“Welcome~
Today’s attendance has been completed.”
As Belphegor drew his sword, Victoria’s blood arced through the air in a graceful curve.
“Oh dear, interrupting another duel?”
“Victoria!”
Belphegor looked down at the fallen Victoria with displeasure, while Kalian momentarily halted the battle to check on her condition.
“Why… why did you do this?”
“Kalian… You seem unharmed. That’s a relief.”
Victoria, lying on the ground, looked up at Kalian.
Despite the blood gushing from her abdominal wound, she appeared strangely calm.
She pondered something deeply before speaking again.
“I saw it.”
“Saw what…?”
“I saw it in a play. The heroine always throws herself to save the man she loves. So I tried it too.”
“Victoria, you…”
Kalian was at a loss for words.
No woman had ever thrown herself in harm’s way to save him before, so he was understandably flustered.
“Why would you go this far?”
“I don’t really know. I just felt like doing it.”
“I don’t want to see you die. You must win, Kalian.”
“Just wait for me a little longer.”
Leaving the injured Victoria in my care, Kalian turned back to face Belphegor.
Belphegor, in an unexpected display of sportsmanship, waited patiently for Kalian to prepare.
“Shall we resume the duel?”
“Thanks for waiting, Belphegor. But I won’t let you off easily for hurting my friend.”
“I did nothing wrong. Your friend is the one who rudely interfered in the duel. So, I take it you wish to continue?”
“Here I come!”
Kalian and Belphegor clashed once more.
A white radiance engulfed the arena.
It would be over soon.
A protagonist who loses a comrade becomes twice as strong.
Now that Kalian had witnessed Victoria’s sacrifice, there was no way he could lose this fight.
“I suppose I should get up now.”
Victoria, who had been resting her head on my lap, casually lifted her head.
I gently pushed her forehead, making her lie back down.
“Stay put.”
“Why?”
“If your wound heals too quickly, Kalian will get suspicious. If you’re going to act weak, do it properly.”
“Good point.”
Of course, Victoria was completely fine.
The wound from the sword had already healed, and even the bloodstains on her clothes had long since disappeared.
After all, she was the Demon King.
Even if her opponent was a great warrior, a single attack wouldn’t put her in any real danger.
“How does it feel to have saved Kalian?”
“Not bad. Getting stabbed hurt a lot, but seeing Kalian safe puts me at ease.”
“He would have survived on his own. You didn’t have to step in.”
“Really? I didn’t know.”
Victoria kept her eyes fixed on Kalian.
I had suspected it for a while, but now I was almost certain.
She was in love.
She hadn’t realized it yet due to her lack of common sense and experience, but she was undoubtedly in love with Kalian.
I knew from the original story that she would eventually fall for him, but I hadn’t expected her feelings to develop this quickly.
Maybe it was a mistake to bring them together.
I should have anticipated this, but I was too focused on Alcatraz, and my vision became too narrow.
Should I separate them now, just as I did with Evelyn and Elia?
The Demon King is the ultimate villainess among all villainesses.
If their relationship continues to improve, it will pose a significant danger.
But… a part of me wonders what would happen if I just let it be.
If the Demon King grows as a person through her love for Kalian, all the long-standing issues ahead might simply cease to exist.
Of course, what truly matters is how Kalian feels about her.
“Victoria, do you want to win Kalian’s heart?”
“If I could, I would like to. But recently, I’ve started thinking that this isn’t so bad either.”
“Why?”
“If I get too greedy, everything might fall apart. Just like in those plays. You know, when the heroine tries to win the man’s heart but ends up ruining everything.”
“Another play reference?”
“Plays are life. They are existence itself.”
She’s more thoughtful than I expected.
I didn’t think she would be considering things this deeply.
As she continued resting her head on my lap, she suddenly jolted in surprise.
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve had such close contact with someone. I heard that a lap pillow is something lovers do… Am I committing infidelity?”
“What infidelity? Just stay put.”
“No! I want Kalian’s lap pillow instead.”
Victoria abruptly sat up.
At that moment, the soul pouch placed in the corner trembled, and Elia and Evelyn emerged from it.
The lingering remnants of the dead clung to their spirit bodies, trying to pull them back, but they eventually ran out of strength and dissipated into the air.
“Hah… hah… I thought we were going to die.”
“That was quite the arduous journey.”
Even though Elia was a spirit, she was panting, while Evelyn looked relatively composed as she scanned her surroundings.
“Welcome back.”
“No issues. We were surrounded by some bizarre spirits, but they were easily subdued. And we obtained what we needed.”
At Evelyn’s signal, Elia opened the pouch of spirit orbs she had taken to the spirit realm.
Once empty, the orbs were now filled with countless souls.
These were the spirits of the Belmore family members.
“You’ve worked hard. We’re almost done here, so I’ll return you to your bodies now.”
I guided their spirits back into their original bodies.
Upon waking in their physical forms, they lightly stretched.
Evelyn seemed unaffected, but Elia stumbled a few times.
I turned to her.
“Are you okay?”
“It feels… weird. Was my body always this heavy?”
“You did well.”
“What happened to the duel? Don’t tell me you personally killed the apostle.”
“You’ll know when you see for yourself.”
We turned our attention to the dueling grounds.
Belphegor was kneeling, clutching his broken sword, while Kalian stood over him, pointing his blade at him.
The duel had ended in Kalian’s victory.
With our business concluded, we safely exited the mansion.
“This was an incredibly unfair fight,” Belphegor grumbled as he saw us off.
Though he had been battered during the duel, he had already restored himself to a clean and composed state.
“Kalian won, and as per the contract, we’re taking the souls. What’s so unfair about that?”
“First, you interfered. And second, Lady Victoria interfered as well. Without the two of you, I would have won this battle.”
“But we spared your life. You should be grateful for that.”
“I should never have allowed you into my mansion.”
He shook his head at me.
For someone complaining, he wasn’t making any underhanded moves or attacking out of spite, which left no bitter aftertaste.
In the original story, I only skimmed through his character settings, but he’s more interesting than I thought.
I might have the chance to meet him again someday.
Kalian looked at me apologetically and spoke.
“Thank you, Belphegor, for putting up with our selfishness.”
“I simply lacked the power to stop you.”
“If you had really wanted to, you could have found another way. The truth is… you’ve been bothered by what happened five years ago, haven’t you?”
“…No, I was merely following the contract.”
Before leaving, Kalian reached out his hand to Belphegor.
“I can’t give you my soul, but we can still be soul friends, right?”
“…Friendship, huh?”
“I’ll visit again someday. And next time, let’s meet as friends, without a life-or-death contract between us. Oh, and… prepare some normal desserts then.”
Belphegor stared at Kalian’s outstretched hand for a moment before letting out a quiet smile and shaking it.
“Friends… That’s quite a complicated contract.”
Late in the evening, we returned to the Belmore mansion.
Elia had gathered all the remaining members of the Belmore family.
Including her family and servants, over two hundred bodies were laid out along the mansion’s hallway.
After receiving the pouch of soul orbs from Elia, I released all the trapped souls at once.
Hundreds of spirits blazed like flames, illuminating the mansion’s darkness.
They floated momentarily in the air before each one found its rightful body.
Once all the souls had returned, silence settled over the mansion once more.
After a while, a man who had been lying as if dead twitched his fingers.
The first to awaken was Elia’s father, the head of the Belmore family.
Uncomfortable from lying on the hard floor, he shifted slightly before realizing something was off.
His gaze darted around in confusion.
“Why am I not in my room but lying in the hallway…? And why is everyone else here too?”
“How does it feel to return to your body after so long?”
“Who are you?”
The family head looked at me warily.
He seemed ready to launch a spell at any moment.
Most of their memories from their time as spirits must have faded.
He likely had no idea why he was here or who I was.
“I came to help you all.”
“Help us? With what?”
“Five years ago, you lost your souls and were on the verge of disappearing from existence. We saved you from that fate.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
One by one, the people began rising to their feet.
There was no need to stir up unnecessary commotion.
In this situation, it would be best for Elia to take the lead.
“Elia…?”
But when I turned to look, she was gone.
Where had she disappeared to at such a crucial moment?
Leaving this situation in Ibelin and Kalian’s hands, I quickly moved to find her.
Soon, I arrived at her room.
The window was wide open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze.
On the table, there was a single note.
『Thank you so much for helping me. Thanks to you, everything has returned to where it belongs.』
That was all the note said.
Was she planning something reckless?
I rushed out of the mansion.