“Thank you, Heavenly Demon.”
“Khehe! How amusing. That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.”
“…The books say to do it like this,” Dennis replied, mimicking a formal bow with clasped hands, prompting a rare chuckle from the Demon.
“My water magic is refreshing. It’ll be helpful in this summer heat,” he said.
“…Perhaps magic isn’t so bad after all, child soldier.”
“Glad to hear it, Heavenly Demon.”
Dennis was the only one who treated her without fear, engaging her with a casual ease that no one else dared. Together, they shared moments of comfort—cooling off in summer and warming each other in winter.
“Wait, so your tail moves separately? That’s interesting.”
“…Isn’t it grotesque?”
“Nope. It’s adorable, like a puppy’s.”
At times, he even commented on nonsensical things, like how dragons were “cold-blooded animals.”
Their bond grew from camaraderie to love.
A human man loved a cursed dragon.
Since she, the Heavenly Demon, was the one narrating these memories, they weren’t reflected in the game’s depiction of Dennis as a master of water magic.
When the Hero Church was down to its last few Demon Lords, she recalled their conversation before she faced Head’s Authority of Ignorance.
“In spring, magnolias always end up looking shabby, Dennis.”
“…What’s brought this up, Mok-ryun?”
After years of war, the battles had taken their toll. Even with the Hero’s Order summoning other Demon Lords, the chaos and losses mounted. She began to lose hope.
“I feel like it’s time to let everything go. Like the magnolias that are my namesake.”
Sighing, she reflected on her bloodstained life. She had become the Heavenly Demon because she despised a world where kings abandoned their people and poverty claimed countless lives.
“To me, this world has been nothing but a fleeting spring dream. And it’s almost over.”
“…I don’t think so, Mok-ryun,” Dennis replied.
Though she was grateful to have met Dennis after his summoning, even the Ten Greats had suffered casualties. The First Saintess and the Dwarf King had fallen, and she felt her end was drawing near.
“Why not, Dennis? What makes you think that?”
“I like magnolias. They’re white and beautiful. Most people think of cherry blossoms when it’s spring, but thanks to you, that’s changed for me.”
Dennis reached out and adjusted the disheveled magnolia decoration in her hair. His blue eyes and gentle smile brought her a rare moment of comfort.
“…Is that true, Dennis?”
“Yes, absolutely. It’s the truth, Your Highness!”
With a playful grin, he declared his affection. It was the first time anyone had spoken to her that way. In the martial arts world, even the sight of a magnolia tree planted in the streets made people tremble in fear.
“If I’m here, it’s no dream. This world is real.”
“That can’t be…”
“Come on, I’m your one and only partner. Trust me on this.”
Magnolias, long feared and avoided, had become symbols of despair, forbidden from public spaces. Yet, here he was, speaking so casually.
“…I’m not worthy of your love, Dennis.”
“Love doesn’t require worthiness, Heavenly Demon. Shabby or not, if I like you, that’s all that matters.”
The cursed dragon, who believed spring would never come for her,
“If we take down Head Ache, will you really marry me?”
“…I promise.”
“Thank you. Now I have even more reason to fight.”
found love with an ordinary human man.
It was a simple and familiar story.
But because of the Demon Lord’s Authority of Ignorance, these precious memories were erased from the world, even from Dennis himself. Only Baek Mok-ryun remembered.
***
“And so, Dennis once told me this, khehe!”
“…I knew it, but hearing it from you feels different,” I admitted.
This explained why the Heavenly Demon trusted me so quickly. No one should’ve known about her relationship with Dennis, yet I did.
“…”
In a way, I was no different. I had convinced myself I didn’t deserve to stand by the Nameless Saintess. Beneath my helmet, I smiled bitterly.
“In the end, I just don’t want to lose her to anyone else, do I?”
I’d wanted more than just her happiness. The thought of her being with someone else—like the Crown Prince—gnawed at me.
“So, do you understand now, boy?”
“…I think so.”
Rising from my meditative posture, my steps toward the sword felt lighter. I grasped the hilt again, ready to pull.
Love required no qualifications. I had been burying myself under layers of negativity, believing I wasn’t good enough.
“She wouldn’t hate me for my scars.”
“You’re too greedy, boy.”
“…I understand now. You were telling me to be honest.”
From the start, I had wanted her for myself.
I admitted it plainly.
I had been running from my emotions, trying to reject my long-held feelings for her. But I couldn’t.
“How pathetic, Lee Soo-hyun.”
I wanted to see the Saintess. To hear her laugh, to see her smile, to experience her warmth. To tell her—awkwardly—that I was alive because of her.
“…I’m a wretched man, Heavenly Demon.”
“Khehehe! But your love is pure. Who else would risk their life against a Demon Lord, without being one of the Ten Greats?”
The Heavenly Demon folded her arms, nodding as if she had nothing more to teach. I tightened my grip on the sword’s hilt.
“I’m not giving the Saintess to the Crown Prince.”
Gritting my teeth, I resolved to never lose her. No matter the odds, my love would surpass anything. Let the protagonist sulk.
“What did you ever do for the Saintess, Lupus?”
I had fought for her, bled for her, and even defeated Magic Hat. That alone was victory enough.
“I love the Saintess.”
Speaking the words out loud for the first time, I acknowledged my feelings fully. I would fight for her and let her choose freely.
“…So much that I don’t want to lose her to anyone.”
Then, something extraordinary happened.
“You’ve done it, boy.”
With a resonant sching, the sword, previously immovable, slid free from the ground.
“When you love someone, it’s natural not to want to lose them. That’s the selfishness of love. It’s normal.”
“Why… why did it work?”
“Because your will surpassed mine,” she said with a knowing smile. Her sharp dragon-like teeth gleamed as the light reflected off them.