Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 104

While handling some work in the townhouse, Braeden closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, Kankantier had returned to its previous, ruined state. He let out a hollow breath and looked around.

“I knew it wasn’t truly stable, but to return to this condition so quickly…”

A deep sigh escaped him. Kankantier’s devastated appearance reflected his own unstable condition.

The once-beautiful snow-covered mountains remained in the same disastrous state as the day he lost control. The ground was torn apart in multiple places, the cracks gaping open like wounds, and pale smoke rose from within them.

The area around the collapsed ice wall was littered with large chunks of broken ice, creating a messy and disordered scene. There was no trace left of the majestic, flawless beauty that once defined the mountain.

“I want to live. By her side.”

Braeden murmured honestly, feeling as though his heart was being carved out.

In human terms, his current condition was similar to being terminally ill. Thanks to Juliana’s sacred power, he no longer lost control and went on rampages like before, but that didn’t mean he was safe.

With a bit of misfortune, he could simply fade away without warning. The fact that he still couldn’t control his powers made that clear.

“Disappearance, disappearance… I kept saying it, and now it’s coming true just as I asked.”

He muttered bitterly, swore under his breath, and collapsed onto the snowy ground. For a great demon, he looked laughably pitiful.

Not long after, Juliana arrived in Kankantier. When she saw Braeden lying in the snow as if lifeless, she gasped and ran toward him.

“Ithan!”

Braeden gave a faint laugh at the voice he thought was just another hallucination. He must have thought about her so much that her voice felt real.

But then he felt her soft hands shaking him, and his eyes flew open.

“What are you doing here?”

He groaned and sat up slowly. Then, as if scolding the subordinates who must have tattled on him the moment he disappeared, he gave them a hard look.

Unlike demons who could travel across snowy mountains hundreds of times without issue, the human body was fragile. Juliana, in particular, was physically weaker than most humans.

Even with her sacred power, coming to a place like this too often could be harmful to her.

Feeling Braeden’s gaze, Lochlan bowed with discipline. His expression made it clear he had no regrets about reporting to her.

“You couldn’t feel anything? Were you stuck here because you couldn’t return to the Grand Citadel?”

Juliana’s voice was filled with concern.

“No, I was just… taking a short rest.”

Braeden tried to brush it off with a joking tone, though he couldn’t hide the bitterness in his smile.

“Resting? Out here?”

Juliana clearly did not believe him. Instead, she scolded him in a firm, disappointed voice.

“Are you going to keep lying to me? Hiding how bad your condition is won’t help anyone.”

The great demon, capable of destroying the world, looked completely helpless before this small woman, as if she held him on a leash.

“Now that I think about it, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Juliana let out a quiet sigh and reached out her hand.

“Let’s go back. Let’s go home.”

Braeden understood the meaning behind her words.

Kankantier had once been his cradle, the place where he felt the most at peace. But things had changed. Juliana could not live comfortably here.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Wherever he could live with her was now his true sanctuary. That place was his home.

With that thought, Braeden took her hand.

After returning to the Grand Citadel, a strategy meeting was held. Braeden’s closest aides, the ones aware of his condition, gathered in the main drawing room.

“I thought things were finally okay. We were too careless.”

Anita spoke with a hardened expression.

“The Lord’s power has become too great for this world to contain,” Albert said as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Thanks to Her Highness’s holy power, we’re barely maintaining stability, but there’s always a risk. If something goes wrong, it could all fall apart in an instant,” Lochlan added stiffly, as if he were reading from a report.

After hearing them out, Juliana asked quietly, “Is there any way to strengthen the holy power?”

If the sacred energy grew stronger, it could suppress Braeden’s powers and keep him in control. In theory, it was possible.

But no one answered. No one could. Amplifying that kind of power would shorten her life.

“Lian, no. That would be too dangerous for you,” Braeden said with a sigh. He swept a hand over his tired face, his exhaustion clearly showing.

“We can’t just do nothing because it’s dangerous. I’ll be fine even if the Floreseco mark disappears. So please, just tell me how,” Juliana replied firmly.

Braeden stayed silent. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything. His clenched jaw showed how deeply he was struggling inside.

The retainers of Belial stood between the two of them, unable to speak. They understood both sides and could not support just one.

The heavy silence was broken by a soft tapping at the window. When everyone turned toward the terrace, they saw Atlante pecking at the glass with his beak, asking to be let in.

“Atlante? What brings you here?” Juliana asked with a puzzled look as she opened the window.

Atlante flew in and landed on the table in the middle of the room. Naturally, everyone’s attention turned to him.

He stood there calmly and spoke as if he had planned it all along.

“I can solve the problem of Belial’s rampage.”

“What? How?” Juliana asked, startled.

“How do you think? I am the Tear of God.”

Light began to shine around Atlante’s body, and he changed into the same glowing, liquid-like form they had seen when they first met him.

“You are…” Braeden narrowed his eyes as he stared at him.

Unlike the other demons, Braeden had lived long enough to have heard stories about the Tear of God.

“Well now, you actually recognize greatness. Maybe you’re not completely hopeless after all,” Atlante said proudly.

After seeing his true form, those who could now understand his words were left unsure how to react. Their faces showed a mix of amazement and confusion.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier. I was afraid no one would believe me,” Juliana said, apologizing for keeping his identity a secret.

“That’s not your fault,” Braeden replied gently.

“He’s right,” one of his close aides added, and the others nodded in agreement.

Now they looked at Atlante openly, like he was a rare and sacred being.

With his jelly-like body moving gently, Atlante spoke again.

“I am the Tear of God, the last divine gift that remains in this world.”

Juliana noticed that his tone had become strangely dramatic, but she just smiled awkwardly and chose not to comment on it.

“But what did you mean just now? You said you can stop His Grace from losing control?” she asked.

Everyone turned to look at Atlante in shock, their expressions filled with hope and disbelief.

Even the most powerful demons had gathered to find a solution, and yet this crow, no, this Tear of God, claimed he could fix the problem.

“I was born from the heart of God’s compassion for His people. The Creator gave me a part of His divine power. Of course, I cannot solve everything. But there is one thing I can resolve completely. Just one, no matter what it is.”

Silence filled the room. If the Tear of God could really fix this, it would be a blessing.

Still, something about how easily he offered a solution felt unsettling.

Braeden broke the stillness with a quiet question.

“Are you planning to trade your life to fix it?”

Juliana’s eyes filled with alarm and began to tremble.

“The Tears of God have always done things that way. If that weren’t true, there would still be others like me in the world. The Tears were sent to this land to save others through their own sacrifice.”

“Atlante, why didn’t you say that before?”

Juliana’s voice trembled. She looked like she might cry. Atlante gave a small smile as he answered.

“What do you mean I didn’t say it? I told you already. I said I was the world’s only hope and an incredibly great being.”

How could that possibly mean the same thing? She was too shaken to even argue.

“But still… there must be another way. Let’s pray to God. Let’s try to find the Sanctuary again. If we search together, we’ll find it soon.”

Juliana shook her head and spoke quickly, as if clinging to any hope she could find.

“Everything happens when it is meant to. I just know, instinctively, when that time has come. And honestly, if you hadn’t truly loved that demon from the bottom of your heart, I probably would not have stepped forward at all.”

Braeden quietly ran a hand over his face. His feelings were too complicated to express. He never imagined that a day would come when a great demon like him would survive only with the help of divine power. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

What hurt more was knowing that Juliana would be the one left to grieve, no matter what the outcome was.

“Atlante…”

At last, tears began to fall from Juliana’s eyes. The people nearby, unable to bear seeing her cry, subtly turned away and lowered their eyes in discomfort.

“You already know what the right choice is,” Atlante said softly, looking at Juliana. His voice was strangely cheerful, not quite matching the heaviness of the moment.

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