DEMON KING'S Love Redemption

Chapter 21

Star-shaped paper lanterns dangled low along the main thoroughfare of the Aethelgard Commercial District, casting a golden-orange glow that shimmered across the cobblestones, still slick from the afternoon rain. The air was a symphony of enticing scents: the sweetness of candied apples, the savory aroma of spiced grilled sausages, and the warm, woody fragrance of cinnamon wafting from the drink stalls. Thousands of revelers milled about, their laughter and song filling the night—a night when the veil between the mortal realm and the celestial wonders was said to be at its thinnest.

Yet, amidst the vibrant swirl of celebration, Vann felt like the most conspicuous anomaly in existence.

He walked with a wooden gait, shoulders tense and head tucked low beneath the hood of his deep blue cloak. Every time he reflexively parted his lips to take a breath, a blinding beam of white light spilled from his mouth, illuminating the pavement before him like a magical flashlight lodged in his throat. The tooth-whitening spell he had botched earlier that afternoon had turned into a social catastrophe unlike anything he had encountered in his thousand-year reign as the Demon King.

"Vann, stop acting like a fugitive on the run from the Inquisition," Freya’s voice rang out playfully beside him.

Vann turned his head slightly, keeping his jaw clamped shut. Freya was breathtaking tonight. Stripped of her silver armor, she appeared far more human—and far more hazardous to Vann’s heart rate. Her blue dress billowed softly in the night breeze, and the star ornaments pinned in her blonde hair sparkled in harmony with the surrounding lanterns.

"I... I just feel like everyone is staring at me," Vann whispered, his voice sounding nasally because he refused to open his mouth.

Freya let out a soft laugh, a melody that sent a strange, pleasant shiver down Vann’s spine. "Of course they’re staring. You’re a man in an expensive cloak whose face lights up like a full moon every time you breathe. If you didn't want to stand out, you probably shouldn't have experimented with light magic you haven't mastered just for a beauty treatment."

"I just wanted to look... my best," Vann muttered. Dammit, he thought. In his former life, he could have leveled a city without breaking a sweat, yet here he was, wanting the earth to swallow him whole just because of some over-caffeinated tooth enamel.

They pushed deeper into the heart of the festival. As the crowd thickened, Vann was forced to walk closer to Freya to keep from being separated. Every time their arms brushed, Vann felt a jolt of heat surge from the point of contact through his entire body. His dark mana, usually cold and tranquil, now churned like molten lava in response to the Holy Hero’s proximity.

"Look at that!" Freya said, suddenly tugging on Vann’s sleeve. She pointed toward a large, crowded stall at the corner of the plaza. "It’s the 'Star Arrow' game. Word that the grand prize this year is an incredibly rare Sky Dragon plushie."

Vann squinted through the throng of people. Perched on the highest shelf of the stall sat a light blue dragon doll with silver wings and large, goofy, yet adorable eyes. He noticed the unmistakable glint in Freya’s eyes—the same look she used to give legendary holy blades.

A Sky Dragon, huh? Vann thought. It looks a lot tamer than the dragons I kept back at Pandemonium Castle.

"You want it?" Vann asked. This time, he opened his mouth just enough to emit a silver glow that lit up the side of Freya’s head.

Freya flinched for a second before offering a thin smile. "Only children want toys like that, Vann. I just think the needlework is quite detailed. As a hero, I have to appreciate the craftsmanship of the people."

Vann knew a defensive lie when he heard one. "Wait here," he said curtly. He marched toward the stall with more resolve than he’d ever shown while invading a human border.

The stall was run by a portly man with a waxed mustache and a distinctly shifty expression. Laid out before him were several small wooden bows and blunt-tipped arrows dipped in colorful paint. The targets were ceramic plates spinning rapidly in the distance, driven by an erratic spring mechanism.

"Only three silver for five tries, young master! My, your... your face is quite luminous!" The proprietor recoiled, shielding his eyes from the glare as Vann approached.

Vann wordlessly slapped the coins onto the counter. He picked up the bow, feeling the cheap, nearly brittle wood in his hand. He could sense the magical tampering around the targets—a faint repulsion field designed to deflect light arrows if they weren't fired with exactly the right force. A classic festival scam.

"Vann, forget it," Freya said, drawing closer to stand behind him. "The game is rigged. You’ll never hit anything with a bow that flimsy."

"Trust me," Vann whispered.

He took his aim. Within his mind, the combat instincts of the Demon King took over. He calculated the rotation speed, the wind resistance, and the interference from the cheating field. He knew he couldn't use his dark mana directly, as that would ruin the charade. He just needed to provide a little physical "nudge."

However, Vann forgot one crucial detail: his emotions were currently a mess. Freya’s proximity, the scent of her floral perfume, and his desperate need to impress her caused his heart to pump mana at an unnatural rate.

Vann drew the bowstring.

Crack.

The wooden bow began to groan, its fibers splintering under the pressure of Vann’s grip. At the tip of the arrow, a tiny bead of pure, cold dark energy began to condense. The glow on Vann’s face shifted from white to a pulsing, deep violet.

"Vann? Why is your aura changing?" Freya asked warily, her hand instinctively reaching for her hip where she usually kept her daggers.

"Just... concentrating..." Vann gritted his teeth.

He released the arrow.

Vann had intended to give the arrow a slight boost. Instead, he unleashed a projectile of pure lethality. The wooden arrow broke the sound barrier instantly, tearing through the air with a deafening sonic boom.

BOOM!