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Chapter 12
“It’s something everyone knows! This is what happened when he became the king of the Demon Realm!”
“!!”
Seiri’s mind went completely blank for a moment. She couldn’t even form words.
Did I just hear wrong? Who… what became…?
Clinging to her sanity, she spoke in a low voice.
“…Repeat what you just said.”
“Horu-nim, upon ascending to the position of Demon King this time, said he would change all the outdated laws. And he said the demon seeds would be the starting point for that.”
“Horu… became the Demon King? Then what happened to the previous Demon King?”
“Of course, he died and was destroyed. There can’t be two kings in the Demon Realm, can there?”
Boom. It felt as if someone had struck her skull with a sledgehammer.
She couldn’t believe it. Horu was never that type of person. Even when offered power by the Demon King, he had refused, saying he wanted to stay by Eides’ side.
There was no way he would kill the Demon King and take the throne. Impossible.
Even if he wasn’t as loyal as to Eides, he had always respected the Demon King. So this must be a lie, a cunning tongue of a low-tier demon. But…
“I never lie to my beloved! If you don’t believe me, ask another demon!”
Indeed, someone affected by the “great power of love” was extremely unlikely to lie.
One more thing: demons would never use the demon seeds without the Demon King’s permission. Anyone caught doing so would be immediately destroyed. There had never been a report of someone using them against the rules.
Though the Demon King was frustrating in many ways, he was a pacifist who avoided unnecessary conflict. He would never allow such disgusting things as demon seeds, no matter how much demons begged.
Then… could it really be true? The moment Seiri fell here, Horu had killed the Demon King, become the ruler of the Demon Realm, and overturned the rules she despised with the flick of a hand.
That… was you.
“Hahaha… ahahaha!”
If he was someone matching her in strength, killing the Demon King and taking the throne was entirely possible.
Had he been waiting all these millennia for her to be cast out of the Demon Realm, pretending to have no interest in power all the while?
Her mind, once pure white, turned pitch black. Anger and despair surged, giving her a headache like needles stabbing her skull.
“You sure waited patiently to do whatever you wanted.”
Outwardly, he had wagged his tail like a loyal dog, but behind the scenes, he had been itching to become king. Upon ascending, he immediately commanded the demons to do everything she had forbidden.
Had she lived under his thumb all this time just for this? Concealing that black heart behind clever words and deeds?
She felt awful. If this was the case, losing to Ferdinando back then and ending things there would have been better.
To be humiliated and stripped of her power by the one she considered her lifelong enemy—and then betrayed by the only subordinate she truly trusted…
Worse still, she realized, she had lost even the reason for revenge, having been consumed by the desire for vengeance itself.
The path she had pursued so long ended abruptly at a cliff. She could see nothing ahead; everything felt ruined.
“Ugh.”
Her stomach churned, her head throbbed, and her vision blurred.
“My beloved, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Seiri-nim!”
As she staggered, about to collapse, Verdine rushed through the crowd to reach her.
Top-tier demon? Eides? What use was power at all?
Strength and status were like sandcastles swept away by waves, and the only ally she had trusted had stabbed her in the back. Even the fundamental reason she had fought so fiercely had been lost…
What was left for her now?
Overcome with extreme physical exhaustion layered with mental fatigue, Seiri felt a desire to let go of everything.
Damn it.
Thud.
She collapsed, unconscious.
“There are rumors that the manifestation of the Saint in Ferdinando’s garden is suspicious.”
The ministers seated densely around the elongated oval table murmured. The emergency meeting had been called suddenly on a holiday; no one had expected this.
“Your Majesty, who has met the Saint directly, has said nothing like this. Baron, what grounds do you have for such alarming claims?”
“Is it not cruel to summon us on mere rumors? If you’d been one minute later, a hundred-year-old finest wine could have passed my throat.”
Laughter echoed in the room, though Baron Rodville’s expression, who led the meeting, remained grim.
“This is no laughing matter. Don’t you understand how serious this is? From the beginning, there have been claims that everything regarding the Great Saint is the minister’s fabrication.”
“Excuse me? The minister’s fabrication? That can’t be. He is above reproach in integrity.”
“Exactly. Please refrain from irreverent statements. And consider who Your Majesty is—not someone to overlook manipulations by a subordinate, nor easily fooled by nonsense.”
“I completely agree. I understand the Count’s concern for the Empire, but overreacting to rumors is…”
“I’ll explain.”
Just then, the meeting room door opened.
A middle-aged man in a dark brown uniform entered. All present stood.
He was lean, with sharp eyes and a prominent nose, and a long scar running from beneath his right ear to his jawline gave him a fearsome presence.
This was Count Mortica, a founding contributor to the Lucerne Empire and a battle-hardened soldier.
“This is urgent. Let’s dispense with formalities and get to the point.”
At his gesture, everyone sat. His presence made clear that this was no trivial matter. A heavy tension filled the room.
“I, too, trusted the minister and intended to observe calmly. But for the sake of the Empire’s future and safety, I must speak now.”
The room fell deathly silent; someone swallowed audibly.
“Saint Verdine has dreamed a prophecy: a powerful demon has descended to the Empire and will sow chaos.”
“What…?”
“A demon, in this era of peace… why such a dream?”
“So we are gathered here because of the Saint’s prophecy?”
“The prophecy alone cannot be ignored, but an even graver matter requires mention. The demon the prophecy points to is already inside the Imperial Palace, near His Majesty.”
“!!”
“W-what? Who could that be?”
“If the demon is near His Majesty… could it be—?”
Count Mortica nodded gravely.
“I too wish to deny it, but only one person appeared in the palace at the time the prophecy indicated.”
“I-it’s hard to believe. No matter how you look at it, the Great Saint could never…”
A minister who had seen the Great Saint closely could not continue speaking.
She was terrifyingly beautiful, yet her face was pale as ice, devoid of blood—so much so that one immediately thought of succubi that haunt dreams.
“Ahem. I understand your concern, but to make claims without clear evidence is extremely irreverent.”
“Do you think I would summon you here without proof?”
The scar near his jaw twitched as his low voice resonated, silencing the room once more.
With a subtle smile, Count Mortica gestured, and a Saint standing behind him stepped forward.
“May I borrow the arm of anyone here for a moment?”
The request puzzled the ministers, but a young minister rolled up his sleeve confidently.
The Saint smiled, donned gloves, and placed a black seed on his arm.
“No!?”
Ssshhh. The seed, though simple in appearance, sprouted black tendrils the moment it touched skin, sticking everywhere. The watching ministers were shocked.
“This is a demon seed. If implanted in a human, within three days it will grow into an adult demon that tears through the host’s body.”
Shocked, the minister waved his arm frantically.
“Parasite? Uwaaah! Remove it! Quickly!”
At Mortica’s gesture, the Saint purified the seed. It fell from the skin, and the minister, relieved, leaned against the wall.
“The adult demon that emerges becomes a puppet of the one who planted the seed. His Majesty is already aware of this. What matters is not the seed itself, but its owner.”
With a swift motion, the Count poured all remaining demon seeds on the table.
The ministers jumped back in shock. Mortica continued:
“All of these were found in the garments of demons who consorted with a woman known as the Great Saint.”
“Is… is that true? Consorting with demons?!”
“How did you obtain these?”
“A recent village experienced a series of bizarre events. Saint Verdine purified demonic energy and captured vicious demons there, as you know.”
“I am aware. His Majesty, the minister, and the Great Saint herself were present.”
“Saint Verdine performed remarkably. That deed deserves lasting praise.”
