The Villain's Second Time

Chapter 6

Although it was in the Demon Tongue, which carried its own tone and atmosphere, the Saint did not miss the fleeting emotion Lilith revealed.

"It seems the two of you were acquainted from the beginning."

"None of your business."

"I would appreciate it if you could answer my question."

"Do I really have to answer?"

"It is my wish. It isn't difficult, is it?"

"Ugh, you're so bothersome."

The Saint persistently pressed for answers. Truly, she was a woman with remarkable tenacity.

What… was she asking if Lilith had a conscience?

No, she was asking if goodness could emerge even from demons. Essentially, it was a question seeking my agreement.

"Just as humans are all different, so are demons."

"Is that so?"

"There are wretched ones like the Eastern Grand Duke, and then there are fools like that woman who feel things like conscience. It’s demon by demon, that’s all."

"So, you're saying hasty generalizations are inappropriate."

For someone not too bright, she sure understood that well.

But is it really okay for me to speak so freely about the Demon Realm's high-ranking officials? The Saint might figure out my true identity.

…If I get caught, so what? There's only about four days left until the guillotine anyway.

"If you’re still curious, go ask her. I don’t know anything about it."

"I shall do so."

Concluding her conversation with me, the Saint turned back toward Lilith.

The soft curve on the Saint's pale lips was gentle, as always. Was this human born with a face meant for smiling? I found myself genuinely curious.

"Ah, no… She is going to die…?"

Whether or not she realized the Saint was watching her, Lilith clutched her head and muttered in confusion.

She was drowning in a river of panic. Why? Was it because she owed her life to the Saint and now felt she had driven that very savior to her death? Was that really it?

I couldn’t empathize, but as I said before, demons differ from one another, so I decided to let it go. It was just a bit pathetic, that’s all.

"Ugh…! What does it matter to me whether you die or not…!"

A groan escaped from Lilith's crimson lips. It was a rough, disorganized sound.

"It’s not my fault! It’s your fault for foolishly letting me go!"

Suddenly, Lilith shouted fiercely. Sinister demonic energy surged ominously behind her.

"Just get out of my heart already! Why do you keep haunting me? Why does my heart feel so stifled?!"

A tantrum. That’s how it looked to me.

"I was just doing my duty! It’s natural for a Demon Duke to attack a Saint! It’s your fault for letting me go!"

She was trying to hide her vulnerabilities… what she considered vulnerabilities, anyway. Personally, I didn’t see them as such.

However, it seemed the Saint’s nonexistent eyes perceived things differently.

"You are experiencing turmoil."

"…! W-What are you doing now?!"

"Please remain still."

"What are you trying to pull?!"

The Saint reached out her hand. Her outstretched hand brushed against Lilith’s. Lilith flinched back in startled surprise.

"Oh Holy Lord."

"…!"

"Grant peace to this sorrowful lamb wandering in the dark abyss."

"D-Don’t do anything strange…!"

"Indeed, love stems from a composed heart and mind…"

A halo of light emanated from the Saint’s hand. At this point, I was too tired to even comment.

She was probably about to pull another one of her ridiculous stunts, burning through her own lifespan to do so. Though she was destined to die soon anyway, what could she possibly gain from helping others like this?

And Lilith wasn’t even a demon worthy of sympathy—she had betrayed the Saint. Why would the Saint want to help someone like that? I would never understand her eccentricity, not even in death.

Woo-ooong.

The bright radiance flowed like a stream, seeping into Lilith. It slipped between the folds of her clothing and reached her heart.

Lilith’s expression turned blank. Her erratic breathing from moments ago had calmed without her even realizing it.

At the same time, the Saint’s complexion grew pallid. Hmph, whatever. She made her choice, so she can deal with it. I’m done wasting my telekinesis to help her.

Woo-ooong.

Ssssss.

The brilliance didn’t last long. The intense light that had illuminated Tartarus vanished almost instantly. It signified the depletion of the Saint’s Holy Power.

"What did you do?"

Sensing the changes within herself, Lilith asked.

"Have you… been able to find even a little peace…?"

"I asked what you did! Speak! Why does the suffocating feeling in my heart feel relieved? What did you do?!"

"As a servant of the Lord, I merely fulfilled my duty…"

"Y-You foolish thing…!"

Even Lilith seemed to think the Saint was foolish. To me, they both seemed like idiots.

"Ha… Is it true you’re going to die? Execution, really?"

"Yes, there are now four days left."

"Where is it happening?"

"At the Empire’s Square, or so I’ve been told. Still, the Demon King has shown mercy and permitted me to face the direction of the Lord during my beheading."

Oh, I’m scheduled for execution at the Empire’s Square too. I don’t know if our times will align, but it seems the Saint and I will die on the same day, in the same place.

"Ugh."

Lilith bit her lower lip. The Saint had likely used her own lifespan to soothe Lilith’s tormented heart, yet the thought of the Saint’s impending death had thrown Lilith into turmoil once more.

"Enough."

However, this time was different. Lilith neither screamed nor lashed out.

Instead, she quietly shut her mouth and turned to leave.

"Whether you die or not has nothing to do with me."

Leaving those words behind, Lilith started to walk away without looking back.

It seemed like she was holding back words she wanted to say.

Step, step—

What stopped Lilith in her tracks was the Saint's faded voice.

"I forgive you."

Lilith furrowed her brow and asked curtly.

"What?"

"I said I forgive you."

"Crazy... What are you even saying on the verge of death? Forgive me for what?"

"For all the guilt, karma, and sins that are tormenting you, I forgive them all."

"...!"

"So, now, let yourself be at ease."

The Saint smiled. It was a smile fundamentally different from my trademark mocking grin, one that adorned her lips.

"No life is born evil. The conscience residing in your heart proves it."

"Nonsense."

"Find peace. And please, walk the path I have walked."

"Ridiculous. Even the orcs' words make more sense than this."

"The world ruled by the Demon Army will be very dark. Precisely because of that, even the smallest light can illuminate its surroundings."

"What are you asking of me, a demon?"

"Start with small acts of kindness. Kindness is like cotton candy—it grows larger once you start."

She had said those words to me as well. Back then, the subject was 'love.'

"Crazy woman. Get lost."

After hearing the Saint's persuasion, Lilith sharply turned her head and stormed out of Tartarus.

The Saint, now resembling an abandoned puppy, looked utterly pitiful.

I taunted her.

"What now? It seems your persuasion didn't work at all."

"Haha."

"I was surprised too, seeing her guilt. But come on, Lilith is a demon. There's no way she'd do something as ridiculous as an act of kindness."

"We’ll just have to wait and see."

The Saint responded with a faint smile.

"What is there to wait for when the outcome is obvious?"

"Mr. Demon, may I share some news I heard outside?"

"What, is it something special? Did the Demon King die?"

"Not quite... It's about how the Four Great Dukes of the Demon Realm handle prisoners."

"Prisoners? Sounds interesting. Tell me."

With my permission, the Saint began to speak as if she had been waiting for this moment. Today, I realized how annoying excessive politeness could be.

"Leaving out the Northern Grand Duke, who went missing three months ago, I'll tell you about the others. The Eastern Duke of the Demon Realm turns all prisoners into slaves. They’re forced into grueling or degrading tasks, such as satisfying the desires of demonic beasts."

"Ugh, disgusting. The essence of a demon, through and through."

"The Southern Duke of the Demon Realm uses prisoners as tools for art. I’ve even heard that people are melted down and used as paint."

"Now that's a demon I can relate to. That person resonates with me in some ways—though my art is all about explosions."

At the word 'explosions,' the Saint burst into a pure, unfiltered laugh before continuing.

"As for the Western Duke of the Demon Realm, I heard she doesn’t touch any prisoners who don't resist."

"...Really? That Lilith?"

"Why would I tell a lie? She even issued strict orders to the Demon Army not to harm them."

"Unbelievable."

"That's why I've heard that refugees are moving toward the western continent. They say it started the day after I sent Lilith away."

I think I understood the point the Saint was trying to make.

It was something I couldn’t help but question.

Lilith is a cruel demon. In the Demon Realm, she's second to none in her malice.

And yet, this Lilith supposedly refrains from touching prisoners? Even barring the Demon Army from doing so?

It’s hard to accept at face value, but after seeing Lilith’s state earlier, I can’t entirely dismiss it either.

In her final outburst of curses, I detected an unhidden tremor and confusion.

While I do love chaos, this mental turmoil was fundamentally different.

Suddenly, a flash of delusion flickered in my mind.

An utterly absurd delusion. But for some reason, my rationality leaned toward it.

Before I knew it, I asked the Saint, who had come closer to my side.

"Let me ask you one thing."

"Please, go ahead."

"Back then, when you deliberately let Lilith go... were you already anticipating this outcome?"

"...."

I know it myself. This suspicion is baseless.

To foresee the present from that distant past? It’s a thoughtless delusion. After all, the Saint is foolish, naive, and dense.

And yet, my heart keeps pointing in that direction. Her silent smile, instead of an answer, only fuels my thoughts.

"The war was already predictable once the Hero surrendered."

"...."

"Even if Lilith had been eradicated, a new Western Grand Duke would’ve been appointed."

"...."

"So, did you bestow grace upon Lilith to stir her guilt and give hope to the Continent’s prisoners? Am I right?"

As my words continued, the Saint smiled faintly. I knew that her silence was a tacit affirmation.

"What a strange person."

"Is that how I appear to you?"

"You're utterly clueless most of the time, but your mind turns sharp only on peculiar matters."

"I simply focus on the good deeds in front of me. Is there ever calculation in doing good?"

"Well, I suppose that's possible."

It wasn't entirely wrong. As she said, back then, I might have been fixated solely on releasing Lilith.

Her argument that the aftermath spread like a butterfly's wings to create the current situation was not unreasonable.

However.

"Kelth was babbling about something. He said the Saint has the wisest pair of white eyes on the Continent."

Still, the rumors surrounding the Saint are a bit too famous for that. They said she was the wisest woman on the Continent, alongside the great sage Merlin.

"You flatter me."

"Saint, that's deceit, not humility. How could fools bear to live in such humiliation?"

"...."

The Saint did not refute my words. Instead, she quietly approached and rested the back of my head on her lap.

Our faces were now so close that they almost touched. As always, she nestled my head in her embrace.

In the stifling heat of Tartarus, where it was already unbearable, she even held me tightly.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"So you do know, huh? It's unbearably uncomfortable."

"Shall I stop?"

"...Forget it; it's bothersome. You shouldn’t have started in the first place."

Having spent only a few days together, had I already grown accustomed to the Saint?

It was truly an enigma.

"Here, eat."

The Saint handed me the bread she had been saving.

"Ah—."

"Hearing you eat so heartily fills me up as well."

"What nonsense. You should eat some too."

I lightly tapped the Saint's stomach with my head, causing her to flinch slightly. It was a thin, emaciated stomach lacking any hint of flesh.

Ouch—.

Damn. It feels like my whole skeleton’s being shattered. I shouldn't have done that.

"One is enough for me."

"Yet you're making me eat three?"

Each person is rationed two pieces of bread. However, the bread the Saint and I received was of different quality.

Kelth always swapped the Saint's bread. Hers was always soft and sweet.

And yet, the Saint would always give all that bread to me. Even when I told her it wasn’t necessary, she insisted I eat it.

"After all, you are a Demon. I've heard Demons have an appetite three times that of humans."

"...That's true. But."

"But what?"

I pursed my lips slightly in a mischievous grin. A playful urge to tease her pure nature surged within me.

"Demons also have a libido seven times that of humans. Did you know?"

"…?"

"If you're going to satisfy my hunger, you might as well ease my needs too."

Of course, given my current physical condition, that was impossible. This was purely a joke to mess with her.

"…Libido, you say?"

The Saint shyly glanced at my lower half through her bandaged eyes, then responded. Given my lack of vitality, there wasn’t any visible reaction in that area.

"I'm sorry, but."

"Haha!"

"As a servant of God, I was taught to remain chaste. I hope you understand."

The Saint's face turned a deep shade of red. She slightly lowered her head, deliberately avoiding my gaze.

The Saint, who always smiled gracefully, now reacted like this over a mere suggestive joke.

With such a reaction, how could I resist teasing her further?

"I thought you were smart, but it turns out you're just as dull, Saint."

"Maintaining chastity is an obligatory duty as an apostle of God."

"What? Wisdom? Hahaha! You tremble at just the mention of bedroom talk, yet you claim such wisdom!"

"Tremble? Please don't see me as such an oblivious woman."

Bantering with the Saint, who very rarely stammered, made time fly by quickly—or at least by my standards. After all, there was no light or wind in Tartarus to confirm the passage of time.

And then came the next day. Just like yesterday and the day before, another visitor arrived.

However, this visitor was somewhat unusual.

A girl who was both the hope and despair of the Continent.

A girl destined to oppose the Demon King, yet succumbed to him.

Once revered during the Cold War era as the Indomitable Hero, but now known as the Cowardly Hero.

The Hero, Frey de Siegfried.

The fourth visitor, as renowned as the Demon King himself on the Continent, had arrived.