Chapter 40: Whispers of the Demon

Yuren’s head, which Zed had cut off.

Before it even touched the ground, Perda fired a magic arrow and made it explode.

Crack!

Fragments of the shattered head flew in all directions.

“Ahh!”

Zed covered his face by reflex.

Spitting just in case something had gotten into his mouth, he shouted at Perda.

“Hey! Why did his head suddenly explode like that?!”

Perda wiped the blood from his cheek with his thumb and answered calmly.

“You have to make sure.”

“But if you separate the head from the body, he is already dead! Was it really necessary to finish him off like that?”

“The problem is not the demon. At least it is better if they say that the regent suddenly handled a sword and cut off his head, do you not think?”

“Ah… well, that is true.”

Zed looked at Yuren’s corpse that he had cut.

The mark of a thrust followed by a clean cut in a single strike was evident.

For a fight involving a third-circle mage, it was too physical.

Zed decided to destroy the cut area so it would look like a death by explosion.

“Then…”

After finishing the preparations, Zed looked at Perda resentfully.

“Did you not say you only needed the eyes?”

“And did you bring only the eyes?”

Zed let out an incredulous laugh.

“Do you really think I am crazy enough to believe that?”

He definitely has the makings of a great thief.

Even with vague instructions, his execution is flawless.

“By the way, you took longer than expected.”

“A lot of things happened. Avoiding people, moving around and I had bad luck, I almost got discovered…”

Remembering that moment, Zed smirked.

“But well, I ran into that guy and was able to finish everything more safely and without consequences.”

“Who did you run into?”

“A guy named Karl from the Extermination Squad. The man you drew in, regent.”

Upon hearing that name, Perda let out an automatic “ah.”

Karl. The man to whom Perda had put a dog collar.

“Thanks to him it was easier. Right now I came in as a substitute for the warehouse guardian.”

“I see.”

“More importantly, is your leg alright?”

Zed pointed at Perda’s leg.

The blood was flowing more slowly, but it was still bleeding.

Without waiting for a response, Zed bent toward his leg.

“First we have to stop the bleeding. Even if it is with a pressure bandage.”

“I have a handkerchief. I will take care of it.”

Everything had to be done precisely.

Perda bandaged his leg himself.

But when tying the knot, it came out loose.

Already weakened, and in a state of anemia, he could not tighten it properly.

“Let me.”

Zed moved his hand aside and firmly secured the wound with the handkerchief.

“Let us say you stopped the bleeding with all your strength when you are about to die, you can do anything, right?”

“Yes, that does not sound bad.”

“Then, what do we do? Do I carry you and we leave? But that would imply an additional charge for carrying.”

Perda shook his head.

“Do what we agreed. Do you see that book with the black cover and silver chain?”

Where Perda pointed, there was a book.

“Yes, I see it. Should I take it?”

“There will be a golden cloth used to transport the necromancy of Gamigin. Wrap it with that and carry it safely to the carriage we came in.”

Zed wrapped the Shadow Art of Barbatos with the cloth.

But he did not take his eyes off Perda’s leg.

“Will you really be alright? Should we not call someone?”

“There is no need to worry.”

“No, it is just with so much blood… it is concerning.”

“People do not die from this.”

Zed scratched his head, doubtful.

Even though Perda insisted he was fine, the wound was serious to leave it like that.

“And did you find the information?”

“Not yet. I heard noise downstairs, so I came first to deal with that.”

“Then do not waste time and go look for it.”

“Is that what matters right now?! Hey?! You are about to die!”

“That is what you wanted, even if you had to risk your life, right?”

The fact that he scammed nobles and seduced women had a clear purpose.

Zed had nothing.

The red-eyed race had been exterminated, and he was the only survivor as a child.

The last thing he remembered was his sister being dragged away by someone.

With no family, that was his only goal.

“A contract is a contract. Fulfilling my part means you will get what you want.”

“….”

Zed grimaced, but he knew he could not ignore it.

He stood up and said seriously to Perda.

“Do not die.”

Zed moved.

Even though he ran at full speed, not a single step could be heard.

‘He is definitely talented from the start.’

Thinking that, Perda leaned against the wall.

Resting against the furniture, he regulated his breathing.

He had run out of mana, was anemic, and mentally at his limit.

Yuren’s entry into the sealed warehouse had been recorded, and if he did not leave in time, an emergency mobilization would be triggered.

“In terms of time… about 20 minutes?”

In the current situation, where even a minute was urgent, it was too long.

Especially in a place like this, 20 minutes did not even need explanation.

Perda had weakened, and weakened prey is the perfect target for predators.

And the unsettling energy of the cursed grimoires tried to invade him.

— Do you not want to play with me?

— How about making a contract with me? I will give you the power to destroy the world.

— Come here. I will personally take you in.

From childish tones to solemn voices, those presences crawled, trying to infiltrate every part of Perda’s body.

If one only listened, they seemed like entities with enormous or strange power.

But Perda knew them well.

They were insignificant demons whose names were not even known.

Their prices and conditions were mediocre, and the power they offered was as well.

‘Do I really have to listen to this trash?’

Perhaps because of that, even in this tense situation, he let out a yawn.

The malice they emitted was not enough to penetrate Perda’s firm mind.

Shortly after, all those voices stopped at the same time.

It was not because they retreated before Perda’s unbreakable will.

Something of a higher level than them was approaching.

‘It has arrived.’

Moments later, the darkness in his field of vision grew denser.

As soon as he felt that instinctive chill, an unsettling cold enveloped Perda.

And soon, someone appeared before him.

— Damned mortal.

An old man with blue skin, with a long white beard.

His whitish eyes, as if affected by cataracts, stared at him.

It was Marbas, the great demon with whom Yuren had made a contract.

— You dare touch something that has just become my property? Do you know what it means to earn the resentment of a demon?

Perda looked at him and asked.

“What does it mean?”

— You will pay the price for humiliating this Marbas! In the lowest level of the frozen hell, your skin will crack and your blood will freeze for a million years!

Marbas roared, then struck the ground with his staff.

Infernal frost spread across the ground.

— I will give you a chance for redemption. Make a contract with me. Take the place of my new contractor. What do you say?

A contract with Perda.

That was the true reason he had appeared.

“I refuse.”

— You will accept my resentment? No one who enrages a great demon survives.

“Resentment?”

Perda had already seen through him.

“You just want to create a pretext. You made a contract with that useless one to pretend there is resentment, did you not?”

It was one of the typical tricks demons use to tempt someone.

They took advantage of it to measure his potential while trying to seduce him into a real contract.

Marbas’s fierce face relaxed, and instead of shouting, he let out a laugh.

— Hehehe you are not an ordinary type. So you have no intention of making a contract? I will make an exception and ask for a low price.

He said it as if he were liquidating merchandise.

“Of course not.”

— What a shame. A soul as exceptional as yours would have brought me great joy. When the day comes that you need me, the price will be much higher.

He withdrew with surprising calm for someone who supposedly held a grudge.

The darkness continued to close in, and there were no longer trivial voices.

Something hidden in the shadow stirred and approached.

— The power you have shown has been truly impressive, Lord Perda Valdrova.

A viscous, sticky voice.

What emerged from the darkness was a toad dressed in a suit.

— My name is Morax. What do you think about making a contract with me? I will grant you power and authority. I will grant you everything so that you can build a great ducal domain.

The toad’s enormous mouth curled into a repulsive smile.

— Of course, the price will be paid someday.

One of the seven great demons, Morax, the demon of contracts and price.

Among demons, he was the one who granted the greatest power.

A weak man could become a Swordmaster, and someone without magical talent could become an Archmage in an instant.

But the result was always absolute tragedy.

‘That is Morax’s damned price.’

Perda had already seen that fate countless times.

That is why the only thing left on his face was a mocking smile.

“I know perfectly well what you do. It is boring. Get lost.”

— Hehe for now I will withdraw. But the day will come when you will speak the name of this Morax. I will wait for that moment.

The toad knight tipped his hat and returned to his domain.

Shortly after, another figure appeared before Perda.

— Hello, darling.

A moist and lustful voice whispered in his ear.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a voluptuous chest.

It was exactly the appearance of Olivia Arken.

But it was not Olivia Arken.

Because her lower half was not human, but that of a serpent.

— What you showed today was incredible. I did not expect you to strike Marbas’s contractor like that.

The demon of desire and illusion, Sitri.

“I see.”

— Why that indifferent face? You have before you the most beautiful woman in the empire. Do you not like it?

Playing with her hair with slender fingers, she smiled seductively.

Her appearance was enough to disarm any man.

But not Perda.

Even seeing that naked and perfect body in full youth, the only thing he felt was calm.

Compared to Morax or Marbas, the power she offered was the most insignificant.

— It seems you do not like it. You said you were going to marry a dragon, right?

“Yes.”

— If you like that dragon so much how about if you could have two?

Perda thought about it for a moment and then looked at her.

“Speak.”

— Do you know why I could take the appearance of Olivia Arken? For a demon like me, something like that is child’s play.

She smiled deeply and whispered.

— Darling do you want to see Valdrova’s appearance?

Perda’s desire stirred.

And before that slight hesitation, he ended up giving in to Sitri.

“Take the appearance of Valdrova.”

— Heh, what an adorable man. Alright.

Sitri covered her face with both hands.

Following the movement of her hands, everything began to change.

The blonde hair turned red, two pairs of horns appeared on her head, and her eyes transformed into golden eyes with exposed sclera.

— Well? Is not this my beautiful appearance?

Sitri had recreated the figure of Valdrova, the one he longed for so much.

Perda stared at her and then said,

“That is not it.”

On his face there was only disappointment.

— What?

“My fiancée does not have such a sharp appearance. Her eyes should droop a bit more.”

— Hm, like this?

Sitri modified her face according to the instructions.

Perda looked at her again and shook his head.

“That is not it. She has a softer gaze. And her lips are not that thick.”

— Wait a moment. Like this?

“Why do you not understand what I am saying? Did I ask for something difficult?”

— Like this?

And so, they spent quite some time arguing while Sitri repeatedly changed her face.

After several attempts, Sitri stood up abruptly.

In her eyes there was deep contempt.

— You are insane.

“What is it? If you want, I will make a contract with you. You just have to recreate exactly what I want. It is not difficult.”

— Get lost! If I get involved with a pervert like you, my future will only be miserable!

Even Sitri, the great demon of desire, disappeared with an expression of exasperation.

‘It seems no one can replace Valdrova.’

To be honest, Perda had felt slightly tempted and had given in a little to that temptation.

He thought that, if he missed her, it would not be so bad to see her even in that form.

But not even a substitute was possible for her.

‘I should not have done it.’

Because of Sitri’s clumsy disguise, the image of Valdrova only became more persistent in his mind.

He missed her deeply, and loneliness began to invade him.

‘Ah… my queen.’

Perda called out to her inwardly with longing.

‘You love this world so much, but the world tries to take advantage of you.’

The reason Yuren attacked Perda was to provoke Valdrova’s anger.

A plan capable of shaking the empire could not have come solely from Yuren’s resentment.

‘But do not worry.’

Perda already knew who was behind everything.

And his sadness only made him more ruthless.

‘I will make them pay for all of this.’

Hiding black magic practitioners like rats in the empire’s sewers, instigating Yuren to assassinate the regent, bringing down a decaying empire, and desiring the death of all those bound by blood.

A beautiful flower born from the seed of calamity.

‘Olivia Arken.’

At that moment, Perda’s vision cleared completely and his senses, which had been dulled, returned to normal.

Someone was rapidly descending the stairs.

They were undoubtedly knights and mages mobilized by the emergency.

“Damn it, Altes! What is happening here?”

“That… is that not Regent Valdrova?!”

“Is he still alive?”

“Yes, he is still breathing!”

“Bring a priest immediately! This is an emergency!”

“Lord Regent! Can you hear my voice?”

He could hear it.

So now he could sleep.