The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 122

“By what means.”

Dillian pointed out the fundamental problem.

“How are we supposed to close it when we don’t even have a mage?”

It took an enormous amount of mana to restore a broken barrier.

But in the midst of this chaos, finding a mage wasn’t easy.

“Even if you’re not a mage, you can close the barrier if you have the key.”

Giselle pulled the hairpin from her twisted-up hair and held it out to Dillian.

“And this is the key.”

This was the proof that Terze had trusted her with. But she had betrayed that trust.

“Your Highness, I didn’t break the barrier. I just opened it for a moment. So all we have to do is close it again.”

No matter what she did, that trust… she probably couldn’t win it back.

Sparks flared in Giselle’s eyes as she gripped the hairpin so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“I caused this, so I’ll fix it.”

Her determination was so fierce, it seemed no one could stop her.

“Alright. Then Giselle, you close the barrier. I’ll shut the door.”

“Ria.”

“Even if you try to stop me, I’m going.”

“Ria!”

In the end, Dillian raised his voice.

Why is she being so stubborn? What if the darkness forces her away—what then?

Why doesn’t she understand this desperate feeling?

“I clearly told you no.”

If she kept being stubborn, he was ready to knock her out and send her somewhere safe.

‘He must be really mad. He’s suddenly speaking informally.’

Ria sighed at the nervous trembling in Dillian’s eyes.

“Dillian. I never said I was going alone.”

“……”

“Of course we’re going together. Did you really think I’d go by myself?”

“Of course not.”

“You promised you’d protect me no matter what, so keep that promise.”

Seriously, my man is so prone to misunderstandings, it’s a problem.

Muttering to herself, Ria tapped Dillian’s pale, tense hand.

“Let’s stop arguing now and gather up. I have a plan.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Bang! Boom!

With the sound of explosions in the garden, flames shot up and engulfed the duke’s castle.

Coma walked out from the fire and reached toward the knight running up to him.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous here! You must get to a safe pla—ugh!”

A shadow, sharp like a thorn, shot out and swallowed the knight whole.

Crunch. As the sound of bones breaking echoed, Coma let out a lazy sigh.

“Haah… That scent. How nostalgic. Is this what people call homesickness?”

“Didn’t think a guy like you could have anything to be nostalgic about.”

Coma gave a kindly smile to Rexter, who had approached him.

“I do. It’s my favorite memory.”

Right here… was where Lysandro—no, Dillian—had died.

Grinning with joy, Coma stepped on a blood-soaked hyacinth.

Thud. Thud-thud. Thud.

Rexter stared at the mad display, his eyes filled with horror.

“…You’re insane.”

“You should be ashamed of playing lapdog to a lunatic like that.”

Step, step—Ria stepped out of the flames and sneered at Rexter.

“That’s why you’ll never beat Dillian.”

“You dare—just because you’ve got a mouth—ugh!”

Rexter, who had threateningly approached Ria, suddenly tumbled to the ground.

It was Coma, excited at the sight of Ria, who had shoved him aside.

“Ria. You’re here.”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’d kill you with my own hands.”

“Think you really can? Last time, you only managed to seal me.”

“……”

“That too, cost Lysandro’s life. Planning to sacrifice him again to seal me this time?”

“…No.”

At that moment, the fear she had tried so hard to ignore began to rise again.

And Coma didn’t miss the small crack in her resolve.

“Ria, if you come to me willingly, I won’t kill him. I just want you.”

Grinning slyly, he reached for her—

Then, with a splash of blood, something dropped to the ground.

“Huh…?”

It all happened so fast his mind couldn’t catch up.

‘When…?’

Blinking at his hand on the floor, Coma’s face twisted in rage at the sound of a voice he loathed.

“I told you—look at Ria like that one more time with those filthy eyes, and I’ll kill you.”

Dillian’s crimson eyes blazed fiercely.

“Lysandro, you—! Gah!”

Dillian quickly redirected his sword and drove it straight into Coma’s heart.

“Grragh!”

As blood dripped beneath the blade, Dillian frowned.

He had wielded swords long enough to know right away—

His strike had missed its mark.

“This damn power again?”

No matter how hard he pushed, his blade wouldn’t go further—blocked by some invisible force.

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, Dillian twisted and yanked the sword back out.

“Ughh!”

Blood gushed from Coma’s lips.

“Ugh… guh…”

Though a sword still pierced his chest, Coma’s shoulders began to shake.

It looked like a seizure from the pain—but then he burst out laughing.

“Khahahahaha!”

Spitting blood, Coma threw his head back and laughed. His earring shimmered and began to release holy power.

His gaping chest wound closed and new flesh grew over it, as if the hole had never been there.

“Thanks. You even came all this way to die.”

Fully healed, Coma wiped the blood from his mouth and smirked.

“Lysandro. Do you even know where you are?”

He crushed the now-unrecognizable hyacinth again beneath his foot.

“This is where you died the first time.”

Spit mixed with blood splattered over the crushed flower.

“And now, it’s where you’ll die again.”

A horde of monsters burst out from behind Coma and charged at Dillian.

There were so many it was impossible to count—they all swarmed at once.

“Dillian…!”

Ria gasped in horror as the monsters surrounded and swallowed Dillian from view. She tried to run to him—

But a strong hand yanked her arm back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Rexter growled, face twisted. Blood dripped from his forehead where he’d hit the ground earlier.

“Let go of me!”

“No need to get yourself all torn up charging in there. Just stay put.”

When Rexter yanked her arm roughly, Ria’s slender frame staggered.

“Ugh!”

“Why don’t you try making a magic arrow again? Or maybe summon that cute little owl?”

She couldn’t. Nathan had gone with Giselle to close the barrier.

“……”

“Oh, no bracelet, no owl—you’re completely useless. And Dillian’s about to croak too. What a shame.”

Rexter mocked her, scraping at her nerves.

She wanted to destroy that cold, expressionless face that didn’t change no matter what she said.

“If it weren’t for the darkness holding me back, I’d have ripped you apart and fed you to the monsters.”

She tried threatening him, but all she got was a pitiful look.

“You get so focused on one thing, you forget to look around, huh?”

“What?”

“Good thing you’re dumb.”

“What are you—w-what is this?!”

Grass shot up from the ground and wrapped around Rexter’s arms and legs.

“Let go! Let me go!”

“The more you struggle, the tighter it’ll get. So stay still.”

Ria silenced the squawking Rexter with a blast of holy energy, clamping his mouth shut.

“Mm! Mmph! Mmm!”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

‘If I don’t have a bow… I’ll just make one.’

Ria pictured the bow she always used and opened her hands.

A soft light gathered there, and a warm energy clung to her palm.

“Sit tight. It won’t be me that finishes you off—it’ll be Dillian and Giselle.”

Gripping the bow tightly, Ria drew the string back taut.

 

 

****

 

 

“From the very beginning, I hated you.”

Coma muttered as he stared at the writhing pile of monsters.

Toward the only man Ria, who had loved all life equally, had ever given her heart to.

“I knew it the moment you stepped into that castle. That the way Ria looked at you wasn’t the same as usual.”

It was the day a wave first crashed into the eyes that had always been calm like a lake.

“Twisting your half-dead neck would’ve been nothing… but back then, I didn’t want Ria to hate me, so I forced myself to look away.”

I shouldn’t have done that.

“I should’ve erased you from the world before Ria’s feelings grew any stronger.”

If I had, she might have hated me for a while—but she could’ve gotten over it as a mistake.

Kind Ria would’ve looked at me again someday.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

The twitching of the monsters quieted.

“I’ll erase all of Ria’s memories and start over from the beginning. I’ll wipe out any trace of you from her mind.”

Muttering to himself for a while, Coma brushed past the mound of monsters piled like a mountain.

And in that moment—

Thud!

A monster twitched.

Boom!

The corpse of a beast rolled across the ground.

“…Disgusting freak.”

Dillian stepped calmly through the heap of monster corpses, flicking blood off his sword with one swing.

“So, are you done with your pathetic monologue?”

Coma clenched his teeth at the look of boredom—no, annoyance—on Dillian’s face.

“If you are, then I guess it’s my turn now.”

“You damn cockroach. No matter how many times I kill you, you just don’t die!”

A shadow stretched out from beneath Coma’s feet, whipping toward Dillian.

But Dillian was faster.

Thwack!

The sharp tip of his sword pierced straight through Coma’s heart.

“Guh… I told you, it’s pointless… ugh.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Dillian tilted his head slightly.

At that moment, a blinding white arrow flew in and grazed Coma’s cheek, shattering his earring.

Clink—!

The broken holy power scattered into the air.