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Coordinates of the space adjacent to the Demon King’s Castle.
Great magicians of the 7th circle and above, capable of activating Long-range Teleportation Magic.
In order to confront Death’s Disaster and cross over to the demon realm, the help of the Magic Tower was essential. Thus, they pulled Querisa Nesserhane in, making the extreme sacrifice of signing the marriage registration form.
“I never would have guessed that the Magic Tower would possess the coordinates of the Demon King’s Castle. How did they obtain it? The coordinates leading to the Demon King’s Castle surely even the Emperor wouldn’t know…”
“Perhaps Madbay told them. After all, he’s the adopted son of the Master of the Magic Tower.”
Coordinates connected to the demon realm are strictly controlled by all nations of the continent. If one were to carelessly open a gateway to the demon realm, they could end up being used against them by the Demon King’s Army.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
If we were to lose the Warp Gate to Death’s Disaster, it would be a catastrophic danger. The Marquisate of Hohenberg connected to the demon realm could be engulfed by the chill of death. Therefore, I had to make decisions with the utmost caution.
“Ludmilla, do you really think His Majesty will grant permission?”
“Don’t worry about that. If I explain the situation, he’ll definitely help us.”
Wouldn’t he throw a fit at the idea of making his second daughter a widow right after graduating?
Hmm. That seemed likely.
I had made arrangements for her to pay 5,000 golden pounds instead. Even dragged her into the battle against Death’s Disaster. Is there anyone more shameless than me in this world? It wouldn’t be odd at all if the Emperor suddenly declared an annulment of engagement.
“I have a question.”
“Speak.”
“What is the Second Saintess like? Didn’t her husband join the Saintess Party on the battlefield?”
“…….”
The savior saint who vanquished the Demon Lord.
And the witch who resurrected the root of all evil that threatened the world.
Opinions on the Second Saintess were sharply divided.
Ludmilla, perhaps curious about Beatrice, who had fallen into the depths of death, asked in a very cautious voice. I swallowed my silence and pondered.
“Rumor has it that unlike some spoiled girl, she is a true saint with a compassionate temperament. Ever since she manifested the Miracle of the Saintess at the Imperial Academy, she has lived as a devotee of the Creator Deity, realizing goodwill among the people.”
“A true saint… That’s not incorrect.”
Beatrice seemed to be the epitome of goodwill, devoid of any malice.
Could she truly be called the heroine of a Romance Fantasy?
Beatrice never wavered in the face of any trial. Always emphasizing immutable justice and goodwill, she overcame the climactic challenges alongside the male protagonists. I even felt a sense of respect for her.
“And she is Edan’s first love.”
“That’s not true.”
The girl with shimmering silver hair pouted and spoke.
Opening my mouth immediately, I replied to the blunt-sounding Zebeline.
“First love…? The Second Saintess is his first love?”
“It’s a misunderstanding. Would I, Maximilian, harbor feelings for the Second Saintess to whom Edan is devoted? Ignore that baseless rumor.”
How…
How does she know?
I looked at Zebeline with trembling eyes.
Could it be that she had some connection with the Saintess Party in the past? There was no way she could have unearthed the secret I had buried with my life.
A certainty burned like wildfire in Zebeline’s azure eyes, feeling jealousy flare up. I had no choice but to accept that I had been discovered while acting as a warmonger.
“Is it true?”
“N-no way.”
“The First Saintess has always expressed hostility toward the Second Saintess. I thought it was mere jealousy… but perhaps there were hidden reasons.”
“…….”
A woman’s intuition was the greatest threat and fear for a man.
Cold sweat dripped down from my conjecture.
“Isn’t your husband a married man who signed the marriage registration? Although you haven’t held a wedding ceremony… let him remember that he is a married man to the Second Imperial Princess of the Valtarian Empire.”
“It was merely a youthful crush. That is irrelevant now.”
I was serious.
It was true that I had harbored feelings for Beatrice.
However, my heart toward the Second Saintess had been completely relinquished. The reason for wanting to rescue Beatrice, trapped by Death’s Disaster, was for my comrades, not because of any lingering affection from the past. I explained this with sincerity to Ludmilla and Zebeline.
“Hmm. Unlike the First Saintess, I am not a bothersome woman who pries into her husband’s past loves. If you’ve truly given up on the Second Saintess, I shall not pursue it any further.”
“That is something we’ll have to keep an eye on in the future.”
If I hadn’t been able to let go of my feelings for Beatrice, I probably would have been beaten to death.
I would have been sure to face the ultimate penalty.
“The Master of the Magic Tower said it would take a month to activate the Warp Gate. We will have to wait idly for that month.”
“A month… It seems like the calm before the storm.”
A month.
Calculating the results if the Master of the Magic Tower summoned the great magicians was straightforward.
I had paid a whopping 3,000 pounds of gold.
Therefore, I had to keep pushing the Magic Tower to ensure I get my money’s worth.
It felt wrong to demand a forced march from elderly men whose average age neared seventy, but what could I do? If they gobbled up the money, they naturally had to work hard, even to the bone.
“Has your husband ever been to the heart of the demon realm? I heard that unlike the outside world, which resembles the mortal realm, the center is a pitch-black world where the sun does not rise.”
“I’m curious too. I participated in the war, but I’ve never reached the center.”
A demon world where even the sun and moon can’t reach.
The territory of the great demons governing a dark world.
The heart of the demon realm where the Demon King’s castle is located.
The center of the demon realm, referred to as an unknown space, only had fragmented bits of information. The Empire and the Holy Kingdom tried sending numerous adventurers but failed to reach the center. It was known that the only group to ever reach it was the Saintess Party.
“It was an isolated fortress surrounded by steep mountains and sheer cliffs. Many legions of the demon realm that worshiped the Demon King guarded it like a fortress.”
“How did the Saintess Party break through the countless encirclements of demons to slay the Demon King?”
“…Ahem.”
“Haha, indeed, it is you, my husband. As a wife, I’m immensely proud.”
If I were to list all the achievements of the Saintess Party who breached the heart of the demon realm, it would surely take nights and days to recount.
Where would I even begin?
As I cleared my throat, I rummaged through my memories of attacking the Demon King’s Castle.
Perhaps sensing that the story would take a while, Ludmilla and Zebeline sat down on the sofa. And the attentive maids promptly brought forth tea and snacks.
*
Brother.
You will become a hero one day, right?
I will also become a great knight to support you! One day, you will become the strongest hero who defeats the cruel Demon King!
Why is that?
I remembered my strong-willed younger sibling who always followed me around.
The younger sibling who, due to their reckless nature, always caused a stir and cheered on their hopeless older brother. The innocent smile on their face flashed through my mind like a passing cloud.
I could no longer meet them.
They had passed away due to a terminal illness before reaching adulthood.
Every time I thought of the younger sibling I had lost too soon, the only following emotion was regret. I could never forgive myself for treating such a sibling so brusquely.
“Edan…”
A man with black hair exhaled white breath as he spoke.
Could it be that he was exposed to the chill for so long?
The man wielding the Holy Sword was covered in pure white frost from head to toe.
As the pitch-black Holy Sword exuded a dark holy power, the fearsome chill of death retreated with a strange scream. It had no choice but to lose its power before the saintly essence of the Earth Mother bound to the Holy Sword.
– Maximilian…! Do you dare oppose the Empress of Death? You traitor!
A robe adorned with the emblem of the Magic Tower.
Fierce flames of magical power blazed like fire in both hands.
The cursed entity, whose piercing blue eyes radiated malice, was the once wise Man who had now become a lich. Madbay von Gisterd, deprived of life by the chill of death, had become an Archlich, a higher form of lich.
The other comrades were the same.
Having succumbed to the chill of death, all the allies of the Saintess Party had turned into cursed beings.
“I cannot let you return to the mortal realm. I shall seal you so that you cannot escape the Demon King’s castle. To stop the gray that threatens the world, you must become the necessary evil that lives in eternal life.”
The Witch of Death who turned the Demon King’s Castle into a land of eternal frost.
The Saintess Party, which had become a cursed existence wielding Death’s Disaster.
If their existence threatens the world, there’s no doubt the world’s end would have to be postponed.
As if to prove him right, as the Witch of Death and her followers emerged, the gray that had enveloped the demon realm began to slowly dissipate. Maximilian raised the flames of the Holy Sword, infused with his dwindling lifespan, with a faint smile.
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