The wolf’s maw gaped open. A sulfurous flame whooshed out.
[Another warrior has come.]
Keldric’s face immediately soured at those words. It wasn’t as if Keldric had particularly wanted to come.
He had simply been tired and sought sleep, and before he could even drift off, he was practically dragged here the moment he closed his eyes.
The point was, Keldric had no real choice in the matter.
Keldric didn’t favor situations where he couldn’t manipulate things to his liking.
Though what kind of freak would favor such situations? Being dragged to a place like this without his prior consent was simply not pleasant.
“Didn’t you call me?”
Keldric asked, half in complaint and half in question, and the wolf coughed out a phlegmy chuckle.
[Such arrogant questioning! But I don’t dislike it.]
“Answer the question. Why did you summon me here?”
[Brave and fearless warriors are rare. But, I must set the record straight.]
The wolf moved its feet, strolling leisurely through the cavern.
Keldric, still seated on the stone statue, slowly followed the wolf’s circling with his eyes.
[You, warrior. I did not summon you.]
The wolf stopped and growled softly. Deep wrinkles formed on its snout, and flames flickered not only from its maw but also from its nostrils.
[I have no reason to summon you to my domain, nor do I possess the power to do so.]
“That’s a load of bull. You said you have no power?”
[Those loathsome ones have blocked every hole, so I am trapped and can do nothing.]
“Then, why am I here?”
At Keldric’s question, the wolf’s maw finally snapped shut.
Keldric thought, ‘Does even a demon have moments when it’s at a loss for words?’ but judging by the deepening wrinkles on the wolf’s snout, it seemed to find the situation just as unpleasant.
[I repeat, I have no power, warrior.]
A powerless demon was absurd. Keldric remained skeptical.
He had no intention of believing a demon’s words. Especially not those of a vicious demon who had unleashed monsters that tore people apart like paper in the city.
However, Keldric didn’t know how to wake up from the dream, and escaping this place was solely the demon’s choice.
Could he wake up if he beat it senseless?
Keldric swallowed hard. The full-force attack he had unleashed last time had only resulted in a single fang being returned.
It was uncertain whether he could physically harm the demon.
[Poor Sepe! When I tempted Sepe, I could achieve anything, but as a result of the wager, I am stuck here. Therefore, I have no power.]
A phlegmy voice continued to leak from the wolf’s maw.
Keldric dismissed all those words as nonsense. There was a limit to rambling; it was unsightly to speak in such roundabout and incomprehensible terms.
“So, why am I here again?”
[Such an impatient child. A young but wise, kind but brave warrior, but that impatience may bring about disaster.]
“Just answer the question.”
Keldric gripped his meteoric iron longsword tightly and rose to his feet. The distance to the stopped wolf was only about ten paces.
If he kicked off the ground and charged, he could swing the longsword immediately.
Adding the length of the longsword to Keldric’s arm length, the blade would reach even faster.
[You, valiant warrior.]
However, as if to prevent that from happening, the wolf turned into black smoke and melted into the darkness.
Keldric tensed his body. To become smoke and hide in the air, was that even possible?
The wriggling black smoke hid in the darkness and vanished, only to reappear moments later right next to Keldric.
[You have roamed this land extensively.]
Keldric immediately swung his longsword. The heavy meteoric iron sword lunged at the demon, who had just transformed back into a wolf.
Clang!
But the wolf’s teeth were harder than steel, and Keldric’s longsword bounced off the wolf’s maw.
Keldric quickly corrected his collapsed posture. The wolf didn’t seem inclined to attack, but slowly approached Keldric.
[There’s no need to be so hostile towards me.]
“There’s no need to heed the words of a demon who deceives people.”
[Are you a warrior who acts out of necessity? If so, there’s no need to be hostile towards me in my domain.]
“….”
[I desire a worthwhile conversation.]
Keldric’s brow furrowed. He had expected it to want souls, blood, or even a throbbing heart, but what the demon wanted was surprisingly modest.
“A worthwhile conversation?”
[Do you remember the disc?]
The disc. Keldric recalled the shiny disc he had hidden under his bed before going to sleep.
The mysterious disc with a flame pattern engraved in the center was certainly interesting.
But for a demon to be interested in it? That was unlikely.
“How do you know about that?”
[This is my domain. Those who set foot here must pay a price for their valuable experience.]
In other words, it had peeked into Keldric’s memories. Keldric shuddered with displeasure.
He didn’t know how far the demon had delved into his memories, but it was never good to have a disturbing entity peeking into them.
[Brave warrior. How about making a deal with me?]
“I refuse.”
[It won’t harm you. If you accept my request, I will tell you exactly three truths without falsehood.]
“….”
He had no idea what the limits of the demon’s abilities were.
But if it was an omniscient and omnipotent being, it probably wasn’t to that extent.
The offer to answer any three questions was quite appealing to Keldric.
Keldric hesitated for a moment. He had no idea how dangerous it would be to accept the demon’s deal.
“What do you want?”
Let’s hear it first. Keldric asked with that mindset.
The wolf twitched its nose and moved its maw.
[Show me that disc. That will be enough for now.]
A simpler request than expected, but a reward that was worth more than that.
This wasn’t even a deal. It was safe to assume it was entirely the demon’s favor.
But demons weren’t beings who offered favors for no reason, and even Keldric, who was ignorant of religion, knew that.
“There’s no guarantee you won’t lie, is there?”
He had to believe what he could, and he couldn’t easily believe the demon’s words.
As Keldric remained skeptical, a sound like a tongue clicking, impossible for the wolf’s long maw, was heard.
[……Wise warriors are not unpleasant, but you are too suspicious. Is it because your faith is threatened?]
“No one would listen to a wicked whisper.”
[Then, very well.]
The wolf’s body once again turned into black smoke and disappeared.
Unlike before, the black smoke didn’t spread into the darkness but clumped together thickly, soon wriggling and clumping in front of Keldric, beginning to be shaped like clay.
Keldric watched the scene with his longsword in hand. He was ready to cut it down at a moment’s notice.
“It’s been a while since I’ve taken this form.”
What appeared before Keldric’s eyes was a tall woman.
Dark golden armor subtly revealed her attractive body. The leather worn underneath was clearly made from the hide of an unusual beast.
A splendid sword hung at her waist, and a spear was strapped to her back. Firm muscles sat atop her light bronze skin, revealing her health.
The beautiful woman with a sturdy physique was a warrior.
The problem was that this woman was the demon in disguise.
Keldric blinked in bewilderment. It wasn’t every day that a person suddenly popped out, so he had no idea how to react.
Regardless, the woman, who had roughly swept back her brown hair, took a step towards Keldric.
“I do not lie when I am in this form. Will you believe me then?”
“……Demons have genders?”
“What? Ah, ha ha ha!”
The demon in the form of a woman began to laugh as if she would burst.
The sight was so human that Keldric felt strangely awkward.
“The distinction between male and female is meaningless to me. I have appeared as a woman because you are a man, and if I
cannot leave this domain, I will continue to do so.”
In other words, if a woman had come instead of Keldric, it might have appeared as a man.
Keldric’s expression immediately soured. He certainly didn’t want to see a demon transformed into a burly man.
“You don’t lie when you’re in human form. Is that what I understand?”
“That’s right. Brave warrior. It seems we can finally understand each other a little.”
“Your tone seems to have changed a bit too.”
When it was a wolf, it tended to twist its words this way and that, but now that it had transformed into a female warrior, it had a more open-hearted side.
Keldric preferred this. He liked the straightforward attitude.
“So, will you show me the disc?”
The demon in the form of a woman asked. Keldric hesitated for a moment.
It said it didn’t lie when it was in human form, but if even that was a lie, there was nothing he could say.
But if the demon was a being that rampaged around completely as it pleased… that probably wasn’t the case.
There must be restrictions on demons. Such as contracts, or perhaps the unique nature of demons.
“There’s no guarantee you won’t lie even in that form—”
“It is good to be suspicious, but that does not always guarantee wisdom, warrior.”
“….”
“I do not lie when I am in this form. This is an immutable truth, so do not doubt it.”
Should I even offer my neck? The demon grinned and thrust its neck out.
Keldric looked at the sight with a slightly disgusted expression.
As the demon went this far, his thoughts of saying ‘fuck it’ and just ignoring it slowly changed.
‘If it’s just showing it……
But even if it was just showing it, Keldric didn’t have the disc.
All Keldric, who had entered the dream, had was a large body, a clear mind, and sturdy armor and a meteoric iron
longsword. Nothing else.
When Keldric pointed that out, the demon pointed to Keldric’s hand without answering.
“….?!”
The disc was already in Keldric’s hand.
And before he could even panic, it was instantly transferred to the demon’s hand.
“…”
The demon stared at the disc for a long time. It touched it here and there, and used its unusually long nails to scratch the edge of the disc.
Keldric still watched the scene with his longsword in hand.
If it tried anything funny, it wouldn’t matter if it was a woman or not. If he beat it to a pulp with his longsword, would it not die?
“You can take it back.”
However, the demon really only looked at the disc and returned it to Keldric.
Keldric received the disc, looking at the demon with suspicious eyes.
“Then, as promised, I will answer the three things you are curious about.”
“Oh…….”
The demon was more honest than he thought. Perhaps even more so than the greedy knights and nobles of the present world.
Keldric took this opportunity to slowly organize the things he was curious about. The first of them was, of course, about the demon.
“What is your identity?”
“I fell from the sky with the Morning Star, and was the guardian of power and prosperity.”
The first question, and the first answer.
Keldric was slightly disappointed with the unexpectedly bland answer. It was a difficult answer to understand.
“Two chances remain. Brave warrior.”
But there was nothing to gain from regretting the already lost opportunity. Keldric clicked his tongue softly and immediately asked the second question.
“Is Count Johann von Bogenberg of Bogenberg destined to betray me?”
“That depends on your actions. But if you continue on this path, there will be no parting.”
The devil’s guaranteed answer wasn’t very trustworthy.
Keldric didn’t take the devil’s answer as an absolute truth. However, it was clear that it was an answer that needed to be strongly considered.
Since he was a being of the devil’s caliber, he might have some kind of penetrating insight.
“Last one.”
The devil’s words rang out like a sentence.
Keldric pondered for a moment. He considered his future with Count Bogenberg, and he still had no idea what the devil’s identity was.
Suddenly, Keldric’s eyes fell on the disc in his hand.
“What is this disc?”
“….”
The devil’s expression remained unchanged, with a faint smile, but the brief silence was different from the previous two
answers.
After what seemed like several minutes, the devil finally opened his mouth.
“It is an idol of heretics who wander the desert. An object that commemorates a being worshiped by foolish people.”
“Worshiped by foolish people…”
“It means it’s an object that worships a being similar to me.”
In other words, an object that worships the devil. Keldric blinked at the unexpected answer.
“So, does that mean they’re not heretics, but devil worshipers?”
“The three questions are over. Warrior.”
“Damn it.”
None of the questions were foolishly wasted. But there was still a lot of regret.
When asked if there was a better question, nothing immediately came to mind.
Keldric reluctantly accepted it. In any case, what he had learned was useful, so if he remembered it well, there would be a use for it.
“Why are you helping me?”
“Didn’t I say from the beginning? I don’t dislike brave warriors.”
“….”
“Now it’s time to part.”
Keldric’s mind began to fade little by little. It was a sign before waking up from a dream.
As his vision gradually blurred, the devil’s voice, which was also fading, tickled Keldric’s ear like a whisper.
“Beware of the captured heretic. He will surely cause harm. The way to avoid it is—”
Before he could even think about the rest of the words, Keldric’s vision was filled with darkness.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
When he opened his eyes, he was still in the guest room of the inner castle.
The sunlight, which had already risen high, tickled Keldric’s eyes. Keldric, who had been lying blankly on the bed, jumped up.
The devil’s last advice lingered in his ears. At the time, he had just crammed it into his head, but looking back, it seemed like crazy talk.
However, it bothered him even more because it was said by a devil who had shown him such favor.
Keldric rubbed his face roughly, washing it dry. The complicated feelings didn’t go away.
Whether he believed it or not, the captured heretic probably meant the old man Keldric had captured the day before.
That he was dangerous… did that mean he would explode like Zamash?
Keldric couldn’t know.
If he couldn’t know, he couldn’t deal with it, and if he couldn’t deal with it, he would surely be harmed.
Keldric tried to eliminate such uncertainties as much as possible.
‘…Okay.’
Having made some kind of decision, Keldric jumped up and left the room.
He headed straight for the room where Alyssa was staying.
“Alyssa.”
“Sir Keldric? What brings you here?”
As the sun was high in the sky, Alyssa, dressed in casual clothes, greeted Keldric.
Keldric hesitated for a moment. He wondered if he should say this, but the devil’s words kept bothering him.
Eventually, Keldric’s mouth opened.
“Are you, um… by any chance, a virgin?”
“…Pardon?”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.