She Became The Devil’s Stepmother Who’s About To Be Killed - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Evil Is Evil; Good, Too, Is Evil

His real name was Rurarisa.

Curtis the Broker was a demon who had infiltrated the human realm with a special mission of his own.

‘How did I come all the way to this human world?’

There must be a great reason for this troublesome demon to come to the human world. Exactly.

‘Bellatrix.’

It was because the three Holy Saints of the Demon Realm, who would have never gathered again, reunited after the sudden appearance of ‘Bellatrix’.

Drunk on their own Pride, demons didn’t usually give allegiance to another. However, some were considered to be the pride of the demon tribe, and they were called the Three Holy Saints of the Demon Realm. Introducing them as follows:

The first: Holy Saint Turian: ‘Evil is evil; Good is evil, too.’

According to his logic, to reign as a strong man in a world of profit and loss, he must treat everything as evil. In the world of demons, those who followed him were called ‘gangsters’. No matter what other people said, like demons, they lived in their own way.

The second: Holy Saint Gorebaniak: ‘Evil has existed since ancient times.’

Life in the Demon Realm is hell itself. Evil is the deed accomplished on a whim according to one’s character without regret, without forethought. It was a capricious evil that punished and destroyed over a minor mistake while laughing.

Lastly: Holy Saint Rurarisa: ‘Return to Evil.’ The Evil in demon hearts takes three forms: Jealousy, Self-Torment, and Obsession. Be jealous of an Evil greater than oneself, become more cruel to yourself and obsessive enough to achieve Sacred Evil. Thus, the demons who followed him honed their magic and were called ‘Specialists’ in their world.

‘Gangsters,’ ‘Capricious,’ and ‘Specialists’ gathered before the huge ice wall called Bellatrix, which was called the salvation of the Demon Realm.

However, their first reunion in thousands of years was interrupted by the face of that Jandia bloody Bonque, sealed after a brutal fight with Gerard-Morard-or whatever his name was, showing up along the ice wall border.

‘Jandia Bonque’ was the ridicule of the demons. If he entered the human world because he liked it, he could have lived well. In the end, he was a weak man who forced other humans to murder, and he ended up being sealed away.

Anyway, although they didn’t like to join forces, their pride as demons was sky high. Therefore, the face that had brought disgrace to the demon world was the face of humiliation, shame, and disgrace itself.

‘I wish I hadn’t seen that bastard’s face.’

Thus, the three rolled their eyes and returned to the ice prison the figure of Jandia which was emitting a red glow through the snow in the dark night, as if trying to escape somehow the ice.

As long as ‘Bellatrix’ appeared, it was said that there were signs of a big change in both the human and demon worlds. And, per the legend, when ‘Bellatrix’ appears, the ‘Savior of the Demon World’, appears. And they decided to seek that savior.

They searched throughout the demon world, but there was no breakthrough as there weren’t many adepts.

Using his clairvoyance, he wondered, if not the Demon Realm, maybe the human realm.

He tried to look. But couldn’t find anything.

Turian was a lazy bastard who wouldn’t move if there was no real profit, and said that Bellatrix would collapse as ice and snow poured out because of that damn luminous Jandia.

As a result, Gorebaniak lost his temper and attacked Turian, and, when he received a nosebleed in the counterattack, he disappeared sulking saying there was no development in the Demon Realm because of gangsters like him.

In the end, Rurarisa was left alone and pondered; if not in the Demon Realm, shouldn’t he look in the human world?

Isn’t there a limit to clairvoyance? He was about to wander around the human world out of ‘obsession.’

‘If I get caught by the current Emperor of the human world, Herace, I should just wipe it out at once.’

He was lying exhausted from his unsuccessful wandering, but one person suddenly woke him up, and that was Sinclair. Suddenly, she started hitting trees and showed martial arts that he had never heard of.

‘What is this?’

He tried to turn her into a frog for the insolence of breaking his peace, but his magic didn’t work on her.

Throwing lightning, throwing fire, and even trying to put fruit flies that drive people crazy in her ears–!

It shouldn’t have been a big deal. Who was Rurarisa? Wasn’t he the one who aims for the highest level of Evil through jealousy, arrogance, self-torment, and obsession?

Thus, jealous of her ability, he challenged her to compete with his skills.

* * * 

Curtis threw his jacket into the grass.

“Then I’ll start.”

He took a stance. His right fist went into the left side of my face. I bent down slightly and rushed toward the empty space on his right.

Pow!

His face turned, and his mouth burst open as blood splashed all over the ground.

‘Dodge, success!’

Confused, Curtis quickly pulled back. His eyes widened like an owl. I lifted the corners of my mouth. He took a defensive stance by stepping to the right and left.

‘Should I look forward to what kind of attack will come?’

Then he narrowed his eyes and smiled. In an instant, he tried to hit me in the back with his flashy footwork. I straightened my knees, stretched out my right leg, and spun to strike the left calf that was supporting his body.

“Oh gosh!”

But he didn’t fall. Using the acceleration of the circle I had drawn, I switched feet with my left foot and hit his shaking torso with my right leg. He flew through the air. His back fell to the ground with a loud noise.

‘Wow! It’s so refreshing!’

As I approached, his right cheek, not surprisingly, started to swell.

“Are you okay?”

“Not at all.”

He squinted his eyes with his mouth sticking out as if dissatisfied. I reached out my hand. He took it and got up.

I patted him on the back.

And immediately tried the back control move. Because this technique is in the form of hanging by the spine, it can put a lot of pressure on the opponent even though the pressure is not great. He could have passed out from exhaustion within five minutes if I held this position. Squeezing his neck and face, I moved to his ears and spoke low.

“You, who are you?”

“…”

Disconcerted, he struggled to get out of my arms.

‘You can’t do that.’

I’ve definitely read it in the book.

[Some demons fought together on Alfred’s side to stop Theodor, who had turned into a devil. They liked to stretch out in the riverside trees and try to punish those who interfered with them.

And they have a cinnamon scent unique to demons.

Basically, they liked to fight, and they usually challenge one at the first meeting. It was customary to organize the top and bottom ranks by obeying the opponent who won that battle.]

So, this idiotic cinnamon-scented demon was disturbed by me, fought against me, but lost. So you’ve got to swear an oath of obedience to me, but it seems I looked easy, so you tried to feel, right?

I couldn’t let go of this opportunity.

Demon Realm. I saw it in the book earlier… I needed a lot of things from there.

‘Evil is evil, and Good is evil.’ According to their values, I showed off the back control, which was also called the Art of Death in martial arts.

* * * 

‘I want to run away.’

After the battle, my heart became cooler, but the closer I got to Shlezen Castle, the heavier my legs became.

What would Gerard do if he found out I’m a witch?

‘Will he want to kill me?’

Sooner or later, the Marquis’ family and the Emperor will also harass me to eliminate Theodor.

Such a dilemma. ‘Will I be able to hold onto that dangerous tightrope?’

When I first entered Shlezen Castle, I did not think that the hopes that had been inflated would be drooping like a deflated balloon.

‘Did I really break Gerard’s barrier?’

I looked at Sinclair’s —my— hand. I still didn’t feel anything. Even in her memories that came to mind, there was no vision of using magic.

‘Let’s not be shaken, Kang Joo-hee. First of all, do your best.’

Let’s leave it to the will of the heavens. As always, as much as I can, I’ll do it from my place. Without regrets. Also, if I lift Theodor’s curse, I’ll save Alfred and myself, too.

Gerard and I have the same goal, so maybe someday he’ll understand my intentions? Since the truth always comes through.

With a determined heart, I walked faster and headed for the castle. However, as I drew closer, I saw knights and servants in snow-white uniforms savagely looking for someone with swords around their waists and bows in their arms.

‘No way, are they trying to catch me?’

The soft spring sunlight shattered white at the tip of the sword, looking threatening. I was scared. Instinctively, I ran to the side road to avoid them.

I didn’t want to be attacked again without any preparation like Gerard’s sudden behavior in the library.

‘You must first understand the situation so that you can prepare your mind.’

As I entered the side road, I realized again that Shlezen Castle was built on the Demon Realm. The sky was dark because thick trees covered it, and vines intertwined gloomily. It was like entering the witch forest in a fairy tale.

As I was trying to figure out my movements, I was afraid that I might get lost. ‘If you tie the vines 2 meters apart, they will guide you when you come back, right?’

Perhaps because the forest was shady, the temperature was lower than outside and cold air enveloped my body. I crossed my arms and stroked my upper arms.

“Bad Bastard! Die! Die!”

It was Theodor’s voice.

‘I can’t believe you’re so excited that you’re making such a loud and harsh voice!’

At first, I thought I heard it wrong. However, as I approached in the direction of the sound, I was convinced. With black hair that looks whitish behind the vines and the white clothes that symbolized the Grand Duchy; it was Theodor.

I hurried in the direction of his voice.

‘Who in the world are you telling to die?’

‘Were the eyes and tone of voice, characteristic of a five-year-old’s innocence and gentleness, all lies?’

I could see Theodor’s back through the vines and the shrubbery. And the soft feathers of the yellow-green birds lying on the ground were blown away by the wind and touched my toes.

As I followed the trail of the feathers scattered around, I was so astonished that my eyes opened wide.

This is because Theodor’s tiny hands were bloody and shaking the neck of a bird larger than him.

It was like a small snail that preyed on birds.

I froze, full of terror.