Chapter 66 - Dog Leash

"Darling."

Sitri's lips twitched.

"Are you crazy?"

Not even the fake smile she had been flashing left her lips.

"Do I look crazy?"

"Did you catch some idiot virus in your lungs from your little trip to the north? Or are you under the delusion that you've actually fallen for me just because I kept calling you 'darling'?"

There were many humans who held such delusions.

But Ferda was not one of them.

Because of that, this was the first time someone had flustered Sitri this much.

"I know your fatal secret."

"The only thing about me that fits the word 'fatal' is my charm, though?"

The greater the secret, the less it shows.

The graver the nation's situation, or the more a matter threatens the higher-ups, the more thoroughly it is handled.

The same was true for demons.

Even demons could not escape the rules of secrets.

"I heard a story like this."

A story from the distant future.

Ferda had been gathering all sorts of information for his magic research.

Among it were records concerning Hell.

A record recalling the moments when the seven Great Demons of Hell were threatened.

A compilation documenting the fatal mistakes and weaknesses they had committed.

The demons called it the Deviromicon.

It seemed to handle grave matters, but in reality, it was a book that humans could read as well.

The reason was simple.

It was a firm resolve not to repeat the same mistakes, and at the same time, a trap for fools.

Those who looked into the Deviromicon to grasp a demon's weakness always ended up getting played instead.

It was the result of their arrogance, always thinking they were different.

But Ferda truly was different.

It would not be for another 15 years that Ferda read that demon history.

And what he was reciting now was a story that took place in the meantime.

"The ridiculous story of how the Great Demon Sitri, playing around as messily as usual, had her Life Vessel stolen by one of the countless children she gave birth to."

"Whatever could that mean?"

Sitri tilted her head.

"Is this a story you don't know?"

"Of course. I don't have a clue what kind of bullshit you're spouting, darling."

"Is that so?"

True to a demon of temptation, she wore a good mask.

Ferda leisurely observed her face.

He simply waited for the moment that mask would shatter.

"Then I suppose I can just take Penelope over to the Magical Society."

"The Magical Society...?"

"I'm sure you guys are well aware of their hatred for demons, aren't you? What do you think will happen if I hand her over to them? If I tell them she isn't just a simple demon, but one who holds the weakness of the Great Demon Sitri?"

Ferda spoke as if singing.

"Then they would extensively search Penelope's body. It would take time, but they would eventually reach the truth. And when they do—"

"Stop."

Sitri cut Ferda off.

The atmosphere drastically shifted.

The silken feeling that had been seducing Ferda just a moment ago now turned into cold thorns.

"Who was it?"

Sitri's mask shattered.

"Which son of a bitch handed that secret over to you?"

Sitri's glare was piercing.

It felt as if she were desperately trying to peer into Ferda's mind.

"First of all, it doesn't seem to be my daughter. If that stupid girl had said it or dropped a hint, it would have returned to my hands by now."

"What are the chances I figured it out myself?"

"I don't look down on you. But I don't overestimate you either. It's impossible for a mere human to be the first to know a story that even the grand dukes don't know yet."

"You aren't even calling me darling anymore. Are you anxious?"

"Yeah, I'm getting anxious. Hurry up and answer. Unless you want to end up burning in Hell for eternity."

Sitri threatened him with her long fingernails.

"Don't threaten me. Do you want to end up like a dung fly too?"

There are rules for the demons of Hell, and they become stricter the closer one gets to the position of a Great Demon.

Climbing up is difficult, but falling is instantaneous.

"You think I won't do it?"

Her sharp fingernails pressed hard into Ferda's skin.

"You violated the terms of our deal. I told you to hand Penelope over, and you're trying to screw me over with her?"

Ferda replied.

"You asked me to rescue Penelope. And I rescued her."

"No, I clearly told you to send her to me. This is a breach of contract, Regent."

Ferda scoffed.

"Haven't you violated it as well?"

"What?"

"You said you would send 'all of us' back safely. But I wasn't able to escape from that place. What are you going to do about that?"

"You should have just killed Penelope, obviously. Reverse-summoning her to Hell would have been the end of it."

"What if I didn't know that? You set her rescue as the condition. And I safely rescued her. If anything, you're the one in violation."

"Are you trying to play with words?"

"Isn't that what you lot love the most?"

Demons' wordplay.

How many people had been seduced and killed by that wordplay?

"If it bothers you that much..."

Ferda crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.

"Let's take it to trial."

If a contract dispute arose, it could be resolved in the demon court.

And Sitri would absolutely win.

But would she actually take it to trial?

She couldn't.

If the words 'Life Vessel' came out of his mouth.

Her shameful secret would be exposed to the whole world.

Sitri shut her mouth.

She was thoroughly checkmated.

"You said it yourself. Even a Demon can become an excellent dog if properly leashed."

Ferda sneered faintly.

"It seems even a demon can become an excellent dog."

"Hehe..."

Sitri let out a laugh.

"Hehehehet! Hahahaha!!"

Sitri burst into roaring laughter.

Had she gone insane?

"You know what, oppa?"

"... Oppa?"

"Oppa, you're incredibly sexy right now."

The atmosphere was different from her false temptation.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Alright, I'll do it. It is true that I made a deal with Abel Silverwind. Is there anything else besides that?"

She moistened her lips with her long tongue.

She spoke, panting.

"If it's you, oppa, I'll do anything for you."

It felt even more eerie than when she had turned cold.

"Back off."

"Hehe, so testy. How can you be this charming even when you're playing hard to get?"

Sitri obediently stepped back.

"So, your answer to my question?"

"What question?"

"The snitch who gave oppa the information."

As if anyone had told him.

This was a story he had known from the distant future.

Naturally, there was no way to explain it.

So he answered like this.

"Barbatos."

Barbatos, one of the seven demons of Hell.

The demon of shadows and schemes, and the demon most likely to have a connection with Ferda.

"Barbatos... How bizarre. To think that name would come up."

Sitri muttered like that.

She didn't look like someone who had found the answer.

But it was a reaction that said, 'Well, whatever.'

"Then I'll see you next time, handsome oppa. Make sure you keep a good hold on that dog leash until then."

Mwah.

Along with a blown kiss, her figure completely vanished.

Dawn arrived.

* * *

"Urk..."

A dark elf.

Because she had used emergency escape magic, only her body had been transported here.

"Dammit..."

She had barely found a place to take shelter, but the chill was unavoidable.

Even for an elf with high physical resistance, enduring in a snow-covered high-altitude region was not easy.

The cold wind seeping in from outside the cave tugged at the dark elf's consciousness.

Just then, she awoke with a start.

Someone was coming this way.

"Who's there?!"

The only thing she had on her was a pebble clutched in her hand.

She threatened the intruder with an equally venomous expression.

What revealed itself outside the cave was a massive figure that half-covered the entrance.

It appeared clearly in the dark elf's eyes.

It possessed red eyes and sharp teeth.

"So you were here, Director Linne."

"..."

The man said, looking Linne's body up and down.

"I received intel that there was a disturbance, and by the looks of it, it seems it was all true."

"You Demon bastards are as insidious as they come. Are you one of the creeps lining up for a peek at an elf's body too?"

"Nonsense."

"If you know it's nonsense, then hand over some clothes. Because at this rate, I'm going to freeze to death."

The Demon man held out his hand.

His large, bulging, mottled muscles were intimidating.

"The journal and the samples come first."

"You see me in this state and you still want to look for that? They've obviously left my hands."

"Then that means they're in their hands."

"Yeah, I failed."

"You know full well the end that awaits those who fail, do you not?"

Linne growled.

"So? Are you going to execute me on the spot for failing?"

"You'll be escorted as a prisoner, not a director. And you will stand trial."

"Go ahead and have your damn trial! All the research is in my head. I'm the only one who knows how to remake those samples, and how to continue our progress."

"There are some among us who deal in necromancy. Extracting what's in your head is nothing."

"Those idiots? Hah! Just how perfectly could those gloomy smart-asses recreate things by messing with my head? I can clearly see them regretting it after making a few childish toys?!"

The man simply looked down at her.

She forced her mouth to keep moving.

In the deathly chill, she forced her mouth open and spat out words.

"You guys only saved me while my kin were dying. Remember what you said that day? That I was the only useful one among them. Are you going to execute your most capable person right here?"

"..."

"So hand over those damn clothes right now."

The man stared at her silently before tossing her a coat.

Linne wrapped the coat around herself.

The inside was warm with heating magic.

"Was it Ferda Valdrova who did that to your eye?"

Linne bit her lip tightly and nodded.

"I never imagined I would be defeated by that little brat."

"I heard he was superior to a normal human. His name is even being brought up at the round table now."

"You shouldn't just say he's superior to a normal human. Even that phrase underestimates him."

"Then how would you evaluate him?"

Linne hugged the coat tightly.

"Throughout all of history, a guy like him has been unprecedented."

"You're scared."

"I'm just speaking objectively. I felt it when he caught me off guard."

After the Lightning Bolt pierced her eye,

she recalled the image of Ferda that had entered her vision.

What she had seen was a young man with grey hair.

Blue eyes whose intentions were unreadable.

She felt something familiar in those blue eyes.

"He's a madman who has fought against mages stronger than himself time and time again."

The eyes of veteran hunters who compensated for their lack of power with technique, looking several moves ahead and overwhelming their opponents.

From those eyes, Linne had foreseen her defeat.

That was why she had given up the fight and used an emergency escape scroll to get out.

The man glanced outside.

The weather, which had been pouring heavy snow, had started to calm down before they knew it.

"We should get moving."

The man stood up, but Linne's steps hesitated.

"My punishment... is it unavoidable?"

"Don't you know that full well?"

The man answered coldly.

"You'll just have to hope that your assessment of him being a madman works on the council."

The demon race was all like this.

No emotion, and no guilt.

So they would weigh her life relying solely on calculation.

'The only thing I can do is show how capable I am.'

Linne grabbed the coat and hugged it tight.

'I will... survive.'

Survival.

That was a promise she had made to herself ever since she got her hands on Godwin's blood.

* * *

The peaceful mid-eastern region of the Serdes Continent.

The Rosnova territory was also running peacefully.

The Lord, Erembalt, had retired due to old age, but his two sons had taken over the family and were thriving.

Then, out of nowhere, a bombardment fell upon that household.

It wasn't as if actual cannons or catapults had fired upon them.

No, the situation was at a point where that would have been preferable.

"Hello, Lord. You know who I am, right?"

The person standing before Erembalt was a young girl.

She was asking him arrogantly in a childish voice.

Normally, Erembalt would have immediately yelled at her for speaking so insolently while the blood on her head had barely dried, but,

"Yes. I know very well."

But Erembalt didn't dare do so to her.

Because he knew that appearances weren't everything, and that this little girl in front of him easily surpassed his own age.

"Are you not the paragon of great mages, Lady Erdes?"

"Oh my, a paragon. You don't need to use such sweet talk. I know I'm known as the pretty-girl menace to you lot."

It was truly an awkward thing to respond to.

She was indeed a menace, but she wasn't a pretty girl.

"What brings you to this humble place?"

Erembalt was curious about her objective.

Erdes was a tempest-like existence.

She would appear out of nowhere, turn everything upside down, and leave.

Depending on the situation, they could be wiped out.

Erembalt could end up like that too.

"It's nothing much. I don't intend to turn this place into a wasteland or anything, so relax."

"Yes, yes. Of course, I had no such worries."

"But depending on the situation, I just might."

Erembalt gulped.

He had been caught by a real lunatic.

As Erdes waved her finger, a map unfurled from her coat and spread across the table.

"What do you think this is?"

"Isn't it... a map?"

"Right, a map engraved on magical paper. The people in our Magic Tower use this map to observe the flow of mana."

Along with her brief explanation, she pointed to a spot with her small staff.

"Where do you think this is?"

"According to the markings... it says it's Count Concillus's castle."

"Right. And the place marked here?"

"Um... isn't it some mountain... in the north?"

"Be specific."

"That... is Silverwind territory."

"Right! Thank goodness. If you were as dense as our Mr. Blue, I would have been a bit angry."

She smiled brightly and withdrew her staff.

"Why do you think I pointed out those two places?"

"Pardon? Uh, well, that's..."

Erembalt looked down at the map.

He couldn't lift his head.

That subtle smile. He didn't have the confidence to face what dwelled in those eyes head-on.

"I apologize. My dull mind cannot comprehend..."

"Well, it's fine. You aren't a mage, so how would you know? And unlike Mr. Blue, you at least know you're stupid, right?"

Erembalt realized that the Grim Reaper had been lingering right behind his back until just a moment ago.

Every time his words, actions, or choices misaligned, Erembalt would die.

Why was that?

Why was he feeling this way?

The reason was simple.

"Bending Bridge magic occurred here. A Bending Bridge routed through Hell, that is."

It was because of dark magic.

Her hatred of dark magic was well-known.

"Is... that so?"

"But I don't think Count Concillus cast it."

"T-Then who...?"

"Use your head a bit more. If it isn't Count Concillus, who could it be? His relatives or children? Or... someone above him?"

"Someone above him..."

Then, he felt the connection form.

Why this menace of a mage had come to find him, a knight family.

"Ferda..."

The third son he had discarded.

This was happening because of him.

"There are traces showing that the Regent of Valdrova has recently made contact with a demon."

Erdes Roton.

He knew just how intense her hatred for dark magic was.

Anyone who came into contact with dark magic faced extermination of their family at the very least.

That meant the annihilation of the Rosnova family.

"P-Please spare me!"

Erembalt fell to his knees.

The brave crest of his family was crushed.

"I swear I have nothing to do with him! Ever since he left this place, we've been complete strangers! We haven't even kept in touch!"

He desperately rubbed his hands together, begging for his life.

Erdes watched this sight, still smiling.

"I know. I know a lowly knight like you wouldn't be involved."

A tone of understanding.

But it did not bring him any relief.

There was no mercy in her anger.

This fact alone was enough to wipe out the Rosnova family.

But today, she would not do so.

"So, tell me."

Her desire was singular.

And that single desire was far too massive.

"About this guy named Ferda."