Now that the Duke, Choi Han, and Eruhaben were most likely teaming up, he would have to be extra careful in what he did and where he went. One wrong move and he might even end up dead according to their plan. Hopefully, nothing will happen in the near future that would put his life at risk.

***

"Wow, you're kind of crazy."

"You must be the original Cale, right?"

A gun was further pointed at Kim Rok Soo's neck as he stood still. Seriously, he was just here to find Lee Soo Hyuk! Why was a gun being pointed at him?

Clang!

Kim Rok Soo threw a sword at Alberu and quickly ran away. Black shadows appeared under the Korean's feet, and soon after, he dispersed into black smoke. Well, even if Alberu shot him, he wouldn't be able to die. Kim Rok Soo had already died, and now he was just under the God of Death's protection that would prevent him from going to the afterlife along with his mother.

The time on his body was regressed and then stopped. Ultimately, even if his head was chopped off, he wouldn't die. That sounded pretty familiar, but who else could also do that?

Moving on from that, these guys were crazy, absolutely crazy. No wonder Cale didn't want to go back to them. He had to admit, though, they did indeed have a lot of persistence. How have they managed to turn the Roan Kingdom into an Empire and branch out their authority throughout the continent? Well, except for the Molden Kingdom, Endable Kingdom, and Eastern continent, of course.

"Everyone here has gone nuts and not even the civilians know of it.."

That's right, in order to keep Cale locked up, they said that the Supreme Commander would not appear in public under the pretext of resting. That, of course, was a lie, but to the public, it was the truth, especially with the fact that the last image they had seen of Cale Henituse was him bleeding too much.

After teleporting, Kim Rok Soo ran around the entire Eastern Continent, trying to find Lee Soo Hyuk, or at least Choi Jung Soo, if he was there. But alas, Lee Soo Hyuk now had a different appearance, finding him would be a little harder. However, since Lee Soo Hyuk was a reincarnator, his soul would look vastly different from others, which was a good thing.

"Ah, there you are.. Why are you in such a crowded place?"

"Of course, it's so that I wouldn't get noticed by my dongsaeng's crazy family. Ah, call me Sui Khan by the way."

Kim Rok Soo looked at the child in front of him, a child with white hair and red eyes with black hawk wings behind him. That was who Lee Soo Hyuk reincarnated as, Sui Khan, a member of the hawk tribe.

The moment Sui Khan fully reincarnated with all of his memories, the God of Death had to inform him of the news of Cale. He didn't even get to see his dear little brothers' new lives, both Choi Jung Soo and Cale Henituse, who had disappeared almost immediately from his eyes.

If you think about it, Sui Khan was quite the pitiful one in this situation, losing both of his dongsaengs in the blink of an eye from a group of people who claimed to be his so-called family. It wasn't even funny at this point. He tried so hard for his dongsaeng to survive, just for them to kill him off.

"Do you have the items?"

"Yeah, I have all of the Divine items that Cale collected, including anything that was his."

Sui Khan handed over a rather large spatial bag to the Korean. Kim Rok Soo opened the bag and immediately, tons of gems and gold, magic weapons, and Divine items spilled out of the bag. If the 'family' had noticed that Cale's stuff was missing, they would have gone ballistic. It was such a shame that Sui Khan specialized in stealth and fear.

Kim Rok Soo hovered his hand over the items spilled on the table, and immediately, the items disappeared. Basically, this skill transported things directly to the God of Death; however, there was a catch. The owner had to be dead; that was the only way you could send it to the God of Death. Technically, Cale Henituse was dead; his soul may be alive in another body in another world, but his physical body here was deceased.

"When will I meet my dongsaeng?"

"Soon, I think the God of Death will probably send me here again to get you."

Kim Rok Soo replied back in a questioning tone. He didn't know how the God of Death would send Sui Khan to where Cale was currently residing with a new identity. There may be quite a large issue going on over there, but that man named Cruel Hardt should be able to protect Cale, no, Deon, without a doubt.

If he was able to break out of the Goddess of Temptation's mind tricks with just sheer will, then he was definitely strong enough to protect Deon. And since he was one of the God of Death's Saints, he was more advantageous in most fights he had since he could control Death Butterflies along with Deon.

'Well, everything should be fine.'

Everything should be fine now, right? Let's hope he didn't just jinx that.

***

"Welcome to my Empire, Demon King."

"Oh no, thank you for inviting me here."

Caver and Eduardo shook hands as Deon and Cruel stood behind the two sovereigns. The crystal rested on top of the table as everyone in the Empire watched the broadcast. They looked at the Demon King, who resembled a human except with black scleras, before looking at the hooded man next to him, who seemed quite familiar.

The two sat across from each other as they had when they did negotiations last time, except that they were now working on the negotiations seriously. Everything went according to plan for Deon, who stood behind the Demon King with his hood on.

He wanted a way for the Demonic Realm and Human Realm to band together and defeat Choi Han and Eruhaben since he didn't feel like doing it himself. However, he only thought of this when the Emperor approached him during the hunting competition a while back.

If Kim Rok Soo were here, he might've called Deon a hypocrite despite the fact that he would've done the same thing.

"My dear, Zeroth Corps Commander, the scroll."

The people watching the broadcast stood there shocked. This would be the first time they would see the infamous Zeroth Corps, which instilled fear into others with just their name being mentioned. The same Zeroth Corps Commander who fought off the Fourth Hero and was rumored to be just second to the Demon King.

They watched as Deon took out a scroll from his cloak and laid it on the table, with agreements made by both the Emperor and Demon King. It was a pre-made treaty to prevent the Duke from intervening in the discussion.

"Don't you think you should reveal yourself? It's impolite not to show your face."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Deon took off his hood in front of the crystal. Eduardo began to smile as he heard people outside begin to whisper and gasp in shock at the revelation of Deon being the Zeroth Corps Commander.

"The Zeroth Corps Commander.. Was the Third Hero?"

"Didn't that mean that the Emperor and Demon King were planning this for an entire year?"

"Does this mean the Third Hero is a traitor?"

'Do people even understand the concept of being a traitor nowadays?'

Caver listened to the whispers ongoing outside of the meeting room while discussing the terms of the treaty with Eduardo. How could one be considered a traitor if both parties were in an ongoing negotiation? That made absolutely no sense. There was no way to be classified as a traitor if you were completely neutral.

Clang!

A sword clashed against Caver's magic shield as he was speaking. He noticed his Zeroth Corps Commander now had a smile creeping up onto his face. It was quite the most mischievous and sly smile he's ever seen on Deon.

Chapter Text

Previously...

A sword clashed against Caver's magic shield as he was speaking. He noticed his Zeroth Corps Commander now had a smile creeping up onto his face. It was quite the most mischievous and sly smile he's ever seen on Deon.

***

"Dear me, please put the dagger down."

"..."

Deon retracted the dagger from his hand and placed it back into his pocket. He turned away for a brief moment before locking eye contact with Choi Han, who narrowed his eyes at him. He looked away from the swordmaster and looked at the nice and entertaining floor instead.

As Deon guessed, if he broadcasted his face to everyone while unmasked, then they would surely come knocking on his door, minus the knocking. Since Basen seemed to have noticed him, which guessing by now, he had already reported it to Choi Han and Eruhaben, hence why Choi Han called him Cale.

Once they noticed him, they would most likely threaten or negotiate with someone who had similar goals to them. Stave Illustre was the perfect example; both needed him dead for completely different reasons, yet their goal was the same.

To make sure Deon Hardt was dead.

While one side needed him dead in order to take his soul, the other side needed him dead to gain more power. Ultimately, their goals lined up with each other. Deon knew this the moment he (was forced to) broadcast his speech to everyone.

He then changed his plans. If staying hidden wouldn't work, then what about baiting them with himself? Bait them with himself and then take down every single one of their supporters, whether it be the Duke or the Revolutionary Army; he'll make sure they never rise up in power, just to make them suffer.

That was when Deon had a smile creeping up onto his face. It was much worse than the times when he was just scamming people for money, much worse than his schemes against the White Star.

If the one thing they want is for 'Cale Henituse' to return as their family, what was a better way to completely crush their dreams than to say that he never considered them as family while they were on their knees in defeat?

To them, Cale Henituse was their family. If he outrightly admitted to hating them ever since then, they would most likely be heartbroken. What did you mean that Cale Henituse hated them? He always loved them. Isn't that why he sacrificed himself for them so much?

However, it was too late to rewind time now. Cale Henituse no longer saw them as a family; he had a new family, or well, reunited with his old family. He had a family who respected his boundaries, didn't care for who his past was, nor did they try to lock him up under the guise of protection.

How could Cruel Hardt even dare to do any of that anyway? He loved his baby brother; he would do anything for Deon. Even if Deon had ever so lightly hinted that he would be happy if the world burned down, then Cruel would do as his baby brother wished.

"So, what brings a disaster like you here?"

"..."

Deon swung his head to the side. He wasn't even looking at the ceiling and tried to distract himself from what Choi Han would say next. Which was quite contradictory of him since he was looking at a wall rather than the ceiling, but this was Deon Hardt, formally known as Cale Henituse. Everything he did always contradicted what he said.

***

"If any more world errors are reborn again, I might lose it."

Death looked at the set of coding in front of him. If he messed up these last two codings, that'd mean that he would create more world errors. But would they really be considered as world errors if they were a result of him fixing the errors? Perhaps the term 'result' befitted the God of Death's current predicament.

Well, either way, if they continued to be reborn, then they would still be incomplete Demi-Gods. The most important thing besides that was to not get caught, if that was even possible now. He had already wiped out records of the world errors, and Raven included; it should be impossible to be found out. That, unless Deon or he, the God of Death himself, had told someone else about it.

But knowing Deon, he wouldn't say a thing about it until someone miraculously found out. There was no way Deon would tell anyone about his reincarnations; he barely could even remember his past as Raven. The only part he would know would be about the deal that Raven made.

"...Damn it."

Looks like another world error will reappear once again. No matter what, let's hope Deon won't freak out over it. Maybe five kids are too taxing for him. Well, if we ignore how he had five disciples before.

Maybe he should work on something else rather than the world. The world was gradually getting more mature thanks to it syncing with the world tree in the Nameless Once, either way. He shouldn't need to do anything, just yet at least.

If all works well, then Deon could be able to reincarnated once again and wouldn't need to worry about going extinct.

***

'...That bastard is here.'

Cruel left the Emperor's side and walked over to the Demon King's side, he stood right beside Deon. He took a quick glance at the Demon King and looked back at Deon, who was still avoiding eye contact with Choi Han.

He suddenly had a bad feeling, not from Choi Han since he was already a bastard, but specifically from the Demon King. He couldn't put his mind to it, but it was definitely something bad. Maybe the Demon King was up to something? The feeling got worse the more he thought of possibilities for his skepticism. It definitely had something to do with Deon, that was for sure.

If the God of Death was paying attention to them, he might've said something along the lines, "Oh look, his big brother senses are tingling again. "Well, the God of Death wouldn't be lying either. Perhaps if you had told Cruel that his baby brother would die right after he did, then he'd even find some sort of way to become immortal; that was how dedicated Cruel was.

Cruel made eye contact with Choi Han, who seemed to be quite displeased by the way he was standing beside Deon. He pulled Deon closer, which ticked Choi Han off even more.

Deon looked back and forth between Cruel and Choi Han, who were having a heated stare-down. Shouldn't Choi Han be speaking by now? He couldn't predict every move his enemy would make, but Choi Han was rather easy to predict since he used to be by his side after all. Reading the novel let him gain more knowledge about Choi Han's personality, which made it quite easy to predict his movements.

"What do I want?"

Choi Han looked at the Demon King with half-crazed eyes. He then looked at Deon, who seemed to have flinched in confusion. What did he want? Obviously, he wanted his liege, who had lost his memories of his past, he remember when Basen first reported to them about Cale's situation. He couldn't accept what the second Young Master had said and had to check for himself.

He pointed at Deon with a serious glint in his eyes. Cruel responded to Choi Han's gesture by standing in front of Deon. Did he really think that anyone here would pass over Deon to him so easily? Deon Hardt was an important figure in both of the sovereign's respective nations; there was no way anyone here would hand Deon over so easily.

Eduardo looked at Choi Han in silence. The man had the same black hair that only the Hardt family could have, which was quite strange. The man also looked foreign, as if he didn't belong here. Well, he'd be right. It's just that Eduardo was left in the dark about most of the things, but hey, at least he did know some bits and pieces. He only knew about otherworldly people that were who said disasters existed, thanks to the spread of the oracle.

"I refuse."

"Aren't you set out to destroy the world? Why should we listen to you?"

The people, including Eduardo, looked at Caver, who said that. Cruel looked at Deon, who only smiled when he heard the Demon King speak up.

Deon's plan was to use himself as bait and get someone to talk about how Choi Han and Eruhaben are a 'disaster' to the world. In order to do so, he had to unveil himself as the Zeroth Corps Commander while on live so that everyone could see.

It worked out in his favor even if his plan to not get recognized failed. Did his current face seriously look that similar to his past? But how could that be? You shouldn't be able to look identical to your past life even if you had similarities to your past. An exception to that was the White Star and his curse that affected him, but now he was wondering something: was it really just because he was cursed?

"That reminds me, I heard from a shaman that there was an oracle going around between the churches these days. It was about how two new disasters would destroy this world, one of them just happened to sound exactly like you."

It wasn't exactly a lie. There has been an oracle traveling around in churches. It was thanks to the God of Death and Sun Goddess, they had guided their believers to spread the oracle around. The believers were scurrying around and gathering together like cultists, so that it would make others wonder if they were actually priests or just cult members.

People around the Empire and Imperial Palace began to whisper among each other. They had heard the exact same oracles from the Priests of the Sun Goddess and God of Death spread the message around to many civilians. It was an open secret that these otherworldly disasters would rain hell on the Empire and the entire world.

But if the Demon King and Emperor already had a pre-planned condition for both sides, didn't that mean they already knew about the disasters? Wouldn't that mean they were planning this from the start?

Stave likewise had no idea; his head was a mess. Why were the Demon King and Emperor working together? Why did Cruel, that loyal dog, betray him? Why was Deon Hardt on both the Demon King's and Emperor's side?

Was he just running around in the palm of the Emperor and Deon Hardt?

***

"Why would my dad know about you? You're irrelevant."

Deceiver looked at the black dragon in front of him. That same dragon had claimed to know his father, which was impossible! What did that dragon know about his father? He was barely even ten years old. How dare it try to take his father away?

Hana observed the black dragon in front of her. She and Deceiver could notice that despite his young age, he was also not a normal dragon. But they were Demi-Gods; even if they weren't complete, they were obviously stronger than some dragon that was just eight years old.

'Reminds me of the butterflies mama has.'

The dragon in front of her kept bragging about such things that didn't even exist in this world, which showed that he was an entity from another world. But he was so... chatty and obnoxious that she was about to yawn in boredom. Except that the butterflies weren't as annoying as this dragon in front of her.

"Leave that dragon be. He's just being delusional. Mother has nothing to do with him. I don't sense any of his magic on him anyway."

"Why do you call him 'mother' anyway?"

Hana thought about it for a moment. Wasn't it logical? There usually was a father and mother in families, right? Well, she didn't know much about family dynamics since their family was quite a bizarre situation after all.

That made her wonder, where were her other siblings? How come only she and Deceiver were here? It definitely had something to do with the world; that was what she knew for sure. Maybe not specifically only the world, but beyond it in the Gods' Realm.

That was a pretty plausible explanation, right? Yes, the world definitely had some authority, but the Gods could fix and change the codes to however they saw fit.

'That dragon definitely knows something.'

There was no way that dragon would try to stick close to Deon if it didn't know him. Dragons were races that secluded themselves from the world; they did not necessarily have anything to do with the world. Why would they care about it?

Hana looked at Deceiver, who shared the exact same sentiment, and decided on a new plan. What if they tried to find that dragon's origins? Well, that'd be a good plan in finding out this dragon's fixation on their father, if Deceiver wasn't so attached to him.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Hana looked at Deceiver, who shared the exact same sentiment, and decided on a new plan. What if they tried to find that dragon's origins? Well, that'd be a good plan in finding out this dragon's fixation on their father, if Deceiver wasn't so attached to him.

***

Previously...

Hana looked at Deceiver, who shared the exact same sentiment, and decided on a new plan. What if they tried to find that dragon's origins? Well, that'd be a good plan in finding out this dragon's fixation on their father, if Deceiver wasn't so attached to him.

***

Clang!

Cruel looked at Choi Han dead in the eye. Take his baby brother? Take the child whom he's been desperately trying to protect for years? It was almost baffling. Did Choi Han really think that he'd just hand Deon over to them and call it a day?

"Hyung-nim.."

Deon looked at Cruel, who clashed swords with Choi Han. He could see a vein that looked like it would burst any moment on Cruel's face. Deon gulped at the murderous intent leaking from Cruel.

Someone should really stop him before he causes this whole palace to go crumbling down...

Caver held up a cup of tea. The scene unfolding in front of him was very amusing. The person in front of Cruel was obviously stronger than your average human. Maybe he could kill him? No, he was a little past Jayker in terms of strength. If Cruel was able to hold him back, then Choi Han couldn't kill him.

That meant that Cruel was at least on par with Choi Han, or at least a little weaker than him. But he seems to be improving on his sword movements rapidly. Sooner or later, he might even pass Choi Han in strength.

Was this what people call an older brother's determination? Well, Caver didn't know; he's never had a family after all.

Speaking of family, the children his Zeroth Corps Commander had brought home.. They claimed to be his children. Was it even claimed if the test proved that? Come to think of it, they also spoke about their supposed other siblings as well. Just how many siblings did they have?

Life has indeed changed a lot in a span of a few weeks, months, and years. Caver wasn't sure. Time was going by too fast.

***

Alethea and Elphidius looked at the screen. They did know something was up with how Deon and Cruel acted. They saw how their uncle briefly communicated with a red butterfly on his desk. They brushed it off, but then they noticed how he began to get more secretive with many things.

They really wanted him, they did, they were just shocked at the revelation of the Demon King. Especially with how Deon was the Zeroth Corps Commander.

Alethea looked at the broadcast in front of her. She looked at the unidentified man whose sword clashed with Cruel's. She felt a strong urge to kill the man. Was he perhaps a demon? But that couldn't be the case, right?

'The urge and feeling to kill the Demon King is gone...'

She looked at her shaking hands as if they were trying to pull out a sword, only this time, it was directed at Choi Han.

But, why?

All Heroes have to kill the Demon King, and she had a Hero's Fragment, so how come?

"Allethea, are you alright?"

"Ah, yes! Thanks for asking, brother!"

Alethea brushed off the odd feeling, for now she should focus on getting rid of the people threatening her uncle's position. First, she should work on the Duke Illuster. That man was the most suspicious out of everyone.

Why would the leader of the Nobles' Faction always stick close to her uncle so much?

But, who could she ask for help? She worked so hard to build a reputation as an ignorant and dumb princess who only obsessed over Deon Hardt. What else could she do?

No.

There was one person she could ask, but would they really help?

'I could... I could ask Honorary Marquis Hardt, maybe Count Hardt too?..'

First of all, she couldn't ask Elpidius. He was already busy with other nobles, and the Emperor would brush it off, saying that it wasn't something she needed to worry about.

But if she asked Deon Hardt and Cruel Hardt? There was a chance they could help. Even if they weren't on their side, she could offer anything it is they wanted to help her investigate the Duke. Besides, Cruel Hardt had a lot of information on what the Duke did as well, right?

Right, that Death Butterfly definitely had something to do with Deon. Right after she saw it disappear from her uncle's desk, Deon arrived at the palace the next two days with Cruel. There was also the time when the maids gossiped about him holding a red butterfly while staring off into the distance.

'After the negotiations end, I'll ask them.'

Perhaps, this would be the debut of the real Alethea, not the dumb and ignorant princess who was known for clinging onto the Third Hero.

***

"Did you get a part of his mana?"

"Of course I did. He was emitting so much magic while 'concealing himself' that even dad could sense it if he tried hard enough."

"He must not be that good at concealing himself..."

Deceiver took out a gold ball and took a talisman off. Immediately, condensed black mana started to rupture out of it as if it were trying to desperately break free.

He played it around for a moment, making the black mana chase his finger that was laced with his mana. It was quite amusing, really. He had never seen magic that was alive-like; he could play around with this all day and not get bored.

"Focus.."

Hana grabbed the condensed black mana that began to squirm around, trying to break free from the Demi God's grasp. It was too bad that the Black Dragon's mana was caught between two Demi-Gods, who or 'what' would even expect to be captured by two Demi-Gods.

A golden globe appeared in front of the two. It was Hana's globe that was used to observe many objects. Whether it was magic, divine beings, divine powers, or even aura, she could see through everything, no matter who or what it was.

It was a skill that only a God of Observation could have. Whether it was a Demi-God, a complete God, or an incomplete Demi-God, they all had similar skills, though of course, the scale and maximum utility of it all varied because of their different statuses.

"Nameless One...?"

"How irrelevant does your world have to be in order for your world to be named Nameless One?"

At least it could have been named Planet or Earth something, but Nameless One? That must've meant that no God really cared for this world, at least until Kim Rok Soo transmigrated as Cale Henituse.

Hana let the condensed magic disappear off into the atmosphere right after she stopped using her ability. This magic must've been natural, as it went back into nature rather than disappearing into nothingness like the demon's. Well, there was change beginning to happen, but it was slow.

Now, all Corps Commanders and a few Vice Corps Commanders could replenish their magic. Of course, the Demon King was the first person to notice the change and was the first person to be able to replenish his magic.

"That was... one of your skills, right?"

"Yes, did your memory get hazy by chance? You have the best memory after me, which is weird of you to forget such a thing."

"Huh, that's weird... I guess I did forget then?"

Well, did he really just forget that this happened? How could a Demi-God forget something so quickly? Even if he was an incomplete one, he shouldn't be able to forget something that easily.

Hana shook her head. Maybe she was just overthinking things once again.

***

"...Creation, have you ever thought of meeting your parents?"

Death looked at the child in front of him. He was adding on another limitation on Choi Han, but it seemed that it caused another error to happen. Now, he was stuck with a girl who was identical to Deon. Was this a good or bad thing?

He wanted to keep the World Errors at a low amount, but at this rate, all five would be reborn again. But then again, this was a world surveilled by many Gods. So, why not just toss them over to Deon? They are his biological kids anyway, right?

Creation looked at him silently, pondering for a few minutes before she looked at the screen behind the Deity. She could see her two other siblings in there, with another man, a very familiar one at that, too.

That was supposed to be her father, right?

"...Alright, I'll go. Observer and Deceiver are already there anyway."

"Okay, great, just know that your powers are significantly limited there. Of course, you're still strong."

The God of Death flicked his fingers, and a black circle appeared under Creation. Deon might have to deal with one more child. Well, there are two more incoming, but he could probably manage it. Right?

He watched as Creation slowly disappeared and sat back in his seat. With the World Errors being there, it will cause some disturbance, but he had already limited the max capacity of their powers.

Yes, they were still stronger than Choi Han obviously. However, the full damage or whatever their skill is was significantly weaker than originally.

Their full power would return if they ever thought of returning to God's Realm. Which might not happen, judging by the significant difference in their past lives. Both Observer, well, no, it was Hana, right? But both of them were obviously much happier in the Human World

Perhaps it was because Deceiver was finally able to have the kind of family he wanted, while Hana was able to meet her 'mother'. Let's hope that they don't cause any chaos while down there or any other worlds they decide to travel to, since they were Demi-Gods in the first place.

***

"Sir Arut! You're back."

"Yes, I am?"

Deon looked at Ed's face, which seemed to be full of relief. Just what was he so relieved about? It was unlike Ed to be like this, unless it involved him specifically.

"Ahem, there has been a report that the Seventh Corps Commander was able to capture a group of knights."

"...Those idiots.."

Deon sighed. It was definitely the Lofty Knights. They were like that in the original as well, only this time they arrived even earlier. Why were they so stupid to just cross the border that mindlessly?

Guess he won't be able to slack off for now; he'll have to collect the Lofty Knights before another Corps Commander kills them off.

He was sure that Silua wouldn't kill them; she didn't do that in the original. It was most likely a facade to get him to head over to the designated area, which was definitely gonna work.

Deon was the paranoid type who would think of every possible ending that could happen to someone. That was how he survived as Kim Rok Soo, as Cale Henituse, and.. his past as the original Deon Hardt, and Raven.

Now that he thought about it, all of his reincarnations and transmigrations were because of the God of Death. That God sure likes to meddle in with his life, huh? Well, he did make a deal with the God of Death, so it was also his fault.

Did it turn out well? Honestly speaking, it did turn out well. Imagine if he didn't have his memories and met with Choi Han by accident!

'I don't even want to think about it...'

Some possibilities that could happen if he did were the fact that they would act like they had never done anything wrong!

That was how they were; they would contradict his thinking, making it seem as if they were right and he was wrong. Was it because he trusted them too much? He began to think that he was wrong every time the topic of chaining him up was brought up. Did they actually lock him up? Or was it for his safety?

But... was his revenge worth it? What if they were just helping him stay out of trouble? What if he was just being petty?

Slap!

"What the hell am I thinking?"

Deon slapped both of his cheeks, causing them to swell up. But due to the Heart of Vitality, the stinging immediately swelled down. Having a regeneration power really came in handy. Now, he was wondering if he could get more ancient powers since they existed in this world as well.

Well, even if Deon didn't know where the ancient powers were, he would still encounter them somehow. That was just how lucky Deon Hardt is, not that he knew of it.

Deon Hardt, well, Cale Henituse specifically, was beloved by nature and many Gods themselves. He may have never met all of the Gods in person, but many of them watched Cale at least once and were interested in him.

So, what would happen if that said individual died? Would the Gods return to their immoral ways? Would they get bored with the worlds they watched Deon Hardt live?

Chapter Text

Previously...

Deon Hardt, well, Cale Henituse specifically, was beloved by nature and many Gods themselves. He may have never met all of the Gods in person, but many of them watched Cale at least once and were interested in him.

So, what would happen if that said individual died? Would the Gods return to their immoral ways? Would they get bored with the worlds they watched Deon Hardt live?

***

"You're saying that Honorary Marquis Hardt has already left?"

"I'm afraid so, Your Highness."

How did Deon Hardt leave so quickly? It's only been about three minutes since the meeting left. Was he already heading to the Demonic Realm as per the Emperor's orders?

If only she had been quicker, she could have at least asked him about Duke Illustre. She was certain that both Deon and Cruel knew something about the Duke that she didn't.

'Ah, I can also ask Sir Cruel.. No, it's Count Hardt now.'

Ever since the 'true' Count Hardt had passed away quite mysteriously, Cruel overtook the position. It was strange since he always objected to inheriting the title. Was it because he and Deon were now on better terms than before?

***

"...Cletter."

"Captain!"

Deon looked at the Lofty Knights. It really was them. But this time they were the ones tied up rather than Silua. He looked in Silua’s direction. She smiled back at him. It gave him chills. What could she be planning now with that smile engraved on her face?

"You guys must be the stupidest people I've ever met, who crosses borders that mindlessly?"

"But-"

The Lofty Knights immediately kept quiet the moment they were met with Deon's glare. It was quite a vicious glare from Deon. Of course, while that was happening, Silua’s eyes sparkled with interest. She wondered if the Zeroth Corps Commander's two personalities merged together.

She also noticed that not only did he develop a new fighting style, but he also incorporated his ancient powers in some of his moves. Maybe she could learn a few new moves from the Zeroth Corps Commander?

'Ugh... Why is she looking at me like that?'

Deon ignored the intense glare from Silua, as he motioned her to untie the Lofty Knights. It should be fine since by now, most of the people in the Demonic Realm should have heard of the situation in the Human Realm.

He wondered what their reactions would be since the broadcast in the original timeline was him against humanity, but this time, the Demonic Realm and Human Realm were joining arms.

Wasn't this good enough? If the Demon King wanted to live, then he would do whatever it takes not to kill Caver. That'll be his revenge for what happened in the original timeline. Call him petty, but even if it happened in the original timeline, he won't let a single thing pass.

That also meant that things wouldn't end well for the Duke.

Besides, weren't demons becoming 'natural' beings in the world? Well, it wasn't like they weren't natural in the first place; in some worlds, they were natural. This world just likes to make everyone suffer.

"..Follow me."

Deon walked back to the Demon Realm with the Lofty Knights following behind him, while Silua decided to stay back for a short while.

He could hear the demons residing in the Demon King's castle all whispering about him, whether it was positive or negative rumors about him then he didn't know about that. It was a specialty of his to tune himself out whenever people gossiped about him.

Contrary to what he was thinking, the whispers were rather quite positive. After all, it was a wish that all demons had; wanting to coexist in the human world was something many demons had in common for their wishes. Why did you think that Oelle was so curious about the Human Realm?

Human life was different yet so interesting to them that many races in the Demonic Realm, well, Abyss, since their lives and morals were so different.

'Now that I think about it, is there anybody that can do hallucination torture?'

If he deceived the Duke into thinking that he destroyed the Empire through a hallucination.. It might work; he just needs to find a way to gather information that shows the Duke committed treason.

Treason was against the law, obviously, right? Now, what would happen if people found out that the Duke was the actual cause of the murder of the First Prince and the reason why Eduardo killed all of his siblings? The outcome was simple. People might suggest that the Duke should die immediately, but he had a better idea.

Stave Illuster was a prideful man; even the status as a Duke wasn't enough for him, to the point that he began to covet the position of the Emperor. To Stave, his position was the most important thing to him.

But, what if he lost his position as the Duke? Better yet, what if he loses his position as an aristocrat? He would be humiliated, his reputation would reach rock bottom, and he might even go insane. Let him live in humiliation and misery as he yearns for his old position as a Duke, making him regret his decision to covet the position of Emperor. Ultimately, he might even commit suicide as he cannot bear the humiliation.

Better yet, as he loses his position, why not burn down his house right in front of him after he loses his noble title?

'That's not a bad idea, after all. The biggest punishment sometimes is life itself.'

Deon curled up his lips, and a vicious smile made its way onto his face. The Lofty Knights slowly backed away in fear. Who was their captain going to kill next? Their captain only made that vicious smile when he was going to brutally murder someone!

"Hehe..."

Deon giggled mischievously as he thought of his plan. His first step was to make sure that he could find evidence of the Duke committing treason. Sure, he knew about the Duke being the cause of death to his family and the majority of the Imperial Family's deaths, but he had no evidence.

The Death Butterflies did try to get in; they have succeeded a few times, but the places were tightly guarded. They had to retreat every time. The Duke was too paranoid even in his own territory.

"What is our captain planning...?"

"Who knows but that laugh was terrifying!"

"Ah, but... I noticed one thing recently!"

Everyone turned to look at Cletter, who looked like he had the best idea ever. They were curious. What did he notice about their captain that they didn't know? Well, it had to be something good since Cletter almost seemed overjoyed.

"He's started wearing more clothes, if you know."

"Wait- really?!"

"Of course, would I ever lie? Remember also told me about it."

"If that's true, then... This is a great development!"

Even if it was something as minor as that, they were glad. How could they not? Back then, when the war was still ongoing, Deon barely wore many layers of clothing. The reason for that was so that the blood that got on his clothes wouldn't restrict his movement and be heavy.

Up until now, it was a habit that Deon had despite not remembering why. But now that he has his memories, let's say his mental health has gotten better. However, the Lofty Knights would never know of that detail.

"What are you guys whispering about?"

Deon turned around and looked at the Lofty Knights, who looked like middle-school girls gossiping to each other.

"It's nothing, captain!"

"Y-you! What are you doing?!"

"This is called a hug of affection, Captain- ack!"

"I don't care!"

Deon pushed the Lofty Knights off of him one by one. What was up with these guys? Suddenly hugging him like that?! Was it National Hug Day or something? Who the hell gives a hug randomly like that?

***

"Who are you?"

Creation looked at the man in front of her. Just a moment ago, she was trying to find a way out of the forest and was slaying demonic monsters left and right. But now there was a man blocking her path. She could kill him right now, but he hasn't done anything yet.

She took a closer look at the man who seemed bewildered at her appearance; black hair, black eyes, dressed in all black, and a sword dangling from his belt; this man practically screamed suspiciously everywhere..

'What is up with this strange-looking idiot?'

Creation backed away slowly. Why is that man looking at her so weirdly? He looks like he's seen a ghost. Well, in any case, if the man in front of her does any harm, then she'll immediately wipe him out.

"Sir Choi Han, what are you so caught up with?"

"Ah.. Young Master Basen."

'Choi Han... Basen..? And who is that gold-haired dragon?'

Creation crossed her arms. Where had she heard of those names before? This was definitely not the first time she'd ever heard of these names; it was when she was still in God's Realm.

Oh.

Weren't these the people that the God of Death was talking about beforehand? If she remembered correctly, these people were apparently the disasters of the world.

"She's not fully human, but I can't figure out her race."

Eruhaben whispered to Choi Han, but it was no use since Creation could still hear it even if he were to put up a sound barrier around them.

'Well, I'm not sure if a mere dragon can actually tell who is a Demi-God if they're masking their aura...'

Even if dragons were the 'messengers' of Gods, even they wouldn't be able to tell if a God or Demi-God was in front of them if they masked their aura.

Only other divine beings, such as angels or divine beasts, could tell if there was a God in front of them; after all, they were the very beings that served and were created by those Gods.

Creation hovered her hand over a piece of paper. She was ready to create any weapon and fight the two of them. But her skill was more restricted now. She obviously could still beat them, but she might alert their other allies that something was up.

"She looks identical to Cale-nim."

"But he shouldn't have any kids right now. right?"

Oh, how wrong both Eruhaben and Choi Han were. Deon indeed had biological children. He did have biological children, but not in that sense. Originally, all five World Errors were born after Deon's and the Demon King's deaths. They were born simply because of the fact that the Last Warrior and Demon King teamed up to destroy humanity.

And not just one, well, two kids, he had a whopping five children! Creation, Chaos, Observer, Deceiver, and Balance.

'If Observer and Deceiver are here, then that means that only Chaos and Balance remain.'

Saving the most chaotic ones for last, huh? Let's hope Balance appears before Chaos; that boy would cause turmoils in multiple Kingdoms. She doesn't need another headache besides Deceiver; that one attracted the most trouble, even more than Chaos somehow.

At this point, Chaos and Deceiver should just switch titles, seeing as to how much more trouble Deceiver pulled off and attracted was much more than Chaos himself.

She looked back at Eruhaben and Choi Han before looking at the invisible Raon on Eruhaben's shoulder.

"If you have nothing to do with me, then I suggest you leave."

Creation created five pairs of rock spears. Creating things from thin air was her specialty. She could create anything she wanted and whenever she wanted to; that, of course, included pocket dimensions. But that would break the balance of this world by a lot, so she would have to stick to just creating things.

'Mmmm, don't kill them yet. Let your father have a go at them.'

The God of Death said in Creation's head, that God really liked to stick his nose in every nook and cranny, didn't he?

Creation raised her brow while looking back at Choi Han and Eruhabem.

Choi Han looked at Creation before turning to Eruhaben, who then nodded. They gave her one last look before they left. She knew something was up with the way they gave her a suspicious look, but it was better than them attempting to kidnap her, right?

'As if they could even kidnap me.'

How would a mere swordsmaster and dragon be able to kidnap a Demi-God? Even if she wasn't complete, she still has a lot of authority in her position as a Demi-God.

Creation sighed before she walked right out of the forest. She should probably find Deceiver and Observer now, right?

***

"Umm... Dad.. You know, we have three other siblings, right?"

"What..?"

Deon dropped the pen in his hand. Don't even ask why he was doing paperwork; he was forced to do so. He looked at Deceiver as his eyes were shaking, and was practically saying—please tell me you're joking. Who wouldn’t be surprised after finding out you had more kids somehow?

Hana looked away from Deon, who turned to look at her. Both of them had just realized that only the Demon King knew of their siblings' existence, except for Deon himself.

Specifically, Deceiver kept mistaking Deon for Raven. Well, they were the same person. It was just that Raven knew about his siblings while Deon had no memories of being Raven, so he was still unaware of everything.

Chapter Text

"There's... three more kids?"

Deon, who had never read the sequel, looked at Deceiver in horror. How did he even have five kids? Was it even possible for a man to have that many kids?

"Deceiver.. You should have explained it more properly instead of just leaving it at.. that."

Hana knew it was just how Deceiver worked; most of his intentions would usually lead to misunderstandings and make it seem as if he had bad intentions, but he wasn't like that at all. As a matter of fact, all of them were like that.

Chaos, who would always end up destroying multiple things or causing havoc in general, generally did not want it to happen. The same went with Creation and her. While at times she did want to say something, most of the time she just stayed put and observed the situation, and so on with her other siblings.

Deceiver wasn't able to express his true self; what he was doing was just lying to himself. Sometimes Hana could even hear him muttering some things to himself while they visited some worlds. Why was he born this way? Why was he abandoned just like that? Was he enough?—But she never understood why Deceiver felt that way; she just couldn't.

If she had to vote on who resembled Deon the most, Hana would have to say that Creation and Deceiver resembled him the most. Though Creation was more confident and held no feelings for the human world, unlike Deceiver. Well, he was more curious about it because he wanted to get to know his father, but overall, he was more human than the rest of them.

'If I think about it.. How did Deceiver and Hana come here?'

Deon pieced together small details he noticed from the two of them. First, Hana acted like she knew him from the start, and so did Deceiver. Second, Deceiver sometimes looked like he wasn't looking at him. He also asked bizarre questions regarding his appearance. It was also odd that they brought up three more siblings, to add on. They were quite strong, yet they were never brought up in the novel.

There was only one thing left that he could think of, the sequel. He never read the sequel, so there was a high possibility that these two could have been mentioned in the sequel rather than the novel. It was either that they appeared in the sequel, or they were completely new entities that had never existed until he changed multiple elements of the original timeline.

"Are you two... From the future?"

The two flinched at Deon's question. They didn't expect to be found out so quickly.

Deon noticed the small reaction and immediately concluded that these two were from the future.

"So you are..."

The reaction alone already confirmed Deon's suspicions. Now, the real question was, how did they get here in the first place? He knew that regression existed, but if they only existed in the future, then it wouldn't be possible. At least, according to the Thames study, that is what it said. Unless a higher being was able to intervene, then perhaps..

'God damn it... That God of Death..'

Deon had just realized again how much the God of Death liked to meddle with his life.

Was he gonna ask how the hell they even existed? No, he wasn't. There was no point; they'd still be his children even if they were never mentioned in the sequel. Why would he care whether or not they were existing 'characters' or not?

***

"This must be the original Empire..."

Creation looked around the city. It was more lively than she had expected. Well, it wasn't like she ever explored the worlds she went to anyway. She only went there and fixed some of the many things that Chaos destroyed.

"You should head to my church."

'...Me, a Demi-God, going into your church?'

"Well, do you have any other choice left?"

Creation stayed silent at the God of Death's statement. She really did have no choice. One, she was at a lower position than he, with the fact that she was an incomplete Demi-God because she was a world error, didn't help at all. Two, although she watched over this world for some time, it was after the Mythological Era; the geography has changed since then. Lastly, she might run into those punks again.

Why would they even go after her father?

'I can ask Observer.'

An observer could see the time of every living being and when they would die, well, besides the Gods obviously. So, there was a chance that they could find out why these guys were willing to travel through worlds to find Deon.

She won't bring up why they would even try to kill Deon. If they did, he would have no body to come back to in the Nameless One, or whatever it was named! That world was irrelevant. Why should she remember the name of it?

'Besides, if they do succeed in killing him... He has two choices.. Reincarnation and Godhood, right?'

Even normal beings could ascend to Godhood, not just Single Lifers. If you had enough worship, you had a chance to ascend to Godhood; that was how some of the Gods managed to ascend. Though you would either be a God or at least a complete Demi-God. Some became Demi-Gods that served beside Gods, while some became Gods and watched over worlds. Either way, you were still a Divine God.

There was also another way: it was to be offered divinity by the Gods themselves

Now thinking about it, she did overhear the God of Death talking about how this 'Cale Henituse' was offered Godhood at least twice. To be offered Godhood not just once, but twice, was a huge accomplishment. Moreover, he was offered Godhood by the Gods themselves and not just as a proposed idea that would be eventually scrapped. Every God had apparently agreed to it, yet they all decided not to, according to someone's wishes.

"...W-we welcome the Deity of Creation."

"So you do know who I am; that saves me less time having to talk to you."

Creation waved her hand, and in just a second, her hair that was originally brown turned back to white while her brown eyes turned back to red. She looked at the priest in front of her.

She walked through the door and walked in front of the prayer room before completely ignoring it. Why should she even pray to that God? Like the other people who were assuming she was going to do so, she was a Demi-God, not a Saintess. Even if she was a lower rank than the God of Death, why would a God pray for another God?

The room she entered was quite grand yet rushed. It seemed as if the priests organized it in a hurry after just receiving a message from their God.

"This is the room I'll be staying in for the next weeks, huh..."

***

"Count Hardt."

"I greet the future of the Empire."

"There's no need for greetings; rather than that... I have a question for you."

Alethea looked at Cruel with a determined gaze. She needed to find out the Duke's motives and why he always approached her uncle. She was missing the whole picture. If she could just pry out small information from Cruel Hardt, then she'd be satisfied.

Cruel looked at Alethea with indifference in his eyes. She must've caught onto what the Duke was up to or at least had a lingering suspicion.

"Please go ahead, Your Highness."

"Thank you. I'd like to ask you for information about the Duke, everything about him and his motives."

It was fine if Cruel Hardt didn't have as much information as she expected; anything would've helped. But the answer she received was far beyond her expectations.

"The Duke... I joined his side briefly to find out why he sent my brother to war.. He also has his eyes set on the throne."

He no longer needed to find out after the God of Death showed him Deon's past lives. Instead, his grudge against the Duke was raised even higher. To say he was angry was an underrated; he was beyond angry.

Allethea looked at Cruel's hands that were shaped into fists. She didn't have time to react as she now realized why the Duke always talked in private with her uncle.

He was most likely trying to convince him to give up his position as Emperor; that was a possibility. Whenever she visited her uncle right after the Duke's visit, he was always on edge or angry as if someone was threatening him.

"Thank you for the information, Count Hardt."

Cruel said nothing. He watched Allethea leaving the estate. A few moments after Allethea left, he turned around and walked back to an isolated room in the estate.

When he opened the doors, tons of gifts varying from toys, scarves, warm clothes, medicine, herbs, and letters, either burnt or in new condition, filled the room. The room was dusty due to nobody coming in to clean it. These were all gifts that were rejected from being sent to Deon or were almost burnt. Cruel had collected most of these while the Duke wasn't looking for some time.

The gifts at that time were all in an incinerator, ready to be burned, yet he was able to stop them in time and paid double the amount that the Duke had paid in order to bring these back. He took out one last box. Inside the box was a pendant. It was a matching pendant with the earrings that the Countess had worn during Deon's time in the war.

Click!

Cruel locked the door. The gifts were old; he'll prepare new ones for Deon. It was going to be his baby's birthday soon. It would be the first time he was allowed to celebrate Deon's birthday without the risk of Deon being in danger.

***

'From Deon to Raven.. To Kim Rok Soo, then to Cale, and finally back to Deon.'

The God of Death looked at Deon through the screen. It was quite ironic how Cale Henituse wanted to live while Raven and Deon both wanted to die. That was why he made that deal with Raven in the first place.

But who knew that his own worker would be promoted to his direct Saint? If the others were to hear of this situation, they might even get angry. But it wasn't like he overworked them or anything.. Even if he did, he was also overworked!

"Well, the deal is useless now anyway. His karma has disappeared. If he were to die right now, then he would go straight to the afterlife with his parents."

Just like that Hero that Deon accompanied, what was his name again? Oh, right, it was Cassius.

'...Originally, he was supposed to find out about Cassius, but I guess it's a little irrelevant now..'

There was one more problem with Deon, though; he needed to wait for a bit until something could trigger it, but for now, he'll just have to leave it at that. Well, Deon shouldn't be harmed by it unless a God intervened with his soul, which was definitely going to happen now that the Goddess of Temptation was back in full swing.

And the God of Despair... He was slowly getting back his powers, but even if he did reclaim his authority, he would be one of the weakest. Gods were ranked on strength and their titles. It was a little tricky to put it into words for outsiders, but once you became a God, it would be easier to understand.

The God of Despair was only weak because despair doesn't happen all the time, unlike the eternal night and death. Even Gods have gone through death at least once; death still existed even when you became a God as well. Well, he wouldn't call it death exactly; it was more like retirement.

That God would be considered dead if they relinquished their position or if they were forced to relinquish their position. Once God was 'dead,' then they'd be replaced by a new God.

But that Temptation... She managed to use her powers on the Gods and messed up the rankings. Of course, while some might say that God's abilities didn't work on each other, they were completely wrong. It was possible for your powers to work in other Gods, even if you were a weak God. If you had the help of other Gods...

He was pretty much the same rank as them. If it weren't for the Goddess of Temptation, then his rank would've been a little higher than Angelina's. Of course, Balance was still higher than him. Balance has to be maintained throughout every world and realm, which includes God's Realm itself. It was no wonder that the God of Balance had a high ranking.

'Shit.. So who the hell helped the Goddess of Temptation?’

Chapter Text

Previously...

'Shit.. So who the hell helped the Goddess of Temptation?'

***

The Goddess of Temptation was originally a rather low-ranking God. Despite temptation also coursing through God's minds, they weren't swayed as easily as humans who succumbed to enticement itself. That was one of the reasons why the Goddess of Temptation was a low-ranking God; she was only able to gain more power through worship, and if people gave in to temptation, which included Gods.

'Damn... This is bad.'

It would mean that a high-ranking God was in cahoots with the Goddess of Temptation. But just who was working with her?

It couldn't be the Goddess of the Night; she had no reason to work with Temptation, and she wasn't on good terms with her either. Then, the God of Mischief? It could be him, but no one has heard from him ever since the Goddess of Temptation appeared.

Oh.

'Shit.. Don't tell me...'

Did the Goddess of Temptation take over the God of Mischief's authority? How did she even absorb it? Wait, no.. That woman was always insane. She could have worked with the Hunters in order to do this. The theory was a little lacking, but it did explain how she quickly rose up in power and why the Hunters did have more power than before.

The God of Death sighed. He slumped back in his seat and looked outside his window. If she did absorb the God of Mischief's authority, then that means she has his abilities. That was bad, really bad.

***

"We'll head to the Margrave Amiable's territory."

"Margrave's territory.. That should be near the Second Hero's territory, right?"

"Yes."

Deon confirmed Dvelania’s thoughts and retracted his hand from the map on the table. He was currently in the Corps Commander's meeting room with the other Corps Commanders. The other Corps Commanders watched Deon point to specific places in the Empire, which were where they would go to attack Eruhaben and Choi Han.

If a fight was what they wanted, then he would make sure to escalate the fight to a war against them. They may be overpowered, but could they really go against the Corps Commanders and Heroes combined?

Not to mention, the Gods could also intervene in this world. Albeit it was just a bit, but even if it was just a small fraction of their power, they were Gods. Gods were the strongest, with Demi-Gods following behind and so on.

'I know they'll head over there first and instead of teleporting, they'll probably run there...'

They couldn't afford to teleport in this situation. Deon knew that, of course, and took advantage of that fact. How did he know? Well, there was this handy thing called communicating with the Gods.

"I restricted most of their powers. They can still regenerate magic, but it is slower. Of course, we can't make them fully stop since they came from another world. But since teleporting more than two people does take up a large amount of magic, this should be enough for you, right?"

'Of course, I guess I should say thank you, right?'

Deon communicated with the God of Death in his head. He opened his eyes and stared back at the map on the table. The Margrave's territory was marked red, indicating the place where they would head over first.

The plan was titled, 'Operation: Drop Out. ' It was simple; Deon himself would be waiting at the Duke's house, waiting for them as the other Corps Commanders would wait near the Margrave's territory and forest to ambush the two.

'I wonder... Who can create a hallucination spell that can deceive Choi Han and Eruhaben..'

The last part of the plan required someone who was adept at hallucinations, but was there anyone here who could cast hallucinations? Was a hallucination spell even possible here? It was possible in Nameless One, but what about here?

Every world was different; there was no way it would have the same principle in every world. Earth One and Two were perfect examples; they were unlike the Nameless One. No magic existed there, and monsters overruled the streets.

***

'Hmm?'

Creation looked outside the window. She looked closer to the lady outside who was running. Although her hair was covered by a hood, her light teal hair stood out in contrast with her hood.

Teal colored hair was typically a pretty rare hair color, but what was she doing snooping around the capital? She was truly suspicious; even a naive person could tell that she was up to no good.

'Should I use my powers on her? There's something odd about her.'

"Hmm, that girl. Isn't she trying to kill your father?"

"...Is she now?"

Creation's eyes sharpened the moment she heard the God of Death talking. Was that lady really trying to kill her father?

She looked closely at the woman who was running off into the crowd. Should she go after her? But, if she did, wouldn't she be labeled as a witch? This was the Mythological Era. Magic was still deemed as demonic, so she'd probably get executed on the spot.

If she got caught, that is. Of course, she was still unaware of the peace treaty that was made just days ago.

"Oh dear... It seems that my authority as a God won't be able to stop you after all."

"If you know then, it's best to just... Let me go!"

Creation hopped out of the window, ignoring the priests who were shocked at her sudden appearance. She leapt through the gates and chased after the teal-headed lady. Something told her that if she chased after her, then she would meet someone important.

Of course, she didn't recklessly use her powers, unlike Chaos.

After tailing the teal-head lady, Creation ended up nearing a mansion. It was obnoxiously fancy. Now, she didn't mind expensive and fancy things; it's just, this mansion was far too fancy to her liking. Just who was this lady serving as her master?

"Hey, who do you serve?"

"Urgh..."

The lady underneath her groaned; her sharp eyes were fixed on Creation, who looked at her impassively.

"Okay, let's change that question. What's your name?"

"...Siren..."

"Siren, who do you serve? And that's not a question, it's a command to tell me. You're facing a God right now. It's best to be cautious."

Creation pressed a dagger she created against Siren’s neck. The latter shivered at the feeling of a cold blade lined up against her neck.

A God? What bullshit was this girl blabbering about? How could a God descend down here? If there was a God, they should've helped Deon Hardt. But it was too bad. Deon Hardt would die in this current war, and her liege will finally get what he desires.

"This obviously isn't working, but you've given me enough time to read your mind. I may not be able to read your memories like Observer, but this is enough."

"You- what're you doing?!"

"Don't worry, my dimensions are for everyone."

A bright purple light obscured Siren’s vision. The light subsided and only Creation was left in the scene.

She had just trapped Siren in a mini dimension she created. Of course, it wasn't a fully developed world like what the Gods could create, but just an imitation. An imaginary world that she could create and trap anyone or anything inside.

She could fully manipulate the mini dimension to her liking, whether it was destroying it slowly to induce despair or crushing it completely to get rid of the opponent right away.

"I guess a clone will do."

Poof!

A figure identical to Shylin appeared. Of course, the homunculus Creation created was confused; she had no memories and was just a person with features identical to Shylin.

Creation quickly implemented memories into 'Shylin's' head and watched as 'Shylin' bowed towards her.

"..Go spy on the master here, collect as much information as you can."

"Yes, my lady."

‘Siren’ smiled before her attitude did a one-eighty. She walked up to the guards with an emotionless face and went in. Deon's plan was now coming into play, even if he was unaware of it.

***

"Haah... This sucks."

Deon lay in his bed. Hana and Deceiver could only watch as their father sulked all day. They began to wonder what was making their father so upset.

They peeked over Deon's shoulder. Deon looked back at them.

'I must've worried them...'

Sitting up, Deon held the two in his arms. Something that Deceiver would've never experienced before in his past life, the reason being that Deon had no memories of his past life.

"Father."

"Mother."

'Oh dear.'

Deceiver shot a glare at Hana, who redirected the glare back at him. Deon, who was watching, could only do one thing.

"What do my dear children need?"

That should do it, right? Giving evenly distributed attention was important.

"Uh.. That.. Why are you so sad?"

Deon stared at Deceiver, who seemed to be genuinely concerned for him. How was he gonna explain that he wanted to mentally torture someone? There was no way he could just say something like—oh, he just needed someone with abilities capable of inducing hallucinations to torture someone—that sounded like something a criminal would say!

Well, he was technically a criminal... In a sense, he was.

"It's nothing."

"...Mother needs someone with hallucination-inducing skills to deceive someone!"

'Did she just read my mind?'

Hana flinched. Looks like he was right once again! Why are his children so overpowered? First, they came from the past. Now, they can read minds? What was next? They were actually Gods in the form of kids?

No, that was a stretch. Even if they were strong, there was no way they could be Gods.

"I'm good at deceiving others! I have hallucination powers!"

"No, I am not gonna force you to do such things."

It was great and all, but he's not gonna force a five-year-old to work. Well, we don't talk about On and Hong. He's learned from his mistakes.

He refuses to turn Deceiver into someone like them! Deon won't admit it, but he might not be able to sleep comfortably if he ever finds out that Deceiver turned out into another version of the children, averaging seven years old.

Unluckily for him, Deceiver was worse than that. At least he wasn't locked in a small room, though... right?

While Deon was in a dilemma, the two children of five years had noticed something with their speech.

Deceiver could actually say the truth, and it wasn't lies mixed in with the truth; it was the genuine truth with no white lies. Hana was able to voice out what she saw and read instead of standing there, watching the situation worsen.

"H-hey.. Why are you crying?!"

Deon hurriedly wiped the tears from Deceiver's eyes. Of course, they were just a few droplets of tears of joy, but Deon had no way of knowing. Deceiver was finally free from that accursed ability!

Seeing that his child was still crying, Deon decided to do one thing that he had never done. Not even Raon, On, and Hong had ever experienced this.

"Why is our dear Deceiver crying?"

He gave Deceiver a peck on the forehead. Deceiver's face remained emotionless, yet his eyes exposed him. The albino boy's eyes twinkled as if he had been given a gift that he had dreamed of having.

Of course, Deon didn't forget to do the same with Hana.

"Alright, how about this? I'll let you use your powers, but only once. Children should stay as children."

The last part said by Deon was quieter than the rest; however, Deceiver and Hana were able to hear it. They looked at each other and exchanged a smile.

"Alright, off to bed you go."

"But..."

"I'll sing you a lullaby."

"A lullaby?"

Deceiver and Hana were already tucked into bed the moment Deon mentioned that he'd sing a lullaby to them. They haven't heard Deon sing ever; not even once did he mention anything about singing.

"Hmmm."

Deon began to hum a tune that his mother used to sing to him whenever he refused to go to sleep. The beat was slow and calm; time seemed to have gone slower the more Deon sang. Eventually, Deceiver and Hana drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Previously...

"Hmmm."

Deon began to hum a tune that his mother used to sing to him whenever he refused to go to sleep. The beat was slow and calm; time seemed to have gone slower the more Deon sang. Eventually, Deceiver and Hana drifted off to sleep.

***

"Hooh... They're finally asleep."

"I didn't know that the Zeroth Corps Commander could sing."

"Your Majesty..."

Deon turned around. He faced Caver, who was currently sitting on a chair near the bed. He stood up and walked up to Deon.

"Did you know they were your children?"

"Well, I did have suspicions that they were our children. But there was a force that was stopping me from seeing everything."

"A force that can stop even the Demon King, I'm intrigued."

Of course, Deon already had an inkling of who was behind that 'unknown' force; who else could it be besides the God of Death? That man was always behind most, if not everything, that happened to him.

"How were the kids?"

"...Horrible."

Caver muttered, but it went unheard.

"Your Majesty?"

"...They were interesting children."

Of course, that wasn't a lie. Deceiver and Hana caused so much chaos that Caver began to wonder who they inherited it from. The moment the babysitting job was handed over to him, both Deceiver and Hana refused to listen to him.

Well, he never had a family; he wouldn't know how to treat children. Neither did he have anybody who clung that closely to him despite being rebellious. Was he even supposed to have a family?

The Demon King itself is an existence separate from demons; they were the only ones who were in that category. Demons were made from their magic, but Demon Kings couldn't be made from a demon's magic.

"What about you? Those two tend to teleport in and out of the Demonic Realm daily. I'm surprised that they still have enough energy to run around."

"Huh? They were well-behaved; they never caused trouble. But they do refuse to sleep most of the time."

"..."

Caver looked away. He felt like biting his tongue right there and there, if he could even die from it. Why were they so well-behaved with Deon and not him? What did he even do?

They treated his castle like a playground. He was starting to get curious about where these kids lived, and that a castle was just a playground.

Knock, knock!

"Come in."

"Y-Your Majesty.. Sir Arut! There's been an attack near the borders!"

'Was it Eruhaben?'

Deon looked at the demon shivering in front of him as he shooed the demon away. Whatever the situation was, it seemed to be a dire situation. But would they change their tactics so quickly?

No.

They had one more ally. Well, could it even be considered an ally if they were just pawns on top of that person's hand?

'Count Neymour... I'll definitely get rid of you first.'

Deon turned back and looked at Caver, who glanced over at Deceiver and Hana, who were sleeping, at least that was what the two looked to be doing.

"Your Majesty, isn't it time you stopped playing family?"

"Haha, I'm not sure what you mean by that."

Caver laughed off Deon's statement as the albino man walked closer to him. They were now a few inches apart.

"Your Majesty, you were the one who accepted the deal between you and Stave Illuster."

"Well, I can't deny that. But what does my dear commander plan to do with that information?"

Caver lifted Deon's head up, who looked at him with unwavering eyes. This was it, his rabbit, no, fox, was finally bearing its fangs against him.

"You want to die, but I won't let you die. I've already gotten rid of the Warrior's fragment in my soul."

"...!"

Deon smiled back at Caver's shaking eyes. Of course, Caver knew what that meant. It meant that Deon had someone even stronger than the world's influence; the only plausible answer for that was either a God or a Demi-God.

"I'll wait until the day that you cherish your life; that's when I'll take my revenge."

"...Ha! I'm looking forward to that day, Deon."

Caver laughed. How long has it been since he's genuinely laughed? He doesn't know, but Deon was making him even more curious. Just what was his commander going to do in the future?

But dying at Deon's hands doesn't sound bad. If Deon was supposed to be a Warrior and not just a Hero, that meant that he was his last chance of dying; his salvation.

He brushed a few strands of hair away from Deon's face and smiled refreshingly. Of course, the two of them were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't even notice that both Deceiver and Hana had been awake ever since.

"Is this a bet?"

"Perhaps?"

"Then, I look forward to seeing the victor of this bet, Caver."

Caver's eyes wavered for a moment. How long has it been since he's heard someone call him by his name? He looked at Deon, who smiled slyly at him. He turned away for a brief moment before taking a glance at the two children lying in bed.

A few moments later, Caver left the room. Deon followed shortly after. Which meant that only Deceiver and Hana were left in the room.

"Wow... Mother is going to kill father?"

"That's a lie!"

Deceiver sprang up from the bed. Even if his father was good at deceiving others, he couldn't fool him! As put into Creation's and Chao's words, he was a living lie detector.

"Umm... What father said about revenge is true, but father doesn't seem to want to kill him.."

Truthfully speaking, if Deceiver weren't a Demi-God of Deception, he wouldn't be able to tell if what Deon said was true or not. That was how Deon was at acting and lying to others; sometimes, not even God could tell if what he said was the truth or not.

Hana thought about it for a moment. It seemed that even with them here, Caver wanted to die. But based on what she observed, he seemed to enjoy 'interesting' toys, which basically meant anyone who entertained him.

And there was one thing she knew: Deon was the only person who was able to entertain the Demon king. Why else would Caver be so joyous around Deon? It was simply because Deon was the only person who brought a difference into his life after a thousand years of living the same life.

With a new alliance between the two nations now, Caver was even more intrigued about what the end of this 'story' would be.

"I'm not worried at though. Father won't do that."

"Deceiver, you're a liar."

Hana flicked Deceiver's forehead. Not worried? Yeah right. The shaky fingers contradicted what he said; both of them knew what happened in the original timeline. Who was to say that it wouldn't happen again?

Could this be changed if they were both complete Gods?

***

"Deceiver can use his powers to deceive his enemies, but I don't want to use him."

Has he gotten more weak-hearted now? Or was it because he saw his past self in Deceiver?

Deon sighed. He knew the two of them were strong, but wouldn't it suck to be known for just your powers?

Truthfully speaking, he has never said this to anyone, not even to Raon. But when he became known for using his ancient powers, he was nervous. What if he couldn't save everyone in time? What would people's reactions be?

That was why he liked the title as trash; no expectations were placed on him, and no burdens were placed on him. But once he became of significance, the expectations were placed onto his shoulders—weighing like thousands of tons.

But all of the things he did were necessary for survival, and it was important. Surviving everything was the only thing he was good at, and it was what his mother wanted.

A vision of his mother flashed in his mind. It was his mother from his life as Kim Rok Soo.

Deon stood still when he realized what he was witnessing wasn't a simple vision passing by; it was either a hallucination or it was her spirit. But wouldn't it be impossible for a soul to traverse through worlds?

He backed away, as if trying to get away. But he couldn't look away. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss his mother from Korea.

She was his first mother; she was the one who took care of the sickly Kim Rok Soo. She would frequently sing lullabies for him. She was the one there for most of his childhood when she was alive. If he could turn back time or revive someone, it would be his mother. But the dead should stay dead. She risked her life to save him, so he should do everything to stay alive.

"Rok Soo..."

"Eomma...?"

"Why? Why did you survive? Why was it only you?"

"Keuk..."

Deon's "mother" held him by the neck tightly.

'..It hurts... It hurts.'

He looked at his 'mother,' whose grip on his neck tightened. Why did he even hope that it was his mother?

"See, everything is your fault. You shouldn't have been born."

Deon looked around, searching for the source of the unknown voice.

"But I can fix that, make a deal with me, Deon Hardt."

A raven-haired lady appeared behind him, whispering a tempting deal into his ear.

"I will rewind the world. Your parents and friends will all be alive. At the cost of your existence itself."

The raven-haired lady disappeared. Deon stood there silently. His dull eyes looked back at his 'mother,' who extended her hand out to him. However, her eyes, instead of being reddish-brown, were magenta.

"Pfft.. What bullshit are you talking about? My mother wouldn't want that, neither would my hyung-nim."

"...You're harder to sway than I thought."

"I do have an imperturbable mind."

Deon smiled before he walked away from the woman playing as his mother. From the moment he stepped out of his room, he noticed something was off. Why would there be no demons nearby? Sure, Caver may have dismissed them, but that wasn't the case. He had already left; neither did Deon hear any orders from him.

Besides that, the Demonic Realm was indeed replicated perfectly. But the moment he turned around, he didn't feel either Deceiver's or Hana's presence nearby. That was another huge giveaway, telling him that he was in a hallucination.

"I have a question. Why are you specifically going after me?"

"Isn't it obvious? You are a threat, yet you're also interesting. I wouldn't mind playing around."

The woman said, a cheerful yet sly smile blooming on her face that didn't match her appearance.

"Alright, that tells me everything I need to know."

Deon returned the bright smile as he summoned a rock spear in his hand. The spear was much sharper than his previous ones and resembled a dagger rather than a spear.

The woman seemed to have noticed what he was planning to do and reached out to him. But it was too late.

Shik!

Deon pierced the dagger through his throat; his 'body' immediately fell on the ground. What remained was a soulless body that was a hallucination, created by the Goddess of Temptation.

"This is why I don't like quick-witted ones."

How did he find out that the only way to get out of here was to kill himself or find a hidden escape route, as Cruel did?

***

"Mother, you're awake!"

"Father..."

Deon opened his eyes to be bombarded by two kids, averaging the age of five.

"How long was I out for?"

"Two hours..."

"That's pretty short..."

He wasn't wrong. It only took him two hours to wake after dealing with a God? But how did he know it was a God? It was simple. The God of Death knocked him out before. Who's to say another God couldn't do the same to him?

"Gods these days interfere too much.. I need a break."

Deon sighed as he patted both Deceiver's and Hana's heads. Hopefully, these two don't end up garnering as much attention.

Well, it was too bad, as many Gods have piqued their interest in the two of them already. Not many would have Demi-Gods as their children; even fewer would have biological children who were Demi-Gods.

"Ah, I have to go to work right after this..."

Deon still had to head over to the Margrave's territory to beat up Eruhaben and Choi-Han.

"I'll give Father a few words! He should stop bullying Mother."

"I'll tackle Papa if he lies."

"Right, right. My children are so strong and brave."

Well, he should take his time to enjoy time with his kids before he gets back to work. It's not every day that he can sit back and relax. Maybe he could if everyone just left him alone.

'But apparently, the position of a Duke wasn't enough for him, so he had to go for the position of Emperor.'

Just thinking about it made him even more irritated. The position of the Duke was practically second to the Royal Family. What more did he need?! He had pretty much everything!

Chapter Text

Previously...

Just thinking about it made him even more irritated. The position of the Duke was practically second to the Royal Family. What more did he need?! He had pretty much everything!

***

'Can I ask for a break?'

That's when it struck him; resigning couldn't work. What about having breaks? It wasn't like he was going to quit; he was just resting. And if even that wouldn't work, he'll just run away with Deceiver and Hana. They would probably find him either way, anyway.

"I need a raise."

Deon stretched, which was quite rare for him, who would ever think that the most "laziest" man was stretching? Certainly, not even his ex-family would expect him to stretch.

"A raise? I thought Queens had everything."

"Keuk!"

What did he just hear?

Deon choked on his spit after hearing what Hana had to say to him. What did she mean by Queen?! He was no Queen, and if he were, he'd probably run away by now! The more important question was why she even thought of him as a Queen?

"There's no Queen here.."

"But why does Father listen to you so much?"

"...That's.. That's because I'm the second person with the highest authority here."

"So are Queens!"

Hana retorted, at this rate, Deon was almost convinced that she was doing this for fun. And usually, the only way to comply with their needs was to agree...

But there was no way that he'd call himself a Queen.

He looked at Hana, unsure of what to do. Does he agree with her? But if he agreed with her, if a demon were roaming around here... That would end up horribly.

Making up his decision, Deon whispered into Hana's ear.

"Yes, but that's a secret between me and His Majesty."

"A secret..."

"That's why you two shouldn't say it recklessly."

Deceiver and Hana's eyes began to twinkle at Deon's statement, which made Deon begin to feel bad for lying to the two. If only he knew how wrong he was, then he wouldn't have such thoughts.

***

"Your Excellency, please don't wander about alone! Our Lord said so..."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Don't tell me what to do, I'll do whatever I want."

Creation waved her hand, shooing the worried priest away. She was bored after staying in her room the whole time. Ever since she returned from her outing where she met Siren, the priests became increasingly alert.

They made up excuses such as being worried for her since she was a demigod, like anyone could even harm her. Though she was off by one thing, the priests were worried for the victims; they had no chance against her in almost everything, which included looks, of course.

There was, however, a reason why. The second time she went out, an aristocrat bumped into her and 'disturbed her peaceful time' as quoted by Creation.

Of course, being a noble with a rather high title as Count, they were quite the obnoxious ones. They tried to get Creation to apologize to them. When she refused to due to her pride as a demigod, they began to throw insults at her. Slowly, Creation was increasingly worsening, and the priests nearby began to panic.

Being Creation, she began to abhor even more negative feelings toward that said aristocrat. Within a second, that aristocrat was passed out on the ground with multiple bruises—very merciful of her.

"They're overreacting, that noble was at fault for trying to control me- hmm?"

Creation looked down from her window, and a hooded man with white hair underneath walked through the gates, appearing in her vision. She rose from her seat immediately as soon as the man exited from her vision and ran out of her room.

The priests nearby all stared at Creation in shock, rarely did she came out through the door. Neither did she come out of her room as much, practically known as the Silent Deity in the temple.

She ignored the stares as she felt a warm sensation bubbling up inside her as she went down the stairs. Was this what people called 'yearning for a family '?

"This is the map?"

"Yes Saint-nim."

"I see, thank you."

Deon picked up the map from the Arch-Bishop's hand, he took a look at the location of the artifact, and everything seemed fine.

"Y-your Excellency? What brings you here?!"

The Arch-Bishop cowered under the fierce glare coming from Creation, who continued walking up to them. Deon, who had no idea, turned around to be met by a girl who had the exact same features as him.

"Aww, that makes it three out of five children reunited."

The God of Death chimed in, and a laugh could be heard echoing in Deon's head.

'Don't remind me.'

Deon grimaced at the thought of five children being biologically his, well at least they were quite adorable, right?

"You must be... Creation."

"U-uh huh."

Creation nodded her head as she stammered. The priests nearby all had their mouths agape; never would they expect to see a God be nervous in front of someone, and it was none other than the Saint of Death.

"Saint-nim, do you know Her Excellency...?"

The Arch-Bishop walked up to Deon and lowered his presence. Deon picked up Creation in his hands and looked at the Arch-Bishop for a moment. He had evaluated the Arch-Bishop based on his actions this whole time.

So far, Deon concluded that the Arch-Bishop here wasn't greedy like the one in the Roan Kingdom. He seemed to be like almost every other Arch-Bishop in novels he had read.

"My kid."

"Pardon...?"

The Arch-Bishop stood there frozen as Deon walked out of the door with Creation in his arms. He turned around and opened his mouth one last time.

"Thank you again for the map, Arch-Bishop."

***

"You are not permitted to enter!"

"On whose rules?"

Sheri blocked the entrance of the estate from the hooded man in front of her. The hooded man, getting agitated by the second, was about to take out his sword.

But just as he was about to strike Sheri down, a voice was heard from behind them.

"Stop. What are you doing to her?"

"My Lord!"

Sheri's eyes lit up at the sight of Deon; she almost felt like killing the hooded man in front of her with her own hands if it weren't for the fact that he was royalty.

Deon stared at the hooded man who quickly sheathed his sword, his eyes shook got a moment when he realized who the person in front of him was.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince..."

Great, just great. Deon felt like crying. Why was every troublesome person specifically going after him? His grip around Creation's wrist tightened as he greeted the Second Prince. However, the grip was not strong enough to harm her or any other ordinary child.

The Second Prince looked at Deon, his eyes then trailed off to Creation in his arms.

Creation shot a glare back at the Second Prince, who did this man think he was, staring at her with such repulsive eyes? Openly glaring at her?

Deon seemed to have noticed this and walked past the Second Prince, giving him the cold shoulder. He turned back once more with cold eyes and opened his mouth.

"To show up unannounced is quite disrespectful, even if you're the Second Prince, even His Highness the Crown Prince asks me a day prior. And, at least send a notice a few days prior, and don't stare at my child like that."

And with that, Deon entered his home with Sheri trailing behind him. The Second Prince stood in front of the house for a moment, his eyes sharpened on Creation, who scoffed at him.

She mouthed a few words to the Prince with a bright grin on her face.

"It must suck to be you."

Bang!

The door to the estate closed in front of the enraged Prince's face.

***

"What an annoying bastard..."

Deon sighed, one annoying person after another. When will they stop flowing in like water?

"That's right! He was pestering me and Mister Remember to let him in the house for the past hour. I was starting to give up and decide to become a wanted fugitive."

"...There's no need to exaggerate that much, Sheri."

"No, it's the truth."

Sheri flashed a bright and relieved smile, which unsettled Deon. Where did he even find such a person as one of his people? Do they also tend to be... That violent?

"Well, then, My Lord, I must get back to my duties. Please excuse me."

"You're free to go, Sheri."

Sheri took one last bow after receiving approval from Deon and left. Although she had multiple questions along with theories, she decided to keep them to herself out of courtesy and respect.

Once Sheri left, Deon made his way back to his room. Creation looked around the room as if it were a museum, well, technically, it used to be one.

"Oh boy, I wonder what Hyung-nim will say after I bring in another kid home..."

Deon muttered under his breath as he opened the door. He placed Creation on the ground as he took off his cloak.

Now thinking about it, he never told Cruel about anything. He just buried the fact that he had biological children in the back of his head, as he always did whenever he didn't want to think of something. Just thinking about it seems like a hassle; he wasn't going to explain everything, and neither did he know how to explain it.

"Right, the map..."

Deon took the map out of his pocket and unfolded it. There was a mark near the.. Ileon Kingdom. It was astonishing. Was he just fated to encounter that Prince, no matter how much he tried to avoid him like the plague? Creation seemed to have noticed this and tried to console Deon: she patted Deon's knee.

He sighed as he patted Creation's head. He'll just head over there discreetly to not alert the Second Prince of his arrival, maybe he could ask Karina to help him. It's also been some time since he's seen her; by now, she should've fully healed, right?

Knock! Knock!

"...Whose there?"

"My Lord, Her Highness the Princess has come to see you."

"What...?"

Deon flinched. Alethea was here to see him? What business could she possibly have with him?

No, there was one thing she could've gone here for. It was definitely something about the Duke; there was only one reason as to why she could be here, and that was to discuss something about Stave Illuster. He was the only one who threatened the Emperor's position, and she seemed to have noticed that now.

Chapter Text

Previously...

No, there was one thing she could've gone here for. It was definitely something about the Duke; there was only one reason as to why she could be here, and that was to discuss something about Stave Illuster. He was the only one who threatened the Emperor's position, and she seemed to have noticed that now.

***

"I greet the rising sun of the Empire."

"Marquis Hardt, it's alright to skip the pleasantries."

Alethea gestured for Deon to sit down. She had a serious expression on her face as she crossed her legs. Deon could tell that whatever was going to happen next would most definitely make his life more troublesome than it already was.

'I'm gonna grow wrinkles at this point.'

Deon closed his eyes before opening them, bracing himself for what he was going to hear in the next few seconds.

"I have two things to ask you. First, tell me everything about the Duke, even if it's insignificant. Second... What do you think about working with me?"

Of course, Alethea, being Alethea, managed to mix on her princess facade with her current demeanor. Her eyes shone while looking at Deon with a bright smile on her face, which gave Deon no room to decline.

Deon felt uncomfortable only because of the fact that she was currently acting. Her words only spoke of the truth, yet her demeanor was all an act; she wasn't necessarily this cheerful at all.

"..Your Highness is sure desperate, I'll tell you. As for working together..."

He recalled when Alethea went up against him after he became the disaster of the world and shuddered.

"I'll think about it."

"Thank you."

Alethea smiled as she lifted up her teacup; it was quite a frightening smile that almost rivaled Deon's level.

It seemed that this conversation would go by quite positively and quickly.

***

"Thank you, Marquis Hardt, the conversation we had was lovely."

"Likewise, Your Highness."

The two shared identical bright smiles, which shocked the servants in the household. They all knew that their master wasn't pleased to be hanging around with the Royal family. It was another reason why they were confused about Deon's behavior.

Deon went back into the estate right after Alethea had left. Many would wonder why he was so happy.

'Why? What could be better than free money?'

He held up an insignia that Alethea had given him a few moments ago, which was his reward for winning first place, according to her.

Creation looked at the plaque Deon was holding with an equally amazed look. It seemed that during the short time that Deon and Creation were together, his love for money rubbed off on her as well.

How could such a thing happen? Well, this was Deon, he was bound to start grieving over money whenever there was a chance to.

"The Empire is technically kind of broke right now, so this is a blessing to have."

"Because of the war?"

"Mm, tedious wars."

And now there was another war coming up. Thankfully, it was less expensive than the other ones. The Eight-Year War was enough, and so was what was about to become the war against the Demon Realm. This time, at least, both sides could aid each other in supplies rather than being at each other's throats.

It was progress!

He won't have to deal with being on the verge of death anymore, nor will he have to worry about Paul trying to burn him alive! How nice was that?

But there was another issue: he needed to find a way to reduce Eruhaben's lifespan. If he could do just that, then that bastard would be much more cautious.

'It must suck having to be him.'

Deon gave a satisfied smile as he tossed the Empire's insignia up into the air.

Being a dragon while at peak age was truly pitiful. So, what would happen if a dragon that had managed to outbest his inevitable death were to revert to what his actual age was?

"Impending death."

Clank!

The insignia fell to the ground, creating a noise audible to everyone in the silent room to hear.

'Hey, Death.'

"What is it, my child?"

The God of Death's voice echoed throughout the room as if he were there, yet no one outside could hear it.

"Are you helping me out of pity?"

The God of Death remained silent for a moment.

"My poor pitiful child suffered so much, so I wanted to help him: is that what you wanted to hear?"

"That was cringe, never say that again."

"Alright, alright."

Besides, you don't mean it. Would a God really care about mortal affairs? He must've just piqued their interests. It was nothing special since many other people were able to do the same.

Well, it was whatever. The God of Death's answer, whether it was the truth or not, was sufficient for him.

But now that he was thinking about it, those novels he read were probably real people too, weren't they? It might've been a guidebook for someone else that he managed to stumble upon.

"What're we doing next?"

Creation interrupted Deon's train of thought and scooted closer to him, her eyes wandered off to the mark in Ileon Kingdom.

"We're going to... Shorten a dragon's lifespan."

Deon flashed a mischievous smile. Since the Roan Kingdom was blessed with ancient powers, who was to say that this world wasn't, either? They even had their own world to look after them, while the Roan Kingdom didn't.

But that was to be expected, the Nameless One, where Roan Kingdom resided in was purely a minor world. Worlds that had not much of value were typically nameless, hence why for Nameless One.

"Dragons still exist here?"

"Ah, well, one does right now. He's a very annoying and prickly bastard. Gold hair and eyes."

"Oh, that man.."

Deon paused for a bit. Did Creation really meet Eruhaben already? And since when did she meet him?

"When did you meet him?"

"When I first landed here."

The two communicated with short sentences; anyone who had seen this would have known right from the start that they were for sure father and daughter.

"Let's go there!"

"Okay."

Deon didn't refute; he was planning to go there soon anyway. He'll need this relic in order to use it in his plans for his next encounter with Eruhaben.

***

"Father... Father has been gone for too long."

"It's boring here."

Hana and Deceiver lay on the ground for as long as they could remember.

"Father ,can we go out?"

"...No."

Caver looked at Hana, who was giving him a pleading look, and shook his head. They've caused enough havoc for the Demon Realm, as much as a certain Zeroth Corps Commander..

Lately, Caver had decided to let Hana and Deceiver wander around in his office. Truthfully speaking, it was much better than them 'accidentally' blowing up a section of the castle.

It was either that they were too wild, or the demons here were more tame than them.

"What am I to do with you two?"

"Nothing!"

Deceiver looked at Caver with a familiar bright smile.

Yeah, there was no way he could even attempt to scold these two.

***

"No wonder nobody was able to find this place... It's so.."

So fucking plain...

Deon looked at the cave in front of him; it looked so ordinary that no one would suspect a thing about it.

"How is this humanly possible?"

Creation could tell that there was something beyond the cave, yet it was hidden in plain sight.

Literally, it was hidden in plain sight.

"Umm... Father, we should be careful, there are demonic monsters in there."

"It's okay, I got it."

Deon lifted up Creation into his arms before walking into the cave. He pulled up his gun and looked at the large gate in front of him. Now that he had gone deeper into the cave, it looked less ordinary with the gate in front of his face that was practically screaming—I'm so suspicious and have so many lost treasures and relics in here!—He wondered how nobody ever stepped foot into here...

It wasn't a total lie, since there indeed was an ancient relic in there waiting to be used.

"Hmm, that sure is a lot of demonic monsters. I wonder how they ended up here."

Bang!

The demonic monster facing Deon's gun immediately fell, and the rest soon followed the same fate. A few demonic monsters tried to ambush him from behind, but failed; they were all struck by a combination of Deon's ancient powers.

"I feel like I'm in a game.."

Deon sighed as he shot down the remaining demonic monsters.

"I can fight too."

"Yes, but there's no need to do so."

Deon stroked Creation's head. Even if she was strong enough to protect herself, he didn't want his kids to be too revolved in fighting like him. And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to do something for them at least once.

Based on most of their actions, it seemed that he didn't pay attention to them. Either that or he was already dead during their whole childhood.

'It's too late to think about that.'

Even if he wasn't there for them in the past, now that they were here, he could give them the attention they needed.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Even if he wasn't there for them in the past, now that they were here, he could give them the attention they needed.

***

Of course, everything was a huge misunderstanding. Well, to an extent at least. How was the Deon back then supposed to raise them when he was already dead?

"Next room!"

Creation said as she opened the door to the next room. Deon followed behind her, occasionally taking a glance at the treasure on the ground.

'Those are probably traps...'

It was a shame, but the relic here was by far the most important and rarest treasure of everything here. He'll just get more money from the Emperor when he gets back.

So far, his wealth was on the level of a Marquis. Back then, he didn't care about the money he gained since the Emperor provided him with everything. In short, his wealth slowly accumulated over the two years that went by.

As Deon and Creation continued walking down the halls, the irregular statues they passed by seemed to be turning to them.

'I have a bad feeling about this..'

He recognized many of the statues here, which resembled the monsters in Korea.

"This is more troublesome than I thought."

Deon sighed as he prepared himself. Creation could feel a strange presence from behind the door as she walked closer.

Creak...!

The door opened with a loud creak before hitting the wall with a loud thud.

'So much for entering discreetly..'

Deon looked at the puddle of water in front of him and looked back at the monster in the room. It was a water serpent as Choi Jung-Soo had described it. He and his original Team One had only encountered this once, and one more time with the new Team One.

'I would say fire is useless against water... But this is the Fire of Destruction, it even beats the Crazy Kid..'

He held up a gun and aimed it at the serpent's eye in front of him.

Creation gave a confused look. She could feel the essence of fire and nature inside the bullet, but wouldn't that be useless?

Bang!

"Kieeekkk!!"

The serpent squirmed around in pain, using its tail to break pieces of the wall and floor off before aiming it at both Deon and Creation.

The bullet of fire had completely pierced through the serpent's eye and broken through the water shield.

"It broke through..."

Creation looked back at the serpent, and blood flowed down the serpent's eye as it started to charge towards them. Deon took the initiative and picked Creation up as he took a step back, narrowly dodging the tail whip from the serpent.

'The weakness of it is that jewel on its tongue...'

A blue jewel shone brightly on the white serpent's tongue. It contrasted with the serpent's white scales and red eyes, making it easy to spot as if it were screaming: I'm a weak spot, please hit me!

Normally, it would've been hard to aim or even attack the weak spot. However, this was Deon Hardt—Normal wasn't in his vocabulary—When has he ever been normal?

All Deon needed was a few seconds to aim. It was doable; all he needed to do was immobilize the serpent.

"Why are all snakes so annoying?"

Suddenly, he thought of Clopeh and shivered. Surely that bastard still wouldn't be worshipping him like a God, right? No, of course not. This was Clopeh he was talking about.

Bang!

Deon angrily shot the serpent right on the weak spot, killing it on the spot. It was quite the anti-climactic death. Who would even believe him if he said that a Grade One monster was killed in one shot?

'Ah, this is kind of making me miss Kim Min Ah and the others.'

Those kids listened to him quite well, of course, but Kim Min Ah still found some way to argue back at him. Although he didn't like Director Ma, he would admit that he did have lingering attachments to Korea.

He hoped that they were doing well.

Deon knew that Kim Rok Soo had already died; after all, why else would he be in the God of Death's domain? It was impossible unless you used a medium such as the God of Death's divine book, but only he had it.

The only other reason was that Kim Rok Soo was dead.

"They even killed the Original Cale, how twisted.. Weren't they the ones that obsessed over Cale?"

They wanted Cale Henituse, so why did they have to kill the Original Cale Henituse? If it weren't for him, Kim Rok Soo wouldn't have transmigrated to the world of The Birth of a Hero.

There had to be more than just that; they were blinded by grief and obsession. But what did the Hunters tell them in order for them to travel through dimensions?

"Father, the statues stopped shaking."

"...Oh.. I see, good observation."

Creation pointed at the statues outside of the room, and they returned to their still positions after Deon had killed the Grade One monster.

"I guess the reason why they were shaking was because of this snake..."

Deon held up a piece of the serpent's broken jewel. He knew the monsters in Korea were created solely for despair, and most appeared in the Demon Realm.

But how would he get the relic? There weren't any specific instructions on how to get it; only a map was provided. Neither was this mentioned in the novel; it was a completely different turn from it.

'Oh, wait.'

Deon turned to the statues outside, the statues down the hella were shaking as they walked past them. It meant that they were movable. He looked at the empty marble pedestals in the room; the pedestals outside matched the ones inside the room.

"My daughter is indeed bright."

Creation looked at Deon, confused as he set her down and walked outside the room. She followed him outside and watched him pick up a marble statue effortlessly, which was a lie; she could feel the essence of stone.

A few minutes later, Deon managed to successfully arrange the statues and arranged them in order.

"This God loves making me do labor."

Deon, as always, managed to find a way to diss the God of Death. Creation sweatdropped at the casual blasphemy coming from her father's mouth, especially with the fact that he was that said God's own Saint.

Whirr!

The light beneath where the serpent was shone brightly, and a massive magic circle glowed beneath them.

"The floor itself was a platform."

Creation held on to her father's shirt as the platform slowly descended. She wondered if she could re-create the same thing.

Thud!

The platform stopped in front of another door.

The two felt like sighing seeing another door, for what felt like the nth time.

"This better be the last door, or else I'm suing the God of Death."

"You can sue Gods?"

"If you try hard enough, yes."

Deon opened the door and laid his eyes upon another platform. The platform contained an hourglass lying on top of it as if it was screaming: 'Take me, take me, take me please!' It was painfully obvious that it was a trap.

'If I took that right now, I would probably awaken some kind of crazy boss..'

But what else was he supposed to do? There was no altar, no pillars, and no statues to move beside the huge lion statue right behind the hourglass.

"That statue is alive...?"

Creation looked at the lion statue with interest; it had a mechanism operated by divine magic, which was quite rare. Divine magic could only be possessed by Saints and Gods; it meant that this place was most likely created by a God or Saint.

"It's a bit hard to pinpoint which God made this."

There was a tangle of Divine magic operating in the lion statue. If one were to take the relic carelessly, they could say goodbye to their future and be crushed flat by the lion itself.

"Then we'll have to approach this situation carefully-"

"Let's just destroy it."

"What?"

What did he just hear? Destroy that thing that's operated on multiple Gods' powers?

"Chaos said that if there's something that is in my way, I should just get rid of it."

'No... That's not it..'

Deon wanted to say that he wasn't thinking that at all, but it was rather too late as Creation had already run inside the room.

Ah, right, how could he forget such a thing? His kids were insanely overpowered.

'With just a few glances, she imitated my ancient powers almost to perfection.'

Well, doesn't God have favorites...

Unaware that Creation was a God herself, Deon watched as she destroyed the lion statue until not even a single bit of dust remained. If it were him, he might've taken hours to fully break the statue since he was a human.

'Wait.'

He looked back at Creation running back with the hourglass in her hands in a cheerful demeanor.

It couldn't be, right? He was just imagining it, right? There was no way his kid would be a God; he was human anyway!

'Yeah, this is all an illusion, she's just insanely strong like a main character, she's not a God."

And just like that, Deon deluded himself into believing a lie once again. Perhaps it was for the best; even an irregular person like Deon could faint if they found out their children were all Demi-Gods.

"Father, I got the relic."

"..Good job."

Deon placed his hand on Creation's head and patted it; he was still not hung over the surprise fact but kept it within himself. If Creation wasn't the only one, then the others were all the same.

Whatever, at least none of them locked him up in the past, right?

'I'm wondering if this is karma for every hate comment I made about Gods.'

Deon sighed as he picked Creation up and walked out of the room, passing by the past rooms where he and Creation fought demonic monsters left and right.

By the time they had made it back, it was noon. The day that he'd use the hourglass was coming closer, but his birthday was also coming up. Well, it wasn't like he was expecting anything.

Meanwhile, in the labyrinth, the wind passed by the statues slowly. The tranquil statues lined up began to shake violently.

"It's not here? Who took the relic?"

A man looked across the scrambled-up puzzles, feeling confused before leaving begrudgingly.

***

"He's a little too smart for his own good."

The God of Death sighed as he stared at Deon, silently panicking through the screen. Well, if he were actually a normal person, he would've been wondering the same thing as well.

But the God of Death knew why, so would the others, if they dug a little further into the world that Deon was currently on, then they might've already found out by now.

The only reason why they weren't born due to karma accumulation was that he had forcibly changed the world. A method that Angelina had also tried with the Dark Elves after Cale convinced her enough.

And because he changed the world, personally interfering multiple times, they came to exist once again. Perhaps this was also a form of pity, a group of children who would never be able to meet their original parents were all reborn into an era where their parents had died.

"Haah.. When did the God of Death's prestige fall so low?"

The God of Death looked at his messy room and sighed. Even as a God, he won't be able to escape the impending doom of paperwork.

Is this what he gets for taking over as the new God of Death? If so, maybe he shouldn't have decided to succeed in the position as the God of Death after all...

Chapter Text

“Rok-Soo, do you want to visit Deon?”

“Eh? Visit him?”

Kim Rok-Soo stared at the God of Death dumbfoundedly, as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard. His eyes swept across the room, finally landing on a small orb. 

The glass sphere was transparent and dull when not used, but displayed vivid images when divine power was channeled into it. The orb sat on the top of one of the many desks in the God of Death’s room–clean and polished daily, like a prized treasure. 

He thought about it for a moment… After all, Basen was still there, and he didn’t want to deal with him anymore. Though the act he put up was for both him and Lily to be easily accepted, seeing the way they treated Cale Henituse after the war wasn’t pleasant at all. And although he had no powers that could detect him as Kim Rok-Soo or someone whose fate was intertwined with Cale Henituse, Choi-Han had seen what he looked like; an easy way to expose that Deon was Cale.

However, on the other hand.. Chatting with him was enjoyable, and that person was technically his younger brother! Even their mother wanted to talk to him, but refrained from doing so.

“Okay. Fine. Send me over.”

“Hmm, I knew you’d say that.”

The God of Death snapped his fingers, a cheeky smile appearing on his face. When Kim Rok-Soo saw the smile, he felt a sudden urge to knock a certain God’s teeth out. However, he ultimately refrained from doing so; Deon was more important!

***

“My Lord?”

A young lady’s voice was heard from behind the door, promptly waking up Deon, who was in a daze. 

“Shuri..? Come in.”

He straightened up, yawning as he rubbed his eyes, reddening the corners of them–a faint illusion that he was crying a while ago–though that was just how sensitive his skin was.

By the time the doors opened, Deon was fully awake. He cast a glance at Shuri, who seemed perplexed over something, his brow slightly raised. An interest over the small matter welled up inside him; it wasn’t every day that Shuri became confused over something.

“What’s the matter?” 

Deon asked, his voice carrying a curious tone. He looked at Shuri, who was fidgeting with her clothes with one hand, yet still carrying a stoic expression.

“Someone is waiting for you, My Lord. They claimed to be your older brother… Yet..” 

Shuri explained, tone showcasing a moment of puzzlement. It seemed that the matter of another older brother appearing out of nowhere was a shock to her. After all, Deon Hardt only had one brother; where did this one come from?

“An older brother..?”

Deon’s heart dropped as he listened to Shuri’s report. It couldn’t be Alberu, right?

“What did he look like? Blonde hair, blue eyes? Dark brown hair and skin?”

“...Quite the opposite.”

Well, at least he knew it wasn’t Alberu. That’s great.

“He had dark hair, and what seemed to be brown eyes with a reddish hue.. He also had a more muscular build.”

“Wait.. Reddish brown eyes?” 

Deon stood up abruptly, seemingly in a panic. His white hair puffed up due to his sudden movement, leaving some strands of hair sticking to his face. 

The sudden outburst shocked Shuri silly but didn’t scare her, only making her feel dazed. She watched as Deon walked out the door in long strides, heading towards the audience room. Her head was in a mess; did the Marquis actually have another sibling?!

Despite the curiosity and confusion, she didn’t follow Deon out; it was his business, not hers.

***

Deon sped-walked to the room, ignoring the servant's confused state. It seemed that this was their first time seeing their stoic and cold Marquis have a look of shock on his face.

By the time he reached the audience room, there was already a bead of sweat dripping down his chin. He finally calmed down, taking small breaths, and opened the door.

“Yo.”

Kim Rok-Soo appeared from behind the doors, elegantly sitting on the couch. In his hand was a teacup filled with Golden Lily tea, a personal favorite of Deon’s. He looked at Deon with a playful look before waving at him with his other hand.

“What the… What are you doing here..?”

Deon looked at the man before him, a series of questions appearing in his mind.

How did he get here? And what was he doing here? Is he insane?

“Come give your Hyung a hug!”

The feeling of elegance was washed away like sand ashore, shattering the noble and cold demeanor that Kim Rok-Soo had. The smile on his face felt odd to see from Deon’s perspective. It was like seeing a serial killer save their victim from harm... Utterly horrifying, yet still carried a hint of charm. 

Just…

Don’t smile in front of him, then it’ll look better.

“What’re you doing here?”

Deon looked up at the taller figure, suddenly missing his lost height. Ever since he began transmigrating, he noticed his height was plummeting in return..

Kim Rok-Soo stared at the white head in his arms, slowly tilting his head to the side–a habit that somehow they both had when confused. The action caused Deon to grimace and recoil, seemingly horrified at the scene.

“Don’t do such things. It looks scary.”

Even though Kim Rok-Soo didn’t have the cold and brooding look of a thirty-eight-year-old… It still felt weird seeing his past self smile and act all endearing like that.

Endearing?

Deon stopped himself in his tracks, looking back at the older man; he actually was thinking this man was endearing when he tilted his head?! 

Truth be told, he was overreacting. But perhaps it was how he looked; it felt weird, so he couldn't help but exaggerate like that.

“C’mon, let’s catch up; let’s share how amazing our lives have been.”

Kim Rok-Soo pulled Deon down to sit beside him, pouring a cup of Golden Lily tea for him. He gave a light smile that screamed sarcastic. Of course, he never meant it when he said the word ‘amazing,’ his life was totally shit until he died.

“Oh, I’ll tell you how amazing my life was these past years.”

Deon gritted his teeth as he said each word, clearly annoyed at his misfortunes.

***

The days passed like the arms of a ticking clock, feeling slow yet fast. The two ‘youths’ grew even closer over the following days. It reached a point where even the servants addressed him by ‘Young Lord’ or ‘Young Master,’ which gave Kim Rok-Soo a moment of nostalgia; whether it was a good or bad feeling was uncertain.

News of it soon spread when people saw the infamous Marquis Hardt stroll the streets with a taller man, getting along like blood-related brothers. It soon reached the ears of Cruel, who was momentarily the vanguard of the frontlines.

“Repeat that one more time…” 

“...The Third Hero was spotted walking around the streets with another man.. C-calling him ‘Hyung’ while playing around.”

The soldier broke out in a cold sweat as he reported the information to Cruel. He suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had dropped to the negatives; he wasn’t even sure why he had to report this, weren’t the Hardt brothers on bad terms?

Cruel, who was listening to the report, suddenly paused. His hand holding the quill twitched twice before snapping it in half, and his eyes darkened.

His baby brother called someone else… Hyung..?

“...Tell me who this man is.”

“Uh… H-he has black hair and brown eyes with a tinge of red..”

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room became colder. The soldier who was scared of his wits immediately saw a chance and ran for it, leaving a sulking Cruel behind.

***

“Hyung, don’t you think you were too unusual acting like that…? I never drink while at work.” 

“Nonsense. What could they even do? Kick me out? I doubt they’d kick me out for drinking.”

Kim Rok-Soo immediately shrugged it off, voicing his opinions.

Deon, who listened to the rant and points, somehow felt like the explanation made sense.. After all, he was the only Team Leader One… They couldn’t afford to kick him off for just drinking, especially if he didn’t cause any ruckus.

He looked at Kim Rok-Soo, who was eating a piece of cake with picture-perfect etiquette. The scene, of course, shocked many servants; with the clothes he wore, everyone thought he was a rich commoner.

Bang! Bang!

A sequence of loud knocks vibrated from the door, disrupting the joyful atmosphere. 

“What is it?”

“It’s… The Fourth Hero! He’s here!”

Shuri yelped in a panicked tone. Although most of the time she was composed, the sudden appearance of an angry Cruel caught her off guard–unsure what to do, she could only run to Deon before anything drastic happened.

“...What is he doing here?”

The two almost identical men exclaimed in surprise. 

“What could my brother be doing here?”

It wasn’t like he was injured or anything. Hell, nothing even happened the past few days; it was just him lazing around. There was no need to rush over here.

“I think I know why.”

Kim Rok-Soo said, sighing. Damn it, how could he forget.. Cruel was a brocon. Yet the realization didn’t even stop him as he draped his arm around Deon’s shoulder, likely to intensify Cruel’s emotions.

“It’s probably because of me.”

The revelation made Deon remember a crucial detail… Yes, Cruel was indeed a bit too protective of him..

He looked over at Kim Rok-Soo, then to the arm around his shoulders.

“Be confident, remove the probably.”

A big smile was plastered on Deon’s face, revealing a row of white teeth. However, with his eye twitching, his smile only seemed strained–because it was.

Deon sighed as the two made their way to the front gate. Hopefully, nothing will happen.

***

“Brother… What brings you here?”

Deon looked at Cruel, who was waiting for him in the front. A menacing gaze was directed at him, well, specifically Kim Rok-Soo, who was beside him. The look let him know that.. This man was likely sulking and… Somewhat jealous of Kim Rok-Soo as well..

Cruel looked back at Deon silently, his gaze softening. Then he looked at Kim Rok-Soo, a vein almost popping on the top of his forehead.

A silent war was brooding between the two older brothers as Kim Rok-Soo glared back at Cruel.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the border? Why are you here?”

Deon asked bluntly, breaking the silence.

“Who is he?”

Great, not even beating around the bush. It was obvious to even outsiders that he rushed back here for this.. And even more rumors will spread.

“This…”

The question was too direct, and Deon struggled to find a way to answer it.

“Of course, I’m his Hyung.”

Kim Rok-Soo spoke up with a cheerful and mocking smile. The message was clear: he was boasting his Hyung rights and pursuing his trashy persona once again.

Deon inwardly sighed when he heard the condescending tone, a palm almost resting atop his face. He looked at Kim Rok-Soo, understanding why Choi-Han in the novel was so angered by him; he completely hit their sorest parts!

“You guys…”

“No Deon, who would you choose as your Hyung?”

Kim Rok-Soo interrupted him, giving a discreet glare to Cruel, who sensed it. 

“I…”

Deon looked at the two men, completely baffled. These two.. They were both acting completely childish! It wouldn’t be long before they ended up in another rumor…

The sudden questions and stares made him want to pass out, but unfortunately, he couldn’t and had to break up the fight between the two of them.

In the end, he somehow had to set up times whenever spending time with both of them… 

“How childish..”

The God of Death said, chuckling as he watched Deon deal with his two older brothers. Jour, who was not far from him, also watched the scene with amusement.

“Hmm. It’s good that they’re spending time with each other, though.”

She said, affectionately gazing at the two siblings with a soft gaze. Seeing her two children, who had suffered all their lives, made her happy; it was worth it to sacrifice that much.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Is this what he gets for taking over as the new God of Death? If so, maybe he shouldn't have decided to succeed in the position as the God of Death after all...

***

"Achoo!"

"Are you alright?"

Creation looked at Deon, concerned. Maybe he was sick? After all, most humans were delicate and got ill easily; death was even a possible outcome for some people because of how frail they were.

Thanks, but he wasn't that delicate.

Deon let out a fond sigh as he ruffled Creation's hair. There was no way he'd die from a single sneeze... Whatever, at least she wasn't overreacting.

He thought about the children who were at least ten years old; they all acted like he'd die from a single sneeze or when he was sick. While he understood them being worried when he coughed up blood, there was no need to worry if he sneezed—he wasn't hiding anything—just a sneeze, nothing else!

"Oh, Father. I met this girl named Siren."

"..."

Can you not drop such bombs on me like this?

Deon looked at Creation, his eyes widening for a moment before calming down. It seemed that the God of Death had a hand in this; otherwise, she wouldn't just mention her out of nowhere. After all, Siren was a part of Stave's side, who wants to kill him.

"What about it?"

"I locked her up in a small dimension, made a puppet of her, and then sent her to the Duke's side. By the time she comes back, you might have evidence on him."

Amazing.

His children were all little munchkins. Absolute monsters; who even made them?

Oh right, he did.

"You worked hard; there was no need to do that."

"I wanted to. It was something new, and the God of Death told me to try something new anyway. He said that it wasn't good to always stick to my ideals."

Deon gave an "Mhm," picking up Creation. He understood what she meant: she wanted to do something new. Well, as long as it didn't harm her or anyone, it was fine.

However, that wasn't the end yet.

"She might come today, or the next few days.. Don't know. I only told her to collect enough evidence, after all, I've never done this kind of thing. You seem more experienced in it."

"We can look through it once we get it, then. First, let's go."

He gained a nod from the little demigod. Then, with a flick of her fingers, Creation successfully teleported them away.

It was the best decision to make. Had they teleported away any sooner, they might've had to stand face-to-face with the person in the cave.

A while ago, in the cave, the two of them had actually foretold that someone would come here, which led them to leave. But they only stayed idle in the forest for some time, chatting about the current topics before sensing the same presence once more coming closer. Their only choice was to leave before things became messy.

***

"Haah..."

Deon flopped on the bed with Creation in his arms. He took a couple of deep breaths, regaining his composure. It had been a while since someone almost caught him stealing things. The last time such a thing happened was when he was fighting the White Star..

He looked at Creation, whose eyes finally lit up like a sky of stars. He felt a child-like feeling from the little demigod despite her most likely being older than him. They were all demigods after all; it was impossible to stay a child forever, and with the way they acted after he found out, which was also a dead giveaway.

"Tell me about your siblings. I know there's you, Deceiver, and Observer. However, I know nothing of the rest."

I also need to prepare myself.

But he decided not to say that.. Those were his kids after all...

"There's only Chaos and Balance left."

Creation thought about it for a moment, pausing mid-sentence.

"Chaos is just... The epitome of chaos; anywhere he goes, destruction and chaos happen. Oh, and he's also a brutehead; he only sees things as entertainment and something weak, and is as cunning as ever."

"..."

That wasn't his kid; that was Caver's for sure.

Creation, seeing the look on Deon's face, knew what he was thinking.

"He does have the Demon King's looks. Not a single part looks like you."

That only further confirmed Deon's thoughts. This Chaos was definitely Caver's child.

...

Strange, since when had he been calling the Demon King, Caver? The first time it accidentally slipped out was when he was confronting Caver...

There he goes again.

Why does he keep calling him Caver?! It's not like the man will even care!

"Ugh..."

Deon covered his face with his arm, hiding his face. He felt a sense of embarrassment from the ordeal, but it was nothing to be embarrassed about; it was just a name, almost everyone had a name or a way of identification.. There was no need to be embarrassed about such things.

Forget it.

He'll stop thinking about it.

For some reason, he felt like if he kept thinking about it, he would be sent into a spiral. It was better to be blissfully unaware, hypnnotizing yourself into thinking otherwise.

Taking deep breaths, Deon regained his composure—uncovering his face—like nothing happened, he stood up, heading outside.

"Let's go eat. I'll cook it personally this time."

Deon said, opening the door slowly. Creation, hearing this, immediately shot up and followed him out the door, like a little chick.

When the two of them left, a clear-like orb appeared within the corners of the room. It shone as if it were a camera, recording every moment of the whitehead duo.

"Noona..."

Hong looked at On, who gritted her teeth.

She didn't recognize the girl through the orb, but the way she acted was almost identical to hers. Mature, but still yearned for a family deep down. Even if she didn't show it, sticking out thorns like a porcupine, she had always wanted a family to care for her.

But now that Father was far away, finding new children. Replacing them with new memories, new kids, new family. And they were forced to watch this through gritted teeth and clenched fists.

"I'm fine."

The two cat tribe siblings sat together in silence, watching their father with lost memories care for other children.

***

"Have you thought about what you wanted?"

"Um..."

Creation, for once, felt conflicted. How was she supposed to choose what she wanted to eat?!

As she thought about her choice, she began to feel dispirited for the first time. Her brows furrowed seriously, her red eyes squinted as if she were making the hardest decision of her life.

"What about... A mango crepe cake?"

"A good choice."

Deon chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair. He only felt like teasing her for a bit, but she took it so seriously. It was quite endearing.

He took an apron, wrapping it around his waist before flipping through a nearby cookbook, recording the information down.

While he knew how to cook and bake a few things, it wasn't to the point that he knew everything. Sometimes he needed to take a quick look at a recipe before actually starting, like right now.

After he took a glimpse at the recipe, his hands began moving naturally—with efficiency—it was like he was born to cook.

Creation looked at the fluid actions, bewilderment flashing in her eyes. While she was a God and knew almost everything from her omnipresent view, it was shocking to see a single human being do everything naturally.

Just how many other things did her Father know?

When Deon finished the dessert, Creation finally snapped out of her thoughts. A sweet scent wafted into his nose, making her feel a sense of phantom hunger.

Even though demigods born from karma accumulation did not need sustenance, the cake her Father made for some reason even stirred a demigod's hunger.

"Dig in?"

Deon pushed the small plate to her. He smiled warmly at the demigod, giving her a sense of yearning for an emotion she didn't know.

Was it so easy to sway demigods these days?

Creation bit into the cake, feeling a little emotion. She looked up at Deon for a short moment before continuing to eat her dessert.

Chapter Text

Previously...

Was it so easy to sway demigods these days?

Creation bit into the cake, feeling a little emotion. She looked up at Deon for a short moment before continuing to eat her dessert.

***

A few weeks had passed since Deon stayed in his residence at the Human Realm, and he had almost forgotten that the Demon Realm exists.

So, when he received notice to report back to the Demon Realm, specifically, by Caver's orders, he almost groaned in annoyance. Was that man's hobby just... annoying the crap out of him? Did he enjoy resurfacing in his life the moment he was at peace?

Aiyah, who told him to relax so well during his short weekend?

Deon mentally sighed as he made his approach to Caver's castle. As he walked by, he gained a few strange looks directed not just at him, but at Creation.

A few was an understatement, nearly everyone he walked by looked at Creation with bewilderment in their eyes; unable to conceal their shock at the resemblance of her and both the Demon King and Deon..

This time, it wasn't just like Hana and Deceiver, who maintained their white sclera; Creation kept her original appearance, fully representing the two strongest figures in the Demon Realm. But even then, people still looked at them in shock, after all, they still resembled either the infamous 0th Corps Commander, or the notorious Demon King.

Even Deon knew this. It was practically impossible to be oblivious about the looks when they were burning holes into his head. It was fine if only a few were staring at him; then he could just ignore it and continue acting like nothing was wrong, but with everyone staring at him as if he were a dead person resurrected, he couldn't even ignore the looks.

After a few minutes, Deon finally reached Caver's office—though it felt like hours had passed. He actually somehow felt a wave of relief rushing over him as he entered the once-cold office. 

"You're back."

Caver looked up from his desk, his eyes meeting a pair of ruby red ones. And for some reason, that tone he used made Deon think that a certain Devil was feeling aggrieved. But he felt like it was impossible; would a Demon King really feel aggrieved just because he didn't reply the past weeks?

"Mm."

Deon hummed in agreement, making the office fall into silence. He felt fidgety with Caver saying nothing and only looking at him.

'Why are you only looking at me?! Go on, spill it, what do you have to tell me?'

He internally panicked, looking at Caver, who was still staring at him intently, saying nothing. After a while, he looked away, finally glancing at Creation with surprise in his eyes.

"This is..."

No way. right? There were already two children, but where did she come from?

Catching the rare emotion and confusion in Caver's eyes, looking at him, Deon reluctantly nodded. 

No, you aren't seeing things wrong. And no, you aren't delusional; we really somehow have a third kid. 

A whopping five kids, to be exact. 

But he couldn't just say that..

"Creation."

Deon finally replied, feeling like one of those guilty wives who had kids with a domineering president and then ran away. But clearly, he didn't run away, so why did he even feel like this?

'I've read too many novels.'

He belatedly realized this, finally feeling a hint of regret. Was this the consequence of reading too many novels that he now randomly made references in his mind?

"What did you call me for?"

"Your brother has been running around, reluctantly doing chores in your stead.. Currently, the last step is to lure the group of otherworldly people near Marquis Stigma's territory."

"Is it just an attempt to wear down their offenses and see what they can do?"

"It is."

The Empire and Demon Realm did not know how the group even crossed worlds, nor did they know who was helping them.

While they knew to some extent what they could do, it wasn't a full understanding. Not even Deon himself knew the full extent. Perhaps he used to, but with years of confinement, he was now unaware of how much more powerful they were. What would've been a full understanding was now perhaps just half of it.

'Also... they seem oddly immortal now.'

Considering how they had the backing of the Hunters, it was very much possible. Of course, not fully immortal, they could die, but perhaps only with a God's intervention can they completely kill them.

And the Gods... Not everyone was on his side. He's only ever met three Gods and actually got to know them somewhat. Even then, he did not know everything about them; Gods were, after all, the most mysterious beings, more mysterious than life itself.

"You want to use me as bait."

"I'll be going with you."

The two spoke up at the same time, creating an awkward atmosphere. Silence wafted in the air, making the place feel suffocating. Even Creation felt the need to walk out after such an awkward interaction.

"..."

This dog man.. No, wait, this devil. Why is he even going with him?

Deon stared at the Demon King, lost in his thoughts. By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, Caver was already standing in front of him.

He suddenly felt too short.

Could someone explain why he was shorter than almost the entire Demon Realm and Human Realm?

"I.. I will go prepare."

Deon quickly walked out of the room, clutching Creation's hand as if holding onto a lifeline, leaving Caver with no time to react.