DKFTI 61

It did not have any big meaning. He just got used to the bracelet while he was wearing it. Maybe he grew attached to it in that short time.

Because of that, after that, Sibel did not bother to take off the bracelet.

“Because it looks pretty?”

The jewel attached to the bracelet looked expensive too.

“Is that so.”

Ramiel smiled. Sometimes Ramiel asked unexpected questions. Questions that made him wonder why anyone would be curious about such things. But he did not dislike that kind of interest. Well, humans were originally full of curiosity.

“The sun is shining. I like it.”

Sibel tilted his head back and watched the sunlight break apart over the green leaves.

When he was in the Demon King’s castle, sometimes it was so peaceful that he started to feel afraid.

For example… if a peaceful daily life became boring, then the endless time itself started to feel frightening.

When he thought about such things, sometimes he could understand why the Demon Kings or the demons went insane and did reckless things.

If he swallowed meaningless hundreds or thousands of years like they did, would the day come when living became more frightening than dying?

Then maybe this timid personality of his would get fixed.

“Lately, I think I fell into a kind of stagnation.”

“You mean the Demon King?”

“So I thought, maybe there’s something like a rainy season… Maybe it’s an instinct for survival from Demon Kings. A behavior so they don’t go crazy from stress.”

“Hmm. Your worry about the rainy season has turned philosophical.”

“Just a delusion.”

Sibel raised his hand and played with the strands of light piercing through the leaves, shifting them between his fingers.

The light tangled between his fingers looked as if it was connected from the sky. It was when Sibel was having such worries about what it meant to live.

Drip, drip.

Raindrops fell from the once clear sky.

Rain out of a clear sky, what was that?

“It is raining.”

In the distance, dark clouds rolled in, making a perfect contrast against the blue sky split in two.

It was a strange sky, but in the Demon Realm, something like this did not even count as unusual.

“See, I said it was the calm before the storm.”

Sibel got up from his seat, gathering his things. He had already felt it before, but he did not really like rain.

***

Kwanng!

It was a restless night with thunder and lightning flashing loudly, and the rain hitting the windows.

Sibel, who could not fall asleep because he was restless, was cleaning the room where Aizen had stayed after a long time.

He also thought it was too insincere to have left it untouched for three years.

The room Aizen had stayed in was really simple. There were almost no traces of life that should exist if a person had lived there.

It made him wonder if Aizen really had so little here. At most a few clothes in the wardrobe? Even those were covered in dust and not in good condition.

The room he stayed in was especially the one with a large window. The falling rain and lightning were clearly visible.

“The view is good.”

It even seemed like the view was better than his own room.

Swish.

Sibel ran his finger over the dust piled on the lamp stand. The tip of his finger turned black.

The room was dark too, so he thought he might as well turn on the lamp. He pulled the cord hanging below.

Tok, tok, tok.

But no matter how many times he pulled the cord, the light did not turn on.

‘Is it broken?’

How did they even use a lamp like this in the first place when there was no electricity here.

It was not like there was a candle inside either. Judging from the orb shaped like a light bulb… it seemed like it was lit by magic.

“I should ask Shanti.”

If it happened to be broken, he wanted to fix it and leave it in place. Leaving broken things around was not good in terms of feng shui. Yes, yes. Of course.

Sibel carefully held the lamp in his arms and grabbed the doorknob to leave the room.

Squeak-.

The door opened and the hallway window came into view at that moment.

Kwaang-!

A thunderclap like an explosion rang out. The shock of that blast seemed to reach inside the building.

Just as the sound made Sibel flinch and he carefully stepped into the hallway.

“……”

A black shadow fell in front of Sibel.

Then lightning flashed again from the sky, lighting up the hallway as if it had become daytime in an instant.

Flash.

“Hic!”

Sibel was startled like he had seen a ghost and fell backward.

That, that person why!

As he collapsed, the lamp he was holding rolled down the hallway with a clang.

Then, the ghost walked toward Sibel with heavy steps. The sound of wet footsteps created a grim atmosphere.

A sudden horror scene, really?

The hallway was darker after the lightning flashed, he heard the sound of dripping water, and approaching footsteps.

“Waahh!”

When the frightened Sibel screamed, the ghost’s steps stopped right in front of him.

Ploc, ploc, ploc

The sound of water dripping from wet clothes hit his eardrums.

“You’re throwing away my stuff.”

Sibel heard a voice that was familiar yet unfamiliar. He carefully raised his head and looked up.

Flash.

Lightning lit up the surroundings again, showing clearly the face of the man standing close.

Thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, features carved with deep lines. Wrinkles on his brow that made him look ill-tempered.

“…Aizen.”

He slowly bent his waist down. Sibel reflexively shrank back.

Aizen looked at Sibel and picked up the lamp he had dropped.

“Looks like you were about to throw me away and bring in another guy.”

“W-what?”

The lamp in his hand suddenly lit up. It was strange. No matter how many times he had clicked it, the light had not even twitched.

The bright light drove away the darkness. Light filled the space between Sibel and Aizen.

“Otherwise, why are you clearing out my room?”

“No, it’s just, you already three years ago….”

“I never left here on my own two feet.”

That was nonsense. This bastard was spouting complete nonsense right now.

“It seems like you lived well after I disappeared. Your complexion looks good, your cheeks got plump, your hair is glossy.”

Aizen’s gaze swept over Sibel from head to toe. Even if there was light now, was this really the moment to examine him that closely?

“Wha-what….”

Sibel was struck speechless by this sudden interrogation.

“Someone sent me away so coldly, but that weasel-like bastard stayed here just fine.”

“Weasel? Ah, you mean Ramiel?”

“Don’t you think discriminating against humans is a bit much?”

What? What was?

A demon looking down on humans a little, was that really strange? And wasn’t he himself hard to call just a ‘human’? He was practically a living weapon.

“You lived well enough to even go watch festivals. You look good. Really good.”

“……”

So he had gone to one festival, but did that mean he deserved this kind of contemptuous stare.

“Meanwhile someone else was living with the pain of having his chest torn and his body ripped apart.”

“Tha, well, um….”

Wasn’t health management something he himself had to take care of? He always seemed to have a habit of blaming others.

“I still can’t forget the taste of vomiting blood.”

“Well, I did say you shouldn’t carelessly eat what someone else gives you….”

Because he said one unfair word, Aizen’s eyes shot lasers at him.

“I just mean it as a saying.”

“Unbelievable. How can a perpetrator be so brazen?”

“Perpetrator, what do you mean!?”

That had been a perfectly fine antidote!

“Hm, well… if the medicine didn’t work with your body, isn’t that your body’s fault?”

“Aha? Is that so?”

As Aizen’s face came closer, Sibel rolled his eyes in every direction to avoid meeting his gaze. Then Aizen’s hand gripped Sibel’s chin.

“Whhyy aare yuu dooin thhiss?”

With his cheeks squashed his words came out slurred. He tried to say why was he doing this the moment he arrived, but Aizen said nothing.

Their eyes met, and Aizen only stared fixedly into Sibel’s blue pupils.

Sibel could not tell what he was thinking at all.

‘Don’t tell me he really came back to take revenge?’

If that was true, shouldn’t he have drawn his sword right away? And for someone who said he was going to kill, he did not seem to have any killing intent either….

“You’re scheming in your head.”

“Eh?”

“You’re always like this.”

“Whaat?”

He had done nothing though? What kind of like this did he mean?

“You always take one step back and stay quiet on your own.”

“Nnoo I doonn’t.”

He tried to protest, but it seemed Aizen’s ears were completely closed. The lamplight flickered in his calm, dark eyes.

“Even now, do you think I’m going to hurt you?”

The sudden, sensitive question startled Sibel, but at the same time his head shook from side to side.

He did not know why he said no. His body just moved on its own.

Was this his survival instinct to stay alive?

“This time I’ll see a different ending. That’s the right thing.”

Who was he even talking to?

Aizen was speaking in front of Sibel, but it seemed more like he was muttering to himself.

“Hey, Demon King.”

“Eh?”

“This time you’re the one who gets chained to me.”

“Eeh?”

A chill suddenly ran down his spine. He suddenly remembered something from the Demon King training manual <It’s My First Time as Demon King>.

‘Chapter 21. Beware of Reverse Captivity.’

No way, this…

“Escape means death.”

Was he screwed…?

It felt like some small karma he had once tossed aside had grown huge and come back to crush him.

“Ah, well, not like you even have anywhere to run anyway. This is your home.”

A huge, massive lump of karma.