Chapter 14
Chapter 14
An Interlude, What Happened in the Depths of the Demonic Realm
Deep within the Demonic Realm, there existed seven fortresses, each radiating a different aura.
Among them stood one fortress shrouded in pink demonic energy like a dense fog.
At the very top of that fortress, inside a room decorated with extravagant yet decadent ornaments, a beautiful woman lay sprawled across a bed wearing clothing that barely concealed the most important parts of her body.
With dazzling blonde hair and golden eyes shining even brighter than it, she was one of the Great Demons of the Seven Deadly Sins, the bearer of the Sin of Lust, Lilith.
She was usually composed and relaxed, but now she stared blankly into empty space in disbelief, reaching out with trembling fingers.
“…My spell disappeared?”
Lilith muttered in a shaking voice.
The thread connected to her fingertips had just been severed.
That thread had been linked to the curse she had planted deep within the heart of Cassian, the Hero Candidate of the Eris Order.
The sensation of the spell she had felt until mere moments ago had vanished without a trace.
“Lilith, what are you talking about?”
The shadows in the room twisted grotesquely before a man clad in pitch-black armor stepped out from within them. His voice carried pure confusion, along with faint irritation he could not conceal.
Lilith rose from the bed and brushed back her golden hair in annoyance.
“The spell I placed on the Hero Candidate disappeared without a trace. I made absolutely certain that even if that damned old Pope personally inspected him, he would never be able to find it… so who the hell did this?”
Anxiety and irritation flickered through Lilith’s eyes.
That pathetic weakling had resisted the demonic corruption and curse despite being nothing more than a Hero Candidate, forcing her to spend over three entire years on him.
And now the curse she had painstakingly nurtured had disappeared in an instant.
Even for a Great Demon and a specialist in curses like herself, the situation was utterly incomprehensible.
“Didn’t you just say it was erased? Which means someone dispelled your curse.”
At the man’s cold observation, Lilith frowned deeply.
“…Yeah, that’s right. But how? My authority of Lust and that bitch Eris’s authority of Love are like two sides of the same mirror. Their natures are so similar that the fools of the Eris Order should never have been able to distinguish or analyze the curse.”
Lilith leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers against the desk.
“Perhaps they sought assistance from another Order.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way they’d hand their own Hero Candidate over to another Order.”
Lilith snorted dismissively.
“…Still, just in case, I’ll have information gathered. Are there any other possibilities?”
The man gave a slight nod as though accepting her reasoning before asking further.
“I can’t say for certain, but there are about two possibilities.”
The first possibility Lilith considered was simple.
Someone had perfectly analyzed the curse she cast and erased it.
But she immediately dismissed the idea.
Lilith’s curses were infamous for being so complex and difficult that even other Great Demons of equal standing found them troublesome.
There was absolutely no way a lowly human could analyze and dispel it within such a short amount of time.
Which was why Lilith didn’t even consider the first theory worthy of voicing aloud.
“Stop dragging it out and speak.”
“One method would be to place the body into a near-death state and pull only the soul into the Divine Realm.”
“You mean the Bathing Rite. But isn’t that privilege only granted to the Pope and the Saintess?”
“Exactly. Anyone else would fail to endure the weight of divinity and their soul would burn away, turning them into an idiot. Which leaves only one remaining possibility…”
Lilith’s tapping grew faster.
“Kill him.”
“…You’re saying the Eris Order killed their own Hero Candidate?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Obviously if the host dies, the curse disappears. Though some types remain after death, the curse I planted in him depends on a living body.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“What I’m talking about is the concept of death as a state.”
“Get to the point. I have no interest in your pathetic little curses, so explain it in a way I can understand.”
The black-armored man barked in irritation.
Normally Lilith would have snapped back and started an argument, but she was too deep in thought to bother.
“The reason my curse is difficult to detect is because I fused it into his life force itself. So even if someone discovered it, humans would have no solution. If they handled it incorrectly, his life would disappear with it.”
“Explain it properly…”
“Then shut up and listen instead of interrupting!”
Lilith slammed her fist onto the desk.
“Fine. Since you wouldn’t understand anyway, I’ll make it simple. Beat him until he’s practically dead. Then forcibly pour divine power into his body while he’s in that dying state.”
“That sounds no different from killing him.”
“God, stupid swordsmen are hopeless. Let me give you an example simple enough for you to understand. Beat him senseless until he’s at death’s door, then force divine power into him.”
The man fell silent for a moment before answering incredulously.
“Even a Hero’s body wouldn’t survive something like that. At best he’d become a cripple.”
“That’s why I said it makes no sense, you tin can idiot.”
Lilith replied irritably.
“I understand. But you’re certain the curse disappears if he dies?”
“Correct.”
“Then we cannot rule out the possibility that he’s dead. It’s unfortunate your plan failed, but if the Hero Candidate truly died, that isn’t necessarily bad for us.”
With those final words, the man dissolved back into darkness just as he had appeared.
“…Arrogant bastard. Always acting tough because of his master.”
Lilith clicked her tongue while glaring at the spot where he vanished.
Plant a curse in the Hero Candidate and destroy the Eris Order from within.
Then use the Eris Order as a Trojan horse to destroy the Holy Empire.
That had been the plan Lilith devised after capturing the Hero Candidate who foolishly wandered into the middle region of the Demonic Realm.
She had invested considerable effort into it, only for it to collapse without even learning the cause.
Anger welled inside her, but the curse was already gone and the piece had left her chessboard.
There was no point obsessing over it now.
It was time to prepare the next move.
“Selenia.”
As Lilith forced herself to let go of her frustration and softly called out, black smoke gathered in the air and a woman emerged.
Ash-gray hair, cold black eyes, and a black priestess robe.
The woman smiled seductively before sitting across Lilith’s lap.
“Judging by that terrifying expression, things didn’t go the way you wanted?”
She whispered teasingly against Lilith’s neck.
“My curse was dispelled.”
“Hm? Really? There shouldn’t be a single human capable of undoing your curses.”
“Exactly. Say… does the Eris Order do something violent during Hero verification? Like beating them half to death?”
At Lilith’s question, Selenia burst into laughter.
“Ahaha, no way. Hero Candidates are important both symbolically and militarily. Even if they’re arrogant, they’re treated like precious treasures. That goes for every Order, not just Eris.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
Lilith rubbed her temple and sighed.
“That’s disappointing. Wasn’t that one of your more elaborate curses?”
“The plan hasn’t completely failed yet. I also planted a curse inside the Saintess.”
The Saintess of Eris who rampaged through the Demonic Realm like an untamed colt.
The curse Lilith engraved onto her body by sacrificing countless demonic beasts was surely still hidden deep inside her.
“But now that the curse on the Hero Candidate is gone, the curse on the Saintess won’t activate either. An arrow can’t fly without a bowstring to launch it.”
“Hehe, that’s unfortunate. So what will you do now?”
At Selenia’s question, Lilith lightly tapped the crystal orb resting on the desk.
The image inside activated.
Within the crystal sphere, Beatrice could be seen mercilessly slaughtering demonic beasts with her spear in hand.
“Oh my, is that the current Saintess? A Saintess fighting on the frontlines… what a spirited girl.”
“Yeah, that’s her. Honestly, she’s too good for that useless black-haired fool. Don’t you think?”
Lilith licked her lips with a sinister smile.
Her plan falling apart was irritating, but at the same time it sparked a new fascination.
How beautiful would it be to watch such a radiant symbol of divinity drown in despair?
A woman like that deserved a proper stage prepared personally by Lilith herself.
“How should I break her? Does she have a man she loves? Or perhaps a woman she cherishes?”
Lilith’s golden eyes gleamed darkly as she stared at the image of Beatrice.
The true pleasure Lilith pursued was never limited to mere flesh.
“If this girl were forced to experience pleasure beneath the touch of someone she utterly despised instead of the embrace of the person she treasured more than life itself…”
The thought alone sent thrilling heat racing through her body.
The gaze of someone desperately seeking salvation while wavering between shame and pleasure before the eyes of the one they loved.
And yet that precious person could do nothing except watch helplessly.
The perfect tragedy.
“Tears falling from eyes that have lost all dignity, staring at their beloved while drowning in pleasure and despair… Wouldn’t licking those tears taste sweeter than any nectar?”
“You really do have a terrible personality.”
Selenia shook her head.
“What terrible taste.”
“Anyway, I need to confirm whether the curse inside her body is still intact. Unlike spells, curses can’t be verified unless you inspect them directly.”
Of course the curse couldn’t possibly have been dispelled.
Unless she had undergone the Bathing Rite.
And the Saintess was still far too young to endure such a ritual.
Still, there was no harm in making sure.
Thinking that, Lilith looked toward Selenia.
“Hm? Are you planning to leave that role to me?”
“Exactly. That damned holy barrier makes it difficult for me to enter personally. But you can manage it, can’t you?”
“My, what if I end up devouring the girl entirely? The thing you planted inside the Saintess is the exact same ‘Curse of Lust’ you once used on me, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“And I know very well how to use that curse.”
Seeing Selenia’s suggestive smile, Lilith frowned deeply.
The Curse of Lust.
Once activated, even the purest Saintess would lose her sanity and become a panting bitch whose only joy in life was crying beneath her puppet Hero.
And considering how proudly she wore those vulgar scraps of cloth, it was obvious she’d already rolled around with countless people before. She wouldn’t resist the curse at all. She’d fall even faster and more pathetically.
Well, it didn’t matter.
If her body had already been touched by others, then letting Selenia toy with her a little was hardly important.
“Do whatever you want. I won’t complain over a little fun.”
“Hehe, defiling something noble is always exciting.”
Lilith stared at Selenia’s eyes gleaming with madness and shook her head.
All I love is watching someone’s most treasured person crumble helplessly in the arms of another, drowning in pleasure they never wanted.
The shame felt by the victim.
The despair and ruin suffered by the lover forced to watch helplessly.
There was nothing sweeter.
“Anyway, do your best. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Hehe, understood.”
Just as Selenia rose gracefully to leave, Lilith suddenly grabbed her wrist and shoved her backward onto the soft bed.
“Oh my…”
Lilith climbed atop her and looked down.
Dark desire swirled within her golden eyes.
“You entered my chambers and thought you’d leave just like that?”
“Hehe, of course not. Pamper me all day today… ahh…!”
Before she could even finish speaking, Lilith bit down on Selenia’s neck.
Selenia smiled blissfully while wrapping her arms around Lilith’s neck.
The two women tangled together.
Soon, Lilith’s chambers filled with heated, intimate passion.
And at that exact same moment, within the Eris Order, inside the Saintess’s chambers—
“…?”
That night, after thoroughly beating the hell out of Cassian, I was just about to happily head to bed when I suddenly tilted my head at an unpleasant sensation.
My spine felt cold for some reason, and my ears were itching.
According to ancestral wisdom, that definitely meant someone was talking shit about me.
Or plotting to beat me up.
“Which bastard is it? Leonid maybe?”
There wasn’t really any way to confirm it.
Well, if I beat up the Holy Knights one by one later, the culprit would probably reveal himself eventually.
“Heh.”
I grinned to myself, hugged the blanket, and closed my eyes.