139 – Gwangae (2)
#Gwangae (2)
“…… Lonely.”
The sight that came into view was terrible.
The scenery reflected in the big eyes seemed to be screaming that this place was hell.
I try to cover my ears against the noise, but there is no sign of it subsiding.
Oh, should I close my eyes?
It was once the backyard of the royal palace.
Now, it is a place on the twisted black earth that is far larger than the entire Darkana.
He is the one who turned the peaceful landscape into hell.
High-ranking demon Cecil is curled up like a bug.
It is in a precarious position, as if it will roll away at any moment if you kick it.
On the ground that resembles a sticky swamp, he is indeed taking on such a saintly posture.
“…… “I feel like I can’t breathe because I’m so lonely.”
A childlike whine came out of Cecil’s mouth.
She was fidgeting, fidgeting, fiddling with the hem of her sleeves and complaining.
She looked like a wet puppy, and as she said, she looked very lonely.
“I miss you. “Julius.”
It had been so long since she had seen her face – it was only one night, but for Cecil, it was like a thousand years – she shook her head back and forth, remembering the face of her kind husband!
“What should I do, Julius? Me…… “I guess there was an accident.”
Tears welled up in my big eyes.
Cecil ran wild like a colt let loose of the reins.
The reason why she looks so down and looks like a wet puppy. Because she made one big mistake.
“I… I’m supposed to be a good wife. “I have to be a good mother.”
A large fragment lay at her feet.
It contains all the insidious and unpleasant curses that exist in the world, which caused a huge explosion at the same time as it was destroyed.
Great evil.
「The Emperor’s Scepter」.
A long time ago.
Cecil bit her lip tightly as she looked at the ‘mediator of the curse’ that changed the essence of the woman into a ‘devil.’
She stopped working on a moment’s impulse because she hated herself so much.
“Stupid Cecil. Stupid Cecil. “Why did you destroy this?”
Feeling the urge to strangle herself for her ridiculous mistake at the end of her days, Cecile ruffled her hair roughly.
“It was perfect. Julius and Arnhill too. “You were able to completely fool me.”
A perfect plan to deceive even the strongest Heretic Questioner and the Angel of Destiny.
Although she tried to look as stupid as possible in front of Julius for fear of being seen as an unlucky woman, Cecile managed to feel proud of her own cleverness.
That is. It seems like he always does things impulsively, but surprisingly, he makes quite systematic plans.
If you thoughtlessly go on a rampage to punish the ‘fire fox’ and even cross the ‘line’, you might be hated by Julius.
Of course, Julius, who is extremely kind to her, will immediately pat Cecil on the back, pat her on the head, and forgive her.
For a woman named Cecil, even a single moment of hatred is like a poison that melts the tongue…….
She still has nightmares about Julius holding her holy sword and impregnating her without hesitation. She was in a position where she had no choice but to be sensitive to actions that crossed the ‘line.’
“It would have been okay if I didn’t destroy this. “As long as she didn’t break it, it was okay.”
Yes. Line.
There is a line in the world that should never be crossed.
Things called taboos.
If she breaks it even once, she will commit a sin that will never be forgiven… Such actions.
Breaking a taboo is a terrible sin.
Since Cecil had broken two taboos in order to meet Julius again, he was well aware of the horror of that.
“To give up on being human and remain a devil forever…” Like this… “I cannot be forgiven.”
And Cecil at this moment. I ended up breaking another taboo.
To be precise, the opportunity to atone for the sin of breaking the taboo was kicked away.
“…… Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.”
Looking at the ‘fragment’ of the still intact scepter left at his feet. Cecil continued to put his words of apology into his mouth.
Cecil’s perfect plan to fool both Julius and Arnhil.
‘Obtain the king’s scepter again and return to human form’… Cecile’s greatest wish, which she thought she had given up on.
Her grand goal, using even the last encounter with Arnhill as bait, ended in failure at this moment.
It’s none other than one’s own impulse. There were no idiots.
“Julius told me it was okay. He would rather remain a devil… That’s what I said….”
Cecil muttered as she tapped the head of the scepter, which had become a heavy piece of scrap metal after the curse had escaped.
Cecil also knows the truth. What fears and anxieties does Julius, her beloved husband, have?
What does he, who lives an eternal life, truly want from his wife?
So, in fact, I know that I won’t be hated by him if I fail in my plan to return to human form.
Nevertheless, I made a plan to return to being human… It was purely due to Cecil’s own personal wishes.
‘Mom! Mom! Mom!’
“I wanted to appear in front with a confident appearance… ….”
As the daughter of a noble saint, worthy of Julius. As a pure human being without even a single trace of dirt.
Holding his hand. She wanted to appear before his daughter.
It was Cecile’s first and last wish that was not directed to Julius, which she always had in her heart. It was also the reason she postponed meeting her daughter, whom she wanted to see right away.
But she rolled it up and ate it.
She ate it very coolly.
“I am a coward. “A coward who is not qualified to be Julius’ wife.”
The plan went smoothly.
While Arnhil was caught up in a fight between the ‘Nirhills’, Arnhill was distracted. She managed to steal her scepter from that damn b*tch’s hand.
The surrounding land, including the palace, is already under Cecil’s control, so there is no need to worry about Arnhill’s pursuit. It would be faster to turn back into a human before it finds you.
But. Suddenly.
Looking at the scepter in her own hand.
‘…… Eww.’
I was shocked and scared.
All kinds of thoughts came into my head.
Her fear grew endlessly as she thought about what she would lose if she returned to human form.
If I think about it now, it must have been a whisper from the scepter.
Like the Holy Sword, it is a scepter with a twisted mentality. He must have read Cecil’s wish and made sure it never came true.
Even though we know that we will be destroyed ourselves.
“Why is everyone disturbing me…… I have to go back. “I have to be a good mother.”
Of course, if you think about it a little, you will notice that it is strange.
No matter how much you say it is an ugly object that contains all the evil curses in the universe. That I will not do anything that will lead to my own destruction.
The reason the scepter was destroyed was purely due to Cecil’s own impulse to remain a devil.
…… The question is whether it really deserves to be called ‘impulse’.
“…… What should I do now? “Maybe it’s good.”
Anyway, Cecil has now lost a way to return to human form.
Even if you have reached divine status, there is no way to return to human status unless you have a medium. Isn’t it impossible to create something from nothing?
The famous creator. Even the god Rom created the world using a vessel called Void.
So. It ends here.
Cecil will now remain a devil forever.
He will be hated forever by his own child who looks just like Julius. It felt like tears were already welling up in my eyes.
“…… I am….”
I didn’t want it. I wanted to say this.
However, no more words came out of his tightly closed mouth.
The curse of truth. The curse that made the devil more truthful than any other being in the world stopped Cecil from speaking.
“What…?” . “Are you saying I even hoped for it?”
I cannot admit it.
I can’t admit it.
A ray of flame flew out from within my chest, which was becoming soggy as if it had been soaked with water.
He truly hated God for telling him that the foolish things he did were not mistakes.
“To remain as such a terrible thing…” You really wanted it? That can’t be possible. “That can’t be possible.”
Slap. Something black soaked the ground and soaked Cecil’s shoe soles.
Cecil, who had been crouching down like an insect, jumped up from her seat. I took a wild look around the hell-like surroundings.
“You wanted to remain this kind of monster?”
The sight that caught my eye was extremely bizarre.
It was just pitch black. The sky is black and the ground is black. There were no boundaries in a world completely colored in black. Even the horizon dividing sky and earth was not visible.
“I feel bad.”
If I just say this, you might say that I’m making a fuss that doesn’t need to be made. Although it may be plain, it is far from ‘bizarre.’
Actually, that alone would have been a bizarre enough sight, but at least that was what Cecil thought.
“I feel bad for not being scared anymore.”
Here and there. The sight of a large mountain stands out. Just like the sky and the ground, it’s just stained black, but looking at the curves that look like mountain ridges. You will naturally think, ‘Oh, that is a mountain.’
But no. ‘Something’ like that mountain that is engraved in my retina right now.
It is not a mountain. Rather… It is a being that can be said to be the natural enemy of mountains.
Taishan snake. 「Lana Hill」.
She is no longer the ancient monster herself, living a life as a countess.
Those mountains that are everywhere are just fakes created by Cecil.
From Noble mtl dot com
These are monsters that alone can ruin the fortunes of a nation. Cecil summoned more than a hundred such monsters. Then what on earth is Cecil who summoned such a monster?
Are Taishan snakes the only ones that live on this black earth? That wasn’t it either.
It’s just that they are not located within the line of sight, but such demons will be infinitely swarming on this infinitely expanding land.
A wolf that claws at the moon, or a kraken that swallows the sea. Swarms of rats that eat people, artists who turn humans into pieces of meat, vicious black dragons, etc.
Just reading it will fill you with demons straight out of a damned old story.
And Cecil summoned all those demons. She is the queen of demons.
Before being a wife, before being a mother.
It is a terrible monster.
The biggest proof that he was a monster was that he couldn’t even feel any emotion while seeing a scene that would have caused any human being to feel fear.
“…… I’m not sure if I’ll take down Arnhill. “Will I ever be happy?”
Cecile muttered as she looked at the body of a brown-haired woman floating on the black earth. Once thinking went in a negative direction, there was no stopping it.
It is a long-standing illness suffered by a demon named Cecil. It was a chronic defect, but there was no way to fix it.
“Do you think I’m a monster too?”
Suddenly. It occurred to me that I needed to get an answer from someone.
I thought it would be nice if anyone could say something to me.
“Ancilla. “Please say something.”
When I looked at the sky, there was a big star there.
It was not a star embroidered in the beautiful sky created by the Lord, but a star in the terrible sky he created.
The black sky that ‘replaced’ the sky destroyed by Arnhill.
The huge star in the center twinkled.
It looked really ominous because it was a dark red light. It seemed safe to say it was a bad omen.
“Quickly. Say something. Because it’s good. “Please say something.”
────.
“Am I a monster? Huh?”
────.
The star was speechless.
On the subject that we were so talkative about when we were in the nest. Only when this happens, there is nothing to say.
Or… Have you already answered this?
There is a saying that silence equals positivity. It seems that the loyal star of Cecil has already answered.
“…… You can’t run away forever. I have to go back now. “To that house.”
I lower my head while looking at the sky and mutter. My reflection in the black earth, which was as smooth as a shallow sea, looked truly ugly.
I can’t believe I’ve lost my mind on a topic already full of flaws.
I can’t stand in front of Julius like this. Because I have to always show myself as a perfect, pretty wife.
Because I can’t show you such an ugly sight.
It’s time to get things sorted out.
Trug-.
Just in time. The sound of someone’s footsteps is heard from behind.
“… ….”
Who is it?
Is it Arnhill? ….
No, there is none other than Arnhill. Because this is a space filled with eerie magic.
Because it is a place filled with equally unpleasant demons.
There can’t be anyone else.
Cecil deduced the identity of the person behind his back through extremely narrow-minded thinking.
She couldn’t even imagine that anyone other than the devil would be here.
She slowly turned her head towards the back.
“Are you here? “I managed to come here alive.”
Not the unstable and ugly appearance from a moment ago. He is leisurely and sarcastic with the appearance of an extremely arrogant devil.
Anyway, things like Arnhill are not his opponents.
A guy who can’t handle fate is just a subordinate of himself.
Floating above the black sky.
Cecile twitched the corner of her mouth as she felt the magic engulfing the power of the gigantic star spread throughout her body.
I tried to mock the guy who was just jumping around helplessly like a fish on land.
Until I made eye contact with ‘him’.
Yes. Until I reunite with ‘him’.
“─────.”
“Uh, Julius? “Uh, how did you get here?”
A ray of golden light blends into a world painted entirely in ominous black.
She sees a man with such brilliance that her eyes will go blind just by looking at her. She was a man of integrity who could never be here.
“─────.”
“Well, you were wrong. It’s my fault!”
I don’t know how on earth he appeared here. Although his head was filled with questions, saying it was impossible.
I can’t believe I showed him this place, which was no different from a mud pit. He was so embarrassed that his face got hot. Julius hasn’t said anything yet. The first words he asked for forgiveness came out of his mouth.
“My, I was wrong! But, but!”
My mind became all muddy and mixed up.
When I saw Julius rushing towards me with a serious expression on his face, holding the holy sword, I was speechless as if I had been cursed by the truth.
“──────!”
“I want to go back again. “So, that’s why it was like that!”
Now I don’t even know what I’m talking about.
Cecil was embarrassed by the sudden situation and began to stutter and take a step back.
“──────!”
Holding in his hand a holy sword clad in five-colored brilliance, Julius rushes toward him and opens his mouth with a terrifying expression on his face.
It looks like he’s yelling. I can’t hear his voice.
Are you angry? Have you changed your mind? Are you trying to be considerate of me? Am I sick of this horrible monster?
…… Scared. I don’t want to be abandoned by you.
“Look at ─────! Cecil!”
Ah… at las…. I can hear his voice.
But I can’t hear well. Did I hurt my ear?
“──────Look behind you!”
Back? ……
…… Ah.
Look behind you. When I heard Julius’ words pierce my ear, I thought, ‘Ah, that’s good. ‘You didn’t mean to abandon me.’ I felt relieved for a moment.
A name suddenly appeared in Cecile’s mind when she finally came to her senses.
「Arnhill」.
The identity of the person who called himself Nirhil’s younger brother. The angel of sin who deals with fate. A villainess who kills heroes. The most evil devil.
And────
“─────!”
‘Give me that body, quickly!’
Coveting what belongs to others…
… Thief.
Empty!
As if an arrow had bounced off armor, the dagger in Arnhil’s hand was unable to pierce Cecil’s neck and bounced off.
“…… Ugh!”
However, its power was at the level of a battering ram.
Even though her husband, Julius Tapnell, was just a stone’s throw away, Cecil could not suppress the ugly moans that came out of her mouth.
It was dangerous.
I almost got hurt in the body of my precious ‘Cecil’.
Without Cecil’s body, I am nothing more than a hideous monster. You have to be careful.
“…… Ha. Ha.”
Cecil barely withstood Arnhill’s final blow.
She quickly straightened her disheveled posture. She tried to cut off Arnhil’s head, who must have used up the last of her strength.
“It’s scandalous until the end. Also… “I guess you are far from noble.”
Although Julius is definitely looking at him. There is no time to delay.
A blow from a while ago. I managed to block it, but I don’t have a good feeling.
The devil’s instinct was nudging me. The moment he gets hit, he shouts that it’s over.
So… I need to cut off Arnhil’s head right now.
“…… My hand… Come on?”
It’s strange.
Cecil’s hands must be like white jade.
It was stained black.
No, it is not dyed black.
Just something black… It seemed to imitate a human hand.
This can’t be happening.
What can drive the devil out of the body? It’s definitely just a holy sword.
…… Why?
Just looking at it makes me want to vomit.
I looked away from her ugly hand.
Soon, the sight that caught Cecil’s eyes, or rather Nirhil’s, eyes.
“───!”
Like a holy sword. Holding a piece with auspicious energy in your hand.
It was the appearance of an angel desperately reaching out to a woman with brown hair lying on the ground.
“Ah, ah.”
─────No.
Ah ah.
I should have just closed my eyes.
Then I would have been able to avoid noticing that this nightmare was real.
Really, nothing works.
I guess it’s because she’s a monster, not a princess in a fairy tale.
***