Hmm. Guru stuck her head out and studied the child.
Because of the hood, it wasn’t easy to tell, but one thing was certain—this wasn’t a familiar face.
'Could it be... the appearance of yet another new friend?'
Along with her bubbling anger, the [Outsider’s Wrath] that Guru had created also began to flare more intensely.
At that moment, from the long shadow stretching behind her, black leaves swayed.
As if consumed by wrath, a stalk glowing with crimson aura shot straight upward.
“Mm?”
With a single pointed leaf, it coiled tightly around Guru’s wrist.
“Eh?!”
Guru let out a triangular-mouthed cry as she was suddenly yanked upward.
“Hyiiet?!”
“Kkyuuuuh!”
Lukshifer shrieked and clapped his fluffy front paws over his mouth.
His legs creaked.
'Already?'
Mephisto stiffened in alarm.
For some reason, the erosion of [Outsider’s Wrath] was eating into his body more fiercely than before.
He fumbled with the tongs, his legs refusing to move as he wished. Tears welled up, blurring his vision, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.
'If I had been born human like Woojoo, I could’ve managed this much...'
A dangerous thought crossed his mind.
Maybe he could use his power once more.
If he rewrote Woojoo’s perception...
If he made Woojoo not like Guru anymore...
Wouldn’t everything become easier?
His sunset-colored eyes fixed on Woojoo, who was diligently picking up trash.
Mephisto’s gaze wavered.
Guru would never notice anyway.
Just once...
But the hand reaching toward Woojoo dropped limply to his side.
Because he understood what it meant to like Guru, he couldn’t bring himself to tamper with Woojoo’s feelings. If only he hadn’t known...
“Tch.” Mephisto frowned. Just as he turned his body—
“Kkyuuuuuu!”
Lukshifer bounced up and grabbed his collar, pointing frantically in one direction.
“Huh?”
When Mephisto turned, he saw Guru bound up in Penbraum’s stalks. He tossed aside the tongs and trash bag, then hobbled forward in a desperate run.
Guru, now tightly wrapped in the stalks, struggled to break free, but there was no way a child’s strength could overcome it.
Meanwhile, Penbraum sniffed toward her backpack.
This was it.
Its stalk slithered toward the bag.
“N-nooo!”
Guru clutched it tightly, but the stalk burrowed between her arms.
'I can’t let it take it...!'
Just as Guru poured all her strength into resisting—
Penbraum suddenly shuddered, quivering like an aspen tree.
It trembled as if terrified of something.
At its base stood the hooded child.
And then Penbraum prostrated itself at the boy’s feet.
Its instincts, every cell that made up its body, bowed in obedience before him.
The long-eyed child slowly blinked and stretched out his hand.
In an instant, the icy chill of a frozen snowfield spread through the air.
[The Lord revokes the authority of his Follower.]
Thump!
Penbraum obeyed.
Its pitch-black stalks, leaves, and roots melted away, vanishing into pure shadow.
At the same time, soft yellow chick-like hair scattered in the air. Mephisto stretched out both arms to catch Guru as she fell.
Crash!
Guru landed squarely atop him, their faces close.
The boy’s hood had slipped off.
White feathers fluttered.
Other than his red lips and sunset-colored eyes, he was a boy seemingly made entirely of white.
“Uh......?”
Guru’s dazed face drew close, and Mephisto’s eyes shook.
“Mephi?”
Mephisto’s lips trembled, but his throat was so tight no words came out.
'Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?'
From the moment he was reborn into this world and self-awareness dawned, he had watched Guru.
Now, gazing at her in his long-desired human form, she seemed even smaller than before.
His chest swelled with a fullness that almost hurt.
Softening his eyes, Mephisto ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) clasped Guru’s hand.
Like others did, he wanted to wrap her hand completely in his.
He rubbed his cheek against her palm like a small bird.
“Yeah. It’s me, Mephi.”
Guru’s eyes widened.
“How’d yooo do dat?”
Just as she asked, Woojoo’s voice cut in.
“Guru! Are you okay?”
“Yesh. Mephi cawt me.”
Mephisto, already sitting up, encircled her with his arms.
The white boy pressed his forehead against her small shoulder, nuzzling his soft hair against her like he was being spoiled.
Seeing this, Woojoo flared with rage and grabbed Guru’s hand.
“I’ll help you up. Take my hand.”
“Ah, ‘kay.”
Guru grasped his hand and stood up quickly.
Mephisto rose on his own, and Woojoo shot him a sideways glance before snapping his head away.
Watching the tense air between them, Guru fiddled with her index fingers and asked hesitantly.
“But... what wewe you two doin’ widout Gwuu?”
“Uh, that’s......!”
“They told us if we wanted the prince role, we had to pick up trash, so we were.”
While Woojoo faltered, Mephisto replied without hesitation.
'Does he know no shame?' Woojoo ground his teeth, holding back his anger at Mephisto’s constant boldness.
“Prince role?”
“Yeah, that......”
Woojoo nodded, ears burning red.
“It wasn’t anything weird, I just... wanted to be in the play.”
'You were having weird thoughts', Mephisto shot him a look. Woojoo mouthed back, What? What’s your problem?
“Ahhh, so that’s why. You should’ve towd Gwuu too......”
Just then, shadows bubbled up behind pouting Guru.
Remnants of Penbraum’s roots sprouted new stalks, clawing their way back up from the floor.
The grotesque sight made Mephisto scowl.
The corrupted parts must have already been tainted, free from command.
'If I use my power again, then...'
He might not be able to maintain his human form.
But he couldn’t let Guru be endangered.
Mephisto braced himself to act—
Stab!
A pink fork jabbed into the shadow.
“Kkiiiiek!”
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Guru skewered the remaining stalks without hesitation.
As Penbraum oozed away like oil, she turned to the boys, blinking.
Woojoo and Mephisto were struck speechless by her merciless fork-work.
Guru tilted her head, puzzled.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“N-no! Are you okay?”
“Gwuu ish coow.”
While Woojoo asked, Mephisto clapped with wide, floppy sleeves.
Heh.
Guru smirked proudly, chin tilted upward—then suddenly remembered.
“But da pwince woww... yooo weawwy wanna do it?”
“Yes. I want to.”
“I will.”
Both Woojoo and Mephisto answered at once.
“Uuuh?” Guru furrowed her brows in a bow shape.
“Even dough da pwince onwy has one wine?”
“What?”
Guru rummaged in her bag and pulled out the script.
'The Snow White Hero'
Rustle—
The boys froze when they saw the title.
Quickly flipping through, they found that the prince didn’t wake the princess with a kiss at all—
[Prince: I have fallen for your swordsmanship, Hero Snow White!]
That was his one and only line.
“Please buy an old woman’s apple, merciful Hero.”
On the practice stage for The Snow White Hero.
Gu Hwiyeon, dressed as an old crone, offered the apple.
Then, the dagger at the Snow White Hero’s waist gleamed with metal light.
Guru sliced the apple with sharp, disciplined strokes.
Slash! Slash!
“What! How did you know this was poisoned?”
Sliding the sword back into its scabbard, Guru declared gravely,
“I, Snow White. I am a child who does not eat food from strangers!”
The Snow White Hero had been adapted into a moral play to teach children a lesson.
Of course, since she never ate the poisoned apple, there was no scene where the prince woke her with a kiss.
Watching rehearsal, Mephisto clapped flamboyantly, while Woojoo slumped back in his chair, drained.
'...So this is what the play was?'
Teacher Gwak Nabi smiled as she asked,
“Alright then, which one of you wants to play the prince who becomes Snow White Hero’s disciple?”
Grinning brightly, Mephisto pointed at Woojoo.

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