Player who Returned 10,000 years Later
chapter-347

‘What… the fuck?’

Oh Kang-Woo looked down dumbfoundedly at the silver-haired woman embracing him. She looked familiar; it was the middle-aged woman who had been staring into nothingness in sorrow while Iris had been introducing the nobles. She was just a nameless noble that not even Iris, who was quite knowledgeable about nobles, knew.

‘But…’

Dear? My love?

‘Wha…’

Kang-Woo couldn’t understand what was going on. His thoughts were in jumbles, and his eyes quivered. He could not see any hint of lies in the middle-aged woman’s eyes. He naturally thought about Lucis.

‘He was born between a demon and a human.’

Kang-Woo recalled hearing something regarding Lucis when they first met, about how he had been discriminated against because he was a half-breed.

[Wait.]

If that was the case, that meant… Kang-Woo’s eyes widened.

‘Holy fuck. For real? She’s Lucifer’s wife?’

Kang-Woo felt dizzy as if his head had been smashed with a hammer. It was a bad joke. He had of course known that Lucifer’s partner was a human since Lucis was a half-breed. He had also considered the possibility of her still being alive.

‘But…’

How could he have possibly known that she would be in this party venue? There could not have been a worse coincidence. The back of his head hurt.

“Dear? What’s wrong?”

‘You, ma’am.’

[I am simply happy to see you.]

He suppressed the words of confusion from leaving his mouth as best as possible and embraced the middle-aged woman. Although he had no idea how things were turning out, he needed to play along for now.

‘I can’t afford to fail here because of such a stupid reason.’

Kang-Woo’s eyes set ablaze with passion. The gears in his head turned in overdrive.

The middle-aged woman smiled brightly and mentioned, “Finally… The time must have come!”

‘What time?’

[You’ve done well to wait this long.]

“H-Hohohoho!! I’ve waited so long to take my revenge against the nobles of this corrupt and depraved empire!”

‘Oh that’s what you meant. I don’t know when you guys talked about it, but it seems you’ve waited a long time. Plus, your fucking husband is nowhere in sight. You must’ve gone through a lot.’

[I will be hosting a party just for you tonight.]

“Aaaahh…! My love!!”

The middle-aged woman laughed maniacally while trembling.

‘Man, this lady isn’t right in the head either. I mean, I guess anyone who marries a prince of Hell would be.’

[I love you, darling.]

“Darling…?”

‘Oh, fuck. Should I not have called her that?’

“Hohoho! That’s so out of style!”

‘Out of style? What’s so out of style about it? Darling is the most affectionate way you could address your lover! You would’ve been decapitated in seconds if my darling heard you say that. Got it, lady?’

[Hahaha. Things like this are good every now and then.]

“Haaa. My love… But I love it the most when you call me by my name.”

‘Pardon me? Your name? What is your name, ma’am?’

“It’s been so long, so please call me by my name, my love.”

‘So what is that name of yours?’

[Well…]

“Hurry. Do you have any idea how worried I was when you just vanished without a word?”

‘Well, tell me your fucking name, then.’

[About that…]

“My, what are you so embarrassed about after all we’ve done?”

‘Wow, it seems you two have a very healthy relationship. Congratulations. However, I don’t think you did a very good job on the child-raising aspect. Anyway, what’s that name of yours?’

[...]

“What’s wrong, dear?”

‘That’s my line. What’s wrong with you, ma’am?’

“Please hurry up and call me by my name.”

‘I don’t know.’

“Hurry~”

‘I really don’t know.’

“Jeez, are you teasing me? I would’ve been fine with it normally, but I can’t endure it this time.”

‘Please, just endure it. Act your age, for God’s sake. You have a child.’

“Hurry! Call me by my name!”

‘For fuck’s sake.’

“My love!! Hurry!!”

‘I don’t knooooow! I don’t know, for fuck’s sake! I don’t even know who you are! Why the fuck are you even here?! Argh, fuck… My head.’

Kang-Woo’s head felt like it was about to explode. All sorts of curses swirled around his head. He had used the Authority of the Beholder in hopes of finding out her name like he could do for Players, but no status window popped up.

‘Ahh, I wanna hear it. Please lemme hear that goddamn bell chime.’

Kang-Woo bit his lip as he stared at the middle-aged woman yelling at him to call her name.

‘Since it’s come to this…’

He had no choice; he needed to muster up the resolve.

“Please call me by my—”

Whip. Kang-Woo yanked the middle-aged woman’s waist toward him. He leaned down and kissed her aggressively with tongue action.

“Ah…”

The eyes of the middle-aged woman widened. She became teary-eyed while trembling subtly.

Kang-Woo swept back her silver hair and said gently, [I’m sorry.]

“What do you mean, d—”

Kang-Woo shushed her with his finger.

[Do not say a word.] He stared at her in sorrow. [I left you without a word. I have… left you with a scar in your heart.]

‘Hahaha. What the fuck am I even talking about?’

“Lucifer…”

[I…! I don’t have the right… to call your name.]

“Lucifer!”

‘Whoa, whoa. One kiss is enough, ma’am. Calm down. Please, calm down.’

“Sniff.”

Kang-Woo gently grabbed the crying middle-aged woman’s shoulders and asked, [Could you step aside for a second?]

“Yes, my love.”

The middle-aged woman modestly bowed and stepped back. She then glared at the nobles while grinning mockingly.

“Hah.” Kim Si-Hun chuckled in absurdity after hearing Lucifer’s conversation with the middle-aged woman.

Although he knew that he should not be acting in such a way before the Evil God, he couldn’t help but laugh at the spectacle he was shown.

“Lucifer.” Si-Hun emitted bloodlust while baring his teeth. “So you were behind all this.”

The sudden demonic beast attack, the demolished party venue, and everything else had all been planned by Lucifer.

‘I heard he had suddenly vanished a few years ago, but…’

He had launched an attack out of the blue. Si-Hun frowned. It had been such perfect timing that it was hard to explain it as simply a coincidence.

‘If it’s not a coincidence…’

There was only one answer.

“Are you… serving the Demon of Prophecy as well?”

There were only two of the Four Heavenly Kings remaining after the deaths of Satan and Rakiel, and Si-Hun was certain that Lucifer was one of them.

[Who knows?] Lucifer smiled widely without answering the question.

Si-Hun raised his sword. “Well, it doesn’t matter whether you’re one of the Four Heavenly Kings or not.” It did not change the fact that he was an enemy that Si-Hun needed to kill. Si-Hun gripped the holy sword tighter. “Those tainted by darkness… Receive the judgment of light!”

Si-Hun shouted the words of Ludwig, who had suffered a miserable death after having been corrupted by Satan. He charged toward the culprit of the incident using his foot technique, and swung down on Lucifer’s head as if chopping firewood.

Rumble—!!

Lucifer slightly raised his hand. Black demonic energy gathered in front of it and blocked the holy sword pouring light. The holy sword and demonic energy clashed, forming a powerful shockwave. Si-Hun, who had been in the air, was flung backward. He twisted around mid-air and nimbly landed on his feet.

“Kuh.” Si-Hun bit his lip anxiously.

That impact should have formed a crater dozens of meters wide, but…

‘There’s… not even a scratch on the ground.’

It meant that Lucifer had completely offset the damage. No, that was not the right word to describe what had happened.

‘He absorbed the impact.’

Si-Hun’s face turned pale from Lucifer’s great power. He regretted having separated from his other party members.

[Young hero. It is not yet time for us to battle.]

“What are you talking about?”

[I mean that this party is not for you.] Lucifer grabbed the shoulder of the middle-aged woman next to him. [Today is meant only for her revenge.]

[You have no idea what she had to suffer in Arnan,] Lucifer mentioned faintly.

“What happened?” Si-Hun asked as he looked toward Iris.

Iris shook her head in pallor. “I-I don’t k-know either…”

Si-Hun remained silent. It did not seem like she was lying. “What in the world could have…”

Si-Hun bit his lip and stared at the middle-aged woman. Since she had married a demon, one who was known as the Evil God no less, he was certain that it was no simple circumstance.

[I will have her expl—]

“No, Lucifer. Tell them yourself.”

[Huh? Me?]

“Tell them what those filthy and wicked nobles made me go through!”

Lucifer remained silent and then grabbed his head as if it hurt. He was panting and slightly trembling.

[I’m sorry. Just thinking about what you had to go through… I can barely contain my rage.]

“Dear…”

The middle-aged woman grabbed Lucifer’s clothes while teary-eyed.

Lucifer covered her with his black wings and continued, [The reason matters not. Besides… It can never be undone.]

“You’re right. Even if we tell them the reason, there’s no way that those wicked beings would ever listen.” The middle-aged woman nodded.

Lucifer slowly walked forward. The moonlight shone down on him through the cracks of the destroyed party venue walls. He raised both his arms as if he was praying to God.

[I declare in the name of Lucifer, the Prince of Pride!]

His thunderous voice shook the entire imperial castle. No, it was not just the castle.

“Wh-What?”

“L-Lucifer?”

“As in E-Evil God Lucifer? Wh-What?! What the hell is happening?!”

Lucifer’s voice spread throughout the entire imperial capital. The people who had been asleep in their homes quickly opened their windows and turned toward the source of the sound. There, they saw… a giant black Rift dozens of meters tall above the imperial castle. Green tentacles spraying yellow pus wriggled out from the black Rift.

[Tonight, the Arnan Empire will drown in blood! And Aernor will meet its demise!!]

The eyes of the middle-aged woman widened from Lucifer’s declaration.

“D-Demise?”

‘What? What the fuck is it now?’

“You never told me about that!”

‘Yes, I really haven’t.’

“Leaving the empire aside, if you destroy the c-continent…”

‘What? Weren’t you going about revenge and whatnot earlier? What’s wrong this time?’

“Where is our Lucis supposed to live?!”

‘Oh… Stop it. Just stop, ma’am.’

“Answer me, Lucifer!”

‘Just fucking stop, please.’

[Fuck my life,] Lucifer muttered so that no one could hear him.