DKFTI 70

“What are you doing?”

Sibel was puzzled by Aizen’s behavior, standing behind him on the bench and resting his chin on the top of his head.

What is he doing?

Aizen was standing like that, looking at Sibel’s crystal communicator together with him.

“Go to the next one.”

“This is the Demon King community though.”

“Why? There are lots of funny posts. Let’s look together.”

“These must be posts only the Demon King can see, right?”

Sibel lightly covered the communicator with his hand. Then Aizen pressed down with the hand he had placed on Sibel’s shoulder.

“Violence is not allowed. If you break the rules, you’ll be kicked out.”

In the end Sibel put the crystal communicator into his pocket. Then Aizen lifted his chin from Sibel’s head and sat down next to him on the bench.

It had been empty all along, so why was he crushing someone else’s head?

Sibel looked at Aizen with exasperated eyes.

“Again with those flounder eyes.”

At Aizen’s remark, Sibel quietly turned his gaze away.

“The orcs were chanting your name.”

“Huh?”

“They said you’re some kind of hero among men.”

Oh no. Kkotdol spread the rumor. Sibel’s face turned pale.

“How much did you hear?”

“The founder of the wall slam? What’s that?”

“Tsks…”

Sibel decided he would have to shut Kkotdol’s mouth later.

“It’s just something that exists.”

“You’ve become a romance expert.”

“Not a beginner at least. Ahem.”

When Sibel shrugged his shoulders, Aizen chuckled and leaned his body. Aizen’s face came over Sibel’s lap.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to nap a little.”

“Why here? There’s a soft bed in your room.”

“…This is comfortable.”

Aizen even lifted his legs onto the narrow bench and crossed his arms. His eyelids slowly lowered.

Sibel looked at Aizen’s chest, which rose and fell at intervals. This man was strange. Could he actually sleep in such a position?

“Do you know this castle smells like you?”

“Huh? Me?”

Sibel frowned at Aizen’s words. It was because just yesterday he had spread fertilizer in the Demon Lord castle’s vegetable garden.

Was this guy saying indirectly that I stink?

“The scent of early morning forest.”

What kind of nonsense was that?

“……”

Aizen said nothing more. His breathing, resting on Sibel’s lap, turned calm and soft. He really seemed to be asleep.

‘What was he doing all night in this castle, that he naps in the day like he’s collapsed?’

Aizen’s behavior never made sense. Sibel silently observed him, then lifted his head to look up.

The warm sunlight broke into pieces through the leaves. In the garden, only the rustling of leaves in the occasional breeze and the sound of birds in the distance filled the peaceful silence.

‘Hm. Should I just leave him here?’

He was torn. Could he keep having his legs taken hostage like this? But he did not have the courage to pull them out.

Sibel sat stuck on the bench, looking down at Aizen. A faint smile rested on his lips. He really was sleeping peacefully.

Fine. All fine. But…

His legs were starting to go numb. What kind of Demon King was this, sitting here in such a state? He should push him away and get up immediately, but strangely his body would not move.

Looking at the sleeping face, he could not wake him. He thought he should just meditate instead.

At that moment.

The wind shook the branches and a shaft of sunlight fell directly on Aizen’s face. His eyelids trembled faintly at the strong light. His brow furrowed slightly, like his deep sleep had been disturbed.

‘Is the sun too harsh?’

Sibel clicked his tongue but stopped halfway and unconsciously raised his hand. His hand hovered for a moment in the air, then carefully lowered and stopped over Aizen’s eyelids.

His palm created a small shade. Then Aizen’s brow loosened smoothly, and a peaceful smile spread again over his face. For a long time Sibel kept shading the sleeping hero on his lap.

‘…If he wakes up, it’ll be noisy. That’s all. Nothing else.’

Making that excuse to himself, Sibel quietly listened to Aizen’s breathing. Somehow, he thought that sound wasn’t bad at all.

***

After a long nap, Aizen’s condition was good.

After watching Sibel leave, rubbing his nose and complaining that his legs were numb, Aizen headed back to the Demon King’s castle.

Because he was in a good mood, he thought maybe he should cook Sibel’s favorite dish tonight.

At that moment, something appeared out of the darkness of the corridor.

“……”

The one who appeared before Aizen was Leviathan. When he saw him, Aizen frowned and spoke.

“Do you think you can just walk into someone else’s house like that?”

“I only used darkness as a door, I wasn’t wandering in. And I had the master’s permission.”

Leviathan showed a smile as he spoke to Aizen.

Aizen found Leviathan’s face unpleasant. It was always like that. The corners of his mouth were gently raised, but his eyes never carried any warmth.

If anything, they held a cruel coldness. It felt like those eyes could cut him at any moment.

“You came back after all.”

“You must have wanted me gone for good. Too bad.”

Three years ago, Aizen had uncovered some of Leviathan’s true thoughts. He had learned that Leviathan disliked him and wanted to get rid of him.

“You mean me.”

That aloof face disgusted him. Aizen spoke again.

“Are you afraid the Demon King here will like me more than you? Oh, this is what people call jealousy?”

For some reason Leviathan treated Sibel favorably. If there was a reason he was wary of Aizen, then it was clearly tied to feelings about Sibel.

“Interesting.”

Leviathan stared into Aizen’s eyes. Their gazes locked.

“You seem to be mistaken.”

“Mistaken? What, are you going to hide your feelings now? You even told me a ridiculous lie that it was poison.”

Aizen had no thought of backing down. Leviathan slowly scanned him from head to toe, then opened his mouth.

“Do humans get jealous of mayflies.?”

“What?”

For an instant Aizen’s face twisted violently.

“To me, you are no more than that.”

Leviathan’s lips curled into a smile.

“Ha.”

Aizen laughed. So this Demon Lord was treating him like a mayfly.

“To Sibel you must be no different. Your short life is nothing but a bug that flits in front of us and disappears.”

“…Ah, is that so?”

Each syllable Aizen spoke came out clipped. He was barely holding on to reason, and it would not have been strange if he drew his holy sword right there.

“You should have listened to Ramiel’s advice.”

“Are you spying on me?”

Leviathan spoke as if he knew every word of his conversations with Ramiel. Aizen felt his nerves being chewed raw.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know everything that happens here.”

Aizen wanted to smash that smile.

“That’s a crime, you know?”

He sneered at Leviathan. It wasn’t even funny. What a Demon King did was no different from a third-rate thug.

“Amusing. You dare talk to me about human law?”

Aizen knew at least that much. The law could never bind such a being. A Demon King with a power that could not even be compared to Sibel.

“Why are you obsessed with Sibel?”

Why was such a Demon King fixated on a newborn Demon King? It was known that Demon Kings rarely got along.

“There’s no need for you to know. Even if you knew, nothing would change.”

He was bitter. Not because Leviathan had called him a bug. Because he envied the endless time that gave him such composure.

‘An immortal and a mortal.’

Ramiel had said that once. Those words had weighed heavily on Aizen these past three years. What finally closed the thought was defiance.

“Who are you to judge me. A mayfly? A mortal? The problem of immortals is always the same.”

Aizen stepped toward Leviathan.

“You immortals act carefree, but in the end you’re dogs chasing chickens.”

Everyone knew time was on their side. But no matter how much time they had, a single spark could still set their precious eternity on fire.

“Think whatever lets you feel at ease.”

“Go act virtuous over there all you want.”

“What a rude human.”

Aizen wanted to mess Leviathan up inside. Maybe not completely, but at least twist something.

But Leviathan just kept smiling. Someday, he swore he would see that face twisted before his own eyes. In that moment Aizen made that decision.

Silence settled between them. And at least part of Aizen’s determination had already reached Leviathan.