I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 279

“Lies,” Dana muttered firmly to herself. Rumie would never do something this evil. She must have seen something wrong. But she had gained one definite clue. What Ingria said about the Aren royal family and the Rolland family being closely united. It was true. They were accomplices in an enormous crime.

 

Why would Anton Rolland do something like this? Could it be that one of those thrill-seeking crimes committed by powerful people who had everything and had grown bored with life? No. Anton isn’t that kind of hedonist. If anything, he had been obsessed with elevating the prestige of his family. Wasn’t Anton so obsessed with it that he had tried to marry Danaena and Carl? Danaena, who was publicly known as Sandra’s daughter; to Carl, Sandra’s ex-husband. Even though he knew how grotesque that would appear to outsiders. Anton had once told her that it would be wonderful if someone as ‘excellent’ as Carl Windsor became his son-in-law.

 

Right. That man… wanted talented blood mixed into his family line. In fact, Anton had cast aside his incompetent biological son, Huan, and boldly appointed Rumie, his illegitimate grandson, as heir simply because Rumie was capable. In other words, Anton was obsessed with superior genes. It was as if he himself were lacking something…

 

Ah, enough. Stop thinking about it. Dana shook her head. This was not the time to be thinking about other things. I only have fifty-three days left to live. First, I need to deal with the immediate crisis.

 

First, Dana had to find the holy relic. The relic was here, beneath the Somora’s Grand Temple. The problem was that the temple was far larger than she had expected. Above all, security was extremely tight. Could she really make it all the way to the underground priests without being discovered?

 

Dana scanned the writing left on the walls. Is there anything that could serve as a clue?

 

[They say I will be offered as a sacrifice tomorrow.]

 

[Yesterday, I clearly watched my dear friend being offered as a sacrifice.]

 

Poor people. The words naturally drew a sigh from her. Just reading them was painful, but Dana continued searching. Is there nothing? Anything at all that might help?

 

[They say sacrifices filled with fear are the highest-quality offerings. They will subject us to unimaginable terror before dragging us to the altar. There…]

 

Ah. She found it. The easiest and fastest way to reach the underground chamber.

 

[Onto the altar of the underground priests.]

 

It was to become a human sacrifice herself.

 

* * *

“Let me emphasize this one more time.” Anton Rolland spoke firmly. “Under no circumstances, absolutely under no circumstances, you mustn’t take her life.”

 

“Yes, yes, we understand.”

 

“We know as well that a living sacrifice is far more valuable.”

 

These fish-stinking islanders. Anton swallowed down his disgust toward the priests of Somora. Still, they would keep their word. As they themselves had said, sacrifices were more effective the longer they remained alive. The real problem was the royal family of Lucile…

 

“Princess, Prince.” Anton Rolland turned to Ron Aren and Lisa Aren and warned them once again. “You’ve already heard this, but you must never kill Danaena. Do you understand?”

 

The royal twins nodded politely.

 

“Yes, we understand. We’ll remember.”

 

“Father told us to follow Duke’s words as if they were his own. We’ll definitely obey, so please don’t worry!”

 

To anyone looking, they seemed like innocent children. But Anton hated them with all his heart. Filthy bloodline that performs human sacrifices.

 

The royal family of Lucile Kingdom, the Aren. For countless years, the Aren family had secretly colluded with the Somora religion. They relied on its sorcery to control state affairs and used that power to solidify royal authority. They secretly eliminated political enemies through magic, caused disasters when necessary to plunge the populace into fear, and even stirred up civil unrest to manipulate public opinion according to the royal family’s wishes. A truly filthy, cowardly, revolting bloodline. And this wasn’t something that had gone on for a few years. They had been doing this for over a thousand years.

 

And yet they pretended to worship the Sun God Ramun in public!

 

In exchange for the Somora religion’s assistance, the Aren royal family had supported its human sacrifices for over a millennium. After all, the source of Somora’s sorcery was maintained through human sacrifice.

 

A bloodline of murderers who have committed these disgusting acts for more than a thousand years.

 

And these were not ordinary sacrifices. The more noble the victim’s status and the more terrified they became, the greater the ritual’s effect. They did not hesitate to brutally terrorize victims before killing them. That cruelty eventually degenerated into a grotesque game. Just like what was about to happen here and now. Truly horrifying. But what was even more horrifying was the Rolland family’s cooperation.

 

It can’t be helped. They have leverage over the Rolland family. But that didn’t mean the Aren family held absolute power. If anything, the influence of the Rolland family was even greater than that of the Aren in the Western Continent.

 

They were now accomplices. Neither side could afford to offend the other. That was the rule. Each side had to watch the other carefully. However…

 

“Ingria.”

 

Not long ago, Ingria had trampled over that invisible line. She dared to. A line that even the King of Lucile wouldn’t cross.

 

“You must remember as well. Don’t kill Danaena under any circumstances.”

 

“Yes. Please don’t worry.”

 

Perhaps because they had been allied with the Somora religion for so long. Whether they had been influenced by its dark magic or not, every member of the Aren bloodline looked like a psychopath in Anton’s eyes. They seemed born cruel.

 

But why, of all people, had Ingria fallen for Rumie? Anton hated the thought of blood from someone with such a personality disorder entering the Rolland family. Yet he could not reject the marriage proposal.

 

A headache began pounding in his skull. Enduring it, Anton spoke to the priest. “I’ll step out and smoke a cigar. Bring Danaena and proceed with the ritual.”

 

“Yes, yes, Your Grace. We shall obey.”

 

With a sigh, Anton stepped out into the garden.

 

Making Danaena play the role of the mountain goat had been Rodrigo’s request. As for the reason, Anton didn’t know. Nor did he want to know. Rodrigo had merely asked that Danaena be frightened and tormented as much as possible. The others would handle abducting her midway through. All Anton had to do was drive her to the edge.

 

And he said he had already prepared an empty shell of Danaena’s body to use as the sacrifice. Crazy heretics. Whether it was the Daiana religion or the Somora religion, every one of them was insane.

 

Grumbling to himself, Anton lit a cigar and smoked leisurely. Then someone approached from behind. “Who is it?”

 

Turning around, Anton immediately narrowed his eyes. The man standing beneath the moonlight was dazzlingly radiant.

 

“Rumie.” Anton let out another deep sigh. “I clearly told you not to come here.”

 

“My apologies.”

 

“Tch. You never listen.”

 

“I was simply worried.” Rumie asked cautiously, “Is it really alright if I don’t attend this time?”

 

“It’s fine. Adma is there. With him present, there’s no need for you to involve yourself in such a vulgar affair.”

 

At least one member of the Rolland bloodline had to be present in order to become an accomplice. Even if something else now resided inside Adma. The shell itself was still perfectly Adma Rolland. That should be enough.

 

I wish today would end already. Anton truly hated this time. The hour when a human being became a beast.

 

* * *

Adma Rolland. In other words, Demian was blending in among the priests while wearing a mountain goat mask. The ritual was about to begin.

 

“Kyaa, don’t do this. Hic!”

 

Before the ritual, Danaena was dragged out into the temple’s labyrinth garden by one of the priests.

 

“Hic, sob, hic, hic.”

 

Had she resisted while being brought out? Danaena’s hair was a complete mess as she wept.

 

“P-Please, spare me.” Trembling violently, Dana began to beg. “I read all the writing on the walls of that room. A-Am I going to end up like them too?”

 

“Why is everyone doing this to me!”

 

“…”

 

“Please, stop this!”

 

No one answered. Faced with the silence of the mountain goat-masked figures, Dana broke into frightened sobs.

 

“Sob, Grandfather, where are you? Please save me, Grandfather!”

 

The sight was so pitiful.

 

Among the priests, Demian let out a quiet sigh inwardly. Dana. That’s why I warned you not to come here. You didn’t listen to me, and now look at what happened.

 

Of course, guiding Dana naturally to Godom Island had been his mission. A mission given to him by his father, Rodrigo. Demian hadn’t lied to Dana. He truly was a fragment created when the real Demian tore off a piece of his own soul in order to beg Dana’s forgiveness. However…

 

“You must lure Dana here.”

 

The problem was that Rodrigo was the one who controlled Demian’s fragment.

 

“Remember. Your mission is to lure Dana to Godom Island and bring her to me.”

 

And Rodrigo had even planted a suggestion in him.

 

“Bring Dana to me. No matter what.”

 

Demian couldn’t escape that suggestion. Even so, he had hated the idea of her coming to the island and secretly hoped she never would. Now that I see her here, perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing.

 

From behind his mask, Demian slowly traced her figure with his eyes as though licking it. Flushed cheeks. Moist eyes. Trembling lips. What an exquisite face. He truly loved the sight of Dana crying. She often wore that expression in bed. And…

 

“Sob, hic, please, spare me.”

 

Ah, that whimpering voice.

 

“Hic, hic, sob.”

 

If only Dana would stop crying. Because every time he heard that sound, it felt as though she was in bed with him right now.

 

Demian ground his teeth. If Dana saw him, she would probably accuse him of having another mental illness. But even this time he could not help himself.

 

Once again, Demian realized it. Dana… you are most beautiful when you are weak.