DSB 122

“…My lord, may I interrogate Jorsen? I will make sure nothing harms the North.”

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Because of the demonic disturbance, a strange tension spread through the hall. They realized that demons truly existed in the North. Edmund calmly looked at the nobles and spoke.

“Even if demons target the North, we won’t be easily defeated. Just as we defended our land from demonic beasts, we can defeat demons. That’s why Yutis was chosen by God. And I believe he has demonstrated that potential today.”

Yutis silently sheathed the holy sword back into its scabbard. His calm demeanor, however, inspired trust from everyone.

“The North has always survived crises. This time will be no different.”

The nobles applauded Edmund’s confident remark.

They had seen the power of the holy sword with their own eyes, so there was nothing left to doubt. Once the situation was resolved, the nobles began speaking one after another.

“The Teruo family is now finished.”

“Isn’t the head of the family still alive? He still holds great power as a vassal who supports Hestro.”

“But Sir Jorsen, who was the heir, has ended up like that….”

“From the start, Sir Jorsen wasn’t suitable as an heir since he was a dominant Omega. The family might have survived if he had brought in a good son-in-law, but who would accept someone who made a contract with a demon?”

“To think Sir Jorsen contracted with a demon…. What reason could he have had?”

Some began predicting the fall of a once powerful family and started coveting its authority. The appearance of a demon contractor was shocking, but gaining power was far more important to them.

“How did you figure it out? Did the holy sword tell you?”

“Was that smoke like thing we saw earlier the demon?”

“The reason the demon couldn’t move was because of the holy sword, right? As long as the young master is here, the North will be safe!”

Those who had witnessed the holy sword’s power couldn’t hide their amazement and tried to speak to Yutis.

There were also people who turned their interest toward Lebel.

“But… why were you laughing, Young Madam? I froze the moment I saw the demon and couldn’t even move….”

“I heard you were attacked by a demon before. Normally that would make someone even more afraid.”

“You seem braver than you look.”

“Ah, or maybe you were confident because you’re a mage?”

“I heard the young mastzr drove the demon away back then too, but perhaps the young madam helped as well.”

“Looking at you now, it doesn’t seem like you were simply attacked.”

Lebel heard their whispers. He had only laughed because it amused him, but it seemed to have caused strange misunderstandings.

At that moment, Damian approached Lebel’s side.

“Did you recognize it?”

Lebel nodded since there was no reason to hide it.

“Was it the demon that appeared before you?”

Damian looked concerned. Lebel shrugged and spoke.

“You don’t need to worry. That one is not hostile toward us.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m here.”

“Have you forgotten that the demon targeting you also targeted the North?”

“Ah, even so, it’s fine. He was attacked by a human and had his pride hurt, yet he didn’t retaliate.”

“Wasn’t he just afraid of the holy sword?”

“Well, that too.”

It was good that Yutis demonstrated his ability, but the humans who only stared at the holy sword, praised the god, and hovered around him were irritating.

There were also humans who genuinely thought highly of Yutis himself. Lebel knew that, so he let it slide.

“These are things I prepared for Yutis, so it would be troublesome if they didn’t work properly. Even if a demon contracts with a human, it’s hard to harm a demon without a physical body. The holy sword turned out to be more useful than expected. At that level, it will work well enough against Norman too. Yutis could have killed Norman back then as well, but he couldn’t because of the special nature of demons.”

Even though demons were practically his own kind, Lebel proudly boasted as if only Yutis mattered to him.

Damian’s eyes narrowed. This was someone who usually said a simple “You did well” as praise. It was unusual for him to talk this much.

“By the way, it seems the holy sword absorbs demonic energy when it comes into contact with it. That’s why Michael said he could prevent demonization by talking about divine protection. To demons, demonic energy is close to life force. If it disappears, a demon has no choice but to die. Not only Norman, but any other demon targeting the North wouldn’t be a match for Yutis.”

“Are you drunk?”

Lebel, who had been rambling on, lifted his head and looked at Damian.

“How am I drunk? Yutis said that earlier too.”

“My wife, were you drinking again?”

Yutis had approached without notice and sighed as he took the glass from Lebel’s hand. This was already the second time.

Lebel looked up at him with a sulky expression, like a spoiled child.

“You’re drunk, so please stop drinking.”

“You’ve been saying I’m drunk for a while now, but I’m not. I’ve drunk a lot before. I didn’t get drunk back then either.”

However, no one listened to Lebel.

“May I take him away?”

Damian decided it would be better to remove Lebel from the area rather than risk another incident like earlier.

Lebel considered resisting, but Yutis volunteered to guide him, so he followed in silence. Yutis seated Lebel on a sofa in the lounge so he could rest.

“I’ll bring Karon.”

“So you’re telling me not to cause trouble and just play with Karon?”

“That’s not what I mean….”

“Enough. There are people waiting for you, so you should go. Humans who’ve never seen a demon just saw a demon’s form, and since you defeated him, they’ll have piles of questions they want to ask you.”

Was he really drunk?

He had tried not to show it, but he was feeling irritated. The words sounded like a complaint.

There was no need to add anything more….

“Did I do something wrong?”

Yutis seemed slightly surprised as he scrutinized Lebel’s expression. Lebel hesitated, then spoke.

“What wrong? I just don’t like something.”

“What is it that displeases you so much?”

Yutis looked like he had no intention of backing down unless he heard the reason.

“There’s no need to boast about a sword that’s nothing more than a tool.”

When Lebel had appeared alongside Yutis, the nobles had talked about wanting to see the holy sword up close or touch it. He hated watching everyone lavish praise on the holy sword Michael had given them.

Yutis agreeing with them only made it worse.

The thing he should be most proud of was right beside him.

Lebel had no idea that whenever someone tried to speak to him or looked his way, Yutis had glared at them.

Yutis, who had been listening quietly, smiled. Other than the holy sword, there was only one thing he could truly boast about.

It was so precious that he didn’t want to show it to anyone who might covet it.

“I won’t ever boast about my wife by keeping him at my side.”

“…What?”

Lebel’s expression stiffened when he heard the completely unexpected answer.

Lebel had tried not to show it, but he had often acted as if he were competing with the angel called worshiped as a god and the sword that god had given.

That was probably why he brought up contracts afterward and why he arranged for Edmund to contract with Luceris.

Yutis knew that even without holding something tangible in his hands, even without anything being clearly stated, his wife was doing many things for him.

The affection he held right now was already precious enough.

“I don’t show off a precious jewel that I want to keep only for myself. I don’t care if someone covets the holy sword, or even tries to take it. But you, my wife, are different. I don’t want to show you to anyone. I won’t boast about you either.”

Yutis recalled the sight of Lebel laughing brightly and chatting with others earlier. He had thought he pulled him away from people’s attention, but that wasn’t true.

Even at his side, Lebel drew attention just by being there. Yutis hated the sight of nobles calling him and approaching him so familiarly.

That was why he had forcibly brought him to the lounge.

“It seems I’m just as greedy as a demon. I want to be the only one who knows my wife.”

Lebel look at him in the eye and thought for a moment.

He felt like he understood.

Lebel had wanted everyone to praise Yutis because he was proud of him, but the number of people hovering around Yutis had grown larger than expected, and that had irritated him too.

“I understand what you mean.”

Lebel smiled. He understood well the feeling of not wanting to show something precious to others.

At that moment, Yutis stood up and spoke softly.

“Please only drink when I’m with you.”

“Why?”

“You can’t. You’re weak to alcohol.”

“I’m not.”

“When you drink, you smile more. I wouldn’t mind if only I saw it, but there are too many others around. Do you know that every time you smile, everyone stares at you like they’ve lost their minds?”

Me?

Lebel noticed the jealousy in Yutis’s displeased tone. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed Yutis’s hand and kissed his cheek.

“My wife? Why all of a sudden…?”

“Because I wanted to.”

Lebel grinned. Yutis stopped breathing for a moment.