Chapter 37: Proof of Love (part 2)

The corner of the devil’s mouth twitched, and as she touched the man’s right hand, she continued speaking in a low voice.  

“I asked Priestess Emily to interfere with the plan, saying it would be dangerous for you. If time goes back, the person you are now will disappear.”  

That was absolutely unacceptable.  

Because no one could take him out of her embrace.  

“…What will happen if Erman’s plan continues like this?”  

“The truth of the world, permitted by God Rom is that ‘Time’ only moves forward. That obvious truth will be distorted, and the world’s time will go back.”  

“….”  

“It’s okay. It’s natural for you to be shaken when you hear this. Because a man named Julius Tapnel deserves to be rewarded. Yes, you deserve it.”  

“…No, I was blinded for a moment and made a hasty decision. It was my mistake.”  

A blond-haired child running toward him with a bright smile, calling him Dad.  

Julius thought of Leira and roughly rubbed his face.  

‘You idiot. You’re such a fool that you don’t even care about my daughter!’  

He took a moment to criticize himself for the rare mistake he had made.  

Lifting his head, he looked at the woman sitting in front of him.  

A gentle smile rested on her lips.  

The eyes that had just been shedding bloody tears now sparkled brightly, as if they had never been like that before.  

No, it would be absurd to say they were sparkling, as the cloudy atmosphere had only grown darker.  

“It wasn’t a mistake. Your choice was an extremely reasonable one. Being able to start all over again is a truly attractive proposition.”  

“…As a father with a daughter, I can’t believe I even considered participating in something that could lead to Leira’s disappearance. It’s embarrassing to even call myself a father now.”  

Julius wore a gloomy expression, a self-mocking smile playing on his lips.  

The devil’s smile deepened as she watched him.  

“It’s okay. Even if time goes back, Leira will never disappear.”  

“…What does that mean?”  

“Leira Tapnel. The child born to the strongest inquisitor, Julius Tapnel, and the saint’s daughter, Cecil Lionelta, is blessed by heaven.”  

“The Angel of Faith gifted the child with a flame that set fire to all things.  

The Angel of Punishment gave the child her own weapon, which could freeze the flow of time.  

The Angel of Mercy imbued the child with powerful divine power, allowing her to show mercy even against legions.  

Finally, Lionelta, the Angel of Death, breathed her own breath into her and granted her immortality, so the child was destined to become a saintess who would live on in history.”  

Cecil spoke of her daughter’s secret in a languid voice, as if telling an interesting story to a young child.  

Julius could not hide his confusion upon hearing those words.  

“…One being can contain only one angelic power. There is no way something like that could happen.”  

“Well, why was that possible? Even I don’t know. Even the child who received the blessing does not know what she truly is. But Leira inherited her powers from four angels before she was even born, and even if the world’s time goes back, her existence will never disappear.”  

“So, you don’t have to give up Erman’s plan because of Leira.”  

Cecil constantly adjusted the bandages with a bitter smile.  

Julius, watching the woman who trembled as if she would break at the slightest touch, gently held her in his arms and stroked her hair.  

“…Even if Leira is safe, I will not accept Erman’s plan.”  

‘I thought I could do it, but I was weaker than I believed.’  

Julius swallowed his words, feeling the scent of the woman in his arms. She simply hugged him tightly in return.  

Time passed slowly like that. The sweet scent of milk filled his senses, and his pounding heart gradually calmed.  

Then, the devil whispered softly.  

“…Why? Don’t you want to see the real Cecil…one who is not me?”  

An eerily emotionless voice rang out calmly.  

Julius slowly lowered his head and looked down at his wife, their eyes meeting.

Then he realized it.  

She was pitiful. She had festered, forced to hide what had already rotted away…that ugly desire.  

The desire to make a man hers and the burning anger at the sense of betrayal when that man tried to abandon her.  

Julius could only stare at her from afar, forgetting to even breathe, as her love—so close to hatred—swirled in her blue eyes, calm like the quiet sea.  

“You only chose this because you had no choice. You only chose me because you couldn’t bear to let go of the hand holding you, wearing the face of your beloved Cecil. Even now, you’re not looking at me. You’re only thinking about your past wife while holding me. You don’t love me. You love the old Cecil Lionelta.” 

“.….”  

“You speak of eternal love, yet you refuse to acknowledge that I have become tainted by mixing with the devil. Are you still thinking about it? ‘After all, this woman is not the woman I loved.’”  

The woman possessed by the devil twisted the corners of her mouth, entangling her husband like a snake strangling its prey.  

Before he knew it, the sweet scent of milk that once lingered in the air had transformed into the overpowering fragrance of roses.  

In the desolate land outside the cabin, black roses devoured one another, blooming and withering in an endless cycle, while the devil screamed into the dark void—a grotesque reflection of a once-beautiful flower garden.  

“Every time I see that b*tch’s face reflected in your eyes, my heart aches! It hurts! It’s so bitter and cold, I feel like my heart is going to fall apart!”  

“… Calm down. I love you now too.”  

“Love? Yes, only I love you.”  

The devil, who had been on the verge of strangling the heretic inquisitor, stopped at the mention of love.  

Muttering the words of her love for a brief moment, she then buried her face in Julius’s neck and spoke calmly, as if she had just thought of something amusing—something he could never do.  

“Now, I won’t believe anything you say. I don’t want to hear any whispers of your love for Cecil from the past.”  

“..….”  

“You want to deny it? How cute. Then prove it with actions instead of words.”  

Cecil slowly strengthened her grip, gently pushing against his chest.  

Julius lay on a bed dyed in darkness.  

The devil sat atop the heretic inquisitor who had fallen onto the bed, tracing his chest with her fingers as she whispered softly.  

“Take me now. Then, I will believe you.”  

“… That can’t be done.”  

“Hehehehe, I knew you would say that. Yes, it would be too cruel to ask you to embrace me.”  

As if she had already anticipated his answer, the devil slowly bent down, a bright smile on her face. She pressed her cherry-red lips to his ear and whispered once more.  

But this time, she did not say the same thing as before.  

No—she demanded something even more impossible.  

“Then, give me proof of your love.”  

“… Proof of love?”  

Julius stared into her eyes, as if unsure of what she meant.  

Cecil stroked him with an almost loving touch, then gently trailed her fingers to his neck.  

“If you truly love me, give me your necklace.”  

“It was mine to begin with, so you wouldn’t mind giving it to me again, would you?”  

A silver necklace imbued with an icy chill.  

As the devil’s bewitching eyes fixated on the only source of his past love for the heretic inquisitor, she coveted it with insatiable greed.  

A forgotten void swallowed by a giant serpent.  

In this world, where no one ever visits, an ordeal approached—one that would torment a poor man.  

“If you give it to me, I will trust you. The eternal love offered by a man named Julius Tapnel will be mine alone, and I will be willing to be deceived.”  

‘Can you really do it?’  

‘No, you can’t. Because Julius Tapnel is that kind of man.’  

‘So, you will stay here with me.’  

In a paradise that will never be destroyed.  

Forever.  

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