Chapter 57

When Kiehl left all his emotions behind and barely pressed one thought, fortunately, reason came.

‘No… A little more strategic…’

It was because he still had mountains to climb like a mountain range. Bella, however, smiled sympathetically and poked Kiehl’s side with her finger.

“Are you bragging about being taller than me right now?”

After entering the Palace, no one could touch Kiehl’s body except to shake hands.

‘Please…’

He missed this tickling touch so much, but when he met her, he felt like he was about to lose his mind. Obviously, the Demon King was different from the dream demons. How was it that she seduced him more than a dream demon and repeatedly lifted and dropped him…?

‘No. Not yet… Wake up.’

Contrary to him trying to keep the distance, she drew closer to him, giving every excuse.

“Kiehl, because the divine power has really grown so I didn’t know it.”

“I know. You don’t have to prove it because I get it.”

In Bella’s ears, it sounded like he was just letting it go as if ‘I’ll believe you.’

“I thought it was just a hypothesis to say that the divine powers of the holy things were getting stronger.”

“…Really?”

“I was told that it needs to have a strong commitment to something, but I haven’t seen any examples.”

This was a setting that was not written down in the novel. It was a fact that Bella learned as she inherited the power of the Demon King.

“Ah.”

Flicking her fingers as if she had realized something, she pointed to Kiehl’s pendant.

‘The pendant was only playing the role of a holy object and, in the end, nurtured whatever divine power Kiehl had.’

To him today, the holy sword probably meant something like the pendant in a novel. If the divine power of the pendant was strengthened by his obsession to live from a young age, what was the holy sword…?

Kiehl thought to himself, seeing the still Bella, and grew increasingly anxious.

‘What else is she going to do?’

He just hoped she wouldn’t come near him… Please.

From morning until now, whenever that breath came closer, it felt like the longing he has been holding down was about to burst.

Then, Bella opened her mouth slowly.

“Anyway, if that’s the case, I can go straight to the human world right now.”

Kiehl couldn’t comprehend her stream of consciousness. Why was the human world getting mentioned all of a sudden?

“How?”

“Can you think of summoning as a transition from vessel to vessel?”

“I know that.”

“However, in the Demon Realm, no matter how hard I try, the magic of this vessel fills up quickly.”

Bella moved her hand, expressing the invisible bowl with her palm. She was as dynamic as when she was telling a fairy tale from his childhood.

“No matter how many times the bowl is emptied, water comes out of the faucet above, and the bowl continues to fill with water.”

“…So?”

She cut her own arm with her fingernails and showed Kiehl her quick recovery before explaining slowly while Kiehl frowned at her.

“You can’t turn off the water in the faucet. I’ve tried to figure it out all night, but it’s impossible. There is only one way.”

She slowly grabbed the holy sword and wrapped it around the back of her hand. Seeing that, Kiehl clenched his teeth and turned his head away.

Bella slowly pointed the tip of the sword into her palm.

“If you stab me with this…”

Saying so, she poked her own palm.

Unlike her arm, which was wounded a while ago, the wound on her palm did not heal but completely blocked Bella’s strength.

“What are you doing?”

Kiel hastily dropped the holy sword from her. However, she raised her thumb and gave a smile as if nothing had happened.

“The holy sword will slow me from replenishing my magical power.”

Kiehl quickly put the holy sword into its sheath and glanced at Bella.

“Before I go to the human world, you just need to stab me with the holy sword.”

Which Demon King asked to be stabbed while talking about her weakness… And, smiling brightly like that.

“It’s that easy, right?”

Kiehl smiled at her smile as well.

“Yes. It’s cruel. I won’t.”

What did this holy sword mean to him?

Whenever he scoured for the Animal Kingdom and couldn’t find it, he sometimes wondered if it was all just a dream. He wondered if it was a delusion that he made up after going through a very difficult time…

Sometimes visions danced in front of him.

Still, each time, the existence of this holy sword was able to soothe his heart that those days were not fiction. With the divine power that the obsession has nurtured, it hurt. Was that a light and easy request to do with a smile like that…?

“Kiehl, where are you going?”

Kiehl had already turned around and was on the way back to the villa.

“Are you upset?”

He didn’t even want to answer because he was afraid he’d be very angry. Bella, who didn’t understand English, thought as she tilted her head.

‘I don’t think it’s that cruel.’

In all her life, she had never seen him angry. Of course, she said he was ‘cute,’ although he was utterly pouting. When he was young, he followed Bella’s words well, and he was docile, so this situation was complicated.

“Look at this. Because of the divine power, even if it is slow, it recovers quickly.”

Kiehl’s reply was blunt and concise.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Every time I cut Zanbar, did he ever say it hurt? I don’t feel any pain either.”

Of course, it wasn’t painless though the pain was bearable. It was a pain that was tolerable because of the quick recovery, like the stinging sensation of a mosquito bite when making a cross shape with a fingernail.

“I don’t mind this much”

Bella walked ahead of Kiehl and convinced him.

“Think about it.”

Then, he put five of his fingers in one by one and counted five seconds.

“I still don’t want to.”

Bella froze, unable to keep her mouth shut because his behavior was so unexpected.

* * *

Upon arriving at the villa, Pur greeted them.

“Young Master! Princess! When are we leaving?”

Her arms and legs were spread out, and the luggage was cradled on her back.

“Pur… get out of my way.”

Nevertheless, since Pur was big, she danced with excitement and blocked the door.

“The Young Master has never been on a sleigh! Miss, let’s go sledding again this time!”

While Kiehl couldn’t get in and stood in front of her, holding back his anger, Bella crossed her arms and sarcastically provoked him.

“We can’t go because Kiehl’s a coward. Pur, put the luggage down.”

At that, he turned around and shot at her.

“Am I a coward? How can I stab Bella?”

“Because I’m not going to die. A cat has nine lives.”

“I know you’re not a cat.”

“It doesn’t work…”

When she glanced slightly, Kiehl glared at her the same way. Bella then turned her back to him and explained again.

“You don’t have to stab deeply. The gap between the wings is the entrance of the magical energy, so even if you stab it just a little…”

At that time, Pur, who was at the entrance, ran towards Bella as soon as she saw her back.

“I will! If the Young Master doesn’t want to do it!”

Pur’s sole touched Bella’s back, and there was silence for a few seconds. The next moment, she grabbed Pur’s arm and held it out to Kiehl’s.

“Yes, then. It seems like Pur will be destroyed when she picks up the holy sword, but if it was Pur, Pur would do it for me.”

“Are you threatening me with Pur right now?”

“You also threatened me with my heart?”

“How is it like that? You just have to wait for Rinne to finish summoning.”

Kiehl gazed at Bella resentfully, fiddling with the holy sword he had placed on his waist.

“What if it was dangerous? You’ll be destroyed?”

When he remembered that he had collected the relics for two years, he got goosebumps.

‘Then, you say all the things I’ve gathered so far are Bella’s weaknesses?’

“No. That’s because Pur is the lowest level. From a higher level demon, if you get stabbed at a vital point, it will only cut off your power.”

Saying so, Bella pointed to her own back.

“This is my vital point!”

“Why are you talking about your weaknesses so proudly?”

Seeing the two of them getting more and more angry, Pur waved her hand without noticing it, “…Is the Princess and the Young Master fighting?”

“….”

“Please, wait! Iwer will be here in a little while, so I’ll make a bet then!”

“Hey!”

“Pur.”

When he and Bella called her at the same time, Pur turned into ice and looked at them alternately. Kiehl was slowly getting angry but murmured in an upset voice.

“I’m even more upset that you try to do something like that casually. No matter how you’re a demon.”

Bella couldn’t say anything.

“Yesterday, you asked me to kill you, and today you want me to stab you?”

“….”

“You’ll ask me to tear you up tomorrow, and you will ask me to cut you the next day.”

All of a sudden, Pur came up to them and looked around.

“The Princess said Pur is a bare necessity since I’m a bear!”

It was not a silly joke, but they both shook their heads when they saw Pur.

‘Why does she have no sense of what’s going on…’

At that time, the door opened wide again, and this time Iwer appeared splendidly.

“Ta-da! Iwer is here”

“Iwer! The princess and the young master are fighting! Make a bet with me!”

Iwer sensed the awkward atmosphere she felt after just a few seconds and stepped back with a smile.

“Hoho… Iwer out!”

“I’m betting on the Princess! What about Iwer?”

“Pur… Just one more word, and I’ll rip your tongue in five pieces.”

“Hhing…”

As Pur began to cry, Iwer hugged her painfully and opened the door.

“Talk comfortably, you two, I’ll take Pur out.”

When she heard the bang, Bella grabbed Kiehl’s hands and explained calmly.

“I have a reason to go fast.”

Bella confidently pointed her chin to Kiehl’s chest.

“Your wounds need to be healed, although this herb will keep your memory dim and sleepy.”

“It’s okay. In the first place, I brought a first aid kit.”

Bella said she would do it, so there was no reason to refuse.

Her eyes widened. It was something she hadn’t thought of.

‘But… The person who will become emperor in the future would not have come without preparing for such a situation.’

As she was speechless for a moment, Kiehl confidently raised the corners of his lips and asked.

“We don’t have to go back quickly, right?”

Kiehl would be busy when he went to the human world, but at least, in the demon world, he wanted to talk leisurely.

Bella rolled her eyes and said the next reason, “The second is that you are the Crown Prince, so you have to go quickly.”

At her words, he smiled and whispered.

“I’ve already done everything I need to do.”

While he was away, he entrusted the work to trusted people and completed the handover. He calculated the aftermath that came later.

“You don’t have to worry. No more, right?”

Bella swallowed her saliva.

‘This isn’t it…’

“The third…”

At that moment, Bella’s stomach rang out.

“The third is that you have nothing to eat here.”

Kiehl smiled and grabbed Bella’s hands, leaning his head slightly closer to her face.

“You’re thinking about that now?”