Chapter 203
“Payne, are you okay?”
Ashtel quickly checked on him, and he gave a slow nod in response.
“Alright, it’s time for the princess and prince to make their escape.”
“Carmen and Hela will be waiting over there!”
“And I shouldn’t stick around for too long either, so you two go on now.”
Juvia gave Ashtel a gentle push forward, waving her hand.
“Thanks, everyone!”
Ashtel immediately took Payne by the hand and started moving.
“Let’s go. We need to get out of here.”
“What about everyone else?”
“They’re all asleep so they won’t get hurt by Sis Seri. And Biche will handle their memories, so they’ll wake up tomorrow like nothing happened.”
Ashtel was glad to have help from Sermedes, but she didn’t want to hurt the humans of Mediale, who were like family to Payne. That’s why she’d asked her sisters for help, even if it made things more complicated.
“Not even one person can get left behind. I don’t want to destroy the place Payne cares about.“
“But… it’s fine to wreck the buildings?“
“That’s fine, isn’t it? Humans are good at rebuilding. It’s not like they haven’t done it before.“
“Well… as long as nobody gets hurt…“
After getting Chacha’s expert approval on all things human, the sisters had come up with a plan. Sermedes would block off the sky, Chacha would teleport everyone as needed, and each sister would cause a ruckus wherever she ended up.
But the most important rule was that, aside from the heads of the church, no humans could be harmed.
Payne, after a quick rundown, was still dumbfounded.
“But… why are you going after the Pope and the Cardinal?”
“They tried to kill you.”
Even if that was true, it felt wrong to Payne.
“It’s okay if I get hurt. I even forgave Van. But not you. If something happened to you, I’d go insane.”
“…..”
He was struck silent.
Payne ran alongside Ashtel, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Why… why would you go that far for me?”
“Huh?”
“Why do all this?”
Ashtel looked a little awkward.
“Well, for one thing, Pope Serena was just using you to make money…”
What does that mean? Payne shook his head, his eyes somber.
“Am I really worth all this?”
“You are.”
“But why?”
“I’ve told you a million times already, Payne. Even if you think you’re not worth anything, I’ll still love you.”
That was Ashtel’s love—the love that turned her into a human.
“Even Katzel said you don’t know what love is.”
Ashtel took a step closer to Payne. All around them was chaos—screams, explosions, fire—but she ignored it.
“I’ll show you what love is.”
And this time, if you don’t want me, I’ll step back. Ashtel swallowed nervously.
“Will you come with me?”
Payne stared blankly at her, then glanced back at Mediale, his home burning in the distance. Yet, ironically, he saw a priest being gently carried to safety by the very succubi they’d feared.
Ashtel had mobilized her entire family and raised a storm in Katzel’s sanctuary, not to take lives, but to save Payne—and to make sure he wouldn’t mourn anyone lost.
Was that really possible?
“If I… if I don’t want you to touch me, you won’t?”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
“Promise me you won’t act like you did when you were a succubus.”
Ashtel looked flustered, but nodded. She’d already made up her mind.
“I promise. If you don’t want me to, I won’t touch you.”
“I want to keep living as a priest. I can’t stay in Mediale, but I’ll serve as a priest somewhere outside the city.”
“Alright.”
The curse and its aftereffects would soon fade. After that, Payne could go back to his normal life. Ashtel nodded, eager as a puppy.
“You’re a demon. Are you really okay with this?”
“It’s fine. I’m human now, remember?”
We can finally live together.
“Payne, I love you.”
For a moment, Payne’s world stopped.
Images flashed through his mind—being abandoned as a child, growing up in Mediale, struggling through seminary, pushing people away.
It was just a hunch, but maybe, just maybe, Ashtel could quiet the fears that haunted him. Even if she was a demon, and he was a cursed priest—if it was Ashtel, who’d risked everything for him…
“…Me too.”
Can I really love you? He didn’t say the words, but nodded quietly instead.
Ashtel beamed as if she had the whole world, grabbed Payne’s hand, and pulled him toward the temple entrance.
“Let’s live however you want. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay.”
“First, let’s break that curse.”
Oh, right—the demon magic! Should she use Carmen’s tools…?
While Ashtel fretted out loud, her sisters, who’d been wreaking havoc, just smiled.
It still didn’t feel real to Payne, but he nodded along anyway.
And as soon as he did, the heavy weight that had been crushing his chest lifted.
“Ashtel, thank you.”
He hadn’t said anything about his own feelings, but this, at least, he had to say.
Ashtel’s lips curved into a soft smile.
“Mm-hmm.”
At last, Payne managed to smile back at her.
* * *
The incident of the succubi in Mediale—eleven demons, including a great demon—quickly spread across all of Singria.
As a result, Pope Serena, Cardinal Prohmen, and the suspiciously present Duke Panchest all vanished for about four days.
Everyone assumed that, since they’d been captured by the Great Demon Sermedes, there was no way they’d return alive. The temple scrambled to appoint a new pope and restore order, but to everyone’s shock, the missing leaders were found back inside the temple, entirely unharmed.
But Pope Serena and Cardinal Prohmen were so deeply corrupted that they could no longer serve as clergy, and Duke Panchest’s mind had deteriorated to the point he had to give up his title.
On top of that, evidence of bribery and embezzlement was found in Serena’s office, so she now faced trial by the imperial court. Cardinal Prohmen was also implicated and, even though he was too weakened to walk, would be questioned as well.
“Wow, that turned out well.”
Ashtel said, folding the newspaper and setting it on the table.
Just then, Payne came over carrying a plate of bacon, sunny-side-up eggs, and a thick slice of buttered, cheesy bread—and frowned at her.
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