Chapter 69: Bittersweet

The pearl no longer has power?

So, how are we going to defeat the Goddess Kas’uan?

Yulin glanced at me as I pondered…

Me? No, Yulin hung his head and headed to the Demon King’s office, saying, “For the time being, I’ll inform my brother.”

“I see—so I used to use the Pearl before?”

The Demon King nodded and opened the desk drawer in his office using the key. There was a purple ball. However, following closer inspection, it was discovered to be fractured.

“The pearl, as suspected, has no power.”

The Demon King rotated the pearl in his palm to double-check, but he felt no power.

“There is no other way if the pearl is worthless… No. Not precisely, but not at the moment.”

The Demon King stared at me and spoke unequivocally. Does it have to do with me?

“In the meanwhile, let’s go over the old documents.”

The Demon King dismissed us for the day with those remarks.

■□■

“Brother…”

Yulin sighs as he stares at me.

“…I know.”

There must be a method to bring the Goddess Kas’uan under control. The most effective method is to utilize God’s power against God. I mean──

“You mean with the power of the Shrine Maiden’s power?”

She is, however, no longer a Shrine Maiden. Because, unknown to me, she and I married five years later. But it wasn’t without loopholes.

“If she divorces brother, she will regain the Shrine Maiden’s power.”

That’s correct. If I divorce her, she will reclaim the power of the Shrine Maiden. But, although I don’t know about her world, in mine, a divorce signifies a full severance of relationships. You will never be reunited if you break the vow you made to God. In other words, you will never be able to remarry her.

As a king, if the Goddess Kas’uan descends in the future and does significant harm to the people, I will be forced to cease my connection with her. First of all, I don’t know much about her myself.

But as a man, my soul tells me not to let her go. The girl I’d never known love for, the girl I fell in love with, and the girl I wanted to be with. When I look at her, my heart starts racing. It beats as if it recalls her, even though I don’t.

“Yulin, I…”

I can’t bear the thought of losing her. I want her to be near me… My passion overwhelms me, and I must contain myself. I am the Demon King. I promised my late father and mother that I would protect Crystalia.

When I bit my lip, Yulin gave me a bitter smile.

“Maybe she’s the first person you’ve ever desired—I would have done the same. I’ll go through the old documents again.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“No, my brother has nothing to apologize for—now if you’ll excuse me.”

Yulin leaves the office.

When I peered out the window, it was pouring.

For some reason, I felt compelled to listen to her song, which I had never heard before.

○○○○○