CHAPTER 44…
The deeper and longer Roziana kissed him, the more it felt like all his energy was being drained from his body.
During their first kiss, he had sensed that her magical circle was on the verge of reaching the 11th level.
But now that she had drained all his strength, it was hard to even estimate the vast amount of mana she possessed. It seemed that the higher the level, the more mana was required for advancement.
“Surely she’s not going to surpass even the 12th level at this rate…?”
Asterios didn’t have much mana left in his current body because he had left a considerable portion of it in the shard he had given to Edwin.
At most, he possessed the mana of a 7th or 8th circle mage, but as a dragon of darkness, he faced fewer restrictions in the demon realm and could still risk everything. He also had the powers of Nox and Black Breath.
But the situation had now changed.
His mana was being drained, leaving him like an empty shell.
Asterios clung to his fading consciousness. He didn’t know how much longer he could endure, but he only hoped that he wouldn’t hurt her anymore.
He had never expected to be forgiven this easily in the first place.
If he could be used to help her return to the past and revive her sisters…
If her rage would be soothed even a little, and he could atone just that much—it had to be enough for him.
It should be enough.
“But can I truly be satisfied?”
Returning to the past and defeating the Demon King Beelzebub was the destined role of Erika, reborn as Roziana.
Only she could fulfill that role.
To make that possible, he had broken the laws of the gods and embedded divine power, dragon power, and witch power within her.
It wasn’t for recognition.
It had been the only way to save her—and as a former divine being, the only thing he could do for her.
So he had no regrets.
“But if… if you complete everything and I am granted one more chance…”
As his vision flickered and consciousness faded, he made a silent vow.
Next time, he would never let her go from his arms.
That was the reason he had chosen to remain in this world instead of vanishing.
Unaware of his vow drifting through his mind, her soft, fragrant lips once again covered his.
The sensation of his strength being taken in that dizzying, fiery kiss sent his consciousness plummeting over a cliff once more.
Boom!
A loud crash shook Roziana’s subspace.
Someone was trying to invade her dimension with equally overwhelming power.
The cabin shattered completely, and the entire cage was now in the middle of the Demon King’s castle.
Roziana pulled away from Asterios, her mouth still warm from the passionate exchange.
Slurp. Her small tongue quickly licked her red lips and disappeared.
“Your recovery’s faster than expected.”
She spoke to someone, her tone playful.
Asterios barely managed to turn his head to see who it was.
A shadow approached from the distance.
It was Mephisto.
Roziana, now sitting upright and no longer leaning on the breathless, feverish Asterios, wiped the saliva from her lips with the back of her hand and twisted her upper body.
“Surely you didn’t rush here just to be my next meal? You should’ve rested a little longer, Mephisto.”
His body looked awkward and pieced together, as though he had absorbed a few demons to recover.
Behind him, Jude and Nea also revealed themselves.
The sight of familiar faces brought a confident smirk to Roziana’s lips.
“How did you find this place?”
She asked casually, as though genuinely curious.
“Hnnngh! Your Highness, no matter how much you change, we demons and beasts could never forget your presence. If anything, you’ve become even more charming! Heuuung~!”
From afar, Nea blushed as she gazed at Roziana, her body squirming.
“Demons and beasts cannot forget her presence…”
Roziana silently repeated Nea’s words to herself.
Then it came back to her—what Nea had said in front of that giant portrait.
“The former Demon King left behind a precious symbol! A huge painting in the palace! No matter how much time passes or how much Your Highness’s appearance changes, we demons and monsters never forget!”
An existence that demons and monsters cannot forget.
The outer shell may change, but the soul does not.
Demons understood this best—they were beings who made contracts through the soul.
Mephisto’s cold, dark eyes glinted as he finally spoke.
Even from afar, Roziana could feel the aura of death emanating from him—stronger than before.
“…Yes. The scent of the soul lies in the eyes, my lady.”
He approached step by step, a twisted smile on his face.
Asterios furrowed his brow at Mephisto, but his body wouldn’t respond properly.
Too much of his power had already been transferred to Roziana.
Roziana narrowed her eyes at Mephisto’s words. With his arrival, she could no longer draw mana from Asterios or afford to tend to him.
The scent of the soul lies in the eyes…
Was he talking about eye color?
As if reading her thoughts, Mephisto continued with a sigh.
“Indeed, the eyes reveal the soul’s true identity. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner.”
That my lady was once the “her” of Tenebres.
And more than that—that she was Beelzebub’s second bride.
No wonder her violet eyes had seemed so familiar.
“Anyway, I can’t afford to delay any longer. If I do, I might lose my position to her.”
He spoke as if he had sensed the sudden rise in Roziana’s mana.
Then, Mephisto spread his arms wide.
BOOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, Roziana’s subspace collapsed.
“Kyaaa!”
Nea’s scream tore through the air, and once again, Roziana found herself staring at the crimson sky and walls.
“Damn it. It’s that place again.”
Back in the Demon King’s castle, Roziana drew up her nearly complete 11-circle mana. Mephisto’s eyes narrowed rapidly.
“No, my lady. That won’t do. You’re not the Demon King. You’re mine.”
Power befitting a ruler of the demon realm burst out from Mephisto’s body.
“!”
Clearly directed at Roziana, a terrifying force hurtled toward her.
In this incomplete state, her mana was unstable. Using her power could be dangerous.
“Dark Shadow!”
Still, she had no choice but to act.
But just as she was about to summon her power—
SWOOSH!
A black silhouette blocked her view in a flash of light.
“!”
Like a giant wall, the figure shielded her, meeting Mephisto’s dark aura head-on.
No… it can’t be.
Time seemed to freeze. The glossy black hair and fluttering cloak of a uniform filled her vision. Mephisto’s power slammed directly into the man’s chest.
“…Asterios!!!”
Crackle!
“Urgh!”
His body convulsed as if electrocuted, absorbing the dark aura completely.
He had already given her nearly all his mana. He couldn’t even stand properly, let alone defend himself.
“Did he throw himself at it? To save me?”
Her large violet eyes glistened with moisture.
“Damn it!”
A raw curse escaped her soft, fruit-like lips.
Asterios—no, Tenebres. Why?
For someone like me?
Just for her, he and her sisters had once thrown away love, life—everything they held dear.
Their deaths and sacrifices had become chains, suffocating Erika.
The despair and futility she had felt as Erika layered over the sight of Asterios collapsing.
Throwing themselves away for her…
“Stop it already!!!”
Who would ever want that?!
With Roziana’s scream, her mana burst from her body.
“Urgh!”
“Kyaa!! Y-Your Highness! Haaa~!”
The explosion was so powerful that Jude and Nea, standing far away, were blown back.
Her unstable mana surged like a storm. It was as if the eye of a hurricane had taken on her form—everything around her began to spin.
The growing, raging storm of mana turned black, swallowing everything nearby.
Only Roziana, in the eye of the storm—fully awakened—remained, her expression filled with fury, bleached pale.
Asterios, lying in front of her, was unconscious.
“Tch. I really can’t take my eyes off you for even a moment, can I, my lady?”
Mephisto stepped forward, pushing through the storm toward the blinding white center—toward her.
