C180
The entire area was instantly dyed black.
Shwaaa-. Shwaa-.
A gentle breeze blew through the cave, along with the ominous vibrating sound of the air.
And there was a person crouched in the corner of the altar, watching the devil descend.
It was Mia Binoche.
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Long before the 4th Queen appeared, she came to this place to start exploring the cave's basement, searching for materials on demon summoning rituals.
After Albert's death, the witches' surveillance of Mia had weakened.
Mia, who secretly escaped from Marquis François while he was summoned to the judicial power for illegal fundraising through bribes, was reading books about demons in the cave.
"Marquis François said that sooner or later the passage to the demon realm would open, and a red moon would come out...."
Biting her lips, she read the written notes.
"I prefer... making a pact with the devil...."
She could no longer believe in the 4th Queen.
She boasted that she would kill Deborah Seymour, but all the plans failed.
"The 3rd prince is even more stupid."
Princess Deborah, far from dying, has received a birthday gift that every young woman envies and is now trying to take her place as the "Saint."
"There are some priests who even suspect that I am a fake."
Fake.
After hearing the news that Princess Deborah was alive, Mia never had a good night's sleep.
She suffered terrible nightmares every day, and the more nervous she became, the deeper her hatred for the princess grew.
"If she died, I could remain as a Saint praised by everyone as good, not as a forgery."
When Princess Deborah disappears, the 4th Queen will stop creating rifts, and naturally, the people of the Empire will consider themselves blessed by the gods.
"Yes. Once she disappears."
It was she herself who volunteered as she walked through the slums.
However, a foolish princess who has enjoyed all kinds of wealth and luxuries is a saint. It's unacceptable.
"How can I summon a strong demon?"
The method of summoning a demon was quite abstract like a poem. The only passage she could understand was that she could be connected to the devil through blood.
Mia pushed a sharp blade into her arm and let her blood drip onto the six-pointed Lucifer summoning circle.
Swallowing a sharp pain, she was looking at the magical circle purging blood when she heard the sound of footsteps.
Mia quickly hid in the narrow space behind the altar.
"4th Queen?"
She held her breath as she watched the 4th Queen with a disheveled appearance.
The 4th Queen, who suddenly cut her arm while running wildly on the path, cursing Seymour, looked insane.
Mia, trembling as she watched the queen's blood dripping at her feet, suddenly swallowed saliva when everything around her darkened.
She couldn't see anything, but an intense and eerie presence seemed to suffocate her.
"Crack...."
After a while, the sound of bones twisting in the darkness ceased, and the flames flared up on the extinguished candelabrum.
Under the bluish flame, the shadow of a demon with goat-horned revolved.
"You are the one with holy blood and malice...."
Mia heard the voice flowing through her head again.
The voice she heard the first time she accompanied Lady Ophelia to the Blood Ritual was the whisper of the devil.
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"There's something there!"
"I found the 4th Queen!"
Near the Imperial Palace and around the Sky Forest were already besieged by Duke Seymour's Magical Combat Unit and Isidor's White Knights Division.
Imperial approval for the search quickly fell when the two families, Seymour and Visconti, pressed to locate the mastermind of the witches who attacked the boat.
Imperial servants testified that the 4th Queen was heading to the Sky Forest, and Isidor had sent an informant around the Imperial Palace to monitor the Queen's movements, so it was easy to determine her whereabouts.
Magicians using flying magic to search the dark forest soon found the 4th Queen walking slowly from a deep cave at the foot of a hill surrounded by twisted tree roots.
The 4th Queen's base was not even far from the entrance to the forest.
"There she is!"
Duke Seymour, ready to attack, quickly surrounded the 4th Queen with magicians.
Even though she was surrounded by enemies, the 4th Queen showed no signs of surprise.
"Why is she so relaxed?"
"Did she give up?"
At that moment, someone who saw the queen's golden pupils, torn along like a reptile, was dazzled.
"I can't believe there was a member of the royal family involved in black magic!"
The 4th Queen, who had been standing, suddenly murmured.
"... Princess Deborah found out from the beginning that I was behind this."
Seeing the magical troops and knights quickly gathering as if predicting their own movements, the 4th Queen suddenly burst into laughter.
For the first time, she felt the horrible sensation of being ridiculed by others, then smiled and slowly raised her arms.
As the large sleeves slid down, the arm of a black beast that had grown over the amputated section was revealed, and black flames erupted like lava everywhere.
"Deploy the defense wall!"
Major Cassie, who had been Duke Seymour's assistant, exclaimed.
The fierce black flame, which had a fierce momentum, was extinguished without being able to spread throughout the forest due to the strong defense magic cast in multiple layers.
However, it was just a great trick that the queen deliberately invented.
The queen's black, scale-covered arm suddenly became enormous and voluminous. Shortly after, sharp black claws suddenly appeared and rushed toward the heart of Duke Seymour.
Ping!
However, the surprise attack was stopped by a pure white arrow that illuminated the darkness.
"Why are you here?! Didn't I ask you to go home?!"
Duke Seymour, realizing that the Queen had unusual powers, was offended by Deborah, who suddenly burst in, and she responded with a stern voice.
"You can't afford to be angry with me now. Father."
A halo formed over Princess Deborah's body, witnessed only by a few scholars, and the Tower Elders around Duke Seymour seemed astonished.
"Th-that!"
"Divine power took magical form!"
As soon as the divine power took the form of a sharp arrow, it flew fiercely toward the Queen.
"Deborah Seymour!!"
However, the light arrow was destroyed by the black energy emitted by the queen.
"How dare you touch my precious son, who will become emperor!"
"Emperor? Who recognizes that guy as an emperor?"
Princess Deborah sharply retorted, and the queen gradually lost her composure and began to run wildly.
Duke Seymour's paternal love and the appearance of a daughter protecting her father broke the 4th Queen.
The black scales attached to the queen's arms gradually increased in scope, and half of her face turned black.
She let out a sharp cry as she emitted black magic.
"My son! Where is my son, Javier? Give me that child right now!!"
"The third prince is already done. Due to his endless greed!"
Deborah exclaimed as she cast divine magic.
"Be careful with your words! You little witch! I will make sure you don't see the light for the rest of your life by taking you to the depths of hell!"
"How dare you?!"
Then Duke Seymour roared with an angry voice.
He, who had always maintained his composure, roared intensely and created a seventh-class magical power condensed ice spear that pierced the queen's chest.
"Why my daughter...? Why are you harassing my daughter who has done nothing?"
The 4th queen wasn't the only one who was angry about the loss of her son.
Duke Seymour felt helplessness as he continuously suppressed his rage over and over again.
After the library incident that endangered Deborah's life, Duke Seymour was forced to exercise perseverance, resisting his desire to overthrow the Empire by leading his own men at any time.
"I'm fine. Anyway, I survived."
"Deborah...."
"I will definitely survive. So don't worry."
On the day of the fire, she returned exhausted and smiled helplessly at him, but when she remembered Deborah's expression, she had to unleash the anger she had been holding back.
Duke Seymour showed superhuman power and cast high-level ice magic one after another, and the 4th queen began to be caught in the overwhelming strength of the seventh-class archmage.
Duke Seymour quickly launched a total attack against her, who began to transform into a black dragon instead of a human.
Wings sprouted from the back of the 4th queen, who twisted her body, opened her mouth, and exhaled a breath as black as a demonic dragon from the demon realm.
The forest touched by such breath, containing poisonous ingredients, quickly lost its vitality and turned black.
"That is....."
Princess Deborah's eyes widened.
It was because of the dream scene that suddenly came to her mind.
"Deborah! Be careful!"
At that moment, Duke Seymour hastily embraced Deborah, and black flames shot up behind him.