Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 95

Three days had passed since Juliana disappeared.

The followers of Belial, who had believed she would be found quickly, were now murmuring in confusion.

“I still can’t believe Her Highness left without telling even me.”

“What on earth is going on?”

“I miss Her Highness so much.”

Whether demon or human, most of the people living in the Grand Duke’s estate reacted in similar ways.

At first, everyone had been loud and shocked, but after seeing how much Braeden had deteriorated in just a few days, they gradually stopped talking altogether.

People became so cautious around him that the entire castle turned eerily quiet.

Even the servants’ breathing could barely be heard in the still air. Then suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed loudly through the corridor.

Lochlan burst into Braeden’s office and announced urgently.

“My lord, we found the one responsible for speaking ill of Her Highness.”

“Is that so? Was it a demon?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Where is he now?”

“He is being held in the underground prison.”

As soon as Lochlan finished speaking, Braeden’s form vanished. He no longer even tried to pretend to act human. He used his powers without hesitation.

Lochlan sighed and followed Braeden by shifting space.

In a large room deep within the underground prison, a single mirror stood alone.

“This is the one you sealed inside the mirror about three hundred years ago, my lord,” said Albert as he pulled off the white cloth that had been covering it.

The moment the mirror was revealed, the flame within began to flicker anxiously, changing colors in a panic.

“Plaurus. I had almost forgotten about you.”

Braeden’s voice was cold and grim. His eyes held a deadly light as he called the name.
Plaurus, trembling inside the mirror, suddenly flared with anger as he remembered how he had been left there and forgotten.

“You locked me up in this pathetic mirror and just left me? How could you? Let me out now!”

But Braeden’s expression remained cold. There was not the slightest hint of guilt for keeping him sealed away for over three hundred years.

“Was it you? Did you run your mouth and cause her to leave?”

Even though Braeden’s glare was freezing cold, Plaurus, consumed with resentment, shouted back in defiance.

“Ha, she left? I knew she was smarter than the average human!”

Braeden did not respond. He simply reached his hand into the mirror.

Without even flinching at the flame, he grabbed hold of it and slowly pulled it out.

The flame, once freed from the mirror, began to shift and reshape itself. In moments, it turned into a demon with the body of a man and the head of a leopard. He was a creature that could freely control fire.

“Let me go! I said to break the seal, not this… Gah!”

As soon as Plaurus returned to his true form, Braeden’s hand closed around his neck.

Plaurus kicked in the air, feet not touching the ground, coughing violently as he struggled.

“Where is she?”

Braeden’s voice was low and steady, but his eyes were becoming unfocused.

Fire seemed to burn in his gaze. The madness in him flickered like a spark, and Plaurus, terrified, shook his head.

“H-how should I… know that? I don’t… gah… know!”

He barely managed to speak, choking for breath.

“Saying you don’t know won’t erase what you’ve done. You’ll pay for every careless word.”

Now fully revealing himself as the Archdemon Belial, Braeden raised a finger and activated his power.

From his fingertip, flames like those from hell burst forth and seared a brand deep into Plaurus’s shoulder.

Even Plaurus, a demon who could control fire, could not endure the overwhelming flames that burned the mark of servitude into his shoulder.

“Aaaargh! No!”

He let out a desperate scream, writhing in agony. A demon branded with the slave mark would be erased from existence if they failed to carry out their master’s command.

Not just anyone could carve such a mark. Only someone with power far greater than the branded could do it.

After completing the mark, Braeden let go of him and dropped him to the ground. Plaurus collapsed, groaning in pain, then slowly pushed himself up and glared at Braeden with resentment.

“Go. Find her. If you cannot bring her back, you will be destroyed.”

He had no idea that running his mouth would lead to this. Being sealed in a mirror had actually been an act of mercy, and he had taken it for granted.

“Damn it. Looks like even you can’t find her, so how do you expect me to do it, master?”

The word “master” slipped from his mouth against his will. His face twisted in anger the moment he realized it. The brand had already taken hold of him.

“That is not my concern. If you fail, you will cease to exist. That is all.”

Braeden’s voice was cold and unyielding. Plaurus trembled. He hated the day he ever caught the attention of Belial, three hundred years ago.

“Damn it, fine. You want her found, I’ll find her.”

Grumbling and seething with frustration, Plaurus vanished without another word.

Braeden stood quietly, staring at the empty space where the demon had stood. His gaze sank low with shadow.

Threats of destruction always provoked that kind of response. There were very few demons in existence who accepted their end as willingly as he did.

This entire disaster had been his fault.

As Braeden ran a weary hand over his face, Lochlan stepped forward with a worried expression.

“My lord, you need to rest. You have already been unstable lately. If you continue using your powers like this, you might lose control.”

“Rest? When have I ever known rest in my life?”

Braeden replied with a hollow voice and disappeared on the spot.

He was likely about to tear through the Empire again in search of her. When exhaustion hit, he would probably go to Kankantier.

The subordinates left behind in the room let out a heavy sigh.

At that very moment, Juliana was adjusting to life inside the sanctuary.

The sanctuary had everything she needed. A clean, furnished bedroom. A dining hall. A kitchen. A library with enough books to stretch up into the sky. A garden where the sunlight poured in beautifully.

There was nothing lacking. But because she had to handle everything herself, Juliana found herself busier than she had expected.

Preparing meals, making the bed, washing and drying clothes. They were all chores she had never done before. It left her body tired, but it was a relief not to be caught in her thoughts all the time.

Once her daily tasks were finished, she spent her afternoons having tea with the sanctuary’s only other resident, Enoch. He gave off the presence of a wise and gentle sage.

“Shall we talk about time today?”

“Time?”

Juliana’s eyes wavered for a moment. She still did not understand why she had returned to the past.

When she died after living through so much injustice, she believed her return was the heavens giving her a chance to take revenge.

But even as she carried out her revenge, the satisfaction was faint.

What truly comforted her, what gave her warmth, was not revenge. It was the bond she had formed with Braeden.

Deep in thought, Juliana asked quietly,

“Only a god could turn back time, right?”

“Turning back time, is it? So that is what you are curious about.”

Enoch gave a quiet smile as he lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.

Juliana stared at him intently. He set the cup down, leaned back into the sofa, and relaxed as if he were waiting for her to ask more.

“Even if a god is all-knowing and all-powerful, turning time back freely could be dangerous. If it disrupts the balance of the world, it would be a serious problem. That’s why it almost never happens. But there is a reason we cannot say it never happens at all. What if something truly terrible happened? So terrible that not even a god could stop it in time? Wouldn’t they want to go back and prevent it?”

Enoch’s words were difficult to grasp all at once. Juliana furrowed her brows and thought deeply before asking again.

“Something even a god would want to undo? What kind of event would that be?”

“The destruction of the world. A moment when everything he loves is lost.”

“Oh…”

Juliana fell silent at his answer. The end of the world. It did not feel real, but if such a thing had ever happened, then even a god might want to turn back time.

“It’s just a possibility. You don’t need to take it too seriously.”

Enoch gave a small smile and returned to his tea. But Juliana could not shake the heavy feeling in her chest. She fidgeted with the book resting on her lap.

It was the same book she had found in the underground of the Grand Duke’s estate.

She could not bring herself to part with it. The word “Belial,” spoken by the demon in the mirror, was written inside. That alone made her feel like it was important. If she could understand one word, maybe she could decipher more.

With that thought, she opened the book without thinking. Something strange happened.

Unlike before, the letters were now becoming readable.

“How… how is this possible?”

She murmured in shock. Enoch glanced at her and smiled.

“It seems I should leave you alone now. Looks like you need some quiet time for reading.”

Support Even the Devil Regrets it