‘That sounds like Brandon’s voice…?’
I tilted my head in confusion, thinking to myself.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I quietly moved closer.
“Lower your voice, Brandon.”
“Lionel, that bastard!”
‘Lionel?’
Hearing a familiar name, my eyes widened.
I moved in even closer. Inside the brightly lit room, a few people were gathered, including the Duke and Brandon.
[Wait, Master. If you go any further, they might notice you.]
‘But I can’t hear them clearly.’
[Hmm… Your mana is still lacking, but wait just a moment.]
‘……!’
As soon as Desmond finished speaking, I felt my strength drain away.
The power of demons isn’t something that can be used infinitely just because of a contract. The contractor’s own ability has to be strong enough to handle it.
In that sense, this body—Claudia—was naturally gifted.
After all, even if she lacked manners, she was the child of two Sword Masters: Cedric, one of the only three in the empire, and Duke Winston.
The problem was her age. Claudia was too young for her latent abilities to bloom. And perhaps because she was born with such overwhelming power, her body was weak.
[Snap out of it, Master!]
“Haa…”
Still, I was fine for now. Focusing my mind, I could hear the voices in the room more clearly than before.
“I knew Marquis Lionel would refuse the divorce, but I didn’t expect him to go this far.”
It was Veronica’s voice. That meant there were at least three direct members of the Duke’s family in that room.
At some point, Veronica had started referring to the male lead differently. Her tone was as cold as if she were speaking about a stranger.
“Then why not just go to war? There’s no way we’d lose to those bastards.”
“Watch your mouth, Brandon.”
Vincent sharply reprimanded him. Of course, he was there too. There was no way he would be absent from such an important discussion.
“This isn’t just a simple territorial war. The Marquis has the Imperial Family behind him.”
“But…!”
“If we lose, have you considered what will happen to Claudia?”
“Ugh….”
Silence fell over the room in an instant.
Hearing their words, I swallowed hard and turned away.
So that bastard Cedric not only refused the divorce but was even preparing for war. All to get Veronica back.
Why is he going this far? Has he not finished absorbing the Winston family’s businesses yet?
Originally, Veronica, the female lead, the Winston family, and the temple were supposed to be gradually pushed to ruin.
‘It’s absurd, but… since the original story has already deviated, I guess it makes sense.’
Fortunately, thanks to Desmond’s power, I returned to my room before Sophia and fell into deep thought.
If a war breaks out now, which side would have the advantage?
Objectively speaking, the Winston Duchy. The harsh northern region itself is a natural fortress.
In the empire’s history, no other faction has ever managed to conquer the Winston Duchy.
‘But Cedric is the male lead.’
This world favors the protagonist, not the villains. If he wants something, there’s nothing he won’t achieve.
“Damn it.”
I knew escaping from the male lead wasn’t the end, but I didn’t expect him to be this crazy. I cursed and paced around the room.
[Why not do as that second brat said and just wipe them all out?]
“It’s not that simple.”
[Tsk, if only our Great Demon Lord were here, those fools wouldn’t stand a chance!]
“The Great Demon Lord?”
[Yeah. And there are other demons sealed in gems, like me…]
“Oh, the jewel demons!”
Now that I thought about it, Desmond wasn’t the only demon sealed inside a gem. In the original novel, only Desmond appeared, so I didn’t know about the others.
“Where are the others?”
[Hmm, well…]
“You don’t even know where your comrades are?”
[Comrades?! Don’t lump me in with those irritating fools!]
“Hmm…” I nodded, then asked seriously, “Would Duke Winston know?”
[Well, if he’s the head of the family, he should have some idea. Maybe they’re being kept as heirlooms.]
“You were turned into a bracelet that Veronica wore.”
[Hmph! That’s only because the gem I was sealed in is exceptionally beautiful!]
“Hmm.”
Desmond declared smugly.
After pressing him for more information, I learned that the Great Demon Lord had five subordinates, including Desmond.
The gems they were sealed in were either red or black—apparently, demons favored those colors.
Maybe that’s why the Great Demon Lord took a liking to the first Duke.
In any case, the red gems held Desmond (a garnet), Lurus (a ruby), and Bibi (a pink diamond, if that even counts as red).
The black gems contained Illness (an obsidian) and Dolens (an onyx).
Each demon had different abilities, but Desmond didn’t know all the details.
And to summon the Great Demon Lord, I’d have to form contracts with all five demons, just like the first Duke did.
It felt like collecting Dra**on Balls—what a hassle.
“Ugh, whatever. I’ll just find them one by one and make contracts as I go.”
[You need to grow stronger first if you want to control more demons.]
“Oh, right. That’s another problem.”
Even in the original story, it didn’t take the male lead long to destroy Veronica and the Winston family.
And they weren’t even the final villains.
The ultimate antagonist who tormented the protagonists until the very end was—
‘The Mad Tyrant, Dantellion Noah Sylvester.’
Right now, he was just a Crown Prince exiled to the frontier due to the Empress Dowager’s power.
But after the Winston family fell and Veronica was executed, he would return to the capital with a massive army.
He would unite the western alliance, which opposed the empire, and sweep through the capital like a storm.
In an instant, he would seize the palace, exile the once-arrogant Empress Dowager, and claim the throne.
And from then on, he would make the male lead’s life a living hell, treating him like a mortal enemy.
‘Dantellion and Veronica were childhood friends, right?’
Well, more like siblings—he was older and treated her like a younger sister.
That’s probably why he couldn’t forgive the male lead for driving Veronica to her death.
But even so, his relentless revenge was so excessive that readers complained about it. Even I never really understood why he went that far.
“Anyway, a tyrant, huh…?”
A fearsome enemy who threatened the protagonists until the very end.
Though he ultimately lost, perhaps I could use him to turn this situation around.
After all, the enemy of my enemy is my ally.
If I joined forces with the future tyrant early on, the story’s ending might change.
“Alright, let’s make a deal with the tyrant!”
[Hmm?]
Desmond tilted his head in confusion.
Right, he didn’t know about Dantellion. I couldn’t just tell him this world was inside a book, and I had already read it. So I kept it simple.
“He’s the Crown Prince in the west. He might be able to help us.”
[A Crown Prince?]
“Yep.”
[Why?]
“Because…”
In the original, he hated the protagonists too.
And there’s no way he’d ignore his childhood friend Veronica’s plight.
I nodded to myself.
“He’ll help us. Trust me.”
[Well, if you say so, Master…]
Desmond muttered doubtfully.
I smiled at him.
“Since it’s decided, I’ll be counting on you again, okay?”
[Ugh…]
Watching Desmond leave the teddy bear’s body to deliver my message, I let out a long sigh of relief.
