Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 98

Despite Plaurus’s pleading, Juliana’s destination was the Grand Duke’s estate, and nothing would change that. So, they immediately set out for Torsham.

It would take at least two days by carriage. But before long, two familiar figures appeared in front of her. It was Lochlan and Albert.

“Your Highness.”

“Do you have any idea how long we searched for you?”

Their faces looked tired and worn, and Juliana felt a wave of guilt.

“Are you both demons as well?”

At her question, Lochlan and Albert knelt on one knee before her.

“We are demons who have served Archdemon Belial as our lord for a long time. We never meant to deceive you, but we understand how demons appear in the eyes of humans. That is why we did not tell you sooner. We ask for your understanding.”

“Our lord had not revealed his identity. How could we speak about our own first?”

Juliana had no intention of blaming them. She let out a soft sigh and gestured with her hand.

“I am not scolding you. Please, get up.”

Still, they did not move. They bowed their heads even lower and spoke together in a quiet but urgent voice.

“Please help our lord.”

“You are the only one who can save him.”

Their words struck Juliana with a sharp sense of dread.

“Is His Grace in a very bad state?”

“It has been five months since he shut himself away on Mount Kankantier.”

“What? Five months?”

Juliana blinked in confusion. She could not believe that much time had passed.

But she had been told by Enoch that time in the sanctuary flowed differently from the outside world, so she quickly composed herself and asked calmly,

“How long has it been since I left?”

“It has been five months and twenty days.”

Juliana let out a quiet breath. She still found it hard to believe so much time had passed.

She had thought leaving him behind would be enough. That if she disappeared, he would give up on dying and choose to live.

But now his powers were spiraling out of control. The end of the world was drawing near.

In her previous life, the world had been destroyed because of his rampage. Back then, had he found comfort in knowing he could die that way?

Juliana shook off the heavy thoughts and looked directly at Lochlan and Albert.

“Take me to Kankantier.”

“Thank you. But even if we reach the mountain, we will not be able to get close to him ourselves.”

Albert spoke with a troubled expression. Juliana’s face grew tense, but she did not back down.

“That does not matter. First, we return to the estate. I need to prepare before we go.”

“Yes, Your Highness. We will escort you back right away.”

Lochlan exchanged a glance with Albert. Then, using their demonic powers, they shifted through space.

In the blink of an eye, Juliana and Atlante vanished.

Left behind by himself, Plaurus stomped the ground and shouted in frustration.

“You lousy demons! Why am I the only one being treated like this? Do I look like a joke to you?”

Unlike Lochlan and Albert, Plaurus lacked the power to travel far in a single step. He would need several jumps just to reach the estate.

The air shimmered for a moment like a heatwave before people suddenly appeared.

Startled by their sudden arrival, the servants nearby screamed in shock.

“Aah! Someone just appeared out of nowhere!”

“We have intruders!”

“No, Her Highness the Viscount has arrived!”

The room immediately turned chaotic. Because they had teleported directly into the main reception hall of the East Wing, their sudden appearance had been fully exposed to the servants who were cleaning.

“The Chief Aide and the Steward appeared with her too. What in the world is going on?”

Lochlan and Albert frowned, clearly troubled by the situation. Just then, Anita appeared, having heard the commotion.

“What you all just saw must never be spoken of. That includes the fact that you saw Her Highness. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Head Maid.”

The maids, who were usually intimidated by Anita, silently lowered their heads and backed away without protest.

“Will it be alright to leave things like this?” Albert asked.

Anita responded with a sharp, cold tone.
“No. We’ll need to erase their memories later.”

“What a hassle,” Lochlan muttered, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

Juliana let out a quiet breath. She realized that they must have tampered with human memories before.

“Your Highness, you have returned,” Anita said, stepping forward and bowing to Juliana.

There was usually no emotion on Anita’s face, but this time, Juliana thought she could see something deeper in her expression. She gave a faint, bittersweet smile and answered softly.

“Yes. I’ve finally come back.”

“Our lord is in a very unstable condition,” Anita said gravely.

“I will go to Mount Kankantier. Please prepare for departure.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I will make the arrangements right away.”

As Anita was about to leave, Juliana stopped her.

“Oh, and bring me the ornaments with red gemstones. The ones the Grand Duke once gave me.”

Anita hesitated for a moment, unsure of Juliana’s intent, but then bowed and answered respectfully.

“Yes, I understand.”

A short while later, Juliana reappeared dressed in clothing suitable for enduring the freezing conditions of the snowy mountains. She stood before Belial’s retainers, fully prepared.

To enter the cradle of an archdemon without permission, one needed power equal to an archdemon’s. Since Lochlan, Albert, and Anita were not archdemons themselves, they would have to combine their strength in order to travel to Mount Kankantier.

“I visited Mount Kankantier a few days ago,” Albert said. “Our lord’s condition was far from good.”

“I understand. That means we need to move quickly. Let’s go,” Juliana replied.

As she nodded, the space around them began to shift.

A powerful wind roared as a blizzard swept them up in an instant.

The last time Juliana had climbed the snowy mountain with Braeden, the world had been quiet and still. She could feel the crisp snow beneath her feet with every step. But now the wind was so fierce that she could barely keep her eyes open. The storm was so intense that she could hardly see a thing.

Juliana pressed forward, planting her feet firmly in the snow. The sound of her clothes flapping in the wind rang loudly in her ears.

“Eden!”

She cried out to a figure she could barely make out in the distance.

But her voice was lost in the howling wind. It vanished before it could reach him.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” Lochlan shouted from behind. The blizzard was so severe that they had to yell to hear each other.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” Juliana answered. She motioned for him to stay back.

If Braeden had truly lost his mind, there was a risk he wouldn’t recognize even an ally and might attack on instinct. It was simply too dangerous to approach him carelessly.

At that moment, the only person who could approach him was Juliana, a human and a Floreseco gifted with divine power.

She didn’t want anyone else to be harmed needlessly. When Lochlan tried to step forward again, she raised her hand once more to stop him.

Lochlan understood and stayed where he was. Albert and Anita also remained nearby, unable to leave but not daring to move forward either.

Juliana didn’t look back at them. Instead, she tightened her coat around her and carefully wrapped her scarf to cover her nose and mouth. With her body hunched against the cold, she pushed herself forward, one step at a time, forcing her way through the howling wind.

She was blown back again and again, but each time she regained her footing and pressed on. After what felt like countless attempts, she finally reached the point where she could see Braeden clearly with her own eyes.

“Eden!”

She cried out his name as loudly as she could. But her desperate voice was swallowed by the wind, and instead of reaching him, it triggered a loud rumble as snow came crashing down from a nearby ice wall.

It’s alright. Just a little more.

Juliana kept moving forward, refusing to give up.

The closer she got to him, the worse the snowstorm became. Fierce gusts of wind whipped around her, so sharp and violent they felt like blades passing by.

Without the divine power protecting her, her human body would have been torn apart by now. The storm was that unforgiving.

Finally, after enduring the storm’s fury, Juliana got close enough to touch him. Just one more step and she could reach him.

Braeden was sitting in an ornate chair, leaning to the side against the armrest.

For a brief moment, a wave of emotion surged through her. She felt as if she might cry from relief. But the moment she looked at his face, her joy turned to horror.

The red eyes she had loved so much, once shining like jewels, were no longer bright. The light had not just faded, it had disappeared completely. His eyes were now covered in deep, endless black, like they had been consumed by darkness.

One star falls from the sky and swallows the world. Smoke rises from the mountaintop and covers the earth. Red water flows from the cracks in the broken land and harms all who remain. This is the end of the world.

The end of the world.

Juliana remembered the passage she had once read in a book. As soon as she looked into Braeden’s eyes, her instincts told her the prophecy was coming true. The end was near.

“Eden, please wake up. Eden!”

She grabbed his shoulders, her voice full of urgency.

At that moment, the ground began to shake. A deep tremor ran through the earth, and cracks started to form beneath her feet.

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