Memories of Him
Memories of him. Roughly a week had passed since then. In that week, the things she had done piled up like a mountain: handling the mountain of accumulated work and searching for Taegi. The last thing she did was think of him and feel a crushing wave of guilt. And so, as usual, she waited for reports to come in.
Then it happened.
The moment she heard those words, her heart sank like a stone. She had known she wouldn’t be able to meet him right away. But she had never imagined they wouldn’t even find a trace of him.
Liris answered in a voice heavy with disappointment.
“I… I see. Keep looking, just in case.”
After ending the call, Liris leaned back in her chair and let out a shallow sigh.
“Haa… Where are you?”
Every single report she had received from her subordinates over the past week had been exactly the same. They hadn’t found him. They hadn’t found any trace of him. Even after hearing it for an entire week, her disappointment only grew heavier.
“Where in the world are you, Taegi?”
She was muttering to herself with her face buried in her desk when—
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone was knocking on the door. There was no need to guess who it was. Liris called out the demon’s name.
“Come in, Seira.”
“Y-yes…”
Seira entered cautiously at her words. Soon after, she glanced around nervously and asked,
“H-have you… received any news that he’s been found?”
At the question, Liris slowly shook her head. Seira’s face crumpled, and tears began to spill down her cheeks.
“Hic…”
Watching her, Liris let out a silent sigh in her heart.
Haa.
How had things come to this?
Before the vote, the Demon Lord’s army had maintained a relatively warm atmosphere. Sure, half of them had indulged in luxury, but that was it. Aside from that, hadn’t they all gotten along well?
No… Looking back, this was bound to happen eventually.
She was one of the perpetrators, so of course she would think that way. From Taegi’s perspective, the stress must have been unbearable. And since the vote itself had been rigged, it was only natural that everything eventually exploded.
“Hic… I… I was the one who voted for Taegi…”
As usual, Seira began to harm herself while wallowing in regret. Then, realizing this wasn’t her own room, she quickly apologized.
“Ah, s-sorry, Liris. This isn’t my room… I must be causing you so much trouble. I already burdened Taegi so much, and now I almost did the same to someone else. I should have shared the burden with Taegi… Anyway, I’ll be going now…”
With those words, she quietly left the room. Once again, Liris was left alone inside.
She stared blankly in the direction Seira had gone.
What should I do now…?
She had wanted to find Taegi and apologize to him with all her heart. Even if he cursed her for it. No matter what, she wanted to go to him in person and apologize sincerely one more time.
But the problem was that they couldn’t locate the person in question. Even after mobilizing the entire Demon Lord’s army, they hadn’t found a single trace of him.
Where on earth is he?
It was time to stop crying. No matter how much she wept, it wouldn’t help her find him. She quickly racked her brain.
We couldn’t find any trace of Taegi in the Demon Realm…
No matter how she thought about it, something felt off. His skills were undeniably exceptional. But even so, evading the surveillance of the entire Demon Lord’s army didn’t make sense. It would be no different from hiding from the eyes of every demon in existence.
Unless… he transformed or something… Wait a second.
At that moment, a flash of lightning crossed her mind. At the same time, Liris recalled a memory she shared with Taegi.
It had been a rainy day one year ago. After finishing her work, Liris was walking back to the Demon Lord’s castle in the pouring rain. That was when—
“Hm? Taegi?”
“You’re back?”
As if he had been waiting outside the castle, he greeted her with a smile. Seeing him like that, Liris broke into a bright, sunny smile.
“What’s this? You knew I was coming and came out to meet me?”
“Well, you were on a pretty tough mission. The least I could do is keep you from getting soaked.”
“Hmmm~”
His thoughtful gesture made her feel strangely happy. She moved closer to him, who was holding an umbrella to shield her from the rain.
He’s usually so dense, but he’s surprisingly perceptive at times like this.
“By the way, have you eaten yet?”
“Huh? Of course not. I just finished work.”
“Then let’s eat together. I haven’t had dinner yet either.”
“You’re going to cook for me?”
“Why? Should I not?”
“Yes! I want the soup you made last time.”
“Sure. There’s nothing better than soup when you need to warm up.”
With that, the two of them started walking. Before long, they arrived at their destination.
“As expected, there’s no one here at this hour.”
“Of course. Most demons don’t eat at this time.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Anyway, just wait here. I’ll make it for you.”
“Okay.”
With those words, he headed into the kitchen. Soon, Taegi appeared wearing a pink apron. Liris couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
He really can be cute sometimes.
The apron he was wearing was actually a gift from her. Since he cooked for himself so often, she had given it to him. Of course, he had complained at the time that pink was too embarrassing.
But he still wears it without complaint.
While she gazed at him with warm eyes, he suddenly stroked his chin and fell into thought.
“Hmm…”
What was it? Were they out of ingredients?
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“No. I was just thinking it would be more efficient to teach you.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll still need to eat even when I’m not around, right? I’m not saying you should only eat what I make, but it wouldn’t hurt to learn, would it? Especially since it’s one of your favorite dishes.”
“That’s true… But why does it sound like you’re about to disappear?”
“It’s… just a figure of speech.”
At those words, Liris narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Taegi deliberately ignored her gaze and pointed to the spot beside him.
“Anyway, come over here. I need to show you properly.”
“Alright.”
It was suspicious, but she decided to follow his instructions. Liris quietly moved to his side. Then Taegi said,
“You see the potato and onion on the cutting board?”
“Yes.”
“Try cutting them with this knife.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Liris grabbed the knife. Just as she was about to bring it down with both hands—
“Kyaaah!”
Taegi struck the top of her head with a chop.
The unexpected attack brought tears to her eyes.
“Why did you hit me all of a sudden?!”
“Who holds a knife like that?”
“Then how am I supposed to hold it?”
“Haa… Watch closely.”
Taegi quietly moved behind her and pressed close. The next moment, she felt the warmth of his body against her back.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Was it because he had suddenly gotten so close? Her heart began to race wildly.
What is this? Why is he pressing against me like this all of a sudden?
While she was panicking internally—
Slide.
As if that wasn’t enough, he placed his hand over the back of hers. In an instant, Liris’s face grew burning hot.
“Ugh…”
“Here. Hold the knife with one hand.”
Completely unaware of her racing heart, he slowly taught her the proper way to grip the knife. With his other hand, he lifted her remaining hand.
“And place your fingertips on top of the ingredient like this.”
Liris found herself mimicking his movements. Taegi continued his explanation.
“Then just cut slowly like this.”
As he spoke, he guided her hand and sliced through the potato. A moment later—
“See? It’s easy, right?”
He stepped back, putting some distance between them. Liris unconsciously let out a disappointed sigh.
“Ah…”
She felt a pang of regret. She wanted to stay pressed against him a little longer. But the demonstration was already over.
That was when a thought occurred to her.
Wait… What if I just pretend I still can’t do it?
It wasn’t exactly the best idea. In a way, she was burdening him. But since he had always willingly taken on her workload, surely he wouldn’t mind a little selfishness like this.
Having made up her mind, Liris turned her gaze to the onion. Looking at him, she asked,
“Taegi, could you show me one more time?”
“Hm? Is it really necessary?”
“I think I need to see it again to get it right.”
“Hmm. Is it because you’ve never handled a knife before?”
“Y-yeah! That’s right! I’m not a swordsman, after all.”
“Well, that’s true. Alright, I’ll show you again.”
With those words, Taegi stayed close to her, teaching her step by step while the soup finished cooking.
Once the soup was ready, the two of them sat down to eat. Even though Liris brought the soup to her lips, she couldn’t taste anything.
And for good reason.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Her heart was still racing from what had happened earlier, leaving no room to register flavor. As she tried to calm her pounding chest, Taegi tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”
Liris shook her head vigorously.
“No. It’s incredibly delicious.”
“That’s a relief. You weren’t saying anything, so I thought it might be bad.”
“I-I was just really hungry, that’s all.”
“Then I’m glad.”
As he said that, Taegi gave her a gentle smile. Seeing that smile made her face burn even hotter. Feeling embarrassed, Liris quickly changed the subject.
“B-by the way, Taegi, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“It’s just… your appearance is pretty much the same as a human’s, right?”
“Well, yeah. Though all I really have are horns and wings.”
“Right. So before you became an executive, didn’t the other demons discriminate against you? It must have been really hard.”
It was something she had wanted to ask him for a long time. Now that his strength was acknowledged, no one dared say anything. But before that, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to face a lot of discrimination.
At her question, Taegi shrugged with a relaxed expression.
“There were some who tried to mess with me, but you know how strong I am, right?”
“Ah. That makes sense.”
“I just beat up anyone who tried, so it wasn’t that difficult. And honestly, I don’t mind this appearance.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because it makes ‘infiltration’ easy.”
“Ah… I suppose that’s true.”
With that, the two of them continued talking and laughing together until their soup grew cold. A completely different ending from the present.
After recalling that memory from the past, Liris gave a faint smile.
Back then, I even made him cook for me.
All because she wanted to be close to him. She had bothered him just for that one selfish reason. Yet Taegi had smiled at her as if it were nothing. Remembering that smile, tears once again welled up in her heart.
But she couldn’t stay like this. She had indulged in memories for a moment, but she needed to focus on the present, not the past.
If he’s not in the Demon Realm, then the place where Taegi would be…
It had to be the Raid Continent. The only place the Demon Lord’s army couldn’t find after several weeks of searching would be another continent.
And for Taegi, living on that side would probably be the easiest option.
Finally, she had a clue about where he might be. It wasn’t a complete answer, but it felt like discovering an oasis in the middle of a desert.
There was definitely that guy on the Raid Continent.
A demon who had once served as Taegi’s subordinate—Gorgius—was currently carrying out a mission in the capital.
Let’s contact him.
Having organized her thoughts, Liris immediately reached out to him. The next moment—
A voice dripping with exhaustion and annoyance rang in her ear. Liris spoke.
“It’s me.”
“I have an order for you.”
Gorgius protested in a voice thick with fatigue. But the moment he heard Liris’s next words—
“I’ve found a lead on where Taegi might be.”
His voice instantly turned deathly serious. Liris affirmed his question.
“Yes. It’s not exact, but I have a pretty good idea.”
“The Raid Continent.”
“I think he’s hiding on the Raid Continent where you’re currently undercover.”
She couldn’t deny it. Honestly, she hadn’t expected someone with demonic energy like him to be hiding on the Raid Continent either.
“Anyway, since Taegi is on the Raid Continent, use the defectors to find him thoroughly.”
“Are you crazy? Never do anything Taegi hates. Unless you want to die by my hand.”
He suddenly asked in a puzzled voice. Liris tilted her head and asked back.
“What?”
“Ah…”
She had been so shocked at the time that she hadn’t given it any thought. Liris pondered for a moment, then nodded.
“That’s one thing, and finding Taegi is another. So do both.”
“Anyway, I have a lot of work piled up too, so I’m hanging up now.”
With that, she ended the call. At the same time—
Rumble.
Dark clouds gathered outside, and then—
Patter, patter, patter, patter!
Rain began to pour down heavily. The sudden downpour reminded her of the time Taegi had come out with an umbrella to greet her. At the same time, she suddenly felt a craving for the soup filled with memories of him.