Long ago, the devils who were defeated by God gathered in one place in the human world, seeking to make a comeback.
In my last two lives, I never thought that it would be Vine. After all, Vine was the guardian of the empire and the front line of the empire for a long time.
They were the founding family of this empire who took charge of the dark land that no one wanted and decided to protect the place where the devils appeared.
Who would have thought that they would be pointed out as devils?
“Night...”
But thinking about it another way, the dark image of the devil and the word ‘the realm of the night’ where Vine was located fit together so well.
I heard that Vine's territory was on the border between worlds, so devils came and went, and that it lost its daytime since God cursed humans a long time ago.
Is that true? What would a place without day feel like?
It didn’t seem as scary as I thought.
When I think of the priests who shamelessly commit all sorts of dirty deeds in the name of protecting the light, I think darkness would be better to hide their filth.
―Thump!
But what were they thinking, who chose such a barren land despite having abilities that surpassed those of humans?
What advantage would there be in the territory of the Vine family for a demon?
When I thought of approaching the Vine duchy, all sorts of thoughts came to mind.
“Duke Vine....”
In my previous life, we had only passed each other from a distance. I hadn’t even met him properly.
The Vine family was too busy dealing with the monsters inside the territory to care about the outside world.
Furthermore, the Yubar and Orobas, the Vine family, were keeping each other in check, as befitting the three major families of the empire.
In my previous life, I had married into two other families, so it was rare for me to encounter the Vine family, who only occasionally sent people to the imperial social circles to show their faces.
“Those two weren’t demons.”
I closed my eyes, thinking softly.
What kind of person was Duke Belled of Vine, the real demon?
Duke Vine's castle must be teeming with demons.
I’m heading to the demon’s den.
I clenched my fists so hard that they turned pale at the thought.
How could it not be scary?
They were different from humans, and they were said to be extremely loyal to their desires.
‘Devils? Ugly ones. Those who only shine their eyes on desires and rush at me.’
10 years old. That was what I had heard about demons when I had been designated as a Saintess and entered the temple.
‘They will do anything for their own gain. They are absolutely disgusting.’
The priests frowned as they spoke. At that time, I also narrowed my eyes along with them.
But now that I thought about it.
If demons are greedy ones who will do anything for gain... how are they different from humans?
Even humans would mercilessly throw another human onto the altar if it meant that they could go to heaven?
No, those who pretend to be Saints and treat others as expendable items and even delay for more than ten years are wearing the same hatred.
“Devils...”
My lips felt dry.
Could it be that the devils are more evil than those people? Or...
What worried me the most was this.
The fact that I had truly designated the devil family as the devil. I didn’t present any particular evidence, so the temple wouldn’t think that I had chosen the devil family because I was certain.
But I knew.
The Vine family was definitely the devil family.
How would the Vine family’s devils react if I found out their true identities? They might try to get rid of me, the Saintess before I could accuse them.
Kku.
I clenched my hands, unaware that my nails were digging into my palms.
I don’t want to die.
It was a life I didn’t even know how it had been given to me again.
However, the two deaths I had experienced were both incredibly painful. I didn’t want to feel them again.
“I’m going to live.”
What should I do to survive?
I want to live. This was the first time I had felt such a strong desire.
When I was young, not knowing when I lost my parents, I moved from one house to another, barely surviving, and all I wanted was to eat delicious food.
But now I know.
That was also one of my desires to survive.
I want to live.
No, I want to survive and live a brighter life.
“Vine.”
Demons. Is there no way for them to need me?
If I go back, the temple only intends to use me, so I had to find a way out in Vine.
I don’t want to die.
It was a life I didn’t even know how it had been given to me again.
However, the two deaths I had experienced were both incredibly painful. I didn’t want to feel them again.
“I’m going to live.”
What should I do to survive?
I want to live. This was the first time I had felt such a strong desire.
When I was young, not knowing when I lost my parents, I moved from one house to another, barely surviving, and all I wanted was to eat delicious food.
But now I know.
That was also one of my desires to survive.
I want to live.
No, I want to survive and live a brighter life.
“Vine.”
Demons. Is there no way for them to need me?
If I go back, the temple only intends to use me, so I had to find a way out in Vine.
I had to find a way for them to need me, or at least become equal.
If I don’t find this, I’ll just die miserably like my previous life.
Then, of course.
“Deal.”
Yes, this is the only way. An equal price in an equal relationship.
They’ll put my life on the scale. Then, there’s only one thing I can offer at an equal price.
Since they’re a real demon family, there’s only one thing.
Not to denounce them as demons.
Or, to not let them get caught.
It might be easier for them to kill the Saintess and shut their mouths than this uncertain deal.
However, the moment they kill the Saintess, the suspicion that they’re a demon family becomes certain.
Vine killed the Saintess because he’s a demon family.
Then, what I can give them is decided.
I looked out the window with a determined face.
“I’m the only one who can prove that they’re ‘not demons.’”
Yes.
I made up my mind.
I’ll protect the real demons from the fake ones.
Of course, I had to check out the atmosphere here before that.
Whether they will accept the offer.
Even if the deal falls through, I have no intention of reporting the temple to the devil and bringing the devil before them.
If the offer doesn’t work for them, I have only one choice.
“Pretend not to know.”
Pretend not to know that they are devils, and when there is a chance to make a deal with them, then show your card.
If there is no chance, continue to pretend not to know and wait for an opportunity to escape.
Until then, I have no choice but to pretend to be a clueless Saintess. I have no choice but to watch them.
This life will be the most precarious of my three lives.
Perhaps, instead of choosing a family, running away and escaping the temple’s clutches might have been the best choice.
Nevertheless, I chose this path.
“Whew.”
I, who had decided her future like that, closed my eyes.
I will not die. If I don’t die, I... I, too, will I be able to live a normal life like everyone else?
A life where I can wake up refreshed with the bright sunlight in the morning, open the white curtains, and welcome the bright fields and fresh air when I open the window.
The only one who could find the devil, the great and holy Saintess, I didn't need any names like that. I didn't want to be treated like that and used as a tool.
Now it was time to act.
Just like the Duke of Vine, who never seemed like a devil.
I was ready to pretend not to know no matter what circumstances or evidence came out.
***
―Thump!
The carriage ran for days.
The carriage didn't stop because the devil had to be stopped as soon as possible. I even had to eat light meals inside the carriage.
The coachman drove the carriage so roughly that my stomach lurched.
'If we delay, the gates of hell might open at any moment.'
The priest and the coachman said that, but it was a lie.
The only one who knew the exact date of the opening ceremony that would open the gates of the world was Saintess Beryl.
The day when the moon covers the sun.
I knew because I had returned. That day was still three months away.
But the reason they were rushing was probably because they wanted to throw me to the devil as soon as possible.
I laughed.
How long had I been running like that?
―Thump, thump.
I opened my eyes. The carriage was slowing down.
Could it be that we had already arrived?
The Vine family was a distant family that was nicknamed the guardians of the world’s borders.
When I absentmindedly opened the curtains and looked out the window,
“...!”
A strange sky appeared.
It was clear that this side was bright as if it were daytime, but a little further away, the sky was dyed a deep blue as if it were a different world.
“Night...”
The sky was visible at a glance, but the other side was a dark space that seemed to suck up even the sunlight, which was terribly incongruous.
It wasn’t just the darkness of the night. It was as if an additional layer of darkness had been added on top of it.
“The realm of the night...”
That must have been the realm of the night that the Vine family protected.
A particularly dark night without a moon. It was like a night when the entire world was covered in shadows.
Maybe it was because I was a Saintess, but the darkness seemed to even feel heavy.
“Is this the carriage that carries the Saintess?”
It was then that the young man’s voice was heard. I froze in place.
“That’s right, but you are...”
“We are the knights of Vine.”
The man’s voice answered the priest’s question again. After a short moment of silence, sighs erupted here and there around the carriage.
“Vine's...!”
“Ahem!”
Even I inside the carriage could feel their tension and fear.
The knights of the devil family that the Saintess had pointed out. If there were real devils in Vine, those knights could be devils too.
And I, who was already certain of their identities, couldn’t help but feel even more nervous.
Could Vine be trying to eliminate the Saintess before she even reached the ground?
“We have come to escort the Saintess under the orders of His Highness the Duke of Vine. From now on, we will escort her ourselves.”
However, the words that followed were contrary to expectations and polite. There was no life at all.
“Directly, directly? That is...”
The priests looked troubled. It was understandable.
They would have tried to keep watch over me, using the excuse that they had to serve the Saintess, whether I liked it or not. They would give me orders that weren’t orders, like finding out if they were a demon for this or that reason.
It was the same in my first life and my second life—so this was my chance. The thought suddenly occurred to me that I should get rid of unnecessary tails.
“The Saintess must not come into contact with the secular world yet.”
Before the priests could refuse, I opened the carriage door.
―Click.
“Saintess, Saintess?”
The startled priests backed away from the door in a huff.
It seemed that they had met eyes with a silver-haired knight wearing a helmet. When their eyes met, the knight slightly took off his helmet and saluted.
For a moment, it seemed that his dark green eyes had passed by. They were like jewels that shined even in the dark.
Were all the demons’ eyes like that?
“His Highness the Duke of Vine is a kind person.”
The priests’ gazes were fixed on me at my words. I continued, my nervous hands hidden in my rich white robe.
“He sent me these knights and a carriage, so it wouldn’t be polite to refuse.”
I looked at the pitch-black carriage behind the knights.
It was a carriage that would be hard to see in the middle of the dark night. It was so dark that no one could tell it was the bride’s carriage.
“...It was made dark to avoid the eyes of the demons.”
The one next to the silver-haired knight spoke quietly. Did he think I was concerned about the black color?
It didn’t matter. Whether it was a black carriage or a wagon. I thought it was a hundred times better than being in the carriage of the temple that would betray me.
It would be good to show that I had some favor with Vine by accepting this favor and that even if I had chosen Vine, I wasn’t completely convinced that they were demons.
“But, Saintess. The carriage of the secular world—”
The priests were naturally going to object. But I cut them off.
“Where I’m going.”
It was the same in my first life and my second life—so this was my chance. The thought suddenly occurred to me that I should get rid of unnecessary tails.
“The Saintess must not come into contact with the secular world yet.”
Before the priests could refuse, I opened the carriage door.
―Click.
“Saintess, Saintess?”
The startled priests backed away from the door in a huff.
It seemed that they had met eyes with a silver-haired knight wearing a helmet. When their eyes met, the knight slightly took off his helmet and saluted.
For a moment, it seemed that his dark green eyes had passed by. They were like jewels that shined even in the dark.
Were all the demons’ eyes like that?
“His Highness the Duke of Vine is a kind person.”
The priests’ gazes were fixed on me at my words. I continued, my nervous hands hidden in my rich white robe.
“He sent me these knights and a carriage, so it wouldn’t be polite to refuse.”
I looked at the pitch-black carriage behind the knights.
It was a carriage that would be hard to see in the middle of the dark night. It was so dark that no one could tell it was the bride’s carriage.
“...It was made dark to avoid the eyes of the demons.”
The one next to the silver-haired knight spoke quietly. Did he think I was concerned about the black color?
It didn’t matter. Whether it was a black carriage or a wagon. I thought it was a hundred times better than being in the carriage of the temple that would betray me.
It would be good to show that I had some favor with Vine by accepting this favor and that even if I had chosen Vine, I wasn’t completely convinced that they were demons.
“But, Saintess. The carriage of the secular world—”
The priests were naturally going to object. But I cut them off.
“Where I’m going.”
My voice was a little loud and trembling.
Had I ever confronted the temple so directly?
But since my life was at stake, I had no choice but to do it.
More so, because the image of them betraying me and stabbing me in the heart was still vivid before my eyes.
“Isn’t the secular world where I’m going?”
The priests hesitated at my words.
“The Vine are only suspected of being demons, but they are not yet a demon family.”
Strictly speaking, the oracle said that the Saintess would lead them to the demons, but it did not say that she could immediately recognize the demons.
So it was okay to show a little uncertainty. They would know that too. If they had been convinced that Vine was a demon after hearing what I said, they would have sent a paladin right away, not asked me to confirm.
“I will prove it. Not you. So.”
I said, trying to calm myself down.
“Don’t commit the rudeness of trying to spy on them.”
For a moment, silence flowed around the carriage.
Had I ever confronted the temple so directly?
But since my life was at stake, I had no choice but to do it.
More so, because the image of them betraying me and stabbing me in the heart was still vivid before my eyes.
“Isn’t the secular world where I’m going?”
The priests hesitated at my words.
“The Vine are only suspected of being demons, but they are not yet a demon family.”
Strictly speaking, the oracle said that the Saintess would lead them to the demons, but it did not say that she could immediately recognize the demons.
So it was okay to show a little uncertainty. They would know that too. If they had been convinced that Vine was a demon after hearing what I said, they would have sent a paladin right away, not asked me to confirm.
“I will prove it. Not you. So.”
I said, trying to calm myself down.
“Don’t commit the rudeness of trying to spy on them.”
For a moment, silence flowed around the carriage.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment