Chapter 198: I am The Devil

"Hehe"

Viel was laughing with a satisfied expression as he sat on the Ocean Spirit's head. The Spirit of the Ocean also seemed to be laughing as its beak was chittering loud enough for the citizens of the city of Tark to hear.

Spheres of water floated straight towards the inside of the baskets that the people were holding, the sphere encased all sorts of sea life. From fish, shells, to crustaceans.

"This…", the city lord, Beatrice, could not help but blink a couple of times as she saw food literally flew to their city. Even though it is happening right in front of her, she still couldn't believe it.

The Spirit of the Ocean… is Lord Viel's friend? How ridiculous was that? But seeing as the spirit itself was offering them food, then that was probably really the case. But still, it felt as if her eyes were deceiving her.

It took more than 30 minutes for the baskets of the people to be filled. But seeing the sheer amount of catch, it would probably be enough to feed the city's remaining population for an entire month, maybe even more.

A month was enough for them to send people to other cities to buy supplies and hire workers to rebuild their city.

As soon as the water started spilling from their baskets, Van jumped down from the head of the Spirit of the Ocean and landed right in front of Beatrice. He then waved his hand, shouting his farewells to the ocean spirit.

The Spirit of the Ocean also flapped its fins as it slowly turned back, taking along with it the colossal tidal wave. The people of Tark also bowed their heads. To even see a spirit in their normal mundane lives, truly was a miracle.

With the Spirit of the Ocean gone, the level of the waters once again returned back to normal, the sound of waves crashing to the port filled the ears of the people. It was like a bell, a bell that surrounded the city, once again bringing it to life.

"Thank you… Lord Viel", once again, Beatrice approached Viel and held his hand tight, "You have more than helped this city"

"As I said", Viel cleared his throat as he awkwardly pulled his hand away, "I am a generous Lord"

Beatrice could not help but chuckle as she heard Viel's words, "I should be the one giving dowry… but instead it is you who offered--"

"What dowry?"

Before Beatrice could even finish her words, Viel looked at her, his eyes blinking in confusion. He has heard the word before, he just couldn't pinpoint what it meant exactly, but he knew it was somewhat important.

"Yes", Beatrice nodded her head, "Please… until my city rises up again, I ask that we wait before the ceremony"

"What are you even talking about?", Viel's sweat started to form as the meaning of the word was already on the tip of his tongue, his mind just did not want to spit it out yet.

"...Oh", Sofia, who heard the conversation of the two, could not help but lift up her spectacles, shake her head, and pinch the bridge of her nose sequentially. She already knew what was happening since they had the same tradition in their kingdom.

Seeing the confusion on Viel's face, Charlotte, who has been watching everything from the side, approached Viel and whispered into his ears, "If a noble hugs someone of the opposite sex from a different house for more than 5 seconds, that usually means that they are asking someone for marriage"

"...What", Viel's eyes widened in shock, "That's… ridiculous"

"And if the woman hugs back, it means she accepts the proposal", Charlotte continued, "...Congratulations"

"...what?"

***

"Don't let her escape!"

"Why isn't the seal working!?"

"P… please don't! I was only following your father's orders!"

"N… no!"

Somewhere deep inside a huge mansion, no, a castle, the screams of men echoed throughout the halls, which were dimly lit from the candles that were hanging on the walls. But it wasn't only the candles that hang on the walls, no.

Blood.

Trails and splatters of blood also decorated the walls. And the farther one walks through the halls, the more the red would fill their eyes. There was also movement, a blur.

And each time the blur moved, another splash of blood would fill the halls enough to make a pool that echoed with every step as it rippled across the floor.

"P… please, my lady", a man wearing a silver armor that reflected the blood and the candles was crawling away like a scared dog, "Why are you doing this--"

But before he could even finish his barking, his head was removed from his body. And now, even the ceiling cried blood.

Deeper into the castle, in a room that seemed to be unaffected by what was happening outside in the halls, a man was quietly sipping his tea at his desk.

His face was completely relaxed as he caressed his bald head, seemingly satisfied with his day. It wasn't until a guard barged into his room, making him spill his tea that his day was ruined.

"W… what are you doing!?", the bald man reprimanded the guard that suddenly barged into his room without even a warning, "Do you want me to--"

"Lord Corvin! She… she has escaped!"

Before the bald man called Lord Corvin could even finish his words, the guard's panicked wails drowned his anger, quickly extinguishing it and replacing it with dread.

Corvin couldn't help but suddenly stand up straight, not even minding the scalding hot tea that spilled on his leg, "W… what!?", he released a stuttered roar, "Then stop her, what am I paying you people for!?"

"T… the seal seems to have been undone!", the guard hastily said as he closed the door and locked it, "T… they are dead… Fred and the others are dead! Her power… it's back!"

"Preposterous!", Corvin slammed his fist on his desk, "That is impossible! It has sealed her more than a decade now! The people from the Circle told me that it can't be broken even by the Demon God himself!", he said as his face started to turn red and veins appeared on his neck.

"We need to escap--"

"Gah! Run!"

"S… she's here!?", the guard could not help but panic as he heard the screams of the other guards. He thought that he had a lot of time, but to think that she has already reached this part of the castle.

The guard looked around the room aimlessly. There really wasn't anything he could do at this point but to escape. He wanted to run, but still, his years of training was telling him to fight and protect his lord.

"Quick!", Corvin said as he beckoned the guard near him, "We will go through the windo--"

"Agh!"

Before Corvin could finish his words, the door of his room flew violently, pulling it from its hinges and slamming itself straight to the guard's unsuspecting back. But the door did not stop when it hit him, no. It continued to fly until it squished the guard into the hard parallel wall, turning him into mush.

"!!!", Corvin could not help but widen his eyes as the blood spurted out and splashed to the side of his face.

"Lord Corvin"

A soft but ominous voice pierced Corvin's ears. He could only release a stuttered breath as he watched as a woman dressed in rags slowly walked towards him. Her silver hair that almost reached the floor swept the blood on the floor, leaving trails that looked like roots.

"C… cortana", Corvin whispered, "M… my daughter, what have you done?", Corvin's jaw shivered and his head flinched with every step that the woman took.

"Your sins…", Cortana muttered, "...You will be punished for killing my baby"

"W… what are you even saying!?", Corvin slammed his fist on the desk, almost breaking his bones in the process, "Have you really been brainwashed by that Devil!?", he screamed, his saliva that still contained coffee spewing out from his mouth.

"Brainwashed?", Cortana giggle as she stopped her steps, her eyes trembling as she stared at her father, "You… killed my child"

"That abomination is not your chil--!"

"You tied me up and tortured me", Cortana's growling breaths rattled Corvin's mind.

"That was to cleanse you from the hands of the Devil!", Corvin waved his hand, "You do not understand, my daughter. All of this is for your sake! Once you are clear of this evil--"

"Evil?", Cortana tilted her head, "He punished those who deserved to be punished"

"Deserved!? He killed billions of innocent people!"

"And you killed my daughter"

"That thing was not your daughter! It is a product of evil!", Corvin slowly walked nearer to his daughter while reaching out his hands, "You are supposed to be pure. We needed to-- AGH!"

"Suffer…"

Before Corvin could even finish his words, he could not help but wail in pain as both of his arms were pulled away from his body, leaving some of his bones hanging out from his shoulders.

"You... need to suffer", Cortana whispered as she dropped her father's dismembered arms to the ground. "You and this country will suffer for what you have done"

"Xanthus was right…", she continued as she looked up at the ceiling, tears of blood gushing out from her eyes, "This world… is too full of sin. His will… I will continue it for him"

"You are the hero!", Corvin shrieked from the top of his lungs, his voice cracking, "You are the he-- Hmhg!"

"No, father. I..."

Cortana grabbed his father's face and covered his mouth, gripping it so hard that his flesh was almost tearing apart. The bright color of Cortana's eyes dimmed until one could no longer see its previous radiance. Now, it was nothing. Just an empty void of darkness. And The trail of blood the came from her eyes became permanent.

"I… am the Devil"