After Ten Millennia in Hell

Kang-Woo picked up the documents he'd received from Kim Si-Hun.

The documents mentioned the recent movements of Guardians and countries worldwide; they also included the restoration work done to restore territories occupied by monsters in detail.

"China and Japan have almost been fully restored."

There were deserted territories that no one lived in due to the SS-rank Gates in Shanghai, China and Sapporo, Japan.

As the size of Guardians increased, the restoration process became faster.

After the Day of Calamity, half of the population of Earth had disappeared, so in reality, there was no need to explore and reclaim those territories.

'But they need to level up.'

Guardians had become massive after a huge number of people joined them, so it was necessary to push them into dangerous areas for them to grow.

If humanity couldn't handle fighting monsters, they would be absolutely useless in battles against demons.

"Next."

He turned the pages to the next document and read the information he was actually most interested in at the moment: the information on the movements of Raphael's apostles, the Watchers of Light.

"… Nothing yet, huh?"

They were moving on their own without collaborating with Guardians. The Watchers of Light were still trying to find the culprit behind Ludwig's death, but they hadn't shown any movements yet.

'I was hoping they'd move more actively.'

He needed the help of the Watchers of Light to keep Satan's forces in check, but they weren't moving at all. He wasn't sure if they were waiting for something or were investigating through other routes.

'Are they waiting for an angel?'

Kang-Woo's eyes narrowed.

There was a high chance that they were not strong enough to face Satan, the culprit behind the corruption of Ludwig, the wielder of the holy sword.

'If they are the surveying party…'

It meant that a main force consisting of angels would arrive soon. There was also a chance that Raphael, one of the archangels, would come to Earth as well.

"Well… I guess I'll wait until an angel arrives."

The angels were important allies that would be of help in their battle against Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

Fighting against Satan when angels weren't here yet would be idiotic.

'… Even if we can beat him without them.'

It was a matter of cost and benefit.

Kang-Woo didn't have a reason to face Satan alone.

'Not just that…'

Satan possessed Divinity.

Kang-Woo wasn't sure where he'd obtained it, but he needed to be prepared for unexpected variables.

Knock, knock.

He heard someone knock on the door while he was reading through the documents. A smile appeared on his face.

'Darliiiiiiing!!'

Kang-Woo coughed and then opened the door.

He saw Han Seol-Ah holding a steaming cup of coffee.

"Are you busy, Kang-Woo?"

"Nope. I'm done with the urgent matters."

Except for reading through documents, he didn't have anything to do until the angels arrived on Earth.

A smile appeared on Seol-Ah's face after hearing that.

"I-In that case…"

"Why don't we go get some air?"

"Ah… O-Okay!"

Seol-Ah quickly nodded.

It was an awkward but rosy atmosphere. It was the first time Kang-Woo felt such emotions since he was born.

'I'm so glad I came back to Earth.'

If he were still in Hell, he would have gone his entire life without feeling such things.

He asked, "Where do you want to go? We can pretty much go anywhere in the world through the Hall of Protec—"

"No. I'd like to go for a walk in the nearby park."

"The park? But we could go anywhere…"

Physical distance and money didn't pose any problems. Kang-Woo was now among the wealthiest people in the world. It didn't matter if it were a luxury hotel or a Michelin 3-star restaurant—they could go anywhere.

"Fufu, it's okay. Let's leave that for next time." Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woo's hands while smiling brightly, pulling him gently.

They opened the door and walked out, and cool air brushed past their cheeks.

They walked through the park while chatting about all sorts of things. They didn't talk about anything important—they just talked about Echidna, a TV program they'd enjoyed recently, and where they wanted to visit.

Kang-Woo found it refreshing to talk about things that had absolutely no weight to them, unlike the things he usually talked about with Balrog and Lilith.

A smile appeared on his face.

'This must be why…'

He began thinking that he had perhaps been able to endure so many years in Hell for this moment.

"Should we take a seat somewhere?" Kang-Woo asked.

"Ah, okay."

Kang-Woo looked around for a bench to sit on, but in the evening, the park was crowded with families, couples, and students.

'Authority of Fear.'

Kang-Woo used the Authority of Fear for a very brief moment at a very low intensity.

The people around the park paled and left the park as if running away.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"… Everyone suddenly went away," Seol-Ah remarked.

"They sure did," Kang-Woo said slyly while shrugging.

Seol-Ah sighed as if she had more or less realized who the culprit was.

They sat together on the bench in a moment of silence.

"Come to think of it, is there any place you want to visit, Kang-Woo?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure since I don't know much…"

One needed to have done things before knowing what one wanted to choose as entertainment.

Before returning to Earth, the only forms of entertainment he could think of were reading free webnovels and webtoons and eating. He couldn't think of any place that he wanted to visit.

"I guess we're the same in that aspect." Seol-Ah lightly laughed. She also had a harsh childhood, so she wasn't used to doing things for entertainment's sake. "I really wanted to go to Disneyland with you back then."

"…"

She narrowed her eyes and pinched Kang-Woo's side.

Kang-Woo remained silent after remembering what had happened in Japan. He couldn't find any excuse.

"You will go with me next time, won't you?" she asked.

"… Of course."

"Hehe."

Seol-Ah smiled and slowly hugged Kang-Woo's arm.

He felt a soft sensation spreading through his arm.

'Oh my fucking God.'

Kang-Woo's eyes widened, and his pupils shook.

Seol-Ah placed her head on his shoulder.

"Let's stay like this for a bit."

'We could stay like this forever.'

Kang-Woo gulped. He was extremely unfamiliar with such situations, and it was very awkward.

'Fuck, I don't know how to deal with situations like this.'

All he'd done for the past ten millennia was fight. Even after returning to Earth, that lifestyle continued. He'd never experienced something like this.

'What should I do?'

His mind was in jumbles.

'Do I set the wedding date now?'

He couldn't think of any other option than a wedding.

'Shit. I haven't bought a ring yet.'

He couldn't help but blame his lack of preparation. He felt anxious.

'Where should we go for our honeymoon? Hawaii? What about educating our children? Should we send them to private school?'

"Kang-Woo?"

"No. Private isn't good. Public is best for primary school."

"… Pardon?"

"Yeah… Social media, was it? I heard that you get bullied if you don't do that these days. What age should I get them a smartphone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I guess I should buy annuities in real estate starting now."

"Excuse me? Kang-Woo?"

Seol-Ah waved her hand at Kang-Woo, who'd fallen into thought, but her words didn't reach him.

* * *

'Why is he like this all of a sudden…?'

Seol-Ah looked at Kang-Woo in confusion.

He kept mumbling things about retirement and raising children with a scary look on his face.

"Mmm."

Seol-Ah looked at him with a troubled expression and then held him a little tighter. His warmth spread from her chest throughout her body.

"Hehehe."

She giggled. After her self-destruction-like confession succeeded last time, every single day felt like a dream to her.

'Though it's a shame we don't get to spend a lot of time together…'

Still, being connected with the person one liked was a joyous thing.

She looked down at her own hands.

'I need to work harder.'

She didn't want to stay by his side while being one-sidedly protected. After all, the world's destiny rested on Kang-Woo's shoulders.

'At least a bit…'

She wanted to lighten his heavy burden.

After laying her head on Kang-Woo's shoulder for a bit, Seol-Ah let his arm go. She really wanted to stay like that for a bit longer, but it was time to go back home. After all, she had a skill that she was training.

"Kang-Woo."

Kang-Woo was still mumbling about things in a state of confusion.

Seol-Ah pouted and clenched her fists.

'I-In times like this…'

She had recently learned that she needed to be more assertive.

Seol-Ah looked around to see if anyone was looking. Then, she took a deep breath. She raised her head and kissed him on the cheek.

"H-Have you come back to your senses?"

"…"

Seol-Ah blushed while avoiding his gaze.

Kang-Woo nodded.

"It's time to go back," Seol-Ah remarked.

The two walked across the park and reached the entrance to their apartment.

"You can go up first," Seol-Ah said.

"Why? Do you need to stop by somewhere?"

"No, I just want a bit more fresh air," Seol-Ah said while fanning her reddened face.

Kang-Woo thought about it for a bit but ended up entering the apartment first.

"Phew."

Seol-Ah sighed and put her hands on her bright red cheeks. The sensation remaining on her lips was sending tingles down her entire body.

Step, step.

She heard footsteps and turned her head toward the source of the sound.

"… I'm glad," the woman said, a smile on her face.

It was Kurosaki Yurie—no, Lilith, who was inside her body.

"Ah…"

Seol-Ah let out an exclamation.

Lilith…

She knew about her long relationship with Kang-Woo. Her feelings became heavy.

Lilith said, "Congratulations. It seems you've won… the demon king's heart."

"…"

"Fufu. I'd love to know your secret."

She felt the emotions hidden beneath Lilith's smile.

Seol-Ah hesitated. She honestly had nothing to say to Lilith. It was a simple matter—she'd succeeded, and Lilith had failed.

That was it.

'But…'

Seol-Ah's thoughts were in a mess. Lilith had spent a millennium next to Kang-Woo, so she couldn't ignore her feelings.

After thinking about it for a while, Seol-Ah opened her mouth.

"I-I think you should be a bit more assertive."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's what I did."

Seol-Ah had taken the first step…

Just with that, she was able to confirm Kang-Woo's feelings.

'Ms. Lilith was probably too passive.'

—Just like how she used to be.

If not, there was no way Kang-Woo would have ignored the feelings of such a beautiful woman.

"More assertive, you say?"

"Yes. I think that you should show him your sincere and honest feelings."

"Ohh."

Lilith's eyes shone.

Seol-Ah grabbed her hand—they were truly beautiful hands.

"To be honest, I'm still not sure if I'm doing the right thing, but… do you remember what you told me before? You said that you wanted to heal Kang-Woo's wounds. Um… I… don't think I can do that alone. Because… I don't know Kang-Woo's past."

Seol-Ah struggled to say that last sentence. She'd asked Kang-Woo numerous times, but he'd always avoided talking about it on purpose.

"Seol-Ah…"

"I wish for you… to convey your feelings to him as well, Ms. Lilith." Seol-Ah smiled brightly. "I'm sure that Kang-Woo will understand your feelings if you are even more assertive and honest in conveying them. Oh, that's right. You said you could return to your true form, didn't you? You're stunning even now, but… I'm sure he would like your true form even more."

"Ah…"

"I'll be rooting for you."

Lilith trembled a bit, and she hugged Seol-Ah. "Thank you. A bit more assertive… I see. You're right. I've been doing nothing but waiting all this time."

A smile appeared on Lilith's face, and her long black hair rose into the sky.

"I'll muster up the courage to take a step forward just like you, Seol-Ah."

Her floating hair slowly transformed into green tentacles.