Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 56

Juliana tilted her head with a puzzled expression, as if the staircase were beckoning her to come down.

“Do you think it’s okay if I go down?”

“I’m right here. What are you so worried about?”

Atlante raised her chin with confidence. Juliana was not entirely convinced, but she didn’t show it and took a cautious step forward.

The staircase was fairly long. As they descended underground, a musty and damp smell filled the air.

When she raised the lantern in her hand, she saw a narrow corridor stretching endlessly ahead.

“What do you think this place used to be?”

Juliana slowly moved forward, casting the lantern’s light around the dark interior.

Along the underground hallway, there were carvings similar to the ones she had seen earlier in the courtyard leading to the library.

However, the ones down here were covered in dark stains and moss, making them look much older.

There were scenes of people worshipping a figure, bowing before him or offering what looked like sacrifices. Between those scenes were images of snakes and strange, ancient creatures.

Even in the daytime, the place would have felt eerie. But now, in the dark, with the flickering lantern casting long, distorted shadows over the carvings, the sight made her shiver.

“It’s fine. I’m here with you”

Juliana thought she heard Atlante’s voice tremble slightly. Maybe it was just her imagination. Still, it was hard to feel reassured.

As she looked at the winding, maze-like tunnels ahead, she decided it was better not to continue any further.

“This isn’t going to work. Let’s go back.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s just creepy down here. I don’t think there’s anything actually dangerous.”

Atlante nodded.

So, you do think it’s scary.

Juliana held back a smile and began retracing her steps.

“This is strange. We couldn’t have walked this far.”

After walking for quite a while, Juliana suddenly stopped. No matter how far she went, the stairs never came into view.

She was sure she had taken fewer than twenty steps after descending, but now it felt like she was going in circles, passing through the same spot over and over again.

“Ahh! A trap?”

Atlante fluffed up her feathers in alarm.

“Weren’t you the one who said I could trust you?”

Juliana’s cold reply made Atlante let out an awkward cough.

“Are you doubting my abilities right now? I am the one and only Tear of the Gods, you know.”

Since Juliana still didn’t look convinced, Atlante hurried to explain herself.

“If there were any evil presence here, I would have sensed it first. I mean, sure, it’s gloomy and creepy, but if anything meant us harm, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.”

Hearing Atlante speak with such certainty, Juliana found herself wanting to believe her.

She could not explain why, but she didn’t feel like they were in danger.

It was something like instinct. Even though she was trapped in this dark underground space, her heart felt strangely calm.

“Okay, I understand. It’s not that I don’t trust you. But it really seems like we’re lost. We need to figure out how to get out. What should we do?”

Navigating dark underground tunnels was not exactly the specialty of the Tear of the Gods. Atlante let out a small groan.

She sat on Juliana’s arm for a moment, thinking hard, then suddenly flapped her wings and flew up. She landed on a protruding piece of the rough stone wall.

“Well, the problem is…”

Just as Atlante sighed and started to speak, the ground gave a small, trembling shake.

“Huh? I have a really bad feeling about this…”

Before she could finish, the part of the wall she was perched on spun like a hidden door.

In an instant, the wall swallowed Atlante completely.

Juliana gasped and ran forward, shocked by what she had just seen.

“Atlante! Where are you?”

Juliana urgently pounded on the wall. Moments later, the revolving door turned again, and Atlante appeared.

But there was no time to relax. The door kept spinning without stopping.

“Aaaaah… Nooo… Aaaaah…”

Every time Atlante came into view, he screamed. Then, as he was taken behind the wall again, the sound would vanish completely. The cycle continued over and over while the door rotated.

“Don’t just stand there. Fly out, now!”

Juliana shouted in a hurry. Finally, Atlante snapped out of it, spread his wings, and flew into the air. He landed on her shoulder, shaking all over and breathing heavily.

“I thought I was going to die.”

Of course, something like this would not truly kill a being known as the Tear of the Gods. Still, it had been one of the most terrifying moments in Atlante’s long life.

“Are you all right?”

The moment Juliana gently patted his head, Atlante stopped panicking and began to calm down.

“Ahem. Naturally, I am fine.”

He felt embarrassed that she had seen him like that and quickly tried to act as if nothing had happened. Juliana quietly placed a hand on her chest and let out a breath. She had been just as shocked.

She had heard stories about old castles having secret mechanisms, but she never thought she would see one in person.

Trying to steady herself, she lifted the lantern and examined the revolving door. It seemed the stone where Atlante had landed was the hidden trigger to open it.

Now that Atlante’s weight was gone, the door had stopped moving. Inside was a small, empty room with nothing of note.

Juliana swept the lantern’s light around and realized there was no reason to stay any longer. She turned to leave.

Just then, something brushed against the tip of her foot.

“What is that?”

When she looked down and held the lantern closer, she saw a book lying at her feet. She could not tell if it had been there all along or if it had just appeared. Either way, something about it felt strange and unsettling.

She opened the book. The pages were filled with an ancient language she could not read.

“Where did a book like this even come from?”

Just as she muttered to herself, the space around her suddenly shifted. The scenery flipped in an instant, and she found herself back on the first floor of the East Wing.

Both Juliana and Atlante gasped at the same time.

What was even more bizarre was that the book was still in Juliana’s hands.

“What is going on here? This castle really is haunted,” Atlante groaned, his voice filled with dread.

But Juliana did not respond. She stared down at the book in her hands, lost in thought.

“Did someone want me to have this?”

She had no idea what had just happened, but one thing was clear. There was a hidden secret tied to the Grand Duke’s castle.

Mount Kankantier looked closely when viewed from the Grand Duke’s castle, but it was much farther than it seemed. The rugged terrain and long stretches of mountain range made the journey even more difficult.

A large crack had formed on the southern slope of Mount Kankantier.

Brayden led the knight order to the site, reaching it in just a day and a half. The journey normally took two full days on horseback, but they had not stopped once along the way.

When they finally arrived, the horses were covered in foam and gasping for breath. Some of the weaker ones could no longer stand and collapsed to their knees.

“We will rest here for the night. At sunrise, we begin the hunt.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The knights, loyal and disciplined, began setting up camp without protest. They all understood one thing clearly. Complaining would only get them placed at the front of the line, taking on every burden for the rest of the mission.

Since the monsters had to be hunted anyway, the knights didn’t even waste time complaining. Instead, they saved their energy to get as much rest as possible.

Late at night, after the sun had set and the camp had gone quiet, Braeden stepped outside the tent with his sword in hand.

“My lord.”

Lochlan approached as if he had known Braeden would come out. Braeden let out a quiet breath.

“How did you know I’d come out?”

“I have served you more than just a year or two, haven’t I?”

The truth was, finishing the monster hunt in ten days was nearly impossible.

Taking out travel time, they had only about five days to eliminate every monster. Even without any unexpected setbacks, that timeline was nearly unachievable.

And the fact that they were going ahead with it anyway meant only one thing. Braeden planned to act on his own.

“You don’t have to follow me. Get some rest.”

“If my lord is not resting, how could I possibly do so?”

Lochlan gave a crooked smile, his tone half amused and half bitter.

He had once been glad that the Grand Duchess seemed to be having a good influence on his lord. He had never expected it to come back around and hit him like this.

Who would have thought that the same man who used to show no interest in anything would suddenly become so passionate?

A lord who sneaks out to fight monsters alone while his knights are sleeping? Lochlan had never seen Braeden act like this before. It was surprising, but he could not pretend he had not noticed. That was the quiet burden of a loyal retainer.

“I told you not to come.”

Braeden smirked and turned quickly, disappearing toward the area where the rupture had formed.

Why have I stayed loyal to that devil for nearly a thousand years?

A sudden wave of regret hit Lochlan. He frowned deeply.

Damn it.

Rubbing his face with both hands, Lochlan cursed under his breath and followed after Braeden.

At that moment, he felt a sharp jealousy toward Albert and Anita, who had stayed behind at the Grand Duke’s castle.

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