“she’s really enjoying that, right?”


    “i’m not sure who’s the villain anymore.”


    “ugh!”


    upon hearing the voices, prince serhul suddenly shot to his feet. looking around hastily, he saw two little girls huddled together, whispering to each other.


    “but isn’t she going to win all by herself if she continues like that?”


    “i don’t know. isn’t it kind of pretty impressive that she seems to get stronger the more she fights, right?”


    it was eleanor and aria who had just been quarreling loudly at each other.


    however, before they knew it, they were already sticking to each other and watching findenai fight.


    although they felt they should lend her a hand, findenai’s smile reminded them of watching a child.


    if they interfered now, she might throw a tantrum like a child who had their toy snatched from them.


    thanks to the hand of hemomancy, which replenished her stamina whenever there was blood, findenai’s unique trait of growing stronger the longer the battle continued became more evident.


    the soldiers and princes swallowed up by lehric’s black shadows were beaten indiscriminately by findenai’s snow white.no?v(el)b\\jnn


    as the darkness clinging to their bodies began to fade away like peeling skin, they started to regain their senses.


    “huh? w-what’s happening here?”


    third prince serhul was completely bewildered.


    he clearly met the demon lord and then...


    and what followed was...


    princess eleanor throwing him to break the window.


    “uh.”


    it was only then that serhul, who remembered the reason he had fainted, gave eleanor an incredulous look.


    “hey, hey. look, he’s awake.”


    aria poked at eleanor, who was watching the fight blankly, to let her know that serhul had woken up.


    eleanor glanced over and greeted him with a smile.


    “you’re finally awake! i’m glad!”


    “blegh.”


    although aria pretending to vomit next to her was bothersome, serhul nonetheless wore a subtle expression as he asked eleanor.


    “it seems like you rendered me unconscious, princess.”


    “...”


    so, he remembered—it was exactly that sort of expression.


    after a brief cough, eleanor stuck out her tongue and laughed.


    “thank you for saving me!”


    “...”


    as they said, when you fell in love with someone, they would look beautiful no matter what they do.


    to him, she looked even cuter in her cheeky and irresponsible way, and serhul hated himself for it.


    “koooooookkkk!”


    and then, a scream rang out.


    second prince rehul had broken free from the shadows enveloping him after taking a direct hit from findenai’s snow white.


    seeing rehul scream in apparent pain from the shock, serhul shouted in bewilderment.


    “brother!”


    he tried to run straight to rehul, but...


    “stay still.”


    deia, with a shotgun on her shoulder, stopped him.


    “but my brother...!”


    feeling it was unfair, serhul protested angrily, but...


    click.


    the cold muzzle of deia’s shotgun pressed against serhul’s forehead.


    “shut up and stay still. our maid is personally putting an end to your rebellion right now.”


    “...!”


    it was a valid point.


    the soldiers of both the first prince rahul and prince rehul, struck equally by findenai’s axe, were recovering from the effects of lehric’s magic and regaining their senses, as if doused with cold water.


    those consumed by the madness and rage just moments ago gradually began to regain their sanity.


    “you have to personally witness all of this. what we’re doing for you, and what you’ve done to us.”


    even amidst all this, deia quickly put her mind to work, searching for any possible advantages.


    serhul could only stiffen at her words, while aria and eleanor, who were in the vicinity, began muttering to each other again.


    “as expected of professor’s younger sister. she’s vile... and cunning.”


    “she doesn’t just share blood with deus for no reason—family is truly family.”


    deia glared at the two chirping chicks in annoyance, but...


    because she’s a princess.


    for now, eleanor, the princess of the griffin kingdom, was part of the conversation. with a sigh, she glanced towards the royal palace, aware that she shouldn’t speak carelessly.


    the demon’s laughter resounded from inside.


    all she could do was hope that the one engaging in a life-or-death battle with the demon lord lehric would be safe.


    * * *as i opened the main gate of the palace and stepped inside, the one who greeted me shamelessly was none other than lehric.


    “fufu, long time no see, deus verdi.”


    even though the sensation of snapping his neck still lingered in my right hand, he greeted me like nothing happened.


    wham!


    so naturally, i returned the greeting in an appropriate manner.


    [second!]


    “your knowledge.”


    and,


    “your experience.”


    all of it.


    it felt as if i were dealing with a hostage situation. in order to save the souls being toyed with from the clutches of the demon lord, what i had to offer him was, in a way, everything that made me who i am.


    “well, if you wish to abandon the souls, there’s nothing i can do. by the way, if that happens, i’ll personally tear them apart and annihilate them.”


    it was not a suggestion but a threat.


    lehric knew i couldn’t abandon them.


    the truth about this continent.


    i could understand why he desired me, who knew about it.


    a centuries-old demon lord. from the perspective adorned with deception, there might not be any topic more delicious than this.


    however, be it necromancers or demon lords...


    “you guys always disregard humans so much.”


    especially the dead.


    even though souls were not items to be traded.


    “don’t they become objects if you assign a value to them? your convictions? what about them? what can you even do?”


    lehric kept pressing me, saying how absurd it all was.


    “you have been complacent.”


    perhaps because deceiving others was life itself to him, the demon lord lehric was excessively arrogant.


    a blue light began to spread from my left hand.


    my mana spread widely.


    [huh?]


    once again, the body of the dark spiritualist was dyed with color. while it might have seemed like nothing had changed since both lehric and i could see her, the reality was different.


    “so, you’ve learned to materialize souls?”


    lehric brushed it off as some remarkable magic. seeing him remain so complacent in spite of that, i couldn’t help but click my tongue.


    no, not complacent.


    it just showed to what degree he disregarded the dead.


    “we will see soon.”


    “...huh?”


    lehric was yet to realize it.


    [kyaaaaaacccckkk!]


    [save meeee!]


    [hereeeee! here! here! here! hereeee!]


    [underground! underground! underground! underground! underground!]


    [pleeeeaaaaseeee!]


    the agonizing screams revealed the answer.


    the screams of the dead exploded like cannon fire from below.


    “even the other demon lords were unable to kill you?”


    kruk kruk kruk!


    the spider legs on my back stretched out again, ready to take action.


    “is it still not possible for me to kill you since i’m with a demon lord?”


    it seemed he also deluded himself into thinking that i was using the power of the demon lord of deformity velica.


    however, ultimately, my true nature was...


    “twenty thousand souls, huh?”


    a necromancer.


    “your explanation was really detailed.”


    his attempt to play tricks by using souls right before my eyes was a grave mistake that sealed his fate.


    i flew straight towards the hole in the roof. the screams of the souls constantly echoing from underground.


    there was no hesitation.


    after falling straight down, breaking any ceilings or floors in my way, i reached the underground.


    and down there stood lehric, who was attempting to silence the souls that had regained their voices thanks to my magic and were screaming in agony.


    the one standing in front of the general store, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.


    he locked eyes with me and immediately tried to open the general store’s door and escape. however...


    “but what can you do?”


    i was faster.


    my grotesque right hand, infused with dark energy, went straight for his face.


    thud!


    then, i shoved lehric into the general store through the general store’s door.


    “how does it feel to be caught by the souls you’ve disregarded so much?”


    “ke...heugugh!”


    when i saw him collapse on the floor, wiping blood off his mouth, he was clearly different from the fakes who had not spilled blood until now.


    “finally, we have a proper meeting.”


    following him, i also entered the shop.


    thud.


    then, i closed the door behind me.