“Are you worried I might get hurt?”
“It’s not that…”
Reinhild reached out and gently grasped the hem of Xion’s robe.
As if anxious Xion might leave him.
“When Xion becomes a complete god… you’ll have to leave me, won’t you?”
“Huh?”
Xion was so startled he jumped up from his seat.
Then, seeing Reinhild’s hand, which had grabbed his sleeve being pulled up with him, he sat back down.
Even though he was almost fully recovered, he couldn’t strain the damaged muscles in his arm, which had been forced to draw up divine power to move.
Xion firmly massaged Reinhild’s startled arm, which had jerked from the sudden movement.
“Me leaving Rein? That won’t happen.”
“You said becoming a god means going to the divine realm. This time, you almost got expelled from the human realm again…”
Only then did Xion grasp Reinhild’s worry.
Reinhild, who had kept his head bowed low, couldn’t see the brightening expression on Xion’s face. He stammered as he continued.
“I can’t go to the divine realm because I’m not a god. If you go, you’ll have to go alone, Xion.”
“…”
“I know you’re trying to protect me, Xion. But still… I hate not being able to be with you.”
“…”
“I hate dying, I hate getting hurt, but I hate being without you even more. Find another way to help me.”
“…”
When Xion didn’t answer, Reinhild grew even more sullen, glaring at the innocent blanket instead.
Why isn’t he answering?
Was it selfish of him to want help but only issue orders?
If he was disappointed, sorry, but the Demon King is inherently selfish.
Whatever thoughts Xion harbored, Reinhild had no intention of letting him go. Absolutely not.
Steeling his resolve, Reinhild lifted his head.
“Or Xion. If I, too, am a god…”
And then his eyes met Xion’s, who was beaming.
“…”
What? Wasn’t he disappointed?
“Please continue, Rein.”
“Huh?”
“Are you considering becoming a god to be with me?”
“Xion, you look happy.”
He wasn’t disappointed—he was just trying to hold back laughter and couldn’t speak.
Though utterly ridiculous, Reinhild felt relieved by Xion’s reaction.
‘Of course. Xion would never leave me behind.’
He clearly had another plan in place.
Reinhild exhaled a sigh of relief.
Xion held Reinhild’s hand tightly and continued his explanation with a bright expression.
“The reason gods cannot come to the human realm is because they are not beings of this place. I have my own physical body in the human realm, so even if I become a god, I can stay here as long as I want.”
“Really?”
“Of course. That’s why the Demon God created a fake body to hide inside. To avoid being spotted by the Dragon.”
Among dragons, the Black Dragon—the rarest and most special—guards the boundary between the divine realm and other worlds.
As long as the Black Dragon watches, the gods cannot freely leave the divine realm.
The Demon God managed to slip out of the Divine Realm by exploiting an opening, but it had no confidence it could evade the dragon’s gaze until the day a hero was born—a day whose arrival was unknown.
Therefore, it had to conceal its power, pretending to be an ordinary demon.
“What was the Black Dragon doing while the Demon God was coming here?”
“That dragon vanished without a trace 600 years ago.”
So the Black Dragon’s negligence allowed the Demon God to torment him for 500 years?
Reinhild was utterly dumbfounded.
“Where did it go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did it disappear?”
“Well… Dragons are a rather headstrong breed.”
If Ainel, who had explained all this, had heard Xion’s words a moment ago, he might have jumped up in anger. Regardless, Xion’s attention was solely on Reinhild.
“So I won’t be leaving Rein’s side.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Were you worried I might drift away from you?”
“Yes.”
Reinhild’s answer came without a moment’s hesitation, making Xion feel like he could fly.
“How are you feeling, Rein?”
“With Xion taking care of me, the pain is bearable.”
“Still, don’t get hurt anymore.”
“Okay.”
Xion leaned over the bed and kissed Reinhild.
Reinhild placed both hands over his chest, where he felt an inexplicable fluttering.
It was different from the fluttering or excitement he felt when looking at Xion.
It felt like the burning sensation he got when he tried to move using his divine power.
Back then, he had felt nothing but pain. Now, it felt as if the hurt was actually healing.
“Xion.”
“Yes, Rein.”
“When I was in the Demon King’s castle, the pain felt like it would kill me. But now I’m better. Did you do something, Xion?”
“I greeted Rein with a wish for you not to be in pain.”
Xion had definitely given him a peck.
But he’d known all along that this act wasn’t a wish for him not to be in pain, but rather an act to satisfy personal desires.
“I stopped falling for that kind of talk 500 years ago.”
“This time, it’s real.”
“…Really?”
Reinhild listened intently, his face full of interest.
For a Demon King who stopped being fooled 500 years ago, that was a quick change of stance.
Seeing that, Xion burst out laughing.
“Ahahahaha.”
“…”
Fooled again.
“Xion seems more suited to be a demon than a hero or a god. Demons love deceiving others, you know.”
“If I were the Demon King, would Rein become my hero?”
“I’ll think about it.”
If Rein was the hero who came to kill him, he would gladly offer his heart.
Xion vowed this as he planted kisses on Reinhild’s hand.
“I’m glad to have earned Rein’s recognition, but unfortunately, this time it was sincere.”
“What? That you gave me a farewell greeting?”
“Yes. Rein is my first Apostle.”
“Huh?”
What apostle?
Reinhild blinked, clearly confused.
He didn’t seem to be lying, but he couldn’t understand what Xion was talking about at all.
“What did you say?”
“My first Apostle.”
Still didn’t get it.
“Appointing at least one Apostle was one of the qualifications to become a god.”
Once a god had followers and their divine essence formed, they had to appoint an apostle to formally complete the process of becoming a god.
But Xion and Ainel hadn’t known this fact.
How could they know? There had never been a human who became a god.
Unaware of this requirement, Xion hadn’t been formally recognized as a god. However, through the Oracle Incident, his divine essence ascended, allowing him to skip that stage.
“During that process, the one whose faith in me was deepest was appointed as my Apostle, regardless of my will.”
“That was me?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was also thanks to that that Xion could enter the Demon King’s Castle, a place inaccessible to anyone who wasn’t a hero opposing the demon race or the Demon King.
Because that was where his Apostle resided.
But even with Xion’s explanation, Reinhild snorted in disbelief.
“I am the Demon King. Demon Kings do not believe in gods.”
“But among all living beings in the world, isn’t the heart that cherishes me the greatest? That heart alone is sufficient to become an Apostle.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Reinhild was appointed as an Apostle because he loves me the most.”
“I see.”
Reinhild quickly understood.
If his trust and reliance on Xion could also be considered faith in a god, then no one could surpass him.
“So that’s why the Hero’s Sword reacted when I stabbed the Demon God.”
Now he understood why the Hero’s Sword, wieldable only by the Lord God’s hero, had responded to Reinhild’s hand.
Xion’s magic power contained the power bestowed by the Lord God. After the recent oracle incident, many began equating the God of Plenty with the Lord God, leading to the perception that part of the Lord God’s power was that of the God of Plenty.
Unintentionally, the Sword of the Hero had become a blade usable by anyone chosen by either the God of Plenty or the Lord God.
‘That’s why all the magic power drained from my body.’
Reinhild had intended to use magic immediately after leaping into the secret passage to halt his fall.
However, because he drew upon the sword’s power without being formally appointed as a hero, all his remaining magic was absorbed by the sword.
Just as the temporary hero who stabbed Reinhild had done 500 years ago.
“If Xion hadn’t appeared, I would have died from magic depletion.”
Though he would have been crushed to death on impact first.
“As long as you stay by my side, Rein will never suffer from magic depletion. I can share as much power as my Apostle desires.”
“But that means drawing on Xion’s strength. Won’t that be hard on you?”
“For Rein, I would give everything I possess without hesitation.”
Xion was sincere.
He recalled Reinhild five hundred years ago, trapped in the Lord God’s scheme, writhing in agony at the mere touch of him.
How his heart had ached seeing Reinhild suffer.
He would have gladly taken his pain upon himself.
No, he wanted to beg the heavens to let him suffer in his place.
“If my very existence can be a source of strength rather than pain for Rein, that is enough for me.”
To think that touching Rein, holding him, kissing him could help him. What greater blessing could there be?
He would never again be consumed by frustration at seeing Reinhild suffer while being powerless to help.
Xion, as if unable to believe this moment was real, repeatedly stroked Reinhild’s tightly clasped hand.
“So take my entire life, Rein.”
“Alright. I’ll take it.”
Xion raised his right hand, his face radiant with happiness, and cupped Reinhild’s cheek.
Reinhild closed his eyes as if he had been waiting for this.
In the silence that filled the room, Xion pressed his lips to Reinhild’s.
With the resolve to be his strength for the rest of his life.
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