Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 364

Do-Jun got off work two hours earlier than usual, so he decided to come home and make some fresh fruit juice. There was still plenty of time until dinner, so he figured he might as well prepare a light snack for the kids. He tossed strawberries, bananas, and milk into the blender, then poured the mixture into individual mugs.

“Here you go. Drink up,” he said, setting the strawberry-banana milkshake on the table with a clink.

He then immediately rinsed out the blender, as he always preferred to clean things right away.

“Thank you for the shake!”

Byeol picked up her mug with both hands and gulped it down. Half of it vanished in a single breath. Yong-Yong also slurped down his portion from a special container. Well, it was better to call it that than a dog bowl. Next to him sat Baal, as stiff as a fresh army recruit, eyeing the others nervously.

“King of Earth, is... this one for me?” he asked cautiously.

“Yeah.”

Baal had three fist-sized lumps swelling on the back of his head. He lifted his mug, which had a slightly thick, pink liquid. He tilted the mug, cautiously letting the milkshake touch his lips. As soon as he got the taste of it, he chugged it down like a madman. It took less than five seconds for the contents to disappear entirely.

“How was that?” Do-Jun asked.

After cleaning the blender, he sat across from Baal. He gently wiped the juice from Byeol’s lips with a tissue. The ever-so-well-mannered Byeol took her mug and placed it in the sink. Watching this, Baal hurried to follow her lead and placed his mug in the sink before returning to his seat.

“It was... truly, truly excellent,” Baal answered.

“I’m glad. Now, I heard you had something to tell me.”

That’s when Yong-Yong let out a loud belch, cleared his bowl, and waddled over to the sofa to sprawl out. With a lazy swipe of his paw at his backside, he turned on the TV and began watching a drama via the playback feature. Baal, meanwhile, sat blankly, alternately glancing between Do-Jun’s wrist, where Ouroboros was coiled, and Yong-Yong lounging on the couch.

“Go on. If you came all this way, it must be important,” Do-Jun said encouragingly.

There indeed was something quite important, but it wasn’t very important anymore.

Baal sighed. I still need to say it.

He’d come all this way. Even if it felt meaningless, he figured telling Do-Jun was the right thing to do.

“The Demon Assembly will soon convene. Solomon’s Seventy-Two Demons will gather at the Altar to discuss the Great War. As Solomon’s acting authority, I will be presiding over it. And so... King of Earth, I came to inform you, and advise you to prepare for what’s to come...”

Byeol had once learned the word “war” from Kiriel. He had told her that war meant fighting, and it involved tons and tons of people.

She muttered, “But I don’t like fighting...”

She lowered her head sadly. She didn’t understand much of what Baal said, but she knew clearly enough that it meant people were going to fight. She remembered a time at daycare when her friend Ji-Hwan, who had been chosen to be on lunch duty, gave her only two sausages. She’d called him an “idiot” and a “dummy,” and they’d ended up arguing. It made her heart feel heavy. They made up eventually... but she never wanted to feel like that again.

“Fighting makes me sad,” Byeol said in a sad voice.

Do-Jun gently picked her up and held her in his arms, patting her back. He could feel the faint flutter of her heartbeat. After about thirty seconds of quiet pats, she was nodding off, as if her mind were at ease. He carefully laid her down in the bedroom and stepped out into the living room.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said such a thing in front of a child...” Baal said, regretful.

War was a sad thing. Someone always got hurt, and even died. He had once been numb to such thoughts, but lately... he couldn’t help but feel conflicted because someone would inevitably lose someone precious to them.

His heart beat as he thought, Am I... really having these thoughts?

Sacrificing the few for the sake of the many had always seemed like common sense. However, even though he was having these thoughts, wanting to avoid something didn’t mean it could always be avoided. Demons were inherently wicked. They loved war and loathed peace. The evil buried within them would never change.

No... that’s not true.

The fact that he, the highest-ranked among them, was having these thoughts at all was proof enough that things could change. Still, this didn’t mean the others felt the same.

He said, “King of Earth... in any case... once the Demon Assembly ends, I’ll share the outcome with you.”

Whatever the outcome of the assembly is, as long as Ouroboros serves the King of Earth, Solomon has no hope of victory. If the Great War erupts again... I, too, will vanish like a speck of dust.

However, he wasn’t afraid. Even if death awaited at the end of that road, he hoped that his sacrifice would at least lead to peace. Still, he couldn’t let the other demons see what he truly felt. That was what tormented him.

As he was feeling conflicted, Do-Jun said, “Do whatever you feel is right.”

Did Do-Jun sense Baal’s inner conflict? Or was it simply an act of kindness?

“Understood...”

Do-Jun stood up and grabbed his wallet. “Stay here and watch TV with Yong-Yong.”

“No, I should probably be going—”

“Since you’re here, stay for dinner. I’ll pick up something from the store.”

“But...” He glanced over at Yong-Yong, now sprawled on the couch, laughing at the drama. They locked eyes.

“You’ll regret it if you leave,” Yong-Yong said.

“Regret it?”

“Yoon-Hee, the best cook on Earth, will be back later tonight. She’s going to make dinner.”

Baal quietly and promptly sat back down in his seat.

***

From the grotesque bird Baal had sent, Solomon’s demons received word and began gathering at the Altar. The so-called demon lords, rulers of their own strongholds, each commanding armies in the thousands, were figures of immense influence in the Deep Realm.

[The thirty-first demon, Lord Foras, has arrived.]

[The twenty-third demon, Lord Aym, has arrived.]

[The sixteenth demon, Lord Zepar, has arrived.]

Solomon’s demons stepped onto the floor, each standing atop the rank assigned to them. At the same time, pillars rose beneath their feet, each to a different height according to their rank. On the columns, thrones formed with a rumble, and each demon took a seat.

Just as nearly all had arrived, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky. It was the arrival of Baal, the Demon King, the apex of the demons created by Solomon. From the ground beneath his feet, a pillar rose, soaring into the sky. His rank stood far, far above the rest. He was the only one among them who received Solomon’s word directly.

All the demons rose from their seats and dropped to one knee, offering their respect.

Baal looked down from above and asked the scribe assisting with the demon council’s proceedings, “Is everyone here?”

“Everyone is present except the Fifth Demon, Lord Marvas, and the Seventy-Second Demon, Lord Malleus,” the demon acting as the scribe answered.

“The summons should have been delivered,” Baal said.

“Malleus said, um... he’s working at... a comic book café...? So he’s unable to attend. As for Marvas, he’s on his way.”

The other demons started complaining.

“How insolent! How dare he skip the assembly!” 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“The lowest-ranked among us, and yet so arrogant!”

“O Lord Baal! Please punish him under Solomon’s Law!”

At that moment, Baal exuded demonic energy. The air in the hall instantly grew heavy, and the murmuring stopped.

Once the noise quieted and order was restored, Baal asked the scribe again, “Scribe, report in detail. What exactly is this ‘comic book café’?”

“They say he’s working on Earth... lending out something called comic books.”

The moment Baal heard the word Earth, he inhaled sharply. “Sounds busy. Oh well, it is what it is.”

Everyone had expected him to explode in anger, but Baal’s surprisingly understanding tone left the other demons confused. As a few demons were about to raise questions, Marvas appeared from a distance. The air seemed to freeze the moment the Fifth-ranked Great Demon arrived. With the deaths of the second, third, and fourth demons, Marvas was now the only Great Demon aside from Baal.

“You’re late, Marvas,” Baal remarked.

Marvas gave a shallow nod. Truthfully, he had hesitated about attending the assembly at all. After all, he had already given a “tribute” to win favor with the King of Earth. He had no intention of getting involved in the Great War after going through all that trouble.

“Well then, now that everyone is here, let’s begin,” Baal said.

“Yes, my lord.” The scribe waved his hand, and a large map appeared in the air, large enough for all to see.

It showed the currently explored regions of the Deep Realm, excluding the unexplored zones. Demonic territories were marked with skulls, while those of other powerful beings were marked with X’s.

The scribe said, “Er... as many of you already know, Lord Solomon’s resurrection draws near. According to the message Lord Baal received from him...

“Thus, we plan to declare war. Starting from our domain in the northern region, ‘The Burning Flame’...”

The scribe was busy presenting the information, but Baal’s mind was elsewhere. He was still reeling from the lingering aftereffects of the meal he had at Do-Jun’s house a few days ago.

This is driving me insane. I can’t concentrate on this damn meeting.

He decided that once the assembly ended, he’d visit Wei Zhouqi’s place to get another taste of Earth’s food. And just as he was deeply contemplating what to eat next in what may have been the most serious decision of his demonic life, someone raised their hand, halting the meeting. It was the Fifth-ranked Great Demon, Marvas.

“Lord Marvas. Do you have something to say?” the scribe asked.

“Yes. I will not be participating in the war,” Marvas declared.

“What...?”

Murmurs followed.

“What did he just say?”

“Did Lord Marvas just say that he won’t participate?”

“Has he lost his mind?”

Whispers spread in disbelief.

Marvas took a deep breath, then looked toward the empty seats. “Lord Baal, please forgive my sudden interruption. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to say a few words to my fellow demons.”

Baal didn’t respond.

“Lord Baal?” Marvas called once more.

“H-huh? What?”

“I ask your permission to speak freely to my fellow demons.”

“Oh. Granted.”

Marvas slowly swept his gaze across the lower-ranked demons. Then he pointed to the vacant second, third, and fourth seats. “You see those empty seats?”

Everyone did. Obviously.

“Agares, Vassago, Gamygin... they were Great Demons who made their names in the Deep Realm. All of them ranked among the top ten. But ever since they traveled to Earth, they’ve disappeared. You know why? They were struck down by the King of Earth’s blade of judgment because they planned to invade Earth with malicious intent.”

Marvas slowly closed his eyes. “The King of Earth is powerful. Incredibly so. Which is why I surrendered to him.”

Surrender? A Great Demon, born of the great Solomon?

Some demons, not yet grasping the situation, burst into a rage at Marvas’ flippant words.

“What the hell are you saying...?”

“I offered a tribute to the King of Earth. He seemed pleased with me,” Marvas replied.

“Y-you shameless traitor! Have you no pride in front of your kin!?”

However, Marvas kept speaking, unconcerned. “Lately, I’ve been happy. Truly at peace. The best part? I can visit Earth whenever I feel like it. Sometimes, the King of Earth even gives me pocket money.”

Even the scribe, lowest-ranked among the demons, pointed at Marvas and cursed, “Listen to this lunatic!”

“My wish is that none of you join this war either. Let’s all just surrender to the King of Earth. From what I’ve experienced, nothing beats peace,” Marvas concluded.

The scribe clutched his mouth, practically choking.

“Lord Baal! Please say something!”

“That bastard is no longer a Great Demon—he’s the enemy! An enemy!”

Baal, watching this scene unfold, quietly looked away from the glares of the other demons and muttered, “Well... I’m not entirely against it...”