────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Chapter 31
He could have come up with a lie. It wouldn’t be hard to come up with an excuse to avoid Yuria’s suspicions, but it wasn’t easy for Cain, the demon, to tell a lie. In this case, he could use his powers to manipulate her memory.
However, Cain didn’t want to. She was a being of unspoiled purity. He didn’t want to force artificial things on such a person. What he wanted was Yuria’s honest and sincere heart, not fabricated emotions.
Thus, he meekly told the truth. At the very least, if she treated Fren so tenderly despite his devil’s blood, he hoped that she wouldn’t push him away.
Of course, revealing that he’s Fren’s biological father… was an act to win Yuria’s heart. If he revealed that he was Fren’s biological father, he wondered if her affection for Fren would be redirected towards him even a little.
He thought they might be able to share even a bit. Nevertheless, Cain’s revelation that he was Fren’s biological father did not have a very good effect.
“What does that…”
Yuria’s eyes shook wildly.
She couldn’t understand what she was hearing right now. The fact that he was a demon was surprising, though she was able to get over it.
He could be of help because he was a demon, and as long as he didn’t harm her or Fren, it wasn’t a big deal. If he didn’t use his powers in front of other people, there was no way he’d be found out that he’s a demon, and if he lived in the human realm safely so far, he’d be able to do so in the future.
But, he was Fren’s biological father…
It was never mentioned in the original story, and it had never appeared before, so obviously, she would think he was dead.
Otherwise, she thought, he wouldn’t have pretended to be ignorant when Fren suffered such things in the original story. The more so since she knew very well what kind of ending Fren met in the original story.
On the other hand, when Yuria’s expression wasn’t as good as he thought, Cain flinched. Could it have been that he made a slip of the tongue…?
‘If not, is it because she’s thinking I might try to do something to her precious Fren?’
At that thought, he opened his mouth again.
“Of course, just because he’s my son won’t change anything. That child chose you, and that child’s mother is you. Because it means nothing to demons other than to inherit the energy of the family, anyway.”
At his words, Yuria almost burst out.
She had no intention of sending Fren off just because Fren’s biological father appeared, but she couldn’t send him to someone like that even more. Parents didn’t necessarily believe that they must show unconditional affection for their children.
Still, no matter how…
How could he be so careless?
Hearing Cain’s words, he seemed so indifferent that she wondered if he really was Fren’s biological father. Even if it was said that it was inevitable because he was a demon, Yuria couldn’t accept it.
Furthermore… As a result, Fren had to lead a difficult life. Fortunately, he met her and was able to walk a different path from the original, but that didn’t mean that Fren’s experiences so far had gone away.
Although she didn’t know Fren’s exact age, she knew he was a very young child. How difficult was it for a child without a proper guardian to live in the world? She couldn’t know, looking at Fren’s expression he had shown in front of her until now.
In the end, what made Fren that way, and what made him go through such things, was because of his biological parents, who left him alone in the world.
In a burst of anger, Yuria unknowingly punched Cain with her fist.
It was an instinctive reaction that came out of nowhere. Cain did not avoid it, even though he could have done it. What pain could it cause if she hit him with that cute little hand…?
Yuria’s fists looked weaker and cuter than a cotton ball. In fact, he could feel no pain at all. There would be a momentary dull sensation, though that was all.
However, the reality was different from Cain’s mind.
A fist full of strength broke his rib. At the same time, the impact created internal injuries, and he bled. In a moment of anger, she hit Cain, but she didn’t really mean to hurt him. She didn’t have the right to do that.
Surprised, Yuria asked with a worried expression.
“Ugh, are you okay?”
“I’m okay, Yuria. It’s rather fortunate.”
Yuria, who looked small and slender, was really healthy. A fist that gave such a shock to the Demon King himself. His lovely woman was so small and cute yet so strong, that he wanted to brag about it everywhere.
Regardless, the broken ribs would be healed in five minutes. Even though it was surprising that a human’s slender fist had inflicted such a wound on him, the fact that it was Yuria made it infinitely lovely.
“…Is it fortunate?”
‘What the hell is it?’
As much as she didn’t think and hit him, the force on her fist was strong, to the point she thought it was too much.
“I hope we can stay healthy like this in the future.”
…That would be the greatest happiness and gift of life to him.
At Cain’s words, Yuria was troubled about how she should take these words. It didn’t seem like he was being sarcastic. In that way, his eyes lit up as if it was sincere. Despite seeing the attitude that he was okay with being hit, she couldn’t help but feel even more sorry.
Feeling flustered by Cain’s words, she unknowingly threw up a fist, but in fact, Yuria didn’t know what had happened between Fren and him.
In such a situation, he was Fren’s biological father, and she couldn’t just push him away just because he had just shown. Perhaps, Cain didn’t abandon Fren, contrary to her opinion. Without knowing the details of the situation, it was definitely her fault for throwing her fist.
And… In any case, it was true that he helped him.
“I’m sorry I hit you. I apologize.”
“I am grateful to know you’re in great health.”
As if being hit by Yuria was nothing, he was calm.
In response, even though she put on an expression that she couldn’t understand him, there was something she wanted to ask more than anything else. Fren was now her son, so at least she deserved to ask him about it.
“There is one thing I want to ask you.”
“Anything.”
Contrary to his expectations, the answer he brought up in hopes of Yuria’s affection was not the best choice. Still, he had no intention of lying in front of her.
At least to her, he wanted to be honest and truthful.
“…Why did you show up now?”
He understood Yuria’s words as a question of why he had only appeared in front of her now. For Cain, Fren meant nothing.
“Because now I have finally found you.”
Just meeting Yuria here was a miracle. Truthfully, Cain, the demon, should not have been able to meet Yuria, the human.
The demon realm and the human realm were separated entirely, but if it weren’t for what happened this time, the Demon King Cain would never have passed over to the human realm. In that sense, although he didn’t know why he came to this place, he liked the fact that he was able to meet Yuria thanks to that.
In response to his answer, Yuria frowned slightly. His answer was different from the one she had hoped for.
“What I want to ask is, why did you leave Fren alone? Because Fren has been alone all this time.”
“You’re the reason I know that little brat exists.”
So, the question of why he was left alone was not correct. How could you protect someone you didn’t even know exists…?
If he had known that he had children, he would not have left them unattended. No matter how much he had no affection for them, they would be the ones who inherited his blood, so he would have stayed by their side and looked after them at least until the awakening.
“…Does that mean that you didn’t know about Fren until now?”
“Right. And, if I had known, I wouldn’t have been able to help either way.”
“Why?”
“Because I, as a demon, can’t come to the human world.”
“What does that…”
If Cain, the demon, can’t come to the human world, then how can he be in the human world now…?
The more she listened to his answer, the more Yuria felt like she was falling into a labyrinth.
“Me, too, I don’t know how I ended up in the human realm.” Thus, I’ve been working hard to find out why, but I’ve had very few clues.
Moreover, it was impossible to return to the demon realm again, so Cain had to investigate on his own.
“Though Fren is… he’s Cain’s son, so you must have been to the human world before, didn’t you?”
‘Otherwise, how could Fren be born between Cain and a human woman?’
“No. This is the first time I have crossed over to the human world. And I, too, cannot understand how a human woman could have my child and give birth to him”
As it was impossible for a demon to pass into the human world, humans could not also pass into the demon world. As a result, the existence of Fren was also a mystery to Cain.
‘Ah, come to think of it…’
A few years ago, a human woman suddenly appeared in the demon world. His servants who discovered the human woman offered her to him as a ceremonial sacrifice since it was a rare sight.
Perhaps, then…
But still, questions remained. The fact that his son, Fren, was living in the human realm meant that she had returned to the human realm as well. Who on earth was that woman to go back and forth between two worlds that are impossible to communicate…?
From what Yuria said, it seems that the kid had been alone all this time, so that meant that the human woman eventually died after giving birth to him. It seemed that all the clues lay on that human woman.
To be precise, om those who sent that human woman to the demon realm.
It was a passing encounter, so he couldn’t remember the details. However, at that time, the human woman seemed to not know where she was, and it seemed that someone had forced her into the demon world.
Thus, if that woman had crossed over to the human world again, it was most likely the one who sent the woman to the demon world who brought her back. And… it was highly probable that they had something to do with the fact that he came to the human world.
If it was possible to send humans to the demon realm, perhaps it was possible to bring demons into the human realm as well.
If so, it was obvious what Cain should be looking for. The one who sent Fren’s biological mother to the demon realm. Nonetheless, since there were few clues about them, it would have taken quite a while to find them.
“Is that possible?”
It didn’t seem like Cain was lying, but there were so many things to believe at once, so Yuria looked at him with a suspicious look.
“Normally, it would have been impossible. But, at the same time, it has already happened.”
At his words, she gazed at him quietly. She didn’t know whether to believe him or not. It was impossible to determine whether it was true or not, as the content had never appeared in the original.
Still, if what he said was true, it made sense to some extent as to why he didn’t appear until Fren reached such an ending. Unlike the original, the reason he met Fren and found out about the existence of his son was also because she was a variable.
“I get it.”
If Cain’s words were true, he could no longer be blamed. Since he was unaware of Fren’s existence, and he couldn’t pass over to the human world, of course, he couldn’t take good care of Fren.
Nevertheless, even if that part was just skipped over, there was something she had to point out properly again.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────