CH 1

I discovered the fact that I was born in the world of a novel on my eighteenth birthday.

While blowing out the candles during my birthday party, memories from my past life resurfaced like a panorama. At that moment, I realized that this world was the setting of the novel I had read, “Withered Flowers Don’t Cry.”

“Withered Flowers Don’t Cry” was a 19+ novel where the male protagonists, as a price for sealing the Demon King, received a curse of immortality and went insane. They couldn’t endure even a single day without the heroine, the salvation character who was a real-life antidepressant.

The problem was that as soon as I became aware of this fact, I was appointed as the “salvation character” and set off with the male protagonists to seal the Demon King.

Fortunately, I wasn’t the salvation heroine from the original story who was obsessively pursued by the male protagonists until death. I was the previous generation’s salvation character, born a hundred years before the appearance of the heroine.

The salvation character was chosen through generations of succession, but not much was known about them. One common characteristic among them was the ability to heal.

That’s why many of the previous salvation characters were healers, and I was also a healer. Moreover, I possessed the strongest healing power inherited from the fairy race, known for their healing abilities.

I was born at a time when the Demon King was wreaking havoc, destined to help the male leads and participate in the subjugation of the Demon King. Still, the situation was better than being the heroine who would eventually become the savior in my later generations. When the Demon King was sealed and cursed the male leads with immortality, after a hundred years, they would go on a rampage and torment the heroine because they couldn’t bear it. 

Anyway, I was an existence that deviated from the original work. There was no mention of a predecessor savior in the original, so I don’t even know what happened to me. I was just a little surprised to find out that my three colleagues were the male leads, the Thunder Monkeys, and I was only worried about whether I would survive the curse of the Demon King.

“Anyway, it was fun being together, but let’s never meet again, please.”

After three years of hardships, the Demon King was now being sealed right before my eyes. Even though the male leads, who were handsome enough to blind me, rushed towards the Demon King, I was supporting them from the rear. It wasn’t too difficult, as if I was just breathing.

“Is it my imagination? Why do I keep locking eyes with the Demon King?”

The Demon King, whom I desperately needed to resist, was staring straight at me. There was no room for leisure as the strongest male leads in the world fought against him.

When I felt something strange, I furrowed my brows, and he smirked.

Perhaps sensing the ominous sign, the male leads also stepped back. And just as they followed the Demon King’s gaze and turned their eyes towards me in the rear…

“Savior. You have finally returned.”

“…Me?”

[As promised, I will erase your existence from this world. So that no one remembers you.]

The Demon King reached out his hand toward me.

And at that moment, I lost consciousness.

When I woke up later, I found myself alone in the Demon King’s castle.

* * *

A fist-sized pebble rolled across the ground with a thud. As soon as it happened, a beast resembling a mole hidden in the forest popped out and swiftly devoured the pebble.

Crack! The sound of the stone breaking reverberated, and another beast hidden somewhere emerged and devoured the first beast that had eaten the stone.

Crunch! The evil forest was filled with these beasts. In the midst of it all was the Demon King’s castle, and I, who had no power to defeat the beasts.

I was currently trapped in the castle, on the verge of starving to death. 

“I’m starving to death.”

I was born as a healer and lived my life as one. Before embarking on the journey with the male leads to subjugate the Demon King, I had considered enhancing my abilities in case of unforeseen circumstances, but I gave up due to their opposition.

“Is there any point in learning now?”

“That’s right. Just stick by our side.”

“If you get in the way, we’ll abandon you.”

Those creatures of darkness were not opponents that could be dealt with easily. So, I diligently focused on developing my healing abilities and providing support.

And now, this was the result. I had no power to cross the evil forest, and even if I managed to escape somehow, I didn’t possess the ability to lift the seal that surrounded the forest.

There was only one choice left for me.

“Should I starve to death, or be devoured and die? That is the question.”

It had been nearly a week since I last ate, and my stomach clung to my spine.

“All this suffering just for a taste of meat.”

They promised to reward me with a golden castle once the seal was lifted… But now, even a piece of bread the size of my palm would be a blessing.

Moreover, even if I managed to escape like this, nobody might remember me.

“But more than anything, I just want to eat meat.”

Sighing, I instinctively tapped into the reserves of the healing power within my exhausted body.

In turn, my energy was further depleted.

Grumble! A loud rumble echoed through my stomach, almost like a death sentence.

“Ugh, I’m starving to death.”

In the end, I stood up on the steps in front of the Demon King’s castle and made my way inside. The castle was filled with countless traps, making it dangerous, but I was willing to explore further to see if there was any food available.

* * *

The Demon Castle was larger and more magnificent than ten ordinary school playgrounds combined. It was filled with traps, requiring constant attention with each step taken. Due to the repetitive structure that seemed copied and pasted, it was easy to get lost.

I sighed and cautiously took each step. However, no matter how much I looked around, there was no sign of food anywhere.

“Well, even when conquering the Demon Castle, there weren’t any restaurants or kitchens.” 

It seemed like the Demon King could survive without eating. But still, even for the sake of the visitors who came, shouldn’t there be something to eat?

“It’s a bit frustrating.”

After a couple of hours of exploration, I gave up.

“It’s too vast here!”

Vast… Vast… Vast…

My voice echoed like an echo. The path ahead was even darker than the path I had walked. It seemed pointless to continue walking.

As I let out a sigh, I noticed claw marks on the wall. They were traces left by Hwang Tae-ja, one of the main characters, as he bypassed the traps in the Demon Castle.

“If I follow that, I’ll probably reach the place where the Demon King is sealed.”

Since I lost consciousness as soon as the Demon King cursed me, I had no idea what happened to the Demon King. I could only speculate that the main characters had sealed the Demon King and left me behind.

“It might be a good idea to see what happened to the Demon King while I’m at it.”

Following the traces left behind, I soon arrived at the hall where the Demon King was sealed. There, a man was floating in the air, with his body stretched out.

He was the Demon King who had tormented the world relentlessly.

The Demon King wasn’t even twitching; he didn’t even breathe. He was sealed, not dead.

Thick chains, each as thick as an adult man’s torso, were blocking the Demon King from existing in this world.

“It’s more like sending him to another dimension than sealing.”

The Demon King doesn’t die. As a being that exists at the beginning and end of the world, sealing was just a measure.

In other words, the Demon King was existing in a different dimension. Only his soulless body was here.

“Anyway, that’s not important right now.”

I thoroughly searched around the sealed Demon King.

“He must have been bored being alone. I wonder if he didn’t even eat a biscuit?”

I searched meticulously around the throne where the Demon King had been sitting, hoping to find some leftovers.

However, the floor was covered with sapphires, amethysts, diamonds, and other gems, but there was nothing edible.

“Ugh, can’t even eat anything.”

I nervously kicked the gems aside. It would have been nice to have something to eat instead of these useless rocks.

“…Come to think of it, aren’t these all money?”

While living on the expedition, I didn’t need money and had forgotten about it. The fact that this castle and the gems scattered in the forest had immense value in the outside world.

“If by any chance I can escape from the Demon Castle…”

I could live a life of leisure and indulgence!

“Oh, what a missed opportunity!”

If I received a curse and didn’t have any money, how miserable would I be? This was a perfect opportunity.

I immediately sat down on the floor and started collecting the gems in my sleeves. In this unpredictable situation, I needed to secure at least one way to make a living.

As I diligently picked up the gems, I heard a rustling sound from behind.

“I hope the Demon King didn’t wake up because I took the gems.”

For some reason, I felt a shiver down my spine and cautiously turned my head.

Preparing to strike if necessary, I held a sharp sapphire in one hand.

And at that moment, a golden divine power spread like spiderwebs and swiftly grabbed my arm.

As the sapphire rolled on the floor, a man hidden in the shadows revealed himself.

With a pale complexion and golden hair cascading down to his waist, he wore a pristine white robe. He was Adandito, one of the male leads and the representative of the gods in the original work.

Having spent three years together, I knew him very well, even his fake smile that he was wearing right now.

“That… seems like he’s ready to kill me if things go wrong.”

Just as I suspected, he smiled sweetly at me.

“How did you end up here? This is not a place where ordinary people can enter. Lately, the dream realm has been in chaos, and… you’re not a demon, are you?”