A Deal with a Demon

“It seems the humans and dragons are slowly catching on.”

The dimly lit meeting room.

A secret meeting was being held inside, where no one could even determine the others’ identities.

“Catching on?”

“Is it because someone proposed linking the proliferation of monsters across the continent to the return of demonkind?”

“Who is suspicious of that?”

“It seems to be Escolleia.”

“Escolleia? Isn’t that the gathering place of the continent’s intellect, the lighthouse of knowledge?”

Some voices expressed concern, while others treated the matter as insignificant.

“It is a place filled with all sorts of intellectuals, so there are many strange people there as well. The continent’s high nobles won’t believe it easily.”

“They didn’t seem particularly inclined to agree, either. Even if the two are connected, it won’t be enough to persuade the noble lords.”

“Still, the fact that someone linked the two is troubling.”

“What was the conclusion?”

“So the White Dragon Blancaros personally placed it on hold.”

“We’ve bought time.”

“Humans may not have begun investigating yet, but the dragons surely have. If we’re discovered, they’ll suppress us before the war even begins.”

Everyone lowered their heads and groaned.

The greater the effort invested, the greater the frustration when it failed.

“What do you intend to do? In my opinion, we should create a diversion even now….”

“That is out of the question.”

A man who had maintained a long silence finally opened his mouth.

He seized control of the heated atmosphere at once.

He was the leader of this place.

“Why?”

“The White Dragon is probably hoping for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we move because we heard that, they’ll realize that an internal enemy still remains within the Grand Council.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

“We proceed as planned. That is the better course. If we make it look as though something that had been building for years finally erupted, that will be enough.”

“C-can it really look that way?”

“The only variable I have is what comes out of your mouths.”

It was an insulting statement, but they merely exchanged cautious glances.

Not one of them voiced a complaint.

“If that is your opinion….”

“Is there anything else of note?”

“If there is anything else, then….”

No one needed to strain to think of anything more.

There was one human who had left a particularly strong impression on him.

“There is a man named Ferda Valdrova.”

Everyone was startled by the person he singled out.

“You mean Valdrova’s young fiancé?”

“What is there to say about the idiot who walked into the dragon’s maw of his own accord?”

“That’s what I thought when I heard the rumors. But after seeing him in person, he seemed quite different.”

Before he was a follower of demonkind, the middle-aged man was a nobleman and a lord.

“Perhaps we need to be wary of him.”

“What is his threat level?”

“We should classify him at around the same level as Alberdo, the walking fortress.”

“That seems like a hasty judgment.”

“It took five years for Alberdo, that damned mass murderer, to become a threat. But this child hasn’t even served out much of his term—.”

“That means he is exactly that dangerous.”

“To think you were frightened by some brat. You’ve wasted your years.”

He looked at them with pity, and the man looked back at them as though they were pitiable as well.

Since neither side knew what the other was thinking, conflict was inevitable.

At that moment, a masked man walked into the meeting room and whispered to a noble seated in a chair.

The man’s expression became complicated and subtle upon hearing the message.

“The messenger has just delivered some unfortunate news.”

Bewilderment born from failure.

“It seems the Escolleia Overwriting has failed.”

Overwriting was the operation’s codename.

It was an operation to use Dopplers among demonkind to take the places of high-ranking nobles.

Some of those present had already infiltrated their positions through Overwriting.

“Apparently, it was none other than Ferda Valdrova who stopped it.”

Those who had mocked him moments earlier gaped at him.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the leader at once, as though they had rehearsed it together.

The man’s complicated expression briefly shifted into a smile before crumpling bitterly.

Their leader was irritated by this unexpected situation as well.

“Does it seem that the existence of the Dopplers has been exposed?”

It was a question utterly devoid of composure.

The existence of demonkind capable of disguising themselves as humans was on an entirely different level from an ordinary conspiracy being exposed.

It meant realizing that decisive triggers for the bomb had been planted everywhere.

He gave his conclusion after thinking it through with cold reason, without a shred of hope.

“It seems likely to be exposed.”

“Hmm….”

The leader tapped his face with a finger.

“Who is in overall charge of the Escolleia Overwriting?”

“……”

“I asked who it was.”

Then a man cautiously raised his hand.

“I-I was in charge of this—.”

Before he could finish, the neck of the man who had raised his hand was severed.

His body toppled over and collapsed onto the floor.

“Gasp….”

“Hng….”

Silence and fear settled over the room, thick with the scent of blood.

“Messenger.”

“Yes.”

The man who had come to deliver the bad news stepped forward.

The leader tossed something to him.

It was a syringe filled with black liquid.

“From today onward, you are Viscount Battlehorn.”

“I am grateful for your grace.”

The masked messenger plunged the syringe into his own neck.

In an instant, the man became a black mannequin and greedily absorbed the blood spurting from his severed neck.

Viscount Battlehorn died, and a new Viscount Battlehorn took his place.

Those seated in the suddenly filled vacancy swallowed hard.

It was a warning that, no matter who died, their positions could be replaced at any time.

“Finish the research on the Dopplers. The time for conducting research at your leisure is over.”

“Understood.”

“Dispose of all remaining specimens and everyone connected to the discarded research materials.”

“Yes.”

The method of disposal was very simple.

Their research facility was beneath a mountain.

All they had to do was bring the mountain down.

* * *

“The Grand Council has ended. Aren’t you going back?”

Luri asked.

“Something came up.”

“Lord Valdrova will be waiting for you.”

“I know. It weighs on me to keep him waiting.”

“Even so, you aren’t going?”

“It is important.”

It was important enough to make matters such as the appearance of monsters seem trivial.

It was a place containing a clue to eliminating the things that had made Valdrova suffer.

Luri knew that as well.

He said this because he knew where Ferda was going.

“That place is in Silverwind territory.”

Ferda nodded.

“I know.”

“Goz currently hates you, Lord Ferda.”

“He knows that as well.”

“Demonkind is a common enemy. But the enemy of my enemy cannot be called a friend. If you enter their territory… you will have to get your hands dirty.”

Silverwind hated demonkind.

Ferda also hated the demons tormenting Valdrova.

Yet Silverwind did not welcome Ferda.

“That is why we are proceeding with this covertly.”

“……”

“It is dangerous, but once it is over, it will also be an affair without consequences.”

Luri’s lips kept moving soundlessly.

You mustn’t go.

The words would not come out of her mouth.

“Are you going?”

“I must.”

“Understood. Then I will wait for you.”

“No, you go back.”

“……”

“While I’m gone, it is your duty to protect my husband.”

Luri bit her lip tightly.

She did not like it, and naturally, she had intended to refuse those words.

But they would not come out of her mouth.

Luri had no right to go against his wishes.

“Please return safely.”

Luri left just like that.

As he prepared for the secret expedition, Ferda began calculating one thing after another.

‘Minimize supplies in favor of mobility. Even if I push ourselves a little with a medium-scale teleportation magic circle, it will take a day.’

One day.

That was fast for attacking a country, but slow for a mere research facility.

Moreover, there was no way the other side would remain idle.

By now, they must have heard that the kidnapping of Escolleia’s chancellor had failed as well.

They would swiftly prepare for every possible situation.

‘It would be nice if I could carry everyone and fly at Luri’s speed.’

That place was in Silverwind territory.

Luri had already experienced what happened when she faced Silverwind.

Ferda did not want to involve Luri.

And he could not do so.

‘We need to settle this within our own ranks as much as possible.’

Next in importance was their fighting strength.

‘Did he say the head of the research facility was a fifth-circle mage?’

All the researchers under him were merely assistants of around one or two stars, while the head of the facility was said to be a powerful mage.

It would have been useful to learn what magic he wielded and how he fought, but torture could not extract information that did not exist.

‘I’ll have to handle that mage myself.’

Of course, he must not fight him head-on.

Ferda considered the cards in his hand.

‘A shadow I can control without chanting.’

When manifested, it took the form of a Shadow Hand, but it could also take the shape of an octopus’s tentacles or something flat like parchment.

The less light there was, the stronger its power became, while intense light weakened it enough to shatter its form.

‘It isn’t a technique meant for that in the first place.’

It was Barbatos’s magic, centered on stealth and intrigue.

Rather than a tool for direct combat, it was used for outmaneuvering an opponent and striking at his blind spots.

‘According to Shape of Shadow, this is part of the body.’

It used the shadow as part of the body, and that was how it was perceived.

‘That means magic should also be possible through the Shadow Hand.’

It was possible, but the task required a high level of understanding of magic.

It involved more than merely making it resemble a real arm; he had to reproduce the mana channels and circuits through which mana flowed.

Ferda focused his mana on one of the manifested Shadow Hands.

The mana flowed beneath the soles of his feet, traveled along the black shadow, and gathered in the black hand.

He went through the series of steps needed to draw a magic circle.

Blue particles burst from the black hand, and he succeeded in drawing a white magic circle.

With this, he could launch a surprise attack against his opponent anytime and anywhere.

But Ferda frowned.

‘The time required to complete the magic circle is about four times the average.’

It was slow enough for a skilled mage to respond the moment he noticed it.

Unless he perfectly understood what type of opponent he would face and where the battlefield would be, it was a reckless gamble.

‘There’s no need to think about that.’

Ingenuity over prediction.

Immediate reactions were more important than putting forward countless hypotheses.

That was what Ferda did best.

So, keeping only the knowledge that he possessed such a means, he lay down.

He tried to fall asleep.

It was better to look toward tomorrow than to burden himself with worries about an uncontrollable situation.

That was when it happened.

At the very moment he was about to close his eyes, Ferda’s mind snapped awake.

Ferda’s intuition had detected something strange nearby.

‘Hmm….’

It was something he had never once sensed in the castle.

Naturally.

Valdrova Castle was surrounded by layers upon layers of barrier magic, superior even to that of the imperial palaces.

There was no way an intrusion could be tolerated easily.

But a count’s estate was a different matter.

Compared to Valdrova Castle, it was as flimsy as a net rotting in seawater.

‘Who is coming?’

Ferda heard and felt the ripple of mana.

Soon, the sharp scent of sulfur brushed the tip of his nose.

“Hello, darling?”

It was a seductive voice he had heard once before.

It was Sitri, the demon of lust.

“Get lost.”

“Oh my, how cold. Were we really on such bad terms?”

Her snake-like tongue slid over her lips as she approached.

“I have no intention of making a contract with you, Sitri.”

“I have not the slightest intention of making a contract with you, either. I can’t stand your kind. You’re difficult to handle, and you don’t handle properly even when someone does manage to control you.”

“Then why waste time here? Get lost.”

“Don’t be hasty. I came to do business.”

Ferda’s expression grew even more contorted.

“Is there an idiot who does business with a demon?”

“There is. Here.”

She gently pointed at Ferda with her index finger.

Ferda raised both hands to cover his ears.

“The research facility you intend to attack will be completely destroyed within six hours.”

His hand stopped.

It was information he could not help finding tempting.

“Don’t make that face as if to ask how I know. You’re a Great Demon in name, and you don’t know even that?”

Sitri enjoyed Ferda’s reaction.

“Then how do you know?”

“What’s wrong, darling? Most of the people I keep like dogs are high-ranking nobles. Big babies who can’t be satisfied by ordinary pleasures. Some of them have even joined hands with demonkind, you know?”

It was something he had more or less suspected.

The failed kidnapping of Escolleia’s chancellor was proof of that.

“The kidnapping of the chancellor failed, and the man who was supposed to become him was captured. If he were to reveal the location under torture, there would be a risk of exposure, wouldn’t there?”

“So you’re going to destroy it.”

“Even if you set out now, you’ll be too late. Combining all the means at your disposal, it would still take you a day or two.”

“If we move quickly, we can leave even now.”

“Using that little spawn? Of course it’s possible. But do you think Silverwind will sit quietly if you do that?”

There was no way they would remain idle.

From the time Ferda had entered Silverwind territory at will while at the White House, he had already been their enemy.

If they were given an excuse, they would not hesitate.

This was troublesome.

Sitri had seen through the current situation perfectly.

That was why she had come here proposing a business deal.

“Looking at your face, I feel like this conversation is going to go well. Is my intuition right?”

Sitri urged him to answer.

Ferda’s blue eyes moved calmly, concealing his intentions.

“What can you do for me?”

As though she had been waiting for him to ask, Sitri slipped a hand into her bosom.

She pulled out a thick scroll.

“It’s a scroll inscribed with the Banding Bridge spell. Do you know what kind of magic it is?”

“A spell that connects two spaces within a dimension. It belongs to the teleportation family.”

“Oh my, what an intelligent man. Correct. You know how impressive its reputation is, don’t you?”

It could move so stealthily that it made even ordinary detection magic seem cheap, and because it connected one space to another, it was persistent as well.

It was the perfect spell for his situation, in which he had to approach covertly.

“Is that all?”

“If you need more, my minions will keep Silverwind’s mongrels occupied. I’ll give you enough time to turn the place into a wasteland and steal even the research secrets.”

Sitri’s terms were that she would move them a great distance in an instant and buy them time.

The terms were too good.

They were far too good.

That was why, instead of grabbing at the offer, he considered it carefully.

His opponent was a demon.

Demons would make a contract if it benefited them, but they would never agree to one that disadvantaged them.

An offer this outrageous meant that a corresponding difficulty or price would follow.

“What do you want?”

“There’s one stupid demon inside that facility.”

“A stupid demon?”

“Yes. A foolish child who was told to seduce a man but ended up completely falling for him instead.”

“Is that possible?”

“That’s why I told you she’s a stupid demon.”

Sitri sighed.

“If she dies there, she won’t even make it to Hell. She’ll be completely erased and fall into the void. So could you bring her out and kill her outside? That way she’ll be reverse-summoned to Hell.”

“That’s a very warmhearted proposal.”

“What can I do? We demons have to look after our own kind. There’s such a thing as compassion, isn’t there?”

“A passing dog would laugh at that.”

Sitri was the demon of lust.

She was as far removed from compassion as possible.

“Oh, come on. Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. She’s one of my daughters.”

“I see.”

“She’s come of age, so I should make her independent… Haa, what can I do? Her mother has to save her. I need to wrap her in my skirts, but they’re too thin… and too short.”

Sitri fluttered her skirt as though seducing him.

“Your proposal means that, while rescuing her, you will help us at the same time.”

“Good for the sister, good for the brother-in-law. What do you think? Isn’t it a wonderful proposal?”

Ferda thought it over again.

Only one sentence came to mind.

Never make a deal with a demon.

“Can you swear on your name that you do not intend to set a trap for us?”

“I swear in the name of Sitri, Great Demon of Hell. I have no intention of setting a trap for you. Once you rescue that child, your mission is over.”

Sitri gave him a firm answer.

Ferda nodded.

“Fine. We’ll do that business.”

“You’re agreeing more readily than I expected. Good.”

Sitri placed the scroll she had suspended in the air beside the bed.

“I can keep the way open for two hours from now. Eight people can enter at once, and only eight people can come out. Be sure to remember that.”

With those words, Sitri quietly melted into the darkness.

Once her figure had completely disappeared, Ferda’s door burst open at the same time.

Count Consilius and armed knights rushed inside.

“Regent! Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“We sensed a demon’s intrusion inside. We’ll conduct a search for a moment—.”

“No, there’s no need. The demon is gone.”

“Did the demon say anything—?”

“And the expedition is canceled.”

“What? What do you mean….”

Ferda didn’t even have time to explain.

So he could only issue an order.

“We’ll begin the operation within an hour. Gather the elite troops.”