Chapter 123: Uncomfortable Daily Life

The sound of my shoe snagging on something. A sure sign I’m about to fall.

Instinctively, I flailed my arms to regain my balance. Realizing how ridiculous I must look, I consciously tried to stop myself, reaching out for anything—the floor, the wall—anything to grab.

“…Ed?”

“Yes… Demon-nim. My apologies.”

Ed caught my arm, yanking me upright with such force that I didn’t fall, though I was completely at his mercy.

Ed clicked his tongue, a soft ‘tch’.

“That’s why I told you to hand it over if you didn’t want to die…”

He mumbled something under his breath. I couldn’t quite hear it. Was he annoyed that I almost fell? No, seeing as he apologized, that couldn’t be it.

Anxiously, I glanced around and my eyes met those of the demon who’d been on the receiving end of Ed’s threats just moments ago. His face was ashen white, his eyes wide with near-panic. Following his gaze, I looked at my raised arm.

More specifically, at the sharply pointed wooden skewer clutched in my hand.

‘…Ah.’

I almost stabbed him while falling. That was a close call. No wonder that demon looked like he’d seen a ghost.

More importantly, am I about to meet my maker?

The stages of emotion when someone’s mistake puts your life in danger usually go something like surprise, fear, then anger. Looks like the demon in front of me has made it to the fear stage.

Will he even accept an apology?

Lost in my life-or-death contemplation, Ed, sensing my mood, cautiously spoke.

“I apologize for blocking Demon-nim’s path. However, now is not an opportune time to kill the demons of the Demon King’s castle.”

“……”

“The… Demon King himself wouldn’t be pleased.”

His last words carried a hint of concern, as if unsure whether he should be saying them.

I never intended to kill a demon in the first place. And no matter how sharp it is, what I’m holding is just a flimsy wooden skewer. There’s no way a demon would die from something like this.

‘…What am I supposed to say here?’

Before I could come up with a suitable response, Ed moved.

He looked at me for a moment, then released my arm with an apologetic murmur and stepped back. Offering to dispose of the ‘trash,’ he took the wooden skewer from my hand. After another worried glance, he turned his attention to the demon… or rather, grabbed his collar.

‘…?!’

***

Just as I suspected, an innocent demon almost died.

I was slightly relieved that Demon-nim wasn’t holding a proper weapon, but who knew he would resort to using a wooden skewer?

It’s just a thin wooden stick that would snap with the slightest pressure, but depending on how and where you use its pointed end, it poses a significant threat.

Demon-nim was going to stab that demon in the eye with it.

‘The reason is probably… because he was kept waiting for too long.’

Demon-nim was already in a foul mood, and this pointless squabble just wasted more of his precious time, which was bound to irritate him.

Ed himself, not wanting Demon-nim to wait any longer, even kindly explained that the demon should hand it over if he didn’t want to die. It wasn’t because he cared about the demon in front of him, but to prevent Demon-nim from reverting to Demon Hart mode after killing him in anger.

‘Even if he hasn’t been drinking, he can still become quite dangerous….’

However, his kind explanation didn’t even get a chance to sink in before Demon-nim acted.

As if his patience had completely run out, he gripped the leftover wooden skewer and strode towards the demon. Without a moment’s hesitation, he swung his arm, aiming straight for the demon’s eye. The weight behind the swing was genuinely threatening.

‘Should I stop him?’

I don’t know how many times I debated it in that brief moment.

Should I risk further angering Demon-nim, who was already in a bad mood, or should I just let it happen?

Stopping Demon-nim would put my own life in immediate danger, but letting him kill that demon could endanger countless others if he were to become enraged.

Even though the latter option offered a higher chance of my own survival, Ed, the loyal servant of the Demon King’s castle, chose the former.

The demon’s face paled as he belatedly realized how close he had come to death. Seeing his pathetic state made me click my tongue.

“That’s why I told you to hand it over if you didn’t want to die…”

…I warned you.

I subtly shifted my gaze to gauge Demon-nim’s reaction. Was he deeply upset? Was he furious?

Anyway, now it was my turn to try and reason with him. Ed swallowed hard and began to speak with difficulty.

Did my words even register? My earnest attempt at persuasion was met with silence.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem intent on doing anything further, so Ed cautiously took the wooden skewer from his hand. He surrendered it without resistance, easing my worries somewhat.

…He’s not going to suddenly snap, is he?

Rather than let Demon-nim’s hands get stained with blood while he was in such a volatile state, it was better for me to take the initiative. Casting a worried glance at him, I turned and grabbed the collar of the demon who had been causing all the trouble.

***

“See? Demon-nim is not in a good mood. So, I hope you understand that this is your last chance.”

“J-Just a moment, please.”

Yeah, yeah… I’m used to being the excuse…

I quietly observed the unfolding situation.

The demon acted swiftly. It wasn’t long before Ed received two stick-like objects from him.

…Sticks?

‘They look so simple? He caused all that fuss for these?’

They really were just sticks. Their appearance was so plain that no other word came to mind.

While I was still reeling from the absurdity, Ed approached me, offering one of the sticks. He opened his mouth as if to explain, then quickly shut it.

“Demon-nim, please excuse me for a moment. This kind requires the Demon King’s permission….”

“……?”

Wait. It requires the Demon King’s permission? There’s no need to go to such lengths for me…

My attempt to object came too late. The efficient adjutant had already pulled out a communication stone and was connecting directly to the Demon King.

—Ed? What is it?

Haha… he really is quick on the uptake….

…Damn it.

“Demon-nim is in a foul mood, and we were hoping to use a snowflower stick to alleviate it. I’d like to inquire about its usability.”

Snowflower stick? What kind of childish name is that?

—He’s in a bad mood? How bad is it?

“Well….”

Ed hesitated, glancing sideways at me as if gauging my reaction.

Whatever the Demon King gleaned from his hesitation, his voice came through again.

—No, never mind. You would have considered the appropriate solution. It sounds quite serious. Use it as you see fit. I’ll handle the rest.

Don’t. You don’t need to give permission.

Why is my bad mood a reason for this? Am I a child? And why is the Demon King covering for something so trivial?

I had so many objections that I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I stared blankly at Ed, my soul seemingly having departed my body. He flinched, then held up the stick in his hand, starting to explain hastily.

“Simply cut this end with scissors and point it towards the sky.”

“Then what will happen….”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

—Announcing to the entire Demon King’s castle. Commander of the 0th Legion, Demon Hart, will be testing the snowflower stick he developed previously. All personnel in the Demon King’s castle are advised not to panic at the sudden climate change and to continue with their duties.

Sudden climate change?

My confusion was short-lived. Demons can use magic and even create magical items for everyday use. Although magic is currently forbidden… since it was something developed previously, it’s likely a magical item.

Since it’s called a snowflower stick, will it make it snow or something?

Unsurprisingly, the Demon King’s announcement piqued the interest of the demons.

“A test? Weren’t those all done already?”

“Shh, can’t you tell it’s just an excuse? Demon-nim is in a bad mood, so they’re trying to resolve it peacefully somehow.”

“Will that even work on Demon-nim….”

“Since he’s from the Human Realm, it’s not entirely impossible. Let’s hope it does.”

“Cleaning up afterward is going to be a pain.”

I couldn’t hear them clearly, but I could tell they were mentioning my name.

They were picking apart the Demon King’s carefully constructed explanation. I was so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.

‘This isn’t necessary… I just want to go home….’

If I went to the Count’s mansion, I’d just want to come back here again. Is there truly no place where I can feel at ease?

I took a deep breath to calm down, my face flushed with heat.

Meanwhile, Ed received scissors from another demon, cut the end of the stick, and pointed it towards the sky. Something shot out from the cut end and burst in the air with a ‘pop’.

‘It was a bomb? Well… not exactly surprising.’

A bomb was within the realm of possibility. Ed wouldn’t do anything to harm me physically, so I had nothing to fear. The problem was the other demons’ reactions….

Predictably, if they suffered any damage after such a blatant announcement, they would blame me, wouldn’t they? My lifespan just shortened again. Haha.

I’d long since resigned myself to this, so I stared at the sky where the bomb had exploded with half-dead eyes. Then, my eyes widened in surprise.

White, cold, fluffy crystals falling like flower petals.

“…Snow?”

“Yes. Do you like it? Unlike the Demon Realm, where the climate never changes, the Human Realm sometimes has snow, so I thought it might help lift Demon-nim’s spirits….”

“It’s not bad, I guess….”

Such a peaceful method. So demons can resort to this kind of thing too. Why haven’t they been doing this all along?

I reached out and caught a snowflake. It was cold. Real snow. It was fascinating, but why go to the extent of making a broadcast for something like this?

The answer to my question came quickly.

“Waste… is falling from the sky….”

“We have to clean this up….”

“What can we do… Demon-nim is the one doing it…. It’s better than dying by his hand…. Let’s just shut up and clean….”

“Haha, hahahaha. Anything is fine, just please don’t use it too much….”

“I wish he wouldn’t use the red one either… but that’s impossible, right?”

Ah….

I finally understood.

They look half-crazed. What should I do? Feeling apologetic, I glanced around, but Ed, clueless as ever, placed the scissors in my hand, urging me to cut one too. No, he’s not clueless, he’s just not paying attention.

What a heartless guy.

However, I was also happy to see snow after so long, and I wanted to try it myself, so I took the scissors without protest.

Seeing the bandage on my wrist, Ed exclaimed in surprise.

“Ah, Demon-nim’s hand… I’ll cut it for you.”

“It’s fine.”

I’d been feeling like a child since a while ago, and I didn’t like it.

Of course, that wasn’t his intention, but I wasn’t going to be treated like that any longer. I held the stick in one hand, and with my fractured hand, I gripped the scissors, aiming at the marked line.

‘…My hand is shaking.’

My injured hand kept trembling, making it hard to aim properly.

I couldn’t do it like this. I shifted the hand holding the end of the stick, grabbing it closer to the marked line, and then brought the scissors to it again.

Snip.

“…Ah.”

“Demon-nim, your hand…!”

I managed to cut it. I immediately raised the cut end towards the sky.

Bang! A sound similar to before echoed, and red snowflakes began to fall among the white ones. I thought I heard the mournful wail of a demon somewhere, but it must have been my imagination.

I stared at the red liquid melting on my palm and looked at Ed as if asking for an explanation.

“Ed?”

“Yes, Demon-nim?”

“Why….”

The red liquid had a familiar scent.

The moment I recognized the smell, the snowflakes in the sky, which had seemed so pretty, took on a sinister appearance.

I struggled to suppress a shudder as the stuff piled up on my head.

“Why does the snow smell like blood? Could this be.”

Is it really blood?