Eldakrad, after hearing Bernoa’s story, spoke with a serious expression.
“Seto is treating it as the Demon King, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
‘If Seto created what they call the Demon King, then it means he is behind it.’
“The existence of the Demon King appears differently to each person, reflecting their desires. Is that how it works?”
“Seto seems to have manipulated things so that the Demon King has appeared several times during the war, but at the very least, the being I’ve seen for decades is not someone who commands the Demon King’s army.”
‘Then, is there really a need to go through the trouble of killing the Demon King?’
‘Ultimately, the real problem is Seto, who is behind it all.’
‘If Seto is captured, the Demon King will essentially be finished.’
But before that…
Eldakrad glanced at the saintess.
Her confession had been unexpected, but was it truly to that extent?
To the point of choosing the demonic hand of the Demon King?
“I never knew you liked me that much.”
“No. I think it was just an obsession.”
“Yeah. That was possible.”
But Eldakrad knew he was partly to blame.
He had failed to notice the change in her feelings.
If he had truly wanted to keep his distance, he should have drawn a clear line from the beginning, making sure their relationship was strictly professional—nothing more, nothing less.
Instead, they had grown too close.
‘The fault lies with me as well.’
From the start, he already had a fiancée.
It was his mistake not to be more careful around other women.
“Let’s set that aside for now. So, the Demon King itself holds no real meaning?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“However, that only means I must make a decision myself this time.”
“What?”
“I will personally make sure Seto dies.”
If Seto has been behind the Demon King’s existence all these years, then once Eldakrad takes up arms, he must put an end to him.
After all, Seto is the one who used the saintess to try to kill him.
“Seto is someone I have never fully understood, even after decades. Killing him may not be easy.”
That didn’t matter.
Seto had toyed with humanity for far too long.
At the very least, Eldakrad would break his pride.
One thing was certain: with this decision, the saintess Bernoa would become history’s villain.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“For now, you need to step back from this.”
“Huh?”
Bernoa tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
‘Why was she so surprised?’
“I mean exactly what I said. If what you say is true, then it’s too dangerous. Besides, our forces are already strong. With your help, we’ve become powerful enough.”
She worried too much.
People dying in war was inevitable.
She could always come after the battle to heal the wounded—there was no need for her to be on the battlefield itself.
Perhaps it was his fault for treating her too harshly as a saintess.
“That…”
“Just do as I say. It’s for the best.”
Seto wouldn’t be able to use her as a pawn anymore.
For now, Bernoa decided to follow Eldakrad’s command.
The future was uncertain.
“Then, how about this? When Seto tries to abduct me, my lord can use that moment to capture him.”
“That’s too risky.”
Seto’s mobility was too high to ignore.
He could fly and attack with a gargoyle unit.
If he truly set his mind on kidnapping Bernoa and escaping, could Eldakrad really stop him?
A full-scale war was a better option.
That way, they could crush Seto and break the morale of the demons.
“Even so, would it really be possible?”
The time-traveled Bernoa felt uneasy.
‘Could they really change the future just by talking about it?’
At the very least, she knew she could prevent herself from falling to darkness.
Now that she was aware, she wouldn’t let it happen.
Even if Seto captured her, she was prepared to risk her life to strike the Demon King.
Perhaps this was an opportunity.
‘No. Maybe… I can use this to my advantage.’
As Bernoa made up her mind, Eldakrad prepared his army at Crad Castle.
***
“You wish to march to the Demon King’s castle all of a sudden?!”
“Exactly. If not now, when will humanity ever have another chance to advance this deep into the Demon Realm?”
“That may be true, but…”
Right now, the only active Demon General in the Demon Realm was Seto.
The other generals were confident that humans wouldn’t dare enter their territory, which made this the perfect opportunity.
Eldakrad secretly sent Bernoa to Ashtar Territory.
Then, he led his army across the border into the Demon Realm.
***
Late at night, the saintess’s carriage secretly departed for Ashtar.
“Saintess, we’ll be arriving in Ashtar soon… Saintess? This is bad! The saintess is gone!”
Although the carriage was heading for Ashtar, Bernoa had jumped out along the way and was now making her way toward the Demon Realm.
‘If this is the lord’s decision, then I must follow it. Of course, I still intend to help capture Seto. But I can’t just sit idly by.’
She had already betrayed once.
Now, she would stake her life and deceive Seto one more time.
Bernoa clutched the rosaria around her neck.
“Dear goddess, if you have granted me this second chance, then please help me once more. I wish to give my life to aid my lord.”
She would capture Seto and turn Eldakrad into humanity’s hero.
The road to the Demon Realm from Ashtar was long.
Far longer than she had expected.
If things continued like this, the future might change even more than she had anticipated.
As she hurried forward, a figure appeared in the forest.
“You were wandering around in a place like this?”
“You… Seto?”
It was Seto.
He emerged with a sly smile.
Just as she expected.
“Heh… There’s someone who wishes to meet you. Come quietly.”
So, fate had not changed.
That was reassuring in its own way.
***
Demon King’s Castle
“How does it feel to be betrayed by Eldakrad?”
‘So, this is where it begins.’
‘Good.’
This foolish man who thinks he has tricked her will later suffer an unexpected blow.
“Betrayal? What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said. He whispered sweet words of love to you, yet in the end, he abandoned you.”
“He didn’t abandon me! I was the one who approached him! It was my own fault for being so shameless, for getting close to him even though he already had a fiancée.”
The conversation was unfolding just as it had in her dream.
Bernoa responded exactly as she had seen in the dream, and Seto, as if following a script, recited his lines perfectly.
That meant it was possible.
The goddess had given her this chance.
“The one who truly loves you, who will become everything to you and be your guiding light, is none other than the Demon King himself.”
This was the crucial moment.
If she miscalculated and something happened to the Demon King, things would go terribly wrong.
If that happened, she would have no choice but to destroy everything here—even herself.
“My beloved Bernoa.”
‘Good. This was working.’
For some reason, even the Demon King was responding just as he had in the dream.
She felt nothing.
With her current state of mind, she could endure anything.
“From now on, you are the Fallen Saint Bernoa. Now, there is much to do. Wipe out the humans in the liberated lands of Ashtar’s army, and kill the false lord to put my worries to rest.”
“Yes, my lord.”
‘So, does the Demon King truly act according to Seto’s will?’
‘Or does he not realize her true intentions?’
‘Or perhaps… is the goddess helping her?’
She couldn’t be sure.
But one thing was certain—she had obtained power.
“I would never kill them.”
Unlike in the future she knew, Bernoa secretly saved the people from the villages she had once destroyed.
Instead of wiping them out, she gathered wild demons using her newfound authority, forming her own army.
And then, she met Seto again.
After all, she still had to play the role of a Demon General.
***
“Heh… A fine sight. You finally look like a proper Demon General.”
“So, how do you plan to capture the false lord?”
Even saying those words made her chest ache as if her heart were being torn apart.
But for now, this was the only way.
“I will lure him right in front of the Demon King’s castle. Then, your forces and the corrupted soldiers of Ashtar will ambush his army from the rear, while I attack from the sky and the forest.”
“A strategy worthy of you. Understood. However…”
Just as in her dream, Bernoa collaborated with Seto.
Seto had no idea of her true intentions.
And now, it was time to begin.
***
“My lord! My lord!”
Bernoa rushed back from the Demon Realm, her heart pounding.
She had to tell Eldakrad as soon as possible.
“What happened, Bernoa? And… that appearance of yours.”
Eldakrad was stunned by the sight of Bernoa riding toward him.
Her hair had turned ashen gray, and her eyes glowed red.
He had only heard about this before, but now… was it truly real?
“I deliberately let myself be captured by Seto.”
She didn’t explain further.
She simply stated that she had been captured, letting Eldakrad infer the rest from what she had already told him about her dream.
Eldakrad stared at her in silence for a long time.
‘How had it come to this?’
“Don’t tell me… just like in your dream… or rather, the future you saw…”
“It’s different. I intentionally created that scenario, just like in the dream.”
At least this time, she had full control over her powers.
Her mind was intact.
If she willed it, she could even return to her original appearance as a saint.
She would not allow things to spiral into the worst possible outcome.
“Then…”
“Here is where Seto’s forces will ambush you. I will make it seem as if I am luring you all the way to the Demon King’s castle.”
Yes, they would follow the path of the original future—up to a point.
“And after that, we capture Seto instead?”
“Exactly.”
They had to create an opportunity to catch Seto.
They needed to deal a decisive blow so that neither the Demon King nor the Demon Generals could rise again.
“But still… How could you do this?”
“Huh?”
‘Why was he looking at her like that?’
‘Why did his face look so sorrowful?’
Could he really not bear the thought of her stepping into such a dark and tainted place alone?
“I… No, what if the plan didn’t work? What if you had died? How could you…”
Eldakrad, the man she followed—the lord she served—had tears welling in his eyes.
“I have already betrayed you once. A person like me has no right to be called a saint. Right now, I am simply a woman who loves you, even if only in a dream, and wishes to help you.”
She was not a saint.
Her encounter with Seto had confirmed one thing—this was truly a second chance.
In the past, she had succumbed to Seto and the Demon King.
She had given them her body and soul.
This time, the circumstances were slightly different, but that fact remained unchanged.
How could someone like her still be called a saint?
‘I am no saint.’