Bella wanted to facepalm when she remembered what her team leader had said in her previous life: "Hey, Kim Hong-yeon. Where's the criminal?"
He's here!
"No, you can't kill humans!"
Bella had explained this to them so many times that she began to get a headache. She'd been repeating the same thing over and over again like a broken record.
"Then shall I just take out the eyeballs?"
"No! Don't take out their body parts!"
Bella hated this place.
"Can I just bring you leather to eat?"
"No! Leather smells horrible!"
Everyone in the demon world was a beast with a hideous appearance.
Moreover, they smelled horrible.
'Why are these guys around me?'
Everyone in the novel, including the supporting actors, were all handsome. So why was she surrounded by these guys?
Bella was doomed.
But she clung to the hope of being able to travel to the next novel.
Bella recalled what the system staff had said before she entered this novel: "When the novel ends, the staff will decide whether you continue to live there until you die, or if you'll enter another novel.
"If you don't follow the original script, you will be expected to live there until you die."
This would mean that Bella would be a villain who tragically died in the book.
"Now-"
The novel was currently in the year 1163—the year when the male and female lead meet.
Kiel, the emperor's illegitimate child, entered the imperial palace at 15, but just like the current emperor, he was unable to control his magic.
Four years later, he comes out of the palace to collect sacred objects to restore the mana of the imperial family. On his adventures, he would fall in love with the female lead, Rosanna.
'And when that happens, I'll die….'
Bella turned around and used her cell phone to find the scene of her death.
In the novel, Kiel ventures to the underworld and kills the Devil, and by doing so, he is able to restore his mana.
'It's the part where the main character Kiel kills me and pulls out my heart.'
In 1167, Kiel would be 22 years old.
Bella had to hold on until then.
'That's in four years.'
In comparison to her four years at college, this would feel like such a long time. Bella sighed.
Life was hard, no matter where she went.
In her original life, Bella's parents had died young, and her greedy relatives had sought after her inheritance.
Everyone disregarded. Bella and her sister because of their young age.
Nevertheless, Bella was able to pull through thanks to her sister, her only blood relative. They could depend on and take care of each other.
'Can I do this alone?'
When Bella thought about it, she missed her sister and three-year-old nephew.
Initially, Bella had thought it would be nice to enter a novel.
Suddenly, a bright centipede approached me with his feet hidden behind his back.
"Princess, if you don't feel good, can I give you a present?"
"No. Don't give it to me. Don't give it to me!"
"Why, it's the princess's favorite finger necklace-"
The centipede, using his numerous feet, lifted the necklace and held it out to Bella.
"Hahaha…"
She was so dumbfounded that she could only nervously laugh now.
She could hardly stand this grotesque scene.
How would she be able to survive four years here? She couldn't.
Suddenly, the knowledge of the Devil's daughter entered Bella, and she absorbed it like a sponge.
Bella's brain fog receded, revealing methods to harness in mana.
'They're in.'
'Wait a minute. I'm the daughter of the Devil, right?'
Without any power, Bella would have fallen into despair. However, she now had a way to use the magical power of the demon world.
'That's it! I don't need to wait for four years!'
Bella lightly smiled and stretched her arms forward.
She felt as though wings had sprouted from her back. Her eyes grew increasingly red, and the surrounding air fluctuated.
Fortunately, she didn't have to memorize any cheesy spells when using magic.
She gathered all the magical power she could with her fingertips, and a large magical circle surrounded the whole demon world.
Kiel gently pulled aside a colorful curtain of gold embroidery.
The setting sun cast beautiful colors into the sky, which reflected on the numerous windows of the imperial palace.
Everything he could ever imagine was beneath his feet.
Three years ago, Kiel would have never imagined his birth father to be the emperor. After all, he'd been living as a wandering commoner for many years.
But now, he was trapped on top of this castle where the windows were sealed with bars.
The room could only be opened from the outside was more like a prison than a room. Suddenly, Kiel heard a knock from the door behind him.
"Your Highness. We're ready."
Today, things would change. Kiel was disguising himself as a guard and sneaking out with his escort.
"Do we really have to risk this much to collect the holy artifacts?"
"It can't be helped."
He was the only crown prince since the country's father that could not use many. He was the emperor's illegitimate child.
That was Kiel's nickname.
Despite his countless efforts, the label had not fallen off but rather had become worn out.
One could recover their mana by gathering the holy artifacts and receiving the protection of heaven.
There was no other way to prove that Kiel was a member of the Imperial Family.
"Hurry up and meet the twins… "
Kiel was on the way to meet his guards.
Only his closest aides knew of his escape plans.
Suddenly, an arrow zipped through the air toward Kiel.
"…Your Highness!"
Kiel quickly unsheathed his sword and sliced the flying arrow in two.
"There's one enemy. We need to join the twins quickly."
Kiel ran away, knowing that he was being watched from afar.
An arrow brushed past his shoulder with a 'tap' sound.
"Your Highness!"
Fortunately, the wizard hurriedly created a protective shield around Kiel.
"I hit the shield!"
Another guard chased the assassin with an arrow.
"Let's start with the treatment."
"It's okay to get out."
This was Kiel's first time outside in three years, but he didn't seem to be welcomed anywhere.
How hilariously disappointing.
Kiel had grown tired of his monotonous day-by-day life, but he had no choice but to bear the weight of the world on his shoulder.
Suddenly, a blinding light filled the world and lit up the night.
***
A strong wind engulfed Bella, but surprisingly, nothing happened.
It didn't happen.
The smelly creatures were still staring at Bella with their beady eyes.
'Did it not work?'
Bella awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.
She had used magic for the first time.
The plan had been to speed up time until four years later when she could fulfill her original role. Then, she could happily move on to the next novel.
Unlike when she had first entered Bella's body, she couldn't feel the sensation of magic twisting her body.
'What's going on?'
Bella felt strange, and as she looked around, she realized she was much smaller.
But the clothes she was wearing hadn't changed, and the burdensome creatures were still staring at her.
'Do I get smaller if I use a lot of magic?'
I asked the people in front of me, "What year is it in the human world?"
"It's the year 1153!" someone replied from afar.
Oh, but that wasn't the answer Bella wanted.
Bella asked again, "Say it again. What year is it now?"
"It's 1153!"
"Mhm. No. Say it again."
"1153-"
Bella gave the guy next to her a hard time. "Hey! You tell me! What year is it now?"
"1153! I'm sure of it!"
"No! Are you guys unable to count?"
Bella seemed to be listening to the nagging of her team leader in her previous life: "Kim Hong-yeon! What are you doing? Work harder!"
Bella flung herself to the floor and began to pound the ground with her fist.
'And this is why I died in my brilliant twenties.'
She had been too greedy.
***
Kiel sighed and opened his eyes, but nothing was visible in the darkness he was surrounded by.
"…sigh."
His head throbbed, and he struggled to hold back a groan.
In this situation, he had to stay calm.
'I'm sure there was a light-'
That night, a flash of light had gone through the sky. If Kiel had worn the shield, he wouldn't have been harmed. But he hadn't worn it.
Kiel wet his lips as he carefully groped the floor with his hands.
He heard a clang. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Kiel was able to make out something around his hand.
'A chain?'
His eyes followed the chain, which wrapped around his ankles with cold shackles.
Something was strange.
"...?"
Kiel looked down and touched his body in embarrassment.
It was a child's body.