Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

Chapter 33 Her Smell in the Garbage Heap

Her slender fingertips dug deeply into her fleshy palm, leaving crescent-shaped white marks.

Her crimson eyes were filled with resentment, but she just childishly and stubbornly swallowed her breath, suppressing all her turbulent emotions back into her heart.

Yes, she's just a childish brat.

In her previous life, when facing the approach of enemies, she naturally awoke from the Sea of ​​Souls.

At that time, under the intimidation of the enemy, she was indeed naive and ridiculous, still hoping that a story of salvation would come to her.

But, we waited and waited...

Even with the enemy's knife to her neck, she still couldn't wait for her own "knight."

Knowing full well that she would never deserve to be elevated, knowing full well that giving all her emotions to others would be meaningless.

Even so, they continued to wait numbly, day after day.

Is there any way...?

After all, her "shadow" had truly experienced the ecstasy of being redeemed, and the aftershocks of that joy had resonated deep within her heart...

Yes, being pulled up from hell, how grateful one is, how much one... falls in love with that existence.

Because she had glimpsed the light of hope, she could not stop hoping.

It's something to look forward to, but it will never truly come to her.

She... will always just be that stray cat in reality, beaten, abandoned, and silently rotting in the garbage dump.

Unlike the Shadow, who at least doesn't harm others, she craves blood like a monster the moment anyone gets close…

Therefore, [Shadow] does not want her lover to get hurt, and she is also afraid that she will hurt [Shadow]'s lover.

In the end, she didn't even have the courage to go and find that light herself, and could only place all her hopes on an absurd idea—

What if he happens to pass by? ...Then no one can blame anyone else, right?

Because he saw it, he'll definitely come to save me, right?

So... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...

Unfortunately, this slim possibility never came true until the moment of her death.

thump.

"Miss Ivina, if you don't open the door, I'll have to come in myself."

Click, click—

The door lock groaned under the strain, as if it were being forcibly pried open.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura flooded the room like a tidal wave.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, in the garden.

Rhodes was slightly taken aback.

He had just finished dinner with Lilith and Felicity, and was being led around the Duke's mansion by the red-haired maid, Juno Varodin.

Although he was brought out, he actually came here because Felicity inexplicably suggested that he take a night stroll in the garden, and he couldn't refuse her request.

But not long after they entered the garden, a gray barrier appeared from the sky, enveloping everything.

He frowned slightly.

As a master of spell analysis, he could tell in an instant that this was a specially made protective barrier.

In other words, the Duke's mansion is now under enemy control?

Before Rhodes could even ask, Juno immediately cried out anxiously, "My lords, please come with me back to the house, back to your respective rooms..."

"Due to the recent surge in the number of demons, the Duke's mansion has implemented this protective mechanism. As long as you enter the room, you'll be safe...!"

She panicked and frantically tried to move, just like a frightened bird.

"No need." At that moment, the gentle voice calmed her down.

Felicity placed a hand on Juno's shoulder and said gently, "Have you forgotten my strength, Miss Juno? If there's an enemy I can't defeat, even the barrier won't hold."

Felicity gazed into the distance, a detached coldness flashing deep within her eyes.

She came to the garden on purpose, so why would she go back?

She clearly remembered this night in her previous life, when a corrupted demon appeared in the Duke's garden.

There are currently no powerful individuals in the Duke's mansion. Apart from Lilith, she is one of the few people who, as a third-tier being, is capable of defeating that demonic creature.

Therefore, she naturally had to come early to defeat this monster and prevent more people from getting hurt.

Juno's flustered expression eased after Felicity's words, her face blank as she stammered, "Ah, yes, yes."

"The problem isn't about seeking refuge, but about where the demonic seed is."

Rhodes's gaze swept across the room, and in an instant, he had the answer.

"The guards have fallen! Everyone, get back inside! Quickly—!!!"

A soldier, his face ashen, roared as he ran desperately toward the house where the lower-class servants lived, with several other soldiers fleeing in the same panic beside him.

The exclamations shattered the tranquility of the night, and the Duke's mansion instantly erupted into chaos.

"They're guards! Those are the powerful warriors the Duke uses to protect his residence! Good heavens..."

"Run!"

The crowd screamed and surged towards their rooms—as long as they were inside, under the protection of the barrier, they would be safe. If only they could get there, if only—

puff!

pity.

The speed of a demonic seed formed from the fall of a third-tier powerhouse is far beyond what these panicked ordinary people can match.

Or rather, their fear and screams were like the sweetest bait, attracting the [Demon Seed].

In an instant, a maid who was a little slower to run was completely devoured from the waist up—

Blood splattered.

The remaining limbs collapsed to the ground.

The demon did not spare the remaining half of the body. It stretched out its terrifying arm, as thick as a tree trunk, and with its fingers, it easily hooked up the remains as if it were a toy, and put it into its mouth to chew.

Click, click—

It seemed to be enjoying the ultimate deliciousness, and its bloodthirsty aura suddenly surged!

"roar--!!!"

A roar like thunder echoed through the garden, and at that moment, it cast its greedy gaze upon the most succulent creatures in the garden—

Those who possess the [Divine Seed].

That is, Rhodes and his group.

A mocking glint appeared in its eyes as it scanned the four people, its emotions seemingly rising—

[One, of the same rank... One, a waste. One... showing no energy response. One, a mortal.]

It instantly determined the strength of its prey, and its torn mouth twisted into a ferocious arc.

[Target confirmed.]

The terrifying gaze pressed down on him as if it were a physical force, and Rhodes finally saw what this demonic creature looked like.

It is not a typical monster.

As a corrupted form of other divine beings, it is more bizarre than ordinary corrupted beings.

Its body was enormous, more than three times the size of an average person, with arms as thick as a bull's hind legs, and its entire body covered with eerie, dark blue patterns that stretched from its bare skull all the way to its toes.

When its ferocious pupils blinked slightly, its lizard-like nictitating membranes suddenly opened and closed, making its eyes resemble flickering blue will-o'-the-wisps.

now--

The pressure was immense, like a mountain collapsing.