・・・・・
Ding ding ding—
Waking up to the sound of the clock tower striking midnight had gradually become part of his routine. Larry felt his consciousness, which had sunk all the way to the bottom, slowly rising, and his eyelids fluttered. The pitch-black darkness that had engulfed his world slowly began to fill with colour — a vibrant blood-red hue, vivid enough to be etched into his vision.
"...Huh?"
Larry let out a dazed sound as he stared at the bloodstained carpet.
‘Didn't you say I was going to be officially branded as the Emperor's pet today?’
With a bitter thought, Larry nudged the man who lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding profusely, with the tip of his foot. He had expected to quietly finish the oath ceremony and be enjoying the party by now, so why was there a corpse before his eyes?
"What’s this? Could it be that you’ve already committed treason?"
But that guy wasn’t the type to act recklessly like that.
Larry muttered to himself as he lifted the corpse's chin with the tip of his shoe. The face was one he recognised quite well.
‘Isn't this the prominent noble who supported that guy named Benjamin?’
Wow, to kill such a big shot — this was undoubtedly an act of treason.
It was then. Something rapidly approached, precisely aiming for the middle of his forehead. Larry tilted his head to the side and instinctively grabbed it. It was an arrow.
“To give an arrow to a bow."
He muttered to himself as he gazed out the open window. Although he didn’t understand the full situation, he quickly grasped the circumstances. Whoever they were, they sure were a considerate assassin.
After inspecting the poisoned arrowhead, Larry returned it in the direction it came from with deadly accuracy. He lightly bent his arm and released it, throwing it like a dart. Then, with a rustling sound, a person who had been convulsing on the tree suddenly dropped to the ground.
As if it were a signal, arrows poured in like rain, breaking through the windows. Narrowing his eyes, Larry swiftly drew the sword at his waist and deflected the incoming arrows.
He clenched and unclenched his hand, then looked down at it, sensing something off. For some reason, his body felt subtly different today. It reacted a beat slower, more faintly than his will commanded. Like a machine missing a part, or rusted metal in need of oiling.
Only then did Larry realise what was happening. Felix’s soul, which he had failed to completely devour, was slowly slipping away.
It was Felix's beliefs and emotions — something Larry would never understand, even if he stayed in the human realm for his whole life.
It wasn’t his own, but it was something he had obtained through their contract.
Even though he hadn’t fully absorbed it, he had thought he had swallowed it all. Even if he couldn't process it, he thought at least he was holding onto it tightly.
But the soul, crumbling like grains of sand, slipped through his fingers with absurd ease.
In Larry’s grasp, it had only withered and dried, but once it was absorbed by its original owner, it clung like mud.
Watching the soul desperately return to where it belonged, he let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
What had all his efforts been for? Had it all just been a pointless struggle?
‘You drank the potion that separates the soul.’
Larry gripped the window frame and leapt effortlessly outside the building. As soon as his feet hit the grass, an all-too-familiar energy surged through him, sending a shiver down his spine. Though the power of the spirit had been overlaid, there were unmistakable signs of corruption — traces left by a devil. Someone had summoned a devil.
‘So, that’s why you sped up the plan and drank the potion.’
Having grasped the entire situation, Larry dealt with the remaining assassins.
Irene hesitated until the very end, terrified that Felix’s soul would be forcibly torn apart when he drank the potion. But instead, Felix's soul seemed to easily fall into place as if finding its rightful spot.
To be honest, Larry had somewhat expected this outcome. A clear and pure soul, strong willpower, and unwavering beliefs — these were all deeply interconnected with the cohesion of a soul.
But Larry hadn’t told Irene about the high chances of success. He couldn’t bear to see her smile in relief, thinking they had simply been lucky.
The truth was, deep down, he had hoped that despite the high chances, it would fail — that everything would fall apart.
But, as if mocking Larry, Felix half-succeeded in the gamble. It went surprisingly smoothly. And that was when fear suddenly hit him. He didn’t care if things like beliefs or emotions found their way back to their original owner or not, but…
"In fact, no matter what kind of ending I face, I don’t think I want to lose the feeling of how beautiful you are."
Larry went pale as he recalled a remark he had once muttered without much thought. If separation were complete, would that mean he would lose all emotions? Would he return to that former version of himself?
Even though he had prepared himself for it, when it actually came, fear washed over him, and his vision went completely white.
Because of one memory, he absolutely didn’t want to lose.
Because that faint memory had, on its own, come to shine brighter than the morning star and had become the guiding light of his life.
It was the flame that burned life.
If he lost it, what on earth would he become? Could he even call that living?
‘I won’t let it be taken. At the very least, these feelings are entirely my own.’
But really? Could he truly say that this was entirely his own?
Larry recalled Irene’s face as she smiled affectionately.
In fact, that was Felix’s memory.
He carefully brushed aside the hair of the woman lying on his lap, breathing steadily in her sleep.
This, too, was Felix’s memory.
A dizzyingly sweet scent brushed past his nose, overpowering the salty sea breeze. Desperately clutching each other, they clung on, unwilling to let go of their touching lips.
Even this intoxicating hell belonged to Felix.
All of it was Felix’s memories; not a single thing belonged to Larry.
If, under these circumstances, their souls separated and returned to their rightful bodies…
With a dry, empty gaze, Larry stared into nothingness.
In the wake of the desperate emotions that had swept through him like a storm, only the ruins of obsession remained. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed that the worst possible outcome awaited him.
"If I drink the potion, head straight for the temple."
Should he flee? And take Irene with him?
Seize the moment while that bastard’s soul tried to reclaim its place, and completely devour it. If he took over this body, all those memories would be truly his. It was an irresistible temptation.
“This is our final contract.”
When a devil ascended to the human world, there was one restriction: without forming a contract, the devil could not wield its true power.
This rule had been established by the divine realm after the incident four thousand years ago when devils had flooded from the demon realm into the human world.
Because of that cursed unwritten law — intended to prevent violations of causality — Larry was forced to remain bound to the human world indefinitely.
That meant, as long as he didn’t break the contract, Larry could use his devil power.
The contract.
Larry had found a loophole in his contract with Felix.
In Felix’s gamble, he had promised Larry a chance to obtain a new body once their souls were separated.
But foolishly, Felix had failed to include a clause excluding his own body.
What a stupid mistake, Larry thought to himself, mocking Felix silently.
If there was ever a chance for him, it was now or never.
The last twelve hours for Felix’s soul, once torn and shattered, to finally find its rightful place.
‘The final hours granted to me.’
Larry tightly closed his eyes and then opened them again, feeling his senses and emotions gradually fading away. His wavering gaze steadied, growing cold and focused on a single purpose.
Following the faint traces of Irene, he set out to find her.
・・・・・
‘The ride was rough.’
I pressed my hand against the wall to steady my queasy stomach. I glanced down at the flying carpet I had been riding, full of resentment.
When I had seen flying carpets in comics or books, it seemed fine. But relying on such a flimsy piece of cloth to float through the air was nothing short of madness — like risking my life dozens of times over.
Still, thanks to it, I had reached the temple quickly.
I decided not to complain anymore. Meeting the sorcerers and escaping from Benjamin’s lair had been luck close to a miracle, after all.
"This is madness."
“To think I’d set foot in this maggot-infested place...”
“Ugh, I wasn’t avoiding it because I was scared, but because it’s disgusting.”
Their expressions were the kind you'd make if bugs were crawling all over your body. The sorcerers scratched themselves all over, utterly repulsed.
The sorcerers were trying to temporarily disable the protective barrier that blocked the entire temple. They planned to inscribe a spell allowing them to pass through the walls and infiltrate inside. But no matter how much they forced themselves to resist their instincts, the process didn’t seem to be going smoothly at all.
‘Well, no matter how skilled a sorcerer is, they probably can't break through the temple's security system.’
If that was the case, I had no choice but to hide my presence like before and wait for a moment when the guards’ vigilance slackened to sneak in. It would take longer, but perhaps I should return to the mansion to retrieve the potions.
‘But with time running short, if Felix and my timing don’t align…’
At that moment, one of the sorcerers turned to me.
“Lend me your hand for a moment.”
He snapped a blade of grass from the ground, braided it simply, and tied it around my wrist. Some spell was inscribed on it because it stuck tightly, refusing to come off.
"This is a token of our promise. We'll let you in, so please keep your promise."
At those words, even while battling motion sickness, I felt an inexplicable unease.
Let me in — what were they planning?
Somehow, I felt like I should tell them to stop immediately...
“Wha—”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
Before I could even finish speaking, it happened.
I stared in shock at the blasted-open temple wall.
I had a feeling ever since we made that noisy escape on a flying carpet… but did they even know the meaning of the word ‘secretly’?
What on earth had they done for the temple wall to explode?
As the thick, pale smoke that had billowed up began to clear, the stunned priests came into view, visible through the gap. They wore the exact same expression as I.
Perhaps I should have realised something was seriously off when I learnt that they had willingly become the devil’s sacrifices.
I slowly started to back away and hid behind a tree.
‘I don’t know those people.’
"They're terrorists!" A priest shouted.
Apparently, it hadn’t even occurred to them that the ones who so brazenly tore down the wall might be intruders. First, they were tormented by the psychopath Constantine. Then came the devil. And now — intruders pretending to be terrorists.
I watched the chaos unfold with a distant gaze, feeling a flicker of pity for the priests.
Just then, the sorcerer who had tied a blade of grass around my wrist signalled to me.
His eyes seemed to say, ‘What are you waiting for? Get inside.’
‘Ah, so you were just redirecting the attention?’
I thought they had completely lost it and gone berserk. They were more than capable of that...
I nodded to myself. Then, taking advantage of the standoff between the priests and sorcerers, I boldly passed through the main gate.
It was a stroke of luck that so few priests remained in the temple after the devil incident.
・・・・・
There was a shelter, a facility to accommodate refugees in case of disaster. The entire building was protected by magic, making it relatively safe. Claudia had people evacuate there until daybreak because she didn't know when, where, or what the devil would do.
The 'devil' was a calamity incomparable to war. When war broke out, unless it was a catastrophe severe enough to destroy the whole country, only the powerless commoners without money or influence ended up dying. But would the devil discriminate between the nobles and commoners? To devils, all humans were the same.
When lives were at stake, most of those in power fled to relatively safe foreign countries. In fact, most of the nobles who had gathered at that day’s banquet were probably already packing their bags and buying train tickets. Because of such precedents, the common people were very confused by the current situation.
“Are you saying the nobles built a facility like this for commoners like us?”
Someone whispered in a low voice. The tone was clearly doubtful.
"To be precise, it was the 'Chamberlain' family. Haven’t they been famous for generations?”
"Come to think of it..."
The commoners immediately accepted it, recalling the hospitals, monasteries, nursing homes, and orphanages supported by the Chamberlain family. They were a prominent family that, having recently amassed great wealth, also contributed to society and practised noblesse oblige. So, even the fact that they built a shelter for commoners didn’t feel out of place at all.
To think the Chamberlain family was plotting rebellion... and that those traitors were now responsible for their safety... The situation was extremely confusing because of the devil.
They should have been branded as wicked rebels daring to overthrow the Sovereign Sun, yet public sentiment toward the emperor was too unsettled for that.
Part of this was due to the unconditional trust in the hero, and also the seeds of enlightenment that Martina and Erica had diligently planted.
‘Could it be true? Why should we preserve the bloodline of royals who can’t even protect the country and its people...?’
‘God’s will? For what purpose, exactly?’
‘The empire’s glory and honour? Why should I die for something like that?’
‘You expect me to willingly give my life to protect a country even the emperor can’t protect? That’s absurd.’
The people glanced at Claudia, who had willingly offered them a safe haven, secretly harbouring these thoughts. It was only natural that their hearts leaned more toward the traitors protecting them than the emperor who had driven them to the battlefield. It was then—
“Aaaah! A person...!”
‘H-hey, snap out of it!”
A young man who had been having seizures suddenly choked up and vomited blood, then abruptly collapsed from his spot. As if that were a signal, several people here and there began showing the same symptoms and lost consciousness.
Claudia rushed over in surprise and carefully examined the collapsed man.
His skin was covered in dark red boils as if he had come down with some kind of plague.
She lowered her head and put her ear close, hearing faint breathing. He wasn’t unconscious but seemed to have rapidly fallen into a deep sleep.
Then, she noticed a jet-black symbol etched on the back of the man’s neck. People who saw the same thing were instantly gripped by panic and began shouting indiscriminately.
“Devil, it’s the work of the devil!”
“Damn it, they said this place was safe!”
“Indeed, this is the wrath of God. He is furious — because of the audacity to plot treason...”
If one dared to take on the role of a saviour, they had to be ready to become a god — or a sworn enemy — with the flip of a hand.
This was something Claudia had already anticipated. If she had feared being condemned, she would have stayed hidden in her room, silently holding her breath.
Claudia calmly accepted the resentment and fear in their eyes as she placed her hand on the fallen man's forehead. In an instant, the boils vanished as if they had never existed, his skin smooth and unblemished. In truth, it had been more of an illusion than actual healing, but only Ilypia knew that.
“...”
Those who had been cursing that they had incurred the wrath of God awkwardly turned their heads and cleared their throats, as if embarrassed.
"Chloe."
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Before Ilypia could say another word, she cut him off and shook her head, signalling him not to utter any unnecessary remarks.
It was a widely accepted belief that spirits followed only the contractor's orders without involving any personal feelings. However, Ilypia, having lived freely as an unaffiliated spirit, ignored her warning and responded seriously.
"You’re overdoing it."
In fact, he was right. When using a spirit’s power, all the strain fell on the contractor. Claudia, who had already gone beyond her limits, wiped cold sweat from her brow and asked:
‘If I don’t overdo it now, then when will I?’"
“...”
Her steady gaze shifted toward her spirit.
"I trained so hard for this very moment."
Who would dare argue with her when she spoke like that?
Ilypia’s parched lips moved slightly.
‘With the limited power I have — which can only create puppets — I can’t truly wake those who’ve fallen. At best, I can only fabricate a false image. But when the truth finally comes out, all their anger and blame will turn to you. They’ll brand you a witch, and in the end, they’ll be the ones to kill you. Why? Because those weaklings don’t have the strength to strike back at the devils themselves. Humans never change. Even after thousands of years, they’re still exactly the same... always.’
But seeing the expression in her eyes, how could he say such things?
“Why are all my contractors the same...?”
Ilypia sighed, half in frustration, half in resignation, but ultimately had no choice but to follow Claudia’s will.
・・・・・
Irene escaped from Carlisle riding a flying carpet alongside the sorcerers.
"Ha, a flying carpet..."
Hearing that unbelievable news, Benjamin exhaled thick plumes of smoke from his cigarette, his eyes growing darker. He had completely forgotten about the sorcerers. From the moment he personally offered them as sacrifices to the devil, they were as good as dead to him.
Yet here they were, alive and escaping with Irene… It was glaringly obvious who was behind this absurd situation.
It was unmistakably clear.
"Why did you let them go?"
When he twisted his lips and asked, the devil’s poised response followed.
[Every aspect of the contract you were entrusted with has been fulfilled. Now, there is no obligation to follow your orders.]
Regardless of the outcome, the devil claimed that it did what they were supposed to do, so it was not a breach of contract.
Benjamin had assumed the devil was merely passive, only doing as told, but in truth, it had been toying with him.
With a sinister smile, Benjamin thought that if the devil had been human, he would have buried it alive deep underground.
"Nivas, I really dislike it when my plans go awry."
Benjamin’s plan for summoning Nivas, the jester of hallucinations and dreams, was this: starting from the capital and very slowly spreading throughout the entire empire, he would spread a nightmare from hell.
People would collapse for no reason and fall into eternal sleep. And those who remained awake would continuously see terrible hallucinations.
In such chaos, everyone would inevitably turn to Constantine. Even if he couldn’t offer any real help, he was still the most powerful wielder of divine power currently existing.
Benjamin planned to present Constantine as a hero, then withdraw the devil’s power just before the people, exhausted from calling out to God, crossed the river of death. Regaining his tarnished honour would be quick and effortless after that.
With that in mind, Benjamin kept Irene locked up where he could watch her and waited patiently.
The trap was set, and all he had to do was wait for the prey to fall into his hands — until everything went completely off track.
Felix Chamberlain, being alive and well, was already enough of a headache. But now someone had the nerve to let Irene escape on their own.
"They say you're a jester — no wonder you're so fond of circus acts.”
Having experienced it firsthand, Benjamin realised Nivas was the same kind as himself — fickle, prone to whims depending on his interests. If it were up to him, he would’ve gotten rid of that uncontrollable devil and summoned a new one, but he didn’t have the time.
"Then, let me make a proposal."
[And the price?]
"No, didn’t I say it was a proposal? It’s a proposal, not a contract."
Benjamin quickly added, flicking the ash from his cigarette.
"A human who survived while carrying a devil’s soul inside their body."
[You're asking me to kill him.]
"I’d say it’s a rather tempting offer, even for someone like you."
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, that’s all.
He smiled languidly, gesturing back and forth between himself and the devil. But no matter how composed he tried to appear, the ease in that smile was slowly unravelling.
He couldn’t help the creeping urgency — if this went wrong, he’d lose everything.
The devil, reading his expression, replied with detached indifference.
[A devil cannot wield power in the human world unless it’s through a contract.]
"In that case, I’ll just bring whoever."
[You don’t get to delegate your wish to someone else twice.]
"One way or another, you’re determined to make a contract with me...."
Even as his composure slipped, Benjamin met the devil’s crimson gaze with suspicion.
"At this point, I’m curious. What is it that you want? My dream? It certainly doesn’t seem like it would be something ordinary."
[No.]
After a brief pause, the devil added with playful mischief.
[Your soul.]
"My soul?"
It was common knowledge, even among children, that devils preferred the pure and innocent. And Benjamin knew all too well just how corrupted he truly was. He certainly wasn’t something a devil would covet.
“What could you possibly want with a soul like mine, when Hell’s already overflowing with them?”
The devil responded as if genuinely amused.
[You think far too highly of yourself.]
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