Chapter 64

“Will this really let me meet that bastard again?”

“It will. As long as you follow my plan, the Apostle of the Outer God will appear before Your Highness.”

“It seems I’m not the only Archduke here, so just call me Flauros.”

“A mere human like me would never dare utter an Archduke’s name.”

“I won’t say it twice.”

“Thank you, Lady Flauros.”

After summoning Flauros to the Council through the ring, I immediately decided to appoint her as the representative of the Archduke of Commerce—no, the Seat of Flame.

Through the “Heretical Daily,” a newspaper sold by witches, I was finally able to figure out what was happening to Division 3.

Thankfully, Yoo Se-byeol and the rest of the Special Unit members were still alive, merely trapped underground.

However, Norkel’s plan didn’t end with just imprisoning them. It needed to be stopped fast.

“Alright, who wants octopus cheese balls?”

“Me! Me!”

“Pa–Patel…!”

“Huh? Oh, when did you get here?”

I had been busy winning over the witches to get things started, but before even entering the Council building, I ran into an unexpected person.

It was Velada—eyes already brimming with tears, as if she’d been beaten up somewhere again.

“Did I hear wrong? Why is she being made representative? Aren’t you my contractor? We’re of the same—of the Hooves of the Statue—sniff!”

“Ah, well…”

Appointing Flauros as representative didn’t mean I was serving under her.

Even within the Seat of Silence, there were many who weren’t subordinates of Furcas, yet still recognized Karzos as their representative.

I could’ve just explained that properly, but the sight of Velada sniffling and trembling—like she’d burst into tears at the slightest poke—kept tempting my sadistic side.

Unable to resist, I knelt in front of her, met her eyes, and said,

“Thanks for everything until now.”

“S–sniff, what?”

“The time we spent together was short, but I was happy.”

“Hhuhh… Uwaaaaaah!!!”

Ah. She cried.

Was that too much, even for a demon?

I hurriedly lifted my head and tried to comfort her as she sobbed pitifully.

If Velada had carried a Star Scar, I could’ve collected those tears, but for now, wiping them away with the edge of her robe would have to do.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. You think I’d ever leave you?”

“Sniff… R–really?”

“Well…”

“Sniff!”

A slight pause—and the tears welled up again.

Who knew she could cry so beautifully?

Maybe the witches thought the same—or maybe they just wanted a scoop—because as soon as she started crying again, they whipped out easels and sketchpads to draw illustrations for tomorrow’s paper.

One witch even sneaked up behind her with a cheese grater in hand.

“I said it’s a joke, so stop crying already.”

“I can’t believe you! You’re making the Archduke of Flames your representative!”

“Well, if you became one, you’d just get busier, right? Other demons would keep an eye on you. You’d have less time to see me. Are you really okay with that?”

“Th–that’s… no, but…”

Her mood began to lift, and mine with it. I finally managed to calm her down and send the witches away.

Maybe my excuse worked, because after blowing her nose into her robe, she looked up at me again as if deciding to trust me one last time.

“Really? This time you’re not lying?”

“……”

If I could just make her cry one more time, it’d be the perfect dessert.

Even for an Apostle who enjoyed demon tears for foot baths, that might be too cruel—maybe I’d save it for later.

Even my Outer God, Mala-nim, shuddered inside my sleeve in fright.

I helped her back up and brushed off the dust from her clothes.

“Alright, I’ll bring you a gift next time I visit the church, so forgive me, okay?”

“Really? Hmph, come to think of it, who cares who wears the crown! But where did you leave your Incarnation shell? Finally got tired of it?”

“I just didn’t need to bring it this time. Anyway, come on. The Council’s about to start.”

“Sniff… okay.”

After teasing her just enough, we were somehow closer than before. Holding hands, we entered through the Door of Flame.

Flauros, who had been quietly watching from behind, slowly followed us in.

The moment the new Archduke appeared, the atmosphere in the Council shifted dramatically.

Tension and suspicion filled the air; countless wary gazes turned our way.

“Then, I hereby declare the 169th Supreme Council of the Demon Realm open. As always, we shall begin with the formal demon—”

“Skip the pleasantries, Kravec. I have no time to waste on such nonsense.”

“Y–Your Highness!”

Vice-Chairman Kravec tried to start the session, but Flauros immediately cut him off.

She hadn’t even sat in her seat yet.

Even the demons who had no right to sit in the Chamber turned to her at once.

Then, Flauros declared before them all.

“He’s coming.”

“‘He’… you mean…?”

“The Apostle of the Outer God—the one you all so dread.”

“……!”

Straight to the main point, huh?

Even before, I’d noticed how just the mention of “Apostle of the Outer God” made demons tremble. The fear that name carried was overwhelming.

This time was no different. The moment my story came up, the entire chamber fell into uneasy silence.

Even Norkel, who had attacked the Special Unit, hesitated to boast of her achievement and instead asked if it was true.

“Is… is that really so?”

“I crossed over using a Dimensional Core myself. There’s no mistake.”

“Then… what should we…”

“We summon him. And I will kill him.”

Flauros’s calm declaration silenced the hall.

Then, from the Seat of the Abyss, a figure rose and descended to the center platform—a wide-brimmed hat adorned with raven feathers, and an elegant dress.

It was Trishy, the Council Chair.

“That’s quite the arrogant claim. The Apostle of the Outer God isn’t someone you can kill.”

“And who are you?”

“Trishy. I may not look the part, but I serve as the chairperson here.”

“Are you an Archduke like me? I don’t waste words on cowards who won’t even reveal their true name.”

There was no Archduke named Trishy.

So she wasn’t even worth acknowledging.

Even after such provocation, Trishy only smiled. Her calm, unshaken demeanor spoke volumes about her rank—far higher than most present here.

“This Council exists for dialogue, regardless of our status. Tell me, Flauros—what is it you seek?”

“Your support. That black mage said it’s enough to draw the Apostle out.”

“The black mage… you mean Patel?”

“If you’ll permit, I’d like to speak.”

Now came the crucial part.

The reason I still wore this mask was simple—so I could gather intel from both the Special Unit and the demon side.

If I mixed just the right amount of truth and lies, I could confuse them long enough to save Division 3.

“I’ll allow it,” Trishy said.

I stepped onto the central platform, turned toward the demon who had trapped the Special Unit—Norkel—and spoke.

“You’ve made a serious mistake in your assault on the humans.”

“Coming from a black mage who summons monsters, you dare to speak of mistakes about Gates?”

The one who snapped back had half-lidded crescent eyes glowing faint pink and wore something so revealing I couldn’t tell if it was clothing or just electrical tape. Definitely strong succubus blood.

From their perspective, stopping the Special Unit’s expansion beyond Seoul was a great achievement in itself.

And judging by the timing—right before the Council opened—it was a bold move to avoid interference from others. Meaning, there were plenty of weak spots to exploit.

“Whether or not you damaged the Dimensional Core isn’t my concern. What matters is what you actually gained from it.”

“Our gains are clear. One of their units is isolated and about to be wiped out. They were the ones leading the Gate-clearing front.”

“Yeah, so who do you think you are to lecture us?”

“Wasn’t today’s agenda about whether the Archduke of Flames should represent the Seat of Flame?”

“He’s a spy! Clearly a human spy!”

Boooo!

The chamber erupted in jeers.

Since this was an internal Seat of Flame matter, Trishy didn’t intervene and simply watched.

Bella didn’t know anything, and even Flauros was still unsure of me. But my backup came from elsewhere.

“You should at least let him finish, demon lords.”

“Rubietta?”

“Time’s precious, isn’t it? Are you going to bicker all night? Unlike us lowly ones, your noble time must be worth more than gold~.”

With a melodic voice and three raised fingers, Rubietta, Chairwoman of the Witch Trade Association, joined in.

A fellow human like me, though our positions couldn’t be further apart. While I was a “black mage from the fallen Black Tower,” she was a merchant queen who had clawed her way up from despair by mastering black magic herself.

Normally, demons despised black mages too much to ever side with one. It seemed the free tentacle samples I’d given the witches earlier were finally paying off.

“My apologies, Vice-Chairman Kravec. How dare a lowly witch speak without permission? I’ll tear my mouth open myself after this session.”

“It’s fine, Rubietta. Continue, Patel.”

“Thank you.”

Despising looks poured over me from every direction, but there wasn’t a demon here who didn’t owe Rubietta something. Thanks to her, I could keep talking.

“Division 3—the one you attacked—has no Upper-Level Awakened. For the scale of the operation, the risk was enormous, and even if it succeeded, the payoff was minimal.”

“It already did succeed—”

“Did it really? Even with rescue teams dispatched?”

“You think we didn’t expect that? We’ll just take them out too.”

Norkel sneered.

I splashed cold water on that grin.

“Even if they left Seoul right away, by the time they reach you…”

“It won’t matter.”

“Oh, it won’t be that simple.”

“And why not?”

“Because the Saint of Salvation will come.”

“Wh–what?! That’s impossible! We confirmed she stayed at headquarters!!”

At the mention of the Saint of Salvation, the demons began to stir.

In truth, she hadn’t joined the rescue team—her duty was to guard Seoul’s defenses—but that didn’t matter. My goal was to make their fear run deeper.

“This is exactly why it’s hopeless. Since you’re unaware of her ability, allow me to explain—she has wings. Wings fast enough to circle the entire world ten times in less than a second.”

“So that’s why she hasn’t moved…!”

“H–how can we believe you? Black mages lie with every breath!”

“If you doubt me, then you don’t have to take my word for it. We have a witness, don’t we? Sir Karzos?”

“Eh? M–me…?”

From the Seat of Silence, Karzos—who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, likely still brooding over his failure to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone—looked up in shock.

Half-dragging him to the podium, I asked whether he had seen Moon Ah-rin at the Sea of Decay.

Back then, after his failed summoning of Furcas, his companion’s death, and his cowardly escape—he had no way to plead innocence except by admitting that a being of incomprehensible strength, other than Flauros, had appeared there.

“Uh, y–yeah… I did see wings…”

“They flew, right? She was flying, wasn’t she?”

“Well… she was sort of floating a little…”

“Exactly that!”

“Good heavens!”

“We have to get out of here!”

“Silence, silence!”

Several demons who had been assaulting Division 3 in Daegu sprang to their feet in panic.
But none could leave until the Council adjourned.

After the commotion settled, Kravec spoke to me.

“I understand now. Norkel’s actions were reckless, and even Lady Flauros’s power alone won’t be enough to handle this.”

“If Lady Flauros is appointed representative of the Seat of Flame, she’ll lend her strength immediately. I’ll also provide what aid I can.”

“However, you’ve left out one important thing.”

Right.

The Apostle of the Outer God.

I’d succeeded in shifting the operation against Division 3 from Norkel to myself, but that and the Apostle were two separate issues.

“Why did you say the Apostle will appear once the Archduke of Flames gains our support?”

The best way to avoid suspicion was to reveal the existence of a Star Scar. Since Yoo Se-byeol was in Daegu, the Apostle would naturally be drawn to her mark.

It was technically the truth—so it wouldn’t cause contradictions later. But the moment I said it, Velada’s warning would come true. Every demon who learned about the Star Scar would target her.

“Can’t answer?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… such a precious secret that I hesitated to speak it. But now… I suppose I must.”

This time, I had no choice but to lie.

Each time I told a lie, I felt a sharp, needle-like pain in my heart—a curse befitting a so-called “righteous Apostle of the Outer God.” But to protect Yoo Se-byeol, I had to say it.

“The truth is… there’s someone in that unit—the Apostle’s lover.”

“What?”

“The one Lady Flauros mentioned crossed over to Earth more than half a year ago. It wouldn’t be strange if he’d already formed… intimate bonds among humans.”

Honestly, I could feel it too now. Not as the Apostle of the Outer God, not as a believer of my so-called god—but as Sae Hayan, a human.

The feelings I’d kept buried until now.

The one who had stayed by my side, watched over me, and was always there when I opened my eyes—

“If that’s true…”

“Who is it?”

It was time to finally say the name of the one I wanted to get closer to.

“The human’s name is—”

“You called me, Kang Ha-neul?”

“What?”

“I said, did you just call my name?”

Deep underground.

In the midst of battle—fighting through hordes of monsters bursting from the collapsed terrain—Alexei suddenly looked up.

“Felt like someone just said my name…”

“Focus, you bastard! You trying to die here?”