Rita ran toward Edward. She showed no hint of the thought that there might be nothing she could do for him. Her once-pale face had now turned deathly blue.
Even watching that unfold, Satin stayed frozen behind Cain. He had no courage—and no means to help.
What were they supposed to do in this situation? Could Edward heal himself? Satin had seen him treat people before, back when they encountered that horse-headed monster. But Edward hadn’t been this badly injured back then.
While Satin wracked his brain for a way out of this, Cain also seemed to be deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Rita reached Edward’s side, broke into sobs, and drew her sword. Her hands and sleeves were soaked bright red—completely drenched in Edward’s blood.
“I’ll kill you!”
With blazing eyes, Rita lunged at the demon. The demon frowned and gestured casually.
―A pointless act.
The frozen ground roared and trembled. Satin and Cain struggled not to fall.
The way the icy earth surged resembled crashing waves. As the entire clearing shook, even the people farther away were affected—faint screams could be heard in the distance.
Sheer willpower wasn’t enough to withstand an earthquake. Rita’s body was thrown far off into the distance. But she got back up and charged again. Fire arrows flew at her, and the ground convulsed once more. In no time, Rita was battered and broken.
Just then, Cain, having finished his thoughts, muttered under his breath,
“Something’s not right.”
Crouched low to stay balanced on the trembling ground, Cain looked like a predator sizing up prey in the wild. His eyes were fixed on the demon, who hadn’t moved from his spot—as if nailed in place.
Satin crawled over to Cain on his knees. Though he was covered in dirt from the shaking ground, he was thankfully uninjured.
“What do you mean?”
“Why isn’t he killing them?”
“What?”
Startled, Satin grabbed Cain’s arm. Cain frowned slightly, but kept his eyes locked on the demon, prepared for any movement, and reassured Satin without breaking focus.
“Calm down, Satin.”
“Ah…”
Cain might be short with Rita and Edward sometimes, but he wasn’t cruel enough to want them dead.
Cain rose slowly, then helped Satin up. At some point, he’d taken hold of Satin’s arm and now moved him behind himself.
Taking a deep breath, Satin said,
“You don’t mean… that he should kill them, right…?”
“Of course not. I’m saying—this is the perfect opportunity for him, isn’t it?”
Satin understood what Cain was getting at.
After two failed attacks, the distance between Rita and Edward had grown considerably. The demon could’ve easily brought Rita down, just like Edward. She had been frantic, completely defenseless.
But the demon hadn’t acted. He’d simply watched—as Rita ran to Edward, embraced him, worried over him, and wept—without lifting a finger.
He only attacked after she drew her sword and charged. And even then, not in a lethal way.
It really is strange.
Satin forced down the unease bubbling inside him. He inhaled slowly, forcing his brain to work.
“Let’s think this through. We need to figure out what that guy’s after.”
What was the demon here for?
As if hearing Satin’s voice, the demon turned. The eyes that had been watching Edward and Rita now turned to Cain—and to Satin behind him.
―Every act has its cause, and every cause has its consequence. That’s worth thinking about. Why am I here? And what will become of you? And those humans watching from afar?
“You’re here to kill all the humans, right?” Cain replied dryly. He had every reason to fear the demon—especially with Edward critically wounded—but his face was calm. More composed than before.
―You humans hold your kind in rather high regard. But what use is there in killing you?
“So killing humans is just a side project, then?”
While Cain held the demon’s attention, Satin thought to himself,
If he’s not just here to mess with us, then he must have a purpose.
The demon implied he hadn’t come to kill humans. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. If humans got in the way of his true goal, he’d slaughter them without hesitation. Just like humans clear grass and branches when they block the path.
What lay at the end of the path this demon was trying to carve out? And why was he here, stalling his time with just a handful of humans?
Suddenly, a strange thought struck Satin.
“A handful of humans.”
He recalled what the demon had said earlier.
“Messenger of God.”
That was it. The demon had clearly used those words. Satin and his group had come here after meeting the High Priest. If what the High Priest had said was true, then yes—they could be called messengers of God.
But how did the demon know that? Could he see everything that happened in the world? No, that was impossible. If he could, he’d call himself a god, not a demon.
Because he already knew the messenger of God would come to him.
Then all of this was a performance. Even though Rita and Edward were bleeding and collapsed—it was still a play.
“We can do this. Cain, we can beat him.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“He’s not really a demon. Or maybe he is—but he’s just here to play a role. Just like the Demon King. He’s not planning to kill all of us.”
Saying the thoughts out loud only deepened Satin’s conviction.
He stepped out from behind Cain. Cain’s face stiffened.
“Satin, I told you not to go forward.”
“Lend me your sword.”
He’d lost his dagger earlier when he fell. Even if he still had it, there’s no way he would’ve stepped in front of the demon holding just that. You couldn’t create a striking moment with a dagger.
Now was the time for performance. A hero needed a longsword—not a dagger.
“You think I’d just hand it over?”
Of course Cain didn’t comply right away. He stepped in front of Satin to block him—just like always.
Any other time, Satin would’ve backed down so as not to get in the way. But not now.
“Cain, I have to do this.”
The High Priest had said their group made a good team. He didn’t mean it in terms of combat roles. He meant they were worthy companions for a hero.
A prince, a priest, and a commoner—the mix proved the hero could relate to people from all walks of life. It made it easier for the people to admire him afterward.
This was a play. A trial dressed up as a performance. Injuries could happen. Some might be serious. But the outcome was predetermined. So Satin had to step in.
“Give me the sword, Cain.”
―Finally ready to act, are you?
The demon’s line, delivered with a grin, was just the kind of thing that would stir misunderstanding.
‘Say it like that and I sound like some secret weapon.’
When in reality, he was just a stand-in. A third-rate actor.
Either way, Satin had to end this play quickly. Maybe the others’ lives weren’t actually guaranteed.
Didn’t the High Priest say even divine prayers can’t raise the dead?
If they stalled and Edward died—it would be catastrophic.
‘And it’s not like I’m guaranteed to survive, either.’
Being “chosen” didn’t mean being loved. He might’ve just been picked to make a noble sacrifice. A handsome scapegoat. If Satin was even fit for that.
The more he thought about it, the more convincing it seemed.
‘What would love have to do with me? I just popped out of nowhere. It’d make more sense if I was hated, wouldn’t it?’
When he made his wish to that bundle of feathers, he hadn’t asked to be loved by the god of this world. He’d asked to become the person his sister loved most.
Even if this place was born from his sister’s imagination, it had become its own world. There was no reason for its god to love him.
But if the god wanted to use him and toss him aside—Satin was the perfect candidate. The most alien being in this world.
‘Either way, I’ve got to end this fast.’
That realization left a bitter taste in his mouth. But there was no time for complaints—and no one to complain to.
―Still hesitating? Waiting for me to make the first move?
The demon’s shoulders swelled. At first, Satin thought it was just his robes fluttering—but there was no wind. He was growing bigger.
Satin pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered,
“I told you to give me the damn sword…”
In a flash, the demon was twice his original size. Nearly the height of a building. And if they kept stalling, he might grow even bigger. What would they do if he became the size of an apartment complex?
Still in shock, Satin heard Cain’s sudden voice.
“Satin, you sure you don’t want to run away?”
“What?”
Cain spoke to him as if the demon didn’t even exist.
“If you don’t think you can run fast enough, I’ll carry you. I won’t ask for anything in return.”
It sounded like a joke. But it wasn’t. It was too absurd to be sincere, yet too serious for this moment to be anything else. Satin couldn’t even smile—he just frowned.
Cain continued.
“You’re the one who’s always said you were useless. Even now—Rita and Edward, as broken as they are, are stronger than you. We probably won’t be able to save them.”
“Even so, I can’t just leave them behind…”
“Got it.”
Cain gave up on convincing him more easily than expected. And somehow… it felt different from his usual self.
He doesn’t actually mean that… does he?
