It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 115

Before leading the army north, the Emperor had dispatched one division of the Imperial Knights to guard the Grand Temple. While the temple was already protected by combatants from its own holy order, additional security was necessary because the demons’ true target was the Demon King’s Fragment housed inside the temple.

The High Priest felt deep responsibility for the capital being under attack. No matter what happened, he could not allow the Demon King’s Fragment to fall into enemy hands—not before the arrival of the Holy Pontiff.

“I’ll pour all the divine power we have left into this!”

He instructed everyone involved in the ritual—except for one priestess, who would temporarily seal the fragment—to devote all their remaining divine power to the rite.

Hans, the paladin who had already severed Susanna’s arm multiple times, stepped forward once again. Susanna had already lost consciousness from the repeated rituals.

Though being unconscious meant the demonic corruption would spread faster, they had no way to wake her safely.

“Haah!”

With a sharp cry, her arm was severed again—and a surge of dark energy burst from the wound. As the paladin restraining her held on with all his strength to keep her from being pulled away, the High Priest and the other clerics unleashed holy magic, trapping the Demon King’s Fragment still clinging to her arm.

“Ugh… everyone, hold on!”

Dark energy stretched like cords between Susanna’s body and her severed arm as the fragment writhed violently, trying to return to its host—even while trapped in holy light.

Hans and the other paladins fought off the flailing tendrils of demonic energy, protecting the priests with their swords. After nearly ten minutes of desperate effort, the spell was complete.

“It worked!”

Within the sacred circle, the fragment raged in madness. Susanna’s severed arm, still bound to the fragment, withered like a mummy’s limb—drained of all life.

“Help over here!”

Demonic energy was now spreading throughout Susanna’s body, dyeing her skin in a faint, poisonous violet hue.

“You! Focus on sealing the fragment!”

Following the High Priest’s command, the chosen priestess took the sacred relic and approached the glowing circle. While she moved in, the High Priest and two other priestesses rushed to Susanna’s side. The circle was being maintained by the remaining priests and acolytes.

Susanna’s body, writhing under the influence of the demonic power, was held down by paladins using brute strength. The High Priest drew out the last of his divine power, carving sacred runes into her body once more.

BOOM!

The floor above trembled, dust and stone crumbling from the ceiling. Sounds of battle echoed faintly.

“Have the demons already reached this far?!”

The thought of the Emperor and the people flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t afford to be distracted. If the Demon King’s Fragment was released into the world, it would take only moments to destroy entire cities—and worse.

He glanced toward the priestess in charge of sealing. She had entered the sacred circle, holding the relic in her hands, now reaching toward the cursed bracelet.

The relic she carried was a holy necklace blessed directly by the Pontiff, containing the power of the goddess Ista. As long as she held it, the fragment could not possess her.

She had not yet been formally ordained as a High Priestess due to her young age, but her divine power was nearly on par with the High Priest himself.

The fragment, having fully consumed Susanna’s arm, now floated mid-air like an innocent magical artifact. When her fingertips touched the bracelet, the opposing forces clashed—sparks flew—but she didn’t flinch.

Covered head to toe in sacred flames, she began the sealing chant. Seeing this, the High Priest stepped away from Susanna.

“She is now tainted by demonic energy. Bind her so she cannot approach the fragment again.”

Later, he would consult with Marquis Leroy’s household—she would need to be taken either to the church’s main sanctuary for healing or placed under long-term care.

The High Priest surveyed the remaining paladins. They were exhausted, but still capable of fighting.

“…Protect the priestess and the others until the seal is complete. I’m counting on you.”

“Understood, High Priest.”

Hans took the lead, regrouping the knights. Their duty remained the same, but the enemies they would face next… were not the same as before.

“Until the seal is complete—no matter what happens, we must protect this place!”

Meanwhile…

“The streets are empty. How dull is this?”

One of the demons, a long-haired woman running ahead, grumbled. They had initially split up to shake off pursuit and regroup later at their destination—but once one of them was tracked, their plans changed.

“The Tower Master is scary—not his disciples.”

These demons had loitered around the capital even knowing the Emperor frequently summoned the Tower Master there. When Achilles’s first disciple had started interfering, they’d only fled to nearby cities because they feared the Tower Master—not the disciple.

“Heh… who would’ve thought so many demons would gather like this?”

Even He had been shattered into eight fragments and sealed away. Centuries had passed since, and the demons had long lost their strength, scattered across the continent. Most high-ranking demons who once rampaged in the name of vengeance against the sixteen kingdoms had disappeared without a trace. Fewer than ten were believed to remain.

“Lord Cernadis!”

The Cernadis mentioned by Iaoros was one of only two demons known to have successfully stolen a fragment of Him and refined it into a magical artifact for His resurrection.

He had even killed a human hero in the process—if there was anyone who could stand against the Tower Master, it would be him.

Though Iaoros and the others seemed convinced that Cernadis would die, this demon believed otherwise.

“If Lord Cernadis defeats the Tower Master… this time, the demons will rise again!”

“If you’re bored, just drag someone out from one of the houses nearby,”
said a large demon running beside him. “Everyone’s probably in hiding.”

But the other demon slowed down slightly and turned with a grin.

“No need for that. Heh… a bunch of humans just showed up.”

As he stopped running, the larger demon followed his gaze.

Standing in their path were only Aisha and four knights. Meanwhile, the five mages she brought with her had already dispersed onto the rooftops of nearby buildings, moving like they’d done this countless times.

“Guess they’re not going to run…”

Before he could finish, a fist-sized hole exploded through the large demon’s skull, and his body collapsed to the ground. Demons could survive most injuries unless their heart was destroyed—but that attack had been so sudden, he hadn’t sensed it coming. The other demon’s eyes widened in shock.

“Arrogant little—! How dare a human!”

As his lower body morphed into that of a giant spider, he lunged forward. The knights moved quickly to shield Aisha, drawing their weapons, while she calmly prepared her next spell.

From above, her mages rained magic down. The battle had begun.

Meanwhile…

Giel unfurled a magical map and showed it to the commander of the Imperial Guard. It was linked to the tracking spell Aisha had cast on the demons.

Thirteen glowing violet dots blazed across the western section of the city. Seven were heading toward the Grand Temple, and six toward the Imperial Palace.

“At their current pace, they’ll arrive within ten minutes.”

“She said there are two high-ranking demons and four mid-level ones,” Giel added.

The commander’s expression tightened. The Imperial Guard was trained to protect the Emperor and the Crown Prince—against assassins and raiders—but battles with demons were extremely rare.

Though it was true that Radenvach’s royal family had once been targeted by demons, since the new Emperor’s reign, such threats had all but vanished.

He had once heard that it took an entire regional knight order just to bring down a single mid-level demon. Facing a high-ranking one usually required a Sword Master.

There were some elite knights in the Imperial Guard who had awakened to mana, but none were Sword Masters. So, the commander spoke honestly.

“We’ve faced monsters before—but never demons.”

“In that case, may I offer my assistance?” Giel asked.

He had fought demons many times in the past—and while his mental-type magic was his greatest strength, it was not his only one.

“I’ve battled demons dozens of times. But I always avoided fighting them head-on.”

Part of that was practical. But it was also personal. His dearest friends—like family to him—had been killed by demons. He wanted them to suffer greater pain than he had endured.

“That’s why I intend to turn this palace into a trap.”

On the table lay both a map of the capital, Adenmir, and a detailed floor plan of the Imperial Palace—provided by the commander.

Giel’s finger pointed to the palace’s maze garden. Though not particularly favored by the Empress and never fully renovated, it was still carefully maintained.

“It’s on the direct route to the main palace, so it’s feasible. But to lure them in, we’ll need bait.”

“I’ve already thought of someone,” Giel replied.

The most obvious bait would be the princess—but if Achilles found out Giel had dragged her into it, he’d kill him. So that option was off the table.

“She won’t like it… but it’s for both our sakes.”

If she’d heard that, she would’ve screamed that it wasn’t good for her in the slightest.

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