BVWG 35

chapter 35

There was something chilling about Lady Charlier’s presence.
A faint but ominous black mist seeped up from beneath her feet.

For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating and glanced around.
Was I the only one seeing this black mist?

No one else reacted — not even the imperial knights, who were supposed to be able to detect such things. They seemed completely oblivious.

I looked again at Lady Charlier’s feet.

“Is something on my dress, Lady Charlier?” I asked politely.

She smiled gently — yet the black mist around her only thickened.

I stepped back, recalling the condemned man I had once seen in the imperial palace.

Lady Charlier must have let herself be consumed by some dark emotion, momentarily producing the same black mist that had once surrounded that sinner.

It couldn’t possibly be a real Incubo.

I tried to reassure myself.

“If you send a formal invitation to House Esperanza, Lady Charlier,” I said evenly, “we’ll be happy to consider it.”

I bowed politely, trying to put distance between us. A warning siren blared in my mind.

But Lady Charlier only gave me a knowing smile.

“Thank you, Lady Esperanza. I’ll do just that. But it seems, my lady, that you can see things other people cannot.”

Her words sent a chill up my spine—
and suddenly, the world went dark.

A blackout.

Screams erupted around us.

The worst-case scenario I’d feared had come true.

“Incubo! Run!”

I could hear people shouting, but I couldn’t see them.
The space around me twisted and warped.

In the suffocating darkness, only one thing was visible —
Lady Charlier’s form, but it wasn’t her.

It was an Incubo wearing her face.

A high-rank Incubo.
My mind froze in terror.

“Did you know, my lady?” the creature purred.
“You smell delicious. The scent of loneliness, sorrow, and endless fury toward a single person…”

The Incubo inhaled deeply, savoring it.

“Ahh… so good. I could devour you right now, but—”
Her crimson eyes gleamed.
“—I think I’ll cook you first. That’ll make you even tastier.”

The beautiful face of Lady Charlier distorted as her eyes glowed blood-red.
Somewhere, the metallic stench of blood filled the air.

“Well, sweetheart, didn’t you miss me?”

That voice—
the one I despised more than anything.

“Let’s have some fun!”

It was Kim Young-woong’s voice.

A nightmare I’d buried deep in my past life came surging back.

I couldn’t see his face, but the pain my old body had endured returned in excruciating clarity.
The fear, the helplessness—everything.

I collapsed to the ground, writhing, reliving the horror.
Then, a sharp sound pierced my ears.

It was my own scream.

Right… in my past life, I’d always lost consciousness during his beatings. My body had screamed silently while my mind was trapped in the dark.

But this time, I could scream.
This time, I wasn’t completely defenseless.

Get a grip!

I forced my mind to focus, gathering magic at my fingertips just as Morr had taught me.

Magic — the power of the White Dragon — was said to counter demonic energy.

I tried to form a protective barrier, just like the one Morr and I had created back in the southern slums.

It didn’t have to protect a whole village — just me. That should be possible.

I prayed desperately that it would work.

Focusing all my energy on my fingertips, I summoned the light.

A faint glow appeared — and with it, the pain and voices began to fade.

It must have all been illusions and whispers.

“My lady, what an interesting little trick.”

Her voice — melodious and clear like rolling pearls — sounded chilling in the dark.

Then the Incubo appeared again, still wearing Lady Charlier’s face, grinning eerily.

The light at my fingertips grew, but I needed more.
Much more.

Please… gather faster…

But the magic didn’t obey.
It moved sluggishly through my body, leaving behind a lukewarm, unpleasant sensation.

The Incubo watched me, unfazed, licking her unnaturally long tongue like a beast.

Is my power not enough?

I glanced at the light forming in my hands—
and despaired.

Back in the slums, my magic had glowed pure white — the color of the White Dragon’s blessing.
Now, it was murky gray.

The Incubo stared at me with predatory eyes.

Fear broke my focus, and the glowing sphere shrank.

“You smell just like my master,” she hissed. “So sweet.”

Her “master.” I knew instantly who she meant.

That damned demon.

The thought of him sent a pang of rage through my fear — the same obsessive compulsion tied to my mission in this cursed game-world.

At least that obsession kept me alive now.

While I steadied myself, the Incubo’s face twisted into a dreamlike smile, her eyes dead cold.

I forced myself to focus again. The magic orb grew larger—still gray, but stronger.

Then, the Incubo turned into mist and materialized right in front of me.

“My lady, I can’t wait anymore. Let me thank you in advance—
for the meal.”

Her long, scarlet tongue shot out, reaching for my mouth.

Instinctively, I raised my hand — the one holding the magic orb — and covered my lips.

Her tongue struck the orb.

The Incubo shuddered, eyes rolling back.

“Ah… delicious. Even better than I imagined.”

I felt my magic draining fast.
Would my soul be next once it was gone?

In my mind, I saw flashes — the Duke, my nanny, Count Kairus, Dalia, Merci, Morpheus, even Beret…

This life had been better than the last. Maybe that’s why I didn’t want to let go.
Even that damned demon — her master — felt strangely nostalgic.

And I still hadn’t taken revenge on Kim Young-woong.
What a shame.

As the sensation of death crept closer, my survival instinct flared violently.

And suddenly — why did I keep seeing a man with silver hair and blue eyes?

The Incubo’s expression twisted grotesquely.
Her red eyes widened as she stumbled back.

But her tongue was still stuck to my magic orb.

“No—no! It tastes wrong! Let go! Get off me!”

Her words came out garbled as she struggled to pull away.

Then I felt it — my magic returning, flooding back into me.

Strength surged through my body.

But even after my magic was replenished, something else kept flowing in — something damp, alien, and foul.

I tried to pull away, but couldn’t.

The Incubo’s dark mist was being sucked into my hand.

When it was all gone, the darkness lifted—
and Lady Charlier collapsed before me.

A black orb pulsed in my palm.
I didn’t have time to wonder what it was.

Because the sight before me was horrifying.

The imperial ballroom was in ruins.

Elegant nobles cowered, hiding from swarms of low-rank Incubi that spewed black mist.

Knights and mages stood at the front of each group, forming barriers to hold the monsters back.

I scanned the chaos, searching for the Duke.

Thank the heavens — he was safe, pale-faced and sheltered among other nobles in a corner.

The Incubi swarmed, but none could touch them; the mages had cast layered shields around the survivors.

No casualties, it seemed — not yet.

Then the Emperor appeared, his presence radiating like sunlight through smoke.
He saw me — and the unconscious Lady Charlier at my feet.

“Lady Esperanza, there you are! Don’t disappear like that again—you had us worried sick.”

Despite his stern tone, he cast a protective barrier around me.
As expected of one blessed by the White Dragon, his magic was precise and powerful.

“I greet the Light of the Empire,” I said. “The young lady here was… a high-rank Incubo, I believe.”

I resisted the urge to shout that none of this was my fault. There were more urgent matters at hand.

The Emperor’s face hardened.

“Then you dealt with her yourself? Or did she simply lose consciousness?”

“I’m not sure, Your Majesty. I think she tried to attack me, but then suddenly—she seemed to lose her power and collapse.”

He knelt beside Lady Charlier and examined her.

“She’s still breathing. And there’s no trace of demonic energy left… it seems the Incubo really was destroyed.”

He looked up at me — his cold blue eyes filled with surprise.

“I didn’t know you possessed such an ability, Lady Esperanza.”

“It was an accident, Your Majesty,” I said quickly.

“We’ll discuss the details later. For now…”

Morr appeared beside us, bowing deeply.

“Your Majesty, the number of Incubi is too high. The imperial forces alone won’t be able to contain them.”

A shadow darkened his face.

“It may be necessary to release Your Majesty’s full power.”

I looked around — the number of Incubi was indeed growing, though thankfully none seemed as powerful as the one I had faced.

The Emperor frowned, then nodded.

“Lady Esperanza,” he said calmly, “I’m afraid our conversation will have to wait. I ask for your understanding.”

Before I could respond, he closed his eyes and straightened, standing tall.

And then—
a brilliant white light began to emanate from his body.