It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 127

“What did you just say? You expect me to believe that?”

“Why else would I have tried to stall the Tower Master? I swear it’s true! I’d even swear it on him! I’ll stake my life and everything I have as a demon!”

It was a complete and utter lie but Cernadis wasn’t afraid. He had no intention of ever returning to the Demon Realm. He planned to live and enjoy the human world forever. That’s why swearing on “him” meant nothing to him. He could say anything now.

“You want me to believe that the Tower Master did something that foolish?”

“But it’s true! And I’m not telling you to eat the Tower Master. He’s still strong, even with only half of his magic left. How sad would I be if something happened to you, Arcade?”

The person he was urging Arcade to devour wasn’t the Tower Master, Achilles.

“Eat Princess Charlize, Arcade. She holds the other half of the Tower Master’s magic. If you consume her, your body will heal.”

Cernadis knew that Walter needed the princess for his own plans, but that had nothing to do with him. If she really was essential, they could just bring in a shape-shifting demon to impersonate her.

What mattered to him was getting Arcade and the Tower Master to fight.

‘If Arcade eats the princess, Achilles will go completely berserk.’

Even someone as powerful as the Tower Master couldn’t defeat Arcade without taking serious damage. If Arcade managed to kill him, great. And if not, Cernadis could just finish off a weakened Tower Master himself.

“So it’s true the princess holds half of the Tower Master’s magic?”

“Of course, Arcade. If I’m lying, I’ll walk into your mouth myself. I swear it.”

Arcade had already been thinking of eating Cernadis someday, so to him, this kind of oath was meaningless.

“Where did you even get such important information? Don’t tell me the Tower Master told you himself.”

“Someone I’ve made a pact with has a grudge against the Imperial Family. He sent people in to spy and gather information. Thanks to that, I got my hands on something useful!”

That was another lie, hastily crafted on his way to find Iaolos’s estate. Cernadis had mixed in a bit of truth about Walter’s situation to make it more believable.

“You believe me, right? You’re going after the princess, aren’t you?”

“…Where is she?”

“Where else would she be? She’s in the imperial capital—Adenmir.”

Cernadis didn’t even bother hiding the greedy gleam in his eyes as he continued.

“I heard she’s staying at the palace with the Tower Master, eagerly waiting for their wedding day.”

Technically, the Tower Master and the princess stayed in separate palaces, but there was no need to mention that to Arcade.

“So she’s with him… That’s going to be annoying.”

“Just use one of your capable subordinates to lure her out, right?”

Cernadis made it sound like it would be a simple task. Arcade chuckled coldly.

“You’ll do it, Cernadis.”

“…What? Me?”

He almost blurted out “Why me?” but swallowed it back. Looking betrayed, he stared at Arcade.

“You still don’t trust me? Even after I brought you such important intel?”

“With Iaolos gone, I don’t have any useful subordinates left. But you already lured the Tower Master out once—so you should be able to kidnap the princess too.”

So that’s how it was going to be?

“You can handle it, can’t you, Cernadis? If you bring me the princess, I’ll pretend you never betrayed me. I’ll forget you cut off my leg.”

The look in Arcade’s eyes and the curl of his lips made it clear: if Cernadis refused, he’d be hunted down and killed.

Grinding his teeth inwardly, Cernadis let his instincts speak for him.

“…I’ll try.”

The entire residence was sealed with protective magic. No one could enter or leave.

Achilles didn’t even want his own Tower mages interacting with her in his absence.

Normally, no one could enter the Tower Master’s domain without his will, but he had taken the defensive spells even further this time.

‘She’ll be lonely for ten days.’

Achilles had once been someone who didn’t even understand what loneliness was. But ever since meeting Charlize, he’d come to know it well—because being away from her made him feel exactly that.

‘Still… bear with it for now. I know it’s selfish, but I can’t help it. I’m too uneasy.’

He hadn’t told her that no one would be able to enter the Tower Master’s residence in his absence. If she knew, it might scare her. She might even ask to be sent back to the palace.

And that… he didn’t think he could allow.

Even if Charlize gets angry later when she finds out everything, this was still the safest option.

Until now, Achilles had never cared about anything more than himself. That’s why he hadn’t fully grasped what it meant for something—or someone—to be in danger. He understood the concept in theory, but emotionally, he hadn’t accepted it.

But after facing danger again and again, he finally understood: Charlize could be targeted—because of him, or for other reasons.

“Then I just need to eliminate all the threats.”

As he left his residence and headed toward the ritual chamber, that thought lingered.

The Empire was politically stable, and because she was engaged to him, Charlize had been distanced from political threats. But the real danger came not from her status as a princess—but from being the Tower Master’s fiancée.

So…

“I’ll kill every last demon. I’ll make an example—just like I’ve always done.”

When Achilles used teleportation magic to arrive at the ritual chamber, the mages of the tower, dressed in ceremonial robes, bowed their heads to him. He had already told them what would happen today, and they had prepared everything as instructed. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation for the new magic he would show them.

On the day the demon army attacked the capital, Aisha had reported to him:

“Before that demon died, it called out the name ‘Arcade.’”

Arcade of Gluttony.

He was a high-ranking demon, long hunted by various religious orders after being named as one who had stolen a fragment of the Demon King.

Giel, too, had interrogated Philozena and gotten another name. Though she hadn’t met him directly, she had heard others refer to him.

“A demon named ‘Cernadis’ was imprisoned in the underground chamber beneath the Black Heart. That’s what I was told…”

Cernadis of the Rift.

He was known to have helped Arcade when the latter stole the Demon King’s fragment. Arcade had once devoured a Spirit King and gained the ability to travel through shadows. Cernadis had learned how to tear space itself and move through the rift.

If those two demons had joined forces again, it was a real threat. It was likely thanks to Arcade’s powers that hundreds of demons had suddenly appeared near the capital.

“Start with the weaker one.”

On the altar lay the severed arm and wing that Cernadis had discarded. They were blackened to the bone and looked like they would crumble at any moment, but thanks to preservation magic, they had been brought here intact.

Achilles dispelled the preservation spell and gave a signal to the mages around him. The magic he was about to use was known only to be used by the Pope—resurrection.

The old Achilles would never have imagined casting such a spell.

“I got the idea while using magic on Charlize.”

Each night, after their time together, he had poured healing magic into her. That constant practice had helped him refine his technique. Whether Charlize would be embarrassed or horrified if she knew… he wasn’t sure.

“Resurrecting part of a demon’s body isn’t the same as healing a human. Stay focused.”

At his instruction, the mages began channeling their energy. No matter how powerful one’s mana, resurrection magic was never to be taken lightly—especially not when it involved the body of a high-ranking demon.

“The limb could mutate instead of regenerating.”

He suspected it might transform into a monster. That’s why he had to stop the mutation before it went too far—and use the revived part to track Cernadis.

Cernadis likely had anti-tracking magic on his body, similar to what Walter used. But…

“Tracking someone through a body part is completely different from using a hair or an object they left behind.”

The magic circle drawn from the Tower Master’s central casting point expanded outward, forming a large glowing ring. Black flames flared first, followed by blue fire. Runes began appearing along the edges of the circle. The severed arm and wing on the altar slowly rose into the air.

As the mages chanted their incantations, Achilles reached out toward the floating limb and wing. He could feel the magical energy streaming through the circle and pouring into them.

Wrapped in dark and blue mana, the demon’s body parts began to regenerate. The charred skin started healing, and muscles and bones slowly reformed. Even blood began to flow from the severed ends.

Then, suddenly—mutation began.

The fingers on the severed arm twitched, twisting unnaturally. Bone pushed outward, and strange growths began forming along each joint.

Achilles immediately stopped it with a sealing spell.

The limb froze in place, locked in magical stasis. He turned to the mages.

“Well done.”

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