Chapter 4
To put it simply, it looked like a giant black tonkatsu (pork cutlet) hammer.
It was painted entirely in black, with red lines drawn like accents here and there. In the center of the handle, a red jewel that looked like an eye was embedded.
Wait—this is my gift?
“Take it.”
“Huh? Isn’t it too heavy for me…?”
“Hm, you might be right. You’re still small. How old are you?”
“I’m five years old!”
“Five? You don’t even look four…”
The older girl paused, thinking for a moment, then reached her hand out to me.
As soon as her hand touched my fluffy hair, a red light glowed from her palm and entered my body.
‘Oh?’
Somehow—I felt full of strength!
“Now, take it.”
I took the tonkatsu hammer from her. It was huge—almost the size of my whole body.
At least, it wasn’t so long that I couldn’t carry it at all.
Surprisingly, it was really light!
It felt about as heavy as a piece of bread.
“Wow.”
I let out a small gasp, and the older girl laughed softly.
“How is it? Light enough?”
“Yes! But…”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
I hesitated.
Was it really okay to accept something like this from a demon?
“Are you going to take my soul for this?”
“Huh? No.”
“Maybe not now, but… when I die, you’ll probably gobble it up…”
“That’s not it either.”
“Then why are you helping me?”
“Ahh, Ellie, are you scared of me just because I’m a demon?”
…Yes. I am scared.
She wasn’t a god—but a demon.
Who wouldn’t be afraid of getting help from a demon?
I didn’t want to lie, so I nodded honestly.
She burst out laughing.
“Pfft! You’re really cute, you know that?”
She laughed for a full minute before catching her breath.
“Oh my, I laughed way too much.”
I was still frozen, staring up at her in confusion. Then she smiled warmly.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Ellie. I don’t want to harm you.”
“But… you’re a demon.”
“That’s true. But I have no interest in hurting cute kids like you.
There are so many other souls I need to collect in this world.”
“Ah…”
She had a point.
I mean, I wasn’t the worst person.
The world had plenty of garbage people more worthy of being hunted down—especially the so-called priests.
“I won’t ask you to trust me completely. But I’ll make one promise.”
“A promise?”
“I will never hurt you. For cute Ellie, I swear on my name—Lilith.”
Suddenly, a small ball of light appeared between us.
It gently flew into her chest.
“That’s the ‘Light of Vow’. Whether god or demon, any promise made in one’s true name must be kept.
If not, their powers will be sealed away.”
I had read about that in the original story.
It was used by high-ranking priests and mages… so it worked even for demons and gods?
Somehow, I started to believe her.
Besides—
‘When kids like me suffer, the real gods don’t even answer.’
Only the demon answered me.
So… didn’t that make her better than a god?
Even if she used me in the end, it didn’t matter.
Even if I had to give her my soul after death…
‘I already died once.
Right now, I just want to escape from this hellhole of a life.’
I gripped the tonkatsu hammer tighter.
“Okay. I understand.”
“Good girl, my Ellie.”
“I’ve given you a part of my power. You should be able to escape this awful situation soon.”
She gently patted my head.
“A miracle?”
“Yep.”
“But, Lilith…”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure you don’t want anything from me?”
Even if it wasn’t my soul, she must want something.
Usually, deals like this go both ways, right?
“Hm… if anything, I’d like you to build a shrine for me.
That way, I can come visit you more easily.”
“Huh? But didn’t you just appear here freely?”
Lilith shook her head.
“No, I was only able to meet you because you prayed.
This was our first meeting, so I used my own power to appear.
But normally, it takes a lot of energy. I can’t stay long like this.
If there’s a shrine and statue for me, they can serve as a connection point.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
“You’re really cute, little one. Stay strong.”
She leaned down and lightly kissed my forehead.
Then, just like when she appeared, she slowly started to disappear.
“Wait! I still have so much to ask…”
“When that happens, just think of me and pray.
Even if I can’t show up right away, I’ll still respond.”
“Thank you, Lilith!”
Before she completely vanished, I conveyed my thanks.
While talking to Lilith, I made a decision.
‘I don’t care if they’re god or demon.’
She was the only one who helped me.
‘Even if I lose my soul later… I can live with that.’
Because if I stayed trapped in this hell forever, I’d die anyway.
I held the hammer tighter.
“They’re all dead.”
—
In the Demon Realm
At Lilith’s castle.
“Lilith! You’re back!”
“You scared us, disappearing like that!”
Her loyal followers, Fen and Rin, rushed over in tears.
“You left during a mission!”
“Do you know how worried we were?!”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.”
Lilith replied casually, not looking sorry at all.
“Where did you go?”
“Yeah, where?!”
Lilith smiled at their questions.
“I met a cute little girl.”
“Huh? Wait… Did you eat a child’s soul?!”
“Nope.”
“You didn’t?!”
Her answer made both of them freeze.
“Wait… seriously?!”
“You met a human and didn’t take their soul?!”
Lilith narrowed her eyes.
“Do you guys think I’m some kind of monster?”
Fen and Rin flinched.
“But you’ve never done that before!”
“Exactly!”
“Well, maybe it’s time for exceptions.”
Lilith leaned back in her soft chair and crossed her legs.
“Even I can have favorites.”
They stopped asking.
If she was this firm, she wasn’t going to say anything more.
They piled a mountain of paperwork on her desk and left the room.
Left alone, Lilith stared into space.
“She was so cute…”
It had been a long time since she met someone like that.
A soft smile spread across her lips.
‘Even if you don’t trust me, it’s fine. I just… don’t want to lose you again.’
She wasn’t lying about one thing:
This time, she had no intention of hurting her.
—
Meanwhile…
Holding the tonkatsu hammer, I could feel power rushing through me.
My body felt lighter too.
‘Can I break it…?’
Looking at the prison door, I started to believe.
‘I can break it.’
With Lilith’s power and this hammer—why wouldn’t I?
I swung the hammer and smashed the door.
BANG!
With a loud crash, the metal door shattered.
Creaaak…
It opened slowly, and I grinned.
‘I did it!’
I stepped out of the prison, hiding my laughter and standing tall.
The noise might attract the priests…
But even after a while, no one came.
‘Hmm… Just like I thought.’
I walked further and opened another door—revealing a dark hallway and stairs leading up.
‘No one’s guarding this?’
Not even one person?
Now that I thought about it, even when I first came running here, no one stopped me.
If someone had been here, they would’ve rushed in when Lilith appeared.
‘Well, not important now.’
Still holding the hammer, I climbed the stairs.
Thanks to Lilith’s power, I wasn’t tired at all.
‘Hmm… I wonder if I can smash the priest’s heads with this.’
I was five years old, and of course, I was tiny.
But my body felt light, so maybe…
I jumped in place.
To my surprise, I could leap as high as an adult’s head.
‘Perfect!’
Smirking, I opened the door at the top of the stairs.
Bright sunlight poured in.
To be continued…
