Chapter 258

Fortunately, Veilks had made a mistake, so the Demon King had never awakened. But if he hadn't made that mistake, wouldn't the Demon King have awakened when Lady Grace wasn't around?

[Do you think gods are called gods for nothing?]

Eliette clicked her tongue again.

[Those god bastards knew. They knew that the Demon King wouldn't be able to awaken back then.]

That man Veilks believed that he had made a mistake, fallen asleep, and consequently failed to awaken the Demon King at the time, but even that had been destined to happen.

“Lady Grace was able to awaken in this world again because of Lord Artia.”

The one who had used even forbidden magic to bind Lady Grace's soul to this world had not been a god, but Lord Artia.

[I'll say it again. The gods are fucking bastards.]

“.......”

Harsh words spilled freely from Eliette's mouth.

[They're bastards who pretend they're generously helping with what humans are doing, while twisting everything in whatever direction they want.]

She had told Ceres this before as well.

[Three hundred years. Do you really think that in all that time, there wasn't a single vessel capable of holding Grace's soul?]

“Don't tell me.......”

[That's right. They arranged things so she could awaken now, at exactly the time when the Demon King was about to awaken.]

In other words, they had merely slipped a foot into the magic Artia had cast at the cost of his very soul.

“.......”

Ersi's gaze turned cold.

“Wow... fucking bastards.”

[Exactly. Fucking bastards.]

It was the first time the two of them were completely of one mind.

“You said he's an existence that even the Chief God couldn't stop.”

And after tossing over nothing more than a single god's power, they now expected Lady Ceres to stop an existence like that?

Ersi was dumbfounded. Wasn't that basically the same as telling her to go die?

[It's not like the gods were just sitting around doing nothing.]

When the Demon King was sealed and his power scattered throughout the world, the gods searched for that power and destroyed it.

As for the power they couldn't destroy, they hid it inside monsters. When a Black Forest was cleared and disappeared, that power disappeared from the world along with it.

[But there were those who figured out what the gods were planning and found that power first.]

Those who had continued waiting for him to awaken even after he was sealed.

[Yes, the man Ceres is chasing right now.]

Veilks. That bastard who was creating Black Forests, deceiving people, and throwing the world into chaos.

“They said he was deliberately creating Black Forests.”

[Well, there are probably several reasons, but finding the scattered power must be one of them. Relying only on naturally occurring Black Forests would take too long.]

Eliette deliberately left out the part about the souls of those who died through the Black Forests being one of the elements needed to break the Demon King's seal.

Now that the Demon King had already awakened, what good would it do to tell him that? She would only get cursed at even more for not saying anything sooner.

[But there was one crucial power they couldn't find.]

“A crucial power?”

[Someone else found that power in a Black Forest first and took it away.]

“...Huh?”

Something immediately came to Ersi's mind. As though confirming that his guess was correct, Eliette nodded and continued.

[Yes. The black egg.]

“......!”

[Power that is darkness itself... That's what they're still desperately searching for.]

***

The Temple Library.

“Then I'll at least go get something to drink.”

“No, I don't really need anything.”

“No, no. You'll get thirsty while you're reading. I'll go get something quickly.”

“.......”

Ceres stared intently at her disciple as the bastard hurried out of the library despite her attempts to stop him.

“What was that?”

Something was strange. He had barely been able to meet her eyes properly for a while now. He definitely looked like he'd done something wrong.

‘What kind of trouble did he get himself into?’

Following the Imperial Library, Ceres had now come to the Temple Library. After hearing that Veilks was a demon, she figured the Temple would probably have more books related to his kind.

Getting permission from the Temple hadn't been particularly difficult. With their influence weakened recently, they were doing their best to cooperate with requests from the Imperial Family.

A single document sent by Crown Prince Aseraian had been enough for them to immediately grant access to everyone who wanted to visit.

But there had been something different about Ersi's behavior. He had personally come all the way out to the Temple entrance to greet her and then guided her to the library himself.

“He did something.”

“You think so too?”

At Kainel's voice from beside her, Ceres lightly clicked her tongue. What the hell had he done behind her back this time to make him act so nervous around her?

‘I'll grill him about it later.’

For now, finding information came first, so Ceres quickly began searching through the library.

By the time she had pulled out every book related to demons, the table was completely covered in stacks of books.

‘They really do have a lot.’

And the variety was far greater than what the Imperial Library had possessed.

“Is it really all right for the Temple to have this many books about demons?”

“You have to know your enemy if you want to argue against them.”

Ceres nodded in agreement with Kainel's answer. Then she began carefully going through the books she had gathered.

Rustle, rustle.

Only the sound of turning pages broke the tranquil silence of the library.

How much time had passed like that?

Ceres raised her head and stretched her slightly stiff neck.

Then, when she casually glanced to the side, her eyes widened a little.

She had met Kainel's eyes.

He was staring directly at her.

‘Has he been doing that this whole time?’

Ceres let out a short sigh.

“Aren't you bored?”

At least read some of the books with me. Why did you bother following me here just to sit there looking bored? That's why I told you to just stay home.

“Not really.”

“Of course you're bored.”

When she looked at the clock hanging on the wall, she saw that three hours had already passed. And he didn't even like sitting still very much.

“Besides, I'm used to being bored.”

“What were you so bored with?”

Ceres chuckled as she loosened her stiff neck. After reading for three straight hours, the muscles around her neck were aching. It seemed like she should read just a little more and then call it a day.

“Breathing.”

“.......”

Ceres's hand abruptly stopped as she massaged her neck.

The smile on her lips slowly disappeared as well.

All because of the single word Kainel had spoken in that flat voice.

“Breathing in a place where you weren't.”

“.......”

Ceres unconsciously clenched her jaw.

If she didn't grit her teeth, she felt as though a pained sound filled with sorrow might escape her lips.

Was this what it felt like to have your heart drop?

A dull ache spread through her chest.

Had he lived all those long years feeling like that?

Tap.

Kainel lightly tapped a finger against the space between her brows, which had drawn together as though she were about to cry.

“I told you. I'm not bored now.”

So stop frowning.

With a faint chuckle, he gently rubbed between Ceres's brows.

Only then did Ceres let out a long sigh and take hold of the hand rubbing her forehead, lowering it.

She squeezed his hand tightly.

“...I won't let that happen.”

“.......”

“I'll never let you be bored again.”

Kainel's eyes widened slightly at those words before a broad grin spread across his face, and he brought his face close to hers.

“For the rest of my life?”

Nod.

Without even looking at Kainel's smile, Ceres kept her sorrowful gaze fixed on his hand and nodded.

“I brought the tea....... Huh?”

At that moment, Ersi entered the library.

But he couldn't bring himself to approach the two of them right away.

There was something very strange about the atmosphere between Ceres and Kainel.

‘Uh, huh?’

And then Kainel's icy gaze shot toward him, making Ersi flinch.

Did I come in at the wrong time? Sh-should I go back out?

“What are you doing? If you're here, sit down.”

“What? Ah, haha....... Yes.”

At Ceres's words, Ersi cautiously took a seat, sneaking glances at Kainel as he did.

Ceres returned to the open books and continued reading.

She would just check these and call it a day.

“Huh?”

But at that moment, a title caught her eye.

<The Divine-Demon War.>

It was an extremely ancient book recording the war between the divine race and the demon race.

Ceres began slowly reading through the book.