Myths Reawakened

“Don’t be ridiculous. How could the Lord of Envy, a demon with such grand ambitions, be so narrow-minded? He must have sent you to the human world to dominate the world. Think again. Did you remember the mission wrong?”

“Um, maybe I have.”

“It’s not a maybe. You have remembered wrong.”

“You’re right. I must have remembered wrong. I must do my best to open the Gate of Hell and welcome the great Lord of Envy to the human world,” Milne said slowly.

Noticing his selfish motives, Forest frowned slightly. Both the demons and the angel in Hell wanted to dominate the human world, but the world was only so big. If it were dominated, where would Pride find his fun?

It wasn’t a big problem, though. Even if he did nothing, the deep waters in Londan would drown Milne. Only it would take some effort.

Forest looked out of the window at the bustling city before looking at the secretaries in his arms. He was happy now, far happier than he had been as a demon lord in Hell. He also had expectations for his future. He didn’t want to see the city ruined due to the conflicts between angels and demons.

After some consideration, he came up with a plan. With a strand of thoughts, he stole from the Ministry of Magic’s headquarters.

“Here’s a mirror space barrier. Start a fight there rather than looking elsewhere. I’ll tell you the correct procedure for dominating the human world.” Forest smiled. “First, defeat all the strong individuals. Only after they are all killed, leaving regular people with no one to rely on, would they pray for demons’ mercy...”

“Second, demonstrate your goodwill, but not too much...”

Forest taught him a top demon lord’s experience in world domination. Though it was an outdated version, many teachings remained applicable.

“What’s your name?”

“Milne.”

“Milne, you’re just as capable as the Lord of Envy. Though your power may fall a little short, you’re strong enough to replace a known demon. Do you know why he never lets you go and allows you your own territory?” Forest said in temptation, whispering in Milne’s ear. “The reason’s simple: he envies your talent!”

“The Lord of Envy envies my talent?” Milne asked in confusion.

“Yes, he envies you and needs you. Without you, he has nothing. You’re deceived. You could’ve been greater rather than staying in his shadow, wasting your time without a direction.”

Forest seemed to be speaking directly to his soul: Wake up, Milne. The Lord of Envy is gaslighting you!

The whispers of a demon—no, a great demon lord—were incredibly effective, more so than Wayne’s nonsense. Milne immediately confronted himself and concluded that his talent had been suppressed by the Lord of Envy. He was a combination of an angel and a demon. He should be more extraordinary and own a greater territory in Hell. He deserved to dominate the human world and achieve greater things than the Heavenly Father!

That’s a bit much. Unrealistic fantasies could be bad for you. Forest’s eyes twitched. He wondered if he had pushed too far. The kid had turned into a daydreamer because of him.

Be it human or demon, everyone should be working toward one small goal at a time rather than shooting for the stars at once. It was too far-fetched and unreachable, and the dreamer was doomed to falter mid-flight and end up dying from the free fall!

It wasn’t much of a problem, though. Forest didn’t care about Milne. Another’s familiar dying wouldn’t hurt him.

“Milne, you should know what you need to do after all I’ve said.”

“World domination!” The confusion in Milne’s eyes faded, replaced by a knowing glint.

Forest nodded in satisfaction. “As far as I know, the most powerful person in Londan is named Wayne. He’s so powerful that the Śār and the Lord of Lust alike have to beg for mercy under his torment. As long as you take him out, you’ll be able to dominate the human world.”

“Wayne...” Milne muttered the name in confusion. It sounded familiar. It seemed to be the same name he had found in the Republic of Erland and the target of his mission...

Wait, why had he come to the human world?

“You’ve come to the human world to dominate the world. Why are you overthinking again?” Forest dispersed his confusion and reaffirmed his goal with tempting words. “I’ll give you the mirror space barrier. Do your best. Once you take out Wayne, you’ll be the strongest in Londan. If you encounter a powerful angel beside him, don’t be confused. It’s because...”

“Because what?”

“You have to figure it out on your own. You’re a hellish angel about to conquer the world. You can’t ask others every time you encounter a problem. You have to be more prideful.”

Forest dismissed Milne carelessly, hashing out only the framework and leaving Milne to fill in the flesh. Once the setup was complete, he kicked Milne out and had him stay far away from Londan. If Milne even brought down a tree in the city, he should be ready for Forest to turn on him.

To protect Londan from being destroyed by demons, the leading demon had been working hard.

After the black car drove away, Milne stood frozen.

“Milne, what are you waiting for? You said that you were going to the next street after this one. Don’t drag this out,” Dion said with a scowl.

Lucy blinked at them. Shopping was a lot of fun, so even she was getting addicted.

“What nonsense are you spouting, Dion? Lord Envy didn’t send us to the human world so that you can have fun. You must have fallen to say something like that!” Milne snapped, confusing Dion thoroughly.

“You were the one who—”

“Shut up. I’m in charge now!”

Milne had them toss the bags and led them out of Londan immediately, unleashing his demonic energy to lure the strongest individuals in Londan.

His sudden change in attitude left Dion lost, but he didn’t say anything. He had no complaint as long as Milne got on with his mission.

***

In the laboratory, Wayne had collected all the data and called the experiment a day. Juno slowly opened her eyes, staring at her hands with pleasant surprise in her beautiful eyes.

Power! Power she had never had before!

Greater still was the potential brought about by the awakening of divine blood. Juno felt like she had gained the power to look down at everyone and everything in the world. She would be able to drive the Lando family out of Windsor and take back the country.

From now on, Auston would be her mother’s slave, and Wayne would be her tool to produce an heir. They would be on top instead, forcing the father and son to work for them.

They should’ve done this long ago!

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Juno—”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not? Ha, then what’s that grin on your face?” Wayne huffed. “The experiment has only just begun. I stopped earlier because your body temperature was rising too much. Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.”

“I can get stronger still?” Juno asked in surprise.

“You can.” Wayne nodded. The Windsor family had inherited Saint George’s blood, giving them incredible potential. He wondered which god Kristen’s divine blood had come from, and how she compared to Juno.

After some consideration, he asked, “You’re not going anywhere until the experiment is over. You can’t contact anyone, and I mean anyone.”

Juno’s plan immediately dispersed. She looked at Wayne with disbelief. “You know what I’ll do after my divine blood evolves. Why are you helping me?”

“Windsor’s situation isn’t as terrible as you think. The fact that you left Londan alive is the best proof. Auston and the Queen have rekindled their relationship, so I may have to call you older sister in the future.” Wayne seized the chance to frame Auston further. It had become a habit of his.

Juno had been mentally prepared for her mother’s remarriage, so not only was she not surprised, but she found the revelation completely reasonable. With a thoughtful sound, she said, “Little Brother, if I bear your child in our union, Windsor will be ours rather than my mother and your father’s.”

As expected of you, you never stop thinking about becoming queen.

Wayne huffed, throwing Juno a disapproving look. He pointed at his own chest and said, “We don’t match here.”

“So? I’m not after your heart. I don’t like men.”

Wayne was speechless. Juno had grown up in the royal family, so she saw things so differently from him that they lacked common ground.

“So? Are you tempted?” Juno jumped down from the worktable and came up to hold his arm. “Don’t worry. You’re free to keep messing around, and I’ll do the same. I won’t interfere with your private life. Besides...”

She breathed into Wayne’s ear. “Prince Consort, my fiancé, Alistair, is pretty, isn’t she?”

(一`´一;)

He took that back. Though he and Juno were of different sexes, they shared the same hobby and many common interests.

“Are you in or not? Tell me!”

“I’m not. I have a fiancée.”

“...”

Wayne broke free of Juno’s grip and walked away, leaving Juno rolling her eyes on her own. He not only had a fiancée, but also a lover, a girlfriend, a secretary, and many more. Did he keep rejecting her because he was at his limit? Ha!

After leaving the laboratory, Wayne went into the sewer and summoned Shadow Nightmare and Julia, rushing to suburban Londan as quickly as he could by opening portals.

Mona had messaged him. She found the demon.

***

Suburban Londan.

In the transitional phase after autumn, the serene blue sky was adorned with a few grey clouds, heralding the soon-to-come winter chill. The trees and plants had yellowed, and the leaves on the branches had become sparse, swaying in the cold wind. Away from the bustle and prosperity of the city, it was eerily quiet.

When he saw his secretary’s back, Wayne went up to her and patted her on the bottom. “What’s going on? Why would the demon avoid people? Have you seen wrong?”

(눈‸눈)

Hesione stared. She could clench her teeth and endure the pat. With an unchanging expression, she said in Mona’s tone, “Sense it, Boss. There is a barrier set up by the demon in the area. This doesn’t seem like an attack, but an invitation to a duel. Be careful. The demon isn’t an easy opponent.”

Hesione knew demons, at least more so than Wayne. He wasn’t going to argue with her judgment. With a deep breath, he said, “I don’t care what conspiracy the demon is brewing. A fight here is better than in downtown Londan. I should be thanking the demon!”

“How?”

“By sending them back to Hell!” Wayne said without hesitation.

Hesione nodded in secret. She disliked Wayne, very much so. She couldn’t find anything about him that was agreeable to her. However, she had to admit that she approved of his attitude toward demons.

Wayne gave her bottom a hard slap. “Come on. What are you waiting for?!”

Hesione shuddered, grinding her teeth together as she followed Wayne. She swore that she would step—

Bah! She swore that she would kill him!