Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 96

At the peak of Mount Kankantier, Cheryl stepped out of a swirling portal that had opened in midair. She gathered her dress as she emerged.

A harsh snowstorm howled across the cliff, and in the middle of the frozen landscape sat an expensive chair that clearly did not belong.

Braeden was slouched in it, leaning back with an air of complete exhaustion.

Cheryl muttered under her breath.

“Unbelievable.”

She let out a long sigh and walked toward him.

“What is the great Archdemon Belial doing, sulking like this?”

Braeden did not answer. His eyes moved slightly, so she knew he had seen her, but he said nothing.

Was he ignoring her, or was he too drained to speak? Cheryl swallowed her irritation and spoke again, her tone more gentle.

“Sitting here like a dead man won’t solve anything. You know that, don’t you?”

“How did you find me?”

“That’s what you’re asking? Is that really the issue right now?”

Her voice rose, but she quickly regained her composure and forced a small smile. Pushing him now would not help.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice when your people are scouring the Empire from top to bottom?”

She figured he would not speak unless she gave him some kind of answer. So she explained briefly how she had found him.

Then, tilting her head slightly, she looked at him and asked quietly,

“Weren’t you two getting along just fine? Why did the Grand Duchess suddenly leave?”

Braeden’s eyes grew sharp.

Alright, I get it. I asked without expecting an answer anyway. You’re as stubborn as ever.

Cheryl mumbled to herself, cleared her throat, and spoke again.

“I’ll help you look for Juliana. Just tell me what you’ve found so far. You must have uncovered something.”

“Something? If I had, do you think I would be here like this?”

Braeden let out a bitter, twisted smile.

“What? Belial himself hasn’t found a single clue?”

How was that possible? Cheryl narrowed her eyes. She had long suspected that Juliana was not just an ordinary woman, but for her to vanish without a trace, even under the nose of an archdemon?

“She is Floreseco.”

Floreseco. The sacred saint who vanished from the Empire. Cheryl blinked several times, trying to understand what she had just heard.

“You’re kidding. She’s really Floreseco?”

She raised her voice, unable to hide her surprise. Braeden frowned.

In the past, he never would have told Cheryl about Juliana’s identity. But now, he was desperate. Desperate enough to reach for anything that might help.

At first, he had been furious that she ran away from him. Then, he stopped caring about explanations and just wanted her back.

Now, he was haunted by the thought that something might have happened to her. That she might be in danger.

Cheryl saw the cold, hollow look in his eyes and went quiet. Then she asked carefully,

“That means she’s probably in a sanctuary, right?”

Braeden gave no reply.

Even so, Cheryl kept going, speaking her thoughts aloud. Sanctuaries were forbidden zones where demons could not enter or sense anything. They were mysterious places, hidden from the outside world.

And time inside a sanctuary flowed differently. Even if Juliana had stayed there for a full month, that did not mean a month had passed in the real world.

That meant Braeden had no idea where Juliana was and might have to wait a year, or even several decades, without any certainty.

“Well, this is completely messed up.”

Cheryl finally realized the situation and muttered a curse under her breath. Then she narrowed her eyes. Something about Braeden seemed off.

“What’s wrong with your energy?”

A demon could sense another demon’s energy, especially between archdemons. And now that she was paying attention, she realized something was very wrong.

His powerful energy was twisted and unstable, churning like an active volcano ready to erupt.

You noticed quickly. Braeden let out a hollow breath, and at the same moment, the ground began to rumble.

“What was that?”

Cheryl turned quickly toward the sound. Cracks were forming at the top of snow-covered Mount Kankantier, and snow began tumbling down the cliff.

What started as small, crumbling piles quickly grew into massive, thundering waves of snow. It was a full-scale avalanche.

The mountain Braeden had taken as his haven was now reflecting his unstable power, breaking apart under the pressure.

“If this mountain collapses, the human world will be destroyed!”

Cheryl shouted, her voice sharp with panic. Her scream seemed to make the avalanche grow even more violent.

Braeden remained motionless, as if he had given up. He didn’t look like he had the strength or will to control his powers anymore.

“No way. I’m not letting the human world be ruined.”

What about my treasures? What about my jewel collection, my priceless art, my gowns?

Furious, Cheryl summoned her power and extended it across the slope to stop the avalanche.

It had been a long time since she used such force. Sweat gathered across her forehead.

The avalanche came to a grinding halt, leaving a cloud of snow rising like mist into the air.

Breathing hard, Cheryl shouted into the wind.

“Juliana, you awful girl, where are you? Come back right now!”

Juliana… Juliana…

The name echoed through her dreams. Juliana slowly woke from sleep.

She had stayed up reading all night, fascinated by the fact that she could now understand the ancient language. That was why she had overslept.

You’re finally awake?

Atlante circled around the bed and let out a sigh.

“I must have stayed up too late reading yesterday.”

Juliana stretched her arms with a long yawn. She pulled back the curtain, and the sight outside the window looked nothing like the real world.

It was a garden so beautiful it felt like heaven.

Still holding the curtain in her hand, she stared out the window in a daze.

The scenery reminded her of the northern skies—high, clear, and endlessly blue.

She remembered the rough, majestic castle, the forest and lake that surrounded it like a painting, and the snow-covered mountains that loomed all year round.

She could almost feel the wind brushing against her face and smell the fresh, clean scent of the woods as she rode Braeden’s horse, Raphael, on walks around the estate.

It hurt to remember.

But with time, it would pass. Those memories would fade. She would stop thinking about the north so often.

Even so, the way Braeden looked at her, the rare times he smiled, drifted through her mind like a shadow she could not escape.

She closed her eyes tightly, as if trying to block out the image. Then she opened them again and smiled at Atlante.

“I thought you said I could appear in my true form here, as the Tear of the Divine? Why do you still look like a crow?”

The little black bird waddling around the white sanctuary looked terribly out of place.

Well, I feel more comfortable like this. Just ignore it. Did you finish the book?

More comfortable like that?

Juliana paused for a moment but quickly collected herself.

“I did read it, but something is bothering me.”

What is it?

When she opened the book, Atlante flew up onto the table and peered over the page she had turned to.

“This part right here.”

Juliana pointed to a specific passage.

One star that falls from the sky will consume the world. The smoke he raises from the mountain peak will cover the earth, and crimson water will pour from the cracked ground, harming those who remain. This is the end of the world.

The book had begun with myth-like descriptions of how the world was formed and how good and evil came into being.

But later, it shifted to something more like prophecy. The section Juliana pointed to came from that second half.

It read like a terrifying prediction of a future catastrophe.

“I don’t know if I’m just imagining things, but why does this feel like it has something to do with Belial?”

I was thinking the same thing. I hope it is just a feeling, but it sounds too close to be a coincidence.

A heavy silence settled between them as they both read the words again, each quietly trying to make sense of what they had just seen.

It had been three months since Juliana disappeared.

Inside the Grand Duke’s meeting hall, where Belial’s closest aides had gathered, sighs filled the air.

“Our lord is not doing well. It seems like he has no intention of leaving Mount Kankantier anymore. All we can do is watch.”

Albert spoke with a deep sadness in his voice. Anita nodded slowly, agreeing with him.

“I have never felt this powerless as a demon.”

They had already done everything they possibly could.

Still, there was no way to stop Braeden’s unstable condition, and they had not made any progress in finding the Grand Duchess.

In all their long lives, had they ever faced a time so draining and hopeless? Another sigh escaped someone’s lips and filled the room again.

After a long silence, Lochlan finally spoke.

“When humans are faced with something they cannot fix, they pray.”

When something is beyond their control, humans turn to a higher power. They look for comfort in something greater than themselves. But could demons do that too? Were they even allowed to?

The three of them sat in silence, their eyes filled with quiet doubt and uneasy thoughts.

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