Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Princess Who Contracted with the Demon
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A moment ago, nobles with smiles on their faces had been holding wine glasses and enjoying the garden scenery.
Men in formal tuxedos and women adorned in splendid dresses and jewels gathered together, chatting amiably.
"Everyone, rejoice! Won't our world come soon? Haha."
It was a gathering of nobles aligned with the noble faction.
Count Derek, who led this meeting, laughed heartily as he spoke loudly.
This was the garden behind the palace.
Though naturally managed by the royals, Count Derek spoke without reservation, boldly asserting his presence.
"The Count is absolutely right! If they had only listened to us, none of this would have happened. If they had just allowed development of the mountains sooner, how much better things would be?"
"Well, they'll reap what they sow. Hahaha."
Someone even dared to disparage the king of their nation.
"When the Church overturns the kingdom, we'll step in! Then it will be our world."
The garden's ornate sculptures and jewels gleaming in the sunlight enhanced the atmosphere, with conversations and laughter flowing from all directions.
Just as this moment of peace and socializing was in full swing.
Count Derek's face, who had been laughing and chatting away, suddenly hardened.
"Count...?"
Someone noticed his subtle change.
"......"
But Count Derek turned toward the cake on the table. A single knife stuck into the cake.
The Count grabbed the knife and yanked it out.
And then he began swinging it wildly.
The garden, which had been in high spirits, turned to terror in an instant.
Red blood splattered everywhere, and people screamed, fleeing in panic.
As crimson blood stained elegant, glamorous dresses, the women's faces twisted in horror and shock, while the men couldn't hide their astonishment.
Why on earth was Count Derek doing this!
The garden's ornate sculptures and lights shifted to a sinister mood.
Conversations and laughter were replaced by screams and cries of terror.
And amid this chaos, there was one being watching it all.
It was Princess Irena of the Sail Kingdom.
"...Haha."
A natural smile crept onto her lips.
It felt like wondrous awe and uneasy romance were floating together on the same track.
'What should I call this feeling?'
Yes, this was a thrilling sensation.
It was the feeling of all the past oppression and disdain being compensated in a single moment.
Then she glanced at the demon she had summoned.
A demon so beautiful that even another woman would find her stunning.
The horns on her head didn't seem scary; rather, they accentuated her allure even more.
The demon had introduced herself as Celia.
At the same time, Celia had just said moments ago.
A gift before the formal contract.
If...
Really, if.
If the result unfolding before her eyes was merely a simple gift before a formal contract.
What would happen if she made a formal contract with her?
Irena saw a sliver of possibility.
And a hopeful future stretched out before her.
"Um, Lady Celia...?"
Irena hesitated before addressing Celia.
As she thought, she wasn't just any ordinary demon.
Probably a high-ranking demon.
No matter how ignorant Irena was about monsters, she knew she shouldn't compare her to mere beasts.
"I want to make a formal contract."
At Irena's words, Celia gave a slight smile.
"For a formal contract, there are the most important conditions."
Celia held up one finger and pointed upward.
Irena naturally looked up at the ceiling.
"First, Princess Irena. Serve the Great One. Simply hold Him in your heart and work for Him. Doubting the Supreme One is not permitted."
'The Great One?'
For a moment, Irena thought it was an odd demand.
Honestly, from a demon's perspective, she had expected her to demand her soul.
But not her soul—just serve some Great One.
Irena didn't even know who He was.
No, could there be an existence even more powerful than the demon before her?
On the other hand, she felt relieved.
Since it wasn't her soul that was demanded.
"You thought I would demand your soul, didn't you?"
At her words, Irena flinched.
Celia laughed at the sight and raised another finger.
"Next, the second one. Yes, it's a soul, but not yours. You will become a faithful servant of the Great One."
And the other condition was.
"Show your sincerity to the Great One. To put it bluntly, something like a sacrifice would be appropriate."
"A sacrifice?"
As Irena asked back, Celia smiled warmly.
"Yes, a sacrifice. Send sacrifices to the mountains near the kingdom. Whom to offer as sacrifices is entirely up to Princess Irena."
Irena was momentarily flustered.
Send sacrifices to the mountains.
The mountains were a dangerous place.
They served as a barrier between the kingdom and the demon realm, so who knew what monsters and perils lurked there.
To offer sacrifices in such a hazardous location.
But Celia kindly explained to her.
As if handling a child.
"Oh, Princess Irena doesn't need to offer them personally."
Celia pointed outside the window with a benevolent smile.
"Well, judging by the mood earlier, a little persuasion of the nobles should make them line up on their own, don't you think?"
Irena was impressed by Celia's words.
"Ah!"
As she said, Irena wouldn't need to offer sacrifices herself.
There were plenty of those eager to become sacrifices right there.
But to realize this plan, there was another problem.
A major obstacle: whether her father would approve.
As if knowing Irena's concern.
Celia left her with one final word.
"Don't worry about that part. Everything will go according to Princess Irena's words."
Words of unknown meaning.
"But remember this: Always follow the Great One...."
Irena looked into Celia's eyes.
"The Great One...."
She didn't know who.
But she must never defy Him.
"The Great One...."
To contract with the demon before her, she must obey the Great One's words.
"The Great One...."
Why had she wanted to become queen and strengthen the kingdom?
"......"
For a moment, she couldn't remember.
But one thing she knew.
"The Great One...."
Yes, the demon said to remember just that.
"To serve the Great One...."
As Irena muttered it over and over, Celia smiled in satisfaction.
Irena muttered it several times before snapping back to reality.
"Ah! Lady Celia."
Irena wanted to ask a few more questions, but the other wouldn't wait.
"We will meet many times in the future, Irena."
Meaning they wouldn't only talk now.
"I'll send you a gift soon."
With those final words, Celia left Irena's room.
"Uh, if you go that way......"
Going out that way risked being seen by others.
The flustered Irena followed Celia out of the room.
"Huh?"
The corridor was empty.
As if she had never been there to begin with.
"...It wasn't a dream, was it?"
Could she have been seeing things?
Irena had been that desperate, craving power.
What she had just experienced felt too surreal.
But it wasn't a dream.
She looked around her room.
The parchment used to summon the demon had all burned to ashes.
Outside the window, the commotion continued, with red blood splattered everywhere.
She saw a few knights rushing at Count Derek to arrest him.
Seeing the blue garden dyed red, Irena had one thought.
"It's not a dream...."
Yes, this wasn't a dream.
"This is an opportunity."
The perfect chance to change the current kingdom.
From now on, the kingdom would change by her hand.
"An opportunity to serve the Great One."
Irena's eyes held a hint of madness.
Armored knights were traversing the bumpy road.
They all wore the armor of the Sail Kingdom.
Full-body armor covering them from head to toe.
However, one strange thing was that they lacked any sense of vitality.
Lennon questioned this but soon shook his head.
This mission was directly ordered by the princess he served, Irena.
The princess always had a dark expression.
But for the past few days, she had brightened up and become positive about everything.
As her escort knight, Lennon was pleased by the change.
'If even the princess is working hard, I can't just sit idle.'
Following the princess's orders, Lennon greeted the knights before him.
"I've been waiting. I'm Lennon, tasked by the princess to lead you knights."
But they said nothing.
Lennon was briefly flustered but quickly regained his composure.
It was common.
He was the princess's escort knight, but from commoner origins.
And hadn't the princess said it herself?
High nobles would send support to help him.
Lennon interpreted her words differently.
'Finally, a noble who shares the princess's will has appeared.'
These knights were probably dispatched by that noble.
They might have sky-high pride.
Such knights were often nobles themselves and disliked mingling with commoner knights.
This was probably the case here.
Lennon kept his smile as best he could.
After all, they were benefactors helping his princess.
The current kingdom was overrun by the noble faction.
In such a situation, providing support meant they honored the princess.
Lennon led the knights back to the palace.
The armored knights simply followed behind him.
As they walked, their armor creaked.
If listened closely, there was also a faint sound of bones shifting, but it was too subtle for anyone to notice.
"Father is unwell today, so I'm attending in his place."
Princess Irena burst into the meeting room.
All the nobles were startled by her appearance, but Irena quickly spoke up.
"I've been granted full authority, so no need to worry."
The princess's aura had subtly changed.
Like a child with an amusing toy right in front of them.
But those in the meeting room didn't notice.
They were only interested in their own gains, not some princess.
But Irena's next words were enough to capture their attention.
"From now on, I permit full development of the mountains adjacent to the kingdom."
"“...!”"
Were they hearing this right?
Regardless of royalist or noble faction, everyone doubted their ears.
The royalists questioned why the royal family's long-held interests were suddenly being offered up.
The noble faction, still gloomy from the recent Count Derek incident, couldn't process the sudden carrot dangled before them.
The mountains bordered the demon realm, making them dangerous.
But they were also sparsely populated with vast untapped resources, brimming with unlimited potential.
Until now, the royals had forbidden development.
It was risky, and above all, they didn't want the nobles' power to grow.
But Irena's words didn't end there.
"Not only will I permit development, but I'll also grant autonomy over the developed areas."
Irena smiled brightly.
"However, any damages incurred in the process will not be the royal family's responsibility."