The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 95

Well, the fact that Kayden was indifferent to me didn’t really bother me.

Let me say this again: I’m a demon who can easily live another hundred thousand years.

There’s no reason for me to get close to a human who can barely live a hundred.

Although, lately, I do feel like I’ve been getting a bit too close to humans…

Gabby, Jessie, and the Duke, maybe…?

…I shouldn’t add to that list anymore.

While I was making that decision internally, Kayden continued staring silently at the damaged mural.

Deep in thought, he finally opened his mouth after some time.

“This mural always intrigued me the most… and only today do I finally understand its meaning.”

“……”

“…The lord of Contract dies while fighting the Demon God. That’s what it meant.”

So he really had memorized the entire mural.

Hearing Kayden’s words, I pouted.

It felt… weird. Talking about my death right in front of me.

I looked at the mural again.

No matter how many times I looked, I couldn’t believe it was a prophecy.

At the very least, there’s no way I’d join a war against the Demon God.

If the seal is broken and the Demon God awakens, I’ll be the first one to run.

Maybe I did provoke him a little while sealing him away.

“If only you’d lived a little nicer. Though, saying that to the Demon God is kind of absurd.”

“Isabella. The moment I awaken from the seal, I’ll come for you first.”

“Huh? At least wait until you’re actually unsealed to say stuff like that. It just sounds… uncool right now.”

“……”

“Since it’s the last time, I’ll call you Father. Father, for the record—Lilith took your last name, and I took your throne. I happened to need a chair for my study. As for the rest of the inheritance, we’re divvying it up among ourselves. Your “children.” So how does it feel to finally play the role of a father while being sealed away?”

“Isabella. I always knew you were insolent—”

“Whoa there! If you’ve got time to say that, you should use it to take one last look at the outside world. You won’t be seeing it again.”

“……”

“Anyway, Father, bye! We’ll split the inheritance nicely among ourselves!”

When I recalled part of my last conversation with the Demon God…

Hmm. Once the seal breaks, I’m probably going to be number one on his hit list.

Even if I kept repeating to myself that the mural couldn’t be a prophecy, the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.

I glanced at the damaged mural. I really needed to find whoever painted it.

“By the way, I didn’t know the seven archangels had such a past.”

I heard Kayden mumbling beside me.

Seven archangels? There should only be six…

Oh, right.

There was that lie we made up at the temple in collusion with the imperial family. The one where the demon Isabella who helped the first emperor Zachary was disguised as the archangel Isabella.

Naturally, there’s no such person as the archangel Isabella. So the correct number of archangels is six.

The fact that the Crown Prince knew this but Kayden didn’t, despite both being imperial princes, revealed where Kayden stood in the eyes of the imperial family.

‘Didn’t the current emperor say he wasn’t considering Kayden as heir at all?’

If I told Kayden that, would he say once again that he had “vaguely” suspected it?

As I was thinking that to myself, a realization suddenly struck me.

‘Wait a minute… then the numbers don’t add up.’

In the Demon Realm, there are 10 Lords with powers. In the Celestial Realm, 6 archangels. The powers of Creation belong to the three gods…

That makes 18 powers in total.

But one was missing.

I ran back to the start of the mural. I read each word inscribed under the images of the gods until I stopped at one.

[Prophecy]

The power of Prophecy was missing. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

I usually don’t dwell on things, so I almost let it slide—but something felt off.

And the more I thought about the power of Prophecy, the more I remembered what Kayden had said to me earlier.

This mural is called the “Final Prophecy” in the temple.

I’m not one to believe in coincidences.

A suspicious mural. A forgotten lord of Prophecy.

If the Demon Realm and Celestial Realm lack the power of Prophecy, there’s only one place left.

The beastkin of the Middle Realm.

‘Nigel, you damn furry beast.’

Just what does Nigel know, and what is he hiding from me?

Just in case, I asked Kayden, “Archangel Isabella. What power did she possess?”

“I was told she had the power of Prophecy.”

As expected.

Since there is no such angel as Isabella, that power must belong to someone else.

To track them down…

Unlike in the Demon Realm, I couldn’t send out my subordinates. I was still considering what to do when Kayden began mumbling to himself.

“…I have met Archangel Isabella before.”

I froze for a moment, startled by those words.

What nonsense was that supposed to be?

Someone like that doesn’t exist—so how could he have met her?

It obviously made no sense, but I stayed silent, curious to hear what he would say.

“We were at war with heretics. I had been separated from my unit, injured by the heretics, and was barely hiding myself. I had long since given up hope of returning alive.”

As Kayden spoke, I could imagine the situation.

In times of crisis, humans sometimes see hallucinations. The so-called archangel he met must’ve been just that.

Kayden looked a little dazed as he continued, “That’s when Lady Isabella appeared. The moment she found me—”

Of course she would’ve helped him. She was a ‘heavenly being.’ Though being a hallucination, she couldn’t have actually helped. I began to assume the rest of the story.

“—she grabbed me by the collar and started shaking me. Her grip was surprisingly strong.”

Huh?

My eyes widened at the unexpected turn of the story.

“Then she shouted at me. ‘Trying to die without my permission? You’re only allowed to die by my hand.’ I still can’t forget that voice.”

…Was it really a hallucination? For a vision seen in a moment of crisis, this felt far too… strange.

I asked Kayden, “Why are you so sure that person was Archangel Isabella?”

“She called herself that. Oh, and she told me to call her Bella.”

“……”

A strange feeling washed over me.

There’s nothing unusual about shortening ‘Isabella’ to ‘Bella.’

Even I ask people to call me Bella.

Still, something didn’t sit right.

That manner of speech he described, and the name…

Just in case, I asked Kayden, “Do you remember what she looked like?”

“I don’t recall her face clearly—but like you, Saintess, she had blonde hair.”

At the mention of blonde hair, I let out a sigh that was somewhere between relief and disappointment.

At least that hallucination or whatever it was had blonde hair.

Not my original red hair.

Well, of course. Just because the way she spoke was similar doesn’t mean she was me.

And most importantly, I had no such memory.

So the so-called Archangel Isabella Kayden saw… whatever she was, she definitely wasn’t me.

I asked Kayden, “So what did this Isabella actually do?”

“…She saved my life. Without her, I would’ve died right there.”

With that, the focus returned to Kayden’s eyes.

He blinked a few times, then looked a little embarrassed.

“I must’ve said something unnecessary. Whenever I come here, I start acting unlike myself.”

“…It’s fine. It was oddly entertaining to hear,” I said while scanning Kayden’s face closely.

That face so much like Zachary’s, and that strange soul of his.

And the subtle sense of discord I felt whenever we talked.

I hadn’t noticed it before because we’d never spoken for long, but…

Today, I was sure. There was something suspicious about Kayden.

Once again, I have to say—I’m not naive enough to believe in coincidences.

Could it be that someone created Kayden to rattle me?

I flinched briefly at the thought.

‘I should have Sher investigate.’

Maybe there’s a way to dramatically extend a human’s lifespan.

I clenched my fist. Only then did I realize my fingertips had been trembling.

“Saintess, is something the matter?”

“…We should go back. Right now.”

“The hunting competition should be over by now. The participants have likely returned to camp.”

“……”

“I’ll escort you, Saintess.”

I didn’t bother refusing his offer. We left the chapel together.