Chapter 182………………………………………..
The reason I was certain that the person Gaius had met was Roland Cassius was simple.
“There’s no way I could imagine Duke Edmund Cassius fainting in a panic just because a demon appeared.”
No matter how ferocious the demon looked—twice the size of a human, with massive horns atop its head—it simply didn’t fit Edmund’s personality.
By contrast, I could vividly picture Roland’s antics as if I were witnessing them with my own eyes.
“Right… he fainted…”
Worry suddenly arose within me, and I asked Gaius:
“Did he answer before he fainted?”
Of course, my concern wasn’t Roland’s health—it was whether he had given Gaius a proper response.
In truth, the fact that Gaius had met Roland was actually good news.
Since Roland disliked Liena and favored me, the chances were high that he would give an answer favorable to me.
But if Roland had fainted and failed to answer, everything would have been wasted.
Gaius shook his head.
“No, that wasn’t the case. I had to slap him a few times, but then he came to his senses.”
…Well, that was fortunate for me, but hitting a fainted person in the face to wake them up—what a frightening family.
“So I asked him. I told him your names and appearances, and asked if any of you were members of the Cassius family.”
“W-what did he say?”
My heart pounded, and I silently prayed:
Please, Grandfather, don’t blurt out that neither of us is Cassius!
You’re not exactly known for your honesty!
“Although he was in a daze, he answered clearly. He said…”
Gaius looked at me.
“Idel Cassius is his daughter-in-law. That explains why, even though you are Cassius, no demonic energy was felt.”
I quietly rejoiced.
Yes! I knew it! Roland!
Normally, I would have been irritated with Roland for still scheming to connect me with Isaac, but this time, the situation was different.
This much credit deserved at least a week-long spot on my list of treasured people.
“Wait!”
At that moment, Liena shouted urgently.
“And me? What did Grandfather say about me?”
“Regarding you, he said you were a leech clinging to the Cassius family, someone whose name he didn’t even want to hear.”
“Roland, you…! Ask someone else! My father or brothers would answer differently!”
“Is that really necessary? The person who brought the heirloom is here, and the descendant who proclaimed themselves Cassius is here. I think I’ve already given you enough opportunity.”
Liena could only grit her teeth, unable to respond.
Then—BANG! With a tremendous crash, the rooftop door Liena had locked crumpled like paper.
“Idel! Are you okay?”
“Master! We’re here!”
Terrence, carrying Luci on his shoulder, burst through the iron door.
“Apologies. The monsters Luci was fighting all charged at me at once, so it took me a while to deal with them…”
Terrence’s face stiffened with tension as he explained the delay.
Feeling Gaius’s presence, he drew his sword and warned sharply:
“Who are you? Step away from Idel immediately.”
Fearing a major incident, I stepped between them.
“Terrence! Wait! This person is on our side!”
At my words, Terrence’s eyes widened, and just as his hostility began to soften, Luci shouted:
“Don’t be fooled, Master! I can tell! The demonic energy from that one is nearly equal to Shadow’s at full power! He’s surely a servant of the evil god!”
“No! Actually, Lord Gaius here is the Demon King…”
“What? The Demon King! Then he’s obviously an enemy! Don’t worry, we’ll save you!”
“No, that’s not it!”
From Luci’s perspective, who didn’t know the full story, it was understandable that she couldn’t believe the Demon King Gaius had become my ally.
I was going insane trying to explain, when Gaius, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke:
“Then who are you? What is your relation to Idel Cassius?”
“…Idel Cassius?”
Terrence furrowed his brow as if the name displeased him.
This was maddening! There were unavoidable circumstances here!
“Why… Idel…”
Terrence, ready to question why I was Cassius, suddenly fell silent.
Behind Gaius, I frantically used every signal—hand gestures, foot movements, eye movements, and lip movements—pleading for him to go along with me.
Since the story involving the Cassius surname had to be told secretly, there was no other choice.
Me! Cassius for now! Because this person is a distant ancestor of Cassius! On my side! Please!
Even I doubted whether the signals made any sense, and despair rose in me.
“Master, are you unwell?”
Luci looked at me as if I were a patient, then turned sharply to Gaius.
“You! Did you curse my master? And my master… Cassius family… ugh!”
Suddenly, Terrence covered Luci’s mouth.
“My apologies, Lord Gaius.”
With a polite smile as if he had never been angry, he bowed to Gaius.
“I am Terrence, servant of Idel Cassius. Though my body is limited, I am entrusted with her protection.”
At that moment, I could swear a halo of light shone behind Terrence’s head.
“Please forgive my rudeness in failing to recognize someone so noble. Moreover, I take responsibility for the rudeness of this child.”
He gently stroked Luci’s struggling fur as she flailed in his arms.
“This child is Idel’s companion. Her manners are naturally fierce, so please do not worry too much.”
I knew I could trust Terrence!
How could he understand everything so perfectly, grasp the situation instantly, and align himself with me? Truly the man I loved.
Hearing Terrence, Gaius laughed heartily.
“Treating Miela’s divine beast like a kitten… I have quite the amusing descendants.”
The Demon King spread his arms toward me.
“Now, descendant, speak. What is it you desire? I, Gaius, though long past my prime, will gladly be your strength.”
I swallowed and spoke.
“There are two main things. First, we want you to take us to a safe place, free from monsters.”
Gaius nodded as if understanding.
“Secondly, I want you to help me defeat the apostle of the evil god here, in this place.”
As I spoke my second wish, Liena simultaneously looked up to the sky and shouted:
“Oh, my god! I will give all my remaining life, leaving only one year! Grant me your power!”
Immediately, an immense amount of demonic energy surged around Liena like a storm.
Good heavens. She just traded her lifespan to bargain with the evil god?
It was shocking, but I understood.
Surely this was not Liena’s first deal with an evil god.
No wonder there was almost no backlash compared to the power she wielded.
Miela’s blessings, if overused, bring misfortune.
The power of an evil god was similar—only it took life, not happiness, and the effect wasn’t visible, so the backlash wasn’t felt.
“Rise and protect me!”
Liena’s shout made Camellia, who had collapsed before me, stagger to her feet.
“Kyaaa!”
From above, the wyvern, which had been watching us, glared with shining eyes and charged.
The scene unfolded in an instant, but Gaius’s reaction was faster.
He drew his sword from his waist, sliced Camellia, then raised his staff toward the wyvern.
As the wyvern breathed fire, black mist flowed from the orb on his staff, engulfing both the fire and the wyvern itself.
Not content with defeating two monsters, he aimed his staff at Liena.
But the black mist dispersed into the vortex of demonic energy around her.
Terrence attempted to strike Liena with his sword in turn, but was similarly blocked.
“I’ll try!”
I channeled divine energy to neutralize the demonic energy.
The vortex shrank somewhat, but still wasn’t enough.
I drew all my divine power and shouted at Liena:
“You fool! Stop already!”
“No! I won’t stop until you listen and keep that man away!”
Neither of us yielded, and our powers continued to clash.
“Idel! Why don’t you understand my feelings!”
“You say you like me, but you don’t care at all about my feelings!”
Suddenly, at the point where our powers met, a sphere of light and darkness appeared.
Huh?
The sphere rapidly grew, engulfing both Liena and me.
“Idel!”
Terrence’s distant shout reached me as my consciousness was flooded with something else.
It was Liena’s memory—her happy days as Princess Cassius flashed before me.
I had experienced this phenomenon before.
Soul resonance. When I first revealed that Liena had returned and she regarded me as an enemy, I glimpsed her memories.
“You and that one received the goddess’s blessing in the same way. Furthermore, since your past and present lives are closely linked, your souls may resonate momentarily.”
Luci explained this, saying it could happen again anytime.
Of all days, it had to be today!
After all, both had received divine selection, and only moments ago, we even directly clashed our powers.
Thinking logically, resonance occurring today wasn’t strange, and I waited for it to end quickly, needing to regain my senses before Liena.
But then, I sensed something odd.
Is this really Liena’s second life?
Seeing her as Princess Cassius, this life felt certain—but there was a strange sense of incongruity.
Finally, when Leandro appeared before Liena with a woman, I realized the source of the unease.
“Allow me to introduce, Liena. This is the daughter of Count Wallace, whom I’ve been seeing recently.”
The woman standing next to Leandro was unfamiliar—a face I had never seen before, not the Idel I knew.
What… is this?
