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“…”
It felt like his blood drained from his body through his toes. Ludwig’s complexion worsened.
As if trying to guess what he was thinking just by looking at his face, the demon Ragibach said with a big smile.
Ragibach: “Right. That’s what you’re thinking right now, yes.”
“…”
Ragibach: “How does it feel to lose two of your children by your own mistake? Do humans attach great importance to their flesh and blood?”
Thump–.
The man who did not bow before the Devil fell on his knees.
No voice came out of his slightly gaping mouth.
What if he hadn’t killed his wife then?
What if he had protected Keira?
Had he done so, he would not have reached the worst situation he had faced.
“…Ah…”
He stood by and watched Keira die.
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As he had inherited the goddess’s duty of protection, he thought he couldn’t base his decisions on personal feelings.
When guilt, sadness, and emptiness often poured in, he comforted himself by telling himself there’s nothing he could do because she wasn’t his real daughter.
Because she wasn’t his child.
Because she was the one who would bring the disaster foretold by the prophecy.
‘I made the right choice for the cause.’
With such an excuse, he rationalized and rationalized the choices he had made.
But it was his own mistake that brought disaster.
And what was even more depressing was that the child who had been following him lost the life she didn’t need to lose because of his choice.
She was a child who cared terribly for her father who never spared her a glance…
Ludwig felt a burning pain in his stomach. It felt like his whole body was being ripped to shreds.
Suddenly, he remembered the words the Marquis of Edinburgh cried out in the execution area.
“Keira is your daughter. You will regret this! My daughter has never deceived her husband! If you don’t believe in–mph! One day, you’ll cry tears of blood–hmph!”
Red liquid started running down his cheeks.
Blood and tears flowed from the wounds around his eyes.
Ragibach: “Pfft.”
Ragibach scoffed as she looked at him.
Ragibach: “Hahaha, hahahahaha!”
It was a pity she had to see such a scene alone.
Ragibach laughed for a long time, holding onto her stomach. She laughed so hard that tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
Ragibach: “Ah, I’m dying of laughter, really.”
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As she said so, she drew closer to Ludwig. Even within range of attack, he didn’t lift a finger.
Ragibach: “You mustn’t die yet.”
“…”
A pale finger lightly rested on his head. She gently stroked his silvery white hair and said in a comforting tone.
Ragibach: “Live longer and watch the continent turn into ruins. Watch with your own eyes to see what happens because of your mistake, then kill yourself in despair.”
May the pain be so severe that your intestines will be torn to shreds when I slice open your stomach after death.
A beautiful smile formed on her lips, one that was once praised for being angelic.
Ragibach: “Then, see you next time.”
My contractor, as she lay dying, resented you so much.
The battle resumed the very next day.
Unlike the usual tactics of setting up a demon army on the frontline, the most elite soldiers took the lead that day.
A woman with surprisingly delicate features led the most elite team in the demon realm.
One should never judge demons by their looks…
“The female demon at the forefront…”
“It’s Lady Cosette.”
The knight, who had muttered it to himself without realizing it, suddenly came to his senses and corrected his words.
“No, it’s a demon that resembled Lady Cosette.”
“…”
“…”
But once the words were uttered, they could not be taken back.
Most noble knights knew Cosette’s face thanks to her active social activities.
Unbearable despair came when the truth everyone had been thinking about was revealed.
‘Will the Lady who disappeared return?’
‘Will the situation somehow get better when the one who received the goddess’s blessing returns?’
Such expectations were in the corner of their minds.
Ordinary soldiers had never seen Cosette’s face, but there was something they noticed.
It was harder to convey it since they were all agitated.
Still, some soldiers said, ‘Lady Cosette is fighting alongside the demons.’
Everyone had hoped that the person chosen by the goddess would miraculously return and save them.
Those who did not let go of their last hope boldly visited the commander’s barracks.
“Your Grace the Grand Duke! Please answer us! Where is Her Ladyship now?”
“Please address the rumors! Why did Lady Cosette join the demon army?”
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“Is the demon just imitating Lady Cosette’s appearance? Are they? Please, please say yes!”
However, they didn’t see a single strand of the Grand Duke’s hair out of the barracks.
There was a commotion in which some excited people rushed into the barracks, but the knights guarding it managed to subdue it.
He was afraid to think how the soldiers who had lost their last hope would turn out.
The staff members visited the Grand Duke’s barracks and advised him.
“Your Grace, declare that the demons only mimicked Her Ladyship’s appearance.”
“It’s okay to feign ignorance. Soldiers need hope.”
“…”
But Ludwig didn’t even look at them, with his chair turned away from them.
After a while, he finally answered.
Ludwig: “…If I tell them the rumors aren’t true…”
“Yes, you have to.”
Ludwig: “Will the real elementalist come back to life and create a miracle?”
“…”
Ludwig: “I want to ask you how you intend to deal with the backlash when it turns out it’s not true.”
It was a voice brimming with despair.
It was the first time they had ever heard him speak like that.
No matter how dire the situation, Ludwig never showed any emotion in front of his subordinates.
“Your Grace, we’re well aware that the chance for Her Ladyship to come back is slim. However, even if she lost her life because of the demons, there’s a big difference between thinking she’s at the enemy army’s forefront and thinking it’s a trick of the demons. For the morale of the soldiers…”
Crash–!
A glass of water flew to the staff’s side and shattered.
Then Ludwig’s angry reply followed.
Ludwig; “She is the Cosette Parvis you know! She did everything she could to kill my aunt, seal Beatrice, and break the barrier! What’s the difference between lying and deceiving soldiers in this situation? Miracles won’t happen!”
“B-but why would she surrender to the enemy?”
Ludwig: “Surrender to the enemy? No, she never surrendered in the first place. Because that girl was a demon from the start! And she wasn’t my daughter either. The prophecy… The prophecy…”
“Could it be? Did the prophecy go wrong…?”
Ludwig: “No, we just misinterpreted it.”
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“…”
Ludwig said in a desperate voice.
Ludwig: “I fell for the demon’s tricks… I ended up killing my daughter with my own hands.”
It was excruciating for him to admit his own mistake.
But what was more painful was the irreversible reality.
Dead people never come back.
No, what would he even do if they came back? It must have been a long time since the human world fell into the hands of demons.
The staff exchanged despairing glances.
It was evident that the future of the war would become even more difficult if even the strongest person had become like that.
They didn’t know how to get him back on his feet…
Then, they noticed. The atmosphere outside was different from what it was just before.
Something was definitely wrong.
A feeling of dread came.
“Who’s out there?”
One of the staff roughly pulled back the barracks opening.