Waking up early in the morning was something that Satan hated. His preferred times were afternoons or perhaps midday.

This routine was a consequence of his late-night gaming habits; after all, he was a shut-in. The fresh sun rays streaming through the window directly into his face were his mortal enemies, filling him with annoyance and frustration, disrupting his perfect sleep.

His body urged him to lash out, to burn something, scratch his skin until blood came out—urges stemming from his human side rather than his demonic nature.

His eyes then fell on Elena, soundly sleeping next to him. She looked incredibly attractive, delicate, and vulnerable lying there beside him.

Just looking at her, for some reason, made him feel calm. There was a heavy pounding in his heart; he felt as if something hollow in his heart was suddenly full again.

It was strange... very strange indeed.

However, at that very moment, he realized something.

'What is she doing here, sleeping in the same bed with me? Oh, I remember her saying there was only one bedroom in her house. Besides, it was her bed.'

He wouldn't say it out loud, but it would be a lie to say he didn't feel lucky to enjoy sleeping with her.

'She is very pretty...'

He drew his face closer to her, inhaling deeply, savoring her scent as he softly touched her lips, hair, and cheeks. It was like touching a soft plushie toy. His demonic side whispered to him—to squeeze her, to rip her soft skin, to dissect her body and keep it somewhere safe.

His breath became heavier, a disgusting look crossed his face. He raised his hand toward her, touching her forehead and said in a low tone, "Fifth-tier magic... Closed Eyes."

This was a dark-element sleep debuff spell. As the spell activated, Elena, already asleep, fell into an even deeper slumber.

He withdrew his hand, inhaling the scent that lingered from her skin.

The feeling was oddly arousing.

His eyes then fell on her wrist, still marked by his fingers. He stared at it blankly for a minute, then looked at his hand. He clenched it.

'What the hell am I doing?!'

He slapped himself hard. This kind of behavior wasn't befitting of someone called the Devil—or at least someone who role-played as one, not a borderline rapist.

Disgusted with himself, he slapped himself a few more times.

He knew he wasn't the best of men; he was a liar, a manipulative bastard, a hypocrite in many ways, but being a depraved animal wasn't one of them.

"I will cancel this debuff... Fifth-tier magic: Vice Burn..."

The spell that canceled debuffs was activated, removing the debuff from Elena.

'I really need some serious mental training...'

He got out of bed, carefully exited the room, and made his way to the bathroom, positioning himself in front of the washbasin.

"My face... it's so different. Never in a million times could I have imagined I would have a face like that."

Back in his original world, Satan was just an average-looking guy. He wasn't too handsome nor too ugly to stand out; he was in the category of guys who would be just ignored by the opposite sex. But in this new world, his looks were those of a supermodel.

'I wish I was born with a face like this...'

He turned on the tap, splashed his face with water, cleaned it, and patted it dry with the towel hanging next to him. From a dark space that appeared out of nowhere—his player inventory—he took out a white towel, dematerialized his equipment, stored it in the inventory, wrapped the towel around his waist, and entered the shower.

He picked up the soap and began to rub it on his body.

'What should I do today...'

He wondered if he should just sit idly today or engage in other activities.

"Should I look for the ones mentioned by Albedo? I don't really want to do such a task, but considering they are going to burn the world, I really need to stop them... but the real question is, where to start?"

There was no clue for Satan to follow those guys. It's not like they would just pop out of nowhere and say, "Come, Satan, stop us, we are begging you..."

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How ridiculous that sounds, doesn't it? He wished there was some sort of help.

Two hours later...

With a plate of omurice in hand, Elena sat on the sofa in the living room, flipping on the television to catch the live news. Beside her, Satan held a glass of orange juice.

The young news reporter announced solemnly, "Here, inside this badly damaged church, very young children have been decapitated and mutilated." The camera panned to show dried blood and bits of flesh on the floor.

"Oh goodness!" Elena exclaimed, nearly choking on her meal. She wondered how such a thing could happen, especially to the devastated parents whose children were among the victims.

Satan remained indifferent, showing no reaction to the grisly scene.

"This shouldn't surprise you, woman," he remarked, taking a sip from his glass. "Children die all the time; they are expendable... the parents can always make more."

Elena was horrified by Satan's callous words, but considering he was the Devil, such behavior seemed tragically fitting.

The camera perspective shifted, revealing a pentagon made of internal organs, crowned with a goat head sporting an implanted third eye.

"Hold on."

Elena's gaze locked onto the pentagon. She turned to Satan urgently. "That's the same pentagon I used to summon you!"

"Really?" Satan replied, not recalling a goat being present in the room during his summoning. Or perhaps there was, and he simply forgot about it. After all, he was more focused on showcasing his Devil role-playing skills at the time.

The news reporter continued, "Locals reported seeing twelve cloaked figures in crimson masks responsible for this heinous act." She handed the microphone to an elderly man from the crowd. He looked about sixty, with frail bones and wrinkles, dressed plainly. "Sir, can you shed light on what happened?"

"During my usual evening walk, I witnessed them brutally murdering children with knives. It was inhumanly cruel. Luckily, I was hidden in the woods, so they didn't notice me." Looking directly at the camera, the elderly man added, "Afterward, one of them—a woman, the only female among them—gazed at the moon and spoke of freeing Satan or something."

"Huh... what?"

Confusion flashed across Elena's face. She turned to Satan again.

'Not this again...'

Satan instantly sensed her impending question.

"Don't look at me, woman. I am not responsible for this mess, nor is there anything for me to gain from it. I have more important matters than organizing sacrificial rites for children."

Elena gave Satan a skeptical look, then returned her attention to the news.

"You heard it here, folks; it appears a psychotic, delusional Satanist cult is behind this criminal act," the newsreader concluded. "Now, let's hear from the lead investigator, Officer Sadou."

The camera zoomed in on a thin, muscular man in his forties, wearing a Japanese police uniform.

"Officer Sadou, how far along is the investigation into this matter?" the news reporter asked. "Any leads on the perpetrators?"

"We're still in the early stages, but rest assured, our team is working diligently to apprehend those responsible," Officer Sadou assured the viewers.

"Looks like—"

The TV clicked off.

"Why did you turn off the TV, Satan?"

Satan quickly searched for a plausible response. He didn't want to face Elena's questions, but admitting that felt like shirking responsibility, and he wasn't sure why.

"There's nothing worth watching," Satan replied, downing the last of his orange juice in one gulp and setting the glass down forcefully, breaking both the glass and the table.

"What was that for?!"

Satan remained silent, retrieving a gold coin from his inventory and placing it on Elena's lap.

"Take this coin and sell it; it should more than suffice..."

Elena examined the coin, setting her omurice aside and picking it up. The large, glittering gold coin had a double-leaf design.

"Where did you get this kind of coin?"

"I have a hoard of them in my personal stash, along with numerous magical items of uncertain provenance from my travels and adventures..."

Satan stretched and cracked his joints.

"Where are you going?"

"Out for some fresh air... eighth-tier magic: Shadow Transfer..."

And with that, Satan teleported out of the room.

"That guy... what's going on in his head..."

Elena sighed, picking up the plate of omurice and the gold coin. She placed the coin on the dining table and carried the plate into the kitchen, disposing of the remaining food in the trash before washing the plate in the sink.

Ding!

It was the sound of the doorbell.

"Who could it be at this hour?" Elena wondered aloud. She quickly dried her hands and went to open the door.

With a gentle whoosh, it swung open, revealing a woman standing on the doorstep. She looked young, with cascading black hair that held a hint of paleness. Her hazel eyes were deep and captivating, and her lips were soft and cherry-red. She wore a stylish black shirt with beige slacks, exuding casual elegance, and carried a grey leather handbag over one shoulder, with a silver watch adorning her wrist.

"You must be Miss Elena?" the woman greeted warmly, her eyes fixed on Elena.

"Yes, that's me."

Elena was curious how this stranger knew her. She had never met her before and wondered how the woman was aware of her address.

"May I know who you are? This is our first meeting."

"I am Shizuka Mizumi," the woman replied, bowing slightly. "I've come to thank you for the kindness you showed to my daughter, Haruka. I can't express how grateful I am. I owe you."

"No, please don't thank me. What I did was just something anyone with a good heart would do," Elena replied, a touch of surprise in her eyes. She found it hard to believe that Shizuka was actually the mother of a sixteen-year-old; she looked more like a sister.

'She looks younger than one would expect a mother of a sixteen-year-old to look.'

But Elena knew some people aged gracefully, and Shizuka seemed to be one of them.

"I regret not being able to thank you at the hospital," Shizuka continued with a regretful expression. "You left before I arrived... so I came here personally to express my gratitude."

"It's alright."

Elena reassured her, saying it was unnecessary to thank her. Being kind was just part of being human, and she didn't need recognition for it. But she was curious, "How did you find my address?"

"I requested it from the police. I wanted to thank you personally."

"I see."

Elena nodded, recalling she had given her contact information to the authorities. She invited Shizuka inside, "Please come in. Let's talk inside; it's not polite to keep you standing out here."

"No, it's okay," Shizuka replied courteously. "I just wanted to thank you, nothing more, not to inconvenience you."

"You're not inconveniencing me at all."

Elena assured her, guiding Shizuka inside. The least she could do was offer her guest some comfort, especially considering what her daughter had been through.

Shizuka accepted graciously and said, "Thank you."

Elena smiled warmly and closed the door behind them. "Would you like to sit in the bed room? The living room is quite messy right now. I'll make some tea and snacks. Give me ten minutes, okay?"

"You don't have to go through all this trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," Elena insisted, heading to the kitchen to prepare refreshments.

"Also, forgive me if my house seems small..."

"I don't mind at all."

Ten minutes later...

"This tea is wonderful," Shizuka remarked after a few sips, sitting comfortably. "It's really good, like something you'd find at an expensive coffee shop. I feel much more relaxed now."

"I'm glad you like it. Tell me, how is your daughter doing now?"

Elena was genuinely interested in Haruka's well-being.

"She's doing better. The doctors said she'll need a few more months of rest before she can be discharged."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across her face. This was good news, and she hoped for Haruka's continued recovery.

"That's great to hear!" Elena exclaimed, sipping her own tea in relief. "If you don't mind me asking, were you able to find out who was responsible for what happened to your daughter?"

Shizuka's expression darkened, and she sighed heavily. Maybe Elena shouldn't have asked that.

"Not much. The incident has left her with mental scars. She can't remember the faces of those responsible," Shizuka explained sadly. She finished her tea slowly. "All she remembers are purple robes and crimson masks."

"Crimson masks and purple robes?" Elena repeated, surprised by the description.

"Yes... do you know anything about it?"

"Just a few minutes ago, there was a live news report about a Satanic cult dressed in purple robes and crimson masks, responsible for brutal acts, including child sacrifices in a church," Elena shared grimly.

"That's horrible!" Shizuka exclaimed in shock and horror. "How could anyone do such things to innocent children?"

"I don't know..." Elena's voice trailed off softly.

"Hey, Elena, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?" Elena asked, finishing her tea.

"Are things like magic, demons, and Satan real?" Shizuka asked, placing her cup down carefully.

'Huh? Why is she asking about that?'

"No, they're not real. It's all just stories; no scientific evidence supports them," Elena replied honestly. She didn't want Shizuka to indulge herself in such things that could lead to unforeseen consequences.

"Thank you for having me over. Please visit Haruka sometime; she really wants to meet you."

"I will."

"Thank you again."

Shizuka stood up.

Elena walked her to the door, bid her farewell, and closed the door behind her. She then quickly gathered up the empty cups and plates.