Kidnapped Princess C2

Chapter 2

“The Lord specifically emphasized darkness. What could that possibly mean?”

Everyone present already had an idea, which was why their faces looked grim. Murmurs filled the room as they huddled together, whispering about what to do.

“Your Majesty, darkness can only refer to the demons. And the final line… ‘He shall rule the world’—we cannot take that lightly.”

A suffocating silence fell among the nobles. Then, someone spoke up in a hushed voice.

“I have heard that, on rare occasions, children of mixed blood between humans and demons are born.”

“Such blasphemous words must not be spoken!”

The nobles shuddered, violently rejecting the thought that flashed through their minds.

“Indeed! What an outrageous statement! How could a child tainted with demonic blood possibly be loved by God and the Hero? There has only ever been one Hero blessed by the Sun—our lord Apellius himself! The prophecy must be wrong—”

The Pope, who had been listening in silence, clenched his fist and slammed it down upon the table with a thunderous crack.

“Are you doubting our great God?”

At the killing intent radiating from the Pope, the nobles immediately shut their mouths tight. The king raised a hand, calming the room before asking,

“Pope, what say you?”

“I follow only the will of God. It is the duty of the clergy to proclaim His prophecy, and that is what I have done. Now, I shall take my leave.”

The Pope rose smoothly, stating that his sole purpose had been to deliver the tablet and its translation. The priests lined up behind him and exited in orderly fashion. The nobles clicked their tongues in irritation as they watched them go.

“What is it with those priests? They’re all the same, every one of them.”

“Does that matter now? We must think about how to deal with this situation. Your Majesty, now that the prophecy has been delivered, we must prepare. Are you truly considering war?”

The memory of Halstel’s wrath and the demons’ invasion still haunted humankind.

The demons—those mysterious beings who lived hidden within the Black Forest—had once fled from human sight. Occasionally, one of them would cause trouble in the human realm, but they were swiftly found and destroyed, reduced to dust beneath the sacred light.

Thus, humanity had come to regard demons as weak—incapable of resistance. But that perception shattered three hundred years ago. The war had shown otherwise. The demons dreamed. They aspired to become the rulers of the world.

And so, they had hidden their identities and grown stronger in secret. Countless humans died as a result. The chaos of that time was meticulously recorded—the helpless slaughter of innocents, the loss of half their territories.

The king furrowed his brow deeply, his expression grave. Then, with solemnity, he spoke.

“Of course we must protect our lands. This is a divine trial sent by God Himself. The emphasis on darkness is a sign—a warning that we must prevent this dark future! We must defend our world against evil!”

At his words, the nobles all stood, emboldened. One of them added fervently, reinforcing the king’s resolve.

“Is that not the very reason the Hero was born in the first place?”

It sounded righteous, draped in noble rhetoric—but the truth was simple. None of them wanted to lose their thrones.

So strike first. That was their logic.

Convinced that “the one bearing darkness” must refer to a demon, the nobles of the Apellius Empire resolved to overturn the prophecy through war.

After all, they believed that as the children of divine light and heirs to the Sun’s blessing, they were the rightful rulers of this world.

“What the hell is with that self-serving interpretation?”

Watching the entire meeting unfold through a crystal orb, I could only let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the nobles riling each other up, chanting, “For the glory of God!”

“And what’s this nonsense about the power of evil? When have we ever wronged them?”

“Show them your might, my Lord! Crush those worthless humans beneath your feet!”

“…Why do you sound the most excited about this?”

I stared blankly at Elvin, who was practically glowing as he shouted for human annihilation.

“Did you always hate humans?” I thought to myself. Then, reflecting on it, I realized—he did. To be more precise, he despised weakness. Perhaps it was simply in a demon’s nature.

“But… it is strange, my Lord. You say the humans call it ‘the Demon King’s child,’ yet how could you have a child when you’ve never taken a wife?”

I shot him a cold glare. He wasn’t wrong, but somehow, hearing it out loud was deeply unpleasant. The fact that I’d been single for three hundred years didn’t help.

“You’re one to talk! You’re not married either!”

“I shall grow old and die by your side, my Lord!”

“Can you not say that with such pride?! For the love of everything, go live your own damn life!”

I trembled as I shouted at him. I’d never understood Elvin—ever since the moment I’d arrived in this world. He’d taken it upon himself to serve me, simply because he had never met anyone stronger than himself. That was three hundred years ago, and he had clung to me like a shadow ever since.

Then, as though struck by revelation, Elvin exclaimed,

“Of course! The prophecy must refer to you, my Lord! Were you not sent to us by God Himself?”

“That…! That can’t be…!”

I tried to shout in denial, but when I thought about it, the interpretation wasn’t exactly wrong. I had once been human, after all.

And though I wouldn’t call it love, the god did show me a certain… degree of favor.

“It said someone will be born. That means it hasn’t happened yet.”

“Then your destined partner must be a human! I cannot accept this! How could such a weak species be the Demon King’s mate? They’ll die within a century!”

“Death from a short lifespan has nothing to do with weakness. And besides, the prophecy hasn’t even come true. I have no intention of following it anyway. There isn’t a single human here—the miasma alone would kill them in minutes. Unless I personally go to the human realm to find a bride, there’s no way my partner would be human.”

But my words fell on deaf ears.

“Then the one spoken of in the prophecy is you, my Lord! As the words of God proclaim, it is your destiny to rule the world! When you take dominion, your legacy shall endure through the ages! This prophecy is God’s revelation to the humans—that the world rightfully belongs to you!”

It wasn’t only humans who twisted prophecies to their liking. Elvin was now grinning like a zealot, arms raised high in worship. I snorted.

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

A demon praising God—it was a sight that could be easily misunderstood.

But just as humans believed that God was on their side, the demons had come to believe the same. Funny, isn’t it? Even I found it absurd. Those who once raged that they’d never bow to divine will had begun to worship Him because of me, convinced He was their ally.

No, you idiots, He’s not on anyone’s side. He’s the type who says He loves everyone equally—and causes a headache for everyone in the process!

I pressed my throbbing temples, recalling what had caused that cursed prophecy to descend in the first place.

Just a week ago…

While I slept, He had appeared in my dream.

[Don’t you have something you want now? I feel so bad for everything before… You’re my benefactor, after all! Go on, tell me!]

Knowing Him far too well, I didn’t trust a single word. Any “reward” or “gift” from Him always came with trouble.

You might wonder—since I was summoned to this world by His hand, asked to save the Demon Realm, and succeeded in sealing the Mad Dragon Halstel—why didn’t I just ask to go home?

Believe me, I did.

I was scammed!

I’d already asked! But every time I brought it up, He dodged the question with that fake divine smile. He claimed He’d used too much power bringing me here, that returning me to my world would take time—too much power, He said. And besides, time has already passed there, He added.

The despair I’d felt then was beyond words. Out of guilt—or so He said—He promised He’d send me back when He had the strength. But when that would be? He didn’t say.

I often wondered if I’d ever return before I died. But even if I did—what would be the point? Everyone I’d cared for would be long gone. I’d been comatose before I came here.

Not that I told Him that. A petty part of me wanted Him to waste His power for nothing.

And I swore to myself then—never again would I ask Him for anything.

That was why, when He offered me “a reward,” I didn’t believe Him. But He wouldn’t stop pestering me.

I’d yell at Him to leave me alone, or ask Him to do something useful—like remodel my castle, give my people sunlight, or let plants grow in this poison-soaked land.

And He actually did those things. Wasn’t that enough?

But no—every single time, He’d say,

[That’s too small a request for God! I’ll do it for free!]

[Sunlight? Of course! That’s a freebie!]

Every follow-up was the same ridiculous nonsense.

What do I have to ask for to finally make you go away?!

So it went—refusal after refusal, request after request. And still, He’d return, saying, That doesn’t count as your reward!

Recently, I’d run out of things to ask for, and His visits had only grown more frequent. Out of sheer frustration, I’d snapped—

“Then let me meet my destined partner or something.”

It had been an offhand remark—something I’d blurted out after hearing Elvin nag about producing an heir again.

I’d been single for far too long, anyway.

[Your destined one! That’s something only I can reveal! Excellent choice! In fact, your fated partner has already been born!]

What?

Before I could even question Him, He vanished with a cheerful pop.

I should have known something was wrong the moment He left without whining or making demands.

“…A destined partner, my ass. And now He’s dropped some ridiculous prophecy.”

My head throbbed just thinking about the aftermath.