It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 114

Iaoros, now in the form of a crow, flew swiftly through the dark, narrow tunnel. The demons following behind him passed through the passage in their own transformed states.

“To think we have to move around like this…”

“The Tower Master may be gone, but that doesn’t mean he left his disciples behind. Those he left in the Tower still hold high ranks—don’t let your guard down. Don’t forget why we’re here!”

He shouted back while racing ahead, but none of the demons seemed to care. They weren’t following him out of loyalty. Each had their own reasons for joining.

Most had once been close to the Tower Master—or had fled their homes in fear after witnessing his overwhelming power.

“Cernadis’s name really carried weight. Because he promised to lure out the Tower Master, I was able to gather far more demons than I ever imagined!”

At first, Iaoros had given the Demon King’s Fragment to Susanna simply to show Valter Bianchi what an honor it was to carry the Demon King’s power. But things had spiraled far beyond that simple goal.

Now, he believed he could do more than influence Valter—he might finally take revenge on the Radenvach Empire itself.

That empire was the descendant of one of the sixteen ancient kingdoms that once fought against the Demon King. Most of those kingdoms had been destroyed by demon invasions over the centuries, but three remained—well-rooted in the continent, their bloodlines continuing in royal and noble families.

“I can’t let that go on. This time, I’ll make the Radenvach Empire pay. I’ll awaken the Demon King’s Fragment planted in Susanna—and use Valter as the vessel to bring Him back once and for all!”

Even imagining it made Iaoros’s crow chest swell with pride.

“Hehehe… The princess’s heart is mine! I’ll devour it myself, so stay out of it!”

“I want her eyes. I want to kill her right in front of the Tower Master. Can we record it and show it to him?”

“Do whatever you want. If Cernadis really can kill the Tower Master, great. But if he can’t, you’ll be the ones left to pay. So, think carefully before you go wild.”

At Iaoros’s warning, the demons behind him fell silent. They weren’t afraid to kill the Tower Master’s fiancée—but they hesitated. He found their cowardice pathetic.

“They’re probably thinking that if enough of them rush her at once, at least one of them might make it out alive.”

But the Tower Master wouldn’t let even one of them escape. He had hunted and killed demons with no ties or history—just for being what they were.

“Hmph. If He returns to this world, the Tower Master will be nothing in comparison…”

If Valter, the vessel Iaoros had painstakingly located after hundreds of years, could just be swayed—if he truly accepted the Demon King’s power—then Achilles wouldn’t be a threat anymore.

“There’s the exit!”

Iaoros, shifting back into human form, slammed through the tunnel’s exit and burst into an underground chamber. With chaos raging outside, there were no guards stationed at the entrance.

He led the demons up and out of the basement. From there, they could split into two groups—one heading for the Grand Temple to reclaim the Demon King’s Fragment from Susanna, and the other heading to the Imperial Palace to kill the princess.

“Achilles… I can already picture your face twisted in grief.”

Meanwhile…

Hunting and tracking were Aisha’s strengths. But the demons traveling through the tunnel were moving too fast. If she wasn’t careful, she’d lose all of them.

There seemed to be some kind of magical interference embedded in the tunnel, preventing proper detection. At this moment, Aisha was likely the only one able to sense their movement.

She pushed forward at the lead, gritting her teeth. The demons had already passed beneath the city walls and were ahead of her.

Their destination appeared to be a three-story building—probably a hideout used by smugglers or thieves. The moment the demons emerged, both her mages and the knights assigned by Marquis Nodiers sensed the ominous energy in the air and visibly tensed.

Aisha, too, broke into a cold sweat. There were more enemies than expected—and they were powerful.

“Looks like at least thirteen mid- to high-ranking demons.”

In an instant, the demons burst out of the basement and scattered through different windows of the building. They had sensed pursuit and were trying to split up.

Aisha activated the tracking spell she had prepared—similar to the one she’d once cast on Iaoros.

“We can’t scatter! We’re outnumbered and outmatched. But their destination is obvious!”

Even though the demons could feel they had the upper hand, they weren’t stopping to attack. That only meant one thing—they were short on time.

Iaoros and his group were rushing because they needed to finish everything before the Tower Master who killed Cernadis returned to the capital. But Aisha assumed they were hurrying for a different reason.

“If I think like a demon… their targets are obvious—the Imperial Palace where the princess is, and the Grand Temple where the Demon King’s Fragment is kept!”

Her heart pulled toward the palace, but she knew where she was needed. Giel was still by the princess’s side…

“That pathetic mental-type mage! What can he even do? You should’ve sent me to Her Highness, Tower Master!!!”

Swallowing the urge to cry, Aisha barked orders to her mages and the knights around her.

“We’ll head to the Grand Temple—kill any demon that gets in our way!”

Thankfully, none of the demons they were chasing were at dragon-class. It was said that only a Sword Master could face one of the high-ranking demons, but Aisha and her unit had taken down multiple high-level demons in the past.

Following her lead, they targeted the demons closest to the temple first. Luckily, ever since the first wave of monsters and demons appeared, the area had been evacuated, leaving the roads completely clear.

When the Tower Master left early for the northern wall, Charlize had helped see off her father and Oscar, then gone underground with the Empress to the lower levels of the main palace. It was a precaution in case of the worst—the fall of the capital, though no one truly expected it.

“I thought I had power… but in a moment like this, all I can do is hide.”

Achilles had told her that she possessed magical potential even greater than his—but that only made her feel more frustrated and powerless now.

She knew not everyone was meant to be on the frontlines. Support from the rear was just as crucial, and wars couldn’t be won without it.

Still, knowing that others were bleeding and fighting while she remained hidden made her uncomfortable.

“When this is over and I go to the Tower… I’ll train harder than ever.”

She clutched the pendant Achilles had given her, steeling her resolve. A short distance away, Giel was subtly edging away from her.

He had just received a message from Aisha. The crystal orb tucked in his coat was glowing and pulsing, practically demanding he answer.

After glancing around cautiously, he stepped outside and lifted the orb.

The scenery behind Aisha was moving rapidly—she was clearly running.

“She’s making contact while on the move?”

He was dumbfounded, but activated the orb’s voice magic.

“—Why are you so late?!” Aisha’s voice rang out.

“You’re the one on the move. Weren’t you stationed at the western wall?”

“There was a group using underground tunnels! I’m chasing them now—six of them are headed toward the palace!”

“…So, you’re going to the temple, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Fine.”

“There are four mid-level demons and two high-level ones. At this pace, they’ll reach the palace in forty minutes!”

“I’ll alert the royal guards. The temple should still be protected by the Emperor’s knights and the holy order, but… they don’t have the numbers.”

“I know! Stay alive, Giel!”

“You’re going to get scolded later by the Tower Master for talking like that.”

“I don’t care! This is serious!!”

“Says the woman who works under someone more terrifying than any demon…”

Giel rolled his eyes and shut the orb, ignoring her dramatic tone. The Imperial Guard was currently protecting the princess and the Empress.

“Mental control and illusion spells still work on demons—the trick is using them effectively, since they don’t last long.”

Those spells alone wouldn’t be enough to kill. He’d need to rely on the support of the imperial knights.

From the moment the Emperor’s envoy arrived at the Grand Temple, control of the situation had passed entirely to the High Priest. With the signature of a certain marquis on official documents, they’d been able to expel the marquis’s knights from the underground prison—and the ritual resumed.

The problem was that it was already too late.

The small truths the High Priest had shared with Susanna—meant to help convince her—combined with her own rising dread, had caused her immense anxiety.

She was terrified that the ritual might be real, and that she would be forced to sacrifice her arm. On top of that, she was on the verge of a complete breakdown—pushed to the edge by the fear that the Demon King’s Fragment inside her would devour her.

“Even though His Majesty rushed things by sending the envoy…”

The demonic energy had already reached Susanna’s heart. It hadn’t fully taken it over yet, but the situation was dire.

“Again… we’ll begin again!”

The priests and priestesses were already worn to the bone, but the High Priest had no choice. The ritual had already failed four times, and each failure allowed the demonic corruption to advance further through Susanna’s body.

“And now… the capital is under attack.”

Support