episode_0007

Episode 7

“Ahahahaha!”

Although the wounds inflicted by Harley Bell hurt every time she laughed, Christina couldn’t stop laughing.

It was the best. She had never felt such a delightful feeling in her life.

All the despair, pessimism, ethics, and morals she had felt up to now disappeared in an instant.

Unable to express the happiness she felt in words, Christina shouted while looking at the sky.

“I am strong! I was strong! It was just that my weak human body couldn’t bear it!”

Her shout was based on reality. In fact, the superhuman constitution of the Bell noble family had been genetically passed down to Christina as well.

What set Christina apart from her mother or younger sister was that she inherited this superhuman constitution too intensely.

Even ordinary people subconsciously limit the power they use from their brains to prevent their bodies from collapsing, but for Christina, this limitation was much more severe.

If she were to fully unleash the superhuman constitution with her human body as she said, there was a risk of her body crumbling at that moment.

Therefore, she had to suppress her power to the extreme, resulting in her remaining frail for over 20 years.

That limit was shattered due to the Mahwah.

Ironically, Christina, who had inherited the blood of the Bell noble family, which had always been at the forefront of the fight against demons, had a synchronization rate with the Mahwah that was stronger than expected.

“Haha. This is the extent to which I can’t properly handle this power right now. If only I could control this power as I wish!”

Even though the surprise attack was effective, Edward, who was so powerful that he couldn’t be dared to confront before swallowing the Mahwah, could now be brought to his knees.

Despite overwhelming Harley Bell with a difference in skills and experience, it was only a matter of time.

Now that she had gained power, all she needed to do was learn how to use it correctly.

“If that happens, Edward will be in my hands…!”

Lost in happy thoughts, Christina turned her body the next moment and looked around cautiously.

She had escaped from the territory of the Bell noble family and was feeling relieved, thinking that there wouldn’t be any pursuers coming after her.

“Who’s there!”

Feeling a distinct sense of a huge presence, Christina shouted. What appeared in the darkness was not the pursuer she had expected, but neither did it have a face.

“Oh my goodness. This is unexpected. Did Peronica’s experiment really produce such results?”

The woman in a black robe, holding a staff tightly, had horns protruding from her head like Christina.

Approaching Christina slowly, she introduced herself like a hunter trying not to provoke a beast.

“My name is Seraphia. I’m one of the three generals of the Demon King’s army. I didn’t come to chase you, so you can relax. No, I hope you do.”

There was no falsehood in Seraphia’s words. She was actually heading towards the kingdom of Dewer after a meeting in the demon realm had ended for preparations for the next operation.

In other words, the current situation was truly coincidental. Moreover, for her, who was the weakest in close combat among the three generals, it was a terrible misfortune.

“The Demon King’s army? Why is the Demon King’s army here?”

“Well, for now, we’re near our demon realm…”

Cursing herself for feeling curiosity about the powerful aura she first sensed five minutes ago, when Seraphia answered, Christina fell into thought for a moment.

Thinking about using magic to block her vision and sprint away at full speed, Seraphia, who was preparing for it, suddenly smiled and said,

“Then take me to the Demon King!”

“Why?”

“Because I want to join the Demon King’s army!”

In a way, seeing Christina’s sunny smile, Seraphia felt an impulse to grit her teeth and run away with hellfire on her face, but she couldn’t do that.

As the demon army’s general, I couldn’t pretend not to see the threat in front of me and run away.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Christiana Bell! Oh, is Bell no longer there? The name feels too old. Call me Chris, like Edward used to!”

“Crazy. The Bell family?!”

If those words were true, escape was out of the question.

The name Christiana Bell clearly belonged to the daughter of Halley von Bell, known as the “Nightmare of Eremus.” Even among demons, she was suspected of being Halley’s own daughter, who had become a demon with horns and come seeking revenge.

Even if it was a trap, it couldn’t be left unchecked. However, mistaking Chris’s hesitation for reluctance, Seraphia grumbled in annoyance.

“Why are you hesitating? Wasn’t the first Demon King’s legacy about saving monsters hunted and oppressed demon slaves?”

“How do you know that so well?”

“Well, because you were still part of the Bell family.”

With Chris’s nonchalant attitude, Seraphia let out a long sigh. If her presence was a trap and the Demon King fell into it, that would likely be the extent of it.

Evolved through the logic of power for survival, the demon general eventually took Chris back to the Demon Castle.

The Demon King burst into laughter.

—

“What on earth happened! Why would my sister…!”

“If you ask, do you think I’ll know? But seeing her move healthily is somewhat reassuring.”

“Mother!……Oh, Edward! Are you okay?”

In the midst of an argument with her mother-in-law, Leila ran over and hugged me as I regained consciousness. For a moment, I couldn’t grasp the situation, but seeing the mansion in disarray as we cleaned up, memories started flooding back.

I quickly pulled Leila aside and whispered cautiously in her ear.

“Don’t mess with your mother-in-law…!”

“What are you talking about as soon as you wake up?!”

Leila looked bewildered, but I was definitely not joking.

Though shaken by Chris’s transformation into a demon, I allowed the ambush, but my mother-in-law, facing a situation where I had no choice but to be at the receiving end, wielded a massive sword and managed to drive Chris away.

I had never seen anything like it in my life. Wielding a sword causing a storm?

I am quite strong for a man, but even if I had nine lives, I don’t think I could defeat my mother-in-law. Most of the mansion’s destruction was not due to Chris but the aftermath of my mother-in-law wielding her sword.

Exhausted and on the verge of losing consciousness, I vowed never to anger my mother-in-law.

“Don’t worry, son-in-law. Unless it’s something serious, I won’t wield my sword against family.”

On the contrary, this means she will wield her sword for something serious. I must tread carefully.

Stimulated by sudden survival instincts, my mother-in-law instructed Leila.

“Go straight to the royal capital.”

“Right now?”

Leila had to go to the capital anyway. She would be guarding the Queen at the upcoming alliance meeting in case of any emergencies.

The original plan was to depart in about 4-5 days, so when Leila looked puzzled, my mother-in-law shrugged and explained further.

“Your sister has turned into a demon. Go first and assure Her Majesty that our loyalty to the Bell family will not waver.”

“Why are you taking this so lightly…?”

This time, I couldn’t help but sympathize with Leila. In retrospect, this was a big problem. A defector from the Bell family, the frontline defenders of the kingdom, had emerged as a demon.

There was a real possibility of suspicion of betrayal from the kingdom.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that. I don’t think Her Majesty, or rather the Queen, is a fool or a traitor like the Bel family. It’s just a procedural issue, so we can resolve it lightly.”

It seems disrespectful to mention the Queen and a fool in the same sentence, but considering the speaker is the mother-in-law, it seemed somewhat acceptable.

Layla also thought her mother-in-law had a point and nodded in agreement.

“Got it. I’ll take Edward with me instead.”

“Why do you seek my permission to take your husband? I need to cool down my body that has warmed up from moving around after a long time, so hurry up and leave.”

Oh dear.

“…Please don’t say such things in front of your daughter.”

Muttering softly, Layla and I boarded the carriage after finishing simple preparations.

When I return, I might have to give my father-in-law some herbal medicine. That is if he hasn’t left before then.

It’s unbelievable how I, who was once a village bumpkin in the Barony of Byungyeong, am now going to the royal capital as the husband of a princess.

I want to say life is full of surprises, but today I’ve seen too much, and my head is at its limit.

I don’t even know why Chris transformed into a demon or if she targeted me first… pretending not to notice is difficult.

With a head filled with various thoughts and a tired body that won’t rest, I fell asleep shortly after the carriage departed.

—

“Poor Edward.”

Layla carefully moved Edward’s head onto her thigh as he slept wearily and gently stroked his hair.

She realized when she heard that her sister, transformed into a demon, had targeted Edward first. Her sister had the same taste in men.

It wasn’t just jealousy that made her wary of Christiana.

“He must have been very scared.”

Looking at her sleeping husband’s face, Layla felt sadness. She couldn’t imagine how terrified Edward must have been when targeted by someone like Christiana.

She was mistaken. Despite always showing a strong front, Edward was also a vulnerable man. She realized once again that he was someone she needed to protect.

“But I’m glad.”

Edward had fiercely resisted Christiana to uphold his dignity as a husband.

In the end, it was Halley who drove the defector away, but what mattered to Layla was that Edward resisted until he lost consciousness. The fact that he fought desperately, risking his life to not fall into another woman’s hands, was incredibly endearing.

“Now everything will be okay.”

As the capital of Dewar Kingdom and the residence of the Queen, Wangdo was much safer compared to the Bell Duchy’s territory. While the alliance’s success was uncertain and there were still risks, they could consider it safer than their own territory.

“After the meeting, let’s relax and enjoy ourselves for a while. Let’s eat delicious food in Wangdo and make memories together.”

After returning to their territory, she would never let him go again. No one should hold back from speaking their mind.

Due to an experience where she almost lost him directly to someone else, Layla’s mindset had once again changed.

“Always. We’ll be together forever, Edward.”

Murmuring as if engraving it in her heart, Layla bowed her head and kissed her husband.