WSO 08

chapter 08

“What a pity. I no longer need help.”

“I know how to stop the demon’s curse.”

Holden quickly added.

“I tried to break His Excellency’s curse, but it was useless. However, I learned something from that failure. It will surely be of help to you, my lady.”

“……”

Holden wasn’t wrong.

Opportunities to get what you want without代价 aren’t common.

But could I trust their words?

Seeing my hesitation, Holden pleaded further.

“I won’t interfere with whatever you wish for by summoning a demon, my lady. I simply want to find a clue to break His Excellency’s curse.”

“So your proposal is this: you’ll help me safely summon a demon, and in return, I give you a chance to speak with the demon?”

“Yes. And please send me back alive and unharmed.”

“Hmm.”

“I am confident this is by no means a bad offer for you, my lady.”

Holden was full of confidence.

I pretended to think for a moment, then asked Deyan.

“What do you think? Your subordinate just proposed a deal using your blood.”

“Honestly, I want to oppose it.”

Of course he did. Just today, he tried to persuade me to change my mind the moment he saw my face.

Still, it didn’t seem like Holden had made this proposal entirely on his own.

“But judging by your reaction, my lady, you don’t seem likely to give up easily.”

Meaning it would be better for both sides to gain something through a deal.

“You catch on quickly.”

I said lightly, pulling a key from my pocket. With the sound of metal clicking, the iron cell door swung open.

“Shall we move somewhere else first?”

I led them out of the dungeon and toward the main building.

Deyan, who had been obediently following behind me, suddenly spoke up.

“I have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“How exactly did you arrive at the conclusion of summoning a demon?”

“Let’s just say I grasped the situation early on.”

I glanced sideways to see Deyan looking down at me.

“Is the summoning magic information reliable?”

“Yes. It was confiscated from the black market.”

I trust he verified it properly.

I gave Deyan, who still looked displeased, a small smile and changed the subject.

“I have a question too. How did the Nemanic family end up dealing with demons for generations?”

“That’s not a deal.”

“It is a deal.”

Deyan denied it, but I firmly refuted him.

“If you had only suffered losses, it would be a curse, but you gained immortal power, didn’t you?”

“Do you want power?”

“No. I want revenge.”

“What will you do when you find the culprit?”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it then.”

There’s no need to explain everything in detail.

I vaguely dodged the question and quickened my pace. But Deyan easily kept up with me.

*’Legs are annoyingly long.’*

As I internally complained, he asked again.

“Is that your personality?”

“What?”

“Smiling like that.”

“……”

My, aren’t you talkative.

Still smiling, I ignored Deyan’s comment.

*’Asking all sorts of things.’*

Did he really think I went around grinning because I had a good personality?

Fortunately, we reached our destination, so the conversation didn’t continue.

The destination was, of course, the room where I had attempted the summoning magic before.

I unlocked the door and let them inside.

“Here it is.”

“Whoa. You’re quite serious.”

Holden let out a sarcastic exclamation of admiration and sauntered around the magic circle.

“May I take a closer look?”

“Go ahead.”

With my permission, Holden scrutinized the characters with a serious expression.

After examining the magic circle for a while, he pointed to a corner.

“There’s an error here. Seems the characters are worn out because it’s old data.”

He pointed out several flaws, corrected the magic circle himself, and straightened up.

I watched him closely.

“That should do it. Let’s begin.”

Soon after, Holden stepped back from the magic circle.

I took out the prepared dagger and approached Deyan.

*’Just a few drops of blood.’*

Deyan’s shoulders were stiff with tension.

Knowing his condition well, he couldn’t help but be sensitive even to small wounds.

“Are you alright?”

“……Yes.”

“May I?”

When I asked again to confirm, he hesitated, then held out his palm to me.

In his characteristic low voice, Deyan said, “I’ll do it myself.”

Meaning, give him the blade.

“Um, okay. Go ahead.”

After a brief pause, I turned the handle and held it out.

Pretending to hand the dagger to Deyan, I quickly glanced at Holden.

He was watching us expressionlessly, but he couldn’t hide the large gulp in his throat.

*’Why are they both so tense……?’*

I suppressed a sneer.

Why did the wide window behind Holden and the straight-line distance to Deyan bother me so much?

*’Of course.’*

As expected, you shouldn’t trust people easily.

Especially trusting a knight from an enemy nation.

*’There’s a limit to underestimating someone!’*

Simultaneously turning the handle in my hand, I grabbed Deyan’s wrist.

*Swoosh!*

And without hesitation, I slit the inside of his palm.

“Guh……!”

Instantly, his skin split, the muscle opened, and bright red blood gushed out.

Deyan tried to shake me off in haste.

*’No way I’m letting go.’*

I threw away the dagger and clung to his hand.

“Giselle!”

Deyan’s blood dripped onto the floor, but the magic circle didn’t react.

Holden had pulled a cheap trick.

“Take care of Holden!”

“Yes!”

“Aagh! Stay back!”

Holden screeched and dodged Giselle’s sword, darting back and forth.

“A deal?”

How ridiculous! Neither they nor I had ever intended such a thing from the start.

*’That’s why they pulled this stunt!’*

I didn’t loosen my grip on Deyan.

As I held on desperately, Deyan’s face contorted, and anxiety crept into his expression as he looked at the fleeing Holden.

“My lady!”

“You betrayed me first, so why are you angry with me?”

If I could just get the blood, I didn’t need these men.

I dug my nails into Deyan’s palm, which was already trying to heal.

“Ugh!”

*’This is my territory.’*

On the board I set, the only piece that should move freely is me.

I pressed hard, reopening his wound, and thick blood oozed out.

Deyan, his eyes stained red, glared at me.

*’So what?’*

You’re the ones who tried to deceive me first with your tricks.

I just never let my guard down.

“Let go of me!”

He roared like a beast and roughly shoved me aside.

I clenched my bloodied fist and scrambled to my feet. Then I ran towards the door.

“Giselle! Kill that bastard and get out of the way! It doesn’t matter if that man escapes!”

I commanded Giselle while slipping out the door.

As soon as I jammed a pre-prepared bar between the doorknobs, the door thumped violently from inside.

“My lady, please give up! The demon will not be controlled as you wish!”

Did they really think I hadn’t considered that?

I lightly ignored Deyan’s warning.

*’What I’m about to do isn’t good for me.’*

Revenge. What a sweet sound.

No demon dislikes that.

Even if the demon destroys me, if I can grab the culprit’s hair and fall to hell together, that place will be my heaven.

“I’m sorry, but if I were going to give up because of that, I would have done so long ago.”

I left a low remark and turned my body.

*’It’s fine. This is just the beginning.’*

The most important ingredient was on my hand, and everything was already prepared.

*’If I can just succeed in the summoning……!’*

That’s when it happened.

*Creeeak.*

The sound of the entire door behind me being ripped off caught my attention.

“What kind of human strength is that……!”

Deyan was breaking down the door to catch me.

“My lady, please listen to me!”

Through the gap in the broken door, I met his reddened eyes.

*’I need to get to the magic circle.’*

Driven solely by the thought of summoning the demon, I ran down the corridor.

With a terrifying sound, the door finally shattered, and Deyan started chasing after me with frightening speed.

I sped up accordingly.

“I’ll cooperate instead! If your goal is to find the culprit and get revenge, I will……!”

Whatever Deyan pleaded from behind, I couldn’t hear any of it.

I ran, looking only ahead.

*’Magic circle.’*

Magic circle. Magic circle. Magic circle!

Success was close at hand.

I couldn’t fail fruitlessly now. I ran with only that thought.

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