CH 179

A shiver raced down my spine at his agreement. Ridrian was making a pact with the devil for power. I wanted to stop it in any way possible, but there was no way. Even if I could, if I stopped him, Ridrian would die here.

I hadn’t even realized I was biting my nails.

“But as you can see,” the man went on, “I’m old, so I can’t help you destroy this Empire as fancily as you want. Besides, you don’t have a good enough sacrifice to make that pact. No demon would be interested in this.”

Ridrian frowned, evidently displeased with the answer.

“But as you know,” the demon added, “I’m old. If my last action is a contract with a human, this would be good too.”

He laughed a cruel laugh that made my skin tingle.

“I’ll give you my heart.”

“Demon’s…heart?” Ridrian’s frown deepened. He seemed to know nothing about demons. He probably figured getting the heart was key to great strength. It was true.

It was too true.

Remembering what I’d read in the original novel, I shook my head. Demons didn’t have physical hearts. The closest thing they had to one was a ball of magical energy that grew and hardened as they aged. A demon this old must have a heart as hard as a diamond.

If he gets a heart from someone like him… No, Rian!

I kept forgetting that this was just a dream.

“Ah, very interesting,” the demon said with a chuckle. “A pact before God’s daughter. I must have lived long enough just for this purpose.”

God’s daughter? I looked around and saw nothing. No one.

No, that wasn’t the problem. At this rate, Ridrian really would take the demon’s heart. I could feel my toes curling.

“Can I perform my revenge if I get your heart?”

“It’s no fun just for revenge. Make your future, child.”

“Future? I don’t have—”

“You’ll find something funny in the future.”

“What are you…?” Ridrian’s voice faded into another fit of coughing.

The demon laughed. “It seemed like I was taking too long. I will go back to that room if you really die, so let’s proceed.”

All smiles, he summoned a black dagger.

That’s, Lotuburu?

There could be no mistake about it. Not with the unique symbol it bore. The weapon’s length was different from what I remembered, but it was definitely Lotuburu.

That was the demon’s sword?

As I stared in surprise, Ridrian got up, stumbling. His golden eyes were hazy, like he’d reached his limit.

“No,” he said. “I won’t make a pact.”

“Hm? But you summoned—”

“You came out of your own will.”

“Huh?”

The demon blinked in surprise, and Ridrian seemed to see his chance. He lunged with a grunt, slamming into the demon, and Lotuburu sank into the demon’s chest.

“All I have to do is take it,” Ridrian snarled.

For a moment, the demon merely looked back at him in surprise. Then he beamed and let Ridrian do his thing. There was no resistance.

“Very good,” he said with a cough. “It feels like a succession.”

Ridrian snorted weakly. “You keep saying random things.”

“Yes, he will understand it well.”

This was something else I didn’t understand. Ridrian didn’t seem to care. Or maybe he was just too hazy from all the blood loss to ask.

“I can’t give you anything,” Ridrian said. “I decided that I’m not going to let anyone take anything else from me away. Not anymore.”

“Good, good,” the demon replied. “Only fools let others take their things. Protect yours. Kill all those who try to take yours and take theirs.”

Blood spurted from his chest. Pulling out the dagger, Ridrian retrieved something from the demon’s body, and the old man fell, coughing, onto the magic circle, covering the floor in blood. If I could smell it, it would probably stink.

“Is this the heart?”

Ridrian sat down, looking drained. The object in his hand was a black marble the size of a silver coin, and the mere sight of it was depressing. I felt like I was gazing at the condensed version of misfortune, despair, and sadness.

He bit his lip, staring at the black marble for a bit as though wondering how he was supposed to use it.

“Eat it,” the demon said.

“What?”

“It’s the way a young demon inherits magical power. The moment you eat it and inherit the power, then you will be my successor.”

Ridrian laughed again. “Crazy. Who would be the monster’s successor? I…I just want to destroy the Empire.”

“How sad to hear.” More blood spurted from the demon’s body as he got up, towering over Ridrian, who lay almost inert on the floor.

Huh?

The demon turned toward me, stepping on the magic circle. It was a dream, but it was so clear I feared he might attack me at any moment. He knew I was there—that was for sure.

“The daughter of God,” he said. “This is destiny, and you can’t stop it.” He spoke which made me shiver in fear.

Scoffing, he shoved his heart into Ridrian’s mouth.

“Up!”

Ridrian’s face contorted in pain as he ate the bloody marble. For a while, he struggled, then swallowed it and lost consciousness.

“Good,” said the demon, who seemed to have lost all his power now. “Very good. We’ll be the one winning this time.”

Ridrian!