Chapter 40
The head of Yuren that Zed had severed.
Before it could even hit the floor, Ferda shot a magic arrow and blasted it apart.
Crack!
Fragments of the shattered head flew in every direction.
“Agh!”
Zed reflexively covered his face.
He spat repeatedly and shouted at Ferda, asking if any of it had gotten into his mouth.
“No! Why did you suddenly blow up his head?!”
Ferda calmly wiped the blood from his cheek with his thumb and answered,
“I had to make sure.”
“No, he would have died just from separating his head from his body. Did you really have to confirm the kill like that?”
“The demon isn't the issue. At least this is better than having people wonder how the Regent suddenly became skilled enough with a sword to cut off someone's head, don't you think?”
“Ah, that's true.”
Zed looked at Yuren's corpse, the one he had cut down.
The marks left by a single stab followed by one clean slash were clearly visible.
Considering a third-circle mage was supposed to have fought a vicious battle, it looked far too physical.
Zed decided to damage the severed area to disguise the death as one caused by an explosion.
“So….”
After finishing the preparations, Zed looked at Ferda reproachfully.
“You said you only needed the two eyes, didn't you?”
“So did you only bring the two eyes?”
Zed answered with an incredulous laugh.
“Do you really believe I'd take that at face value?”
A true master thief in the making.
Even when Ferda spoke casually, Zed's ability to carry out his instructions precisely was reassuring.
“At any rate, you took longer than I expected.”
“It was eventful. I was trying to avoid people's eyes, and I got unlucky and got caught up in something….”
Zed recalled what had happened.
His expression seemed troubled, but then he grinned.
“Well, meeting that guy made things safer and let me finish without leaving any trouble behind.”
“Who did you meet?”
“A man named Karl from the Extermination Squad. The man you lured here, Regent.”
The moment Ferda heard the name, an involuntary “Ah” escaped his mouth.
Karl.
The man Ferda had put in a dog collar.
“Thanks to him, things became much easier. I entered as a substitute vault keeper.”
“I see.”
“More importantly, is your leg all right?”
Zed asked, nodding toward Ferda's leg.
The bleeding had slowed, but he was still losing blood.
Before Ferda could answer, Zed leaned toward his leg.
“Let's stop the bleeding first. At least apply pressure with something like a bandage.”
“I have a handkerchief. I can handle it myself.”
Everything had to be done meticulously from beginning to end.
With that in mind, Ferda wrapped a bandage around his leg.
All he had to do was tie it off, but the knot was loose.
Already weak and suffering from anemia, Ferda found it difficult to tie it tightly.
“Give it here.”
Unable to watch any longer, Zed moved Ferda's hand aside and firmly secured the wound with the handkerchief.
“Let's say you staunched the bleeding with the last of your strength. What can't someone do when they're on the verge of death?”
“Yes, that should work.”
“So what do we do now? Do I carry you out of here? There'll be an extra charge for additional cargo, though.”
Ferda shook his head.
“I'd prefer to follow the instructions. Do you see the book with the black cover and silver chains over there?”
A single book lay where Ferda pointed.
“Yes, I see it. Should I take it?”
“There should be some golden silk that was used to transport Gamigin's Necromancy. Wrap the book in it and carry it safely back to the carriage we came in.”
Zed wrapped Barbatos's Shadowcraft in the cloth he had brought.
His eyes never left Ferda's leg.
“Are you really all right? Shouldn't we call someone?”
“There's no need to worry.”
“No, I'm worried because you've lost this much blood.”
“People don't die from this much.”
Zed scratched his head and thought.
Although Ferda kept saying he was fine, the injury was too serious to leave him like this.
“So, did you find the information?”
“Not yet. I heard a commotion below first, so I came to deal with that.”
“Then don't waste any more time. Find it quickly.”
“Is that really important right now? You're about to die, Regent….”
“Wasn't that the information you wanted badly enough to devote your life to obtaining?”
The reason he flirted with unsavory women and cheated at gambling to swindle money from nobles was that he had a clear goal.
Zed had nothing left.
The Red-Eyed Tribe had been wiped out, and the only survivor had been his younger self.
His last memory was of his little sister being dragged away by a stranger.
With no family left, that hope was all he had.
“A contract is a contract. You agreed to carry out my work in exchange for obtaining what you wanted.”
“……”
Zed wore an expression of displeasure.
But at the same time, he felt compelled to honor the resolve he had forged with such determination.
Zed rose from his spot and earnestly pleaded with Ferda.
“Don't die.”
Zed moved.
Even as he sprinted at full speed, not a single footstep could be heard.
‘The signs were there from the start.’
Admiring him, Ferda leaned against the wall.
Ferda leaned against the display cabinet and caught his breath.
He had no mana left, was anemic, and his mind was nearing its limit.
The fact that Yuren had entered the Sealed Vault had been recorded, and if he did not come out on time, an emergency response team would be dispatched.
‘Judging by the time… about twenty minutes?’
With even a single minute pressing on him now, twenty minutes was an eternity.
Twenty minutes in a place like this was especially out of the question.
Ferda had weakened, and weakened prey was all the more tempting to a predator.
Then the ominous aura of the cursed grimoire began to seep into Ferda.
-Want to play with me?
-How about making a contract with me? I'll give you the power to destroy the world.
-Come here. I shall personally take you in.
From childish to solemn tones, the voices felt their way across Ferda's entire body and tried to creep inside.
If one merely listened to them, they sounded like beings possessing truly powerful or mysterious strength.
But Ferda knew them well.
These were miscellaneous demons whose names were not even known.
Their prices and conditions were pitiful, and the powers they offered were nothing to boast about.
‘Do I really have to listen to the likes of these?’
Perhaps that was why.
Even in this tense situation, he found himself yawning.
The malice they carried was not enough to exploit a gap in Ferda's defenses.
A short while later, all those voices fell silent at once.
It wasn't because they had been driven back by Ferda's iron will.
Something of a higher order was approaching.
‘He's here.’
A moment later, the darkness in Ferda's field of vision grew thicker.
Before he could even register the instinctive unease, a chilling cold enveloped Ferda.
Soon, someone appeared before him.
-Damn mortal.
An old man with blue skin and a long white beard.
He stared at Ferda with eyes as white as though clouded by cataracts.
It was Marbas, the great demon who had contracted with Yuren.
-How dare you lay a hand on my possession, who has only just entered into a contract with me? Do you know what it means to earn a demon's hatred?
Ferda looked at him and asked,
“What does it mean?”
-You will pay dearly for humiliating me, Marbas! You will spend a million years in the lowest depths of the Hell of Extreme Cold, suffering as your skin blisters and your veins freeze!
Marbas roared.
Then he tapped the floor with the staff he was holding.
The frost of Hell scattered across the floor.
-I shall give you a chance to make amends. Make a contract with me. Take the place of my new contractor. What do you say?
A contract with Ferda.
That was why he had come here to threaten him.
“I refuse.”
-Are you saying you will accept my hatred? No one makes a great demon angry and returns alive.
“You're angry?”
Ferda already knew what he was trying to do.
“You made a contract with that bastard so you could use it as an excuse to pretend you hold a grudge, didn't you?”
It was one of the tricks demons used to lure people in.
At the same time, he meant to test Ferda's abilities and entice him into a real contract.
Marbas, who had been wearing a fierce expression, let out a laugh instead of shouting.
-Heh heh heh… You're no ordinary fellow. So you have no intention of making a contract? I'll give you a special discount.
He talked as though he were clearing out a warehouse.
“Of course not.”
-What a shame. It would make me very happy if a soul as exceptional as yours became mine. The day you come to need me, you will have to pay an even greater price.
He made a remarkably cool exit for someone claiming to hold a grudge.
Ferda's field of vision remained narrow, and the chattering voices were gone.
Something hidden in the darkness writhed and approached him.
-The power you displayed was truly astonishing, Lord Ferda Valdrova.
A thick, viscous voice.
A toad in a suit emerged through the darkness.
-My name is Morax. Why not come and make a contract with me? I shall place power and authority in your hands. I shall lend you everything to create a mighty grand duchy.
The toad's huge mouth twisted into a greasy smile.
-Of course, you will pay the price someday.
Morax, one of the Seven Great Demons, the demon of contracts and payment.
He was the demon who granted the most power among them, and could therefore be called truly tempting.
He could turn even a weakling into a swordmaster and instantly make a great mage out of someone with no talent for magic.
But that power always led to a dreadful tragedy.
‘That is Morax's curse.’
Ferda had already witnessed those tragedies countless times.
So all that remained on his lips was a smile of utter disdain.
“I know exactly what you're going to do. You're boring me, so get lost.”
-Heh heh heh… I shall withdraw for now, but someday you will call Morax's name. I shall wait for that day.
The toad gentleman tipped his hat and returned to his domain.
Soon, someone else appeared before Ferda.
-Hello, darling?
A slimy, obscene voice whispered in his ear, and its owner emerged.
Blond hair, blue eyes, and large breasts.
She looked exactly like Olivia Arken.
But she was not Olivia Arken.
Her lower body was that of a snake, not a human.
-What you showed us today was wonderful. I never expected you to land such a blow on Marbas's contractor.
Sitri, the demon of lust and hallucinations.
“I see.”
-Why do you look so bored? The Empire's greatest beauty is standing right in front of you. I suppose I'm not your type?
She smiled seductively, twisting her hair around one slender finger.
Her bewitching appearance was more than enough to torment a man's heart.
But not Ferda's.
Even in the prime of his vigor, gazing upon a pale, naked body left him perfectly calm.
Compared to Morax and Marbas, the power she intended to offer was the most pathetic of all.
-You really don't seem interested. You said you married a dragon, didn't you?
“Yes.”
-If you love that dragon so much, what would you say to embracing two of them?
Ferda thought for a moment before looking at Sitri.
“Tell me more.”
-Why do you think I was able to take the form of Olivia Arken? For a demon like me, this is child's play.
She leaned in with a sultry smile and whispered,
-Darling… Do you want to see Valdrova's form?
Ferda's desire stirred.
In the end, that hesitation was enough for Sitri's temptation to work.
“Take Valdrova's form.”
-Heehee, what a cute man. All right.
Sitri covered her face with both hands. Everything changed along with the movement of her hands.
Her blond hair turned red; two pairs of horns emerged from her head, and her eyes became golden, with white showing all around the irises.
-How do you like it? Isn't this visage of mine beautiful?
Sitri had recreated the form of Valdrova that Ferda had dreamed of for so long.
After gazing intently at that form, Ferda said,
“That's not it.”
Only disappointment showed on his face.
-What?
“My fiancée wasn't so sharp-featured. Her eyes should slope downward more.”
-Hmm, is that so? Like this?
Sitri altered the face as Ferda instructed.
Ferda stared at the face and shook his head again.
“That's not it. Her eyes should be gentler. And her lips aren't that full.”
-Wait a moment. Like this?
“Why can't you understand what I mean? Am I asking for something so difficult?”
-Like this?
They bickered as Sitri, the great demon, changed her face over and over.
After trying for a long while, Sitri abruptly rose to her feet.
Deep disgust settled in her eyes.
-You madman.
“What's wrong? If you want, I'll make a contract with you! I only need to reproduce exactly what I want. It isn't difficult.”
-Get lost! If I get involved with a pervert like you, I'll only end up feeling sorry for myself!
Even Sitri, the great demon of lust, vanished with a look of disgust.
‘It seems she can't replace Valdrova.’
To be honest, Ferda had been somewhat captivated, and had nearly succumbed to it.
He had briefly thought that if he missed her, perhaps seeing a substitute would not be so bad.
But even that substitute proved impossible.
‘I shouldn't have done that.’
Because of Sitri's terrible disguise, Valdrova's image only lingered more vividly before Ferda's eyes.
He missed her so deeply that he grew lonely and depressed.
‘Ah, my king.’
Ferda called out to her desperately in his heart.
‘You love this world so dearly, yet the world is trying to use you.’
Yuren had attacked Ferda to provoke Valdrova's anger.
A plan that could potentially overthrow the Empire could never have been carried out merely because of Yuren's personal grudge.
‘But do not worry.’
Ferda already knew who was behind it.
And Ferda's sorrow only made him more ruthless.
‘I will hold them accountable for all of this.’
She hid the Empire's black-mage rats in the underground waterways,
had Yuren arrange the Regent's death,
brought the tottering Empire crashing down without mercy,
and prayed for all her blood relatives to die,
a beautiful flower blooming from the seed of calamity.
‘Olivia Arken.’
That was when it happened.
Ferda's vision cleared completely, and his dulled senses returned to normal.
He heard someone hurriedly coming down the stairs.
They were undoubtedly the knights and mages dispatched in response to the emergency.
“Damn it, Alte, what is this!?”
“Isn't that… Regent Valdrova?!”
“Is he breathing?”
“Yes, he is!”
“Hurry and bring a priest! This is an emergency!”
“Regent! Can you hear my voice?”
I can hear you perfectly.
So I think I'll get some sleep now.
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance