* * *

Silence engulfed the forest like death. Soon after, my vision blurred, and my body tilted forward.

‘Damn it, I can’t move.’

Using Maya’s power with Jeanne’s weak body had taken its toll.

With trembling arms, I pushed myself off the ground and forced my upper body upright. Gathering what little strength I had left, I put the stone of Maya back into my pocket.

‘Where’s Jerome?’

As the dust settled, I finally saw a human figure.

Jerome, who had become a heretic, had returned to his human form. His gaze met mine as he stood there, dazed.

“So, you really are Saintess of Maya.”

His low voice rang in my ears. I bit my lower lip as I heard his footsteps getting closer.

It seemed like I had barely stopped the heretical transformation, but I couldn’t be sure if Mephisto had been fully sealed within Jerome.

And right now, I didn’t even have the protective magic stone to block Jerome’s mind-control spell.

‘Am I going to die here?’

The great demon Mephisto. His ultimate desire was to destroy this world. And the only one who could stop him was Maya, the celestial being with the power of purification.

I thought of the Saintesses Jerome had killed so far. A disturbing thought crossed my mind.

‘I see. Mephisto has been searching for Saintess of Maya all along. If he can find and eliminate Saintess of Maya, he can use Jerome to wreak havoc.’

When I hastily looked up, Jerome was already right in front of me. I looked up at him with a blank expression.

Jerome, who had been faintly smiling as he looked down at me, reached out his hand.

“I have good news and bad news.”

“…”

“Which do you want to hear first?”

Jerome pushed back the hair stuck to my forehead with his cool hand.

His sudden words caught me off guard, and I momentarily wore a dumbfounded expression.

I slapped his hand away and responded with a voice full of suspicion.

“Good news.”

“The good news is… oddly enough, I can’t hear Mephisto’s voice as much anymore. I mean, I can still faintly hear it, but it doesn’t whisper to me like before, making my head feel like it’s going to explode.”

Now that I looked closer, his face seemed less sinister than before.

Did this mean Mephisto’s influence had weakened?

But since he could still hear it faintly, it didn’t seem like Mephisto had been completely eradicated.

Anyway, I felt relieved knowing that the immediate danger had been averted.

I sighed and scratched my head.

“And what’s the bad news?”

“I’m not asking for much.”

“…”

“Just become my wife.”

This lunatic. I was momentarily speechless at his shameless proposal.

To say something so insane as casually as asking for extra seasoning on some sausage.

Jerome stood behind me, leaving me frozen in place.

He hummed a tune as he skillfully gathered a handful of my hair and braided it. I was too exhausted to resist, so I just let him.

‘He’s surprisingly good with his hands… No, this is not the time to be praising this bastard’s skills.’

The situation was absurd, as was his proposal. Yet, even in this madness, his hands were impossibly gentle as they braided my hair. I responded with a voice that clearly reflected my exhaustion.

“That’s just bad news. Give me objectively bad news.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“I hate you.”

I flatly expressed my dislike. I couldn’t understand how he even thought I would agree to his ridiculous proposal.

I wanted to split his head open and examine it.

Jerome turned me around, grabbing my shoulders with a grip so strong that I winced.

“Why?”

“…Why do you think I would like you? You tried to kill me just five minutes ago.”

“Idiot, it’s because when you love someone too much, you want to kill them.”

It was the most bizarre expression of love I had ever heard.

I stared at Jerome in disbelief before asking,

“So, do you still want to kill me?”

“Honestly?”

“Yeah, be honest.”

Jerome irritably undid the braid he had just made.

After hesitating for a moment, he dropped his head, and I noticed the veins bulging in his forearms.

His hands trembled slightly, as if he was suppressing some deep desire.

“Yes, Mephisto is still whispering to me. He says I have to kill you. That if I don’t kill you right now, I’ll die. He tells me to rip out your guts and squeeze your blood, to gouge out your eyes and eat them.”

The chilling words made my hair stand on end.

I hid my trembling hands behind my back and cautiously asked Jerome, who was smiling faintly.

“Then why aren’t you doing it?”

“Because I’ve seen another possibility.”

Before I could adjust to the sudden change in my perspective, Jerome’s tongue invaded my mouth.

I roughly pushed against his shoulders, trying to break free, but he just kept pressing his weight down on me, persistently kissing me whenever I turned my head away.

“Crazy bastard, why are you so heavy?!”

I was struggling to breathe, and the sound of our mingled saliva was disgusting.

Summoning the last of my strength, I bit down hard on Jerome’s tongue.

He finally pulled away, sticking out his tongue, which was now bleeding profusely.

I gasped for air as Jerome, chuckling softly, whispered,

“Aren’t you curious what would happen if I impregnated you, a saint, with my child? Would it be a saint like you? Or…”

“Ugh… Haah…”

“Or a demon child like me?”

Jerome placed his hand on my stomach, his voice laced with excitement.

He slipped his hand under my shirt, expertly untying the ribbon on my chemise.

I scratched at the floor with my nails, screaming.

“Ha, stop! I’ll kill you! Stop it!”

“Just stay still. I promise I won’t be the only one enjoying this.”

“You bastard! I’ll really kill you! If you take that off, I swear I’ll kill you!”

I had completely lost my composure and no longer cared about pretending to be a noble lady.

All I wanted was to kill this insane, perverted rapist.

“Alright.”

Seeing my bloodshot eyes and fierce resistance, Jerome finally backed off. I slapped his cheek hard as he sulkily moved away.

Jerome’s expression darkened as he grabbed my wrist and pinned it above my head.

“Is it okay to slap your husband like this?”

“You deserve more. Your brain needs to be split open and electroshocked until you’re completely wiped out.”

“Such a sharp tongue. It makes me want to stick something else in your mouth.”

“Try it. I’ll bite that off too.”

I spat out my words between heavy breaths, and Jerome’s face grew cold.

For a moment, I wondered if I had gone too far with the electric shock comment, but then Jerome pulled me into a tight embrace and kissed my cheek.

“Even when you’re angry, you’re so beautiful.”

“……”

“How can you be this beautiful? I want to boil you alive and chew you up.”

This bastard… Does he not know the difference between love and hunger?

When Jerome suddenly stole another kiss from me, I found myself feeling strangely resigned.

What can I say?

Sometimes, you can’t stop what’s destined to happen.

At least I managed to keep him from finding out that I’m a man.

I should commend myself for that.

Next to me, Jerome, oblivious to my inner turmoil, cheerfully asked,

“Honey, what do you think we should name our second child?”

Just then, I picked up a rock beside me, intending to use it, but a familiar voice pierced through the tension.

“Well, if it isn’t you again.”

I quickly turned my head.

Luke was standing there, flanked by temple knights, looking at me with an impassive expression.

The memory hit me like a brick, and I hurriedly pushed Jerome behind me.

Jerome rested his chin on my shoulder and spoke nonchalantly,

“Are you trying to protect me? I’m touched.”

“Shut up. Don’t say a word.”

The temple knights surrounded Jerome and me.

This was the same Luke who had ruthlessly killed Lily.

Even if Jerome’s heresy had been absolved, he had still killed several temple clerics.

There was no way he would be forgiven.

“Step aside. This is your final warning.”

“…No.”

“…”

“Not this time.”

I shook my head firmly.

Jerome was still someone I needed.

I couldn’t let him die like Lily, stabbed by Luke’s sword.

Jerome stared at me intently, while Luke smiled faintly.

“Will you say the same thing to the families of the clerics who were killed by this heretic?”

“…”

“You’re just an idealist. Anyone can pretend to be a good person, but my lady, that’s not justice. True justice is protecting the empire’s citizens from heretics. That’s the only real justice.”

Luke’s gaze was cold but unwavering.

His idea of justice was to protect the empire’s citizens from heretics.

To eliminate even the slightest threat to the empire’s people.

Knowing this, I couldn’t easily refute him.

His sense of justice was far different from my shallow one, which was solely to protect Jerome for my own benefit.

‘…It doesn’t matter. Jerome can’t die here.’

I wasn’t compassionate enough to feel pity for a heretic who had killed humans.

But both Lily and Jerome, even as heretics, were still individuals who could provide me with valuable information.

That was the only reason. For that reason alone, Luke’s justice clashed with mine.

But to break Luke’s justice, I needed my own version of justice.

Even if it was a false one.

I continued in a calm voice,

“Anyone can become a heretic. Anyone here. If we kill every heretic we encounter, that would be the catastrophe the demons want.”

“…”

“Luke, those people were once humans like us. We need to find a better way. Give me a chance. I’ll prove that Jerome still has a human heart.”

The knights behind Luke exchanged surprised glances.

Some of them even stared at me with a captivated expression.

‘They must think I’m some kind of saintess who’s trying to save a heretic out of kindness.’

I scoffed inwardly. Ironically, my words, spoken only to ensure my own survival, were turning Jeanne into a true saint.

Luke, who had been silently observing me, finally picked up the bow slung over his shoulder.

“Is it because you’ve lived a sheltered life, my lady, that you can’t understand what I’m saying?”

“…”

“You don’t need to prove anything.”

Luke nocked an arrow and aimed it at me. I could see Jerome’s indifferent gaze sharpen.

Luke, who was glaring at both Jerome and me with disgust, sneered.

“Because you’re going to die here.”

Jerome sighed. As soon as he started to rise, a sense of dread washed over me.

“He’s really serious this time.”

“Jerome.”

“It would be rude of me to just sit back and take it.”

“Jerome!”

Jerome pushed me backward and then snatched a sword from the sheath of a nearby temple knight.

He began to walk slowly toward Luke, his voice tense as he called out.

“Jerome, stop!”

Jerome’s sword cut through the air, as if about to strike Luke.

Just then, sunlight began to filter through the surrounding darkness.

The moon that had been covering the sun moved aside, and the warm sunlight illuminated everything around us.

Clang!

In the air, the swords clashed.

Carlisle’s sword, which had blocked Jerome’s blade, trembled slightly.

For a brief moment, Carlisle’s gaze, which had touched me, quickly shifted back to Jerome.

For reasons unknown, Carlisle was angrier than usual.

With veins bulging from his neck, Carlisle gave a faint smile.

“You shouldn’t treat a noble lady so disgracefully, Jerome.”

It felt as though he was speaking directly to me.

* * *