The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 144

Silia merely gave a strange smile in response to Bella’s reaction.

Surely it would be hard to understand if heard that way.

That young demon has always preferred using her body over her head.

There was no time.

Silia had only used her power to stop time and temporarily extract the demon’s soul to this place.

No matter how great Silia’s power was, stopping the flow of time was no trivial feat.

She was already reaching her limit.

However, if she sent the child to the past without a proper explanation, the child would struggle to achieve her goal.

Silia stared at the young demon before her.

A child who inherited Uriel’s hair and Gabriel’s eyes. With her parents’ features so clear, how could Gabriel be so heartless to his own child?

She was such a lovely child. Any ordinary parent would never let go of a child like that.

How sorrowful must Uriel have felt to close her eyes while leaving behind such a daughter.

That was why Silia had no choice but to help Bella.

“Gabriel never intended to kill you with his own hands.”

There were many reasons for that.

Gabriel, as an archangel, had limited freedom of movement. Hundreds of eyes were watching him.

So if the Lord of Contract were to die while Gabriel was away, he would be suspected.

Gabriel’s goal was not war with the Demon Realm but the return of his beloved.

Besides, Bella had been in the Demon Realm for the past five hundred years.

Bella might not have known, but that seclusion extended her life.

Killing Bella within the demon territory was not easy for Gabriel. Moreover, most of the demon lords held favorable views toward Bella.

So Gabriel needed a proxy.

Someone who could kill Bella in his place.

Someone who could more easily achieve his goal, yet whom Bella could never bring herself to kill.

That was precisely Zachary.

And.

Silia, who knew Gabriel very well, could guess why he deliberately chose a human as a proxy to kill Bella.

Gabriel would have been reluctant to admit it, but Bella resembled both Uriel and himself greatly.

Because angels could not bear children, no one had realized it.

But if one removed that prejudice, anyone could see Bella was their child.

‘Is this his last shred of conscience? No… it’s just twisted longing.’

If not for the prophecy, Bella would have simply been the fruit symbolizing their bond.

Silia asked Bella, “Child. How much do you know about Gabriel’s power?”

“…Only as much as others do.”

“I see. Gabriel’s power is… complicated.”

The power of judgment. To some, it might seem as though Gabriel were an omniscient judge.

But in reality…

“Power over sinners? Nonsense. It’s more accurate to say it’s over guilt.”

That was why Gabriel couldn’t truly be called a judge.

The power of judgment, or the power of the soul as some called it.

That power fed on the guilt of souls. The deeper a soul’s guilt, the more dominion Gabriel held over it.

Conversely, those who felt no guilt over their actions would not be affected by his power, no matter their crimes.

“…Isn’t Gabriel an angel?”

Bella’s face was visibly conflicted as she spoke.

Silia gave a small laugh. Living long enough, one comes to realize: demons can become virtuous, and angels can be wicked.

“It’s a power that can be used for good, depending on how it’s wielded. But in Gabriel’s case, he used this power to bind your contractor.”

Anyway, the important point is this: your contractor’s soul is in Gabriel’s hands.

“Most fathers may play pranks on their sons-in-law, but this one crossed a line.”

Silia joked lightly.

***

The moment I heard those words, my expression instantly hardened.

I said firmly, “Don’t treat that man as my father. He’s just a sire.”

“Hm? Bella, that’s all?”

Nigel, who had been listening nearby, asked.

When I nodded, he tilted his head and asked, “So son-in-law… well, I guess that part is okay— sigh, never mind. What am I even saying?”

Nigel mumbled to himself and closed his mouth.

Silia continued.

So, Bella. What you must do when you go to the past is…

Save your contractor’s life.

“You know that the older a human lives, the higher the level of their soul becomes. And that the soul of a human who endures hardships becomes even greater.”

Then what about a human who has experienced countless deaths?

No matter how exceptional a human may be, killing a demon lord was impossible.

That was due to the disparity in soul levels. The higher one’s soul level, the stronger their power, but even so, no human could kill a demon lord.

However, if one could exponentially raise a human’s soul level… and if that human happened to be someone dearly cherished by the target demon?

To that end, Gabriel had reincarnated Zachary’s soul countless times.

And every time, he gifted that soul a miserable death.

Normally, this cycle could not be broken.

“But Bella. You will change that. Go to the past and save Zachary.”

“If I save him?”

“Leave the rest to me. I promise. If you stop Zachary’s endless deaths, I’ll find a way to stop Gabriel.”

Silia, who had seemed ready to tell me everything, was clearly hiding something at the very end.

Even so, I couldn’t refuse her proposal.

How could I?

Whenever it’s about you, I become endlessly foolish.

Gabriel was a son of a bitch.

I called Gabriel with the kinds of words Gabby would use.

Normally, I refrain from swearing and try to maintain somewhat refined speech habits, but I couldn’t hold back.

I grabbed onto my hazy mind and began muttering.

“Though not as much as you, I too have lived quite a long life.”

Most of it was spent in the Demon Realm, but that didn’t mean I had no ties to the Middle Realm.

So I had seen many parent-child relationships.

“Even the most vile humans often loved their children.”

But of all things. The man called my father seemed to exist only to cause me pain.

If he had only hurt me, it would have been fine. That, I could tolerate.

But not my contractor.

How dare he. There are things in this world one must never touch, and he dared.

Haven’t I often said it?

That I wanted to have parents so I could commit filial impiety. And what a bastard of a father I ended up with.

Seriously, isn’t this more than enough justification for filial impiety?

It’s enough to make me overflow with motivation. I want to drag that bastard Gabriel by the collar and slam his shameless face into the ground.

“I’ll go to the past immediately.”

I told the two.

***

Silia began explaining to me.

“Only your soul can return to the past.”

“Then…”

I couldn’t hide my confusion.

Even if I returned to the past as just a soul, would I be able to do anything?

Everyone at the temple would chase me down before I could even approach Zachary.

Then Silia smiled as if to reassure me. “Don’t worry. A body will be prepared for you in the past.”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone volunteered. They offered the body of their descendants for you. It must have been… a very difficult decision.”

No way?

What came to mind at that moment were the portraits I had seen at the Graham estate.

Portraits of different women, all named Isabella.

Their common trait was that they were all descendants of Daphne.

It must have been clear what I was thinking.

Silia nodded and said, “That necklace is the medium. It allows your soul to travel through time and possess that body.”

I looked down at my neck. For some reason, Daphne’s necklace was still hanging there.

How much had Daphne known about this situation?

Probably… she knew everything. That’s why she decided to offer the body of her descendants for me.

As I fell silent, Silia continued, “Many people sacrificed something of their own just to save you.”

“You say that like I’m supposed to be grateful…”

I spoke curtly but couldn’t finish the sentence.

Because my scarce and feeble conscience began to sting.

Silia let out a small laugh.

“Young demon, there’s no need to try so hard to act strong.”