Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 347

But they said Solomon failed to bring the Nymph back to life. So in the end, he divided his own soul and transferred it into a new vessel?

So Isaiah wasn’t the Demon King’s son after all. They had always said Solomon had no wife, nor even a woman close enough to bear him a child.

The mystery surrounding the sudden appearance of his “son”—it finally made sense.

“Because he split his soul, his power was greatly diminished. And in the end, the Demon King, who had become a hollow shell, was defeated by the heroes.”

Even a Demon King of the fabled 10th rank—likened to a god—being defeated by heroes now made sense. No matter how powerful the heroes were, bringing down Solomon should’ve been impossible.

But if his power had been reduced to less than half, then it added up.

As if reading his thoughts, Bael shook her head.

“But he didn’t die. And that’s the real problem. Because something else has begun pooling inside that empty shell. Right now, Solomon is like an open door—anyone can enter, and anything can be done.”

“Solomon isn’t dead?”

At his question, Bael furrowed her brow.

“You saw it too, didn’t you? That massive rift up north. He’s sealed away there. You can’t really call it ‘Solomon’ anymore. Nor can you call it the ‘Demon King.’”

She trailed off, as if trying to find a name.

But then Bael shook her head again.

“No, that’s not my concern anymore. You name it. That was your mother’s wish, after all. With that, my story ends. I’m out of time.”

Rrrrrumble—

Everything around them began to shake violently. Theo could tell that this “place”—this space—was collapsing fast.

And yet, something inside him said he needed to stay here just a little longer.

“What do you mean, my mother’s wish!? What are you talking about!?”

“Just what I said. Or what—did you think you still hadn’t woken up from the dream? It’s time to rise from your long sleep. Stand up and feel for yourself where your world truly lies beneath your feet.”

“Stand and feel...? The things you’re saying are too convoluted. I can’t make sense of them.”

“Well, that’s how dreams are. You forget them as soon as you wake, and even the parts you remember make no sense. Anyway, this really is the end. The exit’s that way.”

Swish.

Where Bael pointed, a small door had appeared. It sat alone in the darkness.

Sssssssss...

The darkness soon swallowed everything in the tea party scene, leaving only the table untouched—floating as if suspended in the void.

Theo began walking through the black emptiness toward the door. But just before pushing it open, something tugged at his mind. Bael—still sitting behind him.

He glanced back.

She was gone. Only pitch-black darkness remained.

And from that darkness, her voice echoed.

“Aira once made a promise with me. That I would eat all her pain, all her sorrow. Thanks to that, I became a nasty spider. And Aira, who held me inside her... became a wicked girl, too.”

“......”

“But now I’ll disappear. Even without me, she’s surrounded by people now. She’ll be okay. She’ll mess up a lot, but... don’t hate her, please. I’ve grown fond of her.”

“Bael... if I open this door and leave, will you die?”

“Yes. There’s less and less space left for me in Aira’s heart. It was only a matter of time. It would’ve ended like this eventually. I’m glad I got to see you at the end, Theo Gospel.”

“Me?”

“In Aira’s heart, you were the tastiest part. Even in the black, wet, dark sewer waterfall—I always waited for you.”

There was something lonely in her voice.

At first, all Theo had felt toward her was hatred and resentment. But after this conversation, those feelings had faded away. Maybe someone would call him soft.

But that’s just how he was.

He liked bad things. Loved the wicked.