I Tamed the Black Duke as a Terminally-Ill Saint (3 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
“…They’re fire-attribute.”
I was certain.
At first glance, they seemed no different from the elite demon soldiers I’d witnessed before, but the torch-shaped horns scattered among them clearly revealed their nature.
My mouth went dry.
I remembered Hades’ ultimate technique melting and vanishing against my supposedly insignificant holy flame.
With so many fire-attribute demons… probably…
“I’d be utterly helpless.”
I immediately turned around and headed straight for Hades’ bedroom.
“Where are you going, Saintess?”
Amy’s flustered voice called out, but I had no time to explain.
“He seemed to take breakfast in his room, so he should be there! He has to be!”
But the room was completely empty.
Seeing my stunned expression, Amy urgently asked,
“Saintess, what’s wrong?”
“I must see His Grace the Grand Duke at once.”
“Oh, you’re worried about him.”
Amy smiled brightly.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be back soon—just wait here with a warm cup of tea.”
That’s not it at all!
Call it overcaution if you will.
Last time, it turned out I’d underestimated Hades.
But I’d seen it with my own eyes—
Hades’ ice blade melting away against my feeble holy flame.
How could I not worry about him?
I turned to Amy.
“Where might His Grace be right now?”
“Well… probably in the banquet hall, if he hasn’t departed for battle yet.”
Of all places, the banquet hall.
The knights would likely treat me like a madwoman again, as they did last time, but I had no choice.
I hurried toward the banquet hall but suddenly staggered.
In my haste, I’d forgotten to bring Denesor, and my vision blurred.
“Saintess!”
Amy caught me.
“Are you unwell? Shall I call a physician?”
“…”
Without answering, I rushed back to my room and clutched Denesor.
‘That’s better.’
The moment Denesor neared, my body relaxed.
Of course, it still didn’t match the condition of a healthy person.
“Don’t follow me.”
“I can’t do that.”
Amy seemed more stubborn than she appeared—
she doggedly trailed after me all the way to the banquet hall.
I briefly considered using ‘Setun’ to put her to sleep, but thought better of it for the sake of our future relationship.
“…Angel.”
Fortunately, Hades hadn’t yet left the castle.
Many knights didn’t bother hiding their disgust upon seeing me.
Naturally, Sir William was among them.
But I didn’t care what they thought of me.
“Your Grace!”
I blurted out before Hades could say a word.
“I know I shouldn’t be here, but I missed you so much… Can I stay just a bit?”
A strange expression flickered across Hades’ face—then softened.
“Come here, Angel.”
I quickly approached him.
“I’m so happy to see you. Why did you leave so abruptly this morning?”
“You were sleeping so soundly—I didn’t want to wake you.”
Hades answered with a smile.
“What is it? Did you have something to say?”
“It’s… embarrassing with all the knights around…”
I murmured shyly.
“Whisper it.”
Hades bent his knees to meet my eyes.
I swiftly leaned in and whispered into his ear.
“You know those creatures are fire-attribute, right?”
“I do.”
Hades replied calmly.
“Is that really why you came all this way?”
But I didn’t miss the brief flicker in his gaze.
“…Do you have a countermeasure?”
“What do you take me for, Saintess?”
Hades answered quietly.
“I’d rather not see you make a fool of yourself again like last time.”
“A mistress can afford to look a bit foolish.”
“But you’re not my real mistress.”
Hades looked straight into my eyes and whispered.
“You don’t need to pretend you genuinely care about me.”
“It’s for my own sake.”
I didn’t back down an inch.
“If you fall, the Holy Sword will be taken by the demons. Do you really think I came all this way just to play the devoted mistress?”
“…”
Hades fell silent for a moment.
“You have a point. But it’s unnecessary worry.”
His voice brimmed with confidence.
No—“confidence” wasn’t enough to describe it.
It was the voice of someone who never even considered the possibility of defeat.
For a moment, it nearly convinced even me.
“…Go back and eat an apple, Angel.”
He pulled away and patted my shoulder.
I bristled at being treated like a child, but had no chance to protest—
he’d already strode out of the castle.
“You should return now as His Grace instructed, Saintess.”
Predictably, the moment Hades disappeared, Sir William launched his attack.
“You know staying here won’t help him in any way, don’t you?”
“Captain.”
I blinked.
Someone had just interrupted Sir William’s growing tirade.
“I’ll escort her back to her room myself.”
Or perhaps he was simply loyal to Sir William.
He offered to escort me without even asking if I intended to return.
“That sounds good, Tobias.”
My eyes widened.
This man was Sir Tobias, the one Hades had mentioned?
‘He’s far too young.’
Sir Tobias, with his sunlit golden hair, looked barely into his early twenties.
Far too young, in my opinion, to serve as deputy captain.
After all, the current captain, William, was clearly a seasoned veteran.
“A pleasure to meet you, Saintess.”
He extended his hand toward me.
“Would you grant me the honor of escorting you to your room?”
“…”
I glanced around.
The banquet hall was completely enclosed—no view outside—and with the openly hostile Sir William as captain, I couldn’t possibly gain anything from this knight order.
Besides, Amy, who’d been silently mouthing “Please go back, Saintess!” the whole time, looked pitiful.
“I appreciate your kindness, Sir Tobias.”
“Please call me Tobias.”
Tobias smiled, his violet eyes sparkling.
“Anyone precious to His Grace is precious to me.”
Huh?
I stared at him.
It wasn’t because of his slightly awkward flattery.
Though I’d never seen him before, he felt strangely familiar.
‘Did I see him in the game?’
But no character named Tobias came to mind from Leodel.
‘Well, it’ll come to me later.’
Just as I was thinking this rather carelessly,
“He’s told me a lot about you.”
“Really?”
I was genuinely surprised.
I couldn’t imagine Hades talking about me to others.
‘Was it to spread the mistress rumor faster?’
Tobias nodded.
“Yes. He recently instructed me to teach you swordsmanship soon.”
“Oh.”
I’d forgotten.
‘He definitely said that.’
Tobias grinned mischievously.
“Do you dislike it? I assumed you must be quite skilled, since you always carry a sword…”
“I’m not.”
I sighed.
“This sword was bestowed by His Grace—I just carry it.”
“Really?”
Sir Tobias tilted his head.
“It looks quite heavy.”
“It’s good for physical training, then.”
As I spoke with him, I realized one thing:
Sir Tobias didn’t dislike me.
And his kindness didn’t seem feigned, either.
‘Is he like Amy, or the more ambitious type?’
Perhaps, as Hades said, he was simply kind to the vulnerable.
Either way, since he posed no threat to me, I decided to observe him a bit longer.
Of course, if he ever overstepped, I’d report him to Hades immediately.
“We’ve arrived.”
As soon as I spotted the door, I spoke up quickly.
“You can go back now…”
My words were drowned out by a tremendous explosion.
At the same moment, Sir Tobias stiffened.
“…Excuse me.”
Without proper explanation, he dashed downstairs.
I turned to Amy, who’d been quietly following us all along.
‘…?’
I gaped in confusion.
Amy’s face had turned as pale as paper.
“You must evacuate immediately, Saintess!”
“H-huh?”
“Didn’t you hear? It’s a request for reinforcements! His Grace the Grand Duke is requesting—requesting backup…”
Amy trembled like an aspen leaf.
“Oh, this isn’t the time! Hurry! We must go quickly!”
“Wait.”
I simply couldn’t follow her.
“Explain—just how bad is a reinforcement request?”
Amy stared at me blankly.
“You’re… an outsider, Saintess.”
She paused slightly.
“So you might not know. His Grace has only ever requested reinforcements three times.”
Her voice echoed through the empty corridor.
“The first two times, he nearly died.”
“What about the third?”
“No.”
Amy looked me straight in the eyes.
“The castle nearly fell.”
Cold sweat broke out on my skin.
Even Hades, who always seemed so confident, had faced such crises.
And today, probably…
“The shelter won’t do today. What should we do? We need to get to the tower…”
I cut her off.
“Go alone.”
“What?”
Amy’s voice sharpened.
“No!”
Ah, damn it.
I realized instantly that reasoning with Amy was hopeless.
“Amy! Get down!”
“Wha…?”
Amy immediately turned in the direction I’d pointed.
Without missing a beat, I cast the spell.
“Setun.”
Amy instantly collapsed, unconscious.
Grunting, I dragged her onto the bed and quickly slipped out of the room.
‘…How do I explain this later.’
But that was a problem for later.
Right now, I needed to figure out how to stop those demons.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Putting Amy to sleep was fine—but after that, my mind went completely blank, as if bleached white.
Just then—
the Holy Sword began glowing white and vibrating.
And then…
a voice rang in my ears, so unbelievable I thought I’d misheard.
“Do you want to save that human?”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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