Chapter 365

It was a painfully awkward situation. What could he even say here? The truth was that Baal had already made up his mind. The only thing he wanted right now was to declare, “Let’s surrender.” Instead, he could only clamp his mouth shut.

In the chilly silence that had overtaken the meeting, he looked toward Marvas.

I have to back him up.

Baal thought he could shift the mood by lending support to Marvas. Looking at the nervous expressions of a few other demons, he believed that with just a bit of persuasion on his part, he might be able to sway the crowd to what he and Marvas wanted. And so, Baal started his operation—pretending to be angry at Marvas’ statement, while treading carefully beneath the act.

“Marvas. Have you lost your mind?” he asked in an icy voice.

“No, Lord Baal. This is neither a joke nor an empty remark. Nor is it for my own personal gain. I speak for my safety and that of our fellow kin, and for the greater good of the Core.”

Baal furrowed his brow like an enraged bull. A wave of thick, ominous energy flowed out of him, causing the lower-ranked demons to flinch in fear.

However, Marvas stood tall, unshaken.

Baal looked furious on the surface, but inside, he was cheering him on.

Regardless, he shouted, “We are the demons who inherited the great Solomon’s power! Our sole reason for existence is to create a world for Solomon, by Solomon, and through Solomon! Peace in the Core is meaningless! In fact, we must pursue its destruction. Therefore, war is our unavoidable destiny!”

Despite Baal’s aggressive response, Marvas didn’t back down one bit. “Lord Baal, allow me to ask you one thing. Exactly what kind of world do you think Lord Solomon desires? Because I... I seriously don’t know anymore. Please, enlighten me. What kind of world does Lord Solomon wish for?”

Truth be told, I don’t know either

, Baal thought.

He couldn’t answer that question with certainty. But he knew one thing for sure: Whatever world Solomon envisioned, it had nothing to do with peace. It was undoubtedly a world filled with agony and screams, where blood pooled underfoot, and mountains of corpses towered overhead. A world drenched in ruin, where no one was happy.

“It’s... simple,” Baal said.

Just like it was back then. A time with no room for smiles, where survival meant constantly tearing others down—a world steeped in mistrust and daily struggle. That was the era of the Great War in Baal’s memory. He wanted to explain that to the gathered demons, but Baal couldn’t bring himself to actually do so, feeling as if a clump was lodged in his throat.

Is this really helping him...? I’m ashamed.

Was he truly supporting Marvas by continuing this charade as Demon King, scolding the only one among them fighting for their people? Wouldn’t it be better, perhaps, to stand with him in earnest?

Baal felt pathetic for pretending to support Solomon out of fear of being condemned by his fellow demons. What glory could come from playing the loyal dog to Solomon? What was there to gain? And so he made up his mind. He would speak his truth.

“Marvas, I—”

But Marvas interjected, “I already know! You don’t have to say it!”

What? This little—

Marvas charged ahead with his own speech. “Clearly, the world Lord Solomon desires is one filled with evil—a world where everyone in the Core trembles before us. I once wanted that kind of world too, so I understand. But!”

The moment Baal had finally worked up the courage to speak candidly, he was interrupted and now left speechless.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I...”

“Please, just let me speak, Lord Baal! The point is, my thoughts have changed—completely!”

A moment ago, Baal had nearly been moved to tears. Now, thanks to this overly enthusiastic subordinate, he was rubbing his forehead, muttering, “God, my blood pressure...”

Some demons, meanwhile, smirked, thinking that Marvas had clearly lost his mind.

“I’ll be honest. Lord Solomon, Lord Baal, all of you here, you’re precious to me. I don’t want to lose anyone. That’s why I’m saying this: Let’s all surrender to the King of Earth. Then peace will come. Why insist on starting a fight? It’s only suicide.”

By calling their effort in war suicide, Marvas was decisively calling all demons weak. It was a direct insult. Just as the enraged demons were about to rise in protest, Marvas challenged them.

He asked, “Are you seriously going to fight them? A united front of Dragons, Transcendents, and the Spirits? Alright, then, who’s going to go up against their leaders? The Overlord, Imfelheim, Spirit Queen, who?”

The room went dead silent as everyone present wondered,

What the hell is he saying?

At that moment, the scribe cautiously raised a hand and asked, “Um... as far as I know... those three are sworn enemies...”

Indeed, during the Great War, the three factions had been at odds. Well, the Dragons and Spirits did end up forming an alliance near the end, but even setting them aside, the Transcendents were known to be fiercely independent. They would never in a million years work as a group. That rivalry among the three had allowed Solomon and his demons to occasionally seize the upper hand in battle.

“You’re right. That’s how it used to be, but not anymore. Now, they’re all under the King of Earth. That’s confirmed. After I surrendered to him, I learned the truth. A truth that will no doubt be shocking and terrifying for you all.”

The demons froze. If what Marvas said was true, there was no way to win this war. No matter how powerful Solomon was, the difference in overall force was simply too great.

“Lord Baal,” Marvas called.

“Yes.”

“I’m sure this is something you knew already as well.”

The crowd stirred. To think he’d kept something this important hidden? No. It couldn’t be. The demons shook their heads vigorously.

“That treacherous liar is feeding us falsehoods!”

“Lord Baal! Please, say something! Tell us he’s wrong!”

All eyes turned to Baal.

He looked across the crowd, all trembling with anxiety.

Enough is enough...

The time has come.

He closed his eyes. Then slowly and solemnly, began to speak. “What Marvas just said... is the truth.”

It was time to reveal the truth to the demons. For the demons now trapped in despair, Baal would finally speak of the agony, the confusion, and the truth he had carried alone all this time. Where should he begin?

Baal thought back to his first meeting with the King of Earth on the fourteenth floor of the Core. Several minutes of silence passed. He had finally sorted through the thoughts in his head and began his story with his eyes still closed.

“I met the King of Earth on the fourteenth floor of the Core. At the time...” He trailed off as a thought struck him.

Wait, why is it so quiet?

Baal cracked an eye open to see an empty altar. No one remained except the scribe who had been facilitating the meeting.

“Where did everyone go...?” Baal asked him, utterly confused.

“Ah, well... they all returned to their castles. They’re searching through their vaults for tributes to offer the King of Earth...” the scribe explained.

You’ve got to be kidding me

, Baal cursed inwardly.

He shouted, “How dare they?! The assembly isn’t even over!”

“U-um, Lord Baal,” the scribe said cautiously.

“Speak.”

The scribe fidgeted nervously. “Maybe it’s time to officially close the session...? I really need to check my vault, too...”

***

Yoon-Hee was on her way home after finishing her day at the Academy. Stepping off at Bangbae Station, she stopped in front of the nearby police station after noticing a ruckus. There, an individual who was clearly not from Earth was in a mild argument with Officer Lee Soo-Baek.

“I’m saying, you just need to tell me where the King of Earth lives!” the “alien” pleaded.

“Sir, if you only refer to him as the King of Earth, there’s no way for us to help you. Do you have an address, perhaps?”

“What the hell is an address?”

“

Sigh

...”

That was when Yoon-Hee approached Lee Soo-Baek. “Um... Hello, Officer.”

“Oh, Yoon-Hee. Done with Academy for the day?”

“Yes. But... who is this person...?”

Lee Soo-Baek scratched his head awkwardly and answered, “I think he’s a foreigner. He’s been demanding to be taken to the King of Earth's residence. But he doesn’t know the name, or the address, or even a phone number, so there’s nothing we can do. Bit of a tough situation.”

This “foreigner” had bundles of luggage in both hands. Something about it made Yoon-Hee ask, cautiously, “Um... by any chance, are those... tributes?”

“Oh! How did you know, human? That’s right. These are tributes for the King of Earth! Do you perhaps know where the King of Earth lives?”

Yoon-Hee gave a strained, awkward smile.

***

Late at night, Do-Jun arrived home after working overtime. What he found in the living room was a mountain of artifacts, stacked high, nearly touching the ceiling, and clearly, none of them were things that could be found on Earth. He had sensed unfamiliar energies moving through Bangbae-dong during work, but this was a surprise.

“Oh, you’re back? We had quite a few guests today. About fifteen, I think? They all said they were offering tributes and insisted I pass them along. Said they wanted to surrender, gave their names, and asked me to make sure you knew. So I wrote everything down in my notebook.” Yoon-Hee handed over her notes with all their names scribbled down.

Upon reading the list, Do-Jun realized that every single one of them belonged to Solomon’s Seventy-Two Demons.

Do-Jun recalled something Baal had said a few days prior about an assembly of demons that was scheduled to take place at Solomon’s Altar. What exactly had been said about him there? Letting out a small sigh, Do-Jun didn’t even bother checking the artifacts before dumping the entire pile into Ivela’s Pouch.

***

A few days later, Solomon’s Seventy-Two Demons had all visited Earth and presented their bribes to Do-Jun. After receiving some tips from Marvas, they each made sure to clearly state their names and insisted on telling him they owed him their lives and would repay him no matter what.

Meanwhile, Baal, as always, was watering his vegetable garden with a watering can filled with fresh spring water in front of the Altar. The vines were heavy with plump, red tomatoes. He picked a perfectly ripe one—a tomato grown from a once-withered sprout. Seeing it bear fruit thanks to the love and care he poured into it made him smile.

He took a bite, and sweet and tangy juice flowed across his tongue. Just then, Baal felt something shift inside him. It was a sensation he knew all too well. Solomon had opened his eyes.

—Baal. What became of the Demon Assembly?

For a split second, Baal wasn’t sure how to answer. However, that didn’t last long. There was only one thing to say now.

“It went well, Lord Solomon,” he answered.

—Good work.

There was satisfaction in his tone.

Solomon didn’t follow up with more questions. No asking what was discussed, no asking if anything unusual happened. He slipped back into slumber.

As Baal munched on another bite of tomato, he recalled an old Korean saying he’d learned in Kiriel’s hangul class.

He remarked, “

Same dreams, different beds

, wasn’t it? Heh.”[1]

Thinking about tomorrow’s lesson got Baal genuinely excited.

1. It should be “same beds, different dreams, but you know, it’s Kiriel’s class, so... ☜