CH 170

Thud.

Cosette’s quivering hands drooped into the pool of blood, and her chest stopped rising and falling.

Keira placed a finger over her nose and didn’t feel her breath.

‘…She’s dead.’

Indeed, Cosette was dead. And only after she had revealed her true intentions.

Keira stood and turned back to see Ludwig standing there, looking bewildered.

Keira: “Your Grace.”

“…”

Keira: “Will it be a problem that I made an immediate decision on a criminal? The evidence was clear.”

Ludwig: “…No, no.”

Keira: “If I reveal that it was a conspiracy of demons, I would have to explain how I found out about it, so instead, I’ll keep it simple.”

Keira continued bluntly.

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Keira: “Cosette wanted to be the esteemed daughter of a Grand Duke, and the Weinberg family wanted to remain in the political world. So they took the risk of scamming us. But as everyone knows, the result was a disastrous failure, and Cosette ran away to save herself.”

“…”

Keira: “What do you think about my script?”

Ludwig: “Not bad.”

After a few years, they could end the case by placing a death row inmate who resembled Cosette on the execution table.

Ludwig looked at Keira. She looked somewhat relieved yet exhausted.

Ludwig: “I’ll take care of Aunt and the cleaning up. You should rest now.”

Keira: “…Alright.”

Should I say it’s futile, or should I say it’s fortunate? It was a complicated feeling.

Keira escaped the secret place hidden in the lake.

It was officially announced that Cosette had suddenly disappeared from the capital one day. It was clear what it meant that a person who was confined and ordered to reflect at home disappeared.

She fled.

People would think she ran away because she thought all her relatives were gone and her lies might be discovered.

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A chase order was issued, but the search party could not find Cosette’s whereabouts. Keira left the house to express her condolences to those who would be scolded for failing to do so.

Keira was on her way to the mansion of the now-extinct Weinberg family. 

The garden, which had not been maintained for a while, was overgrown with weeds and turned into ruins.

Since all of the family’s property was returned to the national treasury, the ornaments that adorned the garden were gone.

Even the curtain on the window had been removed. As a result, the appearance inside the mansion would be obvious without even having to go inside.

Keira muttered as she looked at the desolation.

Keira: “Is it over…”

“I guess you can see that.”

“!”

She looked back in surprise. She didn’t even notice anyone until they were behind her.

It was Erez. She asked.

Keira: “Why are you here?”

Erez: “That was what I wanted to ask.”

Keira: “Well, I came here to laugh at her failure.”

Erez: “She wouldn’t know whether you’re laughing at her or not.”

Keira: “Still, doesn’t it feel good?”

He’s also really bad-tempered. Keira swallowed the words she wanted to say.

Erez: “Why do you look so gloomy? It’s a happy ending for you.”

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Keira: “It’s just that I have a lot of questions.”

Erez: “Like what?”

Keira: “At the end of the day, I want to know who the contractor was. And I’m also curious about who made the contract with you and turned back the time.”

Erez: “The latter is obvious, isn’t it?”

Keira’s expression wrinkled slightly at those words.

Keira: “I don’t know?”

Erez: “Someone who survived to the end and could have been driven to the brink of destruction, who wouldn’t hesitate to sign a contract with the devil to save the world, and who would leave the memories for you who died unfairly. Who else would it be other than your father?”

Keira thought for a moment before answering.

Keira: “As you say, there is one more person who perfectly meets the criteria.”

Erez: “Hmm?”

Keira: “My little brother.”

Erez: “Eh?”

Keira: “Since he’s the Grand Duke’s direct descendant, he had a high probability of surviving to the very end, and he must have a sense of duty to protect mankind.”

Keira said as she enumerated her brother’s qualifications.

Keira: “Besides, I’ve never been close to him in my past life. On the other hand, Zeke was quite fond of me. He seems more likely than Father.”

Erez: “Uh…That’s true.”

For Keira, the question of who signed a contract with Erez was very important. Because…

Keira: “Nobody has a good end when they sign a contract with the devil.”

Erez: “How would you know? Maybe only bad stories were told.”

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Keira: “I don’t think you would’ve done it for free, considering you’re similar to most demons. You’ll ask for something in return. That’s what the contract is for.”

“…”

Erez had nothing to say to that.

If Zeke paid for it and would suffer because of it, she couldn’t just let it go.

Keira: “In the books I read, they always stake their souls on contracts. What does it mean to have your soul stolen?”

Erez: “Oh, it’s hard to explain.”

He stared upward to think of an explanation that was easy to understand. However, he gave up a moment later because he couldn’t think of a proper analogy.

Erez: “Once you are reborn, the cycle stops… and you will suffer forever without ever being reincarnated.”

Keira’s eyes widened. Would Zeke suffer from eternal suffering?

She nearly raged but soon realized there was no evidence that Zeke had a contract with the devil.

Erez: “Well, I’ll find out sooner or later who my contractor is anyway.”

Keira: “What are you talking about… ah.”

Keira nodded as she remembered what he had said earlier. Before leaving for the Demon Realm, he told her that his memories would come back after the date of his contract.

However, if he had sat still and waited until the time came, Keira would have probably forgotten about it.*

So he didn’t really pay attention to it.

Certainly, if he could recall all his memories, he would be able to figure out who his contractors were.

Erez: “Oh, that’s right, I have something to tell you.”

“…?”

Erez: “As for Ragibach’s sentence, it’s only 200 years.”

He looked regretful that she only received 200 years. Although it wasn’t exactly a short period for someone like Keira.

Keira: “Then she’ll be free after that?”

Erez: “Well, yes. If she’s still alive by then.”

Keira: “Demons live a very long time. She might be alive until then.”

What would happen if she decided to invade the human world once more? Keira gulped.

Understanding Keira’s concern, Erez blurted out.

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Erez: “During the trial, the old hag revealed the contents of her contract. She was just trying to fulfill the contract, so she was trying to claim she wasn’t guilty. Well, I don’t think it made a big impression on the judges… “

He pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. Then he unfolded it and began to read it.

Erez: “The condition of the contract is to avenge the contractor in exchange for their soul. The contractor here is Rowena Weinberg. Well, I don’t know who that is, but I think it’s a relative of Count Weinberg and his. That’s enough motivation.”

Keira’s shoulders trembled at the familiar name. Erez looked at her and asked.

Erez: “Is that a name you know?”

Keira: “She was the Grand Duke’s first wife, the one before my mother.”

And her grandfather framed her, drove her out, and eventually killed her…

Her name left a bitter taste in Keira’s mouth. How did Rowena feel when she summoned the devil?

Keira: “I’ll tell you because I don’t have to hide it from you. This is the woman my grandfather killed.”

Erez: “Oh, so she’s Cosette Weinberg’s mother…?”

Keira: “Yes, that’s her.”

Erez: “Ah, I remember now.”

“Ah, I remember now.”

The words, “Isn’t it too late to think about it?” bubbled in Keira’s throat, but she held it in because she knew he had no interest in humans in the first place.

Erez: “Sorry. I’m not good at remembering people’s names.”

The proof of his lack of interest was that he couldn’t recall simple names while remembering complex magic formulas. 

Erez: “Seeing that your grandfather killed her, she must have been framed for being infertile.”

Keira: “…Right. She was said to be pregnant at the time of discovery.”

Erez: “Aha, so that’s what happened.”

Erez clapped his hands as if he had pieced things together.

Erez: “The old hag made a statement.”

He showed Keira his notebook. It was complete gibberish, obviously written in demonic language, but Keira miraculously recognized it.

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It was probably the influence of magic he had used on her in the past.

“The plan was to avenge the contractor by manipulating the body of a dead Parvis child, but it didn’t work out as expected. So, I had no choice but to change the plan and try to get ahold of the spirit stone?”

Erez: “The corpse of the dead child must have been the one conceived by that Rowena Weinberg woman. I mean, your half-sister.”

Keira: “…That’s what I thought.”

Erez: “Huh? Did you guess?”

Keira: “You mentioned that the body you’re using now is that of a dead person. If you can do it, that means other demons could, too. If she could use the elementalist’s abilities and looked like the Grand Duke… I wondered if she used the body of my half-sister who was never born. I wasn’t sure.”

As expected, Keira thought it was good to tell them not to damage Cosette’s body she left behind.