DSB 93

“Mm…? Are you satisfied now?”

“……”

When Lebel stared at him, Yutis let out a sigh from deep in his gut and buried his face against Lebel’s neck.

“You were the one who started, so why are you the one blushing?”

The more he heard Lebel’s laughter, the hotter his desire burned until his eyes felt bloodshot. The urge not to exhaust someone who had only just woken up clashed with the urge to take him even if he cried.

If he said he wasn’t satisfied, would he sound insane? Did Lebel even know how far gone he already was? That was why he didn’t care about words like demon or anything else anymore.

“I’ll have to make sure you can’t be taken from me,” Yutis murmured quietly.

“Hm?”

“It’s nothing. Just something I promised myself.”

Lebel rolled his eyes but simply reached out to brush Yutis’s hair, used to the man making quiet vows to himself. He didn’t need to carry everything alone anymore.

“More than that… shall we continue?”

“……?”

Yutis lifted his head slightly, not understanding for a moment.

“You might be satisfied, but I don’t think I am yet.”

Lebel caught his breath and closed his eyes. Seeing him wait so openly made Yutis laugh softly. Even the way he granted him permission was sweet.

He called it a blessing to become the bride of a powerful being, and he was the one who had entered Yutis’s room back when he had turned into a monster during his rut.

He was his alone, his bride. Whether demon or god, no one could take him away.

Yutis pressed their lips together again, gentler than before. The hearts beating against each other’s chests pulsed in unison.

He held Lebel close, hands around his neck, giving him the deeper kiss he wanted.

***

Leaving Lebel asleep in the room, Yutis returned to his own quarters. Like the ruined space Lebel had left behind, his room echoed with the savage growls of a trapped beast.

[Let me out right now!]

Karon snarled inside the iron cage, ramming his swollen body against the bars. The metal clanged loudly but didn’t break.

[Why won’t this thing break?!]

“I made it strong enough that I couldn’t break it myself. There’s a spell on it too, so it will be difficult to escape.”

[I’ll tell Lord Lebel about your crimes! How dare you lock me in a cage like this!]

“You were the one who tried to bite off an envoy’s head. You’ll only be released once you promise not to destroy anything.”

Yutis had good reason for caging Karon. After Lebel collapsed, Karon had declared that the envoys were the cause and tried to slaughter all of them.

Norman was already dead by Yutis’s hand, so the only targets left for Karon’s rage were them. He had convinced himself that Lebel would agree with him and went on a rampage.

[You wanted to kill those humans too.]

Yutis remained silent. He would be lying if he said their behavior hadn’t stirred murderous anger, but he held it in.

“…Humans have their own way of handling things.”

He had told the envoys that Norman had broken into Lebel’s chamber and that he was a demon. But because it was so sudden, no one believed him.

They accused Yutis, saying he was losing control, turning into a monster not only during his rut but even in everyday life, that he was the one who killed Norman.

Yutis endured it. It wasn’t the first time he’d been misunderstood. But then they dragged Lebel into it.

They said that if Norman really had broken in, Lebel should have called for help, and since Lebel bore wasn’t seriously wounded, maybe the two had arranged a secret meeting.

That was when Yutis’s anger finally exploded.

Gripping his sword tightly, he warned them to watch their words unless they wanted to see it drawn. He almost did draw it, but he forced himself to stop. There were more urgent matters than cutting down the envoys.

Then Karon had appeared and tried to kill them all.

“The Young Madam is asleep. If you make noise, you’ll wake him.”

At Yutis’s words, Karon froze. It wasn’t calm, quite the opposite. His fur bristled, and he glared at him even more fiercely.

[It’s your fault!]

“……”

Yutis stared back in silence. Karon let out a deep, trembling sigh.

[Lord Lebel… why…]

He clutched his head with both hands like a creature in despair.

“If you stay quiet, I’ll let you out.”

Karon growled, but Yutis knew he wouldn’t run wild anymore. He must have felt that Lebel had woken.

Yutis didn’t like Karon, but he understood that their concern for Lebel came from the same place.

[I’ll stay quiet. Just get me out already.]

Karon’s rage was aimed at himself. What burned him most was his own failure, his inability to subdue Norman that day.

Because of that, Lebel had pushed himself too far and fainted, and Yutis had been the one to save him.

The only reason Yutis had been able to bring Norman down was because of Karon’s ability. Even so, the fact that he’d needed help from a human to defeat a single demon burned like humiliation.

Clack.

Karon’s eyes lit up with a wild gleam. The moment the iron door opened, he lunged at Yutis to make him pay for locking him up, but Yutis dodged.

[Tch. You’re quick when it’s convenient.]

“If I get hurt, the Young Madam will be sad.”

[Are you bragging to my face right now?]

That smug tone grated on him. This was a man he could never, ever like.

“If it sounded like bragging, I apologize.”

[Cut that formal talk! It gives me chills.]

“You’ve served the Young Madam for a long time. I’m only being respectful.”

Karon snorted. He remembered how Yutis had once told him not to bother Lebel, not to follow him around, scolding him like he was just a simple demonic beast.

But instead of retorting, Karon just clicked his tongue. He might hate Yutis, but he’d seen the man throw himself in harm’s way for Lebel’s sake.

‘If not for that, I wouldn’t have let this slide…!’

Karon kicked at the bars, venting his frustration.

[I thought I was going to die in there.]

“It should’ve been spacious enough.”

The cell was built large enough to contain Yutis’s transformed size during rut, so even with Karon inside, there had still been room to spare.

[Have you seen my real form? It’s huge! Way too big for this thing!]

Yutis frowned. Karon’s voice rang inside his head so loudly that his temples throbbed.

Did Lebel have to deal with conversations like this too?

“The Young Madam said the gods granted him power. You won’t need to worry about him fainting again.”

[He already told me himself. You don’t have to repeat it.]

“I thought you might still worry.”

[Hmph.]

Karon turned his head away with a huff but didn’t cause more trouble. He jumped up onto Yutis’s neatly made bed and sat there proudly.

[So what are you going to do now? Play the hero?]

He smirked as he spoke.

“Hero.”

Yutis fell silent, lost in thought. The first to call him that hadn’t been Karon, it had been Illa.

He knew well he wasn’t someone worthy of that word. He had killed a demon only because that demon tried to take Lebel. It hadn’t been out of any noble cause.

For someone of demon blood like him, wielding a holy sword to slay a demon was almost ridiculous.

[Did you tell Lord Lebel?]

“I didn’t.”

Karon licked his paw and gave him a sidelong glance.

[Just so you know, Lord Lebel wouldn’t avoid you over that sword.]

“……”

The holy sword was made to destroy demons, so of course he’d worried. Did Karon say that because he could tell? When Yutis met his gaze, Caron flinched and shouted.

[Lord Lebel doesn’t fear that stupid sword! Like someone of your level could ever hurt him!]

Then he suddenly froze and lifted his head. From afar, he felt the unpleasant aura of an angel.

[He’s coming.]

“Young Master, pardon the intrusion.”

“Come in.”

Just as Karon had said, Illa entered Yutis’s room.

“Have you thought about it? It’s not a bad offer, Young Master.”

Now that he knew Lebel was a demon, getting close to a servant of the gods like Illa wasn’t ideal. That was why he’d told him he needed time to think when Illa suggested he receive the gods’ blessing and use the holy sword to defeat demons.

But Illa had approached first.

‘I know who Lord Lebel really is. And the god I serve knows him as well.’

Through him, Yutis had heard stories of demons, angels, and gods.

So when Lebel later said the gods had given him power and restored his strength, Yutis had been surprised, but he hadn’t doubted it.

“Do you really think I can do it?”

“Of course. You’ve already slain a demon.”

“I didn’t kill him completely.”

“If you cut a demon’s neck with a holy sword, he’s dead. I know what troubles you, Young Master, but our god has no wish to be Lord Lebel’s enemy.”

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

Illa met Yutis’s scrutinizing gaze, seemingly assessing him.

“Lord Lebel is a demon who shows kindness to humans. He let me stay by his side even after learning what I am.”

That answer made Yutis stare at Illa.