Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Around Isabella, high-ranking demons and monsters glared with sharp eyes, exuding a faint but deadly aura. In the end, Nibbas had no choice but to bow his head and lie face down on Isabella’s lap.
Moments later, Isabella raised her hand high, ready to discipline Nibbas. And just as she swung down with force…
Swish! Crackle!
One wall crumbled, and with a faint halo and a sword glowing with a bluish light in his hand, Cedric strode in.
“…!”
Caught mid-swing, Isabella froze in that posture, too stunned to move. Baal, who also witnessed the scene, muttered in disbelief, as if finding it hard to accept.
“… Is that thing really human?”
At that, the other monsters all nodded in unison, sharing his sentiment. Ignoring them, Cedric took long strides across the room and came to a stop right in front of Isabella.
Isabella stared blankly at Cedric standing there, but snapped to her senses when she saw his gaze drop to her lap. Startled, Isabella hurriedly lowered her hand and frantically waved it in explanation.
“Ah, um…! Th-this is actually…! Well, it’s because I had to…! A succubus was inside the relic…! Ah!”
But in her panic, she completely failed to explain the situation properly and only babbled incoherently. Frustrated by her own lack of control, she eventually clutched her head in both hands and shook it in dismay.
However, for Cedric, the reason this situation had unfolded didn’t really matter. With a cold gaze, Cedric looked down at Nibbas, still lying face-down on Isabella’s lap, then reached out and roughly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
“Eek!”
Without even giving Nibbas a chance to resist, Cedric hoisted him up and flung him several meters away.
“Gasp!”
Watching Nibbas, no longer carrying any shred of demonic dignity, fly helplessly through the air, Isabella drew a sharp breath.
Ignoring Nibbas entirely, Cedric knelt on one knee in front of Isabella and said, “You hadn’t returned after thirty minutes, so I came to check on you.”
“… Pardon?”
How could he be so calm at a time like this?
If someone had overheard only his words without seeing the situation, they’d think he was just a peaceful escort come to meet her. Never mind that he’d just shattered the demon’s barrier on his way in.
Isabella swallowed nervously and forced a stiff smile.
“Ha, has it already been that long?”
“Yes. We should head back now…”
Cedric’s reply was cut short. His eyes had caught on Isabella’s handkerchief, damp with blood.
His expression instantly hardened, and though he tried to suppress it, a menacing aura leaked from him as he asked in a voice thick with restrained fury.
“… Who did this?”
The voice alone sent chills down Isabella’s spine. She hastily hid her hand behind her back.
“It-it’s no one’s fault! I had to perform a certain spell, so I did this to myself!”
She blurted the answer, afraid that if she misspoke, someone might lose their head on the spot. Indeed, her injury had been caused by forming a contract with Nibbas, so no one else was to blame.
Hearing her desperate explanation, Cedric stared into her eyes without a word. But then, noticing her shoulders trembling slightly under his barely contained killing intent, Cedric swiftly reined in his aura.
Thanks to that, Isabella finally felt like she could breathe again and exhaled heavily.
Cedric’s tightly furrowed brow twitched subtly at the sight. He was about to open his mouth to say something.
“Mi–”
Crack! Rumble!
Just then, fissures spread rapidly around the hole Cedric had made, and the very space itself began to tremble. Baal, who was standing nearby, quickly called out a warning to Isabella.
“Miss! You must hurry and get out of here! This is a sign the space is about to collapse!”
“Really? Got it! Everyone, get into my shadow now!”
Startled, Isabella leapt to her feet and ordered the surrounding monsters. They obeyed immediately, slipping into her shadow one by one. Once the monsters had all disappeared, Isabella bolted for the exit.
Rumble!
But the space trembled again, throwing Isabella off balance. At that moment, Cedric seized her waist in one swift motion and swept her into his arms.
Dodging falling debris, he carried her quickly toward the exit. As they finally reached Diana’s room, illuminated by gentle moonlight, the space behind Cedric twisted and shattered like glass.
Had they been even a moment slower, they would have been trapped inside. The thought made Isabella shiver involuntarily.
Cedric noticed and looked down at her. Isabella spoke honestly.
“Your Grace, if you hadn’t helped me, I would’ve been in serious trouble. Thank you so much. You saved me.”
“No. If anything, I… ah.”
Cedric, his eyes on Isabella’s relieved smile, started to say something he’d left unsaid earlier. But unfortunately, the timing was off.
“Who’s there?”
Diana, having awoken without them realizing, had spotted the two intruders in her room. Startled, Isabella scrambled out of Cedric’s arms and hurriedly approached Diana.
“Ah, we’re not suspicious people! We had no choice but to come in here to help Lady Cherville!”
“How can I trust the words of an intruder… Wait… Are you… the daughter of Count Hellen?”
Holding a dagger she’d found on her bedside, Diana eyed Isabella suspiciously, but then, in the moonlight, recognized her face and asked cautiously.
Isabella nodded.
“Yes, that’s right! You have sharp eyes! How did you know?”
They’d met only once before, and even then, Isabella had worn a black veil. She was amazed Diana had recognized her bare face.
“…”
Diana, finding Isabella’s open honesty more reminiscent of a harmless girl than an intruder, lowered her dagger. In that instant…
“Sorry! Sleep!”
Taking advantage of the lowered guard, Isabella darted forward, placed a hand on Diana’s forehead, and spoke the incantation. Diana’s eyelids fluttered shut.
Isabella softly whispered, “May only peaceful dreams come to you now.”
Once Diana was asleep, Isabella drew her hand back and turned her gaze to the red necklace around Diana’s neck.
“Huh?”
The gemstone, which had once held a cursed glow, had turned clear, like the purified ‘First Tear of Infernus’ she’d sealed before. But astonishingly, it was now shattered into pieces.
She stared blankly at the broken gem, lost in thought, then slowly turned to Cedric.
“Your Grace? Did you… did you break this gem?”
He nodded wordlessly, making no effort to hide it. A question immediately sprang to her mind.
‘How…?’
Even though she’d separated Nibbas through their contract, the Tear of Infernus was a powerful cursed object. Only a dark mage with high curse resistance or someone with strong holy power could have sealed it.
Then it hit her: he was a skilled spirit knight who used elemental power. Spirits, symbolizing harmony and neutrality.
‘Could it be that he can interfere with curses?’
She didn’t have enough knowledge about the family heirloom to be sure. But one thing was certain: this incident opened a new possibility.
Still, with the cursed object now resolved…
‘I’ll have to research that later. First, we need to get out of here!’
They had to escape the Marquis’ estate before they were discovered.
Isabella quickly swept the shards of the broken gem into the hidden pocket sewn into her skirt. Once she finished, she turned to Cedric and called out.
“Let’s go now!”
And the two of them escaped the way they had come, weaving a black ladder of vines down from the terrace.
For safety, Cedric went first. Then Isabella followed, stepping onto the terrace and grasping the vine.
It was at that moment.
Click, creak!
Suddenly, the door to Diana’s room opened, and the Marquis himself stepped in. At that very moment, Isabella, still on the terrace, and the Marquis locked eyes.
“…!”
Isabella froze, unable to react. But then she realized she’d worried for nothing.
“Ah! Ahhhh! gh-gh-ghost!”
The Marquis, his eyes wide with terror, fell backward in shock. And from the looks of it, he fainted on the spot.
“…”
‘Do I really look like a ghost?’
It was a bit of a strange feeling. She had no idea how she’d appeared to him.
Her black hair was completely lost in the darkness, making her pale face stand out like a floating ghost. Of all things, she’d poked her head over the terrace railing, leaving only her face visible like a ghastly specter.
‘Well, at least he didn’t sound the alarm.’
Thinking that all’s well that ends well, Isabella climbed down the vine.
For some reason, there were far fewer patrols than when they’d entered, so she and Cedric easily escaped the Marquis’ estate. Just as before, they summoned the shadow horse with the help of Cedric’s spirit magic and galloped off toward the duke’s estate.
The tension she’d been holding finally released all at once, and Isabella struggled to fight the overwhelming drowsiness that hit her. But no one can fight sleep forever. In the end, she lost the battle and drifted off.
Cedric, watching her nod off perilously, wrapped his arm securely around her waist to keep her from falling and leaned her against his chest.
“Mmm…”
Sensing his warmth, Isabella nestled even closer, her red, plump lips softly moving. Gazing at her, Cedric whispered the words he’d long wanted to say.
“I’m sorry.”
The sight of her trembling so helplessly under the killing aura he’d failed to contain had weighed on his mind. But the most important thing he’d kept in his heart, he still couldn’t bring himself to say aloud.
He could only gently stroke her now-chilled cheek with the utmost care, letting the night wind carry his silent apology.
……
T/N: I thought they’re gonna get caught but the Marquis thought Isabella was a ghost – GOLD! Hahahahaha
