Chapter 16 : You Didn’t Come, So I Came (2)

“I hate Grandpa.”

Muttering those words, I descended the stone steps.

The underground prison was damp, humid, and dark, which made it somewhat scary.

But knowing Void was down here made it not so frightening.

Also, thinking about Void being imprisoned all alone made me feel a little sorry for her.

“…Still, it’s a bit scary.”

I glanced around a couple of times to check if anyone was nearby.

“Uh, uh, nobody will say anything if I take this, right?”

After confirming there was no one around, I turned my eyes to the torch embedded in the wall.

Surely, no one would scold me for this. I heard it was something quite valuable, though.

Apparently, it’s powered by magic, which makes it seem rare.

“Well, whatever happens, happens. I’m a princess… no, a royal.”

Who would dare say anything to me?

“Hehehe.”

Realizing no one could stop me after I got my mom’s permission, I immediately grabbed the torch handle.

“Urghhh!!”

I grunted and pulled at the torch with all my might.

But even so, the torch showed no signs of budging.

“Wh-What?! Why won’t it come out?!”

Hanging almost entirely off the torch, I expressed my frustration but soon tried pulling it again.

-Tuduk.

Some dust fell off in the process, but it didn’t seem like a big deal.

And then—

-Tap tap.

Someone tapped my shoulder.

“Do you want me to help?”

“No! I’m fine! I can do it!”

I replied firmly and tried pulling the torch again.

But then, I noticed something strange.

The woman crouching beside me looked very familiar.

Those gently closed eyes with long, white eyelashes, silver hair, and a soft cloak that felt amazing to touch…

“…Void?”

“Mm?”

Why are you here?!

“I’ll pull it out for you.”

-Tuduk.

“…Gasp.”

The torch that wouldn’t budge at all came out in one pull.

“Hmm, magic is leaking out. This could cause trouble.”

She even repaired the hole where the magic was leaking perfectly.

The Demon Lord might be much more incredible than I’d thought.

As I looked at Void with newfound respect, she gazed at me and spoke with a hint of frustration.

“Why are you so late? Dealing with that Hadar was exhausting….”

Void stopped mid-sentence and blushed.

She must really dislike that sparkly Grandpa.

“Grandpa’s name is Hadar, right?”

“Y-Yeah! That’s right.”

Void suddenly looked as if she’d snapped out of it and jumped up in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing! Minho, let’s make a promise.”

Void, breathing slightly heavily, held out her pinky for a promise.

“Never talk about that old man again.”

“Huh?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I died once because of that old man in the past.”

Ah, I see now.

Indeed, it must feel strange to keep seeing the murderer who killed you once.

And to think I kept poking at that trauma… I felt a bit guilty, so I hooked pinkies with Void and made a promise.

‘Okay! Sorry!’

‘Good.’

But wait, this isn’t the time to worry about promises.

‘By the way, Void, why are you here?’

‘You were taking too long, so I just opened the prison door and came out.’

‘…?’

‘Oh, don’t worry. I fixed the door I broke and put the guards to sleep nicely.’

Um, excuse me? That’s not the issue here.

While I stood there dumbfounded, Void just chuckled and picked me up, carrying me down the stairs.

…Honestly, if you can do all that, shouldn’t you just escape?

One thing’s for sure—this sister of mine is serious about staying here.

I watched Void as she walked back to her cell with a cheerful expression.

What was so great about that filthy, smelly, dark place?

I couldn’t help but wonder if she was really the same person who once lived in a wide, luxurious dungeon like a castle.

Ahead of us, a suspicious dragon began flying with us on its back.

‘Graaaaaah!!’

‘Wizard!!’

At one point, the wizard almost got thrown off, but the mineral dragon just laughed mockingly at us.

‘My apologies, it’s been a while since I’ve carried mere mortals.’

With that, it increased its speed even further.

It was terrifying to realize we couldn’t resist and that it was actually doing us a favor.

After a long flight, we finally arrived at the center of the capital.

A huge, white fortress came into view.

On top of it, dragons of various colors were basking in the sunlight.

On the way here, I’d seen dragons happily sunbathing on their own homes.

But seeing them do so even on the Lord’s home made me wonder if that was really okay.

‘Such a mortal way of thinking.’

‘…Excuse me?’

‘The Dragon Lord serves all dragons. That’s why they are revered by everyone.’

‘To preserve the dignity of those without homes, the Lord sacrifices their own sunbathing space and offers it to others.’

‘This is a tradition that’s lasted for 3,000 years since the unification of the kingdom.’

Hearing that, I thought maybe the Lord wasn’t as fearsome as I’d imagined.

…Better than the Empire, anyway.’

The wizard muttered this darkly while pulling their robe tighter over their head.

The Empire might be more horrifying than I thought.

Unconsciously, I touched an old scar.

‘We’ve arrived. Get off.’

‘Alright.’

‘Let’s go, hero.’

The wizard smiled gently and escorted me down by holding my hand.

‘Ah, thank you…’

‘Are you okay?’

‘…Yes, it’s just that my legs gave out.’

This happened to me often, so I laughed it off.

But seeing me like that, the wizard wore a pained expression and apologized.

‘…I’m sorry.’

‘No, no! It’s okay!’

I lifted the wizard’s bowed head.

‘It’s fine, so stop bowing already, okay?’

‘…Ah, alright.’

At that moment, the mineral dragon, now in humanoid form, walked toward us with its hands in its suit pockets.

‘Come, let’s go inside.’

‘Um… what should I call you?’

When I cautiously asked, the dragon paused, its face darkening for a moment before smiling faintly again.

‘…Just call me Elder.’

‘I don’t have a name.’

No name?

What? Does that mean it has no parents?

Noticing my intrusive thought, the dragon gave me a sharp look, scoffed, and muttered something under its breath.

“…Prff. Hey, wizard, just what kind of experiment did you guys conduct?”

“Sorry?”

“Never mind. Stop standing there like an idiot and get inside already. By now, the meeting should be over.”

The dragon urged me impatiently as I stood there dumbfounded.

I glanced back at the wizard for guidance, and they suggested we go in, so I reluctantly moved my hesitant feet forward.

Inside the meeting hall, a cold atmosphere loomed.

The room was divided into factions: those in favor of accepting Void, those who wanted her dead, and the silent king maintaining neutrality.

The pro-Void faction, Baal and Anuket, argued:

“Well, the princess seems to like her so much. If something happens, we can just… take care of it, can’t we?”

“Yeah, it’s been dull lately, and I’ve been itching for some action. I’m all for it.”

Meanwhile, the anti-Void faction, Lavender and Surtr, voiced strong opposition:

“Are you kidding me?! She’s a kidnapper! A would-be murderer! She deserves to be executed right now, you hags!”

“Surtr, calm down and stop being vulgar. Trusting the woman who kidnapped the princess seems… inadvisable.”

And then there was the king, Albinus, caught in the middle of an internal conflict:

‘Haa… Minho really likes her, and she doesn’t seem that dangerous… but…’

‘On the other hand, El hates her guts.’

‘Hmmm… wife or daughter? Wife or daughter?’

The king was lost in thought, imagining a happy daughter and a frustrated wife or a tearful daughter and a content wife.

The expression on his face was one of both delight and suffering.

Just as the debate seemed to reach an impasse, a pro-Void elder burst through the door.

“Greetings to all.”

“YOU!”

“Brother?”

“Sparkles…”

“Where have you been?”

“So you’ve arrived.”

The elder entered with two humans in tow. One was a wizard.

“…Greetings. I am Damian, the imperial grand wizard’s apprentice.”

The other was a hero.

“…Hello…”

As everyone in the hall stared blankly at the three newcomers, Hader opened his mouth.

“They seek asylum.”

“Void is already one of our citizens, and since everyone seemed bored, I’ve brought a new agenda item to discuss.”

“You should all be grateful.”

The hero and the wizard exchanged awkward smiles.

Then it happened.

Lavender, who had been maintaining a cold demeanor, lost her temper and, in a rage far cruder than Surtr’s earlier outburst, unleashed a fiery breath at Hader.

-BOOM!!!

“What?!”

“What was that?!”

While Void and I had been playing tic-tac-toe with stones, the entire building suddenly shook.

“Wh-What? Dust is falling on my head!”

“Come here.”

Void gently brushed the dust off my head.

“Thanks.”

“…Do mine too.”

When she shyly bowed her head for me, I patted the top of it, brushing off the dust. Void smiled with satisfaction.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

Even as the building shook a couple more times, we paid no mind and continued playing tic-tac-toe.

“Yay~ I won!”

“…I lost.”

The final score? I had 99 wins and 1 loss. Void, on the other hand, had 99 losses and 1 win.

“Ah~ Minho, you’re really bad at this.”

“Worse than me~”

What?

Excuse me, didn’t she lose almost every single round?!

“You’ve been losing this whole time!!”

“When?”

“Argh! Let’s play again!”

“No, I’m done playing with you, Minho.”

With a sharp glare, Void cut me off decisively.

Who would’ve guessed she’s the Demon Lord? She’s so wicked.