Chapter 12
“Ah, for the record.”
Idir’s eyes curved into a satisfied, crescent-moon smile.
“If you betray me, I’ll cut off your limbs while you’re still alive and slice your flesh to ribbons.”
Not you, but that man over there.
It seemed as though that little addendum followed.
“Gah!”
Having finally been released from Idir’s grip, Holdin lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for air.
The air rushing into his stinging throat triggered a fit of coughing, and tears welled in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Idir stood up, smoothed out her disheveled appearance as if nothing had happened, and…
“I’ll make the contract.”
She walked nonchalantly toward the demon.
“Not with me, but with that man.”
Holdin was still rolling on the floor, struggling to catch his breath.
‘Since it’s come to this, I have no choice.’
He already knew what Idir’s goal was.
Therefore, there was only one way to overcome this situation.
‘Find the culprit first and get the information into my hands.’
Once he obtained what that woman wanted, he would be able to turn the tables.
‘You’re not the only one who’s desperate.’
He didn’t know how much Idir Hubert knew about demons, but Holdin could dare to be confident.
When it came to demons, he knew better.
* * *
The demon’s pupils shimmered with a crimson light.
[You want to gamble with us? Are you joking?]
[How foolish, Idir.]
I smiled silently.
‘A joke?’
Does this truly look like a joke to you?
If this were merely the pathetic struggle of a trivial human, a joke…
“Pfft.”
Why aren’t you taking any action?
Even though I tried to hold it in, laughter kept bubbling up.
After leaving such a trail of clues that I had the advantage, to act so nonchalant now?
Of course, I had interpreted this situation to my own benefit, but…
‘Even if I guessed blindly, a correct answer is still a correct answer, isn’t it?’
If a demon cannot make a contract after being summoned, they are forced to return.
Moreover, due to certain circumstances, he couldn’t fully utilize his power right now.
If there were restrictions on his manifestation in the human realm, my summoning would be more than welcome to him.
And as long as the demon remained in the human realm, the angel could not leave at will.
‘Besides, he clearly said it.’
That he would give me ‘one chance.’
It was certain that Deyan had made a contract with a demon.
Since he was cursed, his soul must also be held as collateral.
Yet, for some reason, the angel had not disposed of Deyan immediately.
I surmised there were two reasons.
Either because Deyan was still a living human.
Or because the sin was not committed of his own volition.
Therefore, a chance for salvation still remained for him.
‘If I use this point well…’
I could make it so that Deyan Vojislav Nemanjić could not betray me.
I was the one holding the leash.
Even if the start was something of a gamble, my choice would eventually be the right one.
‘I just have to make it so.’
I stepped toward Beval.
“I’ve changed my mind. Human whims are just like that, aren’t they?”
[Quite provocative. Just to my taste.]
“That man will become the contractor in my stead. Then, Beval, you can stay in the human realm, and I can seek my revenge without my soul being threatened.”
[I see. And that stiff angel obsessed with his mission will be tied down here, too.]
Beval flicked his red tongue and licked his lower lip.
Black smoke swirled within his flashing magenta pupils.
[This will be fun.]
As soon as I regain my strength, I’ll kill that angel, too.
…I thought I heard that whisper, but I decided to ignore it.
Beval’s hand gently stroked my cheek.
[Stop it, you wicked thing!]
At that moment, the angel’s booming reprimand echoed through the room.
Countless shards of light shot toward us.
The demon’s eyes flashed red for a moment.
The scattering shards of light were swallowed by black smoke and dissipated into nothingness.
[Even if I’ve lost my power, I’m not so weak that I can’t handle a single angel.]
[Ugh…! You…!]
The demon let out a faint laugh and pulled me to his side.
At the same time, the surroundings plunged into darkness.
[Idir.]
His breath tickled the nape of my neck, and a low voice flowed into my mind.
[I’ll play along with your cute little scheme. Since we’re in the same boat, let me tell you one more thing…]
Is this what it feels like when a deep, passionate confession reaches one’s ears?
Goosebumps raced down my spine, and my heart throbbed.
Beval’s voice was so stimulating that it instantly corrected my once-arrogant thought that a demon’s temptation couldn’t be that sweet.
[The reason that pigeon-brained fool only pinned that human to the wall is because that human’s soul hasn’t been completely captured yet.]
I had almost missed this crucial piece of information.
[Use me and the angel however you wish.]
Hot fingers gently stroked the back of my neck.
[But if you lose the game you proposed, I will collect my due. In my own way.]
His hand traced down my back slowly, as if counting the vertebrae he intended to collect, before stopping at my waist.
He tightened his grip on my waist. Easily pulled by his strength, I ended up being held by the demon.
[So, do your best. Who knows? You might actually end up ruling the world.]
*Chuckle.*
A playful, mocking laugh scratched at my eardrums.
The next moment.
Beval released me without a hint of lingering attachment.
I snapped back to reality as if waking from a sweet dream.
‘It’s hot.’
Feeling a belated burning sensation, I hurriedly covered the back of my neck with my palm.
“What did you do to me?”
[Nothing much.]
Beval shrugged and said lightly.
[I branded the summoner onto you. So that I can appear before you whenever I want.]
“…”
“Isn’t that supposed to be branded onto me?”
Holdin, who had been coughing while rolling on the floor, interrupted in protest.
Beval looked at him as if he were insignificant and let out a faint sneer.
[I can appear before my contractor at any time. So, why don’t you stop looking so pathetic and get up?]
Beval hauled Holdin to his feet and rested a hand on his shoulder.
Then, like a back-alley thug, he dragged him into the corner…
“Argh!”
Without a word, he bit down hard on Holdin’s hand and swallowed his blood.
[Ugh, tastes terrible. Of all things, the blood of such an ugly guy.]
I watched what the two of them were doing.
Beval drew a seal on his own palm with Holdin’s blood and then slammed it onto Holdin’s forehead.
“Hey, you demon! It’s not like you’re branding a slave!”
[Aren’t you being treated like a slave right now?]
“That may be, but!”
[Idir.]
The angel, Sariel, approached from behind me as I stared blankly at the scene.
[You have already committed a grave mistake.]
“And so?”
[You will have to pay the price for this one day.]
“…”
I turned my head to look up at the angel.
With the eyes of a thorough observer, he was impassively watching everything, including me.
I silently endured Sariel’s cold, dry gaze.
‘Bound by rules, yet not intervening,’ was it?
I didn’t know what the ‘one chance’ the angel spoke of was.
But one would have to be out of their mind to commit a sin in front of such a strictly impartial observer.
That would be the thought of a normal human, but…
‘I’m not in my right mind anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’
While I was at it, I decided to ask something I was curious about.
“Are you going to punish that man?”
I pointed to Deyan, who was pinned to the wall.
The man had fainted again, his body hanging limply.
[Later.]
“You mean not right now?”
[You are trying to do something so painfully obvious.]
Sariel closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
With a light flick of his finger in the air, the nail embedded in Deyan’s shoulder vanished.
It was a simple act, like blowing out a candle.
I watched Deyan slide down and collapse onto the floor, thinking.
‘If you can’t punish him right now, why go through the trouble of pinning him to the wall?’
To set an example and keep me from making a contract with the demon?
That alone could never suppress my desires.
Feeling my hand being held, I turned to see Sariel gripping it.
It was the hand that had been burned red and twisted after I shoved it into the fire to summon the demon.
‘I had even forgotten the pain.’
A pale, white light enveloped my hand. A soft sigh escaped my lips as the cooling temperature and dulling pain took hold.
“Sariel. Is there a path to salvation even for a human who has committed a sin?”
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