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'To ask for death? What on earth does that mean…'
I didn't understand at all.
She couldn't make sense of it at all.
Why was her father lying on the ground, bleeding, and why was Ian holding a sword towards him?
Bianca knew that her father had died in his office. The Emperor had ordered a harsh crackdown on demons, and once it was discovered that her father had become one, various knight orders had stormed the estate.
'I knew he had died at the hands of the knight orders, but…'
She had never imagined that Ian would be the one to end his life.
Why was Ian there? Why was her father begging for death?
In her bewilderment, her concentration faltered, and the magic was about to collapse, but she quickly gathered her composure and focused.
Meanwhile, their conversation continued.
"Why did you become a demon? You were always so vigilant against demons and took the lead in exterminating them! Why on earth?"
"If I didn't become a demon by my own will… would you believe me?"
"What…"
Breathing heavily, her father managed a slight smile at the wary Ian.
"As you know, I detest demons more than anyone. But it's not because of loyalty to the Imperial family; it's because of my own desires."
"Desires… What do you mean?"
"If I could wipe out our enemies, the demons, then perhaps the disdain for dark mages might lessen a bit. I didn't want to pass on my terrible experiences to my daughter."
He had put in relentless effort. He worked so hard that even Killian, a genius and master of effort, would have been shocked.
Whenever news of demons surfaced, he would immediately go hunting.
He targeted and killed demons across the Empire and the entire continent.
"I achieved a lot. The path I took proved to be correct."
The once-derided Matip family had become an esteemed house no one dared to ignore, and he had become a leading figure among dark mages.
Was that all? Demons in the region had vanished, and his beloved daughter grew up only reading about demons in books.
He thought he was on the right path, doing well, but… demons turned out to be more sinister than he had imagined.
"I received a report about demons appearing recently and acted immediately. I thought it was just a hiding place for the remaining demons since I had wiped out all the demons in the area."
"Was it not?"
"Completely wrong. What was there were not demons… but Demon King."
Count Matip had encountered a Demon King, specifically the Demon King of Pride, Lucifer.
Despite his desperate resistance, the Count was forced to kneel, and by the time he got up, the Demon King had already disappeared.
"I barely survived and returned to my estate. Perhaps it was a blessing, but it wasn't a victory; I realized my shortcomings and intended to train and challenge again. But I couldn't."
He had thought everything was fine. He survived even after encountering the Demon King.
However, Lucifer had not done nothing.
"It was the next day when the disaster began."
"Could it be…"
"You're right. It was the moment when key figures of our family started turning into demons."
What the Count saw upon waking was the sight of people, biting their own flesh in resistance to turning into demons.
They inflicted self-harm to mentally suppress themselves.
Yet, he had an instinct that their struggle wouldn't last long, and Count Matip acted quickly.
"Although my wife begged for help, saying she didn't want to become a demon, I thought I had to save my daughters first. So I sent those who had not yet turned into demons out of the estate."
When he returned after sending them to safety, he found his wife, dead with a knife in her abdomen.
She had committed s*icide after resisting as a human until the end.
"At that moment, I realized… I had failed to protect my family."
But he couldn't collapse here in vain.
Didn't he always remember? He wanted to show his daughter a better world.
To achieve that, his becoming a demon couldn't be a hindrance.
"That's why I asked to be killed. I couldn't hold back Bianca and Vanessa any longer."
"But they need you, Count."
"No… It's right that I die. The Emperor has emphasized a harsh response to demons. If I die here, my daughter can avoid suspicion."
He had to hide the fact that he had become a demon due to Lucifer's influence.
If the Emperor learned of it, his daughters might live under the surveillance of the Imperial Knights until their deaths.
That was the reason.
"So it was you who spread the rumor of becoming a demon on purpose?"
"It sounds foolish, but understand me. It was the best I could do at that moment."
The reason he cast aside his accumulated reputation in an instant was.
It was regrettable, but for his daughters, it was something he could endure.
'Ah, Father…'
Bianca wiped away her flowing tears repeatedly.
So there was such a hidden reason.
She had resented him countless times. Why did he become a demon? What regret led him to make that choice?
She once thought naively that if such things hadn't happened, their family would have remained strong and she could have lived a life without envy.
But once she knew the hidden truth, she could no longer think that way.
'To sacrifice himself for me until the end.'
Her father had sacrificed himself unilaterally.
All his efforts and his longing for death were to protect her.
'How foolish of me not to know that.'
Had she not turned a blind eye to the truth? She had been ashamed of using dark magic and learned regular magic instead.
She had even changed her hair color to hide her identity as a member of the Matip family.
The fact that such actions were taken… had made it impossible for Bianca to face her father.
Though she wanted to give up everything, Bianca focused her mind once again. It was not the time to stop.
'So… was it because of this the Volkanov family changed its stance?'
The betrayal of the family, which had been like a blood alliance, was completely incomprehensible.
But looking back now, it wasn't entirely inexplicable.
'It must have been necessary for him… to join in attacking our family.'
Had Volkanov supported Matip to the end, he wouldn't have been able to join the orders that raided the family.
Since he had to hide the fact that he had no choice but to become a villain even if it meant abandoning his family… it was possible that her father had asked Volkanov to change its stance quickly.
'If he did that, he would at least be able to receive help from those attacking the family.'
It wasn't betrayal. Volkanov had to attack Matip with tears swallowed, reluctantly.
Ian's presence was likely due to that reason.
'I heard it while wandering aimlessly in the past. There was talk of a person from Volkanov who achieved excellent results at a prestigious academy.'
Though not comparable to Ark Academy. He was a man who broke all records and histories of that place where high-ranking nobles' descendants gathered.
She hadn't known it at the time, but it was probably referring to Ian.
Since he was such a capable individual. The imperial family must have thought of properly nurturing him and summoned him to suppress the Matip family.
'Ian, who participated in suppressing our family, met her father, remembered the alliance as a person from Volkanov, and fulfilled the final request.'
The person who had killed her father was none other than Ian Volkanov.
However, Bianca could not be angry about that fact. Ian had not merely killed her father; by taking his life, he had hidden secrets into history.
If it hadn't been for him…
'I would have lived under the surveillance of the Imperial Knights.'
She might have lived an even more desperate life than now.
Had Count Matip's family held on a little longer, they would have been the subject of gossip among the Empire's people.
'Not knowing that, I….'
She was endlessly grateful. Her father had felt the same way in expressing gratitude.
"I first saw you when you were a child. Back then, you had the expression of someone who had lost everything in the world… but I never imagined you'd grow up like this."
"…Count."
"I had even thought of seriously uniting you with Bianca… but now it has become an unattainable thing."
Count Matip swallowed, shedding a tear, and spoke.
"I'm sorry for asking until the end… but can you protect my daughter?"
"Don't worry. I will protect her."
"Thank you… thanks to you, I will be able to close my eyes peacefully."
"…"
The conversation that followed was non-existent.
Swish!
The moment the Count closed his eyes.
A mana-enchanted sword moved swiftly,
Thud!
Her father's head rolled on the ground.
"Hah… hah…"
Ian was out of breath. How long had he been like that?
Ian, holding the device, made contact with someone.
"I encountered Count Matip in his office… but the capture you mentioned… was unsuccessful. The battle was urgent, and there was a mistake. Yes, I will accept the punishment gladly. I'm sorry. I will return immediately."
Ian was reporting the situation to his superior.
His voice was struggling to hide his emotions…
But at least it was visible to Bianca.
"Yes. I understand. Once again, I'm sorry."
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
Ian, who stared at the Count with bloodshot eyes for a while, left the room.
'Ah… ah…'
Bianca, who had realized all the truths, also cried.
'How…'
Her gratitude towards her father, who had given up everything to save her. And.
'I'm sorry, Ian… I didn't know such things until now.'
Ian's dedication to helping her, even though he had a prime opportunity to build his reputation and didn't even know her well.
'I'm sorry, Ian…'
Bianca could only cry endlessly.
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