Chapter 58: From Demon King to Saint Child

“O almighty and loving Goddess…”

Beep… Beep…

Strange sounds filled Joey’s ears.

‘Is it some kind of incantation?’

Beep… Beep…

And…

Joey could feel his body was being restrained.

The young protagonist slowly opened his eyes.

Huff… Huff…

Beep… Beep…

‘What is that sound? It’s so noisy…’

To his left, Joey saw a device that looked like an electrocardiogram.

Beep… Beep…

‘Did I… return to the hospital from my previous life?’

Beep… Beep…

It didn’t seem like it.

The equipment looked very strange.

And… why was there an IV bag hanging over his head?

“Joey, it seems you have finally woken up…”

The tone was cheerful.

It sounded familiar… like Zixuan.

No, Zixuan wouldn’t speak like that.

Then, the boy felt a slender hand stroking his face.

It was… Zi… Zilan!

Joey finally realized where he was.

He snapped awake instantly.

He was in the center of the church, in a spot where the sunlight could reach.

His limbs and waist were tightly bound by leather straps.

The IV bag, covered in scriptures, continuously dripped fluid into the vein in his wrist.

Even his mouth was covered by a strange, patterned mask that forced gas into him.

‘How… how did this happen?’

Joey vaguely remembered being saved by Kail.

Why was he laid out on an altar in the Order of the Church?

He couldn’t move at all, likely due to his magic being depleted.

He could only watch as Zilan looked down at him with a playful expression.

“Don’t panic, Joey…”

Zilan said in a seductive tone.

She looked at him and pointed to the equipment beside him.

“Look, Joey…”

She pointed to the IV bag above his head.

“Inside are the Tears of the Goddess. Once this substance is injected into you, your bodily fluids will change. The magic in your fluids will be converted into experience. Anyone who comes into contact with your fluids will see their physical attributes and magic power significantly increase.”

Joey wasn’t listening to any of that.

He stared in shock at his Data Panel.

His original level was suddenly dropping as the contents of the IV bag were pumped in.

[Demon King: LV. 812]

‘Wait…’

“And this…”

Zilan placed her hand on Joey’s mask.

“It’s filled with drugs to make your body more sensitive so that you’ll be more cooperative…”

[Demon King: LV. 675]

‘No…’

“And the most interesting part… is this, Joey.”

Zilan pulled away the white cloth covering Joey’s body and held a mirror under his collarbone.

“Look at this.”

Through the mirror’s reflection, Joey saw a faint golden tattoo on his chest, engraved with the pattern of the Order of the Church.

“This… is the Mark of the Holy Son. Congratulations, Joey. In another 30 minutes, you will be the only Saint Child blessed by the Goddess.”

[Demon King: LV. 423]

‘Stop… don’t drop any further…’

Joey didn’t even have the strength to struggle anymore.

He could only watch his Data Panel in despair and shake his head.

[Demon King: LV. 210]

“Joey, did you think I hadn’t noticed?”

Zilan said, her voice turning cold.

“I would recognize this bewitching face of yours even if it were turned to ash. You really don’t know enough about the Order of the Church.”

“As an Archbishop, I could sense the magic fluctuations of the Demon Race the moment you entered the Academy. I was only suspicious at first, but once I saw the battlefield, I knew only you could have done something to that extent.”

As Joey struggled, the mark of the tattoo on his body became increasingly prominent.

“So…”

Zilan narrowed her eyes, looking at Joey playfully.

“Say goodbye to your identity as the Demon King. Soon, you will be the Saint Child that 10,000 people can ride.”

Until finally…

[Demon King: LV. 1]

[Saint Child: LV. 999]

Zilan looked at Joey’s despairing expression and smiled gently.

She traced the lines of the tattoo on his chest with her finger.

“How beautiful… Master Joey.”

Then, Zilan pressed a button on the wooden table beside Joey.

He was released and stepped down from the table.

“Ugh…”

The moment the boy’s feet touched the ground, his legs felt as soft as noodles.

Zilan quickly supported him.

“Saint Child, be careful…”

Because Zilan was so close, her warm breath hit Joey’s ear.

“Ha…”

In an instant, Joey felt as if his heart had been scratched by a feather.

He couldn’t help but let out a small cry and tried to push Zilan away.

“Let… ha… let me go…”

‘How strange… why doesn’t my body have any strength at all?’

“You have just descended as the Saint Child; your body is very fragile. Let me carry you to rest.”

Zilan’s eyes were full of wanton desire as she looked at him.

No matter how Joey struggled, she picked the soft, weak little guy up in her arms.

“Get… get away from me! Let me go!!”

Joey writhed restlessly in Zilan’s arms.

He tried to stir his magic and pointed a finger at her, but he couldn’t release a single bit of magic.

‘How can this be… why…’

He had no magic left at all.

Instead, the effort only made his body feel weaker.

Despair gradually filled Joey’s eyes.

“My Lord Saint Child, please behave yourself,”

Zilan said with a playful smile, looking at the defenseless little guy.

“I am taking you to your room to rest.”

The once-unreachable Demon King had now become a doll for her to play with.

Zilan didn’t care about his struggling; in fact, she enjoyed seeing his despairing, petulant behavior.

She walked out of the church with her beautiful legs, carrying Joey toward the main building of the Order of the Church within the Academy.

They went all the way to the top floor.

It was the most luxurious room Joey had seen since coming to the Human World.

Zilan placed the boy directly on the bed.

“My Lord Saint Child, from today on, you will live here.”

Zilan sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to rub Joey’s head.

Joey was quick, and seeing her approach, he reached out and snatched the hairpin from her hair.

“…I am not the Saint Child.”

Having calmed down slightly, Joey looked at Zilan.

“Don’t think I have no options left.”

He pointed the hairpin at his own neck.

“Don’t you want a Saint Child? Let me see Aiki and Chiyang. Otherwise… I will end the identity of the Saint Child right here!”

Zilan wasn’t surprised by Joey’s threat to his own life.

Instead, she laughed helplessly.

“My Lord Saint Child, are you pouting at me?”

Zilan’s smile vanished.

She surged her magic, instantly pinning Joey to the bed with its pressure.

“Ngh!”

With no magic, Joey was pinned down in an instant.

Then, Zilan sat astride him.

With a cold face, she took the hairpin from his hand.

“My Lord Saint Child, you really are interesting.”

Zilan pinched the boy’s chin, forcing him to look at her.

“Do you know why, out of all the men in the world, I chose you to be the Saint Child? It’s not just for revenge. Because the mechanism of the Demon King is the same as the Hero. Only when the previous one dies will a new one appear. I have lowered the Demon King to the level of a pet, so he won’t die.”

“At the same time, I used the Demon King to create the Saint Child. Everything is perfectly arranged. And… you forced my Zixuan, who was baptized by the Church, to become a Necromancer—to become a madwoman. So why can’t I force the noble Demon King to become the Saint Child and our symbol?”

As Zilan spoke, the smile on her face became increasingly playful.

“There is something special about you. Since your Demon King constitution hasn’t vanished, it coexists with the Saint Child’s constitution.”

“This means your body will restore itself no matter how much you are ravaged. And… the future Saint Child will no longer be a consumable. You alone are enough.”