CHAPTER 39 –
Though Wounded, the Price Was Worth It.
Mephisto had prepared dolls for both Roziana and Tenebres, and just as expected, the one who took the bait was Roziana.
If only it had been Tenebres who fell for the fake bride doll and the birdcage, things would have been far easier.
“Truly, what a troublesome man.”
In truth, even Mephisto hadn’t expected Tenebres to fall for the trap.
Tenebres was a being without weaknesses.
The mere fact that he had entered the Demon Realm, sacrificing himself for someone else, was shocking enough. The Tenebres he knew was not that kind of person.
“Was there only one exception—that witch—over 200 years ago?”
“Who do you mean, my lord?”
The demon butler Jude, handing a handkerchief to the blood-spitting Mephisto, asked the question.
“There was someone. Tenebres’ former lover.”
Her name was Erika… or something like that.
As he wiped the blood from his lips, Mephisto murmured,
“A woman with red hair and violet eyes—quite the charming one.”
Now that he thought about it, there was something in Roziana’s gaze that resembled hers.
Jude, listening to Mephisto, added,
“Violet eyes are rare, I suppose that’s why. I remember the second queen of the former Demon King had a similar appearance. A curious coincidence.”
There was no way Tenebres had come to the Demon Realm unprepared.
Moreover, knowing his cautious nature, the likelihood of him being caught in a trap was low.
That’s why Mephisto had gone to the trouble of preparing two dolls and carefully crafted illusions, showing each of them different hallucinations at the same time.
But just now—when the two had seen each other—that moment had not been an illusion.
The bridal chamber.
The birdcage within it.
The beautiful Roziana locked inside.
And Tenebres, who could only look at her.
What thrilled Mephisto most was the fact that this beautiful Roziana was his bride.
Just a moment ago, even a brief touch of her forehead had seemed to heal a large portion of his internal wounds.
“Whether this recovery is thanks to her divine power, or because she is the Demon King’s prey—I don’t know.”
Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.
No—if he were honest, it felt quite good.
Mephisto’s lukewarm gaze turned toward Roziana, who lay unconscious in the large birdcage in the corner of the chamber.
“When my bride awakens, make sure no one approaches, Jude. I will perform the ritual.”
The ritual. In human terms—the consummation.
Mephisto was done waiting. He intended to consume her power and become the perfect Demon King.
“As you wish, my lord.”
Jude lifted his monocle with a bright smile.
As someone who had long awaited his master’s rise to the throne of the Demon Realm, Mephisto’s declaration filled him with joy.
“I had hoped to take it slow, but that damned intruder gave us no time for romance.”
The push and pull with Roziana had been unexpectedly fun.
That flutter in his chest had actually felt… pleasant.
It had even amazed him—this desire to cherish someone.
He hadn’t thought himself capable of such feelings, and honestly, he had enjoyed it.
But now, the time for games was over.
Though Roziana remained in the cage, there was no telling when Tenebres might return to interfere.
It was unfortunate, but before it was too late, he had to absorb her power through her body.
The birdcage’s purpose was to imprint her with the pure instincts of prey—her magic within it would bind her like ropes. Her reason would fade, and only instincts would remain.
He could already imagine her—eyes open, driven purely by instinct, approaching him.
“I can hardly wait.”
Just imagining the look she would give him, filled with heat and longing, made his body tremble with satisfaction.
“Jude.”
Mephisto called out to Jude, who was about to leave the room.
“My lady is strong. She will survive the ritual with me.”
He felt slightly guilty for not proposing or holding a wedding. But in the Demon Realm, such things were meaningless. It was only because she was a human princess that he had considered humoring her customs.
“If she wishes for a wedding afterward, it’s not a bad idea. She shouldn’t feel she was lacking in anything…”
Uncharacteristically, Mephisto smiled softly.
“Bring the wedding dress I had prepared.”
Seeing his master smile sent a chill down Jude’s spine.
Because Mephisto only smiled like that when he was either dead serious—or furious.
“Yes, my lord.”
And with that, Jude disappeared swiftly.
“No!!! Rozie!”
As cried out in despair, watching the illusion fade before his eyes.
Roziana had fallen into Mephisto’s trap.
Trying to save his bloodied illusion—she had walked straight into it.
“Damn it!”
His anger burned not only at Mephisto—but at himself.
He couldn’t forgive himself.
“If only I had told her I was Tenebres from the beginning!”
If only he had revealed the truth sooner, maybe she would’ve never walked into the trap.
It hurt, like something melting deep inside his chest.
“Nox, keep tracking her!”
[Yes, Master.]
Asterios summoned black aura into his blade and charged toward the center of the Demon King’s castle, slicing through monsters as he ran.
Now that Mephisto had committed, he was sending countless demonic beasts at him.
Like a dam bursting open, endless armies of the Demon Realm rained down upon him.
The deeper he went, the more monsters he encountered. Clearly, Mephisto had hidden her somewhere near the castle’s center.
“If she loses all her power to him, it’ll be too late!”
Even if Roziana possessed witch powers—she was still only 9th circle.
If Mephisto slowly devoured her body and mana…
Would she even be able to survive in the Demon Realm, powerless?
“I have to reach her before that happens!”
The Demon Realm’s oppressive aura weighed on him, dragging at his steps.
And the endless wave of monsters was slowing him down.
Then—flash!
The dark sky of the Demon Realm split open with a blinding crack.
A giant rift opened in the black sky, pouring down radiant white light like a waterfall.
As if a god had descended upon the Demon Realm, the light obliterated the monsters before Asterios in an instant.
As the hundreds of monsters charging from afar hesitated—
Asterios felt the shift in the oppressive energy holding him down.
He seized the opening in the sky to summon a familiar.
“Blackbreath, come forth!”
A massive black dragon rose from the ground, casting a colossal shadow across the realm.
It bowed before Asterios the moment it appeared.
“Cough, cough!”
Along with white smoke came a familiar voice calling his name.
“So it was you, Asterios. Cough, cough!”
Asterios frowned as he identified the voice.
It was someone who shouldn’t be here.
Someone holding an enormous holy relic.
“Unbelievable. You, of all people, being helpful? Daniel.”
It was the great sage—descending from the heavens with divine brilliance.
Daniel scowled.
“What? You arrogant brat! A little gratitude wouldn’t hurt—”
“Who’s saving whom? At least wear proper clothes.”
Without another word, Asterios leapt onto the dragon and soared away.
“H-Hey! Wait! Take me with you!”
FWUMP!
Trying to stand, Daniel suddenly realized something was off.
“Wait… My clothes are torn?! And… am I taller?”
The words of the High Saint flashed in his mind.
“Daniel, the Demon Realm might be more troublesome than expected. You’ll understand once you arrive.”
“So that’s what he meant?!”
The moment he entered the Demon Realm, he reverted to his original form.
Daniel, who had lived for nearly a century as a childlike body by choice, now stood as the delicate, ethereal young man he had once chosen to avoid being.
“Ugh! I stayed in child form on purpose!”
Looking like a porcelain doll as elegant as Jezeph, Daniel cast a hasty spell at the monsters charging toward him.
“Saint’s Raiment!”
But divine power was useless here.
“No! Asterios! Take me with you, please!!”
Frantically covering himself with his tattered cloak, Daniel chased after Asterios as fast as he could.
Roziana felt like she was sinking endlessly into a bottomless abyss.
A cold sensation, hazy mind, and darkness swallowed her body and spirit.
“I… can’t move.”
As if bound by chains, she was completely immobilized.
She didn’t know where she was—it felt like wandering through a dream.
Then—something began to take shape before her blurry eyes.
And the moment it became clear—
Roziana gasped.
“M-my sisters??”
