The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 155

We traded meaningless words back and forth several times.

“I can’t believe this.”

That was the vice commander’s conclusion at the end of our squabble.

Hm.

I thought if I pushed brazenly enough, he’d yield. Well, to be honest, it wasn’t a situation I hadn’t already considered.

But I wasn’t about to back down here.

“You seem lacking in faith. How many times must I repeat myself? I descended personally from the Celestial Realm after growing frustrated watching the state of you lot.”

“Frustrated, you say—”

“Unable to handle a few Serenian heretics. I descended because that pitiful sight frustrated me.”

As I spoke, I began to feel oddly wronged.

When you think about it, saying I was Archangel Isabella wasn’t entirely false, was it?

In the first place, Archangel Isabella had been created to conceal the existence of Demon Isabella.

As my expression twisted, the three mercenary brothers watched me nervously.

“L-Lady Isabella. Please calm yourself.”

Sensing the mood, Gray quickly addressed me as Lady Isabella. Of course, if he called me Hyungnim here, the vice commander would never believe me.

“And who are they?” The vice commander pointed at the three mercenary brothers.

“They are my—”

“—Servants. We received Lady Isabella’s grace, and to repay that grace, we chose to call ourselves her servants.”

Hm?

I could have sworn I told the mercenaries to pose as priests.

I glared at Gray, ready to protest, and he glared back.

‘Pretending to be priests was absurd from the start. Isn’t this far more believable?’

Even with just a brief exchange of looks, Gray seemed to pack all his protest into it.

I chose to hold my tongue. At this point, calling them priests would only sound stranger.

I began turning things over in my head.

“…The Mercenary King. It seems he is giving you no small amount of trouble. Am I wrong?”

“…You’re not wrong. Because of that man called the Mercenary King, our soldiers’ morale has plummeted.”

The vice commander answered without resistance.

Only then did I notice the redness in his eyes and the dark shadows beneath them.

Now that I thought about it.

The vice commander had treated me with surprising courtesy.

He didn’t believe I was an archangel, yet he neither dismissed nor scorned me. It didn’t take much thought to see why.

I cast a glance at the monster’s head.

That must be it. In the midst of losing ground on the battlefield, if someone claiming to have torn apart a monster with bare hands appeared, a commander couldn’t afford to dismiss them easily.

“If I said I could deal with him, then? Would you acknowledge me as Archangel Isabella?”

At my words, the vice commander flinched.

He fell into long contemplation.

“I don’t have the authority. Recognition and proclamation of an archangel lies with the temple. And with the commander absent from the field right now, I cannot make such a weighty decision.”

Though negative, I waited for the rest of his words.

“But if you drive the Mercenary King from the battlefield, Lady Isabella, then none could doubt it. That you are truly the archangel sent to save the Silveron Kingdom. At the very least, my men and I would believe so.”

It was a statement that promised nothing. Even if I defeated the Mercenary King, the temple would not necessarily acknowledge me as an archangel.

But rumors would spread quickly through the Silveron camp. That an archangel had appeared to save them from heretics.

And rumors were what I had wanted from the beginning.

That Archangel Isabella had appeared on the battlefield. Then the true impostor would surely come looking for me.

In that sense, the vice commander’s offer wasn’t half bad.

It also gave me an excuse to meet Belial.

“What you want is the Mercenary King’s head?”

“…Even if he only withdraws from the battlefield, that would be enough. After all, there are too many who admire him.”

Indeed. Most mercenaries on the continent admired the Mercenary King. Fighting him as an enemy was bad enough, but even a rumor of him dying at the hands of Silveron soldiers could bring complications.

Convincing Belial would be easy enough. At least, for me.

‘Belial has always been soft on me.’

After a few more words with the vice commander, I left his tent.

Leaving the three mercenary brothers behind in the Silveron camp, I began walking the battlefield.

Since no battle was raging at the moment, most soldiers stayed in their tents, keeping watch.

Looking out toward the horizon, I could see the Serenian camp in the distance.

Beneath my feet, demonic power began to spread.

Like strands of spider silk, the thin threads of demonic power crawled across the ground toward the Serenian soldiers.

After stretching far forward, the power began to probe inside their camp.

But no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find another wielder of power.

Which meant.

I turned my eyes to the side. What came into view was the mountain slope.

***

‘I never thought I’d see a sight like this.’

I thought to myself as I looked at the scene before me.

Instinctively, I had been combing the mountains when I heard the sound of water and followed it to its source.

And at the valley where water was flowing—

I found Belial soaking in the water.

I instinctively frowned. To think I had to witness such a filthy sight.

Fortunately, Belial was still clothed as he entered the water.

I slowly walked toward Belial. I thought I had concealed my presence, but against another demon, it seemed impossible.

“Who goes there?”

Belial sharply questioned in the direction where I stood.

“Mercenary King. No, your real name is Belial, isn’t it? Anyway, Belial. I came to talk with you.”

“…And who are you?”

Belial stepped out of the water as he spoke. Then he began walking toward me.

I flinched.

Until now, the image of Belial in my head was that of a fool.

Belial, scorned by the other lords for his eccentricities. Belial, who never said a word of protest no matter what mischief I caused, only laughed it off.

But the one before me now…

He looked utterly grim. There was no light in his eyes. Only darkness.

His black clothes, soaked and clinging to his body, combined with his staggering steps to create an uncanny atmosphere.

Belial looked as if he were drunk. But there was no way a demon could be drunk on mere human liquor.

This was a completely different Belial from the one I knew.

For the first time, Belial felt unfamiliar to me.

I hadn’t entirely ruled out revealing my identity to Belial.

‘Claiming to be Archangel Isabella won’t work…’

Belial would know such an angel didn’t exist.

I briefly considered honestly admitting that I was Demon Isabella.

Even though I was borrowing a human body, my power was complete. I thought I could handle it, even if Belial’s whims turned dangerous.

But seeing him like this changed my mind.

‘This atmosphere is too dangerous.’

I couldn’t approach him, thinking he was the same Belial who always yielded to me.

“There’s a strange smell.”

Belial’s pupils contracted instantly, thin like a serpent’s.

A strange smell?

Just in case, I pressed my nose to my arm and inhaled deeply.

It didn’t smell good, but it wasn’t foul either.

I looked at Belial in puzzlement. He was still staring straight through me.

After a brief hesitation, I guessed what scent he was speaking of and asked, “Ah, do you mean the power coming from my body? I am a demon’s contractor. That’s why I possess power.”

Among demons, there was an unspoken rule not to harm another demon’s contractor.

So at the very least, Belial wouldn’t attack me without reason.

Belial tilted his head slightly at my words, then asked again, “A contractor? With whom did you make a contract?”

“Lord of Contract Isabella.”

Before I even finished speaking, Belial cut me off.

“Lies. Isabella would never again take on a human contractor.”

…I am that Isabella.

Annoyance flared, but I had to admit he was right.

Belial knew me far better than I expected. After Zachary, there was no way I would have taken another human contractor.

But now wasn’t the time to admire Belial’s unexpected shrewdness.

For now, I had to keep insisting I was a demon’s contractor.

“I truly am Isabella’s contractor. By her command, I am now an arch—”

I stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Belial’s pupils contracted again. I knew that look well.

That was the look of a hunter staring at prey.

Ah.

That was when I remembered Belial’s words to me.

“What’s that person’s identity?”

“Well, I’m not really sure. I was going to ask… but I killed them before that.”

Belial had told me then. That he killed the imposter who pretended to be an angel.

And now, I was the one impersonating an angel.

If I died here… what would happen?