"Did you know? Spring potatoes are supposed to taste great."
"......."
What was he trying to say?
What was this brat up to?
The former Demon Queen and the Witch of Melody, Artanis, firmly kept her mouth shut inside the seal artifact. She stared at Kim Jangcheol with eyes full of suspicion and wariness, properly mixed.
"Uh, so, um, here you go."
"......"
He gently, ever so carefully, extended the round lump further.
Was that... supposed to be a potato?
Artanis stared at the chuno that Kim Jangcheol was offering for a long while, then moved her hand. But she didn't take the potato. Instead, she etched a sharp and serious question into the air.
— Lies. No matter how I look at it, that looks like dung.
"...."
— Caught you, right? Are you perhaps trying to poison me?
"...."
— How dare you, with such a petty and shallow trick...
"Tsk. It's not dung."
— Ridiculous trick.
"How does this even look like dung?"
— Generally.
"No, I mean, how exactly?"
— Broadly.
"What about this could possibly resemble dung?"
— Entirely.
"...."
Kim Jangcheol tightly shut his mouth.
Then he looked down at the freeze-dried potato, the chuno, that he had just offered.
"...."
It certainly was ugly.
So he didn't have much to say in defense.
Still, this kind of misunderstanding—it felt unfair to keep getting treated like this.
"Look, this is just how it's supposed to be. It's frozen, trampled, and dried. So it's kinda dark and shriveled."
— ...Dried?
"Yes."
— Trampled?
"Yes."
— Then you're saying, you're offering me food that someone has trampled?
"Yes. It has a surprisingly pleasant foot flavor."
— Do you truly wish for death?
"Of course not. I don't want to fight either. Besides, I specifically picked small ones so they'd be easier to cook. But if you keep reacting like this, honestly, it hurts my feelings a bit."
— It hurts... your feelings?
"Yes."
— Why?
Artanis tilted her head.
She didn't quite understand.
Hurt feelings?
Because she didn't accept that ugly, shriveled, pitch-black potato that looked like dung?
'We... aren't even close.'
To be precise, she was an invader. Someone who might kill the current Demon King and seize the throne at any time.
That alone meant they were worse than enemies.
And yet... why?
The answer came in Kim Jangcheol's next words.
"Why else? Your group didn't seem to have any food."
— .....
"Plus, ever since the ceasefire, no one's eaten anything. Doesn't look like you packed any either."
— ........
"And you know, my grandma used to say this—whether they come for good reasons or bad, it's bad manners to let guests leave hungry."
— ...What?
"So, just take it already."
Kim Jangcheol suddenly stepped forward. And before she could react in her confusion, he firmly placed the basket handle, filled with chuno, into her hand.
"Here you go."
Chop.
— What...….
"I figured if I stepped outside the barrier to give this to you, you'd immediately attack. So I made sure to hand it to the hand sticking out of the barrier. Once I leave, have your subordinates collect the basket and heat up the chuno."
— Hey, wait a second—
"I'll be going now."
Kim Jangcheol bowed his head politely.
Then he turned around and walked away without even a glance back.
"....."
That brat... what was his deal?
Was he really not planning anything?
It seemed like he wasn't.
Even if the potatoes in this basket were poisoned, something like that wouldn't harm her or her loyal followers.
Which means...
'Was it really, just a simple act of kindness?'
A warmhearted gesture from someone. A pure, sincere act of kindness. It had been a long time since she felt something like this. Moved by the unexpected warmth, she gently bit her lower lip.
Then, she suddenly realized.
Her mouth was still sealed by the seal artifact. Even with a million of these potatoes, she wouldn't be able to eat a single bite because of that.
"......"
That brat, he must've known.
Which meant, this was a carefully calculated act of mockery.
...Crack!
I'll kill him.
Absolutely.
The basket handle in her hand shattered menacingly.
***
The next evening, Kim Jangcheol came again.
Naturally, he had another basket of potatoes securely tucked under his arm.
"Um, did you have a good day?"
"...."
"Did you enjoy the potatoes yesterday?"
"......"
"Did they not suit your taste?"
— ...My subordinates enjoyed them.
"Hmm? Subordinates, you say... Ah."
Kim Jangcheol looked puzzled for a moment before realization dawned.
He had noticed the seal artifact on Artanis's face. It covered half of her face like a mask, completely sealing her mouth.
"That thing, can you not take it off at all?"
— Of course not. It's a seal artifact.
"Then, uh, does it have any holes for food in the front?"
— No.
"What about a hole for drinking water?"
— No.
"Wait a second. Then… how do you drink water?"
— I haven't. Not since I was sealed.
"Huh..."
Kim Jangcheol was appalled.
No matter how much of a seal it was,
Not being able to eat or drink?
'That's brutal.'
Suddenly, he recalled the research he had done yesterday.
After the ceasefire with Artanis's faction, he had looked into the Chronicles of Former Demon Kings through Zephyros.
There wasn't much documentation left.
Still, he'd managed to find a few things.
Former Demon Queen, the Witch of Melody, Artanis. Said to be the strongest being in all the history of the Abandoned Lands.
Her reign lasted roughly from 320 years ago to 300 years ago—a period of about 20 years.
'Then… she was sealed around 300 years ago, which means she hasn't eaten or drunk anything for 300 years?'
Kim Jangcheol looked at Artanis with fresh eyes.
He used to only be afraid of her.
But now, he saw her a little differently.
'...How should I say this? Kinda pitiful.'
He felt a slight tinge of human sympathy.
And a bit of anger, too.
"I mean, come on. Everyone needs food and water. This is just cruel. Who made that muzzle, anyway?"
— Moderato. A traitor who deceived me. The one who took the throne during the time between me and you.
"…Ah, the previous Demon King?"
— Yes.
"He betrayed you?"
— That's something… I'd rather not talk about.
"Well, it's none of my business what happened between you two. Still, wow. That muzzle really is cruel..."
If it inflicted pain, that would be one thing.
But sealing someone in hunger for centuries?
To Kim Jangcheol, whose Korean blood craved rice and soup, that seal artifact was the ultimate torture device. On the other hand, it also helped him understand why she so desperately wanted to break the seal.
Of course, he had no intention of pulling out his own heart to help her.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask something."
— Ask.
"About that muzzle of yours."
— …It's not a muzzle!
"Ah, the seal artifact."
— .......
"Anyway, about the seal artifact. Is there really no other way to break it besides pulling out my heart, the one holding the collateral?"
— No.
"Do you really have to be so absolute?"
— Because there truly isn't another way.
"Can't we at least consider an alternative, or even a loophole of some kind?"
— An alternative? A loophole?
"Yes."
— …Like what?
"You said the collateral's been passed to my heart, right?"
— Correct.
"Then wouldn't it be possible to transfer the collateral somewhere else?"
— If it were that easy, I would've tried it long ago.
Artanis scoffed.
She was telling the truth.
— A curse strong enough to bind someone like me—that kind of collateral is absolute. It can only be transferred through blood and death. There is no other way. Ever.
"Tsk, I don't really trust the word 'ever,' you know."
— Whether you trust it or not is irrelevant.
Artanis cut him off coldly, as if with a blade.
Kim Jangcheol furrowed his brows.
Then he started thinking about alternatives.
Because he wanted to protect his heart.
And avoid unnecessary conflict.
"Then… if you can't break the seal artifact, what if we made it so you could eat or drink just a little?"
— What?
"Looking closely, the seal artifact—it does have a breathing hole in the front, doesn't it?"
— .... So what about it?
"The hole size… I think it might just work…."
— What are you talking about?
What was this brat thinking?
But Kim Jangcheol didn't answer right away.
He simply shut his mouth tightly and observed Artanis's seal artifact with intense focus. Then, as if something had come to mind, he spoke.
"Just wait here for a bit."
— What?
That was all he said.
It didn't even sound like a proper answer. Just a vague comment tossed in the air, and Kim Jangcheol turned and hurried toward the farming shed.
Artanis was left to stare at his receding figure in disbelief.
"....."
That brat, what now?
What nonsense was he up to this time?
The moment didn't last long. Kim Jangcheol quickly returned from the shed, and this time, he was holding something unfamiliar in his hand.
"Hey, could you take a look at this?"
— .....
Artanis looked at what Kim Jangcheol was holding. It was a thin, long tube made by coiling and sealing strips of leather together.
"A straw."
— A str…aw?
"Yes. So here's the idea. You gently slide this into the breathing hole at the bottom front of your seal artifact."
— Slide it in?
"You bite on it with your mouth."
— Bite it, you say?
"Yeah. And then on the other end of the straw, slurp the liquid through."
— Slu…urp?
"You suck it up and drink it."
— .....
"What do you think?"
Kim Jangcheol was hopeful.
This could work.
Regardless of the seal artifact's restriction, with a straw slipped through the opening, she could drink water or other liquids. Even a thin soup might be possible.
But that was when it happened.
Artanis's eyes, which had been blankly staring at the straw, suddenly turned cold.
— ....You dare, suggest I do something so undignified?
"Excuse me?"
— Do you wish so badly to mock me? Are you so determined to go to such lengths just to humiliate me?
"Uh, that's not it. I just thought if you used this straw, you could at least manage some liquid food—"
— Enough. Do not test my patience any further.
"........"
— Out of respect for the kindness shown to my loyal followers with those potatoes yesterday, I will not lose my temper. So let's end it here. No more mockery.
Artanis wrote her words with a stern glare.
She resolved herself.
That she would no longer be swayed by this man's antics. That she would not be made a fool of again. And if he continued to cross the line—then she truly would not forgive him.
But then.
"Are you joking right now?"
Kim Jangcheol's tone turned serious.
"Mockery? Humiliation? Is that what this looks like to you? Do you think eating and surviving is a joke?"
— …What?
"Me, you—we're both just trying to survive. You've been starving for so long, so I thought maybe, if I could just help you eat something, even a little, things would get better. Maybe you'd stop eyeing my heart so much. Maybe I wouldn't have to keep getting threatened for nothing. I don't want to fight. That's why I'm doing this."
— ....
What was this?
Why was he angry?
….
Kim Jangcheol continued.
"And you call this mockery? A humiliation? Seriously? You think I've got nothing better to do than pick on you?"
— That's...
"Forget it. I'll leave the straw and the potatoes here. Have your subordinates pick them up later. Use it or not, that's your call. I'll be going now."
That was it.
Kim Jangcheol turned without hesitation.
There was no time for Artanis to stop him.
In the end, she was left standing there, all alone.
" ....."
Potatoes.
And a straw.
She stared blankly at the items Kim Jangcheol had left behind. His stern expression, his sharp words, echoed in her memory.
"......."
Was this… guilt?
Or perhaps… a feeling of regret?
She didn't know.
She closed her eyes.
Trying to settle this complex emotion even she couldn't define. She fell into thought. For how long—maybe an hour?
Then it happened.
"...My Lady?"
A familiar voice was heard.
When she opened her eyes, she saw her loyal follower, Largo.
And in his hand were a bowl and a straw.
"That Demon King from earlier returned and gave us this bowl and some firewood. So I've prepared something for you."
— ....
"It's potato soup."
— What...
"And… he told me. That if you use this, even liquid food might be possible, my lady."
— ....
Artanis stared intently at her first loyal follower.
Her gaze was not one of anger, nor of emotion—it was an uncertain, confused look.
Largo met her gaze with a bittersweet smile.
"In truth, I heard everything he said earlier. That it wasn't mockery, nor humiliation… asking if surviving looked like a joke."
— ........
"My Lady, do you remember what you told us yesterday, when we refused to eat the potatoes? That though you are bound by the seal artifact and cannot eat, we are not. That we must eat, that we must regain our strength. You told us that."
— ......
It was true.
Her loyal followers, the triplets, initially refused the potatoes. Saying they could not eat while their lord starved.
So she scolded them.
Forced them to eat.
They had hidden far away, crying as they ate. She kept her eyes shut the entire time, trying to hide her own hunger.
"So this time, it is my turn to beg you. My Lady, with this, if you use this, even you can eat something. I know, it's unseemly, lacking in dignity. I know it may feel humiliating. But… if it helps ease your suffering, even a little… then I would do anything. So I beg you, please use this straw to ease your thirst and hunger… and afterward, if need be, punish me severely for daring to suggest it."
— .......
Largo bowed his head with heartfelt sincerity.
In that moment, she saw again the serious expression on Kim Jangcheol's face. The way he had asked if survival looked like a joke—his face, his voice.
Artanis bit her lip.
And reflected.
'…Yes.'
He was right.
What good is dignity right now?
Her loyal subordinates, the ones who served her so faithfully, were pleading this much. This one, who was no different from family, was begging her.
What use was pride, or nobility?
— …I understand.
Artanis nodded.
Largo swallowed back tears of joy and respectfully handed her the straw. She accepted it. Inserted it into the hole in the seal artifact.
And finally, the straw touched her lips.
As her plump lips quivered slightly, she sipped the potato soup her subordinate had prepared.
Warmth.
Savory flavor.
Her first taste in 300 years.
At that moment, tears threatened to fall.
At the same time, strength unlike anything before welled up within her.
…Crack!
A faint fracture began to form in the barrier gripping her arm.
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]