Chapter 370 : Keeping Promises

Duke Remy’s entire body was now enveloped by black tree trunks that had emerged from beneath his feet. These trunks encased him, creating the appearance of a full-body suit of armor. While the armor resembled the black wooden armor he had worn previously, it looked different this time; it exuded an intensely dark aura that swirled around his encased form. Queen Kayana, Miss Karina, and Miss Violetta watched him, visibly astonished.

"You have to be kidding me! I can't tell if he's wearing new armor or restoring the old one, but how is he doing that? Breaking through and damaging the previous armor wasn't easy to begin with. And yet, he’s able to restore it completely?" Queen Kayana exclaimed.

"He isn't just restoring the damaged armor; he’s strengthening it. For some reason, the armor he’s wearing now feels completely different from before. It gives me a very unsettling feeling just looking at it," Miss Karina said.

"It’s not just the armor; I’m certain he has also restored the parts of his body that had previously melted and been affected by the poison," Miss Violetta added.

Once his body was fully encased by the rising tree trunks, the wood stopped wrapping around him and receded back into the ground beneath his feet. Duke Remy then began to walk slowly toward Miss Karina and Queen Kayana, who were standing near Charles and Chloe—the two of whom remained trapped within the tree trunks conjured by Miss Karina’s magic.

"As long as I have these injections containing demon blood, I can keep healing my wounded body while simultaneously boosting my power, transforming myself further into a true demon. The two injections I used earlier weren't the last ones; I still have several more," said Duke Remy.

"Injections containing demon blood... so that’s how you turn people into demons—by using them," said Miss Karina.

"Yes, that’s right," said Duke Remy.

"Where do you get that demon blood? How are you able to transform people with it?" asked Miss Karina.

"Do you really think I’d tell you that?" asked Duke Remy.

"Of course, you wouldn't just give that information away. In that case, we simply have to defeat you and extract the information later. You mentioned that you can heal yourself by injecting that demon blood whenever you're injured. So, we just need to keep attacking you—wounding you repeatedly—until you exhaust your supply of demon blood injections. Once they run out, you won't be able to heal yourself anymore," said Miss Karina.

"Do you think you're actually capable of attacking and wounding me right now? I already told you that the demon blood doesn't just heal my body; it also amplifies my power. Having already used two injections, I am far stronger now than I was before, Ms. Principal," said Duke Remy.

With that, Duke Remy suddenly thrust his right arm toward Miss Karina. His arm shot rapidly in her direction.

"I actually do not wish to kill you, as you are not the target I intend to eliminate; however, if you interfere with my plans, I will be forced to kill you as well," said Duke Remy.

Duke Remy’s outstretched right arm was now within striking distance of Miss Karina. However, before the arm could strike her, Miss Violetta suddenly darted forward and slashed at it with her sword. The limb was knocked aside and deflected by the force of her strike. Duke Remy appeared unfazed by the fact that his attack had been parried. Meanwhile, having blocked the blow, Miss Violetta now stood before Lady Karina and Queen Kayana, holding and examining her sword.

"I thought that slash would easily sever the arm, but it was merely knocked aside upon impact. That implies the arm or rather, the armor encasing his entire body is harder and thicker than before," Miss Violetta thought.

With that realization, she turned to look back at Miss Karina and Queen Kayana.

"Your Majesty, Miss Karina, could you leave him to me? As you know, there is a history between us. I wish to face him and put an end to our connection once and for all. I also made a promise to stop him," Miss Violetta said.

"Can you face him alone, Violetta?" Miss Karina asked.

"I’m not sure, but I promised my mother I would stop him. Come what may, I must keep that promise. I have to stop him... by killing him," Miss Violetta declared.

Miss Karina fell silent upon hearing this. As she remained quiet, Queen Kayana began to speak.

"Very well, Violetta. You may face Lord Remy alone," said Queen Kayana.

"Your Majesty?" exclaimed Miss Karina, startled by Queen Kayana's words.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Miss Violetta.

"You are welcome," said Queen Kayana.

"Are you seriously allowing Violetta to face Lord Remy alone, Your Majesty?" asked Miss Karina.

"Yes; after all, Violetta and Lord Remy share a connection. She may have something she wishes to discuss with him, which is why she asked to face him alone. For now, it is best to leave Lord Remy to Violetta and focus instead on tending to and healing the people lying here, Karina," said Queen Kayana.

"Very well, Your Majesty," said Miss Karina.

"We leave this to you, Violetta," said Queen Kayana.

"Very well, Your Majesty," said Miss Violetta.

"We entrusted Lord Remy to you so that you could face him alone. However, if we see you struggling or sustaining significant injuries while fighting him, the two of us will immediately step in to assist you," said Queen Kayana.

"Very well, Your Majesty," said Miss Violetta.

"Good. You may go now," said Queen Kayana.

"Understood, Your Majesty," said Miss Violetta.

With that, Miss Violetta turned her gaze forward again, fixing it on Duke Remy. She then began to walk slowly toward him, gripping her sword. Duke Remy, watching her approach, immediately reacted.

"Seeing you walk toward me while the Ms. Principal and Her Majesty simply stand silent behind you... it seems you intend to face me all alone, my useless former daughter?" Duke Remy asked.

Miss Violetta remained silent, offering no response to Duke Remy's question. She continued her slow advance toward him. A moment later, she finally spoke.

"So, you are the one who caused all of this, Father. I am grateful to have left this family, but I never imagined you would do such things to Mother and my younger sister. You turned them both into demons. I will never forgive you. I am going to kill you!" Miss Violetta declared, her expression furious.

Then, she stomped her right foot against the ground.

~Flower Magic: Garden of Flowers~

A multitude of flowers sprang up all around Miss Violetta and Duke Remy. Duke Remy remained unfazed as the flowers suddenly appeared around him. Suddenly, Miss Violetta darted rapidly toward Duke Remy. Seeing her rushing at him, Duke Remy quickly reached out to grab his sword, which was lying on the floor. He successfully retrieved the weapon and immediately used it to attack Miss Violetta. As they clashed with their swords, the swords struck one another, creating a powerful impact.

-

Back to where Rid was.

It appeared that all the demons attacking the area had been defeated by the people present. Once the demons were vanquished, I proceeded to heal everyone there using my magic.

~Blessing of Full Healing~

White particles emerged from my hands and drifted toward the people. As the particles touched their bodies, their wounds instantly vanished.

With their injuries healed, the people immediately expressed their gratitude to me.

"Thank you for healing me, Rid."

"Thank you, Rid," the people said.

"You're welcome," I replied.

After the people thanked me, Irene came over.

"Good job defeating those demons, Irene," I said.

"You too, Rid. Good job defeating those demons and healing everyone here," Irene said.

After Irene, my friends also came over to thank me.

"Rid, thank you for healing me just now and earlier as well," Noa said.

It wasn't just Noa; Kotaro, Lillian, Julie, Leandra, and Lily also expressed their thanks.

"You're welcome. I'm grateful I could arrive in time to heal you all," I said.

After that, I chatted with Noa and the others. While I was talking, Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet approached me. I turned toward them as soon as I realized they were coming my way.

"Rid, thank you for healing me," Duchess Arlet said.

"Thank you, Rid," Duke Louis said.

"You're welcome, Uncle Louis, Aunt Arlet," I replied.

"You've saved me twice now, Rid. It seems you deserve another reward. Don't you agree, dear?" Duchess Arlet asked.

"Of course I agree; Rid healed my wounds as well. It is only fitting that he receives a reward," Duke Louis said.

"I've already received plenty of rewards, so I don't think it's necessary this time," I said.

"Absolutely not, Rid. You simply must receive the reward, and you must accept it, too," said Duchess Arlet.

"It seems I can't refuse it, then," I said.

"Of course you can't. But tell me, Rid—are you certain about what you're doing?" Duchess Arlet asked.

Suddenly, her tone turned serious.

"Certain about what, Aunt Arlet?" I asked.

"Your healing magic. I learned from Her Majesty that your ability to heal wounds caused by Dark Magic isn't widely known; only a select few are aware of it. Yet, here you are, using that magic to heal everyone injured by the Dark Magic attacks. Doesn't that mean the news of your unique healing ability will spread to many people and potentially the general public? Are you sure about this? Wouldn't it be dangerous for you if so many people found out? You could become a target for those looking to exploit your healing power," Duchess Arlet said.

"I couldn't just stand by and watch so many people suffer from the Dark Magic attacks unleashed by the demons assaulting the academy, Aunt Arlet. That’s why I decided to heal them all. As for the news of my magic becoming public knowledge... I’ll worry about that later," I said.

"I see. Well, if that is your decision, then so be it," said Duchess Arlet.

"By the way, Aunt Arlet, I saw earlier that you were severely injured so badly that you were lying here unconscious. Uncle Louis was also critically wounded. How did the two of you end up in such a state?" I asked.

Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet fell silent at my words, then exchanged glances. A moment later, Aunt Arlet began to speak again.

"We were injured because we had just fought against Lord Remy. He is the one who orchestrated the attack on this academy and the entire San Fulgen Kingdom using people transformed into demons. Furthermore, Lord Remy is the mastermind behind the plot to assassinate Her Majesty and our entire family—the San Lucia Family," Duchess Arlet explained.

Irene looked shocked upon hearing Duchess Arlet's words. It wasn't just Irene; Noa, the others, and the bystanders nearby who overheard Duchess Arlet were also stunned. They seemed unable to believe that Duke Remy was the one behind it all. Although Irene was startled, her surprise was fleeting; her expression soon shifted to one of realization, as if she had finally found the answer she was looking for.

"I see... now it all makes sense. No wonder Princess Amelia turned into a demon; it turns out her own father was the one who transformed her," Irene said.

While the others were shocked, I wasn't surprised at all, as I had already suspected as much.

"I see; so, it really was Lord Remy who orchestrated all of this. That makes sense, given that those connected to him like Lady Arnett, Commander Dayne, Senior Vyn, and Princess Amelia—l have all turned into demons," I said.

Duchess Arlet looked slightly shocked upon hearing my words.

"So, Lady Arnett has turned into a demon? That explains a lot; her personality and demeanor were vastly different from the Lady Arnett I used to know. I never imagined Lord Remy would be cruel enough to turn his own wife and daughter into demons," Duchess Arlet said, looking angry.

"Yes, I never expected it either, Auntie. Thank you for the information. Now I know for certain that Lord Remy is the mastermind behind all of this. Since the demons here have been defeated and I’ve healed everyone, I need to leave right away," I said.

"Where are you going, Rid?" Duchess Arlet asked.

"I’m heading to where Lord Remy is—the central building," I replied.

-To be continued