Colossal Serpent.
A devil that occupied the lowest rank among the high-ranking devils, of which there were only 24.
A legendary being driven mad by endless hunger, it devoured a massive serpent to form its own body. During the era of emperors when Telmere was active, the giant serpent—a guardian deity of a small village was sealed.
This occurred after the angels descended at the dawn of the sacred era, preventing the emperor who walked the path of destruction from succeeding.
The serpent had once been a being who protected her village, devouring the animal sacrifices offered by the villagers. However, her fate intertwined with the “Emperor’s Nightmare,” branding her as evil. She suffered the humiliation of being beaten and sealed by Angel Tapnel.
For 500 years, she remained sealed until the day Saint Lyriam released her. Throughout those centuries, she desired only one thing:
[Wild pig. Roasted. Meat. I want it.]
Her only wish was to taste roasted pork again, much more flavorful than any human offering.
***
“Is this where the infamous Colossal Serpent is sealed?”
“Yes, this is where our youngest and cutest child sleeps.”
The speaker, a man with neatly slicked brown hair, dressed impeccably in a pure white priest’s robe, was named Erman.
The fallen saint observed the clumsy clay figure that imitated the woman chattering beside him and continued speaking.
“Of the 24 devils, this one resisted evil until the very last moment. Calling it a devil feels unjust.”
“Our adorable earthworm wasn’t originally a devil, so it makes sense!”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The saint frowned at the devil’s casual comment, implying the Colossal Serpent wasn’t truly a devil.
“The 24 devils born from the primordial void originally didn’t include the Serpent. Our eldest abandoned its devilhood and fled, so we had no choice but to place this child among us.”
“Still, being born from the void makes it a devil, doesn’t it?”
“If we’re being precise, it’s a spirit creature. It just looks monstrous, so everyone assumes it’s a devil, and we played along.”
The devil, opening its clay mouth to speak, faced the saint.
Erman, observing it with pity, bowed his head and began to walk away.
“Regardless, its void essence won’t interfere with our experiments.”
“Indeed. Be it angels, devils, or spirits, the way their power operates is fundamentally similar.”
With those words, “Turbid Desire” fell silent.
***
The saint’s footsteps halted as he ascended the peak of Mount Cirni, the famed site of Tapnel’s descent. He raised his head quietly, standing at the summit, where the heavens seemed near.
The sky was clear, the sunlight radiant. Was the main god watching the saint from those lofty heights?
“I ask that you merely observe and remain silent, O Rom. This is about retrieving my daughter, whom you arbitrarily took from me.”
With a sigh, the saint issued an order to the devil standing at a distance.
“Colossal Serpent. Let’s begin the negotiation.”
[Understood.]
For once, the devil’s tone was serious as it began to weave its magic. In the hands of the woman tracing its shape, a pitch-black mystery swallowed the light, twisting the very fabric of space.
[The massive maw consuming mountains. Colossal Serpent, respond to the saint’s call.]
A faint tremor began beneath the ground, intensifying rapidly until it shook Mount Cirni itself. Pieces of Colossal Serpent, scattered across the mountain, started coalescing.
It was colossal. It was grotesque. It defied comprehension.
A massive entity capable of engulfing an entire mountain loomed, its presence overwhelming. The devil, Colossal Serpent, awakened from its long slumber, gazed down at the fallen saint and high-ranking devil.
[Hungry. Who are you?]
“I am Saint Erman. I have come to negotiate with you.”
[What do you want?]
“If you follow our terms and merge with a human, we will release you from this eternal seal.”
[I don’t like it.]
“You don’t like it?”
In exchange for releasing the seal, it was offered a human body that would allow it to escape from the void, but it refused.
Hearing the devil’s incomprehensible remark, the saint clicked his tongue and asked Colossal Serpent again.
“Can I ask why you don’t like it?”
Was it something to be proud of just because it was a legendary being?
Erman, who was patiently waiting for an answer, inadvertently felt even more confused at the words that flowed from the devil’s ugly mouth.
“…Their. Stomach. Small. Can’t. Eat. Much.”
“… What?”
To persuade the foolish devil who refused to become a human because they couldn’t eat much, Erman tempted the devil without stopping for three days and nights. In the end, only after the bottom of his bright blue eyes turned black did the devil accept the offer.
“Hmm. Quality. Over. Quantity.”
“… Yes, quality over quantity.”
Erman realized that carrying out an evil plan was very difficult.
***
An extravagant guest room in Aran’s lord’s castle.
Cecil Lionelta, a woman with brown hair, was licking her lips as she gazed at Tapnel’s painting.
The painter had carefully stroked his brush, so much so that even a single strand of her hair could be called a work of art.
“… Now that I think about it, I don’t like the fact that another woman’s name is attached to my husband’s name.”
Cecil glared at the blonde-haired angel painted on the ceiling and made an outrageous statement. If Tapnel had seen this, she would have grabbed the back of her neck and collapsed. Fortunately, she was busy observing other high-ranking devils at that moment.
“Should we build a new castle like the nobles at this point?”
The woman planned to discard their priestly names and build a new castle just for the two of them. Normally, commoners would be shocked if someone talked about building a castle or something equally grand. However, she was a high-ranking devil, a woman with a hint of angelic power, and Julius was the strongest heretic inquisitor whose name would be engraved in history.
If something got in their way, they would be quietly eliminated.
Cecil, who was thinking terrifying thoughts, was reminded of a problem she had deliberately tried to forget—a faint sense of evil stirring within her body.
‘The Emperor’s Nightmare.’
A devil who had become one with her as a unit of existence.
The devil’s influence had transformed an innocent girl into someone obsessively devoted to her husband.
Cecil, now one with the devil, had realized the evil that had been lying dormant within her. She felt an odd gratitude for it now.
“When I was human, I had no choice but to leave Julius alone and die helplessly. I could only tremble in fear that Julius would meet another woman.”
But now that she had accepted the devil’s power, she no longer needed to worry about such things. For that, she was thankful.
“Still, I am you, and you are me, but you must not look at my husband.”
‘Not just you—even my past self—is forbidden from possessing his affection. Only I can have his love now. Yes, it has to be that way.’
Her thoughts were consumed by the memories of her death.
[….]
The devil, observing her turmoil, simply remained silent. It neither mocked nor attempted to console her.
“Hmm, I like it. That’s how I’ll dream forever. Then you too will be happy.”
Did the devil even like it?
Feeling even better, Cecil spun around as if she were dancing, then collapsed onto the large bed in the room.
Aran’s lordly castle, famed for its wealth, had prepared an opulent guest chamber. Among its luxurious furnishings, Cecil relished the soft silk of the bed beneath her. Her enjoyment was interrupted by the sound of greetings at her door.
Julius had returned after being summoned to interrogate Paton, Rotani’s butler, for heresy.
Cecil, lying lazily on the bed, quickly prepared to use magic.
She recalled the pajamas she had seen in Liliana’s dressing room earlier, which she had snuck into out of boredom.
Even Julius, no matter how stone-faced, wouldn’t be able to handle seeing her in such ridiculous attire.
‘In the first place… I did the same thing when I had Leira.’
Cecil shook off her scattered thoughts and focused on drawing out her devilish energy to change her clothes.
Unfortunately for her, Julius opened the door and stepped in a moment too soon.
Cecil’s concentration faltered as her eyes met his, and her magic failed.
[Hmm? How dare you wear such embarrassing clothes!]
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