Chapter 105: Bernoa Subjugation Successful

“No. I must not be deceived. I must escape from the grasp of the Demon King.”

“No, I…”

“Are you sure?”

“Ugh… No, stop!”

My body wouldn’t move.

I couldn’t resist.

That deep, unwavering voice pulled me in without realizing it.

The Demon King’s outstretched arm drew me in helplessly.

“Ah… Ahh…”

“I will love you forever.”

At some point, my resistance faded.

I justified it to myself, convincing myself that it was his power forcing me into submission.

And yet, I found myself in the Demon King’s embrace.

And the Demon King truly loved Berna.

He whispered sweet words, kissed her lips, and held her close.

His arms were too warm for someone called the Demon King.

For Berna, who had been corroded by darkness, the goddess’s words no longer offered any comfort.

Her heart was slowly being consumed as well.

And in the end, she willingly embraced the Demon King.

“Ah… Ahh…”

“Yes. Be honest with yourself. You must have suffered so much.”

His warm whisper and gentle touch on her hair made her heart burn.

Only her lord had ever made her feel this way before.

Perhaps the Demon King… No, the Demon Lord was her true lord all along.

Perhaps they had been switched somewhere along the way.

Maybe the real lord had been replaced, and the one currently ruling in Ashtar was an imposter.

She convinced herself of this.

She had to justify her betrayal of humanity.

She was simply following the one she loved.

She brainwashed herself.

Because if she didn’t, she would be nothing more than a traitor.

‘Yes. He is my true lord. My light.’

The Eldakrad who came to subjugate the Demon King’s domain was an imposter.

The real lord was the one being attacked.

The fake was the one leading the charge against him!

“Oh… Demon Lord… You were my true master all along.”

“Yes. I am your master, your light—Eldakrad.”

“My lord…”

“Berna, will you be mine? Will you become my sword and lead the charge in slaughtering the humans?”

That was the final choice.

She had to escape.

Now was her last chance to turn back.

‘I have to strike the Demon King with a miracle, escape from Seto while he’s off guard, and flee to the fake Eldakrad. I have to tell him about the real lord and—die?’

But Berna, now fully drenched in darkness, had already made her choice.

There was no real decision to make.

Because the one who truly loved her—her true lord—was the Demon King.

There was no reason to run away.

This Demon Castle, where her true master resided, was where she belonged.

“Yes. I will follow you, my Demon Lord.”

“At last, you are mine. Your nature is well-suited to receiving my power. I shall grant you the authority of corruption.”

The Demon King embraced Berna once again and bestowed upon her his power.

The holy light that once resided in her rosary had long since faded.

Her hair gradually turned to ashen gray, and her eyes glowed crimson like fresh blood.

A new force surged through her body—no longer the sacred power of light, but a dark and murky energy. The power of demons.

“Ah… Power! The Demon Lord’s power flows through me!”

“From now on, you shall be known as the Fallen Saint Berna. Now, we have time. Go forth and annihilate the humans in the lands liberated by Ashtar’s army. Kill the false lord and rid me of my troubles.”

“Yes, my Demon Lord.”

***

As the Fallen Saint, Berna carried out the Demon King’s will, massacring the kingdom’s people in the regions reclaimed by Ashtar’s army.

“Please… Please, spare us! At least the children!”

“If you want the children to live, then you must kill them yourself.”

She spared no one—man, woman, child, or elder.

She slaughtered children before their parents’ eyes and killed the elderly in front of their grieving sons and daughters.

The despair on their faces filled her with an indescribable joy.

‘Why had she only realized this now?’

Killing was far more fulfilling and enjoyable than saving lives.

Just imagining her master’s praise made her body tingle with excitement.

After indulging in her newfound strength, Berna returned to the Ashtar army’s camp, acting as if nothing had happened.

“You seem… different from before.”

“I apologize. I was in such a hurry to escape that I barely had time to collect myself.”

The fake lord suspected her corruption.

He was sharp—but of course, he was a fake.

If he were the real one, he would have understood her at least a little.

This only proved he was an imposter.

There was no need to hesitate.

Berna secretly corrupted half of Eldakrad’s forces and persuaded his closest aides.

Before long, she led them all to march on the Demon Castle.

And then—

“Haha… Hahaha! See? You were a fake all along! If you were the real lord, you wouldn’t be dying like this!”

“You are truly pitiful.”

Berna had thoroughly betrayed Eldakrad.

She lured him to the Demon Castle, where her corrupted soldiers and Seto’s ambush awaited.

And at last, they succeeded in capturing him.

“You seem to misunderstand something… The Demon Lord is my one true master! I have pledged my love and loyalty to him of my own free will! You are nothing but a defeated fraud. And now, you will die by my hands! The only true lord is the Demon Lord alone!”

Berna picked up the fallen sword, ready to sever her past once and for all.

Here.

She had to kill him here.

The fake had to die, so that the Demon Lord could truly become the one and only master.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew this was wrong.

But to justify her betrayal, she told herself it was the only way.

The only way to erase her doubt.

Slaaash!

Berna finally struck down Eldakrad—the man she had once loved.

“Even as you die… Ha… Haha… Just wait and see! When the time comes, I will personally slaughter your entire lineage and send them to join you! Hahaha… Ahahahaha!”

Before taking his last breath, Eldakrad left Berna with one final curse:

“I may die here today… but Ashtar will not forget. One day, my descendants will rise and put an end to you.”

A cold wind brushed against her skin, and Berna slowly opened her eyes.

She was kneeling.

Looking around, she saw the banners of Ashtar and the Empire waving all around her.

That’s right.

She had lost.

It was a miracle she was even alive after such an attack.

“I may die here today… but Ashtar will not forget. One day, my descendants will rise and put an end to you.”

Just as Eldakrad had foretold, she had now fallen at the hands of his descendants.

The powerful Ashtar army, armed with advanced weapons, must have already annihilated the leaderless Third Legion.

Yes…

It must have been around forty years.

And now, the situation was completely reversed.

Back then, Eldakrad had been surrounded by the Demon King’s banners.

Now, she was the one surrounded by Ashtar’s flags.

‘Did he feel the same as I do now? No… It must have been even worse for him. He was betrayed. He must have despised me…’

Slowly, she lifted her head.

Standing before her was Noah, the warrior from the Land of Ruin who had slain the Demon King, and the woman who carried the soul of the Ashtar princess.

Eldakrad’s descendant—staring down at her with cold, piercing eyes.

It was time to face judgment.

She was doomed.

She never imagined that Syria would actually capture her.

***

Berna had been unceremoniously tossed into a corner.

And now, Olivia was locked in a tearful negotiation with Syria.

“Hey, come on. This isn’t fair. That idiot basically gave herself up! I had her cornered, and then she just walked away!”

“There was no clause excluding ‘giving up,’ was there?”

“Well, yeah, but—!”

“No, seriously, this is just… Have you never heard of the rule of three? Besides, you didn’t even properly state what ‘anything’ meant back then.”

She should let this one slide!

“Olivia, this is getting a little pathetic.”

Olivia shut her mouth instantly.

Syria just called her pathetic.

No way.

That was too much.

There were some lines a person shouldn’t cross!

And now she was bringing up marriage? What was Olivia supposed to do about that?!

“…Fine.”

“Huh?”

“At the very least, let’s make a wizard’s contract.”

‘A wizard’s contract?’

Once made, it was nearly impossible to break.

Syria was trying to trap her completely.

“No, I said I’m not marrying you.”

“I know that’s impossible right now. I’m well aware—after all, I’m a saintess.”

“…Right.”

“Then, live with me instead. That much, you can do, right?”

‘Ah. Right. She’s a saintess.’

That means the marriage thing was never even an option in the first place.

Wait.

‘If it’s just living together, then… that’s not really a problem, is it? It might be a bit annoying, but Syria herself wasn’t really an issue. And if marriage ever became a hassle, Olivia could just say she’d live as a wizard and nothing more.’

Besides—

‘She needed someone by her side. Someone who knew her secret. Claire was her mother’s subordinate and didn’t know her true identity. Kise had connections to the first generation but wasn’t particularly close to her.’

‘Noelle?’

‘That girl would probably grab her by the hair and slam her into the ground. She’d run away from home anyway, so there was no reason to live with her.’

‘When considering everything, Syria wasn’t a bad choice. Yes. This wasn’t bad at all. It’s not like Syria would suddenly turn into a man. And she wouldn’t suddenly turn back into Noah, either.’

“…Fine.”

“If you refuse even this, then you have zero credibility as a wizard.”

That was a bit harsh.

“No, I just—”

“This isn’t because I’m from the Land of Ruin, is it?”

“…Do you really think I’d break my word over something like that?”

If it weren’t a beneficial deal, Olivia wouldn’t have considered it—no matter how desperate she looked.

Before Syria could push her into a worse deal, Olivia decided to take this one.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Really?!”

Syria’s eyes sparkled.

“Living together isn’t a big deal. Claire is my mother’s follower, so keeping her close would be inconvenient. I need someone who knows my secret nearby. And besides, we’re both women. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Ufufufu.”

“…What’s with that creepy laugh?”

‘Did she say something wrong? Should she have thought this through a bit more?’

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

***

A while later, the Ashtar army arrived at Crad Castle.

It seemed they had already taken care of the Third Legion.

Even though Crad Castle was close, Olivia never expected them to arrive so quickly.

When the Ashtar Duke saw the state of the castle, he was visibly shocked.

“Hm. What happened here? Olivia, did you capture Berna?”

Technically, Syria landed the finishing blow.

But Olivia had done most of the work, hadn’t she?

There was no need to give Syria all the credit.

“Well… You see… I’m a saintess, right? And I was trained primarily in offensive miracles. Meanwhile, Berna was a Fallen Saintess.”

“…Does that usually work like that?” Of course it does.

“Just don’t ask any more questions.”

“It does for me. Because I’m a saintess.”

Syria chimed in, nodding.

“Yes, my lady is truly incredible! Her magical abilities are so powerful, she doesn’t even need to be part of the mage corps!”

“…Even so, your magic—”

‘Oh no. Was he about to nitpick?’

“Anyway, she’s been defeated.”

That was all that mattered.

No more questions, please.