The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 111

I started racking my brain again.

But no matter how much I thought about it, no clear answer came to mind.

‘Daphne used my hair to cast a curse—hm. That really doesn’t seem likely.’

Isn’t it a demon’s virtue to shove one’s work onto someone else?

I nudged Nigel with my foot and said, “Nigel, you figure it out.”

“Me?”

“Yes. The woman you were crushing on kept my hair so preciously—”

“Hey!” Nigel shouted at me in outrage.

I frowned and said, “Unlike you, my ears still work fine.”

“Mine work fine too, okay? Ugh. That’s not the point right now…”

“Then what is the point?” I tilted my head as I asked.

Nigel responded, his face flushed red and blue, “Anyway, quit it with that unrequited love nonsense.”

Whenever I brought that up, you acted like you’d devour me, but you didn’t hesitate to say such things yourself.

Nigel muttered under his breath.

I scoffed at that. Demons are always lenient with themselves and strict with others.

It’s fine if I do it, but not if Nigel does.

Maybe sensing what I was thinking, Nigel pointed a finger at me and said, “You! Don’t open your mouth. Unless you’re trying to make me explode, don’t say a single word.”

“That’s actually a pretty good—”

“Argh! You’re so annoying!” Nigel bellowed at the top of his lungs.

I smiled with satisfaction at the sight. Teasing him really was fun.

Just then, I sensed a gaze and glanced to the side. The angels who had quietly been listening to our conversation were shaking their heads.

It was easy to guess what they were thinking. Insolent. But not enough to call them out for it, so I let it go.

Anyway.

I should stop teasing Nigel here.

I refocused on the pendant in my hand.

The uneasy feeling still hadn’t gone away.

Why had Daphne kept my hair so carefully?

“Haa. It’s not like I can ask her directly,” I muttered to myself.

Then Nigel looked at me with a strange expression.

“What’s with that look?”

Feeling weird, I questioned him. Nigel hesitated, then opened his mouth.

“You’ve said this before. That the Power of Contract can make anything possible.”

“…You’re not saying—”

“So, um…”

“You want to bring Daphne back to life?”

“…That’s not exactly what I meant.”

I completely ignored the end of his sentence and sank into thought.

The Power of Contract was a force that could alter causality—as long as the proper price was paid.

It might sound like an all-powerful ability at first, but the reality was different.

Paying a price sufficient to satisfy causality was impossible for most people. Even for a demon like me, it was burdensome.

In short, it was a power full of restrictions.

Still. I never stopped thinking my power was cooler and stronger than others—but even I couldn’t deny that fact.

Even so, maybe I should ask what the price would be?

I gauged the magical energy within me.

‘Looks like I’m in decent shape.’

Last time, just a slight release of power during the hunting competition had left my legs buckling.

But I’d recovered more magical energy since then, so my body should be able to endure using some of it now.

I closed my eyes and focused on the magic.

Then, I felt the power beating in sync with my heart deep in my chest.

At times like this, the power felt like a living creature.

I asked the power, [What would I have to pay to bring Daphne back to life?]

[……]

But the power gave no answer.

I was briefly flustered. No matter how impossible the task, the power had always given me a price. So why the silence now?

Thinking the question might’ve been wrong, I asked again.

[What’s the price to bring a dead human back to life?]

This time, the power answered, [All your magical energy.]

[No other option?]

[A thousand human souls.]

This time, the answers came easily.

Something about it felt off, but I let it go for now.

After sorting the answers in my head, I came to a conclusion.

‘Impossible.’

None of the various prices the power proposed were possible.

If I gave up all the magical energy I possessed, I might be able to meet the cost demanded by causality…

But that would mean my death.

Sorry to Daphne, but I couldn’t die just to bring her back.

And I didn’t think that’s what Daphne would’ve wanted either.

Well, I wasn’t expecting much from the start.

It’s not like I’ve only been the Lord of Contracts for a day or two—it’s been six hundred years.

Compared to the other lords, it’s not a particularly long time, but I know how causality works.

If reviving a dead human were easy, I would’ve dragged Zachary out of his grave first.

Still, I couldn’t fully suppress the feeling of regret.

I spoke to Nigel in a slightly subdued voice, “I can’t bring Daphne back.”

“Bella, I never wanted that in the first place.”

Strangely, Nigel was vehemently denying it.

It was only natural that Nigel would want to see Daphne again.

Was he just embarrassed?

I didn’t make a big deal out of it and let it go.

What I needed to do now was investigate this pendant.

My goal had been to use the necklace to make the Duke regret his actions, but seeing its contents only raised more questions.

I’d have to put my original objective on hold.

Just then, Nigel spoke up.

“How about visiting House Graham?”

“Not a bad idea.”

It was Daphne’s family estate, so with some luck, I might find traces of her there.

I had been meaning to visit eventually. I just didn’t expect it to be today.

I got up and began preparing to go out.

Nigel quietly followed behind me.

***

The carriage rattled as it made its way toward House Graham.

Feeling the vibration through my whole body, I grimaced and said, “Human transportation is inefficient.”

“Humans can’t rip through space like you. Not to mention, there’s no human who can run as fast as you do.”

“That’s what makes them weak.”

“Don’t compare everything to Demon Realm standards—no, never mind. Let’s just agree that humans are weak. Which means our Bella shouldn’t forget to hold back her strength around fragile humans, okay?”

I chuckled at Nigel’s coaxing tone.

Come to think of it, Nigel seemed quite fond of humans.

Considering that Nigel was beastkin, he should’ve been closer to us than to humans.

To me, that was a curious thing.

If Nigel were a demon, I’d have thought he was pathetic—but he was a beastkin.

I racked my brain, wondering what I should say.

“You… were raised well.”

It was what I finally came up with, but Nigel looked genuinely surprised.

“Why are you insulting me all of a sudden?”

“That’s an insult?”

Since when was saying someone was well-raised an insult? I tried to recall, but couldn’t find any reason for Nigel to react that way.

To my question, Nigel gave an awkward smile. “You’re right. It’s definitely not an insult, but somehow, when you say it, it kind of feels like one.”

What an insolent little bird.

When I glared at him, he quickly apologized. “Sorry, sorry. And about being raised—well, it’s pretty similar for us. Beastkin are born without parents, just like demons.”

Right, that makes sense.

The Demon Realm and Middle Realm are so different I tend to forget sometimes.

Demons, beastkin, and angels—these three races share the same roots, so our circumstances are probably similar too.

“Tell me more about the beastkin,” I said, curious about how Nigel grew up.

Nigel slowly began to speak.

“Well, there’s not much to say. Nowadays, there are only a handful of beastkin left, but in the past, there were more. Still, nowhere near as many as demons or angels, so we all lived together like family.”

As a demon, I couldn’t understand such a way of life.

A demon’s nature is to trample on other demons and rule over them.

The idea of living like family with fellow demons was unthinkable.

“Even so, you must’ve had some higher-ups.”

At my question, Nigel tilted his head and replied, “Bella, isn’t ‘higher-ups’ a bit crude of a term?”

“But it’s straightforward.”

“Sigh… True enough.”