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Chapter 17
So that Lucian Berto gave his life as the price for fulfilling a contract?
“Are you saying that’s even possible?”
“If it’s that guy, i-it’s possible. I could never figure out what he was thinking anyway. Tch.”
I agreed with that, but it still felt unsettling. Something about it felt off… suspicious.
“Do not take the words of a demon seriously.”
“I said I’m not a demon!”
“That statement as well is nothing more than a trick to lead the young lady into evil.”
Adriel’s flat, emotionless voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
This guy is kind of ridiculous too. At first, he looked at Rosemary like she was worse than a demon…
Well, it’s not exactly unpleasant that he changed.
“Master…”
“Oh, Wit. Are you feeling better now?”
“Wit still hurts. Blow on it…”
“……”
Wit, back in his skeleton form, staggered and clung to my thigh.
I looked down at his bone-only body.
Where am I supposed to blow on?
While I was seriously thinking about that—
A large hand grabbed Wit’s head and casually flung him backward.
I startled and looked at the owner of that hand—Adriel.
“Frequent contact with demons is harmful to the body.”
He answered calmly, almost shamelessly, to my questioning gaze.
He even looked slightly refreshed. Was this personal bias?
“What? Who threw Wit? Who? Master, who was it?”
Wit, thrown to the floor, got up in confusion.
He couldn’t believe he had been overpowered by someone he thought was weaker than him.
“You, you idiot Wit. You got h-hypnotized by humans and already became weak.”
Taro clicked his tongue while looking at Wit in disbelief.
As I looked between Wit and Taro, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
Oberon’s necklace.
I had completely forgotten about it because of Taro’s abilities for a moment.
Right now, the most important thing was figuring out why that necklace was in the Perial Count family.
In any case, I had ended up inside Rosemary’s body, and I would have to live like this.
But Rosemary, who I thought was just a minor villainess character, had hidden secrets?
If that caused problems later, then—
You have to prevent danger before it happens.
“S-so, human. You want to make a contract with me?”
“Hey! Who said you could make a contract with Master!”
Wit looked at me desperately, as if asking, “Right, Master?”
I answered Taro firmly.
“No.”
“What?!”
“Hah, that’s my master.”
Taro looked shocked, unable to believe his ears, while Wit looked relieved that he was trusted.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll refuse. Unlike Lord Berto, I value my life.”
“Tch… To throw away such a fortune that fell into your lap. Don’t regret it later.”
Taro tried to hide his disappointment.
I glanced at him and carefully spoke again.
“…More importantly, I wanted to ask about what you said earlier.”
“And what would that be?”
Taro’s voice sounded a bit sharper, but I ignored it.
“You seemed to know about Oberon’s necklace… I wanted to hear more about it.”
As I changed the topic, Taro suddenly widened his eyes as if he had forgotten.
“C-come to think of it, human! Are you a follower of Oberon?!”
“Me?”
“N-now don’t pretend you don’t know! Ohh, King! So the remnants of his followers still exist! If the King finds out—!”
No, seriously, who is this Oberon?
While I was trying to find a moment to ask, Adriel spoke quietly beside me.
“Oberon?”
But his tone wasn’t like he was asking who Oberon was.
It was more like: how do you know that name?
And soon, his next words confirmed my suspicion.
“You keep mentioning that name. What is your connection to Oberon?”
“It has everything to do with him! Oberon is the fairies’—!”
Taro suddenly glared at Adriel.
“Don’t tell me… you are also one of his followers?”
“I asked first. Answer first, demon.”
“Now that I think about it… that disgusting energy I felt from you before… You are definitely a follower of Oberon! Ohh, King! How far has Oberon’s influence spread—even into the church!”
Seriously. Who is Oberon?
Everyone here knows except me.
I couldn’t even find the timing to ask.
“We, we must kill all humans who have seen our true forms. Especially if that human is a follower of Oberon!”
At that moment, Taro looked at me strangely, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Feeling danger, I quietly placed my hand on the lid of the jewelry box.
If anything happens, I’ll throw the necklace.
Taro seemed to notice my movement and quickly added—
“H-however, human! You are the first human who confessed to me!”
…Confessed?
My strength drained instantly.
I turned blankly, and Adriel asked me with a serious expression.
“Lady, is demon collecting your hobby?”
Is that supposed to be a hobby?
Not even worth responding to.
I shook my head.
Then Wit came over and started pestering again.
“What does that mean? Master confessed to Taro? When? When, Master?”
“So demon, your punishment is temporarily suspended. You may one day form a contract with me.”
“Hey you stupid Taro! Don’t interfere between Wit and Master!”
“Wit, you small child. The future is unknown even to the King.”
What is going on with these guys…
Stop fighting and just tell me who Oberon is. Why was this necklace in the Perial family?
“Demon. Answer what your relationship with Oberon is.”
“Wit is not a demon! And I don’t even know who that is!”
“What?! Wit, you idiot! Did you sleep through history class instead of listening?”
Ugh… my head…
With voices clashing everywhere, my head started to hurt.
A calm conversation was impossible with this combination.
I glanced at Adriel.
Fine. I can just ask him about Oberon later anyway.
“…So, Taro, why did you come to my room in the middle of the night?”
At last, Taro went silent.
Adriel’s red eyes reflected the clear, cloudless sky outside the window.
Now staying in the living room since Rosemary had taken over the room, this had become his routine.
“…Ha.”
A crack formed in his emotionless face.
He had been thinking about demons and Oberon.
And Rosemary’s face came to mind.
“Damn it.”
He muttered under his breath without realizing it.
Lately, whenever he thought of Rosemary, he was overwhelmed by an unexplainable feeling.
It was something he couldn’t define—something he had never felt before.
Rosemary Perial.
Just as rumors said, she was a cruel woman who would do anything for her goals.
That was Adriel’s first impression of her.
But after staying in this house, that firm belief began to shake again and again.
A strong presence that didn’t match her fragile body. And clumsy words that didn’t even feel like comfort.
His mind kept breaking apart little by little.
Don’t be fooled.
Each time, he steadied himself again.
She was a woman ruthless enough to make a contract with demons just to kidnap him.
And then suddenly tried to set him free with some strange contract.
He didn’t even trust the content of that contract, nor did he intend to sign it.
His family’s enemy.
His mission.
Once he confirmed the existence of demons, he could never let them live.
His plan hadn’t changed.
Pretend to comply, wait until their guard drops, then kill the demon.
After returning to the church, find the demon who killed his family and take revenge.
That was unwavering.
But one fact kept bothering him like a splinter under a nail.
If he killed that noisy demon, Rosemary Perial would also die.
Even though he had no reason to care what happened to her, the thought alone twisted something unpleasant inside him.
Am I… sympathizing with her?
Sympathizing with the woman who kidnapped and tried to harm him—how ridiculous.
“Ki… kiki…”
His thoughts sharpened.
From Rosemary’s room, the sound of a demon’s laughter could be heard.
Adriel frowned and stood up, walking toward the room.
“Too many things are trying to target the master.”
The demon’s voice became clearer.
“From today on, master is Wit’s. Wit’s.”
Bang—!
The slightly open door was kicked open violently.
Adriel’s cold gaze landed on Wit, who was grinning wickedly in his fairy form.
“What are you trying to do, demon?”
