In that moment, the demon lost it. It had given Nero everything she needed, everything she could've wanted, but she still wasn't satisfied. She threw it all away to meddle in something that, to her, held no value whatsoever. The demon roared, "Why?! This makes no sense! I gave you everything you could gain, made real everything you could change! Why would you waste your time on something so pointless?!"
Before stepping through the rift, Nero glanced back at the demon lurking deep within this space—a creature that could grant any wish.
"Meaning this, meaning that—man, what a hassle," she said, shrugging. Her silver-white hair flared, and a grim, almost feral grin spread across her demonic face. "I don't care about that stuff."
Summing up her motives, Nero added, "But since you're so desperate for an answer, I'll give you one: I felt like it."
With that, she stepped through the rift, leaving the empty yet all-granting space behind.
She left the crumbling demon in her dust.
The next moment, she appeared on the coast, standing beside the crater she'd carved out while attacking the Demon Pillar.
Her connection to the Root had severed, but the power fueling her Devil Trigger hadn't fully faded… though it was close. Nero flexed her claw-like hand, still marveling at the fact that Mephistopheles wielded this kind of power.
Mephistopheles was tied to the Root—since her demonic form hadn't worn off yet, Nero had no choice but to believe it. But judging by that demon's behavior, it couldn't tap into the Root's power unless someone made a wish.
Good. That meant Nero could still give it a proper beating.
After all the crap that jerk had pulled, she wasn't about to let it off without settling the score.
Recalling the vision Mephistopheles had shown her, Nero looked up. The sun hung high, blazing right at its zenith.
The intel checked out. Things weren't that bad yet. Nero reached out, feeling the lingering magic in the sea breeze, and grabbed at it.
Faint, dark starlight gathered in her hand, forming a black mask adorned with golden patterns.
It was a half-face mask, with sleek black wings shimmering in iridescent hues on either side and a sharp, crow-like beak at the center—a relic of the demon god Leme. Nero tucked the mask into her coat, then vanished in a flash, reappearing a hundred meters away. Another flash, and she was on Hernan's stranded warship.
She needed to confirm something the intel hadn't mentioned—someone's status.
"Anyone here?" Nero called, reverting to her human form as she ducked into the ship's cabin. Sure enough, Hernan was gone, leaving only Beatrice sprawled on an extravagant bed.
For a baron's daughter, this was probably her first taste of such luxury. Nero stepped closer and saw Beatrice's eyes flutter open, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural, feverish red.
"You okay?" Nero asked.
Beatrice managed a weak, bitter smile. "Not really. I'm dying."
What?!
That wasn't what Nero expected. She rushed to Beatrice's side, manners be damned, and tore open the girl's clothes. Large, dark bruises marred her smooth skin.
"I remember you saying… this is the Black Death, right?" Beatrice said, her smile strained as her voice wavered. "I mean it, I'm so grateful you came to save me. But… I'm sorry. I don't think I can repay you."
"How is this possible?" Nero's mind reeled with shock and confusion. Hernan had suppressed the Black Death's source, and those creepy demon rats attacking the town had been wiped out. Nero hadn't even considered this outcome.
"When did it happen?" she demanded. Now it hit her—leaving Beatrice out of Jeanne's Noble Phantasm and dragging her from the town might've doomed her.
"Maybe… two days ago?" Beatrice's eyes half-closed as she struggled to recall. "I think… the first night my father locked me in the dungeon… a rat nibbled on the bread a servant brought."
Her words sent a chill through Nero, her anger flaring. She wanted to drag that lord, already burned to ash by holy light, out of hell just to grind him into dust again. "That was my only food during confinement… I didn't want to eat it, but I was starving. After a day, I gave in and ate from the parts the rat hadn't touched. I avoided the bitten piece, but… looks like it didn't matter."
"Stop. That's enough," Nero said, her head dropping in frustration. All of Beatrice's suffering stemmed from her.
It was Nero who'd rashly agreed to Beatrice's plea, leading to her being thrown into the dungeon and forced to eat tainted food.
Talk about bad luck. If Beatrice had gotten sick right after her confinement, Hernan's Noble Phantasm could've suppressed it. But because she held off eating that first day, the disease waited until now to erupt.
And during that time, if Nero had anticipated the harsh punishment Beatrice would face, if she'd paid closer attention to her condition after rescuing her…
"But… my death is probably a good thing for everyone," Beatrice murmured, snapping Nero out of her guilt.
"What? No way!" Nero protested.
"I'm sorry. I overheard your conversation that day," Beatrice said, turning her head slightly to meet Nero's shocked gaze. "The farming method I came up with… it'd cause something bad, wouldn't it? So you can relax. If I die… no one else will know about it."
Her lips curved into a smile, but her brows knitted tightly, tears glinting in her eyes, brimming with regret.
"I'm so sorry… I just wanted everyone to have a better life…"
"You're not wrong," Nero said, grabbing Beatrice's hand and looking into her eyes with fierce sincerity. "Your idea was never wrong. Not once."
At this point, words felt hollow. They wouldn't save Beatrice's life or ease her pain. They were meaningless, useless. But Nero said them anyway, as if it could somehow soothe her own heart.
Thankfully, those words brought Beatrice a sliver of comfort. She looked away, gazing at the chandelier above, and whispered, "Thank you, Miss Nero. If I somehow pull through… it'll be because of what you just said."
She steered the conversation away, adding, "You've got bigger things to deal with, right? That terrifying demon king in the cave…"
"Yeah," Nero said, letting go of Beatrice's hand and standing up. "I'll take it down."
"Good luck…" Beatrice's lips trembled as she mustered the brightest smile she could imagine, pouring her heart into her final wish. "I hope you become the hero who slays the demon king, your name sung here forever."
Nero nodded silently, stepping back. With the last of her power, she shifted into her Devil Trigger, smashed through the cabin, and vanished into the sky.
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