The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 110: The History of Kurogane – End ②

Chapter 110: The History of Kurogane – End ②

“Here, you want it back, don’t you?”

“Demon, you bastard…”

Ragna’s hair bristled at the cruel taunt. The air shimmered with the power surging from his anger.

“Did you think you could stop me with such a pathetic trick?”

His whole body tensed, and an aura formed from the released magic. His eyes glowed with a pale blue light, similar to the saint’s magic.

“Indeed, you can reach me.”

Belial, who had been silently watching, said this and then slipped away from Edward’s body like a ghost. He still held Edward’s heart.

“Edward!”

Seeing Edward collapse back to his original form, Ragna’s expression changed as he rushed over.

His worry outweighed his anger, and the magical energy surrounding him vanished without him noticing.

“Hmph, such pointless exchanges bore me.”

Belial sneered at the scene as he disappeared.

“Hey, we’re not done here.”

“No, it’s over. I wasn’t summoned to fight you. Besides, if I fought you here and now and couldn’t fulfill the contract, it would tarnish my dignity.”

“…No matter where you run, I’ll definitely take you down.”

“Ha, if you can? Humans die easily, and you’re no different.”

All Ragna could do was watch silently as Belial vanished, laughing.

“Damn it.”

Ragna cursed. What had happened while he was away? It was clear that the worst had occurred.

“Ugh…”

Soon after, Edward woke up. 

Despite having his heart removed, Edward was still alive, possibly due to his contract with the demon.

His incredible healing ability slowly mended his fatal wound.

“Hey, get a grip!”

Ragna needed to know what had happened to the real Edward.

While it was likely that Edward’s words during Belial’s possession were his own, Ragna wanted to hear it directly from him now that Belial was gone. 

So Edward began to speak.

“Ragna, I’ll say this first… I won’t apologize.”

“Idiot, it’s too late for apologies.”

Ragna sighed deeply, then gently asked,

“Edward, what happened while I was gone?”

“…The four ducal houses decided to abandon the commoners and rely on demon summoning. Patricia, upon hearing this, offered herself to purify the situation.”

Edward explained what had happened in Ragna’s absence.

“There was no way to stop it. I accepted the plan to save many with few sacrifices, and I was leaning on her for support.”

He had been torn, overwhelmed by despair.

“Still, I genuinely didn’t want to waste Patricia’s sacrifice. At least, not until I realized we were deceived.”

Originally, the four ducal houses were supposed to summon a demon, but Edward, who was extremely busy, had some information distorted.

Seeing the cunning old men driven by ambition before the saint’s power, Edward realized that they had intended to summon Patricia from the beginning.

“So, I summoned the demon. To prevent the Saint’s power, her soul, from disappearing completely.”

“…So that’s what this barrier is.”

“Yes, there’s no other way to rewrite the logic. The price is blue blood. We, tainted as we are, will cover it. The overflowing souls within the barrier will be given to Belial. In return, her power must never be used. Not that a demon could handle it anyway.”

“…And you’ll live on with an immortal body, feeling Patricia’s magic within this barrier?”

“I will wait. Someone with the same power will surely be her reincarnation.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am. No matter how many centuries it takes, I will meet her again and live in a peaceful world next time. I will create a happy world.”

For the current Edward, the royal capital was a miniature garden for that purpose. A miniature garden to grasp his ideal.

“I don’t care if I’m called a demon. I just want to see her again. That’s all. So—”

Lying on his back, looking up at the sky, Edward glanced at Ragna and said,

“—please, leave me alone.”

“…”

“It’s all over now. There’s nothing I need to ask of you anymore. This is peace. The power of the hero is no longer necessary.”

“What about outside the barrier? The area around the capital is full of miasma. Do you really think your plan will work?”

“I’ll transfer it all together. The source of the miasma is demonic power. With my current contract, I can wield some of that power and move it far away… perhaps to the land of Ydaina.”

There was still no way to completely erase it. 

Using strong purification methods was not within Edward’s abilities.

“Even if something causes the miasma to spread again, this place will remain safe. No matter what happens to the world, I will protect this capital. I’ll keep protecting it.”

Was it determination or obsession? 

As Edward continued to speak calmly, Ragna said one thing.

“Edward, make me a noble too… I bear responsibility for being late. I’ll share the burden with you.”

“Heh, that’s impossible. Your power could destroy the entire miniature garden. That’s why I’m asking you, please… just leave me alone.”

“Then transfer all the miasma around the capital into my body.”

“Ragna… you…”

“You might not care about the people around here anymore, but I do. Let me protect what you couldn’t handle and abandoned.”

“Even for someone as resilient as you, I don’t know if you can survive the excessive miasma. You might end up treated like a monster.”

“That’s fine.”

Ragna bit his lip and looked up at the sky.

“Besides, the sage and the hero are still alive. Just knowing that can save lives. Patricia would prefer that too.”

He smiled.

“Even that demon would enjoy seeing me suffer.”

After a moment of thought, Edward agreed to the request. 

In an instant, a black mist enveloped Ragna’s body.

“Does it feel okay?”

“Is this the power of the demon’s curse? It’s nothing. I’ll live in the land of Ydaina, where I won’t bother anyone.”

As Ragna laughed, Edward spoke.

“Then this is goodbye. Ydaina is at the edge, but it’s still within this country’s territory. Take it and spend your remaining years as you like.”

“Does that make me a noble too? Quite a rise from a rootless adventurer. Make sure to set my rank high, maybe just above Patricia’s… See you around.”

With that, Ragna left the scene. 

Edward said nothing more, simply watching him with a somewhat lonely expression.