Chapter 58 : Enhen (1)

My mind went blank white.

The only solace I could find was the immense relief that Caspar wasn’t witnessing this spectacle.

“Ah. Ugh… E-Enhen.”

What should I say?

I had barely prepared any words beforehand. Amusingly, it was because I kept procrastinating.

“Yes. I’m here. Go on, sister.”

What is this?

Did I vaguely think it would be okay?

Hearing Enhen became the Succubus Queen. I thought she was living relatively well. So… I vaguely thought.

That Enhen had forgiven me, or held no particular grudge against me.

Complacently and foolishly.

“…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

My sister’s expression was glacial.

The Enhen remaining in my memory was a kind younger sister who smiled readily at everyone and listened obediently to her older sister’s words.

But now, she seemed to have become a completely different person.

All. My fault.

“Your, your soul. Selling it. I’m sorry. Enhen. Truly. Sorry…”

*Thump.*

My trembling body bent, and I knelt.
My forehead touched the ground, my head placed right before Enhen’s feet.

Then, using a special sense, I probed Enhen’s presence.

She crossed her legs, scanning me with intrigued eyes.
Though seemingly calm, as Enhen’s older sister, I could read her expression.

Contempt, hatred, and undeniable agitation surfaced on Enhen’s face.

“Ha. Cheap tricks. It’s obvious you’re reading my face with soul vision. I’m a Great Demon too, you know.”

…Right.

A feeling of ‘oops’ struck me.

A special ability gained after becoming a demon.
Absolutely, absolutely no intention to deceive Enhen, but… from Enhen’s perspective, she might think I was trying to trick her.

“Th-That’s… Um, just. Naturally-”

“Naturally. Yes, I believe you. Since deceiving others was your daily routine, sister, maybe you lost your mind again and tried to trick me.”

*Squelch.*

Enhen stepped on my head with her bare foot.
Dirt entered my mouth, but I couldn’t dare lift my head.

“But. It’s, surprising. You’ve changed a lot, sister.”

“…”

Perhaps Enhen did something; I could no longer use soul vision.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t see anything and had to feel my blood run cold, awaiting her judgment.

Perhaps. She’s agitated.
Knowing Enhen’s personality, I… could roughly guess her feelings.

“Sister. Sister, what do you know to guess my feelings! What. What do you know!”

The pressure on my head intensified, making it ache, but my heart paradoxically felt slightly eased.

‘…She had the ability to read thoughts. Is it because she’s the Succubus Queen? Zamiel had a similar ability too.’

Sorry. Enhen.

Truly.

“If. If you were that sorry, you should have just hung yourself the day after selling me.”

‘I tried to die.’

‘Thought about suicide many times, but couldn’t bring myself to attempt it.’

‘Thinking of you, dragged to hell in my place. That’s why I couldn’t die. I tried to get you back somehow, but it was all futile.’

‘Caspar died too. And the retainers and subjects I could have saved died trying to fulfill my unreasonable demands.’

‘Sorry. I should have just died back then.’

“Lies. I saw, everything. Saw everything. Saw you laughing and flirting with brother Caspar.”

…Right.

That was a miracle. Resurrection, apparently, exists too.

“Why! Why on earth!”

Enhen’s face contorted.
She kicked me over with her foot. Then grabbed my hair and met my eyes.

She was crying.

Enhen. My, lovely… sister.

With tears welling in her beautiful sapphire eyes. Tears streamed down.

“You shouldn’t. Sister, you shouldn’t do that. You shouldn’t feel sorry.”

Barely standing up on trembling legs, I took out a clean handkerchief and wiped Enhen’s tears.

-Slap!

“Don’t! Don’t, don’t do that. Sister. How could you do this to me? Huh?”

A sharp voice burst out.
The queen’s composed facade crumbled, revealing Enhen’s bare face at last.

Familiar. Because I was like that too.

“You promised, you’d protect me. So I believed you, your flimsy words that you’d chase me to the ends of hell and protect me.”

…Right.

I acted like the protagonist of the world.
Made empty promises to someone more important than anyone else.

And so, left an indelible scar.

“Did you know? In hell, the flow of time is slightly different. Though less than you, sister, I’m probably older than brother Caspar.”

“…”
I couldn’t say anything.
Enhen, raised like a precious jewel. Enhen, who, because of her foolish older sister, never experienced hardship or difficulty.

How hard must it have been?

“I waited for about three years. That bastard Zamiel must have been scared of you too, sister, because he was busy running away and didn’t touch me. After that… I gave up. On many things.”

Tattoos were visible all over Enhen’s body.

Pink brands drawn on her collarbone, stomach, pelvis… looked excessively obscene.
Combined with Enhen’s revealing attire, they evoked horrific imaginations.

“It’s what you’re thinking, sister. Thinking back, I wasn’t treated *that* harshly in that way. Anyway, my mind isn’t twisted, I’m still sane, right? Even in reality, people’s minds break under proper torture.”

*Tap.*

Enhen’s slender finger touched my belly.

Was it an illusion?
It felt like I could hear the heartbeat of the baby I carried.

“…Enhen.”

With difficulty, I opened my mouth and lifted my trembling head.

This. This isn’t right.

“Why? You said you were sorry?”

My sister’s bare face was no longer visible.
I guessed Enhen was trying to take hold of my mind.
A power only the highest-ranking Mongma could wield.

How much hardship must Enhen have endured to gain that ability?
Having partially acquired demonic authority myself, I could guess the process.

Right now, it merely obstructs my vision, but if this continues, my mind will completely pass over to Enhen.

I didn’t resist.

.
.
.

“Sister. If you’re truly sorry to me… Show me with actions.”

An alluring voice is heard.
But I couldn’t tell where it came from.

However. I could guess this was inside a dream.
I was dreaming while standing.

I bowed to Enhen, begging for forgiveness.

“Enhen. I won’t say I can give… everything. My sovereignty belongs to Caspar. B-But still, I can yield Caspar’s side to you. So, please… Stop this.”

‘Not the baby. The fruit of my love. Proof that the love shared with Caspar wasn’t an illusion.’

“…”

Enhen said nothing.
Merely caressed my belly slowly.
Enhen’s face wasn’t visible.
Painted over with pitch-black darkness, she was still beautiful and lovely.

Yes. Lovely.

“Really? Then it should be okay to continue?”

I wanted to shake my head.

My beloved, truly beloved sister’s hand… but precisely because of that, I couldn’t let her commit the sin of patricide against the unborn.

“Liar.”

…Right.

Just. I just didn’t want my baby to die.
Because Caspar would be sad.

‘Sorry I no longer like you most in the world… Enhen.’

“…That’s a bit. Disappointing.”

-Shaaa.

Something emanated from Enhen’s hand and entered my womb.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to block it.

“Ah, no!”

But, it couldn’t be blocked.

Eyes wide open, I tried to discern what Enhen had put inside my belly.

“…Huh?”

A familiar energy.
Something everyone in the Land of Prosperity possessed, except Caspar.

Blessing.

Suddenly. I saw Enhen smiling.
With tear tracks remaining, Enhen smiled.

“Ahaha. Sister. Would I really do such a bad thing to my niece/nephew? I’m not you, sister.”

There was a barb in her words.
But I felt no inclination to pick on it.

Stammering, I barely managed to ask her.

“…What. Was that, just now.”

Enhen replied with a relieved expression.

“Blessing of Love. Gave you a degraded version on purpose, but it should still be useful.”

A familiar name.
It was the name of the blessing Enhen received at birth.

The blessing to be loved by everyone.
The blessing that made me, who couldn’t love anyone, consider the Land of Prosperity my second home.

“Why this… This is incredibly precious.”

It couldn’t be described as merely precious.
In the Land of Prosperity, a blessing was literally like a natural-born right.

Besides, I didn’t even know blessings could be inherited like this…

“I was scared. I know my blessing too. Afraid that you might hate me enough to overcome this blessing, sister. And, afraid that your apology might just be because of this blessing.”

Enhen’s mask completely fell away.
Only then did I understand. The reason she used the Mongma’s power.

Blessings don’t work in dreams.

“So I tested you, sister. I know how well you deceive yourself, so just reading surface thoughts wasn’t enough. I wanted to face you purely, without anything.”

*Thud.*

Enhen took a step closer. The dream shattered.

*Thud.*

Enhen took another step closer.
Through my hazy mind, I saw my sister who had come right before me.

“But. It was real. You really… were sorry. You loved me more than I expected.”

*Thud.*

And. Half a step.

My sister, reunited after who knows how many years, hugged me.

“So. I don’t need blessings like this. Because I confirmed… it’s okay without blessings.”

Tears flow.

Sorry. And sorry again, and sorry.

“Sorry. Should have, should have found you earlier. Putting aside other things first. Should have confirmed your safety.”

How hard and difficult must it have been in that hell?
It was unbelievable that she still believed in me amidst all that.

“Actually. I didn’t believe you either. Thanks to that, I even brought lots of torture devices.”

The joke was slightly chilling.
We stayed like that for a while, embraced.

Enhen folded a handkerchief in half and wiped my tears.
It was the handkerchief I gave her earlier.

Both sides of the handkerchief were stained with the sisters’ tears.

“…I’m back. Sister.”

Floundering in indescribable emotions, I listened to my sister’s words, panting.

Reply. Yes. Must reply.

Reunited with my sister after who knows how many years.

How long passed? I finally found the words to say and let them out.

Since I hadn’t thought about reuniting with my sister at all, the words coming from my mouth were also utterly inadequate.

“…Welcome back.”