DSB 86

“So you’re telling me you’re going to have a child with some human?”

Everyone was appalled, while Lebel frowned as if the thought alone irritated him.

“It can’t be done with this body now, but I can make it possible later. The problem is that this vessel is too weak. I’ll have to deal with Norman too, so maybe I should go meet the Demon God…”

Lebel clicked his tongue and complained about his body.

“Can’t your Saint heal my body?”

“…You’re the one who went against the laws.”

“Really? Then meeting the Demon God will be the fastest way.”

Only Lebel could speak so casually about meeting a god.

This was why talking to him was unbearable. Even in serious conversations, his lazy tone and behavior could drive anyone mad.

“If that rift bothers you, you can deal with it yourself.”

“I can’t do it. Do you think it’s easy to fill the space again in the first place?”

Lebel blinked. Seeing this, Michael regretted having borrowed Illa’s body and appeared before him. And Lebel clawed at Michael’s insides once more.

“Oh, so you asked me to do it because you couldn’t do it.”

Michael gritted his teeth. He glared at Lebel with a fierce gaze, but he didn’t even look at him.

The Middle Realm was a space where beings who could affect the world, including the Celestial God and Demon God, couldn’t interfere. That was why Lebel was the only one capable of sealing the rift.

He had helped both gods create the Middle Realm, and when their disagreement once threatened to destroy it, he had stepped in to stop it.

It’s all because of the gods’ favoritism. When Lebel was born, they were trying to create a strong being to replace the gods.

His current body was unstable, but aside from that, there was no one else who could close the rift. That was why they had tried to use the northern demon as a substitute.

“Well, don’t worry. I don’t plan to let those who’ve gone too far run wild like Norman.”

Despite claiming he couldn’t deal with Norman alone and would have to meet the Demon God, Lebel spoke confidently.

His golden hair was different from his original color, but his red eyes were the same as when he was a demon. Mikael stared at him.

He couldn’t shake that confidence. Michael had never once defeated him.

“Don’t regret it later.”

“Regret? Me?”

“There’s no shortage of lunatics obsessed with you. Once they find out your mate is human, countless ones will try to kill him. That bastard over there was one of them.”

[Are you talking about me…?!]

Michael dragged Karon into the conversation, but Lebel stopped Karon from charging at him. If Karon fought Michael, the outcome was obvious. Knowing that, Karon gritted his teeth and held himself back.

“It’s fine because my subordinates obey me well, like Karon.”

[That’s right! I always listen to Lord Lebel!]

“Ha!”

Michael covered his forehead as Karon wagged his tail toward Lebel.

“This isn’t as simple as you think. If the rift widens and the boundary between the Demon Realm and the Middle Realm collapses, the human race will vanish. No, the Middle Realm will be tainted by demonic energy and turn into another Demon Dealm.”

“Then that’s the humans’ fate. You like fate, don’t you?”

“…Forget it. I’ll handle it myself. It’ll be faster to persuade someone else than talk to you.”

Michael, done with the conversation, disappeared. Illa caught his breath and looked at Lebel.

“He’s angry again. I don’t understand why.”

Lebel spoke in his monotonous, detached tone. Illa, who had watched their argument, quietly examined him.

“Illa, do you still want to ask for my help?”

“…No.”

Even Michael’s words hadn’t reached him. A human like him could never shake his resolve.

“Once you’ve made up your mind, you won’t change it, Lord Lebel.”

“You’re finally starting to understand.”

But Illa hadn’t given up. As a human, he had to protect the world they lived in.

“Then, how about making a contract with me?”

“A contract with me? My body may be human, but if we form a contract, a mark will appear on you.”

“It’s fine. It’s for a greater cause. And Lord Lebel isn’t like other demons who harm humans. It’ll disappear once the contract ends.”

“No.”

What if leaving a mark exposes him to Yutis?

Lebel dismissed it without hesitation, and Illa’s expression turned rigid. Karon sighed and scolded him.

[Give up. Lord Lebel doesn’t make contracts, not with humans or demons. A contract is only made when both sides gain something. Do you think a mere human has anything Lord Lebel wants?]

Illa pursed his lips. At that moment, he felt Yutis approaching.

When Yutis entered Lebel’s room, he sensed the tense atmosphere but couldn’t question it.

Instead of medicine, he had brought Mark along. Because Mark immediately began fussing, asking where their frail Young Madam was hurting this time, the mood changed completely.

Because of this, Lebel had to listen to the nagging and drink the herbal medicine too.

That night, however, he no longer had to worry about how to deal with Norman.

***

Norman circled around the room. The knight standing guard outside was no problem.

He ignored the delegation’s threat that they would report everything to the crown prince, how Norman’s reckless actions had cost them the upper hand in their contract with the North.

“What went wrong? Why didn’t it work?”

Was it because of demonic energy?

The one who possessed Lebel’s demonic energy was Yutis. But Lebel didn’t have enough to overwhelm magic entirely. With Yutis, that made sense, he had an immense amount of demonic energy and sometimes used it unconsciously.

Norman retraced what he knew about Lebel. But there was nothing in his mind about what ‘Lebel’ had been like back when he was the Foolish Prince.

Why would he remember a human who was supposed to die soon? The only thing he remembered was that he bore the same name as that being.

The more Norman recalled his conversations with Lebel, the clearer the image of those red eyes came back to him.

They weren’t dull, but bright and vivid. A revelation struck him like lightning.

Those red eyes looked like his, the being Norman had seen a hundred years ago.

But that was impossible. Norman froze, then lowered his head again in thought.

There was no way a human could resemble him.

“That can’t be right.”

Then he remembered all the countless demon-summoning attempts he had made using Lebel’s body. What if those hadn’t failed? What if he had only now been summoned?

Norman recalled the demonic beast that had followed Lebel. That beast had been strange too. What kind of demonic beast followed a human? It wasn’t one of the tamed northern beasts, it obeyed only Lebel.

And how could a mere beast follow a demon?

“Karon, Karon. Karon…”

He muttered the name several times until it finally clicked.

“Ah, right. That damned dog.”

A demon no different from himself, yet proudly standing beside him. The one who had blocked Norman’s chance to serve that being, out of jealousy, even though it had been his will that extended a hand to Norman. That was the hateful creature’s name.

Norman’s eyes gleamed. He was certain now. It was him.

He should have realized it from the start, the fact that a demonic beast followed the Foolish Prince was already strange. But if it was him, it made sense. Even demons feared and worshipped that chilling demonic energy. No demonic beast could resist it.

“I, I failed to recognize him…”

Overwhelmed with guilt, Norman buried his face in his palms and groaned.

Everything made sense now, the way Lebel had seemed to see through his magic, the way he wielded demonic energy.

Thinking of all his past disrespect made him feel he should be on his knees, begging for forgiveness.

He had never wanted to meet him like this. He had wanted to stand proudly beside him, to show how much stronger he had become.

“It was because of that damned demonic energy that I didn’t recognize him.”

Norman’s eyes sparkled dangerously. Because Yutis’s demonic energy covered every corner of Lebel’s body, he hadn’t even considered the possibility that it could be him.

He had never forgotten that vast, terrifying demonic energy that once saved him.

“Was it because I summoned him into such a weak body…?”

Maybe that was why he had no choice but to rely on a human’s energy. He had heard the body was frail and often collapsed. Norman immediately jumped to his feet.

He couldn’t stay locked up here any longer. It was called a prison, but since he was an envoy, it was more like an ordinary room. The problem was that it was underground, with no windows. One side of the room was barred like a cell, and Bron was standing guard in front of it.

“He’s just a human.”

Norman was a demon. Bron sensed something wrong behind him and turned, but it was too late. Now that Norman knew Lebel’s true nature, there was no need to pretend or hide anymore. He unleashed a spell that blew the bars apart, dragging Bron and the other knights into the blast.

Norman spread his wings. He had to go to him.

Every human whose eyes met his fell asleep under his spell, and he escaped.

The incident happened late at night, and since all the witnesses were asleep, it was already late when they discovered it. Norman’s destination was Lebel’s room.

He cast a magic barrier so no one could interrupt. No sound could escape, and no one outside could interfere.

The large terrace windows opened, and the curtains fluttered. Cold wind swept through Lebel’s chamber.