Chapter 1: Betrayal and Salvation – 1

She sacrificed everything for her homeland.

A peaceful life.

Vast wealth.

Power as the master of the Mage Tower.

The disciples she could have nurtured even further.

Even the love she could have held onto with that man.

With her striking red hair, the woman known as the Great Witch Mari devoted everything she had to protect this country.

One day, when the invaders tore through the dimensional rift and appeared—beings known as demons—Mari gave her all to resist them.

She spent her wealth to hire mercenaries, used the potions and magical artifacts she had carefully preserved, and personally led her disciples to the frontlines.

It was her land, her empire, Leaf, and if it fell, everything she held dear would collapse as well.

But at this moment, Mari finally realized one undeniable truth.

The nation she was trying to protect…

The homeland she had been so loyal to…

It was something that should have been destroyed from the start.

“Ugh…!”

A sword pierced through her spine, slicing out through her chest.

As life-draining pain engulfed her, the voices of the ones she trusted most—two of her three closest disciples—rang in her ears.

“It was an unavoidable decision for the sake of the Empire.”

“Urgh…”

“I’m sorry, Master. Please forgive this unworthy disciple.”

“Brutus! Even you… betrayed me… Ugh!!!”

Before she could finish her words, swords and magic struck her mercilessly.

Her body, torn apart by the relentless attacks, crumpled to the ground.

Amidst unbearable pain, her consciousness grew faint.

And then, the voices of those filthy traitors began to echo in her ears.

“Retreat! The demons will arrive soon!”

“Goodbye, Master.”

“We will never forget your grace, Master.”

With those words, the people around her began moving quickly.

The Imperial Army, who had fought alongside her until now.

The general who led them, Iskal.

And even the two disciples she had lovingly raised.

All of them abandoned the dying Mari and vanished swiftly.

Shortly after, another group began surrounding Mari’s fallen body.

Even in her fading consciousness, she instantly recognized who they were.

The demons.

The lifelong enemies she had spent half her life fighting.

Now, they were approaching her to take her life.

As she watched them draw near, a single tear slid down her cheek.

‘I don’t… want to die…’

She once believed she could gladly sacrifice her life for her country or for those she cherished.

But now, betrayed by all of them…

She didn’t want to die like this, discarded like trash, meeting such a miserable end.

Pain.

Despair.

And amidst all of this, feeling the fury welling up inside her, she watched the demon’s hand reaching for her and tightly shut her tear-filled eyes.

But then…

“…Huh?”

The sensation that followed was not what Mari had expected.

Suddenly, she felt warmth envelop her.

The pain vanished, and her blurred consciousness began to clear.

The excruciating agony was replaced with calm serenity, and her cold, lifeless body started to regain warmth.

What on earth was happening?

Caught off guard by this completely unexpected situation, Mari could only feel confusion and astonishment.

Then, a voice reached her ears.

“Are you alright?”

As she regained her senses, she became aware of someone holding her fallen body.

A man, with horns—the unmistakable symbol of a demon—on his head and black wings on his back.

This face was one she had seen many times on the battlefield.

One of the four great Demon Lords, a supreme leader of the demons.

Among them, this one was particularly formidable, a being whose strength Mari had always been wary of, despite her own power.

His name was…

“…Kesar? Why… why are you…”

Her voice trembled with confusion as she asked the question.

But before she could finish, another voice interrupted, ringing in her ears.

“Lord Kesar! Why are you doing this?”

“Isn’t this woman the filthy witch of the Leaf Empire?”

“She has slain tens of thousands of our kind! Grant me the chance to avenge them with my own hands!”

The demons expressed their anger clearly, their voices united in calling for her death.

Mari unconsciously shrank back, overwhelmed by their hostility.

She, who once roamed the battlefield boldly, wielding her staff with unshakable courage.

But now, stripped of her honor, patriotism, and the courage they once gave her, she was no more than a frightened woman, terrified of death.

The furious demons demanding her execution were enough to make her feel the grip of fear tighten around her heart.

And yet…

“Silence, all of you. That is an order.”

“Ugh…”

“Hmph…”

Kesar’s cold voice cut through the chaos.

With just a single command, the dissenting demons fell silent.

Still holding Mari’s body, he glanced at her with his vivid red eyes, then turned to his subordinates and spoke again.

“This is no time to concern ourselves with this prisoner. The priority is to track the enemy. We need to seize their trail before it’s too late.”

“Ugh…”

“Well… that’s true, but…”

“Good. Then that’s settled. Antony.”

“Y-Yes, Lord Kesar.”

A female demon, visibly flustered by his sharp tone, straightened herself and responded.

Without hesitation, Kesar issued his next command.

“I will handle things here. Resume the pursuit immediately. We must slaughter as many of them as possible before they rejoin their main forces.”

“Understood, Lord Kesar. All units, move out!”

At Antony’s command, the demon army began moving without delay.

As most of the demons departed and the area fell quiet, Kesar’s gaze returned to Mari, still held in his arms.

“My apologies. Stay still for a moment. I’ll make you more comfortable soon.”

“…!”

Kesar spoke in a cold yet unsettling tone, his presence exuding an ominous atmosphere.

Under his inscrutable gaze, Mari felt her fear deepen.

Though he had saved her from the brink of death, she couldn’t believe he had done so out of simple compassion.

‘Could it be… he plans to interrogate me for information?’

As the Great Witch and a high-ranking figure of the Empire, Mari had long been a critical asset.

If someone like her were captured alive, it was only natural to expect her captors to exploit her.

The first step would likely involve extracting information about the Empire’s forces.

And Mari knew all too well what extracting information entailed.

‘Torture… He’s planning to torture me.’

Given what she had done to the demons over the years, she was certain there would be no mercy.

She could imagine the horrors: her eyes gouged out, her limbs torn apart, her back branded with hot irons.

And perhaps, just as terrifying, the possibility of being subjected to unspeakable sexual humiliation—a torment uniquely devastating to a woman.

At the end of such unbearable pain, if she finally gave up the information they sought, she would become useless.

And then, most likely, she would be executed, her head severed without a second thought.

‘The fact that even my disciples betrayed me… it means the Empire has abandoned me. Even if the demons used me as a bargaining chip to negotiate, there’s no chance the Empire would respond.’

She could only speculate about the exact circumstances, but it was clear enough.

If her disciples had gone so far as to stab her in the back, the Leaf Empire had no intention of letting her live.

Even if she survived as a prisoner, her homeland would view her existence as a liability rather than an asset.

The truth was plain: all she had gained was a brief extension of her suffering before a painful death inevitably awaited her.

‘So this is it… My life… it was always going to end like this…’

Memories of the hardships she endured as a child flooded her mind.

She had abandoned her past and devoted everything to protecting her homeland, only to be rewarded with this.

Betrayed, tormented, and left to die miserably like trash.

For this?

She had sacrificed everything to defend something so worthless—those wretched beings who didn’t deserve her efforts.

Regret surged through her.

A life spent fighting to protect something unworthy.

Her younger self, naive enough to trust them and burn her life for their sake.

She had to seek vengeance.

She couldn’t let it end like this.

To quench the deep, searing grudge within her.

To reclaim the life she had foolishly thrown away.

And in this moment…

There was one way—albeit a slim chance—to achieve this.

The one currently holding her body.

Kesar, the demon whose strength even she had acknowledged.

If she could move this man’s heart, even slightly…

“Hey… you.”

“…What is it?”

Kesar’s cold expression turned toward her, his sharp gaze like the edge of a blade.

Mari instinctively swallowed hard, but she forced herself to suppress her fear, her face hardening in determination.

In a situation like this, confidence was everything.

If she appeared weak now, it would be over.

Feigning composure, even a touch of ease, while projecting firm resolve, she met Kesar’s eyes directly and spoke.

“Will you join hands with me?”

“…What?”

His reaction was one of utter disbelief, as though questioning what nonsense she was spouting.

Mari responded with a light smile, doing her best to mask her anxiety.

“If you let me live, I’ll help you achieve what you want. The destruction of the Empire. The annihilation of those wretched fools.”

“…”

For a brief moment, Kesar’s expression cracked.

Surprise, and within it, an unguarded flicker of expectation.

Seeing this, a small glimmer of hope took root in Mari’s heart.

She had no idea what thoughts were running through Kesar’s mind at that moment.

“W-Wait, Professor Mari? Why are you declaring betrayal here?”