The Villainess Proposed a Contractual Marriage

Meanwhile, chaos reigned in Castle Baskhill.

Try as they might to keep it under wraps, it proved impossible to conceal the Human Defense Council's deliberations for long.

News spread through foreign connections, and soon the Baskhill royals became targets of condemnation.

Not only the nobility but even the citizenry rose up in protest. Cardi Luminel, the empire's foremost warrior, was reportedly approaching Baskhill Kingdom with an elite force.

To avoid the worst outcome, they would have to hand over the royal couple.

"Find them! Round up every last royal!"

"No exceptions for direct or collateral lines. We must arrest them all and turn them over to the empire!"

"Unconditional surrender is our only option!"

With no confidence in defeating the empire's elites and having turned humanity against them, they had lost all legitimacy. In such circumstances, public opinion favoring the defense of the kingdom was scarce. Rather, supporting the kingdom risked being beaten to death by fellow citizens.

Amidst this turmoil, Ronan and Lunia were fleeing through a secret passage known only to the royal family. They reasoned it better to entrust themselves to the demon realm and at least see their daughter's face than to die here.

Belatedly realizing the truth, Lunia was dumbfounded. Yet she couldn't bring herself to reproach him for actions taken on her behalf. Perhaps she too would have made the same decision if Ronan had been on the brink of death.

In the end, she followed Ronan's lead and set out on the path of escape.

"Hold tight, Lunia."

"Ronan..."

Ronan rode behind Lunia.

Clop-clop, clop-clop.

As expected of horses fit for royalty, they were truly magnificent steeds. Their strides were so effortless they could cover the horizon in no time.

As it happened, Baskhill was the only country bordering both the empire and the demon realm. Moreover, with the capital located close to the demon realm, slipping in undetected wouldn't be impossible if they set their minds to it.

The couple rode on.

To meet their daughter one last time.

They rode on endlessly.

Even if a merciless cliff awaited them ahead.

For bad things are bound to happen, while good things can only be desperately hoped for.

Before the couple who held the same wish, misfortune appeared in a clear form.

Neigh!

"Eek?!"

"Ugh...! Lunia!"

Suddenly the horse whinnied fiercely, rearing up as if in a rodeo. From the nearly vertical back, Ronan desperately grabbed the reins and Lunia.

After the horse finally calmed, Ronan saw the cliff that had appeared out of nowhere.

That cliff was an enormous gorge that one wouldn't dare even think of leaping across.

The name of that gorge - Cardi Luminel.

Without any subordinates, the ghost obsessed with battle stood before them.

"... Ha."

Emptiness filled Ronan's eyes.

Though Cardi hadn't even drawn his sword yet from twenty paces away, the scent of death wafted heavily from him.

Ronan left Lunia seated on the horse and set foot on the ground. Then, drawing his sword, he slapped the horse's rump with a thwack.

Neigh!

With a spirited whinny, the horse galloped off, circumventing Cardi.

Cardi immediately tried to give chase, but Ronan blocked his path, grinding his teeth.

"... Though you've been branded traitors, nothing has happened yet. Had you quietly surrendered, you might have received leniency."

"I'm not the type of man who can stand by and watch his wife be tortured."

"I agree with that sentiment."

Clang!

Immediately after that brief agreement, Cardi pushed Ronan back with immense strength.

Though he could have shot the horse dead from this distance if he wished, as a fellow husband, he felt a twinge of sympathy for Ronan.

Let the woman's fate be left to chance, at least.

That was the extent of mercy Cardi could show.

---

---

Anyone would likely raise a question mark over their head at this unexpected fact.

Contrary to her worries, Letitia was a beloved wife. Though Letitia had steeled herself to face persecution as a human outsider, everyone in the Demon King's castle treated her kindly. Given the Demon King's strong authority, she was certainly well-received.

Separately, the Demon King also favored Letitia. To the Demon King, Letitia was precious for the very fact that she would bear his heir. As they treated each other with such mutual respect, an embarrassing affection developed between them.

The two of different races became a couple unaware of each other's hearts.

Amidst this, urgent news arrived.

It was word that the Kingdom of Baskhill was on the brink of destruction. Even without a detailed explanation, it was easy to guess how things had unfolded.

'Father... Mother...!'

Letitia's resolve to flee to the demon realm stemmed solely from concern for her parents' safety. So if her parents' wellbeing was at stake, she could set aside all calculations. She knelt before the Demon King and tearfully implored him.

"Please help... Demon King... I beg you..."

"Letitia."

"Please save my parents. I'll do anything you ask, be it as a slave or whatever... Please, I'm begging you."

He had no intention of giving her affection.

Having brought her here through cold calculation, he only wished for her to faithfully fulfill her role of bearing a child. Therefore, such a plea should have been immediately rejected as presumptuous.

But the answer that flowed from the Demon King's lips was exceedingly gentle.

"Don't do this, Letitia. Just as you have fulfilled your duty, I too shall fulfill mine."

"Ah...!"

A brief look of joy flashed across Letitia's face.

That was the end of their conversation.

The Demon King then issued orders to march.

For the first time in the past century, the moment had come for the demon race to invade human territory.

"Send word to the Great Temple to summon the Holy Maiden."

---

---

If Ibria was the Holy Maiden of humanity, Mar was the Holy Maiden of the demon race.

Unlike humans, demon society did not have a completely separate church and state. Thus, those with baptismal names had relatively more freedom of activity compared to humans.

It was thanks to this culture that Mar was able to march out alongside the Demon King's army.

'It would have been easier if the whole family had just defected.'

Mar clicked her tongue in bitter frustration.

But even if she went back in time to suggest it, the result would have been the same. What sane human would accept a proposal for the entire royal family to defect to the demon realm? They'd sooner kill their own wife...

It was just as they were crossing the border into Baskhill.

'Hm...?'

Mar, who had been riding without much thought, sensed an eerie fear and stopped the army.

Before her lay a wide open plain. Looking in all directions, she saw neither enemies nor even notable obstacles.

Was it just her imagination?

Just as she was about to apologize for the inconvenience and give the order to march again.

A thin voice descended from the clear blue sky without a single cloud.

"For ye have not sought peace and reconciliation. And ye have turned away from poverty and the law."

"Ugh...! All troops, retreat immediately...!!!"

"I have but sent down the sword."

The moment those holy words were completed.

A single human figure fell, and instantly the ground for dozens of paces ahead caved in.

The ripple effect spread far and wide, burying the vanguard of the demon army in dirt and debris. Moreover, the horses went mad and began thrashing about, rendering them useless.

Mar leapt from her horse and landed gracefully, walking on air.

"What kind of bolt from the blue is this..."

Whoosh!

As Mar waved her palm, a strong gust of wind blew. Then, as the dust cloud cleared, what appeared before her was a boy whose voice hadn't even broken yet.

With a youthful appearance, he alone blocked hundreds of troops, his eyes devoid of emotion.

The only thing in his hand was a sword that seemed to be made purely of sublime light. That was all.

Mar recognized it at once.

'Divine power...! A baptismal name holder? But to be so young...'

It was an uncanny sight. The pebble-sized boy had descended before them without a trace of fear, as if it were only natural.

"... I suppose it doesn't matter. This is a holy war, after all."

Mar then declared.

"All troops! Bypass the boy and proceed. I will deal with the baptismal name holder!"

Mar's orders required neither question nor understanding. As if entranced, they carried out her command.

Clang!

Of course, Harte's reaction was monstrously fast. Matching his swift footwork, Mar's holy words were recited with incredible speed.

"In the name of the Lord God and spirits, chains of darkness!"

Whoosh, clank!

Chains forged of darkness rushed towards the boy's limbs. As they bound his limbs, Harte─.

Crack!

Tore them apart with brute strength alone.

"What...?"

These were chains sculpted by demonic miracles. It should be impossible to shatter them with mere physical strength from the material world. That had been the law and common sense Mar knew until now.

"You... Are you perhaps a divine dragon? Have you polymorphed into a human?"

"I am human. One who serves God."

After that brief introduction, Harte conveyed the Pope's order.

"By divine command, I hereby execute the holy maiden of the evil god, effective immediately."

"Who are you calling the evil god's holy maiden... you heretic!"

Divine power manifests in the physical world. Golden particles scatter on one side, violet flower petals on the other.

The collision of their miracles was but a moment.

"In the name of the Lord God and Holy Spirit."

"In the name of the Lord God and spirits."

"Chains of light."

"Chains of darkness!"

Chains of contrasting colors materialize from thin air. The speed of the chains pursuing their targets rivals that of the wind.

They dodge each other's chains and entwine the oncoming chains with chains of their own. The endlessly extending chains of light and darkness form spirals, leaving scars upon the earth.

'This is absurd... He's just a child. At an age where he should be less skilled than me even if he did nothing but eat and train in miracles...'

Not even the faintest crack appears on that serene face. From that moment, Mar cast aside all carelessness and arrogance, recognizing this as a battle to the death.

"Sword of war and famine, come to me."

A miraculous sword like Harte's materializes in Mar's hand. Immediately after grasping the weapon, Mar plunged into Harte's proximity.

Clang!

She matches his breathing. She draws out optimal timing through controlling the intensity of her strikes.

From the very first clash, the difference in strength was stark. If that was the case, then the skill Mar could rely on was her technique honed over long years.

Swoosh.

She deliberately relaxes her strength, throwing off the boy's balance. Then she drives a fierce kick into his unguarded torso.

Wham!

"Ugh."

Even the boy was human, it seemed, as air escaped his lips.

Whoosh!

The boy's body slices through the air, soaring skyward. Mar too leaps high into the sky, preparing for a second strike.

Meanwhile, savoring the cold air of the heavens, Harte's eyes took in the vast world within his field of vision.

A beautiful world.

The colors of prosperity built by humanity.

All that he must protect as humanity's final line of defense.

"So this is how harmonious it was..."

The world was well-made.

As human hearts intertwined and wove together, they built civilization. Harte found that beauty both awe-inspiring and lovable.

'This world that could crumble at a single gesture... This is the mission entrusted to me.'

How heavy his shoulders feel in this moment of realization.

Time seems to slow in this instant as the cold air brushes his skin. The demon holy maiden charging at him with a roar, the advancing demon army, all seem like frozen memories.

Harte recalled the Pope's words entrusting him with full authority.

"I shall obey, Your Holiness."

Bearing his mission, Harte swung his sword of light.

Flash!

In an instant, the world flickered. A blinding white light filled everything, and as if in a vacuum, even sound and temperature vanished.

Crack, crack crack...!

The ground split apart. The earth, covered in lush green grass, overturns to reveal its deep innards. Furthermore, as if a massive pressure was exploding from underground, pillars of dirt repeatedly shot up and sank down dozens of meters.

"Aaaaaah! H-help me!"

"The world... is turning upside down...!"

"... Is this the end?"

Lives endlessly seeking survival. Lives screaming in vain. Lives resigned to their fate. Each life with its own light extinguishes one by one.

They are buried alive in the sinking debris, their entire bodies crushed by violent pressure.

"You...!?"

Mar twisted her body and charged forward at the sudden catastrophe.

"Ah."

The moment Harte's eyes locked onto his adversary, the sight that greeted her was a montage.

It was the trajectory of a life condensed into a century.

"Farewell."

Before the sword sculpted of darkness could reach him, her vision split in two and crumbled.

Mar's body, vertically bisected, crumbled to ashes without even a chance to regenerate.

Regarding this futile end, humanity's final defense turned his steps.

Having fulfilled his assigned mission, it was now time to return.

To the cramped temple, for the sake of humanity's defense.

Forever.

---

---

Hundreds of troops were annihilated.

The impact of this report was too great.

When everyone discovered that the cause of this unbelievable outcome was Letitia's selfish desire, a tremendous backlash erupted.

Not only had hundreds of troops died, but they had also senselessly lost the Holy Maiden, a massive strategic asset. Public opinion seethed with criticism of Letitia, regardless of status.

One demon, unable to contain their rage, even tried to genuinely kill Letitia.

'My child... Glen.'

Perhaps due to the mix of demon blood, his growth is rapid. He can already walk and understand speech. Of course, given his age when self-awareness is still extremely vague, Glen likely doesn't understand his own situation.

'Will you be able to grow up normally with a mother in such circumstances? Perhaps sending you away would be better for you?'

Letitia was, after all, of royal blood. Her mind raced with thoughts of survival.

'My purpose is to bear the Demon King's bloodline. So... if Glen were to disappear, there would be no one to replace me.'

Though she may face reproach, the threat to her life would vanish. Moreover, Glen, born not as a demon but as a human, could surely adapt to human society.

Even if a human seized power in demon society, it would be fraught with discord.

Therefore, Letitia steeled her resolve.

'You must... survive, Glen.'

Afterwards, Letitia had a sympathetic servant smuggle Glen away.

Thus, the boy who was both of the Demon King's bloodline and Baskhill's lineage was abandoned at an orphanage on the empire's border.

Eight years, ten years have passed since then.

The child who left the orphanage has now reached this point, unaware of anything, panting under the weight of fate.

...... However, the truth conveyed to Tina was fragmentary.

That's only natural, as Harte only possesses memories of Baskhill's downfall and slaying the demon holy maiden. His knowledge of Glen is limited to descriptions from the "original work".

There is only one who knows everything.

Elphisia Luminel, who had returned through time.

The wheel of fate creaked into motion.

---

[raei: any feedback on the tenses here? Korean authors tend to use a mix of present and past tense for the narrative compared to the English language's preference for purely past tense. I'm always unsure whether to stick to the author's text or go by what intuitively feels better for me. Any opinions would be great. How it reads currently and where you think it could improve would be even better!]

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