Player who Returned 10,000 years Later
chapter-355

Oh Kang-Woo was enjoying a relaxing afternoon doing nothing after having to do nothing but work recently. He had his eyes closed on the bed with his head on Han Seol-Ah’s thighs as she stroked his head.

“Fufu. Does it feel good?” Seol-Ah asked.

“Yeah.”

Seol-Ah giggled as she looked down at Kang-Woo humming every time she stroked his head.

‘How cute.’

She gulped as she looked down at him. It had been a while since they had enjoyed themselves in Aernor. It felt as if her anxious heart was calming down a little.

‘Kang-Woo.’

Seol-Ah carefully placed her hand on Kang-Woo’s cheek. His warmth traveled up her hand and made her shiver.

‘Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo.’

Flames of passion blazed from within her heart, and her powerful impulses fanned the flames. Uncontrollable obsession made her throat dry. She wanted Kang-Woo; she wanted to monopolize him. She wanted there to be no one but the two of them in the world.

“Haaa,” Seol-Ah sighed in delight.

She shut her eyes tight and quelled the flames blazing within her heart.

‘What am I thinking?’

She shook her head to shoo away the thoughts that even she herself found to be chilling. She was not stupid enough to not know the catastrophe that would ensue if she were to do such a thing.

‘Kang-Woo is doing his best to protect us.’

She was already unable to be of much help, so she couldn’t allow herself to get in Kang-Woo’s way.

‘And…’

Seol-Ah looked at the ring on her left ring finger and smiled in joy. Shivers of thrill spread throughout her body.

“He… Hehehe,” she laughed unbeknownst to herself.

Although they could not hold a ceremony due to the situation they were in, they were already engaged. Seol-Ah couldn’t hold back her smile as she thought about it.

“What is it?” Kang-Woo asked.

“Nothing. I’m just so happy right now.” Seol-Ah smiled, but turned slightly serious soon after, having remembered what had happened recently. “But I was so shocked. To think that kind-looking elderly gentleman was Lucifer’s retainer…”

“I was just as surprised. I didn’t expect him to be capable of such a thing.” Kang-Woo nodded with a serious expression.

Seol-Ah continued in worry, “Will it be alright?”

Her question held many meanings. Evil God Lucifer as well as a demon who served him had appeared, the empire had been run by a demon this entire time, and they had no idea what the Demon of Prophecy had planned. They had far too many fires to put out before they could eliminate the Demon God’s corpse and restore Earth’s protection.

“It’s okay.” Kang-Woo smiled.

It was not because he himself was the Demon of Prophecy or because the Evil God that had appeared this time was a fake. There were many beings in the way of their expedition, such as Demon God Bauli, the Constellations of Evil, Lucifer and Behemoth. Since that was all that Kang-Woo knew, there was likely much more that he did not.

‘But…’

In the end, he would come out victorious. As it had been for the past ten millennia, he would win once again and always in the future.

“Kang-Woo…”

Seol-Ah smiled as she saw how certain Kang-Woo was. Just hearing him say that it was okay was enough to make the burdens in her heart vanish.

“Don’t worry at all, darling.”

Kang-Woo turned around while lying down. He stuffed his face between Seol-Ah’s thighs and tickled her stomach. The fat on her slender waist was very soft.

“Kyaaah!” Seol-Ah jumped and lightly smacked Kang-Woo’s head. “Jeez, Kang-Woo! What are you doing all of a sudden?!”

She was scolding him, but she was smiling as if she couldn’t be happier. Bright laughter filled the room.

“You sure act like a child every now and then, Kang-Woo.”

Seol-Ah lightly pinched Kang-Woo’s cheeks after he turned back around.

“Do you dislike it?” Kang-Woo asked.

“Not at all,” Seol-Ah answered firmly as if telling Kang-Woo not to be absurd. “I love you, Kang-Woo.”

Seol-Ah leaned down and kissed Kang-Woo.

“Hehehe,” Kang-Woo giggled playfully.

Others would shank him out of jealousy if they saw such a scene, but he didn’t care.

‘This is the life.’

He was not surrounded by tentacles spewing pus nor subordinates crazed with battle. He was not under a red sky nor on arid land. Kang-Woo could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

Just then, Seol-Ah clapped her hands together as if she had remembered something. “Oh, right. Kang-Woo, Si-Hun called this morning.”

Kang-Woo had been in the middle of formulating a plan to revive the empire with Iris in the morning.

“Oh, is he doing well?” Kang-Woo asked in happiness.

Seol-Ah nodded with a smile. “He joined Layla’s group and has been to many different cities.”

“How did the people react?”

“Fufu. I’m sure you already know the answer to that.”

Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. He could already expect how the people of the continent would react to Kim Si-Hun even if Seol-Ah didn’t tell him.

‘They’d obviously love him.’

Si-Hun was a hero who had appeared amidst the chaos of the empire. He was extremely handsome, powerful enough to face hundreds of demonic beasts by himself, well-mannered and good-natured. Considering Si-Hun matched almost every single criterion there was to be a hero, there was no way that the people would dislike him.

‘Especially when…’

The people were shocked after having just learned Fidelio’s true identity. They were in desperate need of a hero to depend on when their fear of Lucifer was engulfing the continent whole.

“But… There seems to have been a bit of trouble,” Seol-Ah expressed.

“Trouble?” asked Kang-Woo, tilting his head in wonder.

“Yes. There was an incident where a few citizens with weapons in hand attacked Si-Hun.”

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stood up from Seol-Ah’s thighs. “It wasn’t just a single occurrence, right?”

“Ah… Yes. It apparently happened three times in total as he was going around different cities.”

Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo, surprised that he knew.

“Tsk,” Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

He had expected Si-Hun to be attacked while he was traveling around various cities, but hearing that it actually happened displeased him.

“Do you think… it had something to do with Lucifer?” Seol-Ah asked.

“No, probably not.” Kang-Woo shook his head.

It was highly unlikely that the people who had attacked Si-Hun had anything to do with Evil God Lucifer.

“Then why would they…”

“Because powerless citizens weren’t the only people that he saved.”

Si-Hun had not only killed the demonic beasts swarming toward the imperial capital, but the ones rampaging in the party venue as well. Considering that Si-Hun had rescued Fidelio as well as the corrupt nobles that were sucking the citizens of the empire dry, they would naturally hold a sense of resentment toward him.

‘It’s like if someone stopped a monster rampaging in the National Assembly building from killing the corrupt politicians.’

Si-Hun would have been praised as a hero for doing so if the state of the empire had been good, but unfortunately, the people of the empire considered the nobles to be no different from demons.

‘No, maybe worse.’

The people might think that it was only natural for demons to be that way since it was their nature, but that was not the case for nobles.

‘The people probably wanted the nobles to have a taste of their own medicine.’

Whether it be by the hands of demons or by starvation, death was all the same. People likely thought that it would have been better for the nobles whom they resented so much to die with them.

‘I need to root out the evil as soon as possible.’

At this rate, there might come citizens who join forces with demons when the empire reaches the brink of collapse. Kang-Woo needed to clean up the empire as soon as possible.

“Oh… I see.” Seol-Ah nodded in understanding.

Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and continued, “But it’s okay. Most of them think highly of Si-Hun.”

“That’s a relief. We need to make this plan a success as soon as possible… so we can get out of here,” said Seol-Ah while narrowing her eyes.

“Why? You don’t like it here?”

Kang-Woo tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand. They were getting the best treatment here in the imperial palace that one would usually receive in a five-star hotel.

“No, that’s not it.” Seol-Ah leaned her head toward Kang-Woo and sniffed him. “I knew it.” She had felt a strange sense of uneasiness when she had kissed Kang-Woo earlier. She said while pulling on the bed sheet, “You… seem to have been with that princess again today.”

Rip. Not only did the bed sheet tear, Seol-Ah was also letting out sacred power without restraint.

‘Huh? What’s with her all of a sudden?’

Kang-Woo looked down at his body in confusion. Seol-Ah’s eyes shone coldly.

“You’ve been… with that princess a lot lately, haven’t you? Not just that, she hasn’t been rude to you unlike before.”

“Oh… You see, umm…”

Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly. It was hard to explain to Seol-Ah what had happened between him and Iris.

Seol-Ah’s expression froze. The powerful impulse that she had felt before shook her once again. “Nothing happened with that princess, right, Kang-Woo?”

“Yes, nothing happened.”

‘That’s technically not true, but it wasn’t anything that you should be worried about.’

“Hmm. But why did the princess become so humble all of a sudden lately? She seems to have been staring intently at you as well.”

‘Hahaha, that’s because I intimidated her after she was getting ahead of herself.’

“Are you going to be with Princess Iris tomorrow as well?”

‘Yeah, we’re up to our necks with work to clean up Fidelio’s shit.’

Seol-Ah’s eyes sank deeply. She muttered as if she was holding something back with all her might, “Okay… You’re busy, so I guess it can’t be helped.” White light shone from her back and formed twelve beautiful wings. “I’m lonely because I haven’t been able to spend any quality time with you lately, but… I’m fine. I can handle it.”

‘Your attitude says otherwise.’

“Haaa,” Seol-Ah sighed feverishly. She caressed Kang-Woo’s neck and said, “I love you, Kang-Woo.”

‘Why are you saying that while caressing my neck?’

“Uhh, yeah. I love you too, darling.”

Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly. Seol-Ah smiled and stood up; the twelve wings that had been on her back had disappeared before he had realized it.

“I’ll go prepare lunch. You can lie down and rest for a bit longer.”

That was music to Kang-Woo’s ears. Although the imperial palace always prepared lavish feasts, nothing beat Seol-Ah’s kimchi stew.

Kang-Woo said as his mouth was watering, “Okay. Thanks, darl—”

Clack.

Just then, the room door opened.

“Umm… Sir Kang-Woo.” Iris peeked into the room from behind the door and spoke restlessly, “Would you like to have lunch together?”

Kang-Woo momentarily felt as if winter had come in the room. “No, I’m gonna have lunch with Seol-Ah tod—”

“No.” Seol-Ah smiled and continued, “Let’s all have lunch together, Iris.”