DKFTI 121

Lilianthes departed as beautifully as she had descended.

“Thank you so much!”

Lilianthes smiled, the sight of Sibel greeted her with bright, clear eyes was endearing.

No matter how he thought about it, he must have been powerless from the beginning against the feeling he had given her. It was as natural as butterflies and bees loving flowers and birds yearning for the sky.

After Lilianthes vanished, there was still a problem for Sibel.

It was now time to answer Aizen’s curiosity, since he had quietly listened to their conversation until then.

“What is it? Say it.”

He said it as if revealing a deep secret was as easy as cracking corn.

“Well, I’d say it’s an adult matter.”

He only said that playfully because he felt mischievous, but Aizen’s eyebrow twitched. Sibel thought,

Maybe even if the species changes, the personality never does.

He then gathered his thoughts to begin the long story he owed him.

“Do you believe in God?”

When Sibel finally spoke, Aizen leaned into his chair laughed. It felt as if he had turned into some cultist asking strangers on the street if they believed in salvation.

“That’s refreshing. It’s been a long time since someone asked me that.”

Well, true enough. Aizen was an apostle who possessed holy power, though that fact was easy to forget sometimes. Who would ever think to ask a warrior of the Holy Kingdom whether he believed in God or not?

“I was told that in my previous life.”

He casually brought up the past, as if talking about someone else, but even then, fragments of his former memories passed through his mind. It was a feeling he could never grow used to. It felt as though two selves were coexisting in one body.

When Sibel calmly spoke, Aizen stared at him in silence. Sibel thought he would either laugh or interrogate him to find out whether it was true, but Aizen remained quiet.

He said nothing for a long time. It was long enough that Sibel wondered if he was just zoning out, staring at someone’s face for no reason. As the silence dragged on, Sibel began to feel awkward for speaking first.

“It suits you.”

What a strange answer. How could something like that suit anyone?

“So?”

Sibel had just revealed what he thought was a secret of explosive importance, but Aizen asked the next question as casually as if he had just been told someone ate kimchi stew for lunch and wanted to know whether they had coffee or tea afterward.

“I’m just saying. But I don’t need these memories. They only bring confusion. You know me, I’m too ordinary to carry around a grand label like that, right?”

“Hmm.”

For once, Aizen listened attentively to his words.

“For someone like me, who values personal stability more than things like world peace, these memories only cause cognitive dissonance.”

Sibel continued talking, and Aizen’s expression was serious. He almost wished Aizen would just laugh it off and say, “You? A god? That’s funny,” like he usually did. Sibel didn’t even know why he was this nervous.

“Why are you not reacting?”

Did he think Sibel was lying? Maybe he did. Sibel forced his wandering gaze to meet Aizen’s eyes.

“What are you thinking about?”

When Sibel asked, Aizen finally opened his lips and spoke.

“I was thinking, if I’d known sooner, I might have worked harder as an apostle.”

Aizen’s answer instantly made him relax. No, it was so absurd that he even laughed.

Why did this man—no, this strange being—always think in such ridiculous ways? But thanks to that ridiculous answer, Sibel’s heart felt lighter.

“What are gods, what are demons, what are humans, and what are beasts? Why do we divide, unite, label something as good or evil? None of it really means anything. Every living thing that breathes on this land is the same.”

It really was good to have someone to talk to. And since that person wasn’t one of the other demon kings he barely saw, but Aizen, who had already shared everything with him, even the unspeakable became easier to speak. No matter what nonsense he said, Aizen would probably just laugh.

“Maybe because you’ve got some background now. Even nonsense sounds philosophical.”

Aizen’s reply made him feel at ease. His mental strength, unshaken by anything, always gave Sibel a strange comfort. He had never thought the man’s twisted personality would someday feel so reassuring.

“So, did anything change?”

Aizen asked. Sibel shook his head. Aside from the chaotic flood of memories that sometimes gave him headaches or pricked his chest, nothing had changed at all.

“What about you? Don’t you feel any distance now? Like, do you ever feel like you should worship me or something?”

Now he has the leisure to joke around. Why did he ever feel so anxious about being treated like a monster if he revealed his past life? It’s ridiculous.

“I’ve felt that way from the start. No matter what you were. Why don’t you know that already?”

“What?”

“From the beginning until now, I’ve been giving you something close to worship.”

What shameless words. Who would treat a being they worshiped like that?

“Am I wrong?”

“Of course you are.”

When Sibel drew a line, Aizen laughed brightly. Sometimes Aizen laughed so hard that his whole body shook. Every time he did, the curve of his eyes and the shape of his lips beneath his fluttering hair drew Sibel’s gaze. He always thought that Aizen’s face looked like proof that a god really existed. If no one had sculpted that face with devotion, how could it shine like that?

What was he even thinking?

When he realized what he had been thinking about, his face grew hot. They said familiarity made things look beautiful, and it seemed his eyes had already grown used to that face.

Then Aizen reached out his hand. The distance wasn’t far, so his hand was soon right before Sibel. His fingers brushed against Sibel’s fingertips. The touch was gentle enough that Sibel could have effortlessly pulled away, but he didn’t.

Aizen’s hand drew Sibel’s closer. Soon his lips touched the back of Sibel’s hand in a kiss.

“Being a mere servant doesn’t sound so bad.”

His voice tickled the back of Sibel’s hand.

“I knew it. I wondered why you hadn’t teased me yet.”

Sibel shook his head.

“But why do you want to erase your memories?”

“As I said, I don’t need them. And… I’m afraid these memories might push out who I am now.”

The biggest reason was that he didn’t want to change. Everyone might dream of becoming a more mature being, but did it really have to be that way? Living with a heavy sense of duty once in a lifetime was more than enough.

He had grown greedy. Maybe it was because, unlike his past life, he now had emotions of many colors. Just once, he wanted to be happy. Completely happy. In this place. And if possible… with the person before him.

Maybe Aizen had read the feelings in his eyes. His fingers, which still hadn’t let go, slowly slipped between Sibel’s fingers.

Every time his thoughts started to sink deeper, the small pulse that passed through his fingertips brought his mind back.

Aizen listened to Sibel in silence, and after a moment, he spoke.

“Let’s go.”

“What?”

“If it’s useless to you, whether it’s your memories or the Demon King title, or even me, I’ll erase it all.”

The words made Sibel think of Leviathan. Maybe what he had really wanted to erase wasn’t his countless memories, but his connection with Leviathan. The thought pierced straight through him, and his fingertips went cold.

He remembered that gaze. Deep, heavy, sorrowful… and somehow a little frightening.

“But do you even know how?”

He hadn’t meant to ruin the touching mood. He just didn’t fully trust Aizen, who was always overflowing with confidence. This was simply a reaction built from experience.

Aizen’s grip tightened on his fingers.

“Ow, ow!”

As Sibel cried out, Aizen swung their joined hands exaggeratedly.

“You’re such a child!”

When Sibel shouted, Aizen smirked.

“At least I probably know more about the Holy Kingdom than you do.”

“Then why don’t you draw up something like a plan? Not that I don’t trust you, but we might as well prepare.”

“But before that, there’s something I want to confirm first.”

Aizen suddenly pulled the hand he was holding toward himself. Sibel, completely off guard, was drawn forward without resistance.

“What?”

“About those memories.”

Their faces were close enough that their cheeks could touch if either of them moved. While Sibel was caught off balance, Aizen asked his next question.

“How close were you to that guy?”

He smiled brightly. Was this some kind of seduction? The sudden, troublesome question made Sibel’s expression stiffen. He had no intention of confessing everything.

His eyes wavered restlessly. It wasn’t the reaction Aizen had wanted.

His heart began to pound. They said excitement and fear were separated by a thin line, and now the sound of both hearts seemed to beat in sync.

“Did you do what we did, with him too?”

Wow. What a pathetic question.

Sibel could have ignored it, but Aizen’s stare was more relentless than ever.