Chapter 168: CH 164

August 10th, 2023

If I had headed to Helium without receiving divine power from Mora, would I have been able to maintain composure? Suddenly, such thoughts come to mind.

Cecily walked slowly to the palace without using teleportation, keeping our arms crossed. She moved her steps as she conversed cordially, like a lover that had recently started dating.

I, too, suppressed the excited heartbeats with the divine power I received from Mora. Moreover, I was familiar with Cecily’s physical contact, so I could handle it to some extent.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not excited. The deep collarbone that was clearly visible continued to captivate my gaze, and the aura emanating from her was extraordinary.

It could be called a kind of pheromone, or perhaps allure. The atmosphere was several times more intense than usual and felt sticky.

I had a strong premonition that if I fell for it, I wouldn’t be able to escape.

‘Now the horns have completely turned red.’

Except for the tips, Cecily’s horns were filled with red color. It meant that soon, due to the evil cycle, she would no longer be able to control herself properly.

Will she be able to exert self-restraint until tonight? Last time, she had the worn-out necklace to rely on, but this time, there was no guarantee. So caution was necessary.

How much time had passed since I walked the road with Cecily? Before we knew it, we reached the entrance of Helium’s palace.

“We’ve arrived already. I wanted to walk a bit more.”

“Yeah, it’s a shame.”

“If you’re disappointed, do you want to walk a bit more?”

Cecily, with a subtle voice, urged me while pressing her chest against my arm. It was tempting, but I exercised self-control.

In my heart, I wanted to have a conversation with Cecily a bit longer, but it was already late at night, and there would be plenty of time after we entered the palace.

“No. Your parents must be waiting. Let’s go inside.” 

“Tsk. Fine.” 

At first, Cecily expressed disappointment, clicking her tongue. 

“The long night will be long anyway.” 

“… …” 

“So there’s no need to have a conversation outside.”

She whispered softly near my ear, her lips brushing against it and her mouth curled up. She even tightly hugged my arm. 

In the midst of the dark night, I glanced at Cecily blushing, finding her adorable, and then my eyes caught sight of the Palace of Helium. Thanks to becoming accustomed to the darkness, I could make out its rough appearance.

The imperial palace of Minerva was gleaming like it was coated in gold, visible even in the middle of the night. On the other hand, the Palace of Helium was ordinary. 

Historically, it had been exactly 2000 years since Helium had a ‘king.’ Unlike humans, they had consistently maintained their position since that time, so it was only natural for it to appear ordinary. 

However, it looked solid enough to have endured for over 1000 years. It resembled a fortress combined with a palace more than a mere palace.

‘But are there no guards?’ 

Even though we approached the main gate, I couldn’t see any guards on duty. Or perhaps the surroundings were too dark for me to see.

Beyond the main gate, only the street lamps scattered along the path cast their light. The Helium Palace was generally dark and dreary. It wouldn’t be surprising if a ghost suddenly popped out.

“Why are you looking around like that? Is it strange that there are no guards?”

“Yeah, usually there should be some strict security, right?”

“Don’t worry. They are just hiding in the darkness, unseen. In reality, they are quite strict.”

“Hiding in the darkness? Like camouflage?”

“Not exactly camouflage, but they wear black clothes to blend in and not be easily seen. If they were walking around with a lantern, it would be like advertising their presence, right? You would only use the lantern when you can’t see ahead, but darkness means nothing to our kind.”

I always think about this, but demons are a cunning race incomparable to elves. And in some aspects, they stand out even more than elves, making humans seem infinitely inferior.

It’s fortunate that demons are friendly toward humans, otherwise, if they intentionally started a war, it would surely end in our defeat. It’s a relief that such a thing hasn’t happened.

Creak!

As I approached the front gate, the iron gate swung open wide, much like an automatic door. I looked around on both sides, wondering if there were personnel responsible for opening the gate, but all I saw was pitch-black darkness.

Curious, I expressed my doubts, and at that moment, Cecily explained from the side.

“This is a magic gate. It might not be easy to see at night, but there’s a device in the center of the gate. It recognized me and opened the door.”

“What about other people?”

“People who reside in the palace or those who frequently visit usually show a token. Think of it as a key.”

Indeed, magic’s uses are infinite. Some inventions seem unfit for their time due to the influence of such magic. As I gazed at the slowly closing door, I suddenly realized that Gartz had disappeared. It seems that Cecily must have sent him away for a moment.

Afterward, we began to make our way toward the main entrance, using the street lamps as the only source of light. In the meantime, I didn’t forget to ask a question.

“Can demons conceal themselves in the darkness like Dark Elves?”

“It is possible, but it consumes a considerable amount of mana, and it is not as perfect as the concealment used by Dark Elves. The Dark Elves’ concealment blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment, making it difficult to detect even through perception.”

“I see. Since both of you worship Mora, I thought it would be natural.”

“There is a reason why the Elves are a chosen race of the gods. Instead, she grants us peaceful nights and rest, so there is no need for jealousy.”

“Doesn’t noona pray every day? Once in the morning when you wake up and once before going to bed?”

“Yes, I remember it well. Originally, before going to bed, I would offer a prayer of gratitude for providing us with a peaceful rest for tonight. But this time, it seems it will be slightly different.”

“What will be the content of the prayer?”

“Hmm~”

As I asked the question, Cecily looked at me with an intrigued sound escaping her lips. There was a hint of redness in her crescent-folded eyes, resembling a blush.

She followed by licking her lips seductively, then spoke in a husky voice mixed with a hint of allure. 

“Should I tell you now, or should I show you later tonight?” 

“Hmm… Show me later. It won’t be fun if I know in advance.” 

“Okay, you can look forward to it.”

I wondered what kind of prayer it was that made her tell me to look forward to it. I looked at Cecily with a smirk, as if unable to contain myself. 

At that moment, Cecily, with a cheerful smile, leaned her face against my shoulder as if she was really excited about it. 

Poke! 

“Ouch!” 

“Oh, oh my. I-I’m sorry. Are you okay?” 

“Ow… No, it’s fine. Surprisingly, the end is sharp.”

There was a minor mishap where her horn accidentally pricked my arm. Fortunately, I was wearing thick clothes, so I didn’t get injured. 

I reassured Cecily, who was making an apologetic expression, that I was fine. As I comforted her, we were able to reach the main gate of the palace located at the end of the road. 

As demons have a deep appreciation for art, even the palace doors were beautifully carved. At the top, a woman, presumably Mora, was depicted ascending, while demons below were in prayer.

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The dim light of the torches faintly illuminated the main gate, allowing us to observe it more closely. 

As I stood still, gazing at the carved images on the door, suddenly, with a creaking sound, the main gate began to open slowly. It was my first time being invited to a palace instead of a mansion, so I felt a slight tension.

Above all, I must meet Cecily’s parents soon. Even though Cecily assured me that everything would be fine, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. No matter how much of a writer I am, meeting my partner’s parents is still nerve-wracking.

Sigh

Finally, the main gate of the palace swung open wide. And what caught my eye first was the color red. The entire floor was covered with a deep red carpet.

Behind that, there were stairs leading to the upper floor and several corridors lined up, but there was one person waiting behind the main gate. It wasn’t a maid but a woman in a neat red dress, wearing a gentle smile.

Despite her beautiful appearance and the dress covering her, her figure caught my attention, but what stood out the most was undoubtedly her face, which closely resembled Cecily’s.

While Cecily had bangs, the woman in front of me had her forehead clearly exposed, and she was wearing a silver circlet.

“Welcome. Thank you for coming all this way.”

When I vaguely guessed who she was, the woman politely bowed and greeted me. If Cecily had a seductive and sexy voice, the woman in front of me had a mix of maturity and sensibility.

She straightened her waist after bowing and introduced herself in a calm tone.

“My name is Eisilia Drat Vin. I am the Queen of Helium. It’s an honor to host the benefactor of the demons.”

As expected, she was indeed Cecily’s mother and the Queen of Helium. In fact, she looked so much like Cecily that it was not difficult to imagine them being sisters. But Cecily mentioned before that she was an only child.

“I am Isaac Ducker Michelle of the Minerva Empire. It is an honor to meet the Queen of Helium.”

After she finished her introduction, I politely greeted her according to etiquette. It seemed that she was already informed about our relationship, judging by the fact she was referring to me as a benefactor of demons and the fact that there was not a single maid accompanying the Queen.

Queen Eisillia nodded her head in response to my greeting and spoke with a gentle tone.

“So, you’re the one with the attractive red hair and golden eyes that I’ve heard about.”

“Thank you. Your Majesty is also beautiful.”

“Hoho, thank you. Have you had dinner yet?”

“No, I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Well, that works out nicely. Let’s meet our husband first.”

Referring to him as a ‘husband’ instead of a ‘king’ indicated a more informal meeting. After all, even if I was formally invited, I was here as Cecily’s lover, nothing more.

Cecily and I started following Eisillia as she began to guide us. Whether it was because we had entered the palace or for some other reason, Cecily kept holding my arm, even in front of Eisillia.

“I heard from my daughter that you’ve been a great help at the Halo Academy.”

“I don’t think I’ve helped her much, to be honest…”

“Well, good people tend to forget the good deeds they’ve done themselves. Only the recipients remember them.”

When did I ever help Cecily? Honestly, I don’t remember well. Until I revealed that I was Xenon, we simply had a mischievous noona and obedient younger brother relationship. I could only think that Cecily spoke kindly to me. Even if she had told me, there was a high possibility that I wouldn’t have known.

As we followed behind Eisilia, I diligently explored the interior of the palace. Unlike the somewhat ordinary and shabby exterior, the interior fully embodied the atmosphere unique to demons. 

The floors were unified with red carpets, and now, in the evening, I could feel a sense of eeriness relying solely on candlelight. Perhaps it was because I had become too accustomed to darkness, I could discern my path even with the faintest light.

While demons might view it differently, it gave humans a slightly eerie feeling. The calm yet profound silence had settled to the point that nothing seemed out of the question, even if something were to jump out. Even the paintings installed on the corridor walls seemed to crawl and come to life.

“By the way, Lord Isaac, I have something I’m curious about. May I ask?” 

“Yes? Ah, yes, you may.” 

“You said that you had no connection to demons before meeting Cecily.” 

“Yes.” 

“But I was curious why it was described like that in Xenon’s Biography. As you know, before Xenon’s Biography, demons were more or less devils, right?”

Eisilia turned her head slightly and asked, drawing in a breath. In truth, I had received similar questions countless times before. I first received it from my parents, then from Marie, and finally from Cecily. Especially Cecily, who was a demon, asked in more detail.

The problem was that I couldn’t remember exactly what I said back then. Ipondered for a moment and then answered honestly.

No. It was exactly the moment I was going to do it.

“Perhaps…”

“What?”

“As rumor has it, you’re from the future?”

“…”

Little did I know that I would hear those words from Cecily’s mother. In my confusion, I wondered what I should say, but Eisilia gently spoke up.

“Actually, it’s almost impossible for someone like Isaac, who hasn’t even turned 20 yet, to have such thoughts. About 50 years ago, I’ve even seen a 5-year-old human child point a finger at a demon, calling it a devil. Originally, Prejudice is terrifying.”

“That’s true.”

“But Isaac saw us demons from a different perspective. Especially when the fifth volume of Xenon’s Biography came out, Isaac was 16 years old. That means you wrote it during your adolescence, a period of emotional turmoil for humans. It’s only natural to have doubts about whether it’s possible to write such a story during that time.”

Well, before the three consecutive hits, the world only regarded Xenon as a highly experienced sage. Not only does Xenon possess great writing skills, but the incidents and accidents within the Xenon saga are nearly impossible to write without diverse experiences.

However, vivid memories of my past life were deeply ingrained in my mind. I am a soul that crossed over from another dimension due to an accident in this place. I lived within the sea of information called the internet and indirectly experienced various civilizations. It is natural for my perspective to be broader than the people here.

Of course, I cannot simply state this fact outright. After listening to Eisilia’s story, I pondered for a long time and responded with a question.

“I see. Then, do you think the Queen believes that I came from the future?”

“I keep that possibility in mind. Of course, only Isaac and the gods know the truth.”

“For now, I can say with certainty that I didn’t come from the future.”

“I understand. Then, what do you think, Cecily?”

Eisilia sought Cecily’s opinion next. Cecily, who had been standing with our arms crossed, lifted her face from leaning on my shoulder and looked up at me.

I, too, met her gaze directly with my eyes, which were as red as blood. The reddish energy emanating from her cheeks and sparkling pupils exuded a captivating charm that seemed to draw me in.

After staring at me for a while, she smiled lightly and tightly embraced my arm, responding energetically.

“It doesn’t matter to me, Mom, no matter what.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, there’s no need to complicate things, right?”

After saying that, Cecily continued in a sticky voice.

“Anyway, he’ll become my man in a little while.”

“… …”

“I don’t want to think about complicated things right now.”

Seems like she’s completely absorbed in desire. As I looked at Cecily, who had started to emit a heart-like glow, I let out a bitter smile. At that moment, Eisilia murmured softly from the front.

“Is our daughter really Lilith…”

No, she isn’t.

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