The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 40

Finally understanding Lilith’s command, Seir swung the axe handle at Annette’s head without hesitation.

Bang!

A crisp impact echoed through the meeting room.

“No wonder the sound resonates so well, her head must be completely empty,” Belial muttered.

Annette, awakened by the shock of being struck in the head, rubbed her eyes.

“-What, what is this?”

“We’re in the middle of a vote. Whether or not we invade the middle realm and exterminate humanity.”

“Huh? Yawn-“

After listening to Seir’s explanation, Annette yawned and spoke, “I’m against it. I’d rather take another nap during that time.”

Then, she closed her eyes again and fell into a deep sleep. It was a typical response and behavior of the Lord of Dreams, who was always dreaming.

Before long, all the Lords in the meeting room had voiced their opinions.

“Four votes against, four in favor.”

Purson summarized the situation. The absent Lord had no voting rights, and coincidentally, the opinions among the Lords were evenly split.

“So, it means the deciding vote is mine, right?” Lilith, who had not yet cast her vote, spoke with a smile.

All the Lords expected Lilith to cast a vote in favor. After all, it was Lilith who had originally proposed the agenda.

However, Lilith smiled and said something unexpected.

“There’s a Lord absent from this meeting. Since she’s away on an errand for me, I’ll leave the decision to Bella instead.”

She said she would ask Bella, once she returned from her errand, whether humanity should be destroyed or spared.

With those final words from Lilith, the meeting concluded.

***

Tap, tap.

A small yellow-furred puppy was walking down the corridor of the Demon King’s castle. The puppy, still small because it was young, was constantly looking around.

“Isabella. I told you not to leave your room today because important guests are visiting the castle.”

The puppy then encountered Lilith, the owner of the castle, who was walking down the corridor.

Lilith clicked her tongue when she saw the puppy, then picked it up off the floor and held it in her arms.

As Lilith walked down the corridor with the puppy, she ran into someone she wasn’t pleased to see.

It was Dantalion, the Lord of Dominion. He was staring at the puppy in Lilith’s arms.

“The meeting ended a while ago. Why are you still here?”

“That puppy. What is it?”

Now that Dantalion had noticed the puppy’s presence, there was no way to deny it. Lilith introduced Dantalion to the puppy nonchalantly.

“Isabella, that over there is Dantalion. A prime example of a demon who doesn’t seem to know where all his years have gone.”

You mustn’t go near him; he could swallow a puppy like you in one bite. Got it?

Lilith whispered to the puppy in her arms. Every word was clearly heard by Dantalion, whose ears were sharp.

“That’s a human,” Dantalion said, looking at the puppy in Lilith’s arms.

Although Lilith had covered the puppy with her magic to hide its identity, she couldn’t fool the eyes of a high-ranking demon.

“So what?”

“Why is there a human in the Demon King’s castle? And that puppy’s name is Isabella.”

Lilith sighed at Dantalion’s questioning.

That sneaky bastard had nothing she liked, Lilith thought to herself.

“I sense something strange. It’s not just your magic…”

Dantalion frowned, looking confused as if he was trying to recall something familiar but failing to grasp it.

Lilith felt a sense of relief at Dantalion’s reaction.

Of course, she could overpower Dantalion, but that would complicate matters. Dantalion was too unpredictable, so it was better to ignore him for now.

Having given up on figuring out the energy he sensed, Dantalion asked Lilith a direct question, “What are you scheming?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lilith smiled and feigned innocence.

Ignoring her evasion, Dantalion continued, “That human, and Bella’s whereabouts are both suspicious. You lied about sending her on an errand, didn’t you? I’ve searched the Demon Realm thoroughly, but there’s no trace of Bella.”

“Oh dear.”

Lilith exclaimed in an exaggerated voice, then continued, “Don’t act so sinister. How dare someone who has lived for tens of thousands of years chase after a child who’s barely a few hundred? Do you want to die by my hands?”

“Don’t change the subject. Lilith, I want the truth.”

“……”

“Where is Bella now?”

Judging by Dantalion’s expression, he had no intention of backing down until he got the answer he wanted.

Lilith stepped back and spoke the truth. When it came to Bella’s safety, the two of them were, in a sense, allies.

“I sent her to the middle realm.”

“Why did you do that?”

“…Haven’t you ever thought there’s something strange about Bella?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“She’s too weak. Does it make sense for the Lord of Contracts to be that weak?”

“She’s still young—”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten Uriel already.”

“…Of course not.”

Dantalion’s voice wavered at the mention of Uriel’s name.

Seeing his unchanged reaction even after all these years, Lilith smirked.

Uriel, the Archangel of Contracts—the previous wielder of the power of Contracts, Gabriel’s lover, and the object of Dantalion’s affection.

“Have you forgotten how powerful Uriel’s abilities were? She had strength that surpassed even Gabriel’s. And yet, what about Bella, who inherited Uriel’s power?”

Bella was far too weak. It was practically a fluke that Bella had managed to rank as the seventh Lord; it wasn’t due to her ability. Even though Bella was still a young demon, her weakness was concerning.

“It must be because the contract with Zachary was broken. That’s why she weakened.”

Zachary. Dantalion grimaced as he spoke the name, like mentioning something vile. Lilith’s face also twisted at the mention of that name.

When a demon’s contract was broken, it inflicted severe damage to their soul, even if it wasn’t the demon’s fault.

Five hundred years ago, Bella’s soul had been severely damaged when her contract with Zachary was broken due to his betrayal.

The damage had yet to be fully repaired.

Lilith had initially thought the same.

“But something doesn’t feel right. I conducted my own investigation and discovered something very interesting.”

Lilith sneered, her eyes filled with killing intent.

“Someone has played a very amusing trick with Bella’s life.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“To solve that problem, I sent Bella to the middle realm. That’s all the information I’m willing to share.”

“Lilith!”

“Bella’s life is none of your concern. I’ll handle it myself. If you’re really that curious, find out on your own.”

With those words, Lilith left the room.

‘It seems someone has set up quite an interesting game.’

Lilith stroked the puppy in her arms.

The weakened Bella, the human named Isabella who appeared by coincidence. And…

‘Zachary, that bastard who deserves to be torn apart, has reincarnated in the middle realm.’

It was rare for a human soul to be reincarnated. Lilith didn’t know the exact reason, but she suspected the celestial realm had a hand in it.

Being a pawn in someone else’s game was the worst feeling, but Lilith swallowed her rage.

For now, Bella’s life was the most important.

Bella would surely be furious when she learned the truth about being sealed in a human body, but… Lilith decided that could be dealt with later.

She patted the puppy in her arms and continued her thoughts.

***

Power is a wonderful thing.

Having lost my power once and regained it, I could feel its value more deeply than ever.

How much had I endured since coming to the middle realm?

As soon as I was declared the saintess, my position within the empire changed instantly.

I wasn’t sure how people outside the temple viewed me, but within the temple, I was treated with the utmost respect and lived comfortably.

The saintess appearing after five hundred years. Just this one title was enough to drown out the bad reputation I had built up until now.

The arrogant attitude of the priests had vanished completely.

Of course, having a wolf the size of a carriage by my side also contributed to their polite behavior.

Anyway, the treatment I received at the temple was so excellent that I decided to stay for a while.

The room I was staying in was much larger and more luxurious than the one I had at the mansion.

“Ah.”

I opened my mouth, and Jessie popped a peeled grape into it.

The day I decided to stay at the temple, I brought Jessie over from the mansion.

It wasn’t because I had grown fond of her, but because I appreciated her loyalty, sticking with me even when my reputation was at its worst. After all, finding loyal subordinates is always challenging.

As the breeze began to weaken, I frowned and shouted, “Gabby. The fanning is getting weaker.”

“I told you not to call me Gabby—no, whatever. Call me whatever you want, just come back home already. How long are you going to stay here?” Gabby gritted his teeth and continued to fan my face.

As my absence from the mansion grew longer, Gabby came to find me. He begged me to come back, so I told him I’d consider it if he served me for a while.

Of course, I’d only consider it. Why would I return to the mansion when the temple was this comfortable?