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Episode 66. Dog Collar
“Darling.”
Sitri’s lips twitched.
“Are you crazy?”
Not even a fake smile came out of her mouth.
“Do I look crazy?”
“Did you go to the North for a bit and catch a stupid virus in your lungs? Or maybe you mistook my ‘darling’ calls for real love?”
Many humans made that mistake.
But Ferda was not one of them.
That’s why Sitri had never been this flustered before.
“I know your deadly secret.”
“The only thing deadly about me is my charm.”
The bigger the secret, the better it is hidden.
The more dangerous the situation, the more carefully it is handled.
Demons were no different.
Even demons could not escape the rule of secrets.
“I read an interesting story.”
A story from the distant future.
Ferda had been gathering all kinds of information for his magic research.
Among them were records about hell.
A collection of moments when the seven great demons of hell were in danger.
A book recording their biggest mistakes and weaknesses.
Demons called it Debiromicon.
It looked like a serious book, but humans could also read it.
The reason was simple.
It was both a vow to never repeat the same mistake and a trap for foolish people.
Anyone who thought they could use Debiromicon against demons always ended up destroyed.
They always believed they were different.
But Ferda really was different.
He read the book 15 years after it was written.
And now, he spoke of a story that had happened during those years.
“The great demon Sitri, who played around as usual, had her Life Vessel stolen by one of her many children. What a ridiculous story, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
Sitri tilted her head.
“You don’t know this story?”
“Of course not. I have no idea what nonsense you’re saying.”
“Really?”
Like a true temptress, she had a great poker face.
Ferda calmly observed her.
Waiting for the moment that mask would crack.
“Then I guess I should take Penelope to the Magic Society.”
“Magic Society…?”
“You demons know how much they hate demons, right? What do you think will happen if they get their hands on her? Especially if she’s not just any demon but holds the weakness of the great demon Sitri?”
Ferda spoke like he was singing a song.
“They will search every inch of Penelope’s body. It will take time, but they will find the truth. And when that happens—”
“Enough.”
Sitri cut him off.
The atmosphere changed.
A moment ago, she had been speaking sweetly, trying to tempt him.
Now, her voice was cold and sharp, like thorns.
“Who?”
Her mask had cracked.
“Who is the bastard that gave you that secret?”
Her sharp gaze burned into Ferda.
Like she was desperately trying to see through him.
“It’s not my daughter. If that idiot knew, she would have returned to me immediately.”
“Did you ever think I figured it out myself?”
“I don’t underestimate you. But I don’t overestimate you either. Even the grand dukes of hell don’t know this. How could a mere human know before them?”
“You’re not calling me ‘darling’ anymore. Are you nervous?”
“Yes, I am. So hurry up and answer me. Unless you want to burn in hell forever.”
Sitri raised her long, sharp claws threateningly.
“Don’t try to threaten me. Do you want to become a mere fly?”
Demons followed strict rules, especially great demons.
Rising was hard, but falling was easy.
“You think I can’t do it?”
She pressed her claws against his skin.
“You broke our deal. I told you to hand over Penelope, but you’re using her to mess with me.”
Ferda answered calmly.
“You asked me to rescue Penelope. And I did.”
“No, I clearly said to bring her to me. This is a breach of contract, Regent.”
Ferda scoffed.
“Didn’t you break the contract too?”
“What?”
“You promised to send all of us back safely. But I was left behind. What do you say about that?”
“You should have killed Penelope. A reverse summoning to hell would have solved everything.”
“And what if I didn’t know that? You set the condition of rescuing her. And I rescued her safely. The one who broke the deal is you.”
“Are you playing word games with me?”
“Aren’t those your favorite?”
Demons loved wordplay.
How many had they tricked and killed with it?
“If you don’t like it…”
Ferda crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
“Let’s have a trial.”
When contracts were disputed, demon courts could resolve them.
And Sitri would definitely win.
But would she really bring this to court?
She couldn’t.
If the words Life Vessel came out in court,
Her greatest secret would be revealed to everyone.
Sitri fell silent.
She was completely trapped.
“You once said demons could become good dogs with the right collar.”
Ferda smirked.
“I suppose demons can be trained like dogs too.”
“Haha…”
Sitri let out a low laugh.
“Hehehe… Hahaha! Hahahaha!!”
She burst into laughter.
Had she gone insane?
“You know, Oppa?”
“…Oppa?”
“Oppa, you’re really sexy right now.”
This was different from her usual fake seduction.
“So? What do you want?”
“Fine, I’ll do it. It’s true that I made a deal with Abel Silverwind. Is that enough?”
She licked her lips with her long tongue.
She panted as she spoke.
“I’ll do anything for you, Oppa.”
This was scarier than when she was cold.
“Get away from me.”
“Hehe, why so mean? You’re even more attractive when you push me away.”
Sitri finally backed off.
“So, my question?”
“What question?”
“The snitch who gave you that information.”
Who told him?
No one.
This was something he knew from the future.
There was no way to explain it.
So he just answered,
“Barbatos.”
One of the Seven Great Demons of Hell.
The demon of shadows and schemes.
The one who would be most likely to help Ferda.
“Barbatos… That’s unexpected.”
Sitri muttered.
She didn’t look convinced.
But she didn’t seem to care either.
“Well, see you next time, handsome Oppa. Until then, keep that collar on tight.”
Smooch.
With a kiss in the air, she disappeared completely.
Dawn was breaking.
“Krrrk…!”
A dark elf.
She had used an emergency teleportation spell, so only her body had been moved here.
“Damn it…”
She barely found a place to hide, but she couldn’t escape the cold.
Even elves, with their strong resistance, couldn’t last long in these snowy mountains.
The cold wind seeping into the cave blurred her consciousness.
Then suddenly, she woke up with a start.
Someone was coming.
“Who’s there?!”
She only had a small rock in her hand.
But her face was full of determination.
A huge figure appeared at the cave entrance, blocking half of it.
The dark elf’s eyes widened.
She saw it clearly.
Red eyes.
Sharp fangs.
