Archduke Belred was well-known for despising boredom.

His volatile nature, which would enliven even the dullest of gatherings by swinging his sword, was already well-known among demons.

But among humans, there was no way it could be known.

“Swearing eternity before God….”

Even the clergyman who had been reading prayers for the 40th minute seemed to have boredom seeping into his voice.

His parched, twisted prayers that had lost all sincerity long ago had no effect on Belred.

Though the divine power within them did occasionally cause mild discomfort, that was all.

The clergymen here were already too worldly to hold any divine power.

“…in this world…”

The voice reading the prayers started to grow faster and insincere.

As if wishing for the ceremony to end quickly.

Belred’s gaze scanned the surroundings anew. Although it was festooned with white decorations, it was obvious they were hastily put up. Various bottles of alcohol, which were hidden under cloth, were visible.

They could not remove the bottles from the temple, so they must not have had time to dispose of them.

It seemed like not just the three dukes, but also the regular clergymen of the temple, were in a hurry.

The corner of Belred’s mouth curled in derision.

To gather the country’s three dukes for such an insincere ceremony.

Yubar and Orobas seemed to share his sentiment, their expressions no better.

Would the prayers have been a bit more interesting if there were clergy as in the old days, who had strong divine power?

These dull prayers weren’t driving away the demon but rather seemed like they could put even a demon to sleep.

I wish they would hurry and finish.

It was not an uncomfortable prayer, but there was certainly nothing good to be gained from staying here any longer.

“…under the eyes of God, ahem, those in despair touched by the hand of the temple…”

It seemed like not just he, but everyone wanted to leave the ceremony quickly.

The clergyman who was reading the prayer even skipped a few sections. The prayer made no sense.

But no one stopped him; everyone there just seemed anxious to leave.

They trust Beril’s words.

The conclusion was one: they all solidly believed Beril’s statement that Duke Vain was not a demon.

That’s probably why they were more wary of the servants and knights accompanying the three dukes, rather than the dukes themselves.

They seemed to think that a demon might jump out from among them and attack at any moment.
Such trash claimed to be the arbiters of justice and order in the world.

Dying to such beings was a disgrace from a demon’s perspective.

Boring and predictable humans.

‘…Veled.’

Suddenly, Veled thought of Beril.

He wondered how someone as interesting as Beril could grow among such beings.

I want to see her.

Suddenly, he had that thought.

Not those boring things, but her.

Despite having held hands with her, Beril remained the most dangerous being—a saint—even for him, a demon.

That remained true even several hours later.

“Well done, everyone. The gods will acknowledge your faithfulness.”

The proxy stroked his unnecessarily long beard, flashing a cunning smile.

“You have shown ample devotion, after all.”

It was clear that their aim was not prayer.

He couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at the proxy, who smiled so wide it almost split his face at the sight of the petty offerings. If they were going to greedily covet desires, they might as well drink from the spring of desire itself.

These were the epitomes of frail beings who couldn’t even satisfy their desires without invoking the name of a god.

“We’re leaving.”

Ignoring the proxy, who waved his hand as if seeing him off, Veled climbed into the carriage.

“Yes.”

The clergy found him just as repugnant as the demon who had volunteered to drive the carriage, and they set off at once.

―Hee-hee-hee!

Though the carriage sped away from the temple, Veled’s forehead only tightened further.

As if something was bothering him.

But even he didn’t know what he wanted.

Accustomed to chasing his desires, this was unusual for him. He had always known what he wanted.

“…….”

So he had no immunity to this situation. What is making me so uncomfortable?

He closed his eyes. His fingertips were tingling, and his attention kept drifting elsewhere.

He opened his eyes even before he could lose himself in thought.

Somehow, he felt restless. Maybe it was because he had sat in one place for too long, but staying still did not suit his temperament.

―Gulp!

“Your Highness?”

He locked eyes with the demon who was galloping beside the carriage after opening the carriage door.

“I think I’ll ride myself.”

“Will you?”

Though the demon smirked, he promptly handed over the reins. Jumping onto the galloping horse and taking the coachman’s seat was certainly not a feat for humans.

―Hee-hee-hee!

When Veled grabbed the reins, the horse seemed slightly startled but quickly bowed its head.

And then.

It bolted forward at a speed unlike any before.

“Your Highness!”