I Was Supposed to Be the Demon King, but They Made Me Save the World

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Velisara Nath stood at the center of it all, her golden eyes burning with an otherworldly radiance. The once still night trembled beneath her presence, the ground humming with restrained power.

Mr. Smith swallowed hard. He had seen her strength before. He had witnessed the devastation she could bring.

But tonight, she was different.

Colder. Sharper. Unforgiving.

Her voice cut through the thick silence.

"Why, Smith? Why are you trying to harm this boy?"

Smith's body tensed. His instincts screamed at him to lower his gaze, but he forced himself to meet her eyes.

"M-my lady… I thought this boy—" His voice faltered, the weight of her aura pressing against his lungs. "I thought he was deceiving you. Manipulating your kindness. So I—"

"So you decided?"

The temperature plummeted.

Velisara took a slow step forward, her presence expanding with an unseen force that sent cracks running through the earth beneath her feet. The very air around her began to fracture, as if it could no longer contain the power she wielded.

"Since when did you start making decisions, Smith?" she continued, her voice eerily composed, yet brimming with something lethal beneath the surface.

"I may no longer be your queen, but I made myself clear—you do not interfere in my affairs."

Smith gritted his teeth, sweat beading along his temple.

"My lady, it was a mistake! But I swear, this boy—he's dangerous! His abilities—"

"Enough."

The word struck like a hammer, crushing the air between them.

Lightning crackled at her fingertips, golden arcs dancing wildly as if mirroring her barely contained fury.

"He looks like a child, does he not? Fourteen, fifteen at most. How strong could he possibly be?"

Velisara's tone was sharp, but there was something else buried beneath it.

Something dangerous.

Her eyes, glowing brighter now, locked onto Smith's trembling form.

"Yet somehow he dodged bullets from a beast weapon. Didn't he?"

Smith flinched.

"And you still tried to kill him."

The realization settled in his bones like ice.

This was no reprimand. This was a judgment. A sentence.

The pressure grew unbearable, the golden glow in Velisara's eyes reaching a blinding peak. The very air fractured around her, like the universe itself was bending to her fury.

Smith instinctively lowered his head, ready to accept whatever fate she had chosen for him.

And then—A shift.A shadow moved.A figure stepped between them.The golden glow flickered.

Velisara's sharp gaze dropped, now focused on the boy standing before her.

Baldwin.

His expression was unreadable, his crimson eyes catching the golden glow of hers.

No fear. No hesitation.only amusement.As if he had been waiting for this exact moment all along.

Velisara's overwhelming aura slowly faded, the suffocating air around them settling into an eerie stillness. The golden glow in her eyes dimmed, though the cold sharpness of her gaze remained.

Baldwin took a small step forward, his expression shifting into one of innocence. His crimson eyes softened, his lips curving into a faintly apologetic smile.

"Mom... I didn't know if I should interfere or not, but I think you shouldn't hurt him." His voice was gentle, filled with just the right amount of hesitation. "He was just worried about you."

Velisara's gaze flickered, but she said nothing.

Baldwin continued, tilting his head slightly. "It's okay. I was lucky to dodge those bullets, but... I don't think he was actually trying to kill me. If he really wanted me dead, I wouldn't be standing here, right? Maybe he was just testing me."

His words, carefully measured, hung in the air.

Velisara's expression relaxed just a fraction, but the cold weight of her presence still lingered.

"Listen, Baldwin." Her voice remained steady, carrying an underlying authority that could not be ignored. "I don't know your past, but I let you live under my roof. I let you call me 'Mom.'"

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Then why did you come out here alone?"

Baldwin dropped his gaze, letting just enough guilt seep into his features.

"I'm sorry, Mom." His voice was small, remorseful. "I thought I shouldn't disturb your rest. I heard something fall outside the kitchen, so I just went to check."

He glanced up briefly, his expression perfectly crafted—earnest, a little shaken, but still the same 'innocent' child Velisara had taken in.

A long silence stretched between them.

Then, at last, Velisara let out a quiet sigh.

"It's fine. Just for tonight." Her voice had lost its sharp edge, though traces of her earlier coldness still lingered. She turned away, the golden hue of her eyes fading completely.

"Come. Let's head back."

Baldwin nodded obediently, his lips curving into a slight smile before he followed.

As they walked, Velisara added, "Tomorrow, we'll need Mr. Smith to sell our beast crystals." Her tone was casual now, as if the entire confrontation had never happened.

Behind them, Mr. Smith remained frozen in place, still on his knees, his breath unsteady.

He did not move. Did not dare to.

Not until Velisara Nath had disappeared into the shadows of the forest—taking that terrifying presence with her.

Far from the quiet little village, in the heart of Rance Republic, lay the grand capital—Haka. Amid its towering buildings and bustling districts, a small, forgotten alley in a business-residential zone bore witness to a brutal battle.

The walls were smeared with fresh blood, the ground littered with shattered weapons and lifeless bodies—eleven in total. Their twisted, frozen forms were caught mid-motion, as if death had taken them in an instant, sealing their final moments in ice.

At the center of this carnage, a lone figure stood, his breath ragged, his body trembling from exhaustion.

Athan.

The first family leader of the Xing Fu Empire had come to this city with a simple objective—track down Baldwin. But instead, he had been greeted by a group clad in black robes, their presence unnatural, their strength undeniable.

Athan wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his lips, his crimson eyes narrowing as he took in the sight around him.

"It wasn't easy masking my presence while fighting them... And even harder to take them down without making a scene," he thought, his mind racing.

"I wanted to use my vampire abilities to extract information, but…" He glanced at the frozen corpses, his expression darkening. *"They resisted. Just like high-ranking noble humans. But who the hell are they? And how do they know Baldwin isn't in Soulless?"

Athan exhaled sharply, shaking off the exhaustion that clung to him. Then, with a single effortless motion, he leapt—his figure vanishing into the night as he landed atop a four-story building, the city sprawling beneath him.

From this vantage point, he could see the flickering lanterns lining the streets, hear the distant hum of life continuing undisturbed.

No one in the capital had any idea what had just occurred in that alley.

And no one had noticed the growing storm lurking beneath the surface.