"Let's see…"
KangWoo picked up the documents he'd received from Kim ShiHoon.
The documents mentioned the recent movements of Guardian and countries worldwide; they also talked about the work required to regain control of monster and cult-infested areas.
"China and Japan have almost fully recovered."
There were SS-rank gates in Shanghai, China, and Sapporo, Japan; that's why no one lived around those areas.
As the size of Guardian increased, the process became faster.
After the Cataclysmic Day, half of the population of Earth had disappeared, so in reality, there was no need to explore and reclaim those territories.
'The problem is the average level.'
After the size of Guardian increased, lots of people joined them, so it was necessary to push them into dangerous areas to help them grow.
If humanity couldn't handle fighting against monsters, there was no way they'd be able to beat demons.
"Next."
He turned the pages to the next document and read the information he was actually interested in at that moment.
It was information on the movements of Raphael's apostles, the Light Watchers.
"Not yet…?"
They were moving on their own without collaborating with Guardian. The Light Watchers were still trying to find the culprit behind Ludwig's death, but they hadn't shown any movement yet.
'I was hoping they’d move more actively.'
He needed the Light Watchers’ help to keep Satan’s forces in check, but they weren't moving at all. He wasn't sure if they were waiting for someone or were investigating using other routes.
'Are they waiting for an angel?'
KangWoo's eyes narrowed.
They probably thought they wouldn't be enough to face Satan, the one who'd made Ludwig, the owner of the holy sword, fall.
'If they are here to investigate…'
That meant that, soon, the main army that consisted of angels would arrive on Earth.
There was a chance that Raphael, one of the four archangels, would come to Earth as well.
"Well, should I wait until angels come to Earth…?"
The angels were important allies—they had to fight alongside the Guardians against Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.
Fighting against Satan when they weren't there yet would be dumb.
'Even if I can beat them…'
It was a matter of cost and benefit.
He didn't have a reason to face Satan alone.
'Not only that…'
Satan had Divinity.
He wasn't sure where he'd obtained it, but he needed to be prepared for unexpected variables.
Knock, knock-
He heard someone knock on the door.
A smile appeared on his face.
'Darling!!'
KangWoo coughed and then opened the door.
He saw Han Seol-ah with a cup of coffee.
"Mr. KangWoo, are you busy?"
"No. I finished most of the urgent things."
Except for looking at documents, he didn't have anything to do until angels arrived on Earth.
A smile appeared on Han Seol-ah's face after hearing that.
"Then…"
"Should we go out to walk?"
"Ah… Y-yes!"
Han Seol-ah nodded.
It was an awkward but fresh atmosphere.
It was the first time KangWoo felt such emotions since he was born.
'I'm glad I returned.'
If he were still in Hell, he wouldn't have been able to feel such emotions.
"Where do you want to go? Using the Hall of Protection, we could go to most countries…"
"No. I just want to walk around a park that's nearby."
"A park? But we could go anywhere…"
Physical distance and money didn’t pose any problems.
KangWoo was among the wealthiest people in the world, after all.
It didn't matter if it were a luxury hotel or a 3-star restaurant—they could go anywhere.
"Fufu, it's okay. Let's leave that for next time."
Han Seol-ah grabbed KangWoo's hands while smiling brightly and pulled him a bit.
They opened the door and walked out, and cool air brushed past his cheeks.
They walked through the park and discussed all sorts of things.
It wasn't that they were talking about anything important—they just talked about Echidna, a TV program they'd enjoyed recently, and where they wanted to visit.
Usually, he only talked about important things with Balrog and Lilith, so it felt refreshing.
A smile appeared on his face.
'This…'
He began thinking that he had perhaps been able to endure so many years in Hell for that moment.
"Should we take a seat?"
"Ah, yes."
They found a bench to sit on, and he looked around.
The night park was full of families, couples, and students.
'Authority of Fear.'
KangWoo used the Authority of Fear for a very brief moment.
The faces of the people around the park paled, and they ended up walking away from the park.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Everyone suddenly went away…"
"You're right," KangWoo said while shrugging.
Han Seol-ah sighed as if she had realized who the culprit was.
They sat together on the bench in a moment of silence.
"Now that I think about it. KangWoo, is there any place you want to visit?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure since I don't know much…"
You needed to have done things before to know what you wanted to choose as entertainment.
Before returning to Earth, the only forms of entertainment he could think of doing were eating, reading free novels, and reading manhwa. He never thought, ‘Oh, I want to visit that place’.
"You're the same as me."
Han Seol-ah lightly laughed.
* * *
She'd also had some harsh high-school days, so she wasn't used to doing things for entertainment’s sake.
"I previously wanted to go to Disneyland with you, KangWoo…"
"…"
She narrowed her eyes and pinched KangWoo's sides.
KangWoo remained silent after remembering what had happened in Japan.
He couldn't find any excuses.
"You will go with me later on, right?"
"Of course…"
"Hehe."
Han Seol-ah spread her hands and smiled.
She carefully hugged KangWoo's arms.
He felt a soft sensation spreading through his arms.
'Oh, my god…'
KangWoo's widened and shook.
Han Seol-ah placed her head on his shoulders.
"Let's stay like this for a bit."
'We could stay like this forever.'
KangWoo gulped.
He felt such sweet sensations, and it was a bit awkward.
'Fuck, how do I deal with this situation if I don't know anything?'
All he’d done for the past ten thousand years was fight.
Even after returning to Earth, that lifestyle continued.
He'd never experienced something like that.
'What should I do?'
His thoughts felt fuzzy.
'Should I set a wedding date?'
It seemed like there was no other choice but that.
'Damn it. I didn't buy a ring yet.'
He felt anxious and couldn't help but blame his lack of preparation.
'Where should we go for our honeymoon? Hawaii? What about educating our children? Should we send them to private school?'
"Mr. KangWoo?"
"No. Private isn't good. It would be better to send them to a normal school for primary school."
"Yes…?"
"Was it called social media…? I heard that you'd get bullied if you don't do that. I wonder when I should buy a smartphone for them."
"What are you talking about?"
"When should I pay a deposit for a house?"
"Excuse me? Mr. KangWoo?"
Han Seol-ah waved her hand at KangWoo, who'd fallen into thought, but her words didn't reach him.
* * *
'Why is he acting like this…?'
Han Seol-ah looked at KangWoo in confusion.
He talked about old age and educating children while making a scary expression.
"Hmm."
Han Seol-ah looked at him with a troubled expression but held him tighter.
A warm sensation spread through her chest.
"Hehehe."
She smiled.
After her confession succeeded last time, she'd been having dream-like days.
'Although it's too bad that we don't have much time to spend together…'
Still, being connected with the person you liked felt good.
She looked at her own hands.
'I need to work harder.'
She didn't want to stay by his side while being one-sidedly protected.
After all, the world's destiny rested on KangWoo's shoulders.
'At least a bit…'
She wanted to lighten that heavy burden.
After laying her head on KangWoo's shoulders for a bit, Han Seol-ah let his arm go.
She really wanted to stay like that for a bit longer, but it was time for her to return.
After all, she had a skill she was training.
"Mr. KangWoo…"
KangWoo was still mumbling about things while making a confused expression.
Han Seol-ah pouted and clenched her fist.
'In situations like this…'
She’d recently learned that she had to be a bit more active in situations like that.
Han Seol-ah looked around and took a deep breath.
She looked around and kissed him on his cheeks.
"D-did you return to your senses?"
"…"
She blushed, and Han Seol-ah avoided looking at him.
"Let's go back."
KangWoo nodded.
The two walked across the park and reached the entrance of the building.
"Go first."
"Why? Is there anywhere you want to go?"
"No, it's just that I wanted to take in a bit more fresh air." Han Seol-ah said while fanning her reddened face.
KangWoo thought about it for a while but ended up entering the apartment first.
"Haa."
Han Seol-ah sighed while putting her hands on her bright-red cheeks.
She felt the sensation on her lips.
Tap, tap-
She heard footsteps and turned her head toward the source of the sound.
"I'm glad…" the woman said, a smile on her face.
It was Kurosaki Yurie, no. Lilith, who was inside her body.
"Ah…"
Han Seol-ah let out an exclamation.
Lilith…
She knew about her and KangWoo's relationship.
Her feelings became heavy.
"Congratulations. You've obtained the Demon King's… feelings."
"…"
"Fufu. It makes me want to learn your secret."
She felt the emotions hiding behind Lilith's smile.
Han Seol-ah hesitated.
In reality, she had nothing to say to Lilith.
It was a simple matter—she'd succeeded, and Lilith had failed.
That was it.
'But…'
Lilith had spent a thousand years next to KangWoo, so she couldn't ignore her feelings.
After thinking about it for a while, Han Seol-ah opened her mouth.
"I… I think you should be a bit more active."
"Yes?"
"That’s what I did."
She had taken the first step…
Just with that, she was able to check KangWoo's emotions.
'Ms. Lilith's attitude was probably too passive.'
—Just like how she used to be.
If not, there's no way KangWoo would have ignored the feelings of such a beautiful woman.
"A bit more active…?"
"Yes. I think that you should show him your sincere and honest feelings."
"Oh."
Lilith's eyes shone.
Han Seol-ah grabbed her hand—they were really beautiful hands.
"To be honest, I'm still not sure if this is right, or wrong… but Ms. Lilith, do you remember what you told me before? Mr. KangWoo wants to heal his wounds. I… I don't think I can do that alone…"
‘Because I don't know Mr. KangWoo's past.’
Han Seol-ah struggled but said those words.
She'd asked KangWoo numerous times, but he'd always avoided talking about it on purpose.
"Ms. Seol-ah…"
"I wish… for Ms. Lilith to also be able to convey her feelings."
Han Seol-ah smiled brightly.
"Be a bit more active and honest. If you do so, I'm sure Mr. KangWoo will recognize you. Ah, that's right. You said you could return to your previous form, right? I'm sure he'd like that even more."
"Ah…"
"I'm also going to root for you."
Lilith's body trembled a bit, and she hugged Han Seol-ah.
"Thank you. A bit more active… I see. You're right. I feel like I've been too passive up until now."
A smile appeared on Lilith's face.
Her long, black hair rose into the sky.
"Just like Ms. Seol-ah, I'm going to summon my courage and take a step forward."
Her floating hair slowly transformed into green tentacles.
