CHAPTER 42
“So that’s what it means to be food—something truly consumed!”
Drained of mana and devoured.
That was the fate of those who became the Demon King’s prey.
But the food chain was not what she expected—it was reversed.
“I’m not the one being eaten? Why??”
If she were Mephisto’s prey, then their contact just now should have made him stronger.
But instead of her mana transferring to Mephisto, it was the opposite—his mana was being absorbed into her.
And on top of that, he took a blow from Asterios, leaving him crumpled on the ground like a piece of paper.
Gasping for breath, Mephisto finally opened his mouth.
His crimson lips curved slightly upward as if he found some twisted joy.
“…How ironic… I was devoured by my lady…”
Cough!
His body burning up, he coughed up more blood.
He must never have imagined being the one consumed.
As strength surged through her, Roziana finally understood her sisters’ words.
They had told her to grow her mana the way things were done in the Demon Realm—to nurture her circle through that means.
And now, it was happening.
Then, suddenly appearing from beyond the collapsed wall, Daniel burst into the room.
“Saintess!”
The moment he saw Roziana trapped inside the cage, he swung the Divine Tree at it.
Flash! A burst of pure, white light from the sacred relic flared—and the cage door finally swung open.
“Rozi—no, Your Highness. Forgive me for arriving late.”
Leaving the barely-breathing Mephisto behind, Asterios knelt on one knee and bowed his head.
“Are you unharmed?”
“I… I’m fine.”
At her answer, the deadly gleam in Asterios’ eyes immediately softened.
He looked relieved, but there was also a hint of frustration on his face.
Roziana, too, was angry.
It was clear at a glance—Asterios was injured all over.
Cuts and gashes marred his body, blood oozing from open wounds.
“I’ll finish this one off and take you to safety. I’ll accept my punishment for failing you afterward.”
As he spoke, Asterios reached down to drag the still-groaning Mephisto out of the cage.
But just then—her head spun, and Roziana was hit with an overwhelming thirst.
“No… not yet. I need more mana!”
Her body was craving more. More mana. More prey.
Mephisto’s fading energy was already nearly depleted—spent guarding the Demon King’s castle and bedchamber door.
Then her eyes caught sight of Asterios’s overflowing aura.
Meanwhile, Daniel reached out from outside the cage.
“Saintess, let me help you.”
In his other hand, he tightly gripped the Divine Tree.
“A snare!”
It was a sacred relic she hadn’t seen before, yet her divine power resonated with it—so she instantly understood its name and function.
[Would you like to use the Branch of God to bind your desired target?]
A voice only she could hear whispered softly.
It was the Divine Tree’s message.
“Desired target?”
She desired him. A man with powerful mana—one her body craved even more than Mephisto.
The one who tempted her like the most delicious prey.
She raised her eyes and looked directly at her target.
He had just stepped outside the cage after subduing Mephisto with the power of darkness.
“Asterios.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
As Roziana called his name, a radiant light suddenly burst from the Divine Tree in Daniel’s hand.
“Wha—?! Why is the relic—?”
Blinded by the intense light, Daniel instinctively turned away.
The once-elegantly twisted branches of the Divine Tree unraveled in an instant, turning into a web of white vines.
Before anyone could blink, the vines lashed out, wrapping tightly around Asterios and restraining him.
“What the—?!”
“!”
As Daniel and Asterios froze in shock, Roziana extended her hands and pulled Asterios into the cage.
“Y-Your Highness?!”
Asterios, completely defenseless against her, turned in surprise.
Her purple eyes had turned a deep crimson red.
“!”
Sensing something was very wrong, Asterios quickly sent a telepathic message to Blackbreath and Nox—still fighting demons outside the broken wall.
“Saintess!”
Daniel rushed toward the cage, but the door had already slammed shut.
The Divine Tree now rested in Roziana’s hands, still tightly binding Asterios.
“Why… why would you…”
Daniel stood there stunned as Roziana—eyes glowing red—shouted:
“Don’t come any closer!”
At the same time—whoosh! A violet aura swirled violently around her.
“S-Saintess!”
Daniel and Nox, who had been quietly approaching, both froze.
Even just hearing her voice, it was clear she was different now.
Her once-sparkling violet eyes were no longer soft or sweet.
She radiated an overwhelming, dangerous presence—untouchable, even sinister.
Asterios, too, couldn’t hide his shock.
To rescue Roziana, he had to first escape the Divine Tree’s vines.
But the harder he struggled, the tighter the vines coiled around him.
“Tch!”
Then—he suddenly felt heat flood his body.
Roziana had placed her hand on part of the white vine binding him.
“Daniel, thank you for bringing me the Divine Tree. I’ll use it well—and return it later.”
“…What?”
Roziana, eyes glowing red, smiled gently at them.
The kind of delicate, beautiful smile that sent chills down your spine.
“Nox, please escort Daniel for me.”
“……”
“But, Saintess!!”
Ignoring Daniel’s desperate plea and Nox’s silence, Roziana raised the intensity of the violet mana surrounding her.
The surge of mana from her slender, beautiful form shot skyward like a tidal wave, forming a massive barrier.
Rumble… The entire Demon King’s castle resonated with her power, shaking violently.
And then Roziana shouted:
“Dark Shadow!!”
Her voice echoed—and in the blink of an eye, both she and Asterios vanished.
The entire cage they were in disappeared too.
“Unbelievable…”
All that remained was an empty space, a ruined bedchamber, and the collapsing Demon King’s castle—proof it was no illusion.
“H-How could the Saintess…”
Overwhelmed, Daniel’s knees buckled.
Of course he’d be shaken—Roziana had ignored his pleas and vanished with Asterios.
And to make matters worse—she had stolen Graham’s sacred relic, the Divine Tree.
Following her instructions, Nox grabbed the stumbling Daniel.
Meanwhile, Jude, Nair, and the other bloodied subordinates of Mephisto—freed from their brainwashing—rushed to their master’s side.
Though their bodies were mangled, they surrounded Mephisto, and in an instant, all vanished without a trace.
“They’ve escaped.”
Muttering to himself, Nox glanced at Blackbreath, who snorted black smoke through his nostrils before fading.
His master, Asterios, had disappeared into a realm even he couldn’t track.
“For now, we return to our world.”
At that, Daniel mumbled awkwardly, “Wait—I, uh, my legs… I can’t move…”
“……”
Irritated, Nox lifted Daniel in his arms.
Held gently like a princess, Daniel blushed.
“S-Sorry… and thanks. Just, um… don’t tell Asterios about this…”
“Shut that mouth. My master permitted it—only then did I bring you to Dreat.”
“Ah—no, wait. I was supposed to go to Graham, not Dreat…”
He stopped mid-sentence.
Thinking of returning to Graham without the Divine Tree made his spine tingle.
“That’s one of the holiest relics there is!”
“Ah! No, right, Dreat is fine. Of course.”
Daniel suddenly spoke like an old man and turned his head in embarrassment.
He couldn’t return empty-handed.
All he could do was wait in Dreat until Roziana returned.
Even to himself, it felt shameless.
“Why, Saintess… why this trial for me?”
There had been no divine revelation about any of this.
Born as a priest of Graham, later becoming a sage—after hundreds of years, for the first time, Daniel felt bitter resentment toward the gods.
At a glance, the place looked like the old witch’s hut of legend.
Inside, a massive cage stood.
The fact that this enormous cage was located inside what seemed to be Erica’s room confirmed one thing—this was not the real world.
Erica’s subspace.
A space crafted by a witch—similar to a dragon’s domain.
A realm created by a being of power, invisible and inaccessible to others, but very much real.
“Ugh…!”
The Divine Tree’s vines tightened around Asterios, making him groan in pain.
He was bound, helpless—and looked up at the woman he loved.
She stood above him in the cage—the cage for the Demon King’s prey.
“What should I call you now?”
Her voice, long-missed, filled the space.
His eyes immediately welled with heat.
“E-Erica…”
She had seen his real face now.
She must know he had deceived her all this time.
He wanted to apologize—for not protecting her, for what she had endured in the Demon Realm, for hiding his identity.
“…Forgive me, Your Highness. I—”
But before he could finish, his words vanished.
“Mm!”
Roziana grabbed him roughly by the collar—and pressed her lips against his.
