Looking at the ceiling, decorated with intricate gold stitchwork made with great care, the stylishly dressed man stood in a daze, his long hair flowing carelessly loose.
The place where he stood was a truly jaw-dropping palace. Once bustling with people, it had long since lost its luster and was slowly sinEmperor into silence.
Suddenly, as though no one had ever been there, a certain devil broke the quiet, speaking to the man as if it had been there all along.
“What a beautiful place. To witness such a spectacular sight—ah, it was worth betting on you. Hehe.”
The man remained silent, his gaze lowering slowly to meet the chattering devil. There was no ambition left in his eyes, only emptiness. The devil merely chuckled, amused by his vacant expression.
“For an emperor who made the world kneel before him, this ending is quite fitting. A ruler without a single subject—truly remarkable.”
The man finally parted his lips, responding to the devil’s mocEmperor words.
“…I’ve already paid the price. Why appear before me again?”
“I’ll be sleeping for a long time soon. I came to say farewell.”
Black energy began to coil and shift, forming the shape of a woman’s arm. It moved left and right in a playful wave, and the man, once an emperor, couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
“Hah. Do monsters like you even sleep?”
“We sleep too. Not that I want to, but I must at least save face before those angels flapping around above with their chicken feathers.”
The emperor, amused by the devil’s audacity, decided to ask something that had long puzzled him.
“… What exactly is a devil?”
“Curious, are you? Do you want to hear an old tale?”
“Yes. I’ve been curious since childhood. What are devils? I don’t have much time left in this life, so I suppose I can afford to indulge one last story.”
Though the devil’s face remained unseen, the Emperor could sense a smile.
“Then listen closely. I’ll tell you the tale of the main god and the 24 voids, before humans ever existed.”
The devil’s voice softened, like a mother sharing an ancient story.
“Long ago, the world was nothing but a void. The creatures roaming the earth had souls, but they were empty shells. To sate their faint hunger, they devoured each other, growing larger. In time, these lumps became the 24 devils.”
“It was a dull existence—just an endless cycle. Then, four angels appeared, accompanied by the god Rom. The Lord, seeing the emptiness within us, was filled with sorrow. Out of pity, Rom created humans.”
“… The main god created humans for the devils?”
Though the man had resigned himself to his fate, the devil’s words left him deeply shaken.
“Humans—beings born with bodies which could live, gather memories, and eventually die. When the devils saw them, it was as if they were gazing into a new realm. For the first time, we found something beyond the void.”
“At first, devils and humans lived in harmony. We imitated them, and peace reigned. But over time, humans revealed their ugliness, and we, without hesitation, accepted it. That was the beginning of all evil.”
“The Lord grieved, realizing that humans, his creation, were failures. And so, he stripped them of eternity, taking their souls.”
“… ….”
“Humans were left with memories and bodies, but no souls. Meanwhile, devils, possessing souls but tainted by emptiness and evil, grew envious. It was then that this absurd tale truly began.”
“… That’s why we can never understand you.”
“Indeed. Our essence is emptiness, a reflection. We have nothing to call our own—just a poor imitation.”
The devil, now in the form of a woman, twirled gracefully across the palace floor.
As the emperor watched the devil dance, he asked the final question of his life.
“If devils are voids that covet human existence, do you wish to become human too?”
“Of course. I envy you.”
“… Then why didn’t you take my body?”
The devil giggled in her womanly guise.
“What use would your body be to me?”
Before departing the palace completely, she left the emperor with a parting word.
“One day, I will dream. I will dream of living as the wife of a foolish, dull man, whose hair is more beautiful than all the treasures of gold and silver in this palace.”
The Emperor could not understand those strange words.
Soon after, angels descended from heaven and sealed the devil. Meanwhile, the Emperor, riding the horse that had stayed by his side to the end, journeyed across the dry land.
But fate caught up with him—he fell from his horse, broke his neck, and died.
This was the tale of a Emperor and a devil, long before the first saint was born.
***
“We couldn’t rent the entire place, but at this rate, it’s like it’s just the two of us!”
A red-haired woman swayed back and forth, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
The restaurant, perched high above, offered a panoramic view of the bustling commercial city of Lenti. It was a coveted spot, the famed Carriage Restaurant.
Sitting across from her was Julius, the greatest heretic inquisitor of the era, who watched his wife’s childlike enthusiasm with a foolish grin.
“… You have so much energy.”
“Well, it ‘is’ the famous Carriage Restaurant! I’ve wanted to come here for so long, and now my wish has finally come true!”
She chattered away, so lively that she reminded him of Cecil herself. Yet no one could match the real Cecil.
As Julius sat in silence, merely watching her, a young woman arrived, carrying a tray of food.
“Um, here is the dish you ordered. First, a light soup before the main course…”
The staff member trailed off, faltering under Leira’s sharp gaze.
Before the poor girl could crumble under the pressure, Leira smiled.
“Ah, women have it tough.”
“… Pardon?”
“Could you have the chef bring the food out himself?”
“… Ah… Yes, yes, of course!”
Unable to maintain eye contact, the young woman nodded quickly, turned on her heel, and fled, taking the tray of soup with her.
In the now-empty restaurant, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed as the staff scrambled to escape upon learning of Julius’s presence.
Julius frowned at Cecil’s behavior.
“Why have you been acting so arrogant?”
“Arrogant? You think I’m being arrogant?”
“Would you call that a humble attitude?”
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can now make payments in your local currency.
The Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
For example: You will buy the product with the title “Flower Stealing Master” to sponsor a chapter for the novel. As far as I know, you can buy the same product multiple times, so you should be able to sponsor as many chapters you want. I hope it was easy to understand.
Introducing KN WN Bundle ($15) for those who prefer to read only KR webnovels. This bundle gives you access to all the advance chapters of the Korean Webnovels on Goblinslate immediately, and will stay ahead of the regular release for the month! Get it on Patreon!
That means, you get:
PTTV – Four Advance Chapters! ($10)
IPUAW – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MSAS – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MWD – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)