episode_0030

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Father Theodore.

A lavish name given to a street urchin with no past and no future.

I’ve been honing myself, building my career and reputation.

Until I was assigned to this island, my life had been a breathless race, so much so that I didn’t even notice the wrinkles forming on my face.

I sent countless devils back to Hell, executed countless heretics, and saved countless people from the clutches of evil.

Before I knew it, the name Father Theodore had a thick layer of reputation as a renowned exorcist and a notorious demon hunter.

As befitting that reputation, I’ve met countless devils.

Devils are beings born with wickedness.

They can be violent, insidious, or flaunt transcendent powers that humans can’t handle.

Some shame humans with mere tricks, others subdue them with the simple logic of power, and still others hide their jet-black inner thoughts to the very end and operate in the shadows.

That’s why I hated talking to devils.

Because it’s obvious that they either can’t communicate or that they’ll spout nonsense the moment they open their mouths.

There’s no such thing as unrequited kindness or goodwill towards humans in a devil.

This was an absolute truth that never changed, no matter what kind of devil it was.

“Why don’t we become masters of the human world together?”

That’s why Kunat’s bullshit was refreshing in many ways.

I chuckled and looked at the crimson devil that had appeared before me.

Kunat.

A truly unpredictable devil.

Known as the devil of schemes and contracts, he’s known as a devil who torments humans with his clever words.

Once, a man who had lost his wife and daughter to a heinous robber summoned him through a ritual in which he cut off the heads of two virgins and offered them.

The man asked Kunat to give him the power and wisdom to take revenge, and Kunat demanded that he agree to take six souls to Hell as payment.

The man made a contract, using the souls of the two virgins whose heads he had cut off as a down payment.

Kunat told the man where the robber was, and the man went to kill the robber.

The robber was in prison at the time.

The man, burning with revenge, went straight to the prison.

The man, who hadn’t carefully checked the contract, didn’t realize that if he killed the robber, his soul, the robber’s soul, and the souls of his wife and daughter would all be dragged to Hell.

At the time, I was investigating the disappearance of the village virgins when I found the man heading to the prison and stopped him, and Kunat, unable to fulfill the contract, cursed me and returned to Hell, taking only the man’s soul.

That was my first meeting with Kunat.

Of course, since then, I’ve disrupted Kunat’s contracts several times.

“You’re making my hand feel awkward,”

Kunat said, flicking his fingers at the hand he held out to me, asking for a handshake.

“You should either grab it or knock it away, isn’t that polite?”

“… Politeness, my ass. Since when did devils have manners?”

“I value etiquette and manners, because building trust is important to make a contract.”

“A devil talking about trust?”

“Hehehe, isn’t trust originally just a sophisticated lie combined with foolish belief?”

“You’re crazy.”

I shook my head and held out a bottle of wine to his empty hand.

Kunat tilted his head, taking the bottle with a sullen look.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“I’m giving it to you to drink, not to hold.”

“In the Northern Region, drinking alcohol together is treated as the conclusion of a contract…”

“I’m giving it to you because I thought you’d stop talking nonsense if you had something in your mouth, so don’t try anything funny.”

“Hehehe, then what? Do you want to get me drunk and do something because you find me beautiful? Ah, I see! You preferred a mature woman to a young girl like Lucia…”

“I’ll break your horns.”

“Hehehe,”

Kunat covered his mouth with his wings and let out a coquettish laugh, then slowly brought the bottle to his lips.

Then, he flicked his forked tongue and gently licked the mouth of the bottle as if rolling it around.

I frowned at the sight, but Kunat ignored me and slowly stuck his tongue out long, rolled the mouth of the bottle with his tongue, and slowly put the bottle into his mouth.

Then he slowly began to move the hand holding the bottle up and down.

Meanwhile, he raises his pinky finger again.

“Ugh, damn it.”

“That’s too much.”

Kunat made a sulky voice and slowly began to drink the wine.

I felt confused by Kunat’s attitude.

He had been acting strangely flirtatious since I summoned him, which was strange.

Kunat had always disappeared, cursing and swearing at me whenever I got in his way.

Even if he pretended to be polite, he couldn’t hide his dirty devil nature.

But now Kunat was not only being friendly to me, but also trying to be friendly, so I couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Of course, it might just be a trick to provoke me.

But didn’t he say that he needed my help to be superior to other devils?

Then why would he provoke me?

I couldn’t read the hidden intention behind his attitude and actions.

“Phew, this is something.”

“…”

“It’s a terrible taste. Did Lucia get drunk on this kind of wine? Ugh, why do you keep drinking this…”

“This is expensive.”

“Just because wine is expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good.”

“Ha, are you a connoisseur of wine?”

“Of course, alcohol helps humans to mistake the devil’s instigation for courage.”

“See, Lucia suddenly made lewd requests because of the devil’s instigation.”

“Ah, I told you it wasn’t.”

Kunat shook his head and sighed.

I don’t know what’s true and what’s not from this guy’s mouth.

This is why humans are possessed or deceived by devils.

They are good at mixing truth and lies, and at minimizing or exaggerating the price.

The common thing about devils who are good at speaking is that they cause confusion in their opponents, and eventually lead them to obey the devil’s words.

That’s why I haven’t talked to devils all this time.

If I don’t talk to them, I won’t be deceived by them.

But this time, I couldn’t do that.

Since being summoned, Kunat hasn’t left my side.

Exorcism rituals don’t work, and he doesn’t care if I torture him with holy power.

Perhaps Kunat is a more dangerous devil than I know.

“No, I’m sure other priests have secret lovers or mistresses, why are you being so stiff?”

“Because I have to deal with you guys.”

“Aha, is that so? I wish you had told me sooner, if you like devils, I’ll take off a layer anytime.”

“Ugh,”

“… That attitude is harsh,”

Perhaps because I heard disgusting sounds, I involuntarily vomited.

Kunat looked down at me with a sullen expression, then slowly began to open his mouth.

His voice, which had been androgynous when he was in the form of a cat, had changed to a low, seductive woman’s voice.

“Billy… Why are you living like that?”

“What?”

“You became a priest only to escape from hunger, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“You became so enthusiastic about catching devils because of your guilt for not saving young Lucia, didn’t you?”

“That’s definitely one of the reasons.”

Kunat slowly approached me.

I can’t hear his footsteps.

His feet were slightly off the ground, and the wings on his back fluttered quietly.

He quietly approached me, as if trying to create the illusion that his body was being pulled toward me.

“The Order that used to pay you is gone, Lucia is within your sight. She even loves you passionately.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m asking if you need to be so stiff, are you brainwashed by the teachings of the Order? Or to follow God’s will? Or just to be strict with yourself?”

“I’m just maintaining honesty and diligence in fulfilling my duty. I don’t know if a devil like you knows anything about the value of honesty or diligence.”

“Yes, I know. That it means nothing.”

“Ha,”

“Honesty is just a means for scammers to choose their victims, and diligence is just a facade for the powerful to exploit the ruled.”

“It seems that the devil’s dictionary has different contents than the human dictionary?”

“Don’t try to get away with sarcasm, you know it too.”

“…”

“Even without devils, humans are creatures who can fall easily.”

Before I knew it, Kunat’s chest was right in front of my face.

Kunat quietly put the wine bottle next to me and gently held both of my cheeks as if caressing them.

“It’s only you.”

“… Won’t you let go?”

“I’ve never seen anyone take such hollow bullshit seriously except you. Not among priests, not among humans.”

“I guess your vision is narrower than I thought.”

“Try to change your thinking flexibly.”

Kunat slowly lifted my face.

Kunat’s face was reflected between the two mounds that blocked my view like a huge hill.

A very seductive expression was floating on his red skin.

“What’s so bad about giving in to temptation?”

“…”

“You wanted to listen to Anna’s request, didn’t you? You wanted to take Lucia’s first time as much as you wanted.”

“…”

“Even now, you want to tear off the thin cloth covering my chest. Right?”

That’s not wrong.

Unless I’m a self-castrated eunuch, I can’t resist my instincts as a man.

Resisting temptation is the duty of a priest, so I didn’t choose the easy way of castration, but I wavered in the face of temptation and hesitated in the face of the affection they showed me.

Kunat slowly whispered in my ear.

It was like pouring sweet honey into my ear.

“What’s so bad about love? What’s so bad about giving in to temptation?”

“…”

“What’s so bad about having sex? After all, humans are just creatures that reproduce through that act.”

“…”

“What’s so bad about corruption? What’s so bad about evil? In this era where just surviving is hard enough, what’s so wrong with such a small reward? Rather, isn’t the sin with the Goddess who left the world to become like this?”

Kunat spat out blasphemy calmly.

It was a devilish act and a bold attempt to persuade me.

The plump lips open and close with a sticky sound.

The seductive sweetness mixed with the scent of wine poured down on my face in a breath.

My brain went dizzy with dangerous pleasure.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Kunat gently stroked my face and opened his mouth in a tone that seemed to really plead with me.

“Billy, take my hand.”

“…”

“I’ll let you share this world with me, I’ll give you back several times the pleasure that you’ve been diligently and honestly turning away from,”

“… Ugh,”

“The women who love you are waiting for your touch, if you want, I can lie under you and moan. If you just help me save the world.”

The voice was getting closer and closer.

Thanks to that, even though my eyes were closed, I could tell that Kunat’s face was slowly approaching me.

“Father Theodore.”

Kunat’s voice began to be heard right next to my right ear.

It was a small whisper, but the sweet breath and the plosives from the lips were clearly audible, as close as they were.

Kunat put his lips softly on my earlobe and continued.

“You want it too… Yes,”

“How’s your stomach?”

“Huh…?”

I cut off her words roughly and said.

Kunat made a rare voice that seemed embarrassed.

I slowly pushed her face away and continued.

“It should be time soon.”

“What’s that…”

That’s when it happened.

Kunat’s red face suddenly turned blue, and then his legs began to tremble, and he lost his balance and staggered.

Kunat looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I picked up the wine bottle next to me and poured the remaining amount on the floor.

“You said that just because wine is expensive doesn’t mean it’s good, right?”

“… What… did you do.”

“Do you know why this wine is so expensive?”

“What did you do, Billy!”

I smirked and said.

“The grapes used to make this wine are grown with holy water.”

“…!”

“That’s why it’s expensive. That’s why it’s a wine that’s only used for Mass.”

“Holy water… you mean? You fed me the Goddess’s piss…!”

Kunat couldn’t wait for my answer.

Kunat, whose face was changing colors every moment, slowly knelt on one knee, then collapsed on the floor and began to vomit a blood-red liquid.

“Do you think I’d be drinking with you for no reason? Are you crazy? Even now, I’m throwing away this precious wine because I don’t want to drink after you.”

“Why… I… didn’t… do anything to you…”

“What do you mean you didn’t do anything, you kept trying to shake me. Devils have no conscience.”

“Keuk… Ugh,”

I threw the empty wine bottle at Kunat’s head.

Perhaps because he knew that the contents were holy water, Kunat screamed and fell backwards.

I slowly got up and approached Kunat, who was writhing on the floor.

Kunat had his head buried on the floor and was panting and trembling.

I pushed his horn with my foot and turned his face to make eye contact with me.

She looked up at me with a fearful expression.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“Now I know why no matter how hard I tried to send you back, it was useless.”

“Haa… Haa…”

“I’ll only ask you one thing.”

“… Keik,”

Kunat.

A truly unpredictable devil.

His eloquent speech, the suddenly friendly attitude he showed me, and even the persuasion he used to seduce me,

But above all, what confused me the most was…

“The Kunat I know was definitely a male devil.”

“… He, hehehe”

“Who are you?”

Kunat… no, the unidentified female devil slowly began to laugh.