Episode 21
It looked like Teron had been somewhere again today. I didn’t know where he had gone, but he definitely didn’t seem like his usual self.
His clothes were torn in places, as if they’d been ripped or snagged on something. There were scrapes on his back that showed through the tattered fabric, and small cuts dotted his face.
“Brother Teron, where have you been the past few days?”
I asked the weary-looking Teron. But instead of answering, he slowly approached me.
White cherry blossom petals gently landed on his hair. Then, Teron held something out to me.
It was a bracelet—made from a leather strap with what looked like an animal tooth attached. Just by looking at it, I could tell it was handmade.
I stared at it for a moment, unsure why he was giving it to me. Then, Teron reached for my wrist—and fastened the bracelet on me himself.
“Brother Teron?”
I looked at him in surprise, wondering what this was all about. He gave me a gentle smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling sweetly in a way that didn’t suit his age.
“Happy birthday, Saintess.”
I don’t know why, but maybe it was the fully bloomed cherry blossoms dancing around us—my heart started to flutter for no reason.
“I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday… but I ended up being the last.”
He gave a slightly bitter smile.
“And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.”
He said that even after personally putting the bracelet on my wrist. I looked at him for a moment, then turned my gaze to the bracelet.
Made from leather and a beast’s tooth, it wasn’t particularly beautiful. It was rough and primitive.
Still… he must’ve made it himself.
I studied the bracelet, then pointed at the tooth attached to it and asked,
“Brother Teron, what’s this?”
I was genuinely curious why a birthday gift would include a beast’s tooth. Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, he replied,
“That’s… a werewolf’s tooth. They say if you carry it with you, it wards off danger. Not that you’d really need something like that, Saintess.”
Even though he couldn’t meet my gaze, I found his shyness oddly endearing.
He must’ve made it himself, thinking about my safety. And more than that…
“Wait… Don’t tell me you got this yourself?”
“Ah… I-I know it’s kind of crude, right? You really don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”
I didn’t know much about monsters in this world, but I knew that werewolves were considered powerful beasts.
So Teron had probably fought one over the past few days, just to get this tooth.
I looked at him and smiled.
“I like it.”
I could feel his sincerity—the way he’d risked himself just to bring me a birthday gift. He was still just a child, and yet he’d gone through all that trouble for me.
“Thank you, Brother Teron.”
Just then, a strong breeze swept through. The cherry blossom petals swirled in the air like rain. Gazing at the beautiful scene, I reached out my hand toward him.
“Brother Teron, your hand.”
“Huh? Oh, here.”
Teron looked a little flustered, but he held his hand out. I placed my hand on his palm and used my divine power.
Last time, I hadn’t gotten the chance to do this before we were suddenly separated. But this time, I wanted to give him a gift too.
A dark red light glowed between our hands. After a moment, I withdrew mine—and a necklace with a small crimson gemstone appeared in Teron’s palm.
“This…”
“If you’re ever in danger, that necklace will protect you. It’s not much, but…”
In the future Teron was about to live through, this was something he might really need. Of course, if the original story was any indication, he wouldn’t face anything life-threatening.
But still, I wanted to protect the child in front of me.
“Thank you so much, Saintess.”
Unlike earlier, Teron now smiled brightly like the young boy he truly was. His innocent expression made me smile too.
“Would you like me to put it on for you?”
He could have worn it himself, of course. But for some reason, I wanted to do it for him. When I offered, Teron happily agreed.
“Yes, please.”
He handed me the necklace and turned around. Bending his knees slightly, he made it easy for me to reach.
“There.”
With that, Teron turned back to me. The moonlight glinted off the necklace, making it shine. He glanced back and forth between the gem and me, then beamed.
“It’s really beautiful.”
“Right? It looks just like Lady Lilith.”
Teron fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.
“Yes. I think so too.”
And just like that, we spent a while beneath the cherry blossoms.
It was the most beautiful birthday I’d had since coming to this world.
—
At the same time, deep in the Demon Realm
In the fortress of the Archdemon Lilith
“So adorable… I could just die.”
Lilith smiled contentedly as she gazed into her crystal orb. Though a mountain of paperwork loomed before her, her attention was focused solely on the orb.
And who could blame her? The image in the orb was of her most beloved human—Elias.
That boy… I really don’t like him that much though.
Lilith was watching the two children spending time in the back garden, cherry blossoms falling like rain.
But she wasn’t too fond of the boy from House Piette, who had shown quite a bit of interest in Elias for some time.
“He is cute, I’ll admit…”
Still, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that one day, that child might steal away the Elias she adored so much.
Of course, if Elias wanted him too, she would have no say in it.
“But still, Elly—my sweet darling. Please love me a little more.”
She knew Elias’s first priority was her. But still… she didn’t want to lose him again.
Lilith gazed at the orb with tender, longing eyes.
That’s when she sensed it—an ominous presence.
Swoosh.
Behind the orb—more specifically, behind the desk piled with documents—she felt a sticky, unpleasant aura.
Her eyes narrowed and her elegant brow furrowed. A striking figure had appeared without warning—just as beautiful as Lilith herself.
Bronzed skin, tall and muscular build, bare-chested as always, silver hair, and golden eyes.
Anyone would call him handsome. But Lilith looked at him as if he were a disgusting insect.
“Asmodeus. I told you not to come in here without permission.”
Her voice was icy—very different from how she spoke to Elias. But the man simply gave her a charming smile, unbothered by the chill.
“Ah, sorry, sorry.”
“Sorry? If you’re sorry, then get out. Do you think I let you enter my domain for this nonsense?”
Only with the lord’s permission could anyone enter an Archdemon’s fortress. Asmodeus was the only other archdemon allowed into Lilith’s domain.
They were old friends, and occasionally, he brought her useful intel.
“Still, thanks to me, you got to meet him, didn’t you? So forgive me, yeah?”
“Ugh, seriously…”
Asmodeus wasn’t wrong, so Lilith had no choice but to let it slide. She swept back her glossy black hair and asked,
“So? What’s your business?”
“I just came to see a friend.”
“Then leave.”
“Come on, Lilith. That’s cold.”
“What’s cold? Can’t you see the mountain of paperwork I have?”
Lilith glared at the towering stack of documents with annoyance, while Asmodeus chuckled.
“Haha, fine. I’ll be out soon. I just wanted to take a quick look at that adorable kid I’m quite fond of.”
“You? Fond of our kid?”
“Well, I am somewhat connected to him, aren’t I? And he’s grown on me.”
“You mean his soul. Pure, untainted souls like Elias’s are rare.”
“That too.”
But Asmodeus kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. If he spoke his true feelings, Lilith might rip his throat out on the spot.
Though both were Archdemons, there was a clear power gap between them.
Lilith held the upper hand, always had. So Asmodeus could only defer to his friend—who was practically his superior.
He looked at her sincerely and said,
“Still, Lillit… don’t worry. I want to protect that boy too.”
To be continued…
