Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Ha, you little brat, you dare mess with me? Do you know what God-father is? Do you know what status oppression is?

However, the ancient serpent couldn't be too happy yet.

A warm, sticky liquid then soaked through the swaddling clothes.

"..."

Samael fell silent, deeply depressed, and then, gritting his teeth, forced the audacious little rascal who had peed in his arms onto Claudia.

Seeing the mighty Lord of Hell fighting back and forth with his own daughter, Claudia couldn't help but chuckle. Her slightly tense heartstrings relaxed, and the last remaining unease and doubts dissipated.

If the suggestion just now was merely a helpless response forced by circumstances...

So now, she really intends to entrust her daughter to this devil.

Because the King of Hell before her was even more like a father than her priest husband.

Then, Claudia hummed an Italian folk song as she buried her head in changing the diaper of a little troublemaker who neither cried nor fussed and seemed to be secretly pleased with himself.

Being able to find a safe haven for her daughter before she died undoubtedly eased her depressed mood considerably.

Just as the atmosphere in the ward was gradually becoming more harmonious, Kirei Kotomine, who had gone out to bring food, entered and handed over their respective orders.

Perhaps because she was in a great mood, Claudia had a big appetite and ate most of the pasta and cheesecake that she usually only ate a little bit of.

At this moment, the devil by the bed took the 70% sugar coffee, unscrewed the lid, took a deep breath of the pervasive coffee aroma, and slowly swirled the cup in his hand. His handsome face, amidst the rising steam, looked up at the priest in front of him with amusement and spoke softly.

"Kiri, you're not being honest."

Snapped!

Claudia's hand trembled, nearly knocking over the cheesecake on the table. She turned to look at her husband in astonishment.

The young priest who handed over the coffee narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists unconsciously.

"I wanted it 70% sweet, why is it 80% sweet?"

As the demon rolled its eyes and uttered a dissatisfied complaint, Claudia and Kirei Kotomine both breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was just a false alarm. As their stiff bodies relaxed, they found themselves covered in a cold sweat.

No matter how kind he may appear, the man before you is still the king of demons and the ruler of hell!

Kirei Kotomine remained calm, thought for a moment, and then offered a brief explanation while casually asking a question.

"The staff might have made a mistake. Should I go and get another cup?"

"That's not necessary, after all..."

Samael smiled, gazing at the coffee swirling in his cup, and murmured with amusement.

"...Didn't you use holy water to neutralize it again?"

"..."

In an instant, Kirei Kotomine, who thought he had escaped a disaster, stiffly looked up at the seemingly smiling demon. His heart, which had been fluctuating like a roller coaster, sank to the bottom.

However, before the priest could catch his breath, the all-knowing devil in front of him picked up the "spiked" coffee and drank it all in one gulp.

"Yes, that's right, this is the taste of Holy Water Number Three."

As the coffee went down his throat, amidst Kirei Kotomine's shocked expression, the devil's brows relaxed, and he let out a pleasant groan. Before finishing, he glanced at the empty cup and gave a very professional assessment.

"It's a pity it's a bit bland; it must have been diluted. I suggest you don't buy counterfeit goods from this church next time."

"..."

Even with Kirei Kotomine's resolute mind and cold temperament, he was momentarily bewildered by the series of mind-blowing situations and her seemingly unsatisfied expression.

This, isn't this right?

When did demons become so knowledgeable about the taste of holy water?

It seems he wants... a refill?

The young priest, feeling his worldview crumble, was completely numb.

"What? You think you can deal with me with just this little bit of holy water?"

Samael tossed the paper cup in his hand into the trash can, raised an eyebrow, and smiled knowingly.

"Kiri, you underestimate me too much! It seems necessary to show you what a difference there really is!"

As the voice gradually faded and the Devil's Song pointed forward, his gaze growing colder.

hum!

In an instant, accompanied by the trembling of the air, a divine might of hell swept over him. Kirei Kotomine, who was directly hit, felt as if he were being crushed by a ton of pressure. His five senses were stripped away, and his heavy body continued to fall in the endless darkness, seemingly without end.

I don't know if a century has passed or just a few breaths.

Kirei Kotomine's consciousness was torn apart as it flowed back to his sluggish body. His eyes snapped open, and he was jolted awake from a nightmare as his senses gradually returned.

At that moment, he was lying on the ground in a near-prostrate position, his trench coat soaked with cold sweat.

His wife, lying in the hospital bed, looked at him with worry and anxiety.

"Kiri, considering how much fun you've provided me, I'll let this offense slide. But next time, you won't be so lucky."

The demon before the bed smiled as he looked at the human crawling on the ground, pondering meaningfully.

"Friendly reminder: it's best not to act rashly if you're not sure about something. If you're still not convinced, you can go and call your church colleagues to come and condemn me together."

If I remember correctly, the Italian cardinal was named—Laurentis, right?

Then, the ancient snake patted the priest on the shoulder in a very friendly manner, its vertical pupils blinking quietly.

"Of course, you should also be prepared to collect everyone's corpses, including yourself."

"No! You saved us. I know you meant us lowly beings no harm. Kirei will never do such a thing to you again!"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Claudia, lying on her sickbed, quickly spoke up to vouch for her husband.

Realizing the gap between them, Kirei Kotomine stopped struggling and wisely lowered his head to show his submission.

Of course, it's only temporary.

A breakfast full of twists and turns finally came to an end thanks to Claudia's mediation.

Not long after, the attending physician, during his routine rounds, held the freshly printed lab report, examined it repeatedly with a look of astonishment, pondered for a moment, and then announced the results with a strange expression.

The white blood cells in her body have been initially brought under control, her bodily functions are improving, and her immune system is gradually recovering.

To avoid misdiagnosis, the attending physician not only had his patient undergo a full set of examinations again, but also patiently inquired in detail about Claudia's recent diet and physical condition.

Ultimately, the same diagnosis and Claudia's identical account led the doctors to attribute the phenomenon to a miracle.

Perhaps this is a blessing bestowed by the Lord upon these two devout believers.

The patient, who had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, turned his gaze to a godfather who was teasing his daughter.

After a moment, the doctor, regaining his senses, smiled and announced loudly.

"Claudia, you can be discharged now."

Claudia, who was feeling uneasy, was overjoyed to hear such an unexpected answer and turned to share her joy with her husband.

However, glancing sideways, Kirei Kotomine nodded slightly, seemingly quite pleased with the stability of his wife's condition.

But there was little joy on that face; in fact, a hint of regret lingered deep in his eyes.

He is still the same, unchanged.

Claudia's heart clenched, her initial joy vanished, and she sat blankly on the hospital bed, her empty eyes staring at the pale sheets, like a broken doll gradually losing its life.

Seemingly realizing that his despicable nature had been exposed, Kirei Kotomine pursed his lips, his arms hanging down, clenching and unclenching several times, but he remained silent. Finally, he turned and followed the doctor to complete the discharge procedures.

As the ward fell silent once more, Claudia paused for a moment, then looked up at the demon before her bed, her gaze earnest and sorrowful.

"My lord, I have a request, and I hope you can grant it..."

In the afternoon, Kirei Kotomine successfully completed the discharge procedures and rented a small RV to help his frail wife to bed.

"boom!"

Just as the priest turned the key to start the car, a figure opened the car door and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Hey, let's get to know each other again. I'm Karen's new godfather. She's under my supervision for now, so if nothing unexpected happens, you'll probably have to put up with it."

Holding the swaddled baby Samael, he waved with a beaming smile, his face radiating an indescribable joy.

"..."

Realizing that he would be living with this persistent demon from now on, Kirei Kotomine, as both priest and his agent, felt somewhat numb.

"Why are you looking at me? Drive! If we're any later, we'll miss dinner."

As the Demon King beside him continued to complain to himself, Kirei Kotomine, having come to his senses, had no choice but to accept this absurd reality, start the RV, and drive towards his home in the suburbs.

As evening fell, the four of them...

Well, I should say, the three people and a demon returned home safely.

Due to long-term hospitalization, the house has been neglected and is somewhat deserted and dilapidated, with weeds growing all over the yard.

However, the Demon King was not picky and enthusiastically chose a bedroom close to the nursery. He then dragged Kirei Kotomine to a nearby store to buy daily necessities and together they carried out a thorough cleaning of the dilapidated house.

Looking at the figure who was proficient in everything from weeding to planting flowers, from repairing the roof to patching the door, from cleaning to arranging furniture, Kirei Kotomine was greatly shocked and spoke in a low voice with a face full of doubt.

"Are you really... a demon?"

"What's wrong with demons?! Can't demons have taste? Can't they have a refined lifestyle? That's prejudice! Blatant racism!"

At that moment, the Demon King, who had set up a hammock under the shade of a tree, turned around and retorted, indignantly denouncing the priest's narrow-mindedness.

For a moment, Kirei Kotomine, whose values ​​had completely collapsed, was speechless.

Just as a certain good-for-nothing devil and a priest whose faith had collapsed stood facing each other in the courtyard, a murmur from the kitchen broke the silence.

"Are you all ready? What would you like for dinner?"

"A pasta dish, please, with extra tomato sauce, please!"

In an instant, the devil, who had been looking heartbroken and criticizing the priest, suddenly perked up, decisively abandoned his class hatred, and happily ordered food.

"Okay, let's have pasta then."

Upon hearing this, Claudia, who was in charge of cooking, nodded happily.

As the sun set, Kirei Kotomine smelled the tomato sauce wafting from the kitchen, and stood there stunned, watching the figure in the courtyard as she picked vegetables, swayed in a hammock, and smiled as she looked after her daughter Karen.

He felt that he was somewhat superfluous.

Chapter 122 Angels are Weeping, Demons are Laughing (4.3k)

Early morning, houses.

As his wife, Claudia stood in front of the dressing mirror, patiently adjusting her husband's clothes and smoothing out the wrinkles on his black church uniform as he prepared to leave.

The man in the mirror wore a trench coat, his posture was handsome and upright, his cold features highlighted the dignity of a priest, and his calm and calm eyes were filled with deep darkness.

Perhaps, only when sleeping does this face shed its cold exterior and reveal the innocence of a child.

Claudia, standing behind Kirei Kotomine, gazed intently at her husband, becoming somewhat infatuated.

Although she had seen this face and this figure countless times, she never grew tired of them, and each observation brought new discoveries.

Without a doubt, she loved this man deeply and doted on him like a child.

only……

The woman gazed at the cold, lifeless, and oppressively suffocating darkness reflected in the mirror and sighed softly.

"what happened?"

Kirei Kotomine noticed his wife's unusual expression, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"fine……"

Claudia gently shook her head, gathering her thoughts. She placed her slender hands around her husband's waist, her fair face gently pressed against his broad shoulders, caressing them tenderly for a moment before slowly releasing them, whispering softly in his ear.

"Honey, be careful, and remember to come home early for dinner tonight."

"Um……"

Kirei Kotomine paused at the door, seemingly hesitant to speak, but ultimately nodded indifferently, uttered a low nasal sound, and started to leave the house.

The courtyard was unusually quiet; the baby girl in the nursery and the adjacent guest room were both empty.