The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 146

Imperial Year 102.

It had already been 100 years since the Demon God was subjugated.

The Aizen Kingdom, which had made the greatest contribution to defeating the Demon God, declared itself an empire on the strength of its newfound prestige.

In earlier times, the interference of the many neighboring states would never have allowed the thought of proclaiming an empire, but the renown of Zachary, the first emperor who ascended the throne for sealing the Demon God, was so high that there was not a soul on the continent who did not know his name.

Thanks to this, even though the kingdom had become an empire, the surrounding nations could not raise a single protest.

A hundred years since then.

During that time, the empire dug its roots deeper into the continent and extended its branches in all directions.

And so, now.

There was no longer a single country on the continent capable of keeping the Aizen Empire in check.

Both politics and the economy were stable. Occasionally wars broke out with heretics near the border, but their aftermath never reached the empire’s capital.

The citizens of the capital, basking in peace, lived in abundance.

Even a single rumor spreading among the noble district was enough to send them into a frenzy of heated debate.

‘Linwood Inn’

It was one of the countless inns in the capital. Once, its red brick exterior had been striking, but now it was old and faded, just another shabby building on the street.

Still, thanks to its cheap rates and the skill of its excellent cook, it had no shortage of guests.

On the first floor of the inn, in the space that served as both restaurant and tavern, three men sat together talking.

“So you’re saying the Graham County family put up a bounty? That their daughter ran away, and they’re offering ten gold coins to whoever brings her back?”

“For a count’s house, no less. And not just any count, but the Graham family, and all they’re putting up is ten gold coins? That doesn’t add up, not when it means getting entangled with nobles.”

From their large builds and the nature of their conversation, their profession was obvious.

Mercenaries.

Among the citizens of the peaceful capital, mercenaries were looked down upon.

Men who would do anything for money, even kill.

But there wasn’t a soul mad enough to say that to a mercenary’s face.

Besides, though mercenaries spoke and acted roughly, they were quick to open their purses.

The money they earned went right back into alcohol and food. So, at least in the capital, there was no inn that would turn them away.

“So why did their daughter run away? What, did she fall for some good-looking commoner and elope with him?”

“Lenny. Maybe you should watch your mouth. She’s still a noble, a member of the Graham family that produced a saintess.”

“That saintess has been dead for ages. Hasn’t it been decades already? At this point, even her bones must be dust in her grave.”

“Still, being careful with your words never hurt anyone. Sometimes I think your tongue will land you in trouble one day.”

Perhaps because they were mercenaries, their conversation over the table was unrestrained.

What commoner would dare gossip so freely about nobles in public?

“Well, fine, I’ll watch my tongue. But I heard something really juicy.”

The mercenary called Lenny, despite being warned, leaned in eagerly and began whispering.

He lowered his voice as if he were about to reveal a secret, but his booming voice was as big as his frame.

Though they pretended otherwise, every guest in the tavern could clearly hear what Lenny was saying.

Whether he knew it or not, Lenny continued, “That girl. The one who ran away this time. I heard she was treated like a burden in her own house.”

“Isn’t she the precious daughter of a noble family?”

“Ordinarily, sure… But you all remember, right? A few years back, Count Graham suddenly died, and his younger brother inherited the title. So the young lady—well, maybe she’s not really a young lady anymore? Anyway, she became a useless burden overnight.”

At that, the other mercenaries nodded. The sudden death of the former Count of Graham was something no one in the empire had failed to hear about.

It was a famous family, after all. The Graham family, which produced a saintess.

And not just any saintess, but Daphne Graham, one of the five heroes who defeated the Demon God.

There was no way such a family wouldn’t be well-known.

The story continued.

“Anyway, here’s what I think…”

With a dramatic gesture, Lenny paused for effect, then spoke again.

“Her uncle tried to sell off his niece. Take a fat dowry and marry her off as some noble’s concubine. So the young lady couldn’t stand it and ran away.”

“Oh.”

Another mercenary let out an exclamation at Lenny’s words.

Not in admiration of his cleverness, however…

“First it was eloping for love, now it’s something out of some cheap play. That’s about the kind of imagination I’d expect from you.”

“Do you have to put it like that, Gray?”

Lenny grumbled, glaring at the mercenary who had mocked him.

The one called Gray wore thin silver-rimmed glasses and looked unusually intelligent for a mercenary.

He clicked his tongue, regarding Lenny with obvious disdain, as if he’d long been used to his nonsense.

Lenny, unfazed, continued, “Oh, but I heard another rumor. Word is, before she ran away, the young lady slapped her uncle across the face. So hard he couldn’t come to his senses for three days.”

“Nonsense.”

This time, the third mercenary, who had until then only listened in silence, finally spoke.

Gray backed him up.

“A girl who’s probably never lifted anything heavier than a teacup in her life? No way. Her uncle must have spread that lie to smear her reputation.”

Lenny, unwilling to be branded a liar, kept insisting his version was true.

But each of his claims was met with two or three rebuttals from the others, until he finally gave up.

And so the tale of Isabella Graham’s flight faded into nothing.

The mercenaries clinked their glasses together once more and started downing strong liquor.

They had no idea.

The very person they were gossiping about was sitting nearby, overhearing every word.

***

‘It wasn’t her father, but her uncle?’

I perked my ears toward the conversation at the next table. Of course, while sipping tea as naturally as I could.

And immediately frowned. This was a drink too pitiful to even be called tea.

Closer to herbal water, really. Well, what else could I expect? There was no way an inn like this would serve the kind of tea I used to enjoy back when I stayed at the Duke of Dunkeld’s estate.

My gaze naturally drifted to the liquor the men at the noisy table were drinking.

But to me, accustomed to the liquor of the Demon Realm, such a weak drink held no interest.

Alcohol was supposed to burn down your throat as you drank it.

Anyway.

It seemed the Graham family really had put a bounty on me.

Those men. They were mercenaries, as expected.

It wasn’t strange that they didn’t recognize me.

I had stolen—or, well, not exactly stolen, more like borrowed for a while—some jewelry.

After exchanging those trinkets for money, I had immediately bought a cloak from a clothing shop.

Luckily, moving around with my appearance hidden beneath the cloak made it harder for the count’s household to track me down.

I gripped the necklace hanging from my neck tightly.

Daphne. Was it just my imagination?

It feels like your descendants often suffer hardships.

I spoke inwardly to someone who could not answer.

Isabella Dunkeld, and now Isabella Graham, whom I had possessed, both seemed to have been born into rather grim circumstances.

Anyway, what should I do from here?

I fell into brief thought.

Of course, I now possessed the full power of a demon, but I still judged it best to act with caution.

Everything I did in the past would reflect on the present.

No, to be more precise, it was already the past, reflected.

‘I still don’t understand what Silia meant.’

Even if the present itself did not change, I couldn’t be careless. It wasn’t as if I knew everything about the present.

Even if it was already reflected past, who knew what ripple effects my actions now might cause in the future.

I began turning things over in my head once again.

First.

‘What am I doing right now?’

By now, I was probably still reeling from the shock of betrayal, holed up in the castle for a long while…

No doubt looking quite pathetic.

Thankfully, there was no chance of me running into myself.

And why thankfully? Because instinct told me one thing.

If I ever met myself, we would end up fighting. Our personalities would clash terribly.

Still, I needed to find Nigel…

I stopped short. And then it hit me.

‘That idiot Nigel!’

He told me to come find him, but didn’t even leave an address where I could meet him?

Just then, a familiar title from the next table caught my ear.

“So when are you going to meet the ‘Mercenary King’?”

Mercenary King?

It wasn’t just the childish title that caught my interest.

At the time, I amused myself by leading a mercenary band, being called the ‘Mercenary King.’

It was something Belial once told me.

Which meant…

That so-called Mercenary King was, with very high probability, Belial.