My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 124 & 125

Chapter 124: Meeting with Elder Lohengram

There might be a demon inside the royal castle.

Daitaros’s face came to mind.

He was Commander Snake’s close friend, and the accountant of the Third Knight Order.

He had fallen into becoming a demon… and showed overwhelming power.

In the end, he was cut down by Commander Adelheid.

And Natasha’s father had also been taken by a demon… turning into a wraith.

No matter what, the existence of demons kept lingering around the kingdom.

♢

A few days later, I requested another meeting with Irene—this time, with a certain condition.

Her reply came quickly.

The place I was invited to was the court mages’ research facility… and even deeper inside it.

An area regular mages weren’t allowed to enter.

“Sir Hort. This way.”

Irene smiled gracefully as always. That smile looked like she was enjoying herself… and somehow, I didn’t mind it.

“You’ll really introduce me?”

“Yes. I did say I would consider it positively, didn’t I?”

“That phrase is pretty convenient, huh.”

“It is.”

When I couldn’t come up with a reply and stayed quiet, Irene smiled faintly with just her lips.

“Lady Lohengram is quite whimsical. I alone cannot arrange a meeting like this. If she hadn’t accepted the request, this wouldn’t have happened at all.”

“Yeah… that makes sense.”

Even though we were still inside the royal castle, the atmosphere here felt completely different from Lady Lumina’s usual residence.

The further we walked down the corridor, the more the air seemed to change. 

It felt like the temperature kept dropping.

The scent of magic… no, not a scent. It felt more like pressure building up.

Irene stopped in front of a door.

“From here on… she’s not someone I can manage.”

“…Understood.”

I took a breath and straightened my posture.

“Lady Lohengram, this is Irene Hadius.”

“Enter.”

The reply was short. It sounded less like permission… and more like an order.

When the door opened, the room inside was dim.

There were windows, but the light seemed to sink away, as if it was being swallowed.

And sitting in a chair… was the woman known as the witch.

White hair, neatly tied. Her posture perfectly straight.

Since she was called “Elder,” I had imagined someone much older.

But the person in front of me was nothing like that image.

She was beautiful. Yet the moment her gaze met mine, my heart tightened under the sheer pressure.

Similar to Dame Haua… the presence of an overwhelming powerhouse.

“…Lady Lohengram, I humbly request permission for this meeting, introduced by Lady Irene Hadius.”

“I permit it.”

“I am grateful. I serve under the Fourth Princess as a Royal Guard—my name is Hort Rubel.”

My voice trembled slightly as I introduced myself.

“I’ve heard of you.”

Her voice was low, yet it carried clearly. Irene stepped forward.

“Lady Lohengram. I am Irene Hadius. Today—”

“I know. Sit over there.”

Irene kept her smile and stepped back.

Lady Lohengram’s gaze pierced straight into me.

“…A knight, yet you handle cloth and thread, hm.”

So she already knew I made bras.

“Interesting. But did you come here to amuse me?”

Manners. Trust. Reading the air.

This wasn’t a place I could push through with a sword.

“Today, regarding Lady Luminaria, the Fourth Princess—”

“I refuse.”

“Huh?”

She cut me off before I could even say “cooperation.”

“…!”

My words caught in my throat. Irene stayed silent beside me.

No help coming. This was the test.

“I have no interest in a princess’s political games. Let the royal family fight among themselves.”

“This isn’t a political game.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

Lady Lohengram folded her fingers together and looked down at me.

Her eyes were cold… but not full rejection. She was measuring me.

“Can you show me something worth moving for?”

What does this witch want?

I hesitated for just a moment… then changed my approach.

“…There’s a possibility a demon has infiltrated the royal castle.”

The air froze.

Irene quietly caught her breath.

Lady Lohengram’s eyes narrowed.

“Hou?”

That single word sent a chill down my spine.

Her interest… had been hooked.

“Who told you that?”

“Are you aware of the demon incident that happened in the Third Knight Order?”

“I’ve heard about it.”

“There was someone controlling it. The existence of a man in a black robe came up… and he was sighted inside the royal castle.”

“…A man in a black robe.”

Lady Lohengram slowly stood up.

Just the sound of the chair creaking made the pressure in the room spike. My throat went dry.

“Have you seen a demon yourself?”

“Yes. In the Third Knight Order… Daitaros was taken over by a demon.”

“…Hmph. Taken over, you say… I wonder if that’s really the case.”

Clear disdain mixed into her voice.

“Huh?”

“Demons are cunning creatures. The higher their rank, the less likely they are to easily abandon the vessel they’ve taken.”

Lady Lohengram’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Demons belong to the domain of magic… which also makes them something that trespasses on my territory.”

Irene quietly stepped back.

I took another breath.

“Lady Lohengram. Lady Luminaria—”

“Still not enough.”

She cut me off again. But this time, it wasn’t rejection—she was stopping me.

Lady Lohengram walked right up to me.

Too close… just meeting her eyes felt like my heart was being struck under overwhelming pressure.

“Are you afraid?”

“…Yes.”

“Hm. Interesting.”

Lady Lohengram’s fingers lightly touched my chest.

“You’ve got a good body. And it seems you’ve really fought a demon’s kin.”

“Demon’s kin?”

“Yeah. There’s residue left behind. Detecting a high-ranking demon is extremely difficult. But their lesser kin, with lower intelligence, leave traces.”

Traces? And she could actually read those?

“Then… can we find the demon that way?”

“It’s not that simple. Like I said, high-ranking demons are cunning—they’re good at hiding their power. If it were another demon, they might be able to sense it, though.”

“If it’s another demon…”

To hunt demons… you need the power of a demon? 

That felt completely backwards.

“The man in the black robe. The traces. The one who was taken. The scent of a demon… yes, that does interest me. I don’t mind cooperating either.”

“…I’ll bring it to you!”

“If you can’t, then it ends there.”

Lady Lohengram turned on her heel.

Then, without even looking back, she spoke.

“Irene.”

“Yes, Lady Lohengram.”

“Let this knight come and go before me for a while. …You’ll be the one managing him.”

“Understood.”

Irene’s voice sounded… slightly pleased. Not my imagination.

Lastly, Lady Lohengram spoke again without turning around.

“Drive the demon out of the royal castle. …If that’s truly the case, then I have a reason to move.”

Behind her, it felt like a witch’s fire had been lit.

I clenched my fist, refusing to be overwhelmed by that pressure

Chapter 125: The Weight of What Was Lost (15)

Side: Rina Carhoi

A bad feeling… always shows up in the worst possible way, especially when you don’t want it to.

The stone floor in the hallway was cold.
But the soles of my feet… stayed hot the whole time.

Ever since I lost Hort.
Ever since I punched Magnum away.
Ever since that man in the demon cult robe took my hand… and I was called a “Priestess.”

And now—

Hort was meeting a witch.

The only witch among the court mages—Elder Lohengram.

A witch who bows to no faction. Whimsical, cruel, intelligent… and strong.

What was Hort going there to do?

I want to know.
I don’t want to know.

It felt like if I found out… I wouldn’t be able to turn back.

(You already passed the point of no return a long time ago, didn’t you?)

“Shut up!”

A voice laughed inside my head.

Asmo.

The demon inside me.
The one whose power I borrowed to win… to gain recognition.

And now… the chain wrapped around my neck.

(If you want to know, then go listen. Your desires have always been simple.)

Simple? Don’t joke with me. I’m complicated.

Only after losing Hort did I finally understand. What I really wanted wasn’t fame or victory.

What I wanted… was to be someone Hort would acknowledge.

Ever since we were kids, Hort had been kind… and liked by everyone.

That’s why I wanted him to belong to me alone. That’s why I studied magic. And while I was doing that, Hort stayed kind to me. I was talented, and the people around me praised me for my magic.

Before I knew it… being praised like that became more fun than just being by Hort’s side.

But it’s too late now. By the time I realized it, it was already far too late.

And because it’s too late… I can’t stop thinking about it.

The corner of the hallway. A place where people rarely passed by.

I knew the timing of the patrols. Spending time going in and out of the court mages’ research facility… I had picked up useless knowledge like that.

Beyond this door… is the witch’s room.

Normally, no one would come near it unless it’s for a report.

(Do you want me to lend you something? Ears. Eyes. Whatever you desire.)

Asmo’s voice sounded sweet. And it was exactly that sweetness I shouldn’t trust… yet I bit my lip.

Just this once… I need it.

“…Let me hear.”

My voice trembled.

(Good girl.)

A shiver ran down my spine, like something brushed against it.

The next moment, the air changed. Sounds unraveled and flowed in.

Distant footsteps. The rustle of paper. The scratch of a pen.

And… breathing from inside the room.

Then, voices from beyond the door.

“Drive the demon out of the royal castle. …If that’s true, then I have a reason to move.”

My heart stopped.
My breath stopped too.

Demon.
Royal castle.
Drive it out.

The moment those words lined up… the blood inside me went cold.

Hort… is investigating demons.

This isn’t a joke. There’s nothing funny about it.

There’s a demon inside me.

Asmo is inside me. Which means… I’m the one being hunted.

My mind went blank—then in the next instant, it was swallowed by darkness.

(Hoh. Interesting. That knight… picked up the scent.)

That’s not interesting!!
It’s not funny at all!!

I pressed my back against the wall and clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

My breathing turned shallow. My throat went dry. My vision flickered.

This is bad.

Calm down.
I have to calm down.

Think. Come up with something—now!

If the witch starts moving, she’ll find it right away. 

Lohengram isn’t someone who overlooks things.

What do I do? Run? There’s nowhere to run.

I’m inside the royal castle. If I run, it’ll look suspicious. If I move, I’ll stand out.

Then… do nothing? Stay quiet? Pray? Impossible. I don’t have any prayers left in me.

(Don’t panic, my master. Panic has a scent.)

Asmo laughed.

(And once it has a scent… it will be tracked. By your beloved man.)

Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up.

I held my breath… and listened again.

The voices on the other side continued.

“The man in the black robe. The traces. The one who was taken. The scent of a demon.”

The black robe.

That man… from the demon cult.

Magnum as a sacrifice… it all connects.

Stop. Just stop. I don’t want to be involved in this.

I don’t want anything to do with it anymore… and yet the world keeps dragging me in on its own.

And at the center of it all… is Hort.

Why? Why are you doing something like this?

You weren’t the one who chased after me.

You were the one who forgave me… who celebrated my victories… who stood beside me.

So why… are you moving in a direction that tightens a noose around my neck, in a place I can’t even see?

Anger rose up.
Then, a beat later, pain followed.

If it’s found out… that I’m possessed by a demon—

There’s no going back for me anymore.

I felt it—Hort was about to come out of the room.

Footsteps.
The rustle of cloth.
The air shifting.

Instinctively, I slipped behind a pillar.

I held my breath. I didn’t want to be seen.

But… I wanted to see him. I ended up looking anyway.

Hort stepped out into the hallway.

His face was stiff. Serious. Full of resolve.

The moment I saw that expression, something inside my chest twisted into a mess.

Ah… he’s really changed.

Because I abandoned him.
Because I broke him.
Because I let him go.

(Kukuku… spit it out. That’s how you’ve always survived.)

Asmo whispered.

I stepped out from behind the pillar.

Right after hearing the witch’s words… my presence would reach Hort.

The scent of a demon would reach him.

This would be the end. And yet… my feet wouldn’t stop.

Why are you doing this kind of investigation?
Why are you so serious about it?
Why are you heading in the direction I hate the most?

Are you trying to kill me?

That’s not what Hort intends.

I know that. I know it… and still, anger rose up on its own. Because anger was the only way I could protect myself.

Hort kept walking.

His back moving farther away—

And I shouted at it.

“Hort.”

I called out to him before I could stop myself.

“Rina?”

He looked at me.

A confused expression. The Hort who used to smile gently every time I spoke to him… wasn’t there anymore.

And yet… I got to see his face. I got to hear his voice.

If I told him everything right here…

“Sir Hort, is something wrong?”

Irene stepped out from the room as well.

No…

If I spoke now, everything would fall apart.

I turned and ran, like I was escaping.