“I believed in you. You really came at the perfect moment to save me!”

The First Prince looked at Cardinal Dominic and his crew with admiration. After all the trials and tribulations, it was finally time to raise the banner of rebellion while the southeast wind was blowing in their favor.

With that confidence in his heart, he said, “It’s just what I had to do.”

With a solemn gesture, Cardinal Dominic traced a cross in the air.

A massive holy magic circle was formed, drawing upon the divine powers of twenty high-ranking clergy members.

The seal beneath the First Prince sparked brilliantly.

An angelic figure made of light embraced the First Prince, and simultaneously, his body started to recover at an unnatural speed.

His tattered form regained its original appearance.

Although the remaining mana dwindled rapidly, it felt as if it was evaporating altogether.

Perhaps this was the side effect of the holy magic.

But it’s true that everything comes with a price; this amount of damage was bearable.

Even if he couldn’t participate in the fight anymore, it didn’t matter.

With this much power at hand, considering how drained the enemy was, a turnaround was definitely within reach.

And if that wasn’t possible, escaping to inform his father about these bastards would guarantee their victory.

Naturally, a smile spread across the First Prince’s face.

As the situation settled, he fully healed with not a scratch left on him.

“This should be enough healing.”

“It seems so. I can start the operation now.”

As soon as he heard that, he moved to give commands for their strategy.

…Or at least, he tried to.

In an instant, confusion crossed the First Prince’s face.

“Wasn’t the healing finished? Why isn’t the binding released?”

The angelic figure that had been healing him was still maintaining its form, binding him even now that it had completed its task.

Was this another side effect?

The First Prince pondered, but the reply he received was far too casual.

“Why are you asking such an obvious question? The healing has barely even started.”

A bizarre response.

It was impossible to understand what was being said.

His head was struggling to get over the shocking events from just moments earlier.

Yet, whether he should view this as a blessing or a curse didn’t feel like a significant issue at that moment.

“There is no way to heal a demon that rejects the divine except to destroy it utterly so it can never return to this world.”

What did that even mean?

Why was the topic suddenly about crushing him?

Even without grasping that, it dawned on him, “Wait! What is happening here…?”

As he saw twenty furious clergymen swinging their maces at him, he suddenly realized the precarious situation he was in.

So, it turned out…

He was probably in a seriously messed-up position.

*

In the desolate Demon Realm, brilliant and benevolent white light flickered multiple times in the desolation that even the sun refused to shine upon.

However, if someone asked whether that was a sacred sight…

I would firmly answer it was quite the opposite.

“Seal your mouth, we don’t know when he might attempt to deceive us with sweet words!”

“Should I break his neck then? Without a head, he’ll have nothing to say. …No, maybe if I crush his skull, he won’t think to utter nonsense at all!”

“I like your thinking, brother! I’ll…”

“Calm down! We shouldn’t kill him all at once. We need to inflict enough pain to destroy the demon’s soul completely.”

“That’s…! I’ve been too lenient.”

“I understand the desire to punish evil. Let’s proceed carefully and be thorough in our work.”

As they said this, the gentlemen started to poke, chop, crush, and disassemble the First Prince’s feet.

Endlessly torturing him while continuously healing him with holy magic.

They even debated that if he broke his neck, he might escape feeling pain from below, thoroughly sidestepping the very idea of him speaking to begin with.

Seeing such a scene unfold before me, I couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback. While I was somewhat desensitized by frequently witnessing such madness, the far more significant concern was…

“Why on earth is the Holy Church here?”

Why were those gentlemen present?

They couldn’t have just happened to stroll by; it had to be the First Prince who called for them. Why was he torturing the very person who summoned him?

Whether it be Lien, Lucy, or the barrier surrounding Siel, the overwhelming demonic vibes were all too clear.

It felt as if he was directly leading them to become demons.

I simply couldn’t make sense of the situation.

“…Well, since they’re on our side, should I regard this as a good deed?”

Those guys might have dodged conversing with me, throwing excuses about not being worthy to face me.

But no matter how you slice it, they surely provided assistance.

By taking care of the First Prince, they contributed to the battle against Carl, who was already at a disadvantage.

Carl still had surprises up his sleeve, but with the Holy Church now involved, the battle’s outcome would come swiftly.

A Swordmaster, an Archmage, and the Demon King’s right-hand man. Those heavyweights had all been defeated without question.

As I pondered that…

I lost my balance slightly and wobbled. My head spun.

Contemplating Aria’s condition, what the Holy Church thought of me, and various other thoughts made my head feel heavy. After unleashing that last strike, I was exhausted as well.

Right now, I was barely keeping myself up by leaning on my holy sword.

But…

I rose to my feet again.

I had no choice.

Because there were far too many important matters related to Aria, the Holy Church, and the Empire concerning the throne.

I had something of great importance to handle right now.

The shadowy barrier.

Using the holy sword like a cane, I walked toward it.

Since they hadn’t harmed Siel, it was likely that the barrier still had its magic intact.

But even so, I reached out.

Though I couldn’t explain it logically, I felt certain it wouldn’t reject me.

And sure enough, the barrier did not obstruct my approach.

Slowly, I stepped inside.

*

[Remember, kiddo.]

[This isn’t a favor offered without any cost. It’s an investment contract.]

[Just as I helped you, you are to help me.]

[So that I can punish that old man who has barely escaped death at my hands for ten years.]

A loud voice echoed.

The wolf was whispering to him, stating that while he had received everything as repayment, he wouldn’t take anything from him.

If he surrendered the Emperor’s soul, all rights would be returned to him.

But such words didn’t register in Siel’s ears. They couldn’t.

Because that person was right there.

Although messy and staggering, a man was still approaching her.

Confusion settled in her mind.

It wasn’t just that she had awoken from slumber moments before.

The girl was clumsy with her emotions.

She struggled to understand her own thoughts and feelings.

Thus, she found herself bewildered.

Surely everything had been resolved well.

So, the only thing awaiting her was a joyous reunion. Naturally, she should be happy, yet…

Why did it hurt so much in her heart? Why did tears threaten to spill from her eyes?

Seeing him in that disheveled state.

Was it because she thought about what kind of struggle he must have faced? But if that were true, it felt odd.

While looking at that face, she felt just a tad, really just a little bit—a spark of happiness.

Thank you.

This place is dangerous, so let’s quickly wrap things up and return to the mansion.

That was all she wanted to say, yet those words wouldn’t come forth. She didn’t want to say it.

She wanted to convey something.

But what?

She didn’t know what she wanted to convey. She felt she had something to say, but didn’t know what it was.

“I don’t understand.”

She found herself at a complete loss for words.

Her heart was so contradictory that logic couldn’t even begin to comprehend it.

“I broke my promise. I breached our contract.”

Yet, the girl spoke those words.

She didn’t even know why she was acting like this or what she wanted.

Nevertheless, her lips moved.

“So, I’ll cancel the last request.”

But…

Maybe that was okay.

The girl thought so.

Thinking that, she stepped closer to the still-flustered man, one step at a time.

“Don’t worry. I’m not asking for anything unreasonable.”

Perhaps the heart is inherently contradictory and incomprehensible.

She had come to realize that.

Therefore, she understood what she needed to do.

“You can refuse if you want. So…”

She was awkward in conversations with others.

So, expressing this complicated heart, a feeling that couldn’t be perfectly captured in any language, was impossible.

But if that’s the case…

She could convey it differently.

“……Siel?”

She could feel his breath.

The face she always saw, now felt entirely different up close.

Did you feel the same way?

Was your heart racing like mine?

She had no way of knowing.

And there was only one way to find out.

So the girl spoke.

“Wait, close your eyes.”