Chapter 60 : Soul Contractor (1)

The Capital of the Tenebris Republic, Selenor.

Far from the Empire, this place is a world of its own—its clothing, culture, and ruling system are unlike anything else.

Occasionally, wealthy nobles visit while traveling the world, but for most, it’s a place they’ll never have ties to.

On a hill overlooking this very city, a black sphere appeared.

The sphere opened wide and spat out five people from within.

Including myself, we were a party sent to retrieve the soul of the Belmore family.

Elia gazed down at Selenor.

“So, there’s an Apostle here?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I had given up on the Apostles. Ever since we lost track of this one two years ago, I stopped paying attention. Besides, I didn’t expect to arrive in Tenebris, on the other side of the Empire, so quickly.”

“Stay focused. You have an important role to play.”

“Understood.”

We headed straight for where the Apostle resided.

Apostles.

Beings that transcend the realm of humans, wielding power close to omnipotence, they are truly enigmatic entities.

Scholars have only managed to deduce that their power originates from the ancient Demon Gods—beyond that, their nature remains a mystery.

However, while Apostles themselves may be shrouded in secrecy, their dwellings are not.

“Is this really the place?”

“Yeah.”

Elia stared at the mansion before us.

Right in the heart of the city, one of the most conspicuous buildings stood—an elegant structure with refined architecture and a well-manicured garden.

This was the Apostle’s residence.

“Even knowing where they are, I didn’t expect to find them this quickly. They’re living out in the open.”

“Apostles don’t necessarily live in ominous castles or volcanic lairs. They have their own preferences.”

“How do the people around here live?”

“They don’t seem unhappy. Some even seem to have a favorable view of this Apostle.”

Ignoring Elia’s bewilderment, I approached the gatekeeper.

His red skin and unnaturally large build made it clear—he wasn’t human.

Strangely enough, instead of armor, he wore a suit. Even dressed like that, I doubted most people would dare to speak to him.

“Hey.”

“What brings you here?”

“We’re here to kill your master, Belphegor. Take us to him.”

As I calmly declared our intent to kill, my companions—Kalian, Evelyn, and Elia—were visibly shocked.

Elia grabbed me in a panic.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“I’m stating my purpose.”

“I can see that! I mean, why say it outright when we should be sneaking in?”

“No need to worry about that.”

The gatekeeper, having heard my declaration, carefully examined our faces before pulling out a few sheets of paper from his pocket.

“I understand your business. Please sign this contract.”

“Where’s the pen?”

“Here.”

Before signing, I glanced over the contract’s contents.

1. If the signee dies within the mansion, their soul is transferred to Belphegor.
2. If the signee violates any clause of this contract, their soul is transferred to Belphegor.
3. This contract is irrevocable. Any attempt to cancel it will result in the signee’s soul being transferred to Belphegor.

The terms were simple, yet everyone hesitated to sign, sensing something ominous about the document.

Everyone except Victoria.

The moment I told her to write her name, she did so without hesitation.

Victoria, you shouldn’t sign things so recklessly. Read them first!

“Don’t sign that!”

A voice shouted.

Next to the gatekeeper, inside an iron cage.

One of the imprisoned figures was staring at us.

The cage was a square outdoor prison, and those locked inside had something in common—

They had no physical bodies.

The voices calling out to us belonged to trapped souls.

“It’s all a trick. You must never trust these demons. Otherwise, you’ll end up like us!”

“What happened to you?”

“We fell into their trap. Damn it, if only we hadn’t let our guard down…”

At this, the gatekeeper shook his head.

“You are speaking in a way that may cause misunderstanding. You all refused to sign the entry contract and attempted to break into the mansion by force. Naturally, I had to stop you.”

“Contract, my ass. Who in their right mind would willingly fall for a demon’s deception? Do you think we don’t know you’re just trying to devour human souls?”

“We never take souls for free. We acquire them lawfully through contracts.”

I see now what happened.

They must have come here to hunt the Apostle.

It’s not uncommon.

There are always those who think they’re strong enough and try to gain fame, only to end up dead.

They hear how powerful the Apostles are, but because they’ve never seen one in action, they underestimate them.

The gatekeeper turned to me.

“Will you sign the contract? If you do not wish to, you may return it as is.”

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“What would you like to know?”

“If I were to tear up this contract and force my way into the mansion, what would you do?”

The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment before replying.

“I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“Why not?”

“Because the caliber of your soul is different. But I don’t believe you will do that. There’s no need for you to.”

“This gatekeeper is quite sharp.”

Without further hesitation, we all signed the contract.

After receiving the signed documents, the gatekeeper bowed politely and led us inside the mansion.

The mansion appeared ordinary.

Although it was built with refined architecture and a vast amount of wealth, it seemed rather mundane for the dwelling of a soul-consuming Apostle.

Kalian and Evelyn remained on high alert, wary of an ambush.

Meanwhile, Victoria wandered around, repeatedly exclaiming, “Ohh,” in admiration of the decorations.

Elia asked, “Are we really doing this? We just announced that we intend to kill the Apostle, yet we walked right through his front yard.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure either.”

“What?”

“I never expected them to let us in so easily. I was actually planning on fighting our way through at the entrance.”

It’s not like I know everything in this world.

I only have fragmented knowledge about the Apostles.

In situations like this, the best approach is to dive in and see for myself.

Elia’s expression darkened.

“You didn’t have a well-thought-out plan?”

“Our plan was to come here and kill him.”

“What if we get attacked here…?”

“Then we fight.”

As we walked through the mansion, we felt the watchful gazes of guards from all directions.

Some of them were as strong as the gatekeeper, if not stronger, and they stood in positions where they could easily rush at us at any moment.

Among them, spirits trapped in iron cages stretched out their hands, wailing.

“Help meeeeee!”

“Where is my body?! Where is it?!”

“Run! If you go any further, you’ll—!”

Everyone except Victoria looked increasingly unsettled.

Elia discreetly moved closer to me.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s safest to be near you in case something happens. Not that I’d go down without a fight.”

“Why not stick with Kalian?”

“If I do, he’ll just tell me to stay away. Besides, you’re stronger than him… Not that I want to do this, so don’t read too much into it.”

She turned her head away, looking off into the distance.

Well… as long as she wasn’t clinging to Kalian, I had no complaints.

We passed the outer gates and the garden, arriving at the mansion’s main entrance.

As we reached the door, a ghostly maid appeared and greeted us.

“Welcome, everyone. I heard you came to see the master. Please follow me.”

She led the way as if this was nothing unusual.

I was surprised by how naturally a ghost was acting as a host, but upon stepping inside, I immediately understood.

Humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, and various other races—both the living and the dead—were bustling about, cleaning, preparing meals, and tending to the mansion.

“They’ve gathered quite the diverse group.”

“Our master does not discriminate based on appearance or prejudice. Thanks to his fair and rational approach, we all proudly serve him as loyal attendants.”

The ghost maid responded to my idle comment.

No prejudice at all, huh?

Still, forcing even the dead to work… what happens to the jobs of the living?

She led us to the parlor.

We sat on the sofas, waiting for the Apostle to arrive.

Everyone except Victoria had perplexed expressions.

Evelyn glanced around.

“We came here to kill an Apostle, yet we were welcomed so comfortably. Is this truly fine?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Make yourselves at home. It must’ve been a long journey here.”

“I don’t know if this is okay… I can’t tell what they’re planning.”

“They must be extremely confident in their strength. Either that or… this could be a trap.
Maybe they gathered us here just to unleash some kind of magic on us all at once.”

That wasn’t a joke.

Even I had to admit—getting this far had been too easy.

It was strange for an Apostle to be this welcoming.

At the mention of a trap, Kalian, Evelyn, and Elia stood up from their seats.

“Still, there’s no need to be too tense since all five of us are together. For now, let’s just have some dessert while we wait.”

I pointed at the cake that the ghost maid had brought out.

It was a soul cake, made from the lingering spirits of countless dead.

As I brought my fork close, the trapped souls locked eyes with me and screamed.

The others swallowed nervously and shook their heads.

Yeah… who would even eat something like this?

“What an unusual taste.”

Victoria, however, was casually chewing on the soul cake, analyzing its flavor.

“It’s sweet, bitter, salty, and spicy. Oh? There’s even a sour and astringent note. The texture is soft, then suddenly hard, then dry… It’s completely unpredictable.”

“So… it’s just a weird cake?”

“I can taste tears and hear screams. There’s wild laughter, hope, and despair all mixed together.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Forget the Apostle—can’t they just serve normal desserts?

Except for Victoria, none of us touched the food.

We sat still, waiting for the Apostle to appear.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Just as Victoria finished devouring the entire soul cake, a man in a suit entered the parlor.

At a glance, he looked like an ordinary human.

But surrounding him were countless souls, writhing as if they were about to burst free.

So this was Belphegor.

It felt like staring into the crack of a doorway leading to the underworld.

The spirits trapped within him thrashed violently, desperate to escape.

Kalian and Evelyne placed their hands on their swords, while Elia subtly moved her fingers, preparing to summon her dolls.

Despite their wariness, Belphegor casually sat down on the sofa across from us.

“You came to kill me?”

His gaze locked directly onto mine.

In his eyes, thousands—no, tens of thousands—of spirits flickered like waves.

“Yeah.”

“And why is that?”

“Among the souls you’re holding onto, some belong to her family. We’re here to take them back.”

I gestured toward Elia.

Belphegor looked at her for a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

“Ah, I see. So that’s why ‘they’ were so startled. It has been five years, after all. They must be thrilled to see her again.”

Elia’s lips trembled at his words.

So, her family’s souls really are still in his grasp.

That makes things simple.

“Good, you understand quickly. Now, hand them over to her.”

“And why would I do that? Surely you don’t expect me to comply just because you demand it?”

“This isn’t a baseless demand. There’s a legitimate reason.”

“A legitimate reason?”

“The contract from five years ago—it’s a breach of terms. The soul contract was not willingly agreed upon by the rightful owner. Someone else made that deal on their behalf, without their consent.

No one has the right to put another person’s belongings on the scales for a trade.

And…”

“And?”

“If you don’t want to die, you’d better do as I say.”

I leaned forward as I spoke.

Belphegor stroked his chin, pondering for a moment.

Then, wearing a composed smile, he mirrored my movement, leaning forward as well.

“Hmm… I refuse.”