Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 95
“Leaving such a young child behind… how could she?”
“I heard His Majesty lost interest in her. She couldn’t endure it any longer.”
The news that Lady Catriel had taken her life by the Sephirot tree in the Imperial Garden spread quickly among the servants.
For a seven-year-old, it was an unbearably harsh reality.
Seeing the deeply hidden wound in Johann’s heart, I let out a sigh.
“So, that’s what happened.”
It seemed young Enrique had discovered something just before Lady Catriel’s death.
There must have been some kind of cipher or directive in that book Enrique was reading.
The clever boy was likely decoding it in secret, just for fun.
It was definitely murder. The situation and the state of her body didn’t match up.
Yet no one questioned it, and Enrique never said anything to Johann.
He didn’t tell the Emperor or the Investigation Bureau either.
Left alone, Johann faced even worse discrimination and mistreatment than before.
The Emperor couldn’t care less about the bastard he’d added to the royal genealogy.
The Empress kept Enrique away from Johann, and the maids didn’t bother serving him proper meals.
On top of that, they often badmouthed Lady Catriel right in front of the child.
“How did a commoner manage to take the place of a mistress?”
“She wasn’t even that pretty, was she? I’m way better looking. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be a Royal Mistress one day, too.”
How shameless.
Objectively, Lady Catriel was a beauty whose allure could’ve brought down nations if she’d skillfully manipulated the Emperor.
Well… the Empire ends up falling anyway.
“Little Johann, don’t listen to those crazy fools. Someday you’ll be an even crazier psycho and make them pay dearly.”
Of course, he couldn’t hear me, nor see me.
All I could do was stay by Johann’s side.
The royal children’s bullying grew worse.
Because Enrique was now watched closely by the servants, he couldn’t help him.
Johann fought back, never backing down, but…
“Filthy commoner trash!”
Thud―!
Johann was struck on the head with a wooden sword by Crown Prince Sirius and collapsed.
Seeing blood trickling from Johann’s left ear, the other children panicked and ran away.
Sirius, that filthy bastard.
Typical of the original novel’s male lead, who betrays the Saintess and goes back to the princess.
I realized that Johann always stood to my left whenever we spoke.
I also started to understand why he sometimes gave strange responses.
“Because he hurt his ear, he couldn’t hear well.”
If I’d been there beside him, what could I have done?
At sunset, Johann climbed the Sephirot tree on the hill in the Imperial Garden.
With the ease of a child used to the outdoors, he perched on a high branch.
“Careful, you’ll fall. Got a spare life?”
Of course, he couldn’t hear me. This was just a replay of the past.
Johann flipped himself over, hanging by his legs from the branch.
Kids really don’t fear death, do they? Just watching him made my heart drop.
With his arms crossed, the boy looked at the world upside down, his young face clouded with thoughts far beyond his years.
“…He grew up way too fast.”
I muttered, crouched on the grassy ground.
I knew what it felt like to lose someone precious, though it’s something I’d only learned fairly recently.
In the crimson twilight, the shadows of the tree and Johann stretched long across the ground.
I heard Johann sigh as he swung like a swing.
Thunk.
I startled at the sight of his shadow plummeting, jumping to my feet.
Then came a dull thud as he hit the ground.
“I knew it. I told you you’d fall.”
I looked down at the boy sprawled on the ground.
Since I knew he’d end up as my cellmate someday, I figured he hadn’t died.
“…….”
Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light filled my vision, then faded.
I saw someone standing over the boy lying on the ground.
The man wore a three piece suit adorned with intricate patterns and had hair as red as the sun.
He was incredibly tall, with two black horns protruding from a sheep-like mask.
“…A demon lord?”
The same aura I’d felt from Marvas emanated from him.
Do all demon gods wear suits? They look like corporate executives.
I recalled a conversation I’d had with Johann recently about his awakening.
‘I awakened when I fell from a tree at age seven.’
Could this be the moment of his awakening?
Talk about an abbreviated backstory.
If that’s the case, then that man must be the Demon God of Wrath.
The Demon God of Wrath grinned at me, eyes glinting.
He could see me?
An insignia appeared in the air, symbolizing the Demon God of Wrath.
Inside a circular line was an inverted triangle, representing a fallen angel.
Johann’s closed eyes slowly opened, and his body, lying on the grass, began to rise.
Soon, black flames encircled him.
“I love the anger of children the most. The rage felt in those powerless years is something they carry their entire lives.”
The demon god muttered, flicking his fingertip.
I realized that Johann had awakened and gained the power of Wrath.
The demon god, having finished his task, turned away, waving one hand.
Six black wings, like flames, unfolded from his back, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
