Chapter 188

Chapter 188

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 188: Steeplechasing, Double-dealing, And Unfair Trade (10)

A way to make Han Shin pleased with the Demon Lord…

A way to make him grow attached to the Demon Realm…

Valetta had been constantly pondering over such things, imagining how much more beautiful the Demon Realm could become if Jaekiel stood by her side.

After pondering for a long time, suddenly…

A noise broke the monotony. Jaekiel’s group and the Purple Tower’s scum had arrived.

Though she had promised not to interfere in Jaekiel’s affairs, there was something she couldn’t ignore.

-Should I sell my soul to the demons and gain some power? Then at least I could cut off the limbs of the Imperial Tower’s Auditor in the duel. Not bad, right?

It was the remark of some scum from the Purple Tower.

In an instant, she calculated everything in her mind and came to a conclusion. If used well, this could greatly earn Jaekiel’s favor.

So, without assigning anyone else, she took action herself.

Boom!

Wrapped in thick demon energy, she struck one of the Purple Tower scum’s faces hard. It felt like her fist touched something filthy, but she endured.

There was one reason.

It was something she could bear for Jaekiel.

“You would sell your soul to the demons?”

Tsk tsk tsk, the woman clicked her tongue several times.

“Hmm~ No. I don’t take trash like you.”

She made sure everyone could hear her voice clearly.

The stunned expressions of the magicians were something to behold. It was understandable; Valetta’s appearance was so sudden.

“…”

The gaze of Zeta, who had been struck in the face, and the Purple Tower’s elders turned toward the Demon Lord.

Even if one’s knowledge of demons was shallow, it was impossible not to recognize the Demon Lord. The moment they touched her demon energy, their instincts would tell them who she was.

A wave of shock spread through them.

“D-D-Demon Lord…?”

“Of all times, in this situation…”

“We’re all tied up…!”

The Demon Lord was at the top of the Demon Realm’s food chain. Even the most prepared couldn’t guarantee survival in her presence, and now, here she was?

Despair appeared on the faces of the Purple Tower’s elders.

Meanwhile, Jaekiel quietly thought.

‘Why did she appear?’

That was his primary question.

During the negotiations, Valetta had promised not to interfere in Jaekiel’s affairs. That meant she shouldn’t be getting involved in any way.

‘If she had killed him, it would have been a big problem.’

The fact that Zeta survived made Jaekiel, not the Purple Tower’s elders, breathe a sigh of relief.

He had kept Zeta alive to make an example in front of everyone, but suddenly the Demon Lord appeared, and it almost ruined everything he had meticulously planned.

He didn’t think for long.

He immediately thought that he needed to drive Valetta away.

Meanwhile, the Demon Lord’s mischievous antics continued.

“Ugh…!”

Zeta’s face was pressed into the ground as he struggled in pain. The Demon Lord was stomping on his face.

Though she had no eyes, she still looked down at him.

“How does it feel to be trampled by someone as exalted as me? Consider it an honor, you insignificant human.”

Perhaps it was because her eyes were covered by a blindfold, but it added an even more mysterious air. No one dared intervene and quietly held their breath.

“…”

The Purple Tower’s elders were sweating profusely.

They couldn’t intervene anyway, and even if they did, they realized there was nothing they could do against the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord controlled this entire situation.

Zeta would really die.

If it weren’t for Jaekiel’s telepathic message.

-Valetta, stop.

Saying the name of the Demon Lord out loud was a huge sin in the Demon Realm, one that would immediately result in the soul being torn apart.

But Valetta didn’t mind at all. She just suddenly smiled widely.

“Hee, heehee!”

“Please spare Zeta’s life!”

When the Demon Lord smiled like this, perhaps out of fear, the Purple Tower’s elders began to beg pathetically.

However, Jaekiel knew.

Valetta smiled brightly after hearing Jaekiel’s telepathic message, as though expecting praise from him.

To be honest, it was absurd.

Jaekiel hadn’t asked for help, nor was it a helpful act. If anything, Valetta had played a significant role in Akne’s injuries.

Why was she suddenly trying to gain Jaekiel’s favor now? He felt an uncomfortable feeling rise in his chest.

-You said it yourself. The moment you break your promise, I lose my motivation, and that will be the biggest loss for you, Demon Lord.

Suppressing his anger, Jaekiel sent another telepathic message.

-But now, you’ve interfered blatantly. Because of that, I’ve lost my motivation. I feel like quitting everything suddenly.

Valetta’s smile froze.

-Should I take this as the end of our deal?

Valetta fumbled her words, seeming somewhat flustered. To see the highest being in the Demon Rrealm act flustered was truly an extraordinary sight.

‘I need to warn her as strongly as possible.’

The Eternal Blood Pearl.

To continue receiving it regularly, Jaekiel had to keep trading with Valetta in the future.

But if she kept interfering recklessly? He couldn’t know when or what variables might arise. He had to maintain his position of power thoroughly.

-If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as a yes.

“Hmm…”

-Valetta, let’s just pretend this never happened. You don’t have eyes, right? You wouldn’t be able to see the clash between me and the Emperor.

“…”

Valetta closed her smiling mouth tightly.

The silence stretched on.

Could it be that Valetta was seriously considering breaking the deal? It didn’t seem like it. She seemed to be watching Jaekiel’s reaction instead.

Just as Jaekiel was about to urge Valetta to make a decision,

“This is really annoying.”

Valetta finally muttered softly.

Whoosh!

Valetta suddenly thickened the demon energy to an insane level, and it was too fast to react.

Thick demon energy acted like gravity.

“…”

In simple terms, everyone around them was pressed down by gravity multiple times stronger, making it impossible to move. In the slow-moving time, only Valetta acted.

“I came all the way down here, and even touched this filthy trash, yet I haven’t achieved any of my goals…”

Valetta muttered as she raised one of her feet high and then slammed it down.

Thud!

The sole of her foot stomped directly on Zeta’s face.

The sound was a bit weak, but that was because Valetta didn’t use any demon energy.

That was Valetta’s way of venting her anger.

She reduced her power so that Zeta wouldn’t die and stomped on him several times to release her frustration violently.

Thud! Thud!

“Ugh… uh…”

Blood flowed from Zeta’s mouth.

Crushed by the thick demon energy, he couldn’t move to resist, and Valetta’s kicks were just painful enough. It must have felt like proper torture.

“Trash like you humans have no useful qualities. You don’t even help in gaining favor. Useless… trash, bugs, insects…”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

It was then that Jaekiel stepped in. He had learned how to handle the demon energy, so adapting was not difficult.

“I told you to stop!”

He yelled, swinging the ice spear in his hand.

Whoosh!

Valetta teleported, as if she had been waiting for that moment. She appeared in the air just above Jaekiel.

Jaekiel first examined Zeta’s condition.

And he couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘…Has he already healed?’

Though his surroundings were drenched in blood, Zeta’s face itself was perfectly fine. Even his teeth were intact.

The Demon Lord possessed strange regenerative abilities. She was also said to have forbidden healing magic, and she had quickly healed Zeta before teleporting.

However, the Demon Lord said this instead.

“The Imperial Tower’s Auditor is quite fierce, even using emergency healing…? This will become a threat to the Demon Realm.”

She shifted the blame for her actions onto Jaekiel’s credit. Was she still trying to win his favor?

Jaekiel glared at Valetta and sent a telepathic message.

-Doing things like this doesn’t help me at all. Could your regenerative abilities have been used on someone else? You should have healed Akne.

-That’s not possible.

Valetta immediately replied.

-Han Shin, it’s true I tried to win your favor, but I can’t heal Akne myself.

-Why not?

-When making deals with the Emperor, we always bet each other’s hearts. If we break the deal, it’s as good as death.

Damn it, Jaekiel clenched his teeth.

-However, Han Shin, don’t despair too much. The spirit artifact from the Purple Tower will definitely help Akne. I guarantee it.

-That’s enough, now get lost.

Then, Valetta gave a sly smile.

-Don’t hate me too much. Everything I’ve done was to win your favor. If you’re still upset, I’ll give you another reward later.

Her smile was full of mischievous playfulness.

-Like, my virginity, perhaps?

-…What?

-Ahaha! Just kidding, just kidding! I figured if it were Akne, she’d say something like this. Ah, of course, if you want, it wouldn’t be hard to give it to you… How about it?

-You’ve been talking disgusting nonsense all day. Go rot.

-Ahaha, ahahahahaha!

With her laughter, she disappeared without a trace.

As Jaekiel pondered, deep in thought, he overheard the whispers of the Purple Tower magicians.

“The Auditor… made the Demon Lord leave?”

“Has he learned healing magic? That can’t be, emergency healing is the exclusive domain of the Purple Tower…”

“It doesn’t matter how he learned it. The important thing is that he used it on Zeta. That’s impressive.”

Despite betraying them and committing evil acts, Zeta had received help from Jaekiel. The Purple Tower’s elders were in awe, understanding the situation that way.

Well, Jaekiel’s mind was a mess, though.

‘After all, I have no choice but to save Akne.’

He had learned that when the Demon Lord and the Emperor make a deal, they always wager each other’s hearts.

He suddenly felt how pressing time was. He had to hurry, even if it was just for one second, to speed up Akne’s recovery.

Jaekiel’s gaze turned to Anes.

“Cancel the camp. We move immediately.”

“Excuse me?”

Seina and Anes’s eyes widened.

“Are you saying we should go back right now? We could give the Purple Tower bastards a bit more suffering…”

“No. We have to hurry.”

Originally, he planned to make the Purple Tower suffer as much as possible in this wet, rough terrain, but having humiliated them through the Demon Lord was enough.

Could it be that the only thing Valetta did right was this?

After that, he used magic to dash back immediately, dragging the Purple Tower scum like baggage.

Immediately after returning, he locked the Purple Tower’s scum in the basement of the Purple Tower and checked the condition of Akne.

According to Solana, Akne was in a strange limbo between life and death.

Her body wasn’t deteriorating further, but neither was it healing.

She was stuck, neither alive nor dead, constantly suffering.

‘I will save her, no matter what.’

Jaekiel made another vow. Only two days remained until the duel to the death with the Purple Tower.

And finally.

When the day of the duel to the death with the Purple Tower arrived.

He received an unexpected message from his secretary.

“There is a request for a private meeting with the Auditor.”

A request for a private meeting was a rare occurrence.

Not many people could request a private meeting with someone of Jaekiel’s high status, and there were only a few who might have something important to discuss. He was curious.

But soon, that question was answered.

“…It’s another elite of the Purple Tower, Herta.”

Zeta’s sister.

An elite of the Purple Tower, Herta, had come to find Jaekiel.