It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 104

“…Something’s not right.”

Philozena was following Valter’s orders. She had already sent the commander of the Crow Knights to a city near the capital and was now meeting with the leaders of Black Heart to check on the current situation.

Once the imperial princess’s wedding was over, the Crow would secretly move into the capital. On the other hand, Black Heart planned to track the princess after the ceremony.

The goal was to abduct her while the Tower Master was away. They were reviewing the plan, but something felt off.

“What do you mean?”

“You know I’m controlling several people with mental magic, right? Since I’m connected to them, I should be getting bits of their thoughts now and then. But it’s been completely silent for a while.”

Such a sudden cut-off could only mean one thing—something had broken her control. Alarmed, Philozena immediately searched for one of the mages.

She tried to contact those assigned to watch the Tower Master in the capital. After pressing the communication mage, she finally got through.

The contact was currently disguised as a servant inside the royal palace.

“What’s the Tower Master doing right now?”

…After meeting with the Crown Prince, he went down with him into the underground levels of the Third Administrative Palace.

“Alone?”

…There were several mages with him.

Philozena’s face turned pale. She shouted at the crystal ball in frustration.

“Why are you only telling me this now?! The lower levels of the Third Palace—that’s where our master is imprisoned!”

She was on the verge of ordering the Tower Master’s death.

She quickly thought about the forces of the Crow gathered near the capital and the Black Heart agents hiding inside the palace.

What should I do?! With the Tower Master in the capital, even if we use every soldier we have, we can’t win! And we won’t make it in time!

“Is it really that urgent? He’s not going down there to kill him, right? Our master’s royalty—there would be a trial—”

“The Tower Master has someone who can read minds! If that person gets into his head, it’s all over—for Black Heart, for the Crow, for all of us! We’ll all die!”

Philozena’s voice, full of panic, finally made the others realize how serious the situation was. Their master wouldn’t break easily under torture. But magical mind-reading didn’t care how strong someone’s will was.

It was like a needle piercing soft skin—no matter how hard you tried to resist, it still went in.

He’s not the kind of person who would die quietly for the sake of the organization.

Worse, every high-ranking member of the Crow and Black Heart had a spell that linked their life to Valter’s. If any of them died, Valter wouldn’t be harmed. But if Valter died, their hearts would burst, and they would die instantly.

“Don’t we have any mages who can come up with a way out of this?!”

“Even if we send the assassin unit into the palace now, it’s too late!”

“…For all we know, the Tower Master could already be reading his mind! Think of something useful!”

As Philozena yelled in frustration, someone spoke up.

“What about giving Cernadis an order?”

Cernadis was a high-ranking demon kept hidden beneath this base. Despite being a powerful demon, he behaved strangely—obedient, cooperative, and oddly helpful toward humans.

“Right… Cernadis…”

“Who’s Cernadis?”

Many of them didn’t know the name, as only the top-level members of the organization were aware of him. At the mention of the demon, Philozena frowned.

I really don’t like dealing with demons…

But she didn’t have a choice. When she first joined Black Heart, she hadn’t known about their connection to demons. By the time she found out, it was too late. And her position didn’t give her the power to get rid of Cernadis.

Demons don’t help humans out of kindness.

That was the most important lesson she had learned during her short time with the Mage Tower. No matter how sweet a demon’s offer sounded, it was always bait. And in the end, it always led to ruin.

He didn’t make a contract with a demon, so maybe there’s still hope…

“Philozena, are you going down there too?”

She hesitated and frowned—a facial expression she hated because it caused wrinkles.

If I meet that demon, I might fall under his influence. But if I don’t go, he might target me instead…

“I’ll go.”

She didn’t want to, but right now, she had no choice. Just imagining it made her feel sick, but she couldn’t let the entire organization be destroyed.

They headed down the underground staircase, bringing a “sacrifice” for Cernadis.

Sitting in the center of the magic circle that kept him imprisoned, Cernadis greeted them with a bright smile.

“So you finally need my help? I’m happy to hear it. Who is it this time?”

The man at the front shoved the “offering” forward. The bound man fell to the ground in front of Cernadis. His mouth was gagged, and his wrists were tied behind his back. He was a gambler drowning in debt.

Cernadis reached out with his chained hand, placing it on the man’s shoulder.

“Well then, will you offer your soul to me?”

The gambler turned his frightened eyes toward the Black Heart agents standing behind him. He had already sold his wife and children to pay off his massive debts.

Refusing now meant a horrific death. He had to choose: be tortured to death or give up his soul to a demon.

“Don’t be so scared,” Cernadis said with a grin. “I actually like humans. I’ll even help you a bit. You won’t die right away. Don’t you want to enjoy yourself first?”

Cernadis gently turned the gambler’s face toward him. Without so much as a touch, the gag in the man’s mouth slipped off on its own.

“S-Still… my soul…”

“You’re young,” Cernadis said with a lazy roll of his eyes.

Even the most foolish person knew how valuable a soul was. But when faced with immediate suffering…

“C-Can you give me money? If you make me rich, I’ll do it…”

“Of course. You’ve heard that my friends are very wealthy, haven’t you?”

The “friends” Cernadis referred to—members of the organization—frowned. But the gambler didn’t even look at them. His frightened eyes were fixed on Cernadis, who, with his boyish appearance, seemed almost innocent in the candlelight.

Maybe… this is my last chance.

“I—I’ll do it.”

“Good.”

With a bright smile, Cernadis untied the man’s wrists. The Black Heart members silently watched the demon as he sealed the contract.

Once the deal was done, the gambler was dragged back out of the underground chamber.

Cernadis laughed quietly to himself.

This organization had once again corrupted a perfectly ordinary man—using debt, addiction, or worse—just to offer him as feed.

Humans acting like demons… how wonderfully disgusting.

Guess I’ll have to try harder if I don’t want to be outdone.

“We’ll let him enjoy himself for a week,” one of the Black Heart members muttered, “then kill him and offer his body to you.”

“Fine. Now then,” Cernadis said smoothly, “what do you need me to do?”

He smiled darkly, already imagining the gambler’s pitiful fate. Then one of the men spoke up.

“We need you to save our leader. You can do that, can’t you?”

“Hmm?”

At that exact moment, Giel’s spell clashed with the demonic energy Cernadis had hidden deep within Valter’s mind. Cernadis had embedded it there for one reason: Achilles.

That man even makes me uncomfortable.

Normally, if a demon was killed in the human world, it simply returned to the demon realm. It wasn’t true death. But there were exceptions—like the Pope, certain high priests, and Achilles, the Tower Master. They could actually kill a demon.

Especially Achilles, who, from the moment he took the Tower Master’s seat, seemed almost possessed—hunting demons relentlessly. He was feared even among their kind.

If he learns about me… I’ll be hunted too.

The simplest option was to kill Valter before he was exposed. But that would waste all the time and effort Cernadis had invested. Contrary to what he had told Iaolos, Cernadis had been targeting Valter’s soul for quite a while now.

Valter Bianchi’s soul was a rare one—far more noble than any other he’d seen. If Cernadis could claim it, it would elevate his status among demons.

And he still has more corruption left in him. Delicious.

“Why aren’t you answering?” one of the Black Heart leaders asked nervously. Cernadis smiled sweetly.

“You know how this works. I’ll need more… feed. Three… no, five total. Bring me four more.”

The whites of his eyes began to turn black.

“Only then will I help you.”

“Tch…”

Four more would mean all the remaining “feed” they had in storage. Yet Cernadis spoke as if he’d seen their inventory himself.

This isn’t a negotiation.

“Bring them! Now!”

The Black Heart leader shouted, sending members scrambling up the stairs. Cernadis leaned back and waited patiently.

He focused on the seal he had secretly placed on Valter and traced it. It revealed the general location…

The royal palace? Well, that is dangerous.

All he knew was that some kind of magic had clashed with his own energy. He didn’t realize the Tower Master was nearby. The only reason he’d put up a protective barrier around Valter’s mind was to hide his own presence.

Even if it’s just a provisional contract…

Saving a single human isn’t that hard.

With that thought, Cernadis sent a surge of his energy and one of his most cherished familiars toward Valter.

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