It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 107

As the High Priest continued speaking, the color drained from Marquis Leroy’s face.
It was hard to accept that the magical artifact his daughter had used came from a demon—and even harder to believe it contained a fragment of the Demon King, powerful enough to trigger his resurrection.

“There must be some mistake! How could she have gotten her hands on something like that?”

Most of Susanna’s belongings were things bought from reputable shops. She was always accompanied by her maid, so she had little chance to spend money in strange places.

The rest were gifts Marquis Leroy had personally chosen for her—so he believed there was no room for error.

“A demon likely approached the young lady and deceived her. Without divine or magical sensitivity, the artifact would’ve appeared perfectly ordinary to her. It’s hard to identify without special training.”

But that wasn’t the main issue. The immediate concern was removing the fragment of the Demon King from Susanna’s body.
Even now, while they spoke, the fragment could be slowly consuming her soul.

Yet Marquis Leroy hesitated at the mention of amputating her arm.

“Is… cutting off her arm the only option? Isn’t there a way to remove it by channeling holy power, or something less extreme?”

“If there were another way, we’d have used it already.”

“No matter the cost, I’m willing to pay. You know as well as anyone—my family is among the wealthiest in the capital. But to cut off her arm… she’s still so young. It’s too cruel.”

The High Priest paused. He had assumed Susanna Leroy was a young noblewoman, but she was already 26.
He realized he might have overlooked something in his explanation.

“Her arm isn’t the issue here! If we remove the fragment and begin purification, her arm can be regenerated. But if we miss this window, we might lose her entirely! I told you this already!”

But Marquis Leroy didn’t take his words at face value.
Just as doctors often scared patients with worst-case scenarios, clerics were known to do the same. He mistakenly assumed the High Priest was only here because there was still time to spare.

Even if her arm could be healed, rumors would spread that it was once severed. Nobles are sensitive—many would find that unsettling.

The Marquis concluded that if the ritual had to be done, it certainly couldn’t be done in the capital.
Susanna was already just past the prime age for marriage, and this would damage her prospects further.

He had been frustrated enough already—only receiving proposals from lesser noble families ever since rumors had started about Susanna’s interest in Valter Bianchi.

If word spread that she’d been possessed by a demonic artifact—and worse, had her arm amputated because of it—he believed her future would be over.

“I appreciate your concern, High Priest, but I’ll consult another temple. If the situation truly becomes urgent, we can perform the ritual then.”

“What are you saying?! If the ritual isn’t done immediately, her life is at risk!”

“Please also consider her future! Being lured by a demon’s artifact is already a scandal. If word gets out that her arm was cut off on top of that… It’s not just that. She’s a fragile girl. She wouldn’t be able to handle it emotionally!”

The High Priest was nearly stunned.
How could the man be speaking so casually when his daughter’s life and soul were on the line?

“I was foolish to wait. I should have begun the ritual, even if it meant shedding a little blood.”

“Then, I’ll consider that your answer, and take my daughter home.”

Marquis Leroy spoke as if nothing serious had happened.
The High Priest snapped out of his daze and reacted quickly.

“Marquis!”

“High Priest, must I really call the city guard to retrieve my own daughter? Do you want rumors spreading that the Church harmed a noble lady in the capital?”

“That’s not what this is about! If you walk away now, the Demon King might return through her!”

“The Demon King? Are you seriously bringing up ancient history?”

It had been centuries since the Demon King last appeared.
Modern nobles tended to view talk of his return as superstition, or as an excuse for the Church to expand its power. Even though they were vigilant about demons, many dismissed the Demon King as a relic of old myths.

From the Marquis’s scoffing attitude, the High Priest knew things had taken a turn for the worse.

“This matter was approved by the Imperial Family! Even if you call the guards, I cannot let her go!”

The involvement of the Imperial Family was supposed to remain secret—but at this point, the High Priest had no choice.
If he let Susanna go now, there would be no getting her back. And even if she remained, a violent conflict could break out.

When Marquis Leroy heard the word Imperial, his eyes widened with surprise—then darkened.

“You dare bring up the Imperial Family…? Can you back up that claim?”

“Absolutely. And you, Marquis, must understand just how grave this situation truly is!”

The High Priest stood his ground firmly, but the Marquis looked shaken.
Still, following the Church’s orders would bring too much shame and political damage to his daughter and his house.

Marquis Leroy gave him a cold glare, then turned to leave.
The High Priest quickly followed.

They had been speaking in a guardroom located just one floor above the underground prison where Susanna was being held.

Marquis Leroy walked briskly ahead, his steps firm.
Behind him, the High Priest bit his lip in frustration.
He already knew—he would regret trying to reason with that man.

“I apologize, Your Highness. We lost Valter Bianchi… and the demon as well.”
Achilles had returned through the spatial rift with his men and bowed his head.

Crown Prince Oscar, seeing that all the knights he had dispatched with Achilles had returned safely, let out a breath of relief. They had, after all, been sent to track a demon.

“It’s fine. The fact that you all made it back safely is more than enough.”

The Tower mages made it back too, Oscar noted, glancing past them.

His gaze then fell on the unconscious bodies being dragged from the spatial gate.

“And who are they?”

“They appear to be members of the Black Heart.”

Even if they had failed to capture Valter Bianchi, seizing other members of the organization was still a major victory.
The information provided by Eliza had been limited, after all.

Most of the ones who had attempted to kidnap the princess had belonged to the group called The Crows, and thus knew little about Black Heart itself.

“Well done. It’s unfortunate that Bianchi escaped, but if he’s contracted with a demon, it couldn’t be helped.”

“No need to worry. It’ll take time, but we have a way to track him.”

“Oh? You do?”

Valter had been captured once before. They hadn’t disposed of the item used to track him, so it was possible to trace him again using the same magic.

And that demon… we’ll find it too.

The last of the mages emerged through the spatial rift, carrying a transparent case. Inside it was a piece of charred flesh—burned and barely recognizable.

“What’s that?”

“A piece of the demon that escaped. It noticed the curse I placed and cut off the affected area. It’s badly burned, but I thought it might still help us track it.”

As the last mage passed through, Achilles deactivated the spell keeping the rift open.
The magic holding it together dissolved, and the gap in space closed instantly.

Is it really possible… to catch a demon?

Back in the underground prison, the space where Valter had been was already cleaned up.
Where once demonic plant life had grown rampant like an extension of the demon realm, everything had been burned away by magic—only a few preserved samples remained.

Achilles looked over the wreckage with regret.

If there hadn’t been another lower-level underground, I could’ve used magma magic to take Valter Bianchi out along with everything else. What a waste.

The Emperor had asked him not to kill Valter if possible, but given the situation, even Charlize would have understood.
Valter was a demon’s contractor now.

…At least I won’t be late for the tea party.

Achilles turned and climbed the stairs alongside Oscar.

“Ha! You expect me to fight just because the Tower Master’s in the capital?”

A demon scoffed at Ialos, looking at him as if he were insane.
Without waiting to hear another word, the demon spread its wings and flew off.

Other demons Ialos had barely managed to contact reacted the same way.

“Look, I want him to return too. But if the Tower Master gets a hold of us, we’re finished. You might not care, but I’m not ready to be erased! I’d rather return to the Demon Realm than be obliterated!”

“…There must be demons stronger than me. Go find one of them.”

—“Gahahahaha! Ialos! You just want me dead, don’t you? Admit it! Right? Right?!”

The demon on the other side of the crystal orb glared at him with killing intent, hurling curses.
Exhausted, Ialos shut the orb with a sigh.

“Idiots. Have they all lost their loyalty to him?”

But in truth, loyalty among demons was never rooted in respect—it was rooted in fear and submission to power.
So their refusal to help wasn’t unexpected.

Support