“Nice to meet you. My name is Inquisitor Julius Tapnel.”
“I never thought I would meet the famous Julius Tapnel in person. Nice to meet you. My name is Rotani Aran, the lord of Aran.”
A sturdy man with long blond hair neatly tied back and a red-haired nobleman who looked weak at first glance yet carried a strange elegance faced each other.
The Bloody Inquisitor, Julius, and the Lord of Aran, Count Rotani, sat across a large table in an old-fashioned drawing room.
Outside, the noise of workers repairing the damaged castle wall mingled with the faint voice of a young priestess instructing knights in discipline.
– Was this really done by a person?
– I’ve heard the Church of Telmere could conquer the continent if they wanted to. Seems it’s true.
– You fools! Are you still not coming to your senses? Life as a knight is easy, huh? Fix your heads already!
Back in the cozy living room, Julius and Rotani continued to stare at each other down while Liliana Aran fidgeted nervously beside the Count. She clutched her stomach and broke out in a cold sweat.
“I think braiding my hair would be cool, right?”
Behind the strongest inquisitor stood an innocent-looking woman, carelessly shaking her brown hair. It was a comical scene—the invaders calm and composed, while the owners of this place trembled in fear.
Liliana Aran—or rather, the high-ranking devil known as the Colossal Serpent—felt her head throb as the threat of death loomed over her. She raised her pale face to look at Julius Tapnel and noticed the leisurely smile gracing his lips.
What did it mean? Was he considering how best to k!ll her?
According to rumors, heretics were burned alive, and humans possessed by devils had their eyes and t0ngues rem0ved before being thrown to feed the wild beasts.
Feeling the fragile life stirring in her womb, Liliana gritted her teeth. No matter what, the child must be saved—even if it meant sacrificing herself to Tapnel’s power and descending into eternal sleep.
Desperately, she opened her mouth and directed her words toward the heretic inquisitor, who was calmly sipping tea before her.
“Does the black tea suit your taste?”
“Hmm, it smells wonderful. I don’t know who made it, but I quite like it.”
The atmosphere seemed amicable.
The Countess, beginning to believe that the Inquisitors might not have come to arrest her, continued speaking in a more subdued tone.
“I’m glad to hear that. I made it myself, and I’m pleased it suits your taste.”
“I see. Even though you are a devil, you have good hands. Most devils I’ve met are clumsy with such things.”
The air in the small living room, occupied by only four people, turned icy.
Liliana broke into a cold sweat, contemplating whether she should kneel and beg for the life of her unborn child.
Noticing her state, Rotani Aran gently took his wife’s trembling hand, offering silent reassurance as he growled at Julius, a man more menacing than the devil before them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no heresy in our Aran. Do you have any proof that my wife is a devil?”
“Hmm, there is indeed no evidence.”
“Then wouldn’t it be fine to burn her?”
As he stroked his chin in thought, Julius’s eventual response was far too cruel for any human to consider.
Rotani, summoning the demonic power within him, prepared to give Liliana a chance to escape.
That was, until the woman everyone had overlooked opened her mouth.
“Dang! Then you can’t help it. Are you scaring her just because she’s pitiful?”
“… When did I scare her?”
“You’re doing it right now with that menacing smile! Are you doing this on purpose?”
“… It’s simply an expression to show I have no intention of attacking.”
“You just said you were going to burn her!”
“It’s just a traditional joke passed down among the heretic inquisitors.”
“….”
Why is this joke so cruel?
The innocent woman tilted her head in bewilderment as she watched her husband’s smile which could only be described by the word “sinister”.
The Aran couple, observing Julius pinned down by Cecil, felt frustrated because they had no way of understanding the situation.
“…Don’t they already know why were here?”
“When did I say that?”
“Didn’t you mention speaking with the Countess before leaving?”
“Oh, that? She was asleep, so I entered her dream and talked to her. It would have been rude to wake her up while she was sleeping.”
“Well, that wasn’t a dream?” While listening to the conversation between Cecil and Julius, Liliana absentmindedly recalled a strange dream she had a few days ago and asked a question.
Cecil, who was smiling and playing with her husband’s hair, looked at Liliana and nodded.
“Yes, I asked you in your dream the other day. Did you really think it was just a dream? It seems like you’re fully human now.”
She laughed and whispered something into her husband’s ear.
Julius listened quietly, then slowly lowered his head.
Though unsure of the details, it seemed she had passed a critical juncture.
Clutching her husband’s hand as he looked at her with concern, Liliana Aran spoke again, her determined expression directed at the devil and the priestess.
“So, what happened to my husband and me?”
“Well, Julius was being so stubborn that I thought if he saw a devil and a human living well together, he might want to have a second child.”
Was it truly so difficult to handle her youthful liveliness?
The Count and Countess, feeling their energy drained with every word exchanged, silently wished for the awkward moment to pass quickly.
Cecil turned toward the couple. No, the Emperor’s Nightmare spoke to her husband in a low whisper.
“Let me introduce you to ‘Colossal Serpent,’ the first of the high-ranking devils to become human.”
Long ago, during the Emperor’s Nightmare’s punishment by an angel, the giant serpent, unjustly beaten and sealed by Tapnel simply for being nearby, blushed and panicked at the mention of her old nickname. (G: So that snake was her!)
“Well, how did you know that nickname? No way…”
“Yes! I am Julius’s wife, Cecil Lionelta, the pinnacle of all devils! The Emperor’s Nightmare!”
Cecil struck a humorous pose, proudly shrugging her shoulders at her husband.
Julius stared at his wife, his expression neutral, though the corner of his mouth twitched at her childish antics.
After hearing this embarrassing revelation, Liliana grabbed Count Rotani by the shoulders, her expression one of disbelief, and began to shake him.
“Oh, no, I’m not that big! Do you trust me?”
“… It’s okay, Liliana. I’ll accept you no matter what.”
“Oh, no, that’s not it, really….”
Her face flushed red, and Cecil, noticing the steam practically rising from her, decided to stop teasing the devil who was no larger than her sister. Clearing her throat a few times, she spoke again.
“Hmm, okay, she wasn’t that big.”
It wasn’t quite at the level of a mountain, more like big hill.
Unable to endure the temporal attacks any longer, Liliana buried her face in her beloved husband’s arms, refusing to lift her head.
Julius, observing the scene from afar, set aside his role as an inquisitor and spoke to Rotani in a calmer tone.
“You and your wife seem to have a good relationship. May I ask how it came to be?”
“If I tell you, will you spare my wife?”
“I don’t particularly intend to harm her. Since I’m currently on vacation, I can afford to be a little lenient.”
Julius shrugged and took a sip of black tea.
Rotani, looking at him thoughtfully, considered the situation.
‘Then why did you destroy the Lord’s Castle?’
Setting aside the lingering question gnawing at his mind, Count Aran took a sip of the black tea in front of him, wetting his lips before slowly beginning to speak.
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Check out my other projects: Rehabilitating the Villainess, Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses, I Picked Up an Amnesiac Witch, Transmigrated as the Butler of a Defeated Heroine, My Summons Are Special