“Right now, the one whose life is in more danger than us is you. ……We are being watched over by some goddess of fortune.”

At that, the young marquis became frightened and started sobbing again.

It seemed that all his pride as a nobleman had evaporated, already filled with fear.

“Yes. I’ll end up like my father too…… I’ll die at that man’s hands……”

“Hmm. I think differently. He probably left you alive, thinking you’re not even worth killing directly? You’ll likely be hanging from the palace walls by tomorrow.”

Belly, who had kindly confirmed the kill, asked Purcell, who had started sobbing even louder.

“So why don’t you make a confession before you die? Who knows? Your sins might be forgiven a little.”

“Yes. You’re right……”

The young marquis agreed with Belly’s words, sobbing.

Belly asked him, who seemed to have completely given up, already sensing his death.

“It was you who killed Viscount Humphreys, right?”

There was a moment of silence.

But would anyone tell useless lies when facing death?

Soon, the young marquis’s trembling voice was heard from beyond the iron bars.

“……Yes. That’s right. That friend saw something in the basement of the villa.”

“What was it?”

“The sacrifices my father had kidnapped. And the demon summoning ritual.”

“……Demon, summoning ritual?”

[On the other hand, the first thing the demon who came down to earth did was to tempt humans.]

In Belly’s extraordinary mind, the myth he had read in Viscount Humphreys’ diary was stored without missing a single letter.

“……You mean the demon from the myth? The one who came down to earth with the god?”

“Ah, you figured out that much? That’s right.”

The young marquis, who had stopped crying by now, answered with a snicker.

“Then do you know this too? In that myth, there’s no mention of the demon ever returning to heaven.”

“……!”

“Yes….. Unlike the god, the demon remained on this earth continuously……”

And all this story began from there, the young marquis, facing death, slowly began to reveal the truth.

[This is the timeline separator]

Long before two layers of barriers were erected and the peninsula was separated from the northern continent.

On the continent, there was a saint known as the hybrid of god and human.

She possessed a power called Aurum, and people discovered a mysterious mineral called Posium and stored her power in it.

And based on that energy source, they created something called magic and developed the world.

Thus, peace was maintained on the continent for a long time.

But three hundred years ago.

A servant of lowly status who served the saint attempted to desire her and was discovered and expelled.

It is said that the demon who remained on the continent approached the man burning with twisted revenge and whispered.

‘If you burn the witch who rejected you and offer her to me, I’ll give you immense power.’

Eventually, the man burned the saint beloved by humanity and, after obtaining the demon’s power, fled to the southern peninsula.

Humanity, suddenly losing the saint and falling into chaos, couldn’t chase after him.

But one fortunate thing was that even after the saint’s death, her descendants remained in the world.

Although their power had weakened due to much human blood mixing in, they could still emit Aurum.

So the remaining humanity established a holy nation to protect the saint’s bloodline and strictly managed that lineage.

And meanwhile, the man who killed the saint and disappeared was forgotten in the continent.

The man who murdered the saint fled across the rugged mountains to the peninsula.

However, being a born coward, the man couldn’t feel at ease even with that.

He used the power given by the demon to erect a massive barrier blocking the continent and peninsula in just one day.

Still not feeling safe, he erected another layer of barrier centered on the imperial palace.

After killing all the witches and wizards living within that barrier, the man finally became the emperor of the country he had established.

He, who had been the most lowly servant, became a great sage and hero.

The man, not wanting his transgressions to be discovered, once again borrowed the demon’s power to brainwash all the humans within the barrier.

That the north was full of monsters and uncivilized barbarians.

That they must never leave this place…..

[This is the timeline separator]

“……That’s how it happened.”

The young marquis who finished speaking giggled at the two people who were at a loss for words.

“What great imperial family, what proud motherland! This place is just a hideout built by a cowardly man who ran away, no different from a demon’s lunchbox!”

It was a cry filled with resentment.

The truth finally revealed was more terrible and cruel than expected, and stained with human greed as filthy as sewage.

Even Belly was momentarily lost for words.

After a while, having barely regained his composure, he opened his mouth to ask.

“……Then, what about the black crystal?”

“Aurum is the power of god, so the emperor who contracted with the demon couldn’t use it.”

The young marquis answered slowly.

“So the first emperor, with the demon’s help, figured out how to charge Posium by exploiting human life energy.”

“Then, could it be that the reason this empire is so strictly divided into three zones is……”

“It’s to supply humans smoothly from Zone 3.”

The young marquis answered indifferently.

“This is unbelievable……”

Lin murmured, shocked.

But Belly rather widened his eyes. His expression was filled with joy as if he had finally found the correct answer.

“……No. It makes sense. Everything is explained by that story.”

Then the young marquis quickly shouted from beyond the iron bars.

“Yes. Do you think someone who’s going to die tomorrow would make up such a lie?”

“……Wait.”

Belly, who had been lost in thought, asked in succession.

“Then what happened to that first emperor?”

“It seems there’s a limit to lifespan even with a demon contract. He left descendants and died.”

The young marquis answered readily.

“Instead, he probably took measures to ensure his descendants would never contract with the demon.”

“Then, the demon……”

“It still remains in this empire. They say it seeks the next contractor when the previous one dies.”

At the young marquis’s answer, Lin and Belly looked at each other simultaneously.

Now the inside story of what had been happening was gradually beginning to be revealed.

“Then, the demon contractor of this generation is……”

“Why do you ask.”

The young marquis answered gruffly.

“Of course, it’s that Marquis Pryde!”

“……!”

“I don’t know exactly when or how he contracted with the demon. Father didn’t know either.”

The young marquis started sobbing again as he said the word ‘father’.

“I just tried to imitate after hearing that he had killed a thousand people.”

At that answer, Belly muttered to himself with a serious face.

“Then Pryde, that guy really……”

Was he the demon itself?

And one that has ruled this empire for the past three hundred years?

Meanwhile, Lin shouted painfully, roughly rubbing his face.

“Damn it. Then Delphine is now captured by the demon?”

But there was nothing he could do, trapped in this underground prison where even magic doesn’t work.

He kept shouting, hitting his own head in frustration.

“Damn it! Delphine!”

“Lin! Calm down……!”

Belly’s restraint didn’t reach his ears at all.

Delphine. Where are you now and what are you doing?

No, what is that man doing to you and where?

He too was noticing deep in his heart.

She who has a proud and beautiful face, but in fact has a weaker heart than anyone.

She who can’t hide her wavering eyes when Pryde is occasionally mentioned.

……She who can’t forget the slave from her childhood and can’t bring herself to truly hate her current husband.

‘But he, that man must not!’

He’s a demon!

A body that has long since sold its soul!

How could such a person be capable of sincere love.

Lin shouted her name, grabbing his head as if going mad.

“Delphine……!”

[This is the timeline separator]

“Del.”

Ioan whispered in Delphine’s ear with hot breath.

Goosebumps spread all over her body at that low, thick voice scraping his vocal cords.

Suddenly afraid, she raised her head to see his copper-colored eyes melted hot.

He had already taken off his mask and had the face of a beast.

But she still didn’t know his true identity.

Should she shake off this hand that was hotly entwining around her waist even now?

Couldn’t she find another way to save La Rouge’s comrades?

But even as dozens of thoughts passed through her mind, her body wouldn’t move easily.

The man’s heat, clearly felt even through the clothes, seemed to have transferred to her as well.

Her heart kept pounding, and it was hazy inside her head as if steam had risen.

Without time for long deliberation, the man skillfully removed Delphine’s clothes one by one.

But unlike her, the man was still perfectly dressed in his white uniform.

Realizing that she was looking at his uniform, the man tore off the top button of his jacket with somewhat rough movements.

A long line creased between the brows of the man who always maintained his composure.

Over that image, his faces that she had seen so far overlapped one by one.

The man who cut off his own father’s neck with an emotionless face.

The man who rounded up people from Zone 3 without batting an eye.

The one who pretended to be fooled by her, as if not knowing anything, with an innocent face.

But in fact, he was plotting such a perfect sweep operation behind the scenes.

The man who is more cruel and cold-blooded than anyone else……

Is it really alright to do this with such a man?