It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 106

“The pathetic magic of those fools was nothing!”

In a burst of desperation, Cernadis surged with mana, setting fire to his severed arm and wing. The dark crimson flames quickly turned parts of his body to ash.

With eyes blazing red, he glared at Valter and shouted,

“You! What did you bring with you?!”

It was the first time even the members of the Black Heart had seen Cernadis lose his composure like this. His wing and arm had been severed while he was shielding Valter.

Staggering, Valter slowly pushed himself off the ground.

“I…”

Just as he began to speak, Cernadis jerked his head up, staring at the place where the space had cracked earlier.

“They’re tracking us!”

“What?”

Cernadis spread his remaining wing wide and, in an instant, regenerated the parts that had been cut off. Blood and mucus splattered as a new arm and wing violently burst from his body. It was grotesque—and terrifying.

Ordinarily, such regeneration would require a massive amount of energy. But after feeding endlessly in the underground base of the Black Heart, he had more than enough power.

Cernadis had planned to vent his rage on the Black Heart members depending on Valter’s answer, but now he lunged at Valter instead.

Before Valter could react, Cernadis snatched him by the waist, smashed through the underground ceiling, and flew upward. Trapped in his grip, Valter let out a pained groan and curled into himself.

“What are you? Once a space is sealed, no one should be able to follow us!”

The rubble and dust didn’t slow Cernadis down one bit. He shot up in a straight line through the building, rising swiftly into the sky.

Suddenly, Valter was face-to-face with the blinding sunlight. He clenched his teeth hard in pain. As Cernadis cut through the sky with wild wingbeats, he turned sharply to stare at Valter.

“Is it him? Is he the Tower Master?”

If that were true, Cernadis looked ready to drop Valter from this height and flee. But instead, sensing something, he turned his gaze toward the ruins of the Black Heart’s base—the place he’d just torn apart.

“We need to move again!”

In the air around them, dark energy began to swirl. A spatial gate started forming once more. As a new portal opened, Cernadis studied it with caution.

“So he’s tracking us through mana patterns…”

Even if their location was exposed a bit earlier, it was better to prepare something to erase the trace. Near the entrance, Cernadis floated a small bomb made of twisted mana, then fled through the portal with Valter.

As soon as they passed through, the spatial rift snapped shut. The moment the connection was severed, the mana bomb exploded in silence.

As Cernadis tore through the ceiling and escaped, the force of the spatial rift’s opening sent a shockwave sweeping through the underground space like a tidal wave. Philozena quickly cast a protective spell to shield herself, but the wave of dark blue fire that followed tore through her barrier and struck her body directly.

“Ugh! Gah…”

Slammed against the wall, Philozena fell to the floor. And she was lucky—she had been in the back. The other members of the organization fared far worse.

The room was littered with wounded, bloodied bodies.

“What… is this?”

Philozena stared in shock at her arms, now stained black all the way up past her elbows. Below the blackened skin, glowing blue magic runes had begun to shine.

“Ngh…”

A senior member of the organization trembled, barely trying to stand. Philozena turned toward the stairway, hoping to find an escape route.

“That cursed bastard!”

The shock from Cernadis breaking through the ceiling, combined with the aftermath of the magic that swept through the chamber, had completely destroyed the staircase—only traces remained.

Before their eyes, a tiny portal—once no larger than a palm—began to stretch wider, held open by a glowing red light.

“No…”

When she saw the people coming through the widening rift, despair washed over Philozena. There stood Tower Master Achilles, Giel, and several of the Tower’s elite mages. Prince Oscar had remained behind, but a few royal knights had come along to assist Achilles.

Among the fallen, Giel spotted Philozena and clicked his tongue quietly.

“So she didn’t get far after all.”

If she had really been banished from the Tower, she should’ve fled beyond the Empire’s borders. After all, the Empire was where the Tower’s influence was growing strongest.

Surely, even the mages who still had some sympathy for her had warned her of that.

Achilles stepped through the rift and entered the underground chamber.
The Black Heart members, though trying to raise their weapons in defense, were too injured to even stand.

Achilles glanced around the room. Without hesitation, he followed the signs Cernadis had left behind—his reckless flight through the ceiling had left a large gaping hole overhead.

“Should we pursue him?”
Giel asked, watching Achilles for guidance.

Achilles looked up through the hole toward the sky.

“No. I’ll go. You stay here and secure everyone. As long as they’re breathing, that’s enough.”

With that, Achilles vanished into the hole in a flash.

Once he was gone, Giel turned his attention to Philozena, who was hiding behind a pile of rubble near the wall.

“Follow the Tower Master’s orders. If they’re still alive, there’s no need to show mercy to anyone who resists.”

“Yes, sir!”

The mages spread out and began casting sleep magic. Normally, some of the skilled fighters might have resisted, but having been hit by Achilles’s magic, they were already weakened and collapsed easily.

Giel approached Philozena, who was crouched behind a toppled bookshelf, holding her breath.

“…You know I’m not going to let you go, right?”

“C-Can’t you just pretend you didn’t see me? Please… I’ll really disappear this time. I’ll go far away—somewhere the Tower won’t even feel my presence….”
Philozena stepped out from her hiding spot, pleading with desperation in her voice.

Giel’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m not Eliza or Marcus, Philozena.”

Even if she tried casting illusion magic through her pain, it wouldn’t work on Giel. As a master of mental magic, he saw through her tricks immediately.

“When it comes to you, my stance is the same as the Tower Master’s.”

He couldn’t forgive her—not after she dared to take on the form of someone dear to him, even for a second.
With a sharp flash of lightning magic, Giel knocked her unconscious.

Meanwhile, Achilles followed the trail of disrupted mana, tracing Cernadis’s escape. He soon arrived at the site where the magical bomb had exploded.

“…He’s clearly experienced at running.”

Not only had Cernadis used high-level spatial magic to escape, but he’d also left behind a spell to scatter mana traces, making it harder to track him.

Achilles began to suspect this demon might be the one who gave Valter Bianchi the Curse of Xeramatz.

His memories of childhood were incomplete. He still didn’t know which demon had cursed his family.
All he knew was that the curse had struck his parents, passed down to him—and ultimately killed them.

“The Curse of Xeramatz doesn’t vanish just because the caster dies. The demon who created the curse that killed my parents might already be long gone…”

But knowing that a demon capable of using that curse was still alive—and operating in the human world—was something Achilles couldn’t allow.

There were still Black Heart members back in the underground chamber. If he interrogated them, he might find some useful clues.

“I lost Valter Bianchi.”

The thought of having to return and report that to Charlize weighed heavily on his mind.

He believed her when she said Valter was her enemy.
But still… he wasn’t sure how she’d react.

Would she feel anxious?
Afraid?
…Or relieved?

A maid quietly whispered something into the Empress’s ear.
For a brief moment, the Empress looked surprised—but she quickly composed herself.

“What was that?”
Ryuhan watched her curiously.

The tea party was coming to a close. Most of the desserts were gone, and the once lively conversation was gradually dying down.

“Let’s end the gathering here for today,” the Empress announced as she stood.

The noblewomen looked disappointed but bowed with respect.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again soon, in a more pleasant setting. I’ll look forward to that day.”

Then she turned to Charlize.

“Lize, I’d like a word. Please come with me. …Lady Alistair, thank you for your help today.”

The countess, who had helped prepare the tea party, bowed politely.
Since the Empress had already stood, Charlize followed. Her maid and Lulu, the deer spirit, quietly walked behind her.

Ryuhan sighed, disappointed. He had planned to speak with Charlize after the tea party ended—but once again, the opportunity slipped away. Their wedding was fast approaching, yet he still hadn’t had a proper moment with her.

“At this rate, I might have to follow her all the way to the Tower… actually, maybe I should.”

He blinked and stared at her retreating figure.
Following her to the Tower? That wasn’t just some wild idea—it was entirely doable.

After all, this was the same man who once climbed Mount Cheonhwa to challenge the world’s greatest spellcaster, Master Cheonryeo.
Even if she was the Tower Master, that changed nothing.

“Yeah! If I can’t win her over here in the capital, I’ll go to the Tower myself!”

Eyes shining with determination, Ryuhan began to wonder if he could even tag along on their honeymoon.

Meanwhile, Charlize followed the Empress through the palace corridors. When the Empress stopped, she quickly stepped up beside her.

“Your Majesty.”

“Princess. I’ve just received word—Valter Bianchi has escaped from the underground prison.”

“What?!”

Her voice rose in shock. She quickly composed herself.

“Wh-Which one…?”
The Bianchi family had three core members.

“The son. It appears he was a demon contractor. The Tower Master is already in pursuit, but you should stay somewhere safe. It seems he was up to something even while imprisoned.”

At her words, Charlize glanced at Lulu.
The great stag with elegant antlers stepped closer and gently pressed his head to her side.

She stroked his forehead, trying to calm her thoughts.

“I hope Achilles is safe…”

Valter… a demon’s contractor…?

She didn’t want to imagine how far he’d fallen.

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