The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

83 – Blazing Humanity

Drip. Drip.

Tears flowed down her cheeks like a stream. The tears that flowed down her face clung to the leaves like dew and slid down smoothly.

“Ugh… Huh…”

Thud.

Ivria collapsed as if she had exhausted herself. There was not a single wound on her body. If I had to mention a deep wound, it would be the hollow hole in her chest.

“I couldn’t stop it…”

Harte was sincere. With a single desire to rescue Elpisia, he shook off his hesitation and drew his sword. From that moment on, Euria’s will was completely broken.

I won’t stop.

Even if an overwhelming power suddenly emerges and subjugates him, his heart will still be set on one person.

The lesson of giving up was quick.

As Harte narrowed the distance, Euria’s sacred power, which had bloomed, withered away in an instant.

That was all.

Harte left the palace without looking back.

Like a moth jumping into a flame.

Knowing the fate that had been given to him.

He silently burned his life away and moved forward.

“I hate you…”

A sorrowful voice contained a deep grudge.

In the unseen side of history, Euria returned to the temple alone.

She didn’t want to face the cruel and deceitful outside world for even a moment longer.

She would live a comfortable life.

Unlike Harte.

Unlike the villainess he loved.

Silently, and stubbornly.

She would bury the pain of betrayal in her memories and consciously turn away.

Her life, given to her, was miserable, unlike theirs.

She would live in submission to her fate.

◇

“Haah…”

Gulp.

Blood flowed from his eyes and mouth. Having only handled a few miracles, the sensation of his baptismal name burning was intense.

The baptismal name’s owner should not cross the line. The motivation to keep it was not a temple’s restraint.

‘I’ll endure until dawn… somehow.’

The god’s spear that broke the taboo would have its baptismal name burned. And if the person who operated the miracle had their baptismal name burned, the price would be paid with their remaining lifespan.

This was why the future was said to be closed.

If Elpisia was abandoned, the baptismal name’s vow would kill Harte. Even if he rescued her, the price of exhausting his sacred power would still be his own life.

Fate had led him to a dead end.

So, Harte, who had lost his future, had no back to turn to.

“You guys have always been like that.”

Harte walked straight into the high fortress. He trampled the vast, barren wasteland, where even natural objects were hard to find.

The place he stood was the border of the demon realm.

Soon, it would become the stage of history where the world’s balance would collapse.

“Baskhill, and now… they don’t respect each other’s domains. They just turn their backs and live, but they can’t even do that, those impure tribes…”

One by one, the demons on the fortress walls watched Harte with caution. However, there was no threatening behavior yet. The demonic race, similar to humans, was numerous, and only one person had come to the fortress.

“In the end, if it’s a life to be sacrificed… I’ll balance it out.”

The reason why demons looked down on human spirits’ invasions was simple.

Most demons are superior, and humans are inferior. Demons are born with the power that humans can only obtain through rigorous training.

Harte made up his mind.

He would balance the power between humans and demons.

“…… Fire is not meant to corrupt and indulge, but to purify.”

Suddenly, light descended. In a landscape that seemed like a golden plain, Harte recited a sacred phrase.

“Why do you distort the city, which will be governed by thunder and brimstone?”

As he closed his lips,

A catastrophe that had been sleeping in the demon realm unfolded.

Dozens of lightning bolts struck from the dry sky, and an inextinguishable fire of brimstone spread rapidly.

A sturdy fortress crumbled like a toy block, resembling a sandcastle swept away by a wave. In an instant, the devastated border became impossible to recover for the next ten years.

“I’ll go… Elpisia.”

Even Elpisia didn’t know Harte’s true nature.

Harte, who always wore a innocent and foolish smile, was now revealing his true self.

It was Harte, who had slaughtered countless demons in Basquhill without feeling any guilt.

“Gasp!”

Harte’s blood boiled. A bitter metallic taste filled his mouth. He narrowed his eyes, still witnessing the pouring lightning and brimstone.

‘If only the baptismal name hadn’t been sealed… I could have…’

After the holy war in Basquhill, the Pope had sealed Harte’s baptismal name.

The reason for the seal had been forgotten for a long time. It was because there was no use in remembering.

So Harte didn’t know. The seal on his baptismal name was a restraint to regain his humanity.

By distancing himself from God’s name and drawing near to a human name, Harte recovered his humanity.

… At least, until he unconsciously recalled God’s name again.

“Wait for me… Elpisia.”

Harte traversed space.

On the other side, another demon’s territory came into view.

One by one, it was time to sweep them away like cleaning.

The walking disaster was fiercely burning life.

◇

The demon realm’s central area – the demon king’s residence.

The demon king, who was receiving reports from the prison where Elpisia was held, was shocked.

“What… what is this…?”

“It’s not a metaphor. Really… all the territories that formed a straight line between the border and the capital… have been completely reduced to ashes.”

“This is impossible! Who in the world can do such a thing…!!!”

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry… but we saw someone who could do it about 20 years ago in Basquhill.”

The demon king instinctively recalled the incident. Yes, it was when he had accepted Letisha’s request and sent an elite troop to Basquhill.

The pain of being defeated, along with the saint, and having hundreds of elites slaughtered still lingered. The failure had made Letisha’s position precarious, and she had become mentally ill.

“… What’s the information about that person?”

“A white-haired figure with purple eyes, and… wearing the holy knight’s armor of the human realm.”

At that moment, a desperate voice came from within the cell.

“Harte…?”

The owner of the voice was a woman with a tangled mess of hair and a worn-out face, bearing the scars of hardship.

If someone didn’t tell you her name was Elpisia, it would be hard to recognize her. She had always maintained a dignified demeanor, so her current state was even more unfamiliar.

Meanwhile, the Demon King turned his gaze towards Elpisia upon hearing her voice.

“You… do you know something?”

“I’d like to ask. Is the witness information reliable?”

The Demon King’s attendant burst out in anger, as if Elpisia was mocking him.

“What’s wrong with you! Our soldier risked his life to provide that information!”

“Hmph…”

Despite this, Elpisia let out a cold laugh.

“Fool. Take a closer look with your eyes wide open.”

“Yes, ma’am…!”

“It’s impossible for Harute to commit murder. That guy who’s always peeking around the corner, trying to find an opening…”

Even in this situation, Elpisia couldn’t help but laugh.

Memories of her time with Harute at the Luminele Manor surfaced, as if a dam had burst.

“I know Harute’s heart better than anyone.”

He was as foolishly honest as a child, and his pure heart was as white as snow. Even Elpisia, who had been corrupted, was moved by him. Harute was the one who had done so.

And yet, he was now burning with a fierce determination to take down the Demon King.

It was ridiculous. The Demon King’s information network, which was supposed to be unparalleled, seemed to be at an all-time low.

“You’re just a sinner, and you dare to…! Your Majesty, please silence him at once!”

“No, wait.”

The Demon King restrained his excited attendant, who then closed his mouth and shot Elpisia a sharp glance.

Elpisia evaluated the Demon King as a magnificent leader.

“It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right. From now on, let’s assume the intruder is Harute and proceed with the story.”

“If I had to boast, I could go on and on. Since I’m not here, I’m feeling quite brave.”

“That’s enough nonsense. What’s your relationship with him?”

“I don’t know, try to figure it out.”

“If we reason normally, he’s probably your lover. Then, the motive of revenge would also make sense.”

His words were reasonable. If Harute was indeed the one who had defeated the Demon King, then…

‘Could it be… is Harute really…? No, no way. I don’t have any evidence or proof of being kidnapped by the Demon King.’

Of course, Elpisia was unaware of the fact that a Demon King prisoner had appeared at the banquet. Therefore, it was natural for her to deny the possibility of the intruder being Harute.

“What’s his weakness?”

“I don’t know, his thigh?”

Elpisia snickered.

“… I can see you have no intention of talking.”

Her patience had reached its limit.

The opponent was human.

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He was the evil one who had turned her only family member into a slave and tortured them. Even if she threw him into boiling oil and listened to his screams, her anger wouldn’t be satiated.

If she could just get Glen back, her anger might subside, but she had missed her last chance by a hair’s breadth.

Falling from a great height was like falling from hope to despair.

Finally, the Demon King gave the order.

“… After being trapped in the abyss, I will surely revive you. I must hear the screams that are desperately trying to escape from the pot without being seen.”

“Yes, I understand. Your Majesty!”

What did the gods say?

What did the divine messenger say?

The demon king has already taken on a massive burden. Countless lives have perished, and the city has collapsed. Then, wouldn’t it be okay to offer the pain of losing a loved one as compensation?

‘I will protect the capital at all costs.’

This is the domain where the demon king reigns. Among the demon tribe, where the majority are generals, the demon king’s power is exceptional. In the long history of the demon tribe, he is an absolute monarch with unparalleled strength.

Rumble!

The iron bars that had confined Elpisia opened. She was dragged away, violently treated, and taken to the torture chamber. Her bare feet scraped against the cold, rough floor.

It was when she finally let go of her attachment.

Boom!

A strong vibration struck the prison.

Boom! Boom!

The space shook as if a natural disaster was unfolding, and dust and brick fragments fell from the ceiling.

The anomaly occurred at that moment.

Crash!

The ceiling collapsed, and thick dust obscured the view, limiting their movements.

The wind blew.

The dust, like fog, dispersed into the air, restoring transparency to the world.

“… Ah.”

Elpisia groaned.

By this point, it’s not even funny. If her hands were free, she would have rubbed her eyes several times. She constantly doubted whether the dust in her eyes was creating an illusion.

However, as a warm voice whispered in her ear, Elpisia gave up denying reality.

“Elpisia.”

“…”

“I’m here. I’ve come to keep my unchanging promise.”

“…”

“I’m sorry if I look a bit gruesome.”

It was clearly different from the usual Harlte.

His pure white uniform was stained red, and his purple eyes had unmistakably lost their sparkle.

Was that all?

The real-time bleeding from his eyes, like tears of blood, was frightening, and the wounds that had suddenly appeared without any attack were severe.

“I will surely protect you, Elpisia.”

He smiled.

It was as if his humanity, which had been obscured, was reborn.

“… Harlte.”

She called out his name.

With a face that seemed about to burst into tears.