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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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-Psyche.
-Psyche.
-!
At the sound of the man’s voice calling her name in a measured tone,
the Saintess, with platinum blonde hair and crimson eyes, an unusual combination, finally opened her eyes.
-Psyche, please.
-Give my regards to Cynatis too.
Memories of those days, weakening the Demon King, the final battle with the demons…
flooded back, a wave of emotions washing over her.
-I failed… but for the sake of the next heroes…
-I’m sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you…
-Return to the Empire… you must.
‘Kroon!!’
As Kroon’s voice faded, a child and her father appeared before her eyes.
-Do you have to go again today…?
-I’m sorry. I’ll be back soon today.
A silver-haired girl, slightly younger than Psyche.
-Aria, it’s okay.
She lost her parents to the Archdemon,
-Aria Bluebell, you are admitted.
came to the academy and walked the path of a devout priestess, and
-Stab!
in the end, plunged a dagger into a shadowy figure that seemed to be an Archdemon…
Perhaps the child who would succeed her as the Saintess.
“Ah…”
Psyche knew.
She had slumbered for too long; her body wasn’t what it used to be.
Moreover, about half of her power had already been transferred to Aria Bluebell.
But that girl, who inherited her power, wasn’t cherishing her own body.
Perhaps becoming a Saintess was a curse?
‘I’m sorry, Aria.’
Psyche couldn’t stand idly by as the child who would succeed her was losing her light.
Aria.
Aria, can you hear me…?
That’s why she whispered.
.
.
.
-Whoosh…
At the celestial voice, Aria’s dark, negative thoughts vanished instantly.
I believe you must have been… very shocked
‘The Saintess…?’
I am… Psyche, the Saintess. Unfortunately, the Divine Message can only be sent one-way, from me to the candidate…
Aria shook her head.
‘S-Saintess Psyche…! I… I…! I’m not worthy…’
Her, who killed a person, the person she loved most, becoming a Saintess candidate who had to save countless lives? It was unthinkable.
Aria was consumed by guilt.
So, she poured out her emotions honestly.
It was a pure plea.
That she was a bad child, unworthy, and that she had committed a grave, unforgivable sin…
Of course, not all of this could be perfectly conveyed to Psyche, but
It’s alright, Aria. You’ve suffered so much…?
As if she had anticipated Aria’s feelings, she continued after a long pause,
But even in this situation… you mustn’t lose hope.
Hope blooming amidst pain and despair is the very role of us Saintesses.
We will meet soon. I look forward to it.
‘Saintess… Psyche…’
-!
Aria opened her eyes.
She must have fallen asleep unknowingly.
Her lips were dry, but her eyes were still moist.
‘…’
The evening air and the faint moonlight streamed in through the window.
Another day was ending.
Lev was gone, but time continued to flow relentlessly.
‘Yeriel…’
Yeriel would be preparing dinner downstairs.
Perhaps she was hurting even more.
She hadn’t even seen Lev’s face at the end.
“Selena, Edwin, Lily…”
Everyone was suffering because of him.
‘I really am… a burden.’
In truth, Aria was scared.
‘But I have to… tell them.’
The bonds formed through Lev.
Everyone was so kind and considerate.
Especially Yeriel and Edwin, whose trust in Aria went beyond that of mere comrades.
Even now, if Aria said she hadn’t killed Lev with her own hands, they would immediately believe her.
No, perhaps they wouldn’t even consider the possibility that she was the one who killed Lev.
Aria also wanted to deny this devastating causal relationship, but
she couldn’t.
Lev had helped her with Andras’s Levenge, as promised, and
the Saintess’s power had begun to dwell within Aria.
It was undeniable proof.
‘Atonement…’
First, she had to ask for everyone’s forgiveness.
She had to face her mistakes.
When she thought of Lev, tears immediately streamed down her face.
But she had to accept this too.
And she had to save… as many people as she could.
This was Aria’s sole reason for living.
.
.
.
‘You’ll definitely be able to overcome this… Aria.’
When Psyche regained her senses after communicating with Aria,
-!
her vision had cleared.
A red, dim place.
‘An alien magic power…’
This was probably Pandemonium.
Thanks to Kroon’s sacrifice, she had been sealed within the crystal.
‘What should I do?’
Although she had said she looked forward to meeting Aria, Psyche thought she might not be able to transfer her power.
Since the Saintess’s power was already split in half, opening a divine dimensional gate to escape all at once wouldn’t be easy.
As Psyche briefly pondered,
she saw a man’s back before her.
‘A person… here?’
A mixture of magic power and mana.
It was…
“K… Kroon?”
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Center of the Crystal Palace.
Yellody Latasia, her hair color blending with the light of this place, was munching on the chocolate I gave her.
“Mmm… Delicious…”
‘At this rate, I’d believe she’s actually Lily’s older sister.’
Yellody’s setting of having a sweet tooth held true.
She, who had been so agitated after becoming my subordinate, had become docile after receiving sweets.
Her usual way of speaking too,
‘Her character overlaps too much with Lily’s…’
Was it because it was the first time I saw someone call me “Lev-kun” or “Junior-kun”?
Certainly, when she was berating me, she seemed to differentiate herself from Lily.
Well, it was a setting and character created by that author bastard, so whatever.
Thanks to this chocolate, I gained a lot of information.
There’s a saying that people open their hearts and become honest in front of food, isn’t there?
Indeed, after her hunger was sated and she seemed to be in a good mood, I asked her various questions, and as a result,
I was able to learn the gist of Yellody’s original plan, the reason she helped Kaelan, and the overall situation in Pandemonium…
Of course, thinking about how much I had suffered because of that Kaelan bastard made me want to flick this girl on the forehead, or perhaps stab her with a spear, but
right now, she was the only one I could rely on to get out of here.
Above all…
“So it’s a promise, right?”
“Mmm… If you give me one more…”
“Yes, yes.”
-Rustle.
I peeled the chocolate and popped it into her mouth.
-Munch, munch…
“Well, I’ll cooperate with you, Lev-kun.”
Yellody agreed to join forces with me.
“Anyway… it doesn’t change the fact that I’m your subordinate…”
“Good. That’s the spirit.”
“I’m just tired of everything now…”
“It’s not good to think everything is bothersome.”
“I don’t care…! You’re the one who made me this way… Just keep your promise!”
I thought Yellody’s change of heart was a bit sudden…
but her original goal was to defeat the current Demon King and become the new one, and she only intended to use Kaelan to achieve that, so
I simply replaced him as her pawn.
‘To think I’d end up playing ‘King of the Hill’.’
My goal was simply to graduate from Clarice Academy, but
since I had stirred up a hornet’s nest by hunting Archdemons and messing with the demon world, a direct confrontation with the Demon King was inevitable.
Somehow, I ended up walking towards the same goal as Yellody.
‘I need to use this woman until the Demon King is defeated.’
Whether it was using her and discarding her later or whatever, I needed her cooperation for now.
Yellody, glancing at me, asked again,
“You promise, right? If you don’t make me the Demon King, I’ll curse you. Curse you. Got it??”
“Ah…”
Her last words were chilling.
“Yes. I can just order you as my subordinate anyway, so why would I bother making a promise?”
“Hmm…”
“Let’s help each other out. Casually.”
At my nonchalant attitude, Yellody, as if she found it unpleasant but understood, munched on her chocolate.
“…You’re truly wicked. I’ll change your nickname to Trash-kun.”
“Trash… You’re being a bit harsh.”
“Then, Womanizer-kun. Die.”
“…”
Who was calling whom trash?
“Oh? There are two more nearby. I’ll make sure they don’t interfere.”
“…Okay.”
Thanks to persuading Yellody, they still hadn’t discovered my presence here…
but she was also the demon who raised Kaelan.
It was best to assess the situation and profit from it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Psyche, who had been watching this, muttered to herself with a slightly disappointed tone,
‘I thought it was Kroon…’
The ashen-haired boy wasn’t Kroon.
The wavelengths of their magic power had felt momentarily similar, but
their appearances were completely different.
‘Is it because of his will…?’
Kroon had risked everything to protect Psyche.
To the extent of creating a sanctuary in the heart of Pandemonium for such a long time.
‘Kroon…’
Just as Psyche was about to think about Kroon again…
“Ah!”
She remembered something she had overlooked.
‘B-By the way! What… what are those two talking about?!’
The ashen-haired boy and the sky-blue haired girl, who seemed to be a demon.
Psyche’s pupils dilated as she listened to their conversation.
She understood that her physical condition and the current situation weren’t ideal.
But a human man and a demon girl leaning against a crystal, having snacks and chatting as if they were on a picnic?
The content of their conversation was truly incomprehensible.
-You promise, right? If you don’t make me the Demon King, I’ll curse you. Curse you. Got it??
-Yes. I can just order you as my subordinate anyway, so why would I bother making a promise?
Defeating the Demon King and placing that demon girl on the throne,
and the human man was her master?
She couldn’t wrap her head around it.
‘D-Did something happen… while I was asleep?’
Perhaps the world had changed over time.
Demons and humans.
Even the truths that were once taken for granted.
‘Anyway… I-I can’t just stand by and watch this…!’
-Whoosh!!
Although it was a little early, Psyche’s will began to manifest her physical form.
The moment she appeared, she spoke to Lev’s back,
“Ex…!”
“?”
Her voice cracked after such a long time, but she cleared her throat and continued,
“I am Psyche, the Saintess. Creating the next Demon King? I can’t ignore such words…!”
“Oh, you woke up early.”
“!”
The ashen-haired boy stood up and approached her.
“Wh-What…? If you’re after my body, you’re out of luck. I won’t jus obediently…”
“Saintess.”
“…!”
Psyche squeezed her eyes shut and stepped back… but the rough treatment she expected didn’t follow.
Instead…
“Let’s go back.”
“Huh…?”
-Psyche, go back… you must.
Kroon’s last words gently overlapped.
The boy smiled faintly and added,
“I’ll escort you. It seems we need to help each other to return.”
“…!”
“…Womanizer-kuuun. Die.”
As the demon girl beside him began to grumble,
“Here we go again… Mmm!”
“Haha…”
he forcibly covered her mouth.
Psyche couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Who is this person…’
How did he know and wait here…?
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