episode_0124

*

A deal with the Devil.

A terrible mistake made for the sake of immediate gain.

Devils do not serve humans.

The sweet words and bold conditions they spew are all tricks to deceive humans.

This is an unchanging common sense that has been passed down since the first humans and devils were created.

“But why have there always been people who make deals with devils?”

It’s obvious.

Why else would they be devils?

They meticulously choose the ‘most desperate people’ and throw them offers so sweet they can’t refuse.

“No, it’s not exactly like that. Even kids know that dealing with devils screws up your life. Besides, among those whose lives are screwed up, there aren’t many who have the guts to make a deal with a devil.”

Is that so?

Come to think of it, isn’t that why the Order spends so much money to build cathedrals even in remote rural villages?

The fact that the citizens’ donations and the hard work of the Cleric are used to leave warnings about devils to the ignorant people filled my heart with an unknown sense of pride.

“Ugh, bullshit. The Goddess’s Order repeats the sermon ‘Don’t make deals with devils’ until your ears bleed. It’s practically brainwashing.”

Isn’t that a good thing?

“Thanks to that, all humans get scared as soon as devils try to make a deal. Seriously. Do you know how hard it is for us to work because of you?”

…Us?

“Yeah, us devils. Poor us who can’t live a day in peace because of you guys.”

Devil?

Who are you, you bastard, where are you! Reveal yourself!

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Father Theodore. This is your dream. No, to be exact, it’s your dying consciousness.”

In my consciousness… there’s a devil?

What is this nonsense?

Who are you?

“It’s me. Lilith. Don’t freak out.”

Oh, whatever.

It was you.

“I’m a Succubus, a Dream Demon. A maiden who walks in dreams. A whore beyond consciousness. I just came into your consciousness for a bit. Your body is almost dead, so you can’t even talk, so we’re talking here.”

In my consciousness?

“Yeah, usually I wouldn’t dare enter your consciousness because I’d get my ass kicked like a dog when you woke up, but now it’s an urgent situation, right?”

But, it’s my dream, so why can’t I see anything?

I can’t feel the front, the bottom, or even myself.

It’s all dark and gloomy.

No, I’m not even sure if there’s a field of vision.

It felt closer to the absence of everything, not the existence of darkness.

“Oh, that’s because you’re dying. You’re not just asleep, you’re literally unconscious. It’s already been two days since you collapsed.”

Dying?

Well, I guess so.

I was badly injured to the point where my intestines were coming out, and in that state, I kept moving my body while spitting out blood, wasn’t I?

It wouldn’t be strange at all if I died right away.

“Just so you know, your body is lying on your bed in your room. Lucia moved you, and Anna hasn’t slept, taking care of you, but she dozed off for a moment. I just came to play in your consciousness in that gap.”

Lucia… Anna… are they okay?

Lucia was subdued as soon as she made eye contact with Sola… that Demon King, and Anna fell from that high place…

“They’re both fine. It’s our privilege to share bodies.”

Privilege?

“The six Kings each command devils like limbs. They can suppress their power like they did to Lucia, or send them back to Hell just by making eye contact.”

Just by making eye contact…

So that’s why Kunat was so scared.

“That’s right. But when they’re sharing a body with a human, they don’t get dragged to Hell. It’s like a rule among devils. Let’s not touch each other while we’re working, you know.”

Rules among devils…

Rules, and the emphasis on contracts.

Surprisingly, it seemed that devils were bound by many things.

“If there were no such rules, Hell would literally be Hell. Oh, something sounds weird. Anyway, these are rules that were created to prevent disputes between devils as much as possible.”

That’s no different from human laws.

“Yeah, devils and humans are all the same. There’s not much difference.”

No, they are clearly different.

How dare you sneak in such nonsense.

The problem with devils is that they always try to climb up like this.

“Oh, seriously, Theodore, you’re such a pain in the ass even when you’re dying.”

Lilith grumbled, spewing out curses.

Even though I couldn’t see her, her shallow, flippant voice and the vulgar tone that was basically ingrained in her were still the same.

If I was in good condition, or even if I had a consciousness that could see something, I would have punched that arrogant mouth without fail.

“Oh my, look at the way he’s thinking. Seriously, that’s too much.”

Lilith sighed and continued.

“Anyway, let me finish what I was saying, why do humans try to make deals with devils even though they are so wary of them?”

It’s a question I’ve asked countless times.

Devil worshippers, corruptors, evil heathens, possessed people… I really had to fight against demon collaborators who were constantly being born every day.

Even if I beat them, they keep appearing like cockroaches, and even if I kill them, they keep coming back.

I always thought the reason was in ‘human nature.’

Human weakness, and endless desires.

Because there is an evil side in humans that seduces devils.

“Oh, you got it almost right.”

Lilith said in admiration and continued.

“As you said, the reason why humans keep falling for devils is because of their nature. However, that nature is not just ‘evil’.”

What are you talking about?

“Father Theodore, do you know that there are fewer people with truly evil intentions among humans who make deals with devils than you think?”

“Usually, the most common case is when they cross the line to protect something precious. There are quite a few cases where they try to make a deal to achieve their dreams, and there are many cases where they seek the power of a devil when they need to exert abilities beyond their limits.”

“Rather, only a little over 10% of people actually try to make a deal with a devil with truly evil intentions.”

What are you trying to say?

“So, in short, the most common reason for dealing with a devil is ‘to protect something precious’.”

I sighed.

No, since I can’t sigh in my non-existent consciousness, it would be more correct to say that I felt like sighing.

It was so corny and obvious that it was almost absurd.

It was so predictable that I felt stupid for having listened seriously until now.

“Seriously, you’re too much, you bastard.”

Make a deal with the devil to protect something precious.

I was wondering why she was talking so long to say such nonsense, but in the end, she was just rambling on about making a deal if I wanted to live.

I’m not stupid enough to make a deal with the devil to save my life.

Do I look like a joke to you?

I have entrusted my life to the Goddess.

“Then what about Sola? Are you going to leave her in Hell like this?”

No, what are you talking about?

I’ll go to Hell when I die.

If I save her…

“Save her and then what? Are you going to live happily together in Hell?”

… That’s,

“You’ll be fine beating up devils even in Hell. But what about Sola? Her case is different from Anna or Lucia. She’s just dropped into Hell without a devil to protect her.”

“Hell is much wider and deeper than the human world. Passage is not free either. Do you know why there are six Demon Kings? They each divide their territories and strictly separate them.”

“And, let’s say you found Sola in that vast Hell. Then what? Are you going to make her live in Hell forever? She’s almost an adult in body, but her mind is no different from a child’s.”

I felt embarrassed.

Because I couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

Even if I find Sola, what’s the point if I can’t get her soul out of Hell?

“Now thoughts are running through your head full of Goddess’s piss.”

…Lilith’s words were more persuasive than I thought.

Honestly, I was surprised.

Lilith’s disgusting and vulgar tone is completely different from Kunat’s subtle rhetoric, but it still had a strange persuasiveness.

Perhaps it was because of the confident attitude that came from abandoning the devil’s weapon of cunning and choosing honesty.

“Hey, if you’re going to praise me, just praise me!”

In the first place, Lilith is not as cunning or smart as Kunat.

“Oh, I’m really getting angry.”

I’m still reluctant to make a deal with the devil.

But Hell is clearly the devil’s territory.

If you think about it even a little, it was impossible to save Sola from Hell without the help of the devil.

However, it is very foolish to blindly trust the devil’s words.

It was common sense that souls that fell into Hell could never come out.

Because usually that’s where sinners fall.

In fact, there was no way to save Sola from the beginning, and there was a possibility that all of this was just the devil’s last trick to mock the dying me.

Even if there is a way to save souls from Hell, does Lilith really know that method?

Not Kunat, but Lilith?

“Hey.”

Sorry,

Originally, Kunat was the one who used to lure me in like this.

You’re doing it, so… something’s off.

“I feel like I’m going to cry, so stop it.”

Let’s hear what she has to say first.

Of course, I want Sola’s soul, which fell into Hell, to return safely to Earth.

But the devil does not serve humans.

What does this devil want in return?

“…”

Lilith closed her mouth for a moment.

Surely, she’s not really crying, is she?

“I’m not.”

She pouted and was annoyed before slowly opening her mouth.

“Save Kunat.”

Kunat?

What happened to that bastard?

“He fell into Hell. While helping you.”

… What?

“I said devils don’t serve humans, right? You’re wrong. That idiot was willing to fall into Hell for you.”

Kunat?

For me?

What nonsense is this…

“The condition of the deal is that when you save Sola and come back, you must bring Kunat with you. I’ll prepare the way to go to Hell and the way to come back.”

*

“Damn…”

I opened my eyes, suffering from the unpleasant sensation of terrible pain stabbing my head enough to make my brain tingle.

As soon as I opened my mouth, a groan came out before my voice.

I struggled to lift my head and looked down, and saw blood thickly stuck to the bandages wrapped around my stomach.

I dropped my head back on the bed and sighed.

“It hurts… too much.”

“Of course. You should have been dead. You crazy bastard, how are you even waking up?”

When I turned my gaze in the direction of the cold, vulgar voice, Anna, with her blue skin, was standing there.

“Lilith… damn it, that wasn’t a dream.”

“Seriously. There’s no way you would dream of me, Theodore?”

“Maybe.”

“… Huh? What?”

Lilith took a step back with a flustered expression.

I frowned in pain and continued.

“You’re a Succubus. If you do something crazy… ugh, you might appear in my dream.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant. I was so surprised.”

Lilith shook her butt and turned around, then bent over and held her big butt towards me.

It was a lewd-looking motion, but it didn’t seem intentional.

Because she’s a Succubus, all her movements look lewd.

She put her butt near my face and sat on the bed.

Then she sighed and continued.

“Do you remember when you were first attacked by a monster, and a green flame burned the monster away?”

“… Yeah. I remember.”

“That was Kunat who did it.”

“I know. I’ve seen that fire before.”

Lilith nodded.

“Yeah. And the moment he lit that fire, the Demon King sent Kunat back to Hell. Kunat helped you, prepared to sacrifice himself.”

“Oh, so that’s why I haven’t seen him until now. I thought he was hiding and waiting for a chance to plot something.”

When I scoffed, Lilith glared at me and growled.

“He was hiding and looking for an opportunity to save you.”

“So? Did you expect me to be grateful to the devil?”

“… Ha, there’s no way.”

Lilith covered her face and sighed heavily.

“Yeah, I’m an idiot.”

“…”

“Theodore, there’s no way you’d make a deal with the devil, and there’s even less of a chance that you’d save Kunat. I was wrong. You’re stronger than the devil, and you’re more merciless than the devil.”

“…”

“That’s right. You’re the kind of guy who would rather leave Sola in Hell than make a deal with the devil. There’s no way you’d pity the devil! I’m not as smart as Kunat, so I had stupid expectations! I’m an idiot. Yeah!”

Lilith’s monologue turned into an almost screaming cry at the end.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time without saying a word.

The pain was so severe that I couldn’t organize my thoughts in my head.

“Ha… damn it. God damn it, my life.”

I spat out a curse mixed with a sigh and said.

“You can save Sola… are you sure?”

“… What?”

“Sola’s soul can safely come out of Hell and return to the body possessed by that Demon King. Really, no tricks, no word games. Are you sure?”

Lilith’s expression slowly began to fill with joy.

Is it because it’s Anna’s face?

The thought that she was quite good-looking flashed through my head.

“Yeah! I promise!”

“I can’t trust the devil’s promise…”

“Then, let’s add that clause to the deal. A disadvantageous clause for the devil. If I lied, you can destroy me. You know my true name, so you can actually kill me!”

“Huh… hey, Lilith, you…”

Lilith placed her hand on top of mine and looked down at me.

Honestly, I was embarrassed.

I thought she was being unilaterally used by Kunat, but it seemed there was a stronger bond of friendship than I thought.

I looked at her face for a while and slowly closed my eyes.

“Oh my god… I’m crazy.”

The pain that felt like my mind was going to go out was actually grateful.

Because I couldn’t believe that I was saying these words with a clear mind.

But, I don’t know anymore.

It felt like once I started, the corruption was running rampant without knowing the end.

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I closed my eyes tightly and said.

“Okay… let’s make a deal.”

Goddess,

Please forgive my sins.