Episode 140

Akne couldn’t take her eyes off the crystal orb for even a moment.

It was as if it had swallowed her whole.

Sharp icebergs scattered everywhere, countless demon corpses were lying around, and a terrible chill swirled ominously around the fortress of the Demon Realm.

In that moment, when nothing could endure without freezing.

A human was fighting against the Demon Lord.

The Demon Lord’s expression seemed at ease, but the human man’s expression was far from calm. He was trembling all over, barely alive, as if it were a miracle that he was still standing.

‘…The Demon Lord looks strange too.’

Upon closer inspection, the Demon Lord’s appearance was quite odd.

Their entire fortress had been reduced to ruins, countless demons had turned into corpses, yet they maintained a calm and composed expression.

Even their body was far from intact. One of their shoulders was completely torn off, yet they held a small child in their remaining arm.

Akne immediately recognized the identity of the child.

Yes, it was herself.

‘…Did the Demon Lord protect me?’

This was the most logical conclusion she could make.

The Emperor, who abandoned her, sent human assassins to eliminate any future threats, and it seemed that the Demon Lord had protected Akne. That was all it seemed to be, for now.

But there were many aspects that surprised the girl.

‘I can’t believe it. A human fighting the Demon Lord.’

The one who ruled the highest position in the Demon Realm. Demon Lord Valetta.

On the other hand, the human in Akne’s mind was an infinitely weak being. Even she, at times, groaned in pain every time she absorbed energy.

It was the same with other humans.

They were all weak, so they traded their souls for power with demons, and after death, they lived pitifully, toiling endlessly.

Yes, humans were nothing more than that kind of race.

The Demon Lord broke the silence.

“Balance, huh…”

Akne held her breath and focused on the conversation.

“Now that I see it, ‘Balance’ is quite a fitting name. Since the Demon Realm and the continent have temporarily agreed to a ceasefire, the balance you wanted has more or less been achieved.”

Valetta’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“Isn’t that right? The leader of Balance, Snow Ghost Jaekiel.”

Snow Ghost, Jaekiel.

So that was what they called him. Akne quickly processed the information that the situation presented.

However.

The next moment.

The scene Akne witnessed was deeply shocking.

“…Remove your filthy hand from the Princess.”

The statement completely exceeded Akne’s expectations.

It was the moment when the assumption that the Imperial family must have sent assassins was completely shattered.

Akne blinked, surveying the situation.

“How pitiful. So pitiful. You still don’t understand, do you?”

Valetta sneered.

“Jaekiel, let me tell you the terms of the ceasefire first.”

“…Terms?”

“First, we agreed to take the Princess. Therefore, there’s no reason to return her. What a pity.”

A shock as if lightning had struck her head.

However, despite her young age, Akne wasn’t foolish. She soon had no choice but to understand.

In fact, the human man had stepped into the Demon Realm to rescue Akne and take her back to the continent, even prepared to fight the Demon Lord.

At the same time, her mind was covered with many question marks.

…Why?

…Why is he trying to save her?

The Demon Lord continued speaking.

“The Emperor spoke of sparing your life, Jaekiel. Accept it. It’s not something you can change with your power.”

Hahaha! Valetta’s sneer soon turned into wild laughter.

“Who will recognize your grievances? You spent your life loyal to the Imperial family, but with your lowly birth, being a puppet was your best option.”

“……”

“Who will remember you? You made a name for yourself as the Snow Ghost in the Demon Realm, but in the end, no one on the continent will remember that name. Don’t you realize that yet?”

“…I told you to release the Princess.”

“Impossible. Poor Snow Ghost. You worked hard to bring about a ceasefire, and I will take good care of the First Princess. If a war breaks out again, it will be very interesting.”

Valetta continued to laugh.

“The Demon Realm will grow stronger, but in the meantime, the continent will slowly decline. Humans are infinitely weak. They can never overcome the passage of time…”

Thud!

Jaekiel couldn’t bear it anymore and struck the ground.

At the same time, Akne unknowingly supported him. She hoped that the man would save her.

But it was still impossible.

He performed ice magic close to an art form, but no matter how far he stretched and reached, the distance between him and the Demon Lord never closed. Even at the very end.

It was truly an immense display of power.

Even though the Demon Lord didn’t move, he could not reach them.

“Farewell, Snow Ghost.”

Those were the last words from the Demon Lord.

“We will never meet again.”

Boom!

A space opened behind him, and the dimension began to suck Jaekiel in. It was an immense force that could not be resisted, yet the man tried his best to hold on.

Freezing and re-freezing.

He held onto the ground with his nails, freezing his body and the ground at the same time, even attempting to freeze the space itself…

Even at the very end, he reached out his hand.

“Princess…! Give her back…!”

Even as the dimension consumed his whole body, he clearly did not give up. He was determined to take Akne, even if it meant trading his own life.

Akne looked into the man’s eyes.

Blue eyes.

A gaze filled only with desperation. Without a doubt, the girl had never seen such desperation before, and she unknowingly had a thought.

Desperation was this intense.

Even if it wasn’t realized.

Even if it wasn’t achieved.

If you had such intense desperation, even just attempting it could be so beautiful.

Akne quickly manipulated the crystal orb.

-…I told you to release the Princess.

-…I told you to release the Princess.

-…I told you to release the Princess.

-…I told you to release the Princess.

-…I told you to release the Princess.

She repeated that part several times.

She immersed herself madly.

She skipped meals, didn’t sleep, and even forgot the painful torment of absorbing the virgins’ energy.

One day, Han Shin visited again.

“…Oh, I accidentally left the crystal orb here.”

He said nonchalantly, but Akne knew.

He must have intentionally exposed the crystal orb as if by accident, intending to completely break her.

“I can’t believe I made such a mistake. It’s a rare occurrence. Anyway, I’ll take it back. It should help with your recovery.”

The girl didn’t give the crystal orb back.

Instead, she pulled it closer to herself, clutching it tightly.

“…Snow Ghost.”

“Hmm?”

Han Shin stared at her with slight confusion, as if asking what she was saying, but this time, Akne ignored him and continued murmuring.

“There was someone who desperately wanted to save me.”

At that, Han Shin immediately covered his mouth.

A small sound of laughter escaped as he desperately tried to hold back his laughter at Akne’s words.

“He valued my life more than his own, and at the same time, he tried to take me to the continent. He was someone who would support me no matter what…”

“Hey, Spider Goddess.”

Han Shin spoke in a low voice, his tone trembling as though he was holding back laughter.

However, Akne’s attitude grew even more serious.

“Perhaps, he’s still trying desperately to find me. So I—”

“HAHAHA!”

Han Shin couldn’t hold it in and finally burst out laughing.

Akne, unaware of Han Shin’s intentions behind the laughter, quietly blinked.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Han Shin’s laughter continued for a while. After a moment, he lowered his posture, clutching his aching stomach.

“Spider Goddess, congratulations on being completely broken. You’ve completely lost your mind now… Congratulations indeed.”

Akne finally understood.

Of course.

Others would think that Akne was mad. They would never understand the desperation in those blue eyes.

As she watched Han Shin leave happily, the girl began to laugh.

“Phew… hehe…”

Once the laughter started, it didn’t stop.

Yes, it felt like she had gone completely mad.

No, it was fine if she had gone mad. She felt that she could handle it.

“…Snow Ghost.”

She had to find the “Snow Ghost” and be saved.

At the same time, she also wanted to save him.

It was the turning point that completely changed the girl’s life.