The first thing that came to mind when I saw Strange Demon for the first time was how off it felt.

No matter how you looked at him, he was young. Even giving him every benefit of the doubt, he looked like he was hovering right around twenty.

He looked that young, but the reality shouldn’t have been that.

‘...They said he was a monster who made a name for himself in the Orthodox-Demonic War.’

Even if he wasn’t elderly, he should’ve been at least pushing into middle age.

And the Eight Demonic Ones? That meant a demon who’d reached the level of an absolute master and moved as an elite.

The fact that someone like that could maintain that kind of appearance was the real problem.

Maybe—

‘Like the Sword Empress.’

Like her, maybe he’d rebuilt youth through reversal of aging.

The thought crossed my mind, but—

‘...No. That’s not it.’

Judging by Teacher’s reaction, Strange Demon didn’t seem weakened.

Sure, Teacher’s caution could’ve been just the weight of the name Strange Demon carried—his position, his presence—

But...

‘Not sure.’

To me, it didn’t look like that. Even last time proved it.

‘He infiltrated Mount Hua like he owned the place.’

And after that, he’d escaped Mount Hua without so much as a hiccup.

‘No matter how...’

Mount Hua’s Heaven-Beyond-Heaven. Seongheon’s condition was bad, sure—but even so, the fact that nobody had even grasped Strange Demon’s level...

That meant he was a truly serious monster.

‘...’

I swallowed dry. My throat felt like it was burning out, but I hid it.

I stared at the Strange Demon in front of me.

“Little heaven.”

Little heaven.

My eyebrow twitched at the words.

At the same time, I looked at Yoo Cheongil.

[......Th—......]

Yoo Cheongil tried to say something while looking at me, but it didn’t seem to reach me.

Same as before. Yoo Cheongil’s voice, which used to come through clearly—possession, which always worked as long as I kept the right “distance”—all of it was blocked.

I flicked a finger. Yoo Cheongil moved at once.

We didn’t need words. We were thinking the same thing.

Yoo Cheongil came in close and tried to possess me, but—

TZZT—!

Same as last time. He got repelled again.

‘Is it because of this bastard?’

Strange Demon. With him here, it felt like Yoo Cheongil’s soul itself was being shaken loose. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

‘Come to think of it.’

I scanned the area. The malicious ghosts and other spirits that should’ve been visible were almost nonexistent.

This much emptiness was seriously abnormal.

[Hah.......]

Yoo Cheongil clicked his tongue. Possession not working was the problem.

If possession didn’t work, that meant the last lifeline—my final safeguard for survival—was gone.

‘Focus.’

Cliff’s edge.

In front of me was a monster acting friendly—

‘This is a joke.’

What a great situation. If things went sideways, I had no idea how that monster would move, and yet I’d crawled all the way to the most dangerous place on purpose.

Normally, I would never have done this.

But.

‘Those heretic bastards...’

Of all things, heretics.

The moment I learned those bastards—the ones who’d made me eat dirt over and over in my past life—were here, I couldn’t just sit still.

‘No idea what they’re trying to do.’

But if it was really connected to the heretics...

If those bastards were trying to do something—

‘It’s going to hit me. No matter what.’

If it was some petty incident in a random town, I’d tell them to go ahead and die in a ditch.

But—

‘An “incident” has to stay at incident level.’

What they did was nationwide. And I’d already heard what they were trying to pull.

‘They’re summoning a god.’

Again.

Again with that.

And if they were summoning a god, it wouldn’t be some harmless little shrine spirit.

‘A disaster deity...’

That twisted thing that had tormented me so badly in my past life.

A god that fed on human misfortune and resentment.

That was the kind of filthy god they’d be trying to call down.

I could picture it.

Even if I didn’t want to.

‘I’m gonna puke.’

Just thinking about it made my head throb—one miserable chain after another.

And calling it “imagination” was almost a lie.

This was closer to remembering.

So with those bastards showing up again, I had to do something.

Even if it was fucking disgusting.

‘Little heaven.’

I replayed what Strange Demon had said.

Little heaven.

Which meant there was a big heaven too.

‘Big heaven, sure.’

Obvious.

‘The Heavenly Demon.’

Who else would it be? Going by that, Strange Demon really did see me as the Heavenly Demon’s child.

I could tell just from his eyes.

‘Creepy.’

It was madness steeped in faith.

Looking at those insane eyes made something surface.

‘...I was wondering why it felt familiar.’

They were the exact same eyes as the zealots who worshiped the heretics.

Which meant—

‘Does Strange Demon think of me like a god?’

Maybe he really did.

If I was reading those eyes right.

“Ask whatever you wish....”

“...That.”

I hesitated, thinking what to ask first, then spoke.

“...Strange Demon. Were you searching for the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline?”

“Ah.... Yes. Yes.”

I got goosebumps at his trembling pupils.

“I’m sorry.... I’m truly sorry.... Ah... ahhh....”

“...What are you sorry for?”

“I was incompetent and vile... I failed to protect little heaven.... How could I ever repay that.... If you wish, even now, I will offer my death...!”

“Wait—!”

Mid-sentence, Strange Demon tried to drive his hand into his own chest.

He meant it.

STOP

At my voice, Strange Demon froze.

“We’re still talking. What the hell do you think you’re doing...?”

If he died whenever he felt like it, that would be a problem. Sure, if Strange Demon died, I’d probably be more comfortable—

But there was still plenty I needed to hear.

Strange Demon listened to me and broke into a radiant smile.

“Ah.... How can you be so merciful. As expected of little heaven.”

“......”

What part of that was “merciful”?

I couldn’t understand it. And honestly, I didn’t need to.

‘How the hell do you understand a crazy bastard?’

Not my job.

What mattered right now wasn’t understanding Strange Demon.

“Are you saying you tried to protect me?”

“You don’t remember. That’s only natural. Back then you were so small. So young.”

“......”

Yuyeon flashed through my mind. I forced it down.

“I’m sorry.... I should’ve offered my life. But I couldn’t.... Because of that—”

GRRNNNNK

Strange Demon clenched a fistful of dirt from the ground.

“...Something with no lineage climbed into a precious seat.”

“......”

Something with no lineage?

Someone crossed my mind in an instant. Baek Cheonin, was it?

‘That bastard.’

The one carrying that vicious malevolent aura.

“But... it’s fortunate.”

The Strange Demon, who’d been growling, relaxed his face again.

His emotional whiplash was genuinely insane.

“Because even now, I have found little heaven at last...!”

“...Finding me changes what?”

“Of course. The rightful little heaven has returned. You must reclaim what you lost.”

His fingertips shook as he reached toward me.

I startled and took a step back.

Regret pooled in his eyes at my reaction.

“...So you really were trying to find me.”

“Yes. This Strange Demon... for my entire life, little heaven—”

“Enough. Are you saying you’re on my side?”

“Of course!”

KUUUUNG!

‘Ugh.’

The air shuddered.

That was his aura—his pressure—erupting with his shout.

‘...He’s insane.’

How strong did someone have to be for pressure like that to spill out?

It was terrifying.

“...This Strange Demon. I have lived only for you.”

“...Huh.”

Should I believe him?

Did it ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) even matter if I did?

The one he’d devoted his life to wasn’t actually me.

What mattered was one thing: right now, was Strange Demon on my side or not?

“...Then can you tell me everything I want to know?”

“...Ah....”

At my question, Strange Demon’s gaze shifted slightly.

I could feel vague discomfort.

“Can’t you?”

Was it too much?

The moment I asked—

“If little heaven wishes it, I want to offer you everything... but...”

After a brief silence, Strange Demon continued.

“Unfortunately, my mouth is bound, so there is not much I can give you....”

“Your mouth is bound?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“......”

Strange Demon shut his mouth.

I was about to frown in confusion when—

[Golden seal...... it.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke.

His voice was cut up, but this time I could make it out.

‘Golden seal?’

I’d heard of it before. Something that blocked a person from speaking certain information.

‘...So he’s under one and can’t talk?’

That was possible too.

I hadn’t known that.

“...If you wish, I can speak, but if I do, I will no longer be able to serve little heaven.”

“What, you mean you’ll die?”

“......”

He shut his mouth again.

That silence was as good as a yes.

‘If he speaks, he dies.’

For a second, what happened at Silver Sea Inn flashed through my mind.

The ones who died right as interrogation started.

And even—

‘Even as malicious ghosts, they couldn’t spit it out to the end before they died.’

Did this golden seal affect souls too?

If so...

‘This isn’t just some standard Central Plains golden seal.’

This was firmly in the realm of curse-work.

‘It’s getting more and more annoying.’

The connections to the heretics kept piling up.

‘For now.’

The good news was Strange Demon really did seem favorable toward me.

Even if it was only because he’d mistaken me as part of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.

‘Profit is profit.’

If I used this well, I could get a lot done.

Even if I didn’t know how far that golden seal reached.

“Then I heard your side is kidnapping Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

“Ah.”

Strange Demon reacted at once.

“Yes. We were going to take those worms. Though it isn’t under my jurisdiction.”

“...Not your jurisdiction? So someone else is running that?”

“......”

He couldn’t answer.

But—

‘He can’t answer, but I can still tell if it’s yes or no.’

You could read it in the air.

‘So anything about their manpower is off-limits.’

Fine.

I changed the question.

“Why did you kidnap the Plum Blossom Swordsmen?”

“......”

Fuck.

Same thing.

Looks like I couldn’t hear that part either.

But—

“They said it’s because a god wants it. Is that true?”

“...!”

Strange Demon’s eyes widened.

His face screamed: How do you know that?

“...Huh.”

A god wanted flowers.

That man had said it clearly.

Flowers.

Plum Blossom Swordsmen...

None of it made sense.

‘First, it’s true that HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE stepped in and kidnapped the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.’

And it also seemed true that the reason was tied to a disaster deity.

‘Ah. Goddamn it.’

The more I figured out, the more everything turned to shit.

My irritation climbed higher.

I raked a hand up through my hair.

My stretched-out nerves kept jabbing at my tongue.

“...Strange Demon.”

“Yes. Little heaven.”

So I acted on my mood.

“You said you’re on my side.”

“Yes...! This Strange Demon... only for you—!”

I didn’t let him finish. I cut him off.

“Then can you do me a favor?”

Strange Demon’s face lit up.

Like he’d been waiting for those words his whole life.

“Please, anything...!”

“Can you kill the Plum Blossom Commander for me?”

Strange Demon faltered.

For a moment, my gut clenched—had I asked for something I shouldn’t?

But after a brief pause, Strange Demon spoke.

“Should I do it now?”

Like it was something he could do whenever he felt like it.