"Those damn Purple Tower bastards…!"
One of the magicians from the Imperial Tower shouted. His voice was full
of anger, spoken with sincere emotion.
The expressions of the surrounding magicians were similar.
"Thanks to the sacrifice of the Auditor, we all managed to escape the maze
safely. How can we ever repay this kindness…?"
"If the Purple Tower hadn't betrayed us in the first place, wouldn't the
Auditor have escaped safely, too? The root cause of all this is the Purple
Tower!"
"We came to help the Purple Tower, but instead, they repay our kindness
with betrayal. Their morality has fallen to the ground…"
They muttered with serious expressions, all filled with resentment towards
the Purple Tower. It was only natural. The Purple Tower had betrayed them
shamelessly.
The Elder of the Blue Tower, Seina, also muttered seriously.
"The amount of people the magic circle could transport was limited from
the beginning. In other words, the Purple Tower had planned to betray the
other magicians from the start."
"Those trash-like bastards…"
On the way back to the Imperial Tower, everyone's steps were slow. It
wasn't because they were tired, but because they were enraged.
At this moment, the magicians of the Imperial and Blue Towers shared
similar thoughts. They wished for the Purple Tower to be punished, and for
the Auditor's rescue.
Seina, who had gone down to the second basement floor, had clearly seen it.
The Purple Tower had shamelessly used the magic circle and irresponsibly
left behind traces of their departure. They had abandoned the magicians
who had come to help them out of goodwill.
Could it be that they were too proud to accept help from other towers and
chose to erase all evidence instead?
"They're selfish to the bone."
Seina thought, biting her lips.
The Purple Tower was a tower specialized in combat. A group that wouldn't
hesitate to engage in a mud-caked dogfight. Perhaps that was why their
actions were so hideous.
They wouldn't hesitate to use any means to achieve their goals, and
suddenly, they didn't seem any different from criminals.
But right now, there was something more important.
"…Master."
It was urgent to rescue Jaekiel, the Auditor of the Imperial Tower.
At that moment, a magician from the Imperial Tower asked.
"Elder of the Blue Tower, the Purple Tower probably believes we were all
wiped out. If they find out we're alive, we don't know what kind of harm
they might cause. What should we do?"
"We need to move secretly and find a way to rescue the Auditor. Perhaps
we could seek help from another tower."
"But which tower should we ask for help? They even dragged him into the
Demon Realm. To rescue the Auditor, we would need considerable power."
The voice of the Imperial Tower magician was filled with frustration. Those
listening closely to Seina's conversation shared the same sentiment.
It was at that moment.
"I just thought of something."
Anes, Jaekiel's personal secretary, who had been silent all this time, spoke
up. She had bandages wrapped around her arm.
"I will try to request help."
Her tone was more serious than ever.
Seina, the elder of the Blue Tower, immediately became interested.
"Request help… Is there an appropriate place to ask?"
Seina continued in a worried tone.
"Sending support to the Demon Realm means we'll be away from our base
for a long time. The Purple Tower will get involved in politics, and it's
uncertain whether other towers will accept it…"
"We won't be requesting help from another tower."
"…Not requesting help from a tower?"
Anes nodded quietly.
Anes, too, was eager to save Jaekiel, and so she thought very carefully.
Because of the high difficulty of the task, the towers wouldn't easily
volunteer. So she had to think of someone with great power who might
accept it.
There was such a person.
Not from a tower, but from the Imperial Family.
Anes slowly parted her lips.
"I will inform the Imperial Family, starting with the First Princess."
Inside the Demon Realm, an unknown area.
"Huh, this shouldn't be…?"
The Spider Goddess murmured in a dazed voice.
"What you've figured out is correct. My time is short. I'd rather accept
death than grant what you desire."
Jaekiel murmured calmly.
He intended to strongly express that he would not fulfill what the Spider
Goddess wanted. This way, at least he could hold on to something.
"This body shouldn't be in this condition. It wasn't self-inflicted; who could
have tormented it this much?"
The painted finger gently touched Jaekiel's lips.
"Snow Ghost, this is something you must answer. The Emperor… was it his
doing?"
With a serious expression, her tone was very earnest.
Could it be that there was a purpose behind Jaekiel's healthy constitution?
Jaekiel was briefly worried. Was it bad that his terminal condition had been
discovered?
However.
"Why do you ask?"
"…Isn't it obvious?"
He realized from the following response that it was not what he expected.
"Anything that doesn't help the Snow Ghost, I plan to erase its very
existence. Just make them pay the inevitable price."
The words coming from the Spider Goddess were utterly unexpected.
The Spider Goddess resented the Emperor, who tormented Jaekiel into a
terminal condition? In other words, it was as if she was saying she would
stand by Jaekiel's side and assist him.
It didn't seem like the Spider Goddess was thinking of how to use Jaekiel.
Instead, she appeared to be thinking about how to support him.
"Ah, my heart aches with sorrow. I'm ashamed. If only we had met sooner,
could we have prevented your body from being so damaged…?"
With a voice full of regret, the Spider Goddess placed her palm over
Jaekiel's heart. Once again, she carefully examined the man's constitution
from start to finish.
At that moment.
There was another moment when the Spider Goddess was shocked.
"The heat near your heart, what is this?"
It seemed like she had just discovered traces of the Sun Water Spirit. Her
sunset-colored eyes widened in shock.
"This can't be. This can't be… Traces of Sun Water?"
At first, it was just a voice filled with surprise, but it slowly turned into a
tone of ecstasy. The Spider Goddess gazed at Jaekiel from a distance so
close that their noses almost touched.
"Snow Ghost, can something be this beautiful…?"
They were so close that every breath could be felt. If they shifted their
positions slightly, their lips could almost meet.
The Spider Goddess grabbed Jaekiel's face with both hands.
"Even with a terminal condition, you didn't despair; instead, you struggled
desperately for immortality. Turning desperation into reality…? How truly
beautiful that is!"
From the Spider Goddess's heavily made-up face, various emotions mixed
together, and Jaekiel could see them clearly up close.
Was this the feeling when madness and possessiveness were born into a
living being? It was beyond simple affection. Jaekiel could feel the Spider
Goddess's obsession and desire toward him.
"Yes. Every time I find traces of your desperation, I'm so delighted I can
hardly bear it. Ah… My body is starting to tingle again…"
The Spider Goddess exhaled a sticky breath.
"As expected, Snow Ghost, you and I are destined to be together. You hold
desperation and make it reality. If we mix my magic with your coldness, it
will be possible."
"I won't respond to nonsense from now on."
Jaekiel cut off the conversation.
If they continued mixing words and glances beyond this point, he felt like
he would lose his sanity as well. The Spider Goddess's behavior was clearly
not normal.
Soon, the Spider Goddess began muttering repeatedly.
"But the Snow Ghost doesn't have much time left. We must hurry. We must
hurry… Yes, we must hurry…"
What was she in such a hurry for?
Jaekiel was curious, but didn't ask. He simply pondered for a long time on
how he could escape.
How many days had passed since then?
Surprisingly, the Spider Goddess, who seemed like she would stay by
Jaekiel's side all day, did not. She appeared to be busy with her own
matters.
-The Snow Ghost doesn't have much time left. We must hurry. We must
hurry…
Whenever she appeared, she muttered such words and acted in a hurry.
Jaekiel was still bound.
Creak…
Whenever it was time for a meal, spiders would swarm and place a tray
filled with food in front of him, while spider webs moved and fed him.
What in the world was she hurrying for?
That was Jaekiel's main concern right now.
After discovering his constitution, the Spider Goddess's madness seemed to
deepen. Jaekiel still couldn't understand what she was planning or
preparing.
Still, there was one thing he had figured out.
"She likes my desperation."
Jaekiel didn't know why, but it seemed like the Spider Goddess was madly
fond of seeing him act with desperation. What could the reason be?
One day, however…
"Finally, today is the day. Let's go outside now."
The Spider Goddess, who was now dressed even more extravagantly than
when they first met, said to Jaekiel, crossing her arms. She had Jaekiel's
wrist tightly bound with her magic's spider web.
Squeak.
They finally left the warehouse-like space and stepped outside. The feeling
of being with a high-ranking figure of the Demon Realm and crossing arms
felt unfamiliar.
An expansive landscape unfolded before them.
In the sky, both the sun and the moon were floating simultaneously. The
moon was red, and the sun had a purple hue. It was a somewhat familiar
sight.
It was the Demon Realm.
"This is a very developed area of the Demon Realm."
The city was as developed as the capital of the Empire. It had spiky, twisted
structures that looked eerie, but at the same time, the buildings were tall and
intricate.
It wasn't just the buildings. The demons were the same.
"We greet you, Spider Goddess."
"Ah, the Spider Goddess…! Today is the day!"
"Then, who is the man by your side…?"
The demons lining the streets were moved to tears whenever they saw the
Spider Goddess. It seemed that the presence of a woman in the Demon
Realm was a miracle.
"The Demon Realm, which had once been devastated, has developed this
much?"
In Jaekiel's memories, the Demon Realm was just a wasteland, but now it
seemed to have a massive population and remarkable development.
"We should change clothes first. Are you feeling nervous?"
As if handling the most delicate flower in the world, the Spider Goddess
crossed her arms and took light, careful steps.
Finally, they arrived at a building.
It looked like a temple based on its shape. The surrounding buildings were
huge, but none compared to this temple. "Majestic" would be the perfect
word for it.
"You have arrived."
As they entered a room within the temple, demon servants dressed as
butlers lined up and bowed with respect.
And then, Jaekiel realized.
This building… it wasn't a temple.
Chirr…!
As a demon snapped their fingers, clothes began to emerge from all
directions. They were all wedding garments.
Yes, they were ceremonial wedding clothes.
"The Spider Goddess's groom, please choose your wedding attire."
Jaekiel was speechless.
This building… was probably a wedding hall.