The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 619: Horn? Restraint?

Diere’s experiences in the Imperial Capital weren’t particularly dramatic. While she seemed like a fugitive, she had been prepared for this, not expecting an easy time in enemy territory.

She was well-equipped with healing potions, useful magic tools, and food. Thanks to these preparations, she remained free and elusive.

To achieve her goal, Diere took various actions.

By now, it’s clear that Diere was the infamous phantom thief.

She infiltrated numerous noble houses, searching for something. Even her infiltration of the Imperial Palace was for this purpose.

This led to her being wanted by the Empire, hunted by the Raifuruts, and even the Royal Knights searching for her. The tight security Shien encountered in the noble district was because of Diere.

Her successful infiltration of the palace, although a trap, wasn’t widely known. They simply saw her as a skilled and dangerous individual, prompting increased security.

This showed how much attention Diere’s actions attracted. However, the citizens were only amused, unaware of the risks she took.

If not for Leisha’s help, Diere might have already been captured.

Thinking of this, Shien frowned.

“After taking so many risks, what are you looking for?”

He’d wanted to know for a long time.

“…”

Diere remained silent, seemingly unwilling to talk about it.

But this time, Shien wouldn’t compromise.

“Last time, I respected your decision, which led to your experiences this past month.” Shien stared at Diere, “This time, if you don’t tell me, I’m taking you back to the Kingdom by force.”

He wasn’t bluffing. He could compromise once, respecting Diere’s independence. But not a second time, especially since it was so dangerous.

Diere knew she couldn’t be stubborn anymore and sighed.

“I just want to find my ‘horn’,” she said.

“Huh?”

Shien didn’t understand.

“Horn?” Leisha was also puzzled.

“You’ve seen it before, right?” Diere said, “My taboo power.”

Diere’s words reminded Shien of the astonishing power within her.

It was her Unique Skill, the innate power of a “demon.”

It could create a horn that infinitely absorbed magic power from the atmosphere, converting it into pure strength, making Diere continuously stronger.

Diere once used this power to severely injure the former head of the Elvenbein family, her grandfather and Aldia’s father, the previous Commander of the Royal Knights. That Legendary-level knight was left with lingering injuries and died a few years later.

At Atlus Gorge, Diere used this power again, piquing Airi’s interest and forcing Shien to partially unseal his Holy Sword to fight her.

This powerful Unique Skill even made Diere noticed by the Goddess of Fate, becoming her blessed one, just like the Kingdom’s Treasure.

However, this power was a curse to Diere. The unrestricted increase in power was a burden, causing her to lose control and become a destructive monster.

Because of this, her grandfather died, her father treated her like a dangerous object, and the Elvenbein family saw her as a monster. Even her mother, from the Raifurut family, never looked at her properly.

Of course, Diere’s mother was just a tool for the Raifurut family’s political marriage and had no feelings for Diere.

Moreover, she was indirectly, even directly, responsible for the large-scale assassination in the Royal Capital ten years ago. In Shien’s eyes, her death at Aldia’s hands wasn’t a pity.

Diere also knew this.

But a month ago, Wolram, representing the Raifurut family and carrying Mara’s instructions, told Diere a secret no one knew.

“I heard that when I was born, I had a horn on my head,” Diere said calmly.

“Not the horn formed by my Unique Skill, but a real horn, growing naturally on my forehead, like a limb.”

Both Shien and Leisha were stunned.

“Then where is that horn?” Leisha asked subconsciously.

Diere replied calmly, almost coldly, “My mother cut it off.”

Diere’s horn was cut off by her own mother, right after she was born.

“Although I was just born, the horn on my head had already started absorbing magic power from the atmosphere, accumulating a vast amount of power.”

“That power wasn’t out of control, but stored within the horn.”

“If I’m not mistaken, that real horn acted as a restraint, preventing the overwhelming power from burdening and affecting me.”

“But my mother, seeing me like that, cut it off without hesitation.”

Diere spoke of this horrific act in a calm tone.

Shien remembered what Harvis had said when he first sought his cooperation:

“The Raifurut family trains spies, assassins, and dead men. They are highly valued by the Imperial Family and have even married into the royal family several times, so they also have the Hero’s blood of the Ragna Empire.”

“Diere Elvenbein is actually a descendant of both the Mitra Kingdom’s royal family and the Ragna Empire’s royal family, inheriting the blood of two Heroes. The Empire’s initial purpose for the marriage wasn’t to have the Raifurut daughter act as a spy, but to steal the Mitra Kingdom’s Hero’s blood, combine it with the Ragna Empire’s Hero’s blood, and produce an exceptionally talented offspring.”

For this purpose, Diere’s mother was sent to the Kingdom to marry into the Elvenbein family.

As for the large-scale assassination in the Royal Capital, it was orchestrated by Mara after she appeared in the Empire, took control, and gave instructions to the Raifurut family.

Therefore, when Diere was born, her mother’s purpose wasn’t to harm the Kingdom, but to cultivate a powerful tool for the family.

With this goal in mind, Diere’s mother gave birth to Diere, and upon seeing the horn on her head and sensing the astonishing power, one could imagine what she would do.

“My mother cut off my horn, killed everyone present at the birth, and claimed that it was my power going berserk that caused all of this. Secretly, she sent my horn back to the Empire, to the Raifurut family, intending to have them analyze the power within the horn and cultivate more powerful individuals for the family.”

Diere spoke calmly, as if talking about someone completely unrelated to her.

“It was from that moment on that my power became uncontrollable.”

Hearing this, Shien finally understood.

So, Diere’s power could actually be controlled.

It was only because she lost her real horn, the “organ” that acted as a restraint, that her Unique Skill caused her to go berserk.

If she could find that horn, Diere would naturally do anything.

That’s why, after learning about this, she came to the Imperial Capital without hesitation.

“I first went to the Raifurut residence, but at that time, I didn’t know about this basement. And the Raifurut family is a family of spies, with tight security and countermeasures against covert operations. I couldn’t get in to search.”

“Later, I heard that the Raifurut family, in order to analyze my horn, lent it to many nobles and high-ranking officials in the Empire who had secret connections with them. So I infiltrated those noble houses, becoming known as the phantom thief.”

“The infiltration of the Imperial Palace was the same. Because my horn might have been brought into the palace, I wanted to try and sneak in to see.”

“You know what happened later. I fell into a trap and was hunted, until the Raifurut family was annihilated, finally giving me a chance to infiltrate and find this place.”

This was Diere’s entire experience this past month.