“Right now? What about the church?”
“I’ll leave that to our trustworthy Priestess, Emily. Please take good care of the church.”
After tapping Emily’s shoulder vigorously, Brukin put on the shabby robe that was hanging on the rack, grabbed a heavy bag from under the desk, and slowly walked out.
“Go say hello to Julius and Thalia!”
Emily, distracted by Brukin’s sudden departure, suddenly noticed a piece of paper on her desk.
[Women of the Wheat Field Inn Invoice]
[Regarding the 5,000 silver deposit given to the church…]
“Hey! You crazy old man!!! Come back now!!”
As Emily screamed in anger, her face pale as a ghost, Brukin summoned his divine power and ran away at the speed of the wind.
Brukin, who had been in charge of Julius’ education during his childhood, was a troublemaker priest, notorious for being far from acting his age.
***
After Julius had a leisurely lunch, as he stood under the sun, the events of the previous day, which he had tried to suppress, kept resurfacing in his mind.
‘I tempt you, and you resist. It’s a simple bet.’
It was as if the Lord was chastising him for foolishly accepting a wager with the devil, unable to let go, not even of his deceased wife’s body.
The sun’s rays pouring down on Julius felt as if they would ignite his entire body.
Next to him, Thalia chattered, pulling on his sleeve, leading him somewhere, but her words were lost on him.
When night falls, he would have to face the devil again. He needed to organize his thoughts during the day, to come up with a plan to resist the devil’s temptations in the future.
The reason Julius finally came to his senses was the shocking sight he witnessed when they entered the market with Thalia.
There she stood, with her gorgeous brown hair, reminiscent of a goddess, braided at the side and fluttering in the wind.
Her long skirt swayed with each step, exuding a neat charm.
Those slightly cloudy blue eyes reflected the world, each step she took illuminated by the warm sunlight.
The familiar scent of old Cecil wafted through the air.
Julius stared at the scene for a moment, dazed.
‘Sunshine?’
His eyes, which had been blankly fixated, turned towards the sky.
It was past noon, rushing towards evening, but the sun was still shining brightly, casting God’s grace upon the world.
Cecil’s body was now inhabited by a devil.
If this continued, Cecil’s body would burn!
Julius tore off his robe and ran desperately, his breath growing heavy and ragged.
The devil, upon seeing Julius running toward her, looked around gleefully.
“Ah, you were here, Juli—”
Before the words were finished, Julius had thrown the robe over the devil’s head.
The sudden action caused the devil to flail, confused as his vision was obscured.
“What are you doing? Release me quickly!”
Julius held on tightly as the devil tried to tear off the robe covering her head.
The market, previously bustling, had fallen silent due to the bizarre spectacle.
Thalia, running from afar, froze in her tracks, then collapsed, rolling across the ground in astonishment.
Julius growled softly at the struggling figure in his arms.
“Are you planning to burn Cecil’s body? What were you thinking, coming out at this hour?”
The devil, whose body was restrained, opened her mouth to offer an excuse, but no coherent words came out.
“Oh, no, it’s daytime… I…hhmp… I don’t care…heup-eup!”
Julius tried to lift the devil and drag her back home, but the devil twisted her body with a light, catlike movement, slipping free from his grip.
The devil landed gracefully, her rich brown hair flowing elegantly.
Gasps of admiration echoed from the crowd, followed by applause.
Julius hurriedly turned, only to see Cecil standing there, unharmed, under the glaring sun.
He couldn’t believe it—the devil stood there, completely unaffected by the sun.
Julius’ mind went blank. This defied all common sense.
He had slain many devils, but never had he seen or heard of one thriving under the sunlight.
As Julius struggled to comprehend the situation, Finn, the bakery owner, approached, curious.
“Who is this lady? Was Julius trying to embrace her in broad daylight?!”
The villagers in the market turned their eyes toward the devil, eager to hear an explanation.
Thalia, finally managing to get back on her feet after her fall.
“Sorry for making a fuss, everyone. I think he was very lonely. I haven’t been with him in the morning in ages, hahaha.” Covering her mouth with a nervous laugh, the devil spoke.
Thalia suddenly fainted, collapsing onto the ground once again.
The gathered villagers erupted in chaos at her words.
“What do you mean! Julius got married?!”
“Talia fainted! Hurry and get Sister Emily!”
“Julius is married? This is the most surprising news I’ve heard in 10 years!”
“Huh? Isn’t that Brukin over there? Hey, priest! You need to pay the money back!”
Finn, the bakery owner, threw his arm around Julius’ neck, shaking him playfully.
“If you’re having such a serious affair, you should’ve told me right away! He’s cute, even when he’s quiet.”
Another villager chimed in.
“Julius, married? They say Inquisitors of the central government aren’t supposed to have wives, but if something like this happened, you should’ve secretly let us know. How heartbreaking, truly!”
Brukin, who had been running as if someone was chasing him, suddenly stopped to shout something at Julius.
“There! You damn old man!!!”
At the sound of the shout, Brukin immediately started running again, while the market remained in turmoil.
Julius, however, never took his eyes off those cloudy blue eyes.
“It’s such a lively and nice town, honey,” she said.
The words Julius had longed to hear echoed in his mind.
Ah… how wonderful it would be if the person standing there were the real Cecil.
His hometown—where he had wanted to return with Cecil, where they had hoped to share memories together.
But now, the devil was distorting those hopes.
Was this punishment for defying the will of the Lord?
The sun’s rays only shone upon them mercilessly.
***
Thalia, who had fainted earlier, finally came to her senses after receiving divine healing from Emily, who had come running after Brukin.
However, she fainted once again when Cecil greeted her.
The villagers decided to throw a festival to celebrate Julius’ return and his marriage to Cecil.
Cecil smiled softly as she watched the lively scene before her, her cloudy eyes reflecting the festivities.
***
Devils grant wishes even when they are not desired.
Even if those wishes are twisted, defiled, and broken.
That is why they are called evil.
And she was evil to Julius as well.