It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 119

The demon had no idea Ryuhan was merely a noble and not the Tower Master’s disciple. Caught in his own excitement, Ryuhan continued to recklessly unleash spell after spell. The scream from earlier had drawn royal guards to the scene, further overwhelming the demon.

Should it assist the higher-ranked demon already fighting, or abandon the plan and lash out at easier targets? This demon wasn’t driven by purpose like Iaoros—it simply wanted revenge. That’s why it had joined the palace assault.

The princess must be hiding in the Inner Palace!

Believing that the demons who went in first were keeping the remaining soldiers occupied, it veered off the main road and slipped into the garden. Unfortunately for Giel, the demon went in the opposite direction of the maze garden and entered another section.

Who cares what happens to the higher-ranked ones? First one to rip out the princess’s heart wins. If I get her before the others…!

The thought alone filled it with feverish joy. The demon ran toward the palace, its anticipation growing by the second. Though it appeared to be a young boy on the outside, the illusion shattered the moment it touched the palace walls—revealing its monstrous true form.

This wasn’t intentional. The powerful sealing magic beneath the palace had disrupted the transformation.

“Ahhh! What is that thing?!”

A scream burst from a nearby guard who was posted on watch. Grinning cruelly, the demon smashed through walls and windows, charging into the Inner Palace.

Even without the disguise, killing humans was child’s play.

“Princess! Where are you?!”

It barreled through walls and corridors in search of Charlize. The highest concentration of soldiers and knights had to be where the princess and the Empress were hiding.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Grand Temple, Iaoros stood trembling with rage. He had tracked the sinister energy of the Demon King’s fragment all the way down here, only to find it sealed—its energy already fading.

It hadn’t disappeared, but the goddess’s foul power had suppressed the demonic aura. If the temple managed to fully contain or relocate it, his window would be gone.

“Iaoros! Go after the humans! I’ll devour the ones here!”

Within the Grand Temple, a sacred place governed by divine power, demons had to fight in their true forms unless they stayed high above ground. So when Iaoros and his kind stormed the courtyard, they’d shed their disguises completely.

Despite his grotesque, tentacled form, Iaoros moved at terrifying speed toward where the priestess had disappeared. With three gaping mouths full of jagged teeth, he bit through a wall and forced his body through the narrow gap.

“You beast! This will be your grave!”

Holy Knights chased after him, but they were already drained from using sacred power during the ritual. They were no match for him.

“Pathetic insects!”

He crushed their armored bodies effortlessly and pushed further into the dark corridor. Though he could barely hear it, the ragged sound of breathing echoed in the distance. He zeroed in on it, shoving past obstacles as he closed in.

The priestess and knights had clearly exhausted themselves after the ceremony.

I already told them not to kill her. If I retrieve the fragment, we can open a rift between this world and the Demon Realm.

He still had unfinished business with Valther, but it was too late to back down. He was prepared to let Susanna be consumed—to use her as a bridge, even if only partially, to bring the Demon Realm into this world.

If it worked, the Radenvach Empire would fall. At the very least, the capital would be wiped out.

But then—

Kiii! Kiek!!

Blades of divine light slammed into his body, one after another. Iaoros had assumed the temple’s clergy were too exhausted to fight back—but this was no ordinary attack.

The spears didn’t simply pierce through him—they split open like barbed harpoons, anchoring him to the ground and locking him in place.

Stuffed between the narrow stone walls, Iaoros had no room to dodge. He let out a deafening scream of rage. He’d underestimated the humans, convinced they were too drained to fight.

“You filthy scrap from the Demon Realm.”

A woman’s voice, cold and sharp, echoed through the corridor. At first, Iaoros thought it might be the priestess he had chased—but no. This voice was unfamiliar.

“Was your heart there? …Then die.”

Thousands of shards of glowing ice crystals flew at him, slicing through his body. Each one moved unnaturally, curving and weaving in midair to target his heart. He managed to dodge the first wave, but one finally struck its mark.

His heart froze instantly. His massive body began to crack… then crumble.

At the end of the corridor, the priestess and Holy Knights were gasping for breath, having just finished their battle. Aisha had sensed the two demons entering the temple and had brought the three fastest mages down to the underground prison in time to help.

Together, they had already eliminated the demon tormenting the High Priest and knights.

Now, Aisha stared coldly as Iaoros’s form disintegrated, his dark energy vanishing into the air.

“Arcade… I’ll leave the rest… to you…”

CRACK!

As Aisha watched the fading demonic energy disperse, her eyes sharpened. When she had rushed after the demons earlier, she hadn’t had the time—but now, she could finish what she’d learned from the Tower Master: how to completely erase a demon’s existence and prevent them from returning to the Demon Realm.

She infused magic into her foot and stomped hard on Iaoros’s physical body, which was being dragged toward the gate to the Demon Realm.

“Do you really think I’d let you go back alive?”

“W-What…?!”

“Face your punishment, demon. Go to the death god you so admire.”

Blue-white light surged in her grasp. Sensing that his very existence was about to be erased, Iaoros shrieked and tried to escape, but it was no use.

Iaoros died screaming—not returned to the Demon Realm, but truly and permanently dead. His ruined body collapsed into dust and settled like ash.

For a moment, Aisha recalled someone who had been killed by a demon. But she turned away, refocusing on Hans and Estelle. The fight wasn’t over yet. Battles were still raging at the capital’s outer wall.

“…The underground prison is secured. I’ll take you to a safer place. Please, come with me.”

At her words, they moved toward her. At the same time, the High Priest, who had been searching for them, arrived at the entrance of the secret passage.

Back at the rear garden of the Inner Palace, Charlize didn’t hesitate to cast magic. Normally, she would have held back—waited until the very last moment. But now, she had the artifact Achilles had given her.

This is the first time I’ve used this magic this way…

She raised her hand as if gathering light from the air. A bright white orb formed in her palm. Condensing it further, Charlize fired it directly at the approaching demon.

The beam shot straight toward it. The demon tried to dodge, but its head, back, and three limbs were scorched and seared off.

“Ugh!”

Thankfully, the blast faded before it could strike the palace itself. She had been able to control it thanks to the pendant.

“P-Princess…?”

Everyone nearby stared at her in shock. Embarrassed, Charlize held up the magical artifact.

“This helped me.”

“You didn’t say anything about her being able to use magic!!”

The demon that had followed them out of the Inner Palace roared in fury. Lulu, acting instantly, carried the Empress on his back and sprinted away. Sophia grabbed Charlize’s arm.

Another demon?!

It wasn’t just any monster—it was covered in wounds, likely the work of Giel’s mental magic. It had somehow broken through the maze garden and was charging this way.

“Wait! Lady Ludiana—why are you—ugh!!”

Giel had trapped three mid-level demons and one high-level demon in the maze and made them kill each other using mental spells. But just as he noticed one of the mid-level demons escaping toward the Inner Palace, he saw Charlize and the Empress fleeing in that direction—and redirected the surviving demon to follow them.

“You filthy insects! You won’t escape!”

“Lady Ludiana! Nooo!!”

Though Ludiana had taken heavy injuries fighting three mid-level demons, she now faced a high-class demon. Her hundreds of glowing red eyes surged as she charged, and the demon screamed in horror.

In that brief moment, the royal knights used the distraction to get Charlize and the Empress to safety—out of the battle’s immediate reach. From afar, they could see the towering silhouettes of a divine warrior and a high-ranking demon clashing. The divine warrior stood about three meters tall; the demon was even larger.

“Princess, are you hurt?”

Giel approached, rushing over with other mages. Charlize first looked around for the Empress. Forced to ride on Lulu’s back, she had already been taken a good distance away.

“This way—quickly!”

They needed to distance themselves from the ongoing battle. The group moved to the outskirts of the courtyard to avoid the shockwaves from the fight. The Empress dismounted and immediately checked on Charlize.

“It’s nearly over,” Giel said, glancing toward the two demons still fighting.

Even wounded, a high-class demon was far more massive than a mid-tier one. But the mid-level demon wasn’t going down without a fight—it managed to destroy one of the high-rank demon’s hearts. As the last of its own hearts was destroyed in retaliation, the mid-level demon turned toward them with a look of bitter regret before it crumbled and vanished.

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