The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 35

The carriage rattled, causing groans to escape my lips involuntarily.

The crown prince kept checking on me, clearly concerned. I finally managed to get him to stop by telling him that what hurt the most was having to listen to his constant worrying.

The carriage continued without rest, and inside, silence lingered for a long time.

Then, the crown prince spoke up, “By the way, I never imagined that demonic energy would be so dangerous, even to you, Lady Bella.”

It seemed he was trying to break the silence, feeling uncomfortable with it.

I scoffed. “It’s only because I’m a demon of my caliber that it ended here. Any other demon would have died long ago.”

“Ah, yes.”

The crown prince seemed skeptical of my words.

“Well, I suppose since you aren’t as strong as before, it makes sense.”

He appeared to think that my weakened state due to the sealed magic was the reason I was coughing up blood.

I bristled. “It’s true. Demonic energy is a power from an external world. Do you think any ordinary demon can handle that?”

“…External world? What’s that?”

I paused at the crown prince’s reaction.

“Do you not know about the existence of the external world?”

“…No.”

“Then what about the Age of Gods? You don’t know about that either?”

“This is the first time I’m hearing of it.”

“The Great War? The war that brought an end to the Age of Gods, a series of massacres following an invasion by an external world—are you telling me you don’t know about that either?”

“…I do not.”

How could he be so ignorant? I tilted my head in confusion.

Then again, it might make sense. Humans were only born about ten thousand years ago. Compared to the long histories of demons and angels, that was but a fleeting moment.

A long time ago, I had explained the existence of the external world to my contractor, Zachary, along with the history of the world as known by demons.

Yet the crown prince, Zachary’s descendant, knew none of it. It seemed Zachary had chosen to keep the truth to himself.

“The gods you know are only the demon god and the celestial god?”

“Yes.”

“There were once many more gods in this world… It was a relatively peaceful time.”

Then one day, a formless power began invading from the external world. That power was demonic energy.

The weaker gods, unable to withstand the demonic energy, died instantly upon being engulfed. The stronger gods could endure it, but they couldn’t stop their minds from crumbling under its influence.

The gods began to fight back against the external world to survive. And then…

I considered briefly whether to enlighten the crown prince further but decided against it.

“That’s as far as I’ll go. Now that I think about it, there’s no reason for you to know.”

“…Why do you say that?”

“Ignorance can be a blessing. You’re just a human who won’t live a hundred years. Enjoy your brief life, resting your head on the pillow of ignorance and dreaming sweet dreams.”

“Wait a moment. You’ve started explaining, and now you want to stop? That’s not fair.”

“A frog in a well is happiest staying in the well. Don’t try to broaden your world unnecessarily.”

Half of it was for the crown prince’s own good. The other half was because I couldn’t resist the sleepiness creeping over me.

With that, I closed my eyes. My body must have been overexerted, as I quickly fell into a deep sleep.

***

A child, appearing to be about four or five years old by human standards, stood in the middle of the room.

The small horns on the child’s head were the only indication that the child wasn’t human.

With a pouty expression, the child stared at someone.

The person who held the child’s gaze continued speaking, seemingly unaware of the child’s expression.

[Child. Grow quickly. You will become my sharpest sword and fulfill my revenge.]

“Yes.”

[Hah. I created your kind, but demons are such insolent beings.]

Despite the words, there was a deep affection for the child in that voice.

The voice’s owner, the demon god, gestured to the young demon before him.

[Bella. Come closer.]

Reluctantly, Bella walked toward the demon god, her expression filled with annoyance. The demon god patted Bella’s head.

[Bella. Grow up doing whatever you want. Just one thing: do not get close to humans.]

“……”

[I cannot forgive humans who dared to covet my power without knowing their place.]

The demon god’s hand, which had been stroking Bella’s head, began to tighten. At the same time, Bella’s expression began to contort.

“Father.”

At that moment, another voice echoed in the room.

[Amon. What is it?]

The demon god, snapping out of his thoughts, asked.

“May I take the youngest away? It’s her nap time now.”

Amon naturally cradled Bella in his arms, pretending to be unaware of anything amiss. The moment the demon god gave his permission, Amon carried Bella out of the room.

Amon playfully tapped Bella’s cheek as he asked, “Youngest. Are you angry?”

“Annoying. Same words. Every day.”

Amon glanced in the direction of the demon god.

Though he called the demon god ‘father,’ Amon’s memories of him were far from pleasant.

The demon god had lost his reason long ago. The endless war that spanned countless ages had reduced the once-wise god to an empty shell.

His sibling, the celestial god, still retained his sanity, but the demon god, eroded by demonic energy for so long, could no longer think properly.

The demon god’s hatred for humans stemmed from his shattered mind. Humans could bear children, unlike demons or angels. The demon god saw this as an infringement on his power of creation.

‘What a ridiculous notion.’

Amon even resented his father.

Born from the demon god, who had been consumed by demonic energy, all demons carried demonic energy within them.

Since birth, they coexisted with demonic energy, granting them some resistance, but even so, some demons were driven mad by the demonic energy within them.

Moreover…

Considering the horrible deeds the demon god had inflicted upon other gods… Well, the celestial god wasn’t much different, but it was the demon god who started it, so the weight of the sin was greater.

Amon hadn’t yet revealed the truth about the demon god to young Bella.

Still, it was only a matter of time before Bella learned the truth. As long as she possessed power, the memories of the truth would eventually come to her.

For now, Amon whispered playfully into Bella’s ear, “Actually, it’s because Father has gone senile. Please understand him, alright, youngest?”

“Amon.”

As soon as Amon finished speaking, a familiar voice called from behind him.

It was Lilith.

“Lily!”

As soon as Bella saw Lilith, she wriggled, wanting to be held by her. Amon had no choice but to hand Bella over to Lilith.

Lilith patted Bella’s back as soon as she took her, giving Amon a warning, “Don’t say unnecessary things to Bella. She’s still young.”

Amon shrugged. Indeed, Bella was still very young. “That’s right. Our youngest is still just a baby. How old are you now, youngest?”

At Amon’s question, Bella blinked her eyes before holding up four fingers.

“Four years? Our youngest is four?”

“Not four years, but forty. Amon, how many years have you known Bella, and you still think she’s four?”

Lilith clicked her tongue. How could Amon mistake Bella for four years old after having known her for decades?

Amon let Lilith’s scolding pass in one ear and out the other. As he aged, the flow of time became harder to grasp.

But forty years old… Amon’s expression grew serious.

Covering Bella’s ears as she lay in Lilith’s arms, Amon whispered quietly, “Lilith. Doesn’t Bella’s growth seem too slow?”

“It’s not enough to worry about yet.”

“Bella still only uses words. She can’t speak in full sentences.”

“You know a demon’s growth depends on their will. Bella was born in an era of peace, unlike us.”

Amon somewhat agreed with Lilith’s words. The Great War had ended ten thousand years ago. Bella had been born long after the world regained peace, so it made sense that her growth was slower.

“Still, I’m worried. What if Bella isn’t very bright?”

At Amon’s words, Lilith pursed her lips, trying to hold back a laugh.

“Amon. That’s a needless worry. Bella is certainly not stupid.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

At that moment, Bella, apparently uncomfortable with Amon’s hands still covering her ears, blurted out to him, “Amon. Idiot.”

Lilith chuckled at Bella’s words and said, “Bella only calls you an idiot among all the demon lords. Do you know what that means?”

“…What does it mean? That Bella likes me the most among the lords?”

“…Hah. Well, think whatever makes you feel better.”

Lilith chuckled.

Honestly, what a muscle-brained idiot. He wasn’t entirely clueless, yet he sometimes showed this dumb side.

Internally, Lilith harshly criticized Amon. Then she recalled Bella’s cheeky behavior just now, and a smile involuntarily spread across her face.

Bella was perceptive. Even at a younger age, she had an uncanny ability to identify the demons who were particularly fond of her.

Moreover, she knew that if she called Amon an idiot to his face, he would merely interpret it as an expression of affection.

Bella would grow up to be a clever demon. Lilith had no doubt about that.

“Lily. I like you.”

Bella beamed at Lilith as she spoke.