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It’s a rough plan, so we’ll have to tweak it as we go, but it seems like we’ve got the general outline down. Just need to execute it now.

But the problem is…

“There’s still one mystery that hasn’t been solved.”

“…What is it?”

“Why on earth did we fight Satan?”

No matter how much I think about it, there’s no reason for it.

The plan I came up with doesn’t require us to use force.

If we just gently coax Mammon, the plan is almost halfway successful. So why is there a future where we fight Satan?

No matter how much I think about it, there’s no reason to directly confront Satan.

Did we get caught helping Mammon, and Satan got so pissed that he started a war and came after us?

Even Heukgu and Heukrang wouldn’t do that. A lord of a nation can’t control his emotions and goes around capturing people because he’s angry? Just thinking about it is ridiculous.

Wait… Heukgu and Heukrang?

As soon as I thought of their names, a thought crossed my mind.

“Is it possible that Satan is holding Heukgu and Heukrang captive?”

“…Those subordinates who are holding onto your assets?”

“Yeah, them. We saved them last time, but… time has passed since then.”

In our last encounter, Heukgu and Heukrang almost died at Satan’s hands.

What if they couldn’t hold out and got captured again?

‘They’re seriously useless.’

I don’t even know where the assets Heukgu and Heukrang have gathered are.

We need those assets to move Mammon.

And to move those assets, we need Heukgu and Heukrang.

But what if Satan has captured them?

We might end up fighting in the process of rescuing them… That seems the most plausible right now.

The puzzle pieces fit perfectly.

It’s not like Satan is going around randomly attacking people.

In the end, to move Mammon, we’ll have to confront Satan at least once.

Well, this is a mess.

While I was pondering how to deal with this, Rachel came to the barracks, and the conversation had to be cut short.

Alright, let’s eat first. We’re doing all this to survive, after all.

***

The soldiers had already finished their meal, and so had Satan.

This meal was prepared solely for the expedition team.

Thanks to that, there were Korean-style dishes similar to what Jeong Gyeoul had been served at Satan’s banquet before.

Demon Realm-style kimchi stew made with Hellhound meat and Mandragora kimchi.

Demon Realm-style rolled omelet with Phoenix eggs and Hell pepper.

Demon Realm-style boiled pork made from Hydra head meat with all its toxicity removed.

The smell, temperature, and humidity of Korea.

Unlike Jeong Gyeoul, who had experienced it before, the expedition team couldn’t help but be surprised by the food.

‘…Is there a Koreatown in the Demon Realm?’

‘This is practically a Korean restaurant.’

They had a meeting among themselves and ended up being late, so they were cautious about Satan’s reaction, but Satan didn’t seem to care much about punctuality.

“I sent Rachel ahead to ask them to reheat the food, so eat while it’s warm.”

“Yes! We’ll eat well!”

“Thank you. It’s amazing to have Korean food in the Demon Realm.”

The expedition team immediately started eating, and Satan, along with his deputy Rachel, sipped tea while watching the team eat.

“Jeong Gyeoul’s appetite must have been inherited from her sister?”

“Haha… All the physical types in our world eat like this.”

Jeong Ha-yul quickly defended herself, feeling like she was being called a pig, and continued eating.

Among the physical types, there were few heroes who ate as much as the Jeong sisters, and those two were just unique, but Satan wouldn’t know about Korea’s situation.

“Well, eating well is a good thing. They must have grown strong because they ate so well.”

Maybe even demons have their own version of “rice power,” as Satan smiled contentedly while watching the two eat heartily.

The expedition team also felt that there wouldn’t be an immediate battle with Satan and continued their meal in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Until Jeong Gyeoul spoke up.

“Oh, by the way, are you holding Heukgu and Heukrang captive?”

“…Sigh, Gyeoul.”

“…I almost spit out my food.”

It seemed like Jeong Gyeoul had a condition where she couldn’t help but be direct.

“Aren’t they in Asmodeus’s territory?”

“Oh, really? I guess we’ll have to go there and find them.”

“It’s a good attitude to care for your subordinates. I’ll have my men find out their location.”

“Thank you. But it’s fine. I’ll just go there and beat up some snakes, and they’ll tell me.”

“If that’s the case.”

“…?”

The expedition team couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation.

Did you capture my subordinates?

No? They’re probably somewhere else. I’ll track their location.

It’s fine, I’ll handle it myself.

Okay.

Is this how conversations go between frenemies from different factions?

Jeong Gyeoul’s bluntness and Satan’s nonchalant responses were almost unbelievable.

‘But… if we’re not fighting Satan to rescue Heukgu and Heukrang, then what’s the reason?’

Park Seol-hwa glanced at Jeong Gyeoul.

Usually, she seemed like a kid, but sometimes she acted like she had decades of social experience, which confused her. But in this situation, she had no choice but to trust Jeong Gyeoul.

Jeong Gyeoul was the one who came up with the plan to use Mammon, and she knew the most about the Demon Realm.

She also knew the most about Satan.

Even though Jeong Gyeoul seemed to be mindlessly eating and enjoying her meal, Park Seol-hwa believed that her mind was working hard.

‘Yum! Delicious!’

In reality, Jeong Gyeoul was just mindlessly eating and enjoying her meal.

If Heukgu and Heukrang are in Asmodeus’s territory, we just need to go there and find them.

That means there’s no reason to fight Satan right now.

He welcomed us warmly, answered our questions diligently, and even fed us delicious food.

For now, I decided to enjoy this moment.

***

“Ah, I’m so full.”

The Demon Realm food tasted better than the food in Korea.

It was incomparable to the meal Dantalian had served.

Thanks to that, I overate for the first time in a while.

I ate so much that the chefs and cooks who came with Satan’s army were amazed.

They had prepared enough food for about 15 soldiers, and I even asked for seconds, so it’s understandable.

But it’s not like I ate it all by myself like a pig.

Our expedition team also ate more than usual, so it’s not my fault.

As if to prove it, as soon as we returned to the barracks, everyone lay down.

Their stomachs were bulging, so cute.

Of course, my stomach was the most bulging, but that’s a secret.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“Don’t we have to go to Asmodeus’s territory? Your subordinates are there, right?”

“Hmm… It would be great if we had smartphones right now. We could just call them and tell them to gather at Mammon’s territory.”

“I’ve been curious about this for a while. Gyeoul, have you served in the military?”

“Yeah, of course… I haven’t.”

I almost slipped up.

Throwing such a question at me while I was relaxed after eating.

How sneaky.

“You were called a demon teaching assistant at the academy, something about owls… guerrilla training, PT exercises… They say your batch was almost at the level of soldiers.”

“You can learn all that from YouTube! It’s a smart world now!”

In times like these, selling out my teacher was the most effective.

“True, what kind of 14-year-old has served in the military? I’m the one who’s being ridiculous.”

Thank you, Teacher. You saved me again today.

Actually, it might be okay to tell them that this is my second life…

But I’ve seen too much living as Jeong Gyeoul so far.

We’ve changed clothes together, slept together, bathed together.

If I ever casually mention it, that’s one thing. But if they find out while I’m keeping quiet, it’ll be a mess.

Not knowing what kind of question might pop up next, I quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, we need to go to Asmodeus’s territory. The plan can only start if we have Heukgu and Heukrang.”

“Right, should we go today or tomorrow?”

“Let’s leave tomorrow morning after breakfast. I’ll ask Satan for a carriage.”

“…Looking at it, he’s almost like a pushover. Are we really going to fight him? Maybe we just saved him from being beaten up by others?”

I also wondered if there was some misunderstanding about Serena’s prophecy.

It’s true that he tried to invade the Middle Realm… But I think there’s a high probability that something will happen and we’ll end up fighting him.

“The foot you trust the most is the one that gets hit by the axe.”

“…I think any foot would hurt if it got hit by an axe.”

That’s true.

“Aren’t you the one who trusts Satan the most here?”

That’s also true…

“Well, it’s not like I trust him enough to feel betrayed.”

We have a mutually beneficial, win-win relationship.

We’re basically business partners.

And business partners are the ones who can stab you in the back at any time.

In fact, I’m the one thinking of stabbing him in the back first.

If Satan turns his back, he’s just turning his back, no big deal.

“Anyway, let’s rest for now!”

We’ve been walking since we arrived in the Demon Realm, all the way to Dantalian’s castle.

After eating, we walked some more.

I’m tired, tired, I’m just going to sleep.

‘When I wake up tomorrow, we’ll head to Asmodeus’s territory to retrieve the assets… no, to retrieve our subordinates, then go to Mammon’s territory to threaten… no, negotiate. That’s all we need to do for now.’

When we get back to Korea, I’m going to rest for a year, no questions asked.

I’m going to do absolutely nothing. Seriously.

 

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