CH 161

* * *

“Haauk… that’s crazy.”

Deborah hid behind a large boulder for a while.

Suddenly, she looked down at her hands, and there was a lot of red blood all over her palms, as well as between her fingers.

Haah—

Every time she took a deep breath, blood flowed out from her pierced stomach and wet her lapels.

“Hah heh, haah.”

With trembling hands, Deborah took the vial from her pocket and poured it into her mouth.

But no matter how much she shook the vial, only a drop wet her tongue.

It was a recovery drug prepared in case of ‘what if’.

However, it seemed that too many ‘ifs’ had already come.

“Even the medicine isn’t going to help me?”

Deborah leaned her back against the boulder and wondered out loud if it was ridiculous.

‘I’m so unlucky…’

She was unlucky from birth.

Born to parents who had nothing but a sense of inferiority,

Exploited by her parents like a slave.

She inherited that terrible sense of inferiority like it was a legacy.

After barely escaping from hell, nothing went well.

Her husband was indifferent to her, and the social circles ignored her.

Strangely, she had to work 100 times more than others to have as much as others.

After acknowledging that her life was born with misfortune, she sold everything she could sell because she wanted to overcome the bad luck and live well.

Humanity, conscience, compassion, friendship, love for and from husband…

But strangely, the more she sold, the more unlucky she became.

She wanted to live well even if she became a terrible human being, but she didn’t live well and became just a terrible human.

After meeting an even worse guy and being taken advantage of… 

In the end, it was going to be like this.

Now, she had no idea where this life had gone to.

“Me too.”

A despondent breath dissipated.

“I want to live despite all this…”

Tears welled up in Deborah’s eyes. She suddenly looked up at the sky.

Even in the midst of this, the bright blue sky with intense sunlight was beautiful, so if she could be alive tomorrow… She had a desire to see the sky once again.

‘If I survive here.’

‘Me too…’

‘I want to live a different life from tomorrow.’

At least, she wanted to live like a human.

Protecting the things that shouldn’t be sold, like that, be human like everyone else… 

Deborah gripped the dagger in her hands as if it was her life.

There was no more time to rest.

Even at this moment, the monster was chasing after her, smelling her blood.

Deborah sprinted out of the back of the boulder at full speed and started running desperately.

Kwak!

Yellow eyes flashed from behind and a wolf-like monster started chasing her.

The limping jump was just too slow, and no matter how desperately she ran, the distance gradually narrowed.

‘I can do it, I can survive!’

Inwardly crying earnestly, Deborah went up the slope restlessly.

Kwajik-!

“Aaaaah!”

Deborah frantically kicked the monster that bit her ankle and climbed up.

She didn’t know how much flesh had fallen off.

Then another vicious monster climbed up her body and bit her stomach.

“Ugh!”

Deborah stabbed the monster with a dagger and escaped.

“Hah… ah…”

Her lungs felt like they were about to burst and her body was so hot that she had to crawl desperately forward with her mouth open.

She was sluggish, getting slower and slower.

Her vision was blurry.

The light of life flashed before her eyes.

Born as a beggar-like daughter of a miserable baron, her childhood when she worked at other people’s houses…

She met the Duke of Douglas and she was thrilled to become the duchess.

The days when she committed evil deeds in the social world and burned her lust.

The more she dreamt of a higher place, the more she dreamt… It was still a life that was somehow stuck in the mud.

What had she been living for?

To climb to the highest place, she lived her life doing things that humans shouldn’t do, but look at this now.

In the end, she was ending her life by crawling on the floor like a bug.

Whiik— Whiik—

Every time she dragged herself on the floor with her trembling hands, a red blood stain was left on the floor.

Crrrrr—

The threatening cries of the monsters could be heard from behind.

“Waa… haha.”

Blood and saliva mixed and dripped on the floor.

Deborah stopped crawling when she reached the cliff.

When she stopped her exhausted body and fell on her face, she saw a small white thing falling on the ground and melting away.

It was snow.

The first snow of this winter.

“…….”

Deborah looked at the snowflakes with an expressionless expression… She was dying slowly.

Abandoning her dying body, a black energy slowly escaped from her lips.

Her eyes, wet with blood and tears, shifted briefly to see a black sphere.

“What the hell did you feed me…!”

“A part of my heart. ‘Some kind of’.”

Deborah curled up the corners of her lips, smiling at her final moments.

It was the same expression as when she used to do bad things in the social world.

Then, squeezing her last energy, she raised her dagger and slashed the black sphere.

It went out.

Kwajik!

* * *

Johann spit out blood in an instant.

“Ugh.”

He felt it for a moment. He knew that the very small part of the heart he had given to Deborah had been destroyed.

“…Ugh!”

Without missing the moment where Johann was shaken, Rixus lunged with his sword.

Bang!

Johann rolled aside, avoiding the sword that barely grazed his neck.

But his breathing was unstable.

The piece of the heart he fed to Deborah was small, but it was frustrating that it was still of a decent size as he wouldn’t have been able to control her body otherwise.

“Damn…! How dare she.”

She was a pain in the neck even until she died.

Johann trembled with displeasure and pain.

In front of such a Johann, Rixus slashed away at once with his sword all the monsters that had stuck to his body like a flock of dogs.

His eyes were red with blood.

Waaaooo!

Repeatedly, monsters screamed and rushed at Rixus, but he shattered them with a single blow.

The black-purple blood of the monster was mixed with white snow and swept away… Through the gap, Rixus approached.

The overwhelming sight sent shudders to Johann.

If he got caught now, it was over…! His instincts were saying that.

It was Rixus who was dealing with the real monsters, but Johann felt a strong pressure from the ‘monster’ in front of him, and he was holding his breath.

“…Damn it.”

Johann spit out curses, quickly grabbed a dragon-type monster, got on it, and fled to the skies.

《Phenicalus, obey Toulouse’s command.》

Kuung!

Then, from the inside of the door of Marsephone, a black light that seemed to explode with a vibration leaked out.

“!”

The world stopped moving as if surprised, and looked at Marsephone’s door.

Phenicalus.

It was a wild monster in the shape of a ‘bird’ with black feathers, large enough to cover the sky.

It was also the only first-class monster who received the first-grade in the class divided by risk.

Often, demonologists said that when this Phenicalus appeared on Earth, that day would be the end of the world.

“Ahhhh…!!!”

The elite soldiers who touched the black light melted in vain, letting out their final screams.

“Hahaha.”

Johnan looked at them with a pleasant low smile.

Then he skillfully flew out of the vicinity of Rixus.

As if he had something important to do…

* * *

My prediction that he hid half of the ‘heart’ nearby was perfectly correct.

The pattern on Johann’s chest pointed to his own mansion.

The residence of Archduke Marquis was infested with demons nearby.

I recited a spell.

“Temenia!”

The monsters who were blocking my way suddenly collided with the towering ice pillars, and dozens of them flew away at once.

I narrowly deflected them and stopped at the door of the residence.

‘As expected.’

As I stood in front of the door, I noticed its existence – a huge ‘membrane’ was formed over the archduchy mansion.

Chijikjik— Chijik—!

The true nature of the black barrier where a powerful spark was generated was the power of Toulouse.

‘As expected, he didn’t just leave his heart alone…!’

The power of Toulouse had sensed an intruder.

I foresaw this situation. Yes, there were things I had prepared.

When I slowly pulled the ‘thing’ out of my arms, it radiated a mysterious light.

‘Margot’s Pendant’.

It was the very ‘holy relic’ that John offered as a gift as a favor.

It could break through any boundary, and no matter what the user of the pendant did, no one could see.

I quietly activated the power of the holy relic.

Shu-woo woo woo!

A bright light that was almost blinding came pouring out.

I felt the protection of the Archangel Margot enveloping my whole body.

“Ah…”

At the same time, the barrier in front of me could not detect the intruder and disappeared like a lie.

‘Okay, it’s done!’

Unable to hide my exhilaration, I hurriedly ran inside.

The mansion, which had a solid barrier, offered up its inside helplessly.

Badump, badump.

“Where is it?”

Strangely, it felt like the heart was calling me.

I could hear the heart beating like a siren’s song that seduced those into the sea.

“….…”

Underground. It’s underground.

“…It’s here.”

Tachak—

Arriving in the basement, I opened the door as if possessed.

Badump, badump, badump.

The sound of the heart filled my ears as if it was about to explode.

* * *

The sky was covered with darkness.

The knight closest to Marsephone’s gate cried out in amazement.

“…Phenicalus…”

A monster with black wings appeared, looking down at people with its huge purple eyes.

It was so overwhelming that one wing covered the entire sky.

“Uhhhhhhhh!”

Right at the front, an elite soldier, terrified, slashed the comrade right next to him with a sword.

The eyes of the knight who had slashed his fellow turned white.

Seeing this, Rixus gritted his teeth and shouted. It was a cry like a thunderbolt that shook the atmosphere.

“Never look into the eyes of Phenicalus…!”

Phenicalus had the power to devour human consciousness of fear, and wield that fear to control them.

That was then.

Sae-ae-ae-ae-ae.

Johann, who was gliding low on a dragon, appeared in front of Rixus and stole his helmet.

With a laugh, he said,

“Why aren’t you careful yourself?”

“!”

Pak! Rixus’ eyes darkened. His consciousness was deep in the mire… He fell into it in an instant.

It was an ‘illusion’.