The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage - Chapter 98



98 – A Childish Question

“Harthe!”

Elpisia let out a reflexive scream.

What was the oath of Serenomy? It was an unyielding bond that would never tolerate betrayal. In reality, Harthe had no choice but to make a certain choice due to Serenomy’s oath, even if it meant death.

“It’s okay, Elpisia.”

Harthe calmed Elpisia down with a gentle voice. Although Harthe’s head was not good, their learning ability was not lacking either.

“The oath of Serenomy doesn’t always form extreme bonds.”

“That’s true. No matter how trivial the content, one must keep their promises.”

The high priest nodded in agreement. Then, Elpisia shot a piercing gaze at the high priest, who seemed to be provoking Harthe.

Of course, the young and tender resentment of the idol had no effect on the high priest’s actions.

“So, tell me. What is the intention behind declaring that you will keep the bond at this point?”

“It is to establish a justification.”

“A justification?”

“If it were just between individuals, the story would have ended quickly. But as a leader, don’t you need to establish a justification for interacting with humanity?”

“What can you do?”

The high priest’s eyes narrowed like a thread. Harthe judged that he was showing interest. Therefore, Harthe decided to turn the key to the final negotiation.

“The outcome of the demon tribe interacting with humans is to seal my divinity.”

“You…?”

“The process doesn’t matter. I’ll seal my divinity, so just let me do it and spread the rumor that I’m obsessed with it.”

It wasn’t an overestimation. Sealing Harthe’s divinity was a security benefit for the demon tribe.

Harthe’s existence had greatly tilted the balance between humans and demons. Above all, from the demons’ perspective, the incident of Harthe killing the saint was still deeply etched in their minds.

“Of course, there is a condition.”

“… I’ll listen.”

“You won’t intervene in the conflict.”

In other words, even if a holy war broke out, as long as the high priest didn’t intervene, Harthe’s divinity sealing would be valid.

It was similar to the situation with the Four Heavenly Kings. Even if a holy war broke out, if the high priest was absent, the advantage would still lean towards humanity.

‘I won’t misunderstand, but I’ll accept it.’

As long as Glen was alive, the demon king couldn’t make the decision to invade humanity. Moreover, unless something unexpected happened, Harthe would age faster than Glen and return to dust.

In other words, it was a contract that wouldn’t harm humanity in any way.

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The high priest took a deep breath after a brief moment of contemplation.

“If I don’t accept here… it would be as if I’m declaring that I’ll take revenge at any time.”

“There’s no problem at all. Neither for humans nor demons. As long as peace is maintained, it’s a promise to return to dust in a few decades.”

“The human lifespan is short. You, too, will eventually wither away like a foreign substance.”

“I’m just a human who’s been lucky, that’s all.”

It was indeed a lucky expression.

From birth, Harthe had received a great god’s name and was taken in by a comfortable temple. As time passed, Harthe met Elpisia and, thanks to the blessings of the gods, overcame many incidents and arrived at this point.

It was truly a happy feeling. By giving up the pure ‘coincidence’ that had connected every moment, Harthe could maintain happiness in the future.

“… Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“Do as you please. The temple will follow the demon king’s decision.”

The high priest handed over the authority. Now, the decision rested solely in the demon king’s hands.

“Fuuh…”

The justification was established. Moreover, there was no more room for compromise. Therefore, the Maou (Demon King) finally responded after a long silence.

“… I accept the armistice agreement.”

“Ah…!”

The first person to express surprise at his declaration was Letitia. She had been anxious about the Maou’s intentions, wondering if he would reveal a different plan.

“If Your Majesty has made this decision, we will also abide by it.”

“Of course, we must.”

Harte and the High Priestess. As soon as the two people locked eyes, a golden divine aura brightly illuminated the reception hall. The particles moving like they were being swept away by a torrent of water resembled a cluster of stars twinkling in the galaxy.

The oath of the baptism began.

“From this moment on, I swear to seal away the power of the gods.”

Elphesia felt uneasy. Although it was a well-reviewed oath, bad memories still haunted her.

Harte comforted her with a gentle smile, trying to reassure her.

“As long as the Demon King’s High Priestess does not use her power to threaten humanity, I will etch an eternal promise before the gods.”

The divine aura, like a river, formed a ring resembling the Möbius strip. It then bound Harte and the High Priestess, creating an absolute restraint.

“… I just can’t understand.”

The High Priestess was puzzled.

“I understand the intention to consider the Demon King’s bloodline. However, what is the reason for shouldering this burden and making sacrifices?”

“Your question is incorrect, High Priestess.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s more accurate to say that your question isn’t established.”

Harte refuted her question with a transcendent smile.

“We can’t call a necessary action a sacrifice.”

Although Glen’s parents weren’t there, they were family. That’s why Harte wanted Glen to recover a little more of his lost happiness.

Moreover, Elphesia was his companion. He wanted to share the weight of her guilt. If he could alleviate her burden even slightly by offering his divine aura, it would be a cheap price to pay.

Perhaps the gods would encourage this by bestowing the baptism.

Messiah, an excessive name.

“I just can’t accept this.”

“Everyone has their own way of living, so I won’t force you to understand.”

“…”

The High Priestess shut her mouth, as if she had been struck. Harte, thinking it was the right timing, attached a slightly impudent tone to his words.

“From today on, miracles will no longer be possible.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Will you at least open the path for us to return?”

“Ha…”

He let out a sigh, as if he had been drained of energy. Although he didn’t explicitly agree, Harte took it as a sign of acceptance.

Snap!

The High Priestess snapped her fingers. In an instant, Glen’s divine form appeared in the reception hall.

“Whoa…”

Glen was stunned by the sudden change in scenery. However, he soon exchanged a glance with Elphesia.

Sensing that the meeting had been successful, Glen quietly curled up the corners of his mouth.

“… Okay.”

At that moment, the Demon King let out a natural, effortless cough, the kind that could momentarily hold Glen’s gaze.

Their eyes, father and son, met directly.

“…”

“…”

But neither of them exchanged even a simple greeting. The awkward atmosphere hung heavy, like a thick fog.

‘Awkward…!’

Glen muttered to himself. It was a father he hadn’t seen in years, and they were meeting for the first time since his pre-teen years. With Glen’s personality, it was hard to initiate a conversation.

Even if the years apart weren’t a barrier, there was still a wall between them.

‘Too young…’

The phrase “too young” was a polite expression Glen used because he was still young. If Glen had met him as an adult, he would have said “too immature.”

Even now, the title “older brother” suited him better than “father.” It would have been more natural to call Hart his older brother.

‘Mother is young too, but Father is… excessive.’

If you calculated his age as a human, he would be around seventeen. For twelve-year-old Glen, it was difficult to call him “Father.”

“… Fine.”

“Stark!”

Letisha grasped the Demon King’s wrist with all her might. Then, she showed Glen an unnatural smile and made an excuse.

“Um… your father isn’t very good at conversations, so please understand.”

“… I’m the same.”

“That part takes after me.”

“Is that so?”

“Anyway!”

Hart thought they looked like a comedy duo, standing two or three steps away. They were identical, except for their eye and hair colors, and Glen’s features were evident in his face.

In fact, Hart felt a little sorry, thinking they looked more like siblings than parent and child.

“Glen, can you come here for a bit?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Glen readily responded to Letisha’s request. As the distance between them narrowed, he soon received an unusual request from her.

“Hug your father. If you don’t, you might not be able to say a word until you leave…”

“Ah… um.”

“Just once, so please.”

Glen repeated deep breaths several times. It seemed like a very difficult request.

Refusing would make Letisha’s eyes plead, and he felt like he was abandoning his heavenly principles.

After a short while, Glen prepared himself and closed his eyes, embracing the Demon King’s back.

“…!”

It was small and soft. That was the Demon King’s first impression.

The reality that the child who used to walk beside him had grown up and was giving him an awkward hug felt like a dream. On the other hand, he felt a sense of trepidation, as if the years ahead would pass very slowly.

Meanwhile, Letisha suddenly wrapped her arms around the frozen father and son.

It was a truly dreamlike scene.

However, dreams are bound to shatter eventually.

The time for farewell was slowly closing in on them.

“…… Your Majesty. It’s time to send them off.”

“Ah…”

The Demon King let out a hollow sigh. Retisha, who had woken up from a sweet dream, was also feeling the same way.

“It’s too… too suffocating. If we part ways now, when will we be able to see each other’s faces again…”

“… It’s my fault, Retisha.”

In the past, I made a hasty decision.

The Demon King, who possessed the memories of his past life, only knew that Glen was being mistreated by the human spirits. Therefore, he sought a way to retrieve him.

That was why he brought the High Priest and launched a surprise attack on the hunting festival.

However, the Demon King’s memories before his rebirth were limited, which led to a misunderstanding. He assumed that the High Priest would have punished Harter after his death.

Moreover, the High Priest had declared that even the gods’ avatars could not defeat Abathar, so…

The surprise attack on the hunting festival was a nearly perfect plan.

“If only that incident hadn’t happened, we could have walked the path of communication faster…”

But regretting it now wouldn’t turn back the hands of time.

The Demon King, who had given up and was enduring, received a gentle rainfall from Glen.

“Let’s meet again.”

That rainfall was slightly shy and timid.

“… Father.”

“… Yes.”

The conversation between the father and son ended there, but Retisha’s entire body was filled with lingering emotions.

Sleep early and wake up early.

Eat a hearty meal and avoid bad friends.

Listen to the principal’s words and grow up vigorously.

… And so on.

It was as if Glen was pouring out 10 years’ worth of nagging advice.

And when Glen’s numb spirit was taken care of by Harter, the High Priest lightly opened a space.

Harter sent Elphysia and Glen ahead, following their footprints.

As they stepped into the boundary of space, the world turned black and white. Furthermore, the scenery that could be seen with the eyes slowed down infinitely, as if time had stopped. In this world, the High Priest’s voice was heard.

“… Kid.”

“Is there something left to say?”

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Ask away.”

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The High Priest twisted his lips. He seemed to be hesitating, taking a long time to gather his courage.

And then, he asked…

“… Who won?”

It was a foolish question.

“Yes?”

“I don’t know the history that was erased. I only knew what I was told by the Lord. It was inevitable that I would clash with you…”

He had the face of a seasoned veteran, but he was asking a very childish question.

“You and I… who was the winner?”

“Will you believe me if I tell you?”

“Ha…!!!”

The high priest spat out all the air in his lungs, letting out a loud cry.

“You’ve abandoned your answer…”

The high priest turned around. At the same time, the world’s scenery returned to its original state, and its original colors were restored.

And so, Hart returned.

He became human, returning to his world filled with precious people.