Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 647: Devil King

”That shouldn’t have been possible,” Avery said quietly.

Everyone looked toward her.

”The Devil Kings stand near the very top of Hell. People at their level don’t even acknowledge ordinary rulers, much less negotiate with them,” she explained.

Her gaze shifted toward Isaac. ”If one of them agreed to make a deal with you, then by that point your strength had already reached a level that very few beings could ignore.”

Isaac, however, didn’t seem focused on that part.

His brows remained furrowed as Catherine’s earlier words echoed in his mind.

”Our Sector really lost the Thousand Year Stampede...”

The thought seemed to trouble him far more than anything else.

Catherine watched him for a moment before speaking again. ”You scarified a portion of your soul to the Devil King. In exchange, the Devil King promised to pull Celia’s soul into the cycle of reincarnation. But you still weren’t satisfied. You had already accepted that our world couldn’t survive the apocalypse anymore. So, you made a deal with the System itself. You made it promise that Celia’s soul would reincarnate into another world.”

Her voice trembled despite her efforts to remain composed.

”You believed our world no longer had any hope. So rather than forcing Celia to stay until the end, you wanted to send her somewhere she could live another life,” she said.

No one knew what to say.

Each revelation felt heavier than the last. Before anyone had the chance to ask another question, Catherine gently shook her head.

”I don’t know how you managed to negotiate with the System. It was the one that approached you first. I think it realized you were nearing the end of your life. Just like it had chosen the Dragon Maids before, it wanted to use you in its Trials,” she said.

Catherine fell silent after saying that.

Her fists slowly clenched until her knuckles turned white. She could still remember standing there and watching Isaac make those choices while being completely unable to stop him.

Even now, she still couldn’t decide how she felt about it.

Part of her understood why Isaac had accepted. If becoming the System’s pawn meant giving Celia another chance at life, then it was exactly the choice he would make.

The other part of her hated that outcome. She had never wanted Isaac to become another piece on the System’s board.

Unfortunately, there had been nothing she could do.

That Isaac had already become unimaginably strong. Unlike Catherine, whose growth had been heavily restricted inside the Trial, he had continued growing stronger through endless battles, sacrifices, and years of hardship until even she could no longer stop him.

Earlier, Catherine had already explained why she believed the Trial showed the history of another world rather than a fabricated illusion.

None of them had ever heard of parallel worlds or alternate timelines before. Even Avery couldn’t confirm whether such things truly existed. Still, after comparing Catherine’s memories with Celia’s dreams, it was the only explanation that made any sense.

That was why a heavy silence settled over the room.

Isaac’s wives looked at him with complicated expressions. They had always known he loved them deeply, but hearing just how far he had gone for Celia made them realize they had never fully understood the extent of that love.

According to Catherine, Isaac had never accepted another lover after losing Celia. Everything he had done afterward had been devoted to protecting her, saving her, and giving her another chance to live. Because Celia had spared him after becoming a Catastrophe, he believed she was still herself, even if only a bit.

”Idiot... Why would you go that far for me...?” ” Celia whispered.

Her voice was muffled against Isaac’s shoulder. Fresh tears gathered in her eyes as she tightened her grip on his clothes. She didn’t look up, unable to bring herself to meet anyone’s gaze.

No one answered. Isaac also remained silent.

He stared into empty space for several moments, quietly sorting through everything Catherine had revealed. There were too many pieces of information to process at once.

Eventually, his eyes shifted toward Catherine. The concern in his expression had only deepened.

Catherine understood immediately what he was thinking. He wasn’t dwelling on the Devil King or the System. He was worried about the fact that she had been forced to watch him slowly destroy himself without being able to stop him.

’Even now, he’s still worrying about everyone else before himself,’ Catherine thought, her fingers digging into her palms.

The discussion continued for a little while longer.

They talked about the possibility that the Trial had shown events from another timeline or another world. No one reached a firm conclusion, and even Avery admitted that she had never encountered anything that could explain it.

Eventually, there was nothing more to discuss. Everyone silently agreed to end the conversation and spend some time processing everything they had learned.

Isaac gave Catherine a small nod before gently leading Celia away. She immediately understood what he meant. He was going to come back later. This wasn’t the right time, but he intended to speak with her alone once Celia had calmed down.

Avery quietly excused herself, and Eleanor followed her without saying much. They both seemed to understand that Catherine needed some space.

Alice and Emily, however, remained exactly where they were. Catherine looked between the two of them before letting out a small, amused sigh.

”Shouldn’t you both go with Isaac? After everything I told you about the Trial, I’d expect the two of you to be more worried about him than me,” she said in a deliberately teasing tone.

She was trying to send them away without making it obvious.

At the same time, Catherine couldn’t help finding the situation a little ironic. The two girls she had once watched over were now staying behind because they wanted to look after her instead. It almost made her feel as though she were being treated like a child.

Still, she couldn’t deny how much it warmed her heart. It had been years since she had experienced this kind of quiet concern from the people around her. During the years she had lived under Mother’s care, warmth like this had become something distant and unfamiliar.

There, kindness had always come with expectations. Affection was measured by usefulness, and showing vulnerability only invited punishment. Somewhere along the way, Catherine had forgotten what it felt like to have people care about her simply because she was family.

”I am worried about Isaac. But I’m worried about you too. You went through that Trial and watched everything happen to him. I... I don’t want to leave you alone right now,” Emily said.

There was a firmness in Emily’s voice that rarely appeared. Although she still sounded gentle, her decision was obvious. She wasn’t planning to leave no matter what Catherine said.

Alice felt the same way. The dragon girl stood quietly nearby, looking visibly awkward as she searched for something comforting to say. In the end, she said nothing at all, deciding that simply staying beside Catherine was enough.

Selene, however, had taken the story much harder than anyone expected. She remained absentminded for several minutes, unable to hide the shock on her face. Eventually, Alice gently guided her away, hoping to comfort her somewhere quieter.

That left only Catherine and Emily together.

The reason everyone had been shaken wasn’t simply because Isaac had suffered. It was because they all believed those events had truly happened somewhere else. Whether it was another world or another timeline, none of them believed the Trial had simply fabricated those events.

That possibility was terrifying.

The thought that another version of themselves had actually lived through those tragedies made everything feel much more real. It also forced them to accept that their own happy lives existed because history had taken a different path.

Catherine could have hidden that conclusion.

She could have told the story in a way that made everyone believe it had merely been an elaborate illusion created by the System. Instead, she had deliberately explained why she believed those events had truly happened.

She wanted everyone to understand Isaac’s and Celia’s sacrifices.

Celia always looked cheerful on the surface. She loved teasing people, making jokes, and brightening the atmosphere whenever things became too heavy. But beneath that carefree attitude was someone who would willingly throw away her own life if it meant protecting the people she loved.

Isaac was exactly the same.

If protecting his family meant standing against the entire world, he would do it without hesitation. He wouldn’t care if people called him a criminal or a monster as long as those precious to him remained safe, just like he did for Celia after she became a Catastrophe.

Those memories returned to Catherine’s mind once again.

Her eyes began to sting as she remembered the lonely figure Isaac had become during those final years. For just a moment, she wanted to cry.

She immediately forced that feeling back down.

If she had been alone, perhaps she would have allowed herself that weakness. But she refused to cry in front of others, especially not Emily. Doing so would only make everyone worry even more.

”Aunty, I’ll make you something nice to eat. Selene taught me a new dish recently, so I want you to try it,” Emily suddenly said with a gentle smile.

”I’m fine. You should go to your city instead of staying here because of me,” Catherine replied.

”No. I’m staying here today,” Emily said without hesitation.

Catherine looked at her for a moment before smiling wryly.

She could count on one hand the number of times Emily had spoken so firmly to someone in the family. Seeing that determination now made it obvious how worried she truly was.

Rather than arguing any further, Catherine simply let her have her way.

Emily happily walked toward the kitchen and began preparing the snack. She moved carefully while measuring ingredients and occasionally checking the heat, trying to distract herself by focusing on cooking. Even so, Catherine could still see the concern hidden beneath her gentle smile.

Several quiet minutes passed.

Catherine simply watched Emily move around the kitchen without saying anything. The peaceful silence felt strangely comforting after everything that had happened earlier.

Then she finally spoke. ”Emily.”

”Yes?” Emily replied while continuing to stir the food.

Catherine watched her quietly for another second before asking her question. ”Is Isaac yours, or are you Isaac’s?”

Emily stopped stirring.

She turned around with a puzzled look, clearly trying to understand what Catherine meant.

”...Isn’t that the same thing?”

For a few moments, Catherine simply looked at her.

Then a small smile naturally appeared on her face.

”Yes. You’re right,” she said softly.

Emily smiled back, although she still looked slightly confused.

She didn’t understand why Catherine had asked that question, but she didn’t think too deeply about it. Instead, she simply turned back toward the stove and continued cooking.

Catherine quietly watched her. That simple answer eased the worries in her heart.

...

Isaac’s POV

”Kiss me again,” Celia demanded.

”Okay,” Isaac nodded.

He leaned forward with a smile and gently kissed her once more.

The two of them were sitting inside one of the cabins of a Ferris wheel. It was one of the newest attractions built inside the amusement park Isaac had designed after remembering similar places from his previous life. Since becoming the Lord, he had always wanted his city to become more than just a place where people worked and fought.

Everyone deserved somewhere they could simply enjoy themselves.

The amusement park had only opened recently, but it was already attracting crowds. Families brought their children, young couples walked through it together, and even visiting awakeners stopped by before leaving the city.

Its popularity had spread surprisingly quickly.

Merchants and representatives from several other cities had already begun visiting Isaac’s administrative office. Rather than secretly copying the idea, they had openly requested permission to build similar amusement parks in their own territories.

Isaac found that rather amusing.

Nothing actually prevented them from recreating the idea themselves. An amusement park wasn’t something he could truly claim ownership over, and anyone with enough money could build one if they wished.

Even so, they still came to ask.

Part of the reason was Isaac’s growing reputation. His city’s rapid development, its performance during the Great Dungeon Competition, and its victory against the Purification Cult leader had made many factions eager to build good relationships with him.

There was another reason as well.

Receiving Isaac’s approval gave their businesses legitimacy. If another merchant later opened a competing amusement park in the same city, they could advertise themselves as the officially authorized creators, giving customers and local officials another reason to support them.

”What are you thinking about?” Celia pouted.

”I was thinking about how beautiful my wife is.” Isaac smiled.

Celia rolled her eyes. ”You think I’m so easy to fool? Stop thinking about other things. Since you are with me, look at me.”

A playful smile spread across her face.

”And kiss me again,” she said.

”Yes, ma’am.” Isaac chuckled as he leaned toward her once more.

A part of him believed Celia simply wanted to reassure herself that he was really there. After everything Catherine had told her, perhaps she just wanted to feel his presence and convince herself that this Isaac was safe beside her.

Another part of him, however, couldn’t help feeling she was also taking advantage of the situation. Still, he didn’t mind either reason.

She had only managed to calm down after several difficult hours, and he wanted to spoil her a little today. Whatever she wanted from him, as long as it made her smile again, he was willing to indulge her.