Chapter 144 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (22)

Ȓｅа​ɗ​ ​ȯｎ Ｋ​аṫЯεαⅾ​ｉηɡĊа​ƒｅ

Edel’s demonic sword was stained with the blood of monsters corrupted by demon stones.

His attacks held no technique, no skill, no particular finesse—just raw swings. Yet the monsters fell helplessly before him.

Cutting down the weak held no meaning… but the foul stench they carried irritated his nerves.

A smell thick with blood—different from demonic energy.

The same reek he had caught in the cavern, and from that so-called Guardian.

Like the stench of a fart left to ferment for years.

Best to gather them all in one place and dispose of them properly.

Estelle had wrinkled her nose and covered her face, after all.

Controlling demon stones with demonic energy was unfamiliar, but not difficult. The reason he had sent Estelle ahead was simple.

Though witnessing the Saintess and Guardian’s pure love would have stoked Edel’s curiosity, something he sought to learn from, preventing Estelle from scrunching her face at the stench took priority.

Surely, Edel’s goal was to understand pure love, practice it, and grow stronger through it… yet he found this act, protecting her from discomfort, closer to what pure love should be.

He didn’t know why.

He just wanted to see Estelle smile.

Before long, Edel had cut down every stench-ridden monster and flicked the blood from his blade.

There had been quite a few, but disposing of them hadn’t taken long. He even used demonic energy to scatter the reeking corpses.

‘I hope I’m not too late.’

Sheathing his sword, Edel moved toward where Estelle had gone.

Despite everything, he too was curious where the Saintess and Guardian’s love would lead. More than that, he wanted to see Estelle’s face as she watched them, brimming with happiness.

He didn’t know why.

Just seeing Estelle smile felt like another step toward understanding pure love.

He considered asking her about it later.

But after taking barely three steps, Edel halted and drew his sword once more.

“There was one more.”

Even under the bright moonlight, an impenetrable darkness stretched before him, vibrating with demonic energy and that same foul stench.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

“As expected of the Black Knight. Your swordsmanship is extraordinary. And without your armor—you’re even more dashing than I imagined. My apologies for not greeting you in my original form.”

Amidst the mock applause, the stench took shape.

A halo pierced the darkness, its light infectious, and between two pairs of wings, crimson eyes gleamed as their owner stepped before Edel.

Her appearance was that of the Saintess—but she was not the Saintess.

Her golden eyes had turned blood-red.

Her body reeked of that unbearable stench.

Her speech, once erratic, now carried an unsettling cadence…

A Heavenly King.

A vampire.

Vempir, wasn’t it?

For reasons unknown, the very creature Estelle had been searching for now stood boldly before him.

Which meant—

“Where is Estelle?”

Edel cared less about the presence of a fellow Heavenly King and more about Estelle’s whereabouts.

“Looking for the witch? If you mean her… I sliced her clean in half. Killed her in one stroke before she could even scream.”

“Ridiculous.”

As Vempir mimed the act, swiping a hand through the air, Edel let out a disbelieving scoff.

Estelle was the one Edel had to surpass—the one who understood pure love and had grown stronger through it.

And this creature claimed to have bisected her?

Even weakened, if Edel hadn’t been able to land a single scratch on Estelle, there was no way Vempir could have.

“You? Against Estelle?”

Edel’s eyes glowed.

A crimson deeper than blood, the same hue they’d taken when he slaughtered the vampire clan.

That gaze carried many meanings.

A warning. Hostility. Anger. All directed at the one who dared speak such nonsense with such arrogance.

“If you keep looking at me like that… I might just melt. Perhaps I should have brought her breasts as proof.”

Edel ignored her and pressed forward.

This wasn’t the time to humor Vempir, who was now clutching her cheeks and squirming.

He didn’t believe Estelle had been defeated, but something was clearly wrong if a Heavenly King stood before him now.

“Where do you think you’re going? We have much to discuss.”

Crackle—

Divine energy flashed at Edel’s feet, halting him in his tracks.

An invisible barrier, layered like walls, stood in his way.

“You think this can stop me?”

Edel’s demonic sword pulsed red.

Channeling his demonic energy, he swung, unleashing a massive slash toward the barrier.

The moment divine energy and demonic power clashed—

BOOM!

A violent explosion blasted Edel back.

As the smoke cleared, his impassive eyes fixed on the barrier.

Not a scratch.

Despite putting considerable force into that strike, it remained untouched.

“…It held.”

She had the power to stand in his way, it seemed.

“Will you listen now? You won’t be going anywhere unless I allow it.”

Vempir’s sickeningly sweet tone made Edel scowl.

“Why are you so fixated on that witch? She didn’t seem strong enough to captivate the Black Knight.”

Ignoring her, Edel adjusted his grip, readying another strike.

This time, he’d pour more power into it—enough to shatter the barrier in one blow.

“Did you like her that much? Was it her chest? Even I was surprised—bigger than the Succubus Queen’s. My, my. So the Black Knight is still a man at heart.”

Edel’s blade flashed.

Not at the barrier—but straight at Vempir.

“You’re annoying.”

He wanted to tear that flapping mouth apart.

Estelle’s body was delicate, something he treated with care. Hearing someone else speak of it so freely was unbearable.

Yet Vempir remained unharmed.

Her wings wrapped around her, blocking the slash effortlessly.

“The Witch of Love, was it? Did she seduce you with those breasts? What a lewd woman. Absolutely shameless.”

Vempir’s mouth didn’t stop.

“If it’s chests you like, I’m confident in mine too. Once I reclaim my original body, I’ll serve you as much as you desire.”

She gestured vaguely at the Saintess’s chest—whether her own or the Saintess’s, it was unclear.

Edel had no idea what “serving with her chest” meant, but every word from Vempir’s mouth disgusted him.

It felt like every sentence belittled Estelle.

He never cared what others did, no matter who they were—strength was all that mattered.

Yet for some reason, when it came to Estelle, every word struck a nerve.

Even if they came from a weakling like Vempir.

He couldn’t let those words slide.

“You told me once—only the strong can make demands. Now, you and I shall become husband and wife.”

“Husband and… wife?”

The term sounded vaguely familiar.

Something about bonds and children.

He might have heard it after becoming a Heavenly King, when that new recruit, the one who crushed the previous Heavenly King, spouted nonsense.

Was that Vempir?

Her crimson eyes matched the memory.

Then, as if resurfacing from the depths of his mind, Vempir’s next words snapped him back to the present.

“In the witch’s words—pure love. I am in love with you, Black Knight. That’s why I became a Heavenly King. Why I finally obtained the power to surpass even the Demon King.”

“Pure love…?”

The same term, yet it felt different coming from Vempir.

When Estelle spoke of pure love, it warmed something in his chest, made him smile without realizing it.

But Vempir’s version sent a chill down his spine, twisting his face into a scowl.

“That’s right. Love belongs to the strong. The weak can only be taken. Pure love is no different from the laws of the demon realm. That’s why the witch died by my hand.”

Vempir licked her lips, her half-lidded eyes like a predator’s staring down prey.

“Ah, you wanted to grow stronger, didn’t you? If we become husband and wife, if we bear children… they’ll possess power enough to rule both human and demon realms. Don’t you want to defeat the Demon King? Let’s have a hundred.”

She extended a hand.

A laughable gesture, given the Saintess’s small frame.

“Can you cook well?”

“Huh? My thralls handle meals—”

“Are you rich?”

“……”

Vempir faltered at Edel’s sudden questions.

She couldn’t fathom his intentions.

“It has to be someone with a chest like Estelle’s. I refuse to let any child starve.”

“……”

“And I despise women who stink. A faint, sweet fruit scent is preferable. Not whatever years-old fart stench you’re emitting.”

“Fart… stench?”

Vempir’s face twisted.

“What you’re spouting isn’t pure love, and it never will be. And I’ll defeat the Demon King with my own hands.”

Pure love wasn’t exclusive to the strong.

Like Sion and Aria from the books.

Even without them, what he’d learned from Estelle over the past month wasn’t about the strong taking, it was about becoming stronger through love.

And pure love wasn’t just about strength.

Cooking. Manners. Studies…

Most of all, the warmth of Estelle’s hand, something unknowable in the demon realm.

“It doesn’t matter if you reject me. I’ll have my way today. I have the power to prove my love.”

Her halo pulsed, wings flaring.

Holy energy surged, threatening Edel.

Just grazing his skin left blackened burns.

Now he understood her confidence.

The Saintess’s power was the natural enemy of demons.

Perhaps this was the power the Demon King had warned him about.

But that didn’t matter.

A weakling stealing a weakling’s power remained just that, weak.

“I’ll grow stronger through pure love. You’re just in the way.”

Channeling demonic energy through his chest, his armor encased him fully.

From within his helmet, crimson light trailed like afterimages as he lunged.

Holy energy and demonic power collided—

And then, a violent explosion.