I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 126

Count Martin’s complexion darkened significantly.

 

“If what you say is true, the resurrected human will be a saint, then who exactly will she transfer into her body? You can’t possibly…”

“I can’t be sure of anything yet, because it’s all speculation on my part.”

Count Martin’s jaw dropped at Kalian’s firm tone.

“Well, if that’s what you mean, I can’t help it. So how do you propose to prove it?”

Rising to his feet, Kalian took a deep breath to clear his head.

“First, I’m going to put the Saint under my jurisdiction.”

 

“The Saint?”

Count Martin paused, and Kalian straightened his expressionless face.

‘If my guess was correct, the most important person in the current situation would be the Saint.’

“If the Saint is the medium the High Priest needs to resurrect, he’s going to try to ensure her safety at all costs, above all else…”

‘And if her safety was important, so was mine.’

“Because no matter what the High Priest is punished for, she must remain a saint until the end.”

 

* * *

 

It takes extraordinary talents to win the devout support of the faithful for a saint who lacks divine power.

 

Julius possessed them, among them great political power and eloquence.

A gifted orator, he was always able to twist situations to his advantage, winning the loyalty of his followers and the favor of dignitaries.

 

Julius threw the empire into turmoil when he spread the word that Kalian had used the emperor’s power to forcibly imprison him.

And imprisoned him.

In some ways, he’s brilliant, but in the wrong way.

 

As a result, the plaza in front of the temple and the Grand Duke’s mansion in Redfields were filled with throngs of worshippers.

 

They were disgruntled by the Blackwood Knights’ trespassing on the temple grounds in the name of investigation.

 

“Die! You are barbarians who covet empire!”

“You blame the Grand Duchess for the Saint’s inability to use her powers properly, but it was the High Priest who sheltered her, and you dare to imprison him without grace!”

“That’s not all; the saint is imprisoned right there, in the grand duke’s mansion, and the rumor has spread that the cruel grand duke has insulted her!”

 

“What a pity! The Emperor’s overweening trust in the Grand Duke must have made him a gossip!”

 

It was then. Someone pointed at a carriage rushing by in the distance.

 

“Ah! The Grand Duke’s carriage!”

Stones, large and small, whizzed toward the carriage.

 

“Die, you ungrateful snake!”

The smoke from the priests mingling in the crowd worked.

 

“You maniacal dictator, release the holy woman at once!”

The incited faithful were excited and began swarming like bees toward the carriage carrying Kalian.

The carriage came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road.

“Get out of the way!”

The grand duke’s knights threw them off the carriage as the faithful rushed to surround it.

But there was no way they could get back on their feet and move the carriage through the throng of zealots.

 

“Come to your senses! It’s not enough that His Highness the Grand Duke is a hero for stopping the demon’s southward march and preventing the dungeon from being overrun!”

“What a hero!”

 

As soon as Kalian stepped out of the carriage, a fist-sized stone flew in a parabolic arc.

“Die! Defend the empire with your death!”

 

Thud!

 

Kalian reached out for the flying stone, and the shadowy mass shattered in midair.

 

The crowd, completely overwhelmed by the momentum, slowly began to split in half.

 

‘Where did this go wrong?’

Kalian looked at them with an impassive gaze.

‘I don’t have much to say, for I’ve done what I’ve done for my own personal glory, not for the sake of the humans. Perhaps this is how I deserve to be treated.’

 

‘I was disillusioned for a moment, but they were not to blame. They’re just ignorant and easily manipulated.’

He knew that chastising those who believed in the rightness of his convictions would only increase the backlash.

‘So, like them, I will not compromise my convictions.’

Scanning the crowd slowly, Kalian smiled bitterly and strode toward the front door.

 

* * *

 

And so the weeks passed.

In the meantime, Evelyn, under the tender care of Mrs. Riktor and Lucy, had slowly regained her original condition.

 

Though not completely, she is now able to eat some food and use her powers.

But there was still a lot of work to be done, and it was hard to rest easy.

‘This is not the time to lie down.’

She dragged her uncomfortable body to the magic guild.

She was greeted by the mage guarding the guild headquarters.

“The Guildmaster is in the Black Forest.”

 

“The Black Forest?”

Evelyn immediately headed for the Black Forest, which was located near the manor.

 

The land was being poisoned by an unusually high level of Magi.

‘My God… If something this serious was happening, why hadn’t Kalian told me?’

 

His words echoed in her ears, telling her to trust him no matter what, but she was also frustrated.

‘He said he would leave me in charge of the North, but it was all talk.’

She took a deep breath and stepped into the forest, her eyes taking in the stark contrast of the white snowfields.

 

She soon came upon Ines and her party surveying the forest.

 

“Ines!”

 

“…….”

Ines looked surprised. She hadn’t expected Evelyn to come this far.

“Did you get permission from the Grand Duke to come here?”

“…No, is this something that requires the Grand Duke’s permission?”

Evelyn’s question did nothing to soften Ines’ expression.

Then she sighed heavily, as if she had no choice.

“Well, not really, but the Grand Duke has instructed to keep quiet about the Black Forest until he arrives.”

‘Kalian?’

 

She didn’t know exactly why, but it sounded as if her body was annoyed with her.

‘There can’t be any other reason.’

Evelyn, thinking positively, laughed, as if to say not to worry.

“I see that even the Archmage of Heaven has things to fear.”

“Wizards aren’t even human, and we, the mages, are the ones who need a stronger shield than anyone else.”

‘And it is the Grand duke who has their backs.’

 

With that, Ines began to walk briskly.

Soon, a mage with long silver hair tied back in a bun smiled and greeted them.

“Greetings, Grand Duchess, my name is Lanfidel, the next Archmage.”

Evelyn smiled back.

 

“I think I recognized you at the wedding, but this is the first time we’ve met formally. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Ines interrupted them as they exchanged pleasantries.

“Who are you?”

 

“Ai, did you forget that if the Matriarch is away for more than three years, the Vice Matriarch will inherit the vacancy?”

“It hasn’t been three years yet, don’t waste your time and go away.”

 

Grumbling, he stalked off toward the source of the magick.

Ines, eyeing her apprentice, suddenly threw up her right arm.

 

“Over here! Stop!”

Evelyn followed suit.

Before her eyes, a black magick began to rise, threatening to kill all living things.

 

Several of the wizards backed away, terrified by the dark energy that threatened to engulf them.

Evelyn bravely stepped forward first.

“I’ll spread the shield, and we’ll somehow… before it spreads!”

She shouted, and her tiny hands suddenly wrapped around her nose.

It was the result of another wave of vomit.

But it was nothing compared to the nausea she had just experienced.

“We have to stop it somehow, come on!”

Evelyn hastily formed a protective aura around her hands. It was large enough to envelop the entire group of mages.

 

“Now, spread your absorption magic! I have a shield, but don’t overdo it.”

Evelyn was puzzled by Ines’ words, but she didn’t add anything.

‘Absorbing magical energy will take a toll on my body.’

Sure enough, one by one, the people poisoned by the magic began to collapse.

 

‘Maybe the shield isn’t enough…’

 

Of course, there’s a purifying agent, but the hallucinations and fear it causes are beyond imagination.

Knowing this, Evelyn felt both respectful and disturbed.

 

‘I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help.’

As she stared at them, Evelyn suddenly remembered Leon’s words about the land being cleansed of its pollution.

“Suddenly, I heard a roar from inside the dungeon, accompanied by a pure white shield, like the pillar of light you raised in Litchev.”

Suddenly, the moment of separation from her mother flashed through her mind.

As they plunged down the waterfall, Evelyn had hugged her mother and channeled as much of her power as she could into the shield.

And then she fell straight into the lake, using the water as a medium to transport her back to reality… which means back to the dungeon.

‘If I thought about it, maybe Leon wasn’t wrong after all. If so, it was worth a try. It was the main temple after all.’

“Everyone, please step back for a moment!”

 

Evelyn’s words caused everyone to hesitate, and then she slammed her hands into the black earth.

Boom!

Her purifying power and magick collided.

An ear-splitting noise echoed through the forest as twisted darkness and beams of sunlight clashed with each other.