Chapter 107: The Worst Punishment

The interrogation was over, and I went to find Duke Ashtar.

It seemed he was preparing for a retreat.

I intended to leave the decision of whether to kill or spare Berna to him.

Though I had told Berna she would be spared, at this point, I was unsure if keeping her alive was the better option.

The Duke had secured his position after Eldakrad’s death, when chaos once again swept through Ashtar.

I needed his counsel.

“So, what have you learned?”

“It concerns the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King. The Four Heavenly Kings are chosen and corrupted by the Demon King, gaining their powers. However, the issue lies with Seto.”

I spoke frankly.

“Seto?”

“Seto is a rare case among the Four Heavenly Kings. He appears in historical records. Even Bernoa was captured by Seto and turned into a Four Heavenly King.”

Everything now led back to Seto.

If we were to uncover the long history of the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings, we needed to capture Seto.

“Then Seto could be behind everything?”

“Yes. Furthermore, it seems suspicious that there are always exactly four of them.”

This was another mystery that could only be solved by capturing Seto.

“If we execute Bernoa without careful consideration, a new Four Heavenly King might emerge.”

“Exactly.”

So the Duke of Ashtar was not someone to be taken lightly.

“If what you say is true, we cannot simply kill her. What do you think?”

“Berna’s mental state is unstable. To be honest, I’m not sure. But you, Father, understand such matters better than I do. You endured the chaos in Ashtar and emerged victorious.”

At my words, the Duke closed his eyes.

A brief but profound silence followed.

“If we were to act purely on emotions, executing her for revenge wouldn’t be a bad option. However, if Seto were to create a new Four Heavenly King…”

An unknown Four Heavenly King with untested abilities would be a hassle.

There was also the possibility that they could be stronger than me.

With the Hero being completely useless right now, executing Berna was not a decision to take lightly.

“It would be troublesome. Instead, keeping Berna alive, knowing her abilities, might be a better option.”

“But there is no guarantee she will cooperate with us. What if she sides with Seto instead?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why?”

“She sees me as a lord, perhaps even a Demon King. She had already said she would obey me.”

“She sees me as Eldakrad… my grandfather.”

At my words, the Duke seemed deep in thought again.

‘If this were merely about Ashtar, it would be one thing. But if it concerned humanity as a whole, it was not a decision to be made lightly.’

“Then perhaps using her isn’t a bad idea. Instead of executing her publicly, we could disguise another demon in her place and put her under your command.”

“Would that be acceptable to you?”

“This was the man who had prepared a war of vengeance for his father’s death—yet he was making this decision so easily?”

“Haven’t you already decided? You captured Berna. Her fate is in your hands.”

“Understood.”

‘If he was willing to go along with it, I had no complaints. After all, this was what I had been hoping for.’

“Raise the banner at Crad Castle! The border between Ashtar and the Demon King’s territory shall once again be marked by Crad Castle!”

Duke Ashtar left behind soldiers and craftsmen to reinforce Crad Castle, officially declaring its reclamation.

On the way back, there were no obstacles—after all, we had already defeated the Demon King’s army.

Seated in the carriage, I sat beside Syria.

“Olivia, isn’t it strange that Pector hasn’t appeared?”

“He made a promise to me. For now, the Empire won’t act, nor will they openly oppose Ashtar.”

“Hmm, since we’ve defeated Berna, wouldn’t it be a good time to march straight to the Demon King’s castle? Taking over a castle without a Demon King sounds ideal, doesn’t it?”

“It would be difficult to hold, though.”

‘Who knew what lay ahead?’

‘Perhaps Seto was stronger than I had anticipated. Or maybe… something was lurking behind the Demon King.’

***

Demon King’s Castle

“I never expected Berna to lose so easily. Foolish girl. Anything related to Eldakrad drives people insane.”

That was precisely why she was made a Four Heavenly King.

But she had outlived her usefulness.

“Should I create a new Demon King?”

No, not yet. At this moment, having a Demon King would not be ideal.

Honestly, I had not expected Ashtar’s woman to be this powerful.

Though I had manipulated Berna’s unstable mind, I doubted I could defeat her in a one-on-one fight.

I had planned to strike Ashtar while their main forces were away, but thanks to the Duke’s second son and their new weapons, the attack was a complete failure.

‘I should have gone myself.’

Had I led the army personally, things would not have turned out this way.

Instead, I sent my forces and lost them.

Bernoa was defeated, and Ashtar suffered little damage.

I should have either gone to capture Ashtar myself or intervened in the battle at Crad to control Berna’s frenzy.

“Pector was useless as well. And how on earth is that woman wielding the Demon King’s power?”

The real problem was that Berna was still alive.

If it were Ashtar, she would have beheaded Berna and burned her corpse.

‘Had something gone wrong?’

If Berna remained alive, I could not create a new Four Heavenly King.

That was the requirement.

Still, it was fine for now.

I had prepared enough sacrifices.

Three Four Heavenly Kings were sufficient to resurrect Him.

“It has been a long time. Soon, the Supreme God shall descend and recreate this world—a world free from the wretched corruption of this one!”

Seto never viewed the Demon King as anything significant.

To begin with, the so-called Demon King was not a being to be revered or worshiped.

It was merely the lingering remnant of the Abyss left by God.

Humans, drawn by their inherent wickedness, fell into corruption when exposed to this remnant.

That was how the Four Heavenly Kings came to be.

“I must move the Church.”

With the Four Heavenly Kings reduced to three, the best way forward was to provoke the Church.

The Empire was vast and deeply corrupt—the Church would thrive there.

That would be the first step.

***

Two weeks had passed since the campaign ended.

[Execute the Fallen Saint Berna, One of the Four Heavenly Kings.]

Dragged to Ashtar, Berna was pelted with stones by the enraged citizens, her body covered in blood.

Of course, for someone like her, mere stones were hardly a threat.

But for the people of Ashtar, who had lost their families decades ago, it was a small measure of vengeance.

Her execution was carried out almost immediately.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

In truth, the reality was entirely different.

“Did you really capture another demon and burn them at the stake?”

With shackles on her wrists, Bernoa frowned.

‘Did she truly not expect to be kept alive?’ I shrugged.

“We’ve captured plenty of demons anyway. What’s one more? We just put on a grander show for one that was going to die regardless.”

It was simply a necessity on our side.

It wasn’t as if I had sacrificed an innocent person just to keep Bernoa alive.

The demons we captured during this campaign were executed for the bereaved families of the soldiers lost in Eldakrad’s war.

It was both a reprisal for past failures and a means to pacify public sentiment.

And now, To keep Bernoa under control, I decided to bind her with a familiar’s contract.

Normally, succubi used it, But with a few modifications, even a mage could utilize it.

Since she had already pledged loyalty of her own will, I needed it to seal her power as a Four Heavenly King.

A private place was best for engraving the mark, and since women had more areas to conceal it, it was convenient.

I placed it on her cleavage.

Given that Bernoa never exposed herself even after her corruption, it wouldn’t be an issue.

“The contract is sealed now.”

I smiled in satisfaction, but Bernoa, who had kept her eyes closed, gasped in shock upon seeing the mark on her chest.

“Are you insane? You placed a familiar’s mark on my cleavage?”

“Where else would I put it? It needs to be hidden. Or do you have another kind of seal that can restrain the power of a Four Heavenly King?”

That mark, infused with my magic, was perfect.

It appeared as an engraving, but it was a shackle around her heart.

If she disobeyed me, I could shatter her heart instantly.

“It’s visible, you idiot! Any skilled priest would notice it the moment they lay eyes on me. And you, granddaughter of that man, where is your sense?”

“You’re being picky. No one will notice. Wait, where are you moving it?”

“The lower abdomen is the safest place.”

This crazy woman moved the mark from her chest to her lower abdomen.

Specifically, the area where succubi usually placed their marks.

It already had a suggestive shape, and now this?

Well, whatever. It would definitely be harder to detect there.

“So, what are you planning to make me do?”

“You’ll become a saint.”

“You want me to be a saint of the Goddess Church? Again?”

“Yes.”

Of course, in a different sense.

“I already betrayed the Goddess! And now you want me to be a saint? The Pope would strip me naked and burn me alive in the capital! No—worse than that. A swift beheading would be preferable!”

Ugh, she still clings to her former title.

At least she’s aware that the Pope is a complete lunatic.

But I wasn’t asking her to return to the Holy Kingdom.

“What nonsense are you spewing? I want you to be the saint of the Empire’s Church, in my place.”

“What?”

Her expression was priceless, like a pigeon hit by a rock.

“You look similar to me.”

“So what! If you don’t like it, just kill me! How dare you ask me, a former saint, to join that corrupt excuse of a religion! Even if I abandoned the Goddess, I still know how rotten the Empire’s Church is!”

For a fallen saint, she sure had a lot of standards.

“Why would I let a suicidal woman have her way?”

“!!”

“Death would be salvation for you. And you think I’d give you that? Don’t make me laugh.”

‘Was I right?’ Bernoa’s face turned pale.

“So, you mean—”

It was simple.

Aside from the fact that death would be a release for her guilt and love for Eldakrad, this was actually quite generous given everything she had done.

“I’m the Princess of Ashtar. I can’t always be present. I need you to take my place.”

“You cruel woman!”

I’ll take that as a compliment.

Thanks to her, I had to live with Syria.

She deserved this much payback.

“Did you really think I’d let you die so easily? Hahaha! After all the trouble you’ve caused me? Hell no!”

And not just me—Bernoa suffered just as much.

Every time I killed her soldiers, she summoned more from somewhere.

It was her turn to suffer.

“Damn it!”

“You’re already bound to me. And it’s not just my grandfather’s will—it’s our shared blood. You have the blood of Ashtar and the small tribes of the Land of Ruin. Are you seriously going to ignore the words of your beloved’s granddaughter?”

She couldn’t defy me.

Above all, being chosen by Eldakrad mattered.

I carried his blood and his will.

And the contract made it absolute.

“You should have been the Demon King instead.”

“Your answer?”

“…I understand.”

Blood trickled from Bernoa’s lips as she replied.

I smiled in satisfaction.

She was once a saint.

Even though she had fallen into corruption as a Four Heavenly King, she still had her pride as a saint.

And now, I was forcing her to become the face of the Empire’s Church—a corrupt institution that was essentially a breeding ground for private armies.

There was no greater humiliation.

Bernoa glared at me.

“If you hate it so much, you shouldn’t have betrayed us.”

Tsk tsk, how foolish.