Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Interlude: What Happened in the Depths of the Demon Realm

Deep within the Demon Realm, seven fortresses stood, each radiating a different aura.

Among them was one fortress blanketed in pink demonic energy like a dense fog.

At the highest point of that fortress, inside a room filled with lavish yet decadent decorations, a beautiful woman lay across a bed wearing clothes that barely covered the essentials.

With dazzling golden hair and even brighter golden eyes, she was Lilith, one of the Great Demons of the Seven Deadly Sins and the one who bore the great sin of ‘Lust.’

She was usually the picture of composure, but right now she wore a blank expression of disbelief as she stretched one slender hand into empty air.

“...My sorcery disappeared?”

Lilith muttered in a trembling voice.

The thread that had been connected to her fingertips until just moments ago had snapped.

That thread had been connected to the sorcery she had planted deep inside the heart of Cassian, the Hero candidate of the Eris Order.

The sensation of the spell that had been unmistakable only an instant ago had vanished as though it had never existed.

“Lilith, what do you mean?”

The shadows in the room writhed grotesquely, and a man clad in pitch-black armor stepped out from within them.

His voice held genuine confusion, mixed with a faint irritation he couldn't quite hide.

Lilith sat up on the bed and irritably swept her golden hair back.

“The sorcery I placed on the Hero candidate vanished without a trace. I spent so much effort making sure even that damned Pope couldn't detect it even if he personally examined him... Who the hell did this?”

Anxiety and irritation flickered in Lilith's eyes.

The pathetic weakling had still been a Hero candidate, so his body resisted both demonic corruption and sorcery.

She had spent more than three full years wearing that resistance down.

And now the curse she'd invested so much effort into had disappeared in an instant.

Even as a Great Demon and specialist in sorcery, she couldn't make sense of it.

“You just said yourself that it was erased, did you not? That means someone dispelled your sorcery.”

At the man's cold observation, Lilith frowned.

“...Yes, that's true. But how? My authority of Lust and that bitch Eris's authority of Love are like opposite sides of a mirror. Their nature is too similar. The Eris Order should never have been able to interpret or distinguish this sorcery.”

Leaning back in her chair, Lilith tapped the desk with one finger as she muttered.

“Perhaps they asked another Order for assistance.”

“Don't be ridiculous. Why would they hand their own Hero candidate over to another Order?”

Lilith scoffed, rejecting his suggestion.

“...Still, we should investigate just in case. Any other possibilities?”

The man gave a small nod as though accepting her point, then asked about alternatives.

“I can't be certain, but there are about two possibilities.”

The first method Lilith considered was simple.

Someone had accurately analyzed the sorcery she'd placed on him and erased it.

But she soon shook her head.

Lilith's sorcery was infamous for being so complex and convoluted that even fellow Great Demons found it troublesome.

For mere humans to analyze and completely dispel it in such a short amount of time was outright impossible.

So Lilith immediately discarded the first hypothesis as not even worth voicing.

“Stop stalling and say it.”

“They could first place the body into suspended animation, then pull only the soul up into the divine realm.”

“You mean the Bath. But that is a privilege allowed only to Popes and Saintesses, is it not?”

“Correct. Anyone else would fail to endure the weight of divinity, their soul would burn, and they'd be left an idiot. Which leaves only one possibility...”

Lilith's finger tapped faster against the desk.

“Kill him.”

“...Are you saying the Eris Order killed its own Hero candidate?”

“No, it's an analogy. Obviously the sorcery disappears when the host dies. There are curses that remain after death, but the one I placed on him requires a living body.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I'm talking about the ‘state’ of death.”

“Get to the point. I don't particularly care about the details of your petty sorcery, so explain it in a way I can understand.”

The black-armored man snapped in a low voice.

Normally, Lilith would've snapped right back and turned it into a shouting match, but she seemed too deep in thought to bother.

“The reason my sorcery is difficult to find is that I mixed it into his life force. Even if humans discovered the curse, they couldn't do anything about it. Touch it incorrectly and his life itself would disappear.”

“I told you to explain it so I can understand...”

“Shut up and listen! Stop interrupting me!”

Lilith slammed her fist down on the desk with a bang.

“Tch, fine. You wouldn't understand even if I explained properly, so I'll make it easy. Make the body believe it has reached death, then force divine power into it. The sorcery would have no choice but to break.”

“How is that any different from killing him?”

“God, this is why ignorant swordsmen are hopeless. Fine, I'll give you an easy example. First, beat him stupid until he's almost dead. Then, once his body enters suspended animation, forcibly shove divine power into him.”

“Absurd. Even a Hero's body wouldn't survive something like that as anything more than a cripple, if at all.”

The man fell silent briefly after hearing Lilith's example, then replied incredulously.

“That's why I said it doesn't make sense, you tin can.”

Lilith spoke with faint irritation.

“I understand. But at least it is certain the sorcery would disappear if he died?”

“Yes.”

“Then we cannot rule out the possibility that he was killed. I regret that your plan has failed, but if the Hero candidate is dead, it is not entirely bad for us either.”

With those words, the man disappeared back into the thick darkness exactly as he had appeared.

“...Tch. Annoying bastard, acting tough just because of his master.”

Lilith clicked her tongue while staring at where he'd vanished.

Plant a curse in the Hero candidate and destroy the Eris Order from within.

Then use the Eris Order as a Trojan horse to bring down the Holy Empire.

That had been Lilith's plan after she acquired the Hero candidate who had fearlessly wandered into the middle reaches of the Demon Realm.

She'd put quite a bit of effort into it, only for it to collapse in an instant without her even knowing why.

Rage welled inside her, but the sorcery was already broken and the chess piece had slipped from her grasp.

Obsessing over it further was pointless.

It was time to prepare the next plan.

“Selenia.”

Having forced herself to let go, Lilith quietly called a name into empty air.

A woman appeared amid black smoke.

She had ash-gray hair, cold black eyes, and wore black priestly robes. With a seductive smile, she settled herself astride Lilith's lap.

“Judging by that frightening expression, things didn't go according to plan?”

She whispered flirtatiously, as though tickling Lilith's neck with her breath.

“My sorcery was dispelled.”

“Mmm? Really? There shouldn't be any human capable of undoing your sorcery.”

“Exactly. Does the Eris Order do something insane during Hero evaluations? Like beating candidates half to death?”

At Lilith's words, Selenia burst into laughter.

“Ahaha, of course not. Hero candidates are important both symbolically and militarily. Even if they're somewhat arrogant, they're usually treated like precious jewels. That's not just Eris. Other Orders are the same.”

“Right. Of course.”

Lilith rubbed her temple and sighed.

“What a shame. Didn't you put quite a lot of work into that sorcery?”

“The plan hasn't completely fallen apart yet. I placed a curse on the Saintess's body too.”

The Saintess of Eris who ran wild through the Demon Realm like an untamed colt.

The curse Lilith had carved into her by sacrificing beast after beast under her command should still be lying dormant within her body, waiting for the right moment.

“But since the sorcery on the Hero candidate has disappeared, the curse on the Saintess can't activate either. An arrow can't fly if it was never set to the bowstring.”

“Hehe, what a shame. What will you do now?”

At Selenia's words, Lilith tapped the crystal orb on her desk with one finger.

An image began playing.

Inside the orb, Beatrice could be seen gripping her spear and mercilessly slaughtering demonic beasts.

“My, so this is the current Saintess? A Saintess fighting on the front lines. What a spirited girl.”

“Yeah. Honestly, it'd be a waste to hand her over to that useless black-haired bastard. Don't you think?”

Lilith licked her lips with a dark smile.

Her plan falling apart was irritating, but instead it had sparked a new interest.

How beautiful would it be to watch such a brilliantly shining symbol of holiness drown helplessly in despair?

For a woman like that, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to personally prepare a ‘stage’ worthy of her.

“How should I break her? Does she have a man she loves? Or maybe a woman she treasures?”

Lilith's eyes gleamed ominously as she stared at Beatrice inside the crystal orb.

The pleasure Lilith truly pursued was never limited to the body alone.

“If this woman... were forced to feel pleasure beneath the touch of someone she never wanted, rather than in the arms of the person she cherished more than life itself...”

Just imagining it sent a thrilling heat surging up from her toes.

A gaze begging for salvation as she teetered between humiliation and pleasure in front of the one she loved.

And yet that precious person would be forced to stand helplessly and watch the entire spectacle unfold.

A ‘perfect tragedy.’

“The tears she'd shed after losing those proud eyes, staring at the one she treasures with pleasure and despair mixed together... Imagine tasting them. They'd be sweeter than any nectar. Don't you think?”

“You really do have a rotten personality.”

What a vile hobby.

Selenia shook her head.

“First, I need to confirm the curse I placed in her body is still intact. Unlike sorcery, there's no way to verify a curse without inspecting it directly.”

Of course, there was no way the curse had been removed.

Unless she had undergone the Bath ritual, and the Saintess was far too young to endure that ceremony yet.

Still, there was no harm in making certain.

With that thought, Lilith looked at Selenia.

“Hmm? Are you thinking of giving that job to me?”

“Yes. That damned holy barrier makes it difficult for me to enter personally. But you can, can't you?”

“My, I might just swallow that child whole, you know? The curse you put on the Saintess is the same ‘Curse of Carnal Desire’ you once placed on me, isn't it?”

“Yes.”

“I know very well how to handle that curse.”

Seeing Selenia's suggestive smile, Lilith frowned deeply.

The Curse of Carnal Desire.

If it activated, even the noblest Saintess would lose her reason and become a panting bitch, finding her only joy in life beneath the puppet Hero while crying out beneath him.

And judging by how proudly she walked around wearing scraps of cloth that vulgar, she'd clearly already given her body to countless people.

Rather than resisting the curse, she'd probably succumb to it even more easily and miserably.

Well, it didn't matter.

If her body had already been passed around, then letting Selenia play with it a little hardly mattered.

“Do whatever you want. I won't complain if you play with her a little.”

“Hehe, really? Corrupting something noble is always exciting.”

Who was calling whom twisted?

Lilith shook her head as she looked into Selenia's eyes, gleaming with madness.

I merely enjoy the emotions someone shows when the person they treasure more than life itself is held in the arms of someone they never wanted, drowning in pleasure as they break apart.

The humiliation felt by the victim, and the ruin and despair of the lover forced to watch helplessly.

Isn't that a sweeter and purer pleasure than anything else?

“Anyway, handle it well. I'll be looking forward to it.”

“Hehe, understood.”

Selenia had just begun to rise with a seductive smile when Lilith suddenly seized her wrist with great strength and pushed her down onto the soft bed.

“My...”

Lilith immediately climbed over Selenia and looked down at her.

Deep desire flickered within her golden eyes.

“You came into my bedchamber and thought you could simply leave?”

“Hehe, of course not. Please spoil me all day today. Aah...!”

Before she could finish speaking, Lilith's lips bit into the side of Selenia's neck.

Selenia smiled in ecstasy and wrapped her arms around Lilith's neck.

The two women's bodies intertwined.

Before long, Lilith's bedchamber filled with intimate, heated passion.

At the same time, in the Eris Order, inside the Saintess's chambers.

“...?”

On the night I'd beaten the shit out of Cassian, I was just about to go happily to bed when a sudden unpleasant sensation made me tilt my head.

My spine felt strangely cold.

My ears were itching.

According to the wisdom of our ancestors, that clearly meant someone was talking shit about me.

Or maybe planning to screw me over.

“Which bastard is it? Leonid?”

There was no way to check.

Well, if I beat the Holy Knights one by one later, the culprit would probably turn up eventually, right?

I grinned, hugged the blanket, and closed my eyes.