The Mansion Bestowed by the Emperor in Recognition of Lillian’s Merits.
From its grand scale to its refined interior, and the numerous servants managing the mansion, everything exuded a dignity that rivaled the mansions of other count families.
Among them, the most striking was the Baronet’s Office.
The walls were adorned with elegant, antique decorations, and the sophisticated atmosphere elevated the room’s ambiance.
However, this serene and majestic office was now engulfed in deep gloom.
“…She’s attempting suicide again.”
Lillian, sitting on the sofa, muttered with a sigh.
Her gaze was fixed on the crystal ball placed on the table.
The crystal ball, which displayed real-time images of places where magical tools were installed, showed a doll-like girl with white hair repeatedly harming herself.
Each time her self-harm attempts failed, a shadow of despair deepened in the girl’s clear blue eyes.
Watching this, Lillian’s heart sank heavily, soaked in deep sorrow.
“…Is it really okay to leave Tina like this?”
Viviana, sitting across from Lillian, asked with a sharp look in her eyes.
Every time she saw Tina biting her own tongue, Viviana clenched her teeth, anxious that a tragedy like before might occur again.
Lillian tried to reassure Viviana with a calm voice.
“Tina won’t get hurt. That space is surrounded by a barrier that consumed half of my divine power. No matter how much she struggles, her life won’t be in danger.”
“That’s not the problem. Tina’s mind is in such a state…!”
“No. Right now, Tina needs to face her despair directly and realize she can’t run away.”
Lillian quietly brought a warm teacup to her lips, suppressing her complicated emotions. The subtle fragrance of the tea soothed her heart a little.
“How is Tina’s mother…? Is she okay?”
“She’s still bedridden. She can’t even eat properly.”
“…That’s understandable. Please take good care of her, Viviana.”
“I will, even without you saying so.”
Viviana had faced the horrifying reality that the person she believed to be her daughter might not actually be her daughter, and that her real daughter might no longer exist in this world.
How could one fathom a mother’s despair? Even if one is called a saintess, there are wounds that cannot be healed.
Viviana had heard from Lillian that during a conversation with Mardian, Tina had made incomprehensible remarks about having the “privilege of a possessed person.”
Even if there was demonic interference, it was impossible for a person’s thoughts to completely change into someone else’s.
The meaning behind the word “possessed person,” the accusations Tina hurled at Artasha, and every action Tina had taken so far…
The personality residing in Tina’s body now was most likely not her own.
And the person who knew this best was probably Baroness Artasha herself.
That’s why she was still in shock, unable to get out of bed for days.
“Lillian, what do you plan to do with Tina?”
Viviana asked, staring at Lillian with a serious gaze.
“…I told you before. I plan to tame Tina.”
“I also tried to tame Tina once, but I failed. If this incident causes Tina to go further astray—”
“No, Viviana, you didn’t try to tame Tina; you broke her.”
At Lillian’s cold words, Viviana stiffened for a moment. Her usually bright pink eyes were now coldly subdued.
“Viviana, you tried to break Tina once, believing you could see her true self in the ruins.”
“…That’s right.”
“But as a result, Tina, with her heart shattered, became more dependent on the devil, and eventually, the devil took hold of her soul.”
“So you’re different?”
“Viviana, you broke Tina for your own desires, but I’m trying to drive the devil away for Tina’s sake.”
At Lillian’s cold smile filled with reproach, Viviana couldn’t offer any rebuttal.
“Isn’t it impossible to drive the devil away with divine power?”
“The devil has already taken deep root in Tina’s soul.”
Lillian had been researching demons for years.
The countless books held by the Kingdom of Caladwen, the realm of black mages. She had meticulously studied every book about demons, staying up night after night.
There was no one on this continent who knew more about demons than she did.
“If we forcibly purify her with divine power in this state, Tina’s soul will also suffer severe damage.”
“So?”
“The only one who can remove the devil from Tina’s soul is Tina herself.”
The reason the devil, who couldn’t exert much influence in this world, could interfere so deeply with Tina was simple: Tina had voluntarily given her soul and body to the devil.
Though Tina’s past was unknown, this sinister devil had likely used cunning tactics to make Tina gradually dependent on it.
As a result, the current Tina thoroughly believed the devil’s words, to the point of throwing her life away without hesitation.
“First, I’ll make Tina stop depending on the devil.”
“How can you do that without using divine power?”
“I’ll become Tina’s master.”
Lillian placed her hand on her chest and smiled confidently.
“I’ll make her rely only on me, think only of me, so the devil can’t rise again.”
“…”
“Viviana, you tried to break Tina with harsh words. The result wasn’t good.”
Lillian quietly set down her teacup and looked straight into Viviana’s eyes.
“On the other hand, Baroness Artasha gave Tina nothing but infinite love. But even that couldn’t win Tina’s heart.”
“…So?”
“It means that neither the whip nor the carrot alone can make Tina truly dependent.”
“You’re saying you’ll use both the whip and the carrot?”
“Yes. I’ll give her love comparable to Artasha’s, but like Viviana, I’ll also tame her thoroughly in harsh situations.”
“…”
Viviana, who had been scrutinizing Lillian’s eyes for a while, exuded a sharp aura, heightening the tension in the room.
“I’ll ask you again, Lillian. I hope you’re not lying.”
“Go ahead.”
“What exactly do you want to do with Tina?”
“…I’ve been saying it from the beginning.”
Lillian let out a light sigh, her pink eyes wide as she stared at Viviana.
“I’m going to save Tina.”
“…”
“I don’t want Tina to suffer either. This is sincere.”
Her gaze was so serious and unwavering that Viviana couldn’t detect any lies.
“So, I don’t understand. Didn’t Tina do all sorts of terrible things to you? Why are you going to such lengths to save someone like that?”
“…She did. Honestly, at first, I resented Tina a lot.”
“Yeah, I can imagine.”
Tina had made Lillian the target of countless scorn in social circles and even turned her most trusted friend against her.
“Viviana, during the years I spent on the battlefield, not a single day passed without me thinking of Tina.”
What had she done so wrong? Why did such a beautiful girl hate her so much? Why was she fighting in this harsh battlefield, enduring scorn and criticism? These questions plagued her every day.
Why did she have to suffer so much because of one person, Tina?
She was consumed by these thoughts every day.
Even when swinging her sword on the battlefield, saving dying people, performing miracles, and just before falling asleep, Lillian’s mind was filled only with Tina.
“Then one day, it suddenly hit me.”
Lillian continued with a bright smile.
“If I’ve been thinking of one person every single day for three years… isn’t that love?”
“…Love?”
“Yes, it started with resentment, but the reason I became so obsessed with Tina is clearly love.”
“…”
When Lillian first met Tina, she thought she was like a beautifully crafted doll.
Later, when Tina insulted her, she resented the hidden side beneath that appearance.
When she went to the battlefield, she was filled with anger towards Tina, and in the repetitive days, Tina gradually became Lillian’s sole purpose in life.
She even thought that perhaps the reason she became a saintess was to meet Tina.
Until the day she returned from the battlefield, she couldn’t bear how much she missed Tina, who had made her this way.
“Yes, I love Tina. And no matter what, I will remove the devil from her.”
“…You’re quite the odd one.”
“Haha, but it’s not all pure goodwill. I plan to have my revenge on Tina after saving her, by making her repay it with her body.”
Lillian smiled seductively, placing a finger on her cherry-colored lips. Though it was an un-saintly expression, its sincerity gave Viviana a sense of trust.
‘Of course, I don’t like the idea of ultimately targeting Tina’s body…’
Viviana frowned, crossed her legs, and let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll trust you. You truly want to save Tina, unlike me, right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“But can I ask one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“Was slashing Tina’s stomach so mercilessly really an act of pure intention?”
“Eek.”
“You even used your knee to strike her down. It’s hard to believe that was necessary in the taming process.”
“Th-that was… well…”
After sweating under Viviana’s sharp gaze for a while, Lillian finally closed her eyes tightly and shouted resolutely.
“That was a mistake! I lost my temper for a moment because of Tina’s words…”
“…You.”
“Y-you know it too, Viviana! Tina has this strange aura that stimulates people’s sadistic tendencies!”
“…I know.”
Viviana, who had also felt the urge to make Tina cry several times, couldn’t deny that.
“I won’t hit her like that again! I won’t use pain as a means of taming, not as punishment… I won’t do it.”
“…Hmm.”
Under Viviana’s sharp gaze, Lillian rolled her eyes awkwardly, glanced at the clock on the wall, and abruptly stood up.
“I-it’s time to go see Tina! Viviana, please focus on healing Baron Blanchard.”
“…”
Without waiting for Viviana’s response, Lillian hurriedly left the office.
At the door, Lillian took a moment to calm her heart and let out a short sigh.
“I’m sorry for hurting you, Tina.”
And… I’m sorry that I’ll have to be harsh with you from now on.
If you just rely on me a little, just a little…
If you trust me so much that you don’t even think of that devil…
That’s when I’ll save you.
‘Of course, until then, I’ll torment you quite a bit.’
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
