Chapter 30
“…How did you get in here?”
“Edith, you got in too… so why wouldn’t I be able to?”
A voice, laced with amusement, brushed past the back of my neck like a fleeting shadow.
Even though his legs, revealed by the dim light, moved nonchalantly, it felt as if his upper body was right behind me—a distinctly unpleasant sensation.
“I don’t particularly like answering a question with another question,” I said quietly. Though my tone was calm, my mind was racing, pounding in pain from the mental strain.
Even though I had defeated the gigantic Arachne, there was currently no way to deal with Rimos Therion.
My physical condition had reached its limit, this place was a cavern buried somewhere in a collapsed canyon, and somewhere nearby, a curse lurked.
Moreover, Ethan, who could have supported me, had collapsed from overexertion.
Still, I could boldly confront someone so dangerous because…
“Answer properly. How did you get in here?”
I was certain he had something he wanted from me. I lifted my head confidently and spoke boldly.
He could have turned me into a mere knight like Luth at any time.
Yet, he didn’t. At least, not yet.
“Hmm.”
He laughed softly, as if embarrassed and awkward.
“I… I don’t want to be hated by Edith… Ah, alright. I won’t avoid it. After all, all of this is your attention toward me…”
His attitude was one of lowering himself infinitely while exalting me, yet beneath those words lay a tone as if bestowing mercy—he would answer my questions.
I exhaled a breath I had been holding tightly under my chin and quietly asked the question that weighed most on my mind.
“…Is it you?”
“Huh, which part?”
“The ‘One’ summoned by the first apostle.”
I combined what I had read earlier with the situation to throw a bait. I heard Rimos Therion seemingly inhale sharply.
“H-how did you know…?”
“…Really?”
“…Impossible. I—I’m not. Haha.”
Damn it. He’s toying with me.
It seemed my bait had no effect.
With no other choice, I stepped forward and grabbed Rimos Therion by the wrist.
I couldn’t hold his relatively thick wrist with one hand, but as I pulled, he leaned forward obediently.
Finally, I saw his face.
Unlike the disembodied voices that had come from the darkness, surprisingly, Rimos Therion’s fair and gentle face was exactly where it should be.
I looked into his violet eyes, clear and innocent like glass beads, reflecting everything. I held a cold expression, staring back at him.
Moisture gathered in his eyes.
“Oh, you don’t know anything. That’s unfair.”
His voice was almost like a childish whine. The absurdity of it overwhelmed me.
He thinks I don’t know anything? I’m the one who, through hundreds of regressions, has come to know this world better than anyone.
…Better than anyone?
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck my mind.
The only thing I could do in this situation…
At this point, with this level of intelligence, information, and power, who could possibly toy with me besides a human?
I could deduce him.
What is the essence of the one called “Rimos Therion,” hiding beneath a human guise?
…Suddenly, a thought flashed across my mind.
I leaned my weight forward, using my hold on Rimos Therion’s wrist to topple his upper body onto the altar and pressed myself over him.
Bang, clang…
A lamp I had missed fell to the ground, rolling noisily. Its faint blue light tumbled and stopped, casting a slanted glow over us.
Rimos Therion, lying obediently, tilted his cheek slightly and gave a faint smile.
“You’re… quite forceful…”
I drew a deep breath, staring him straight in the eyes.
“I understand… what you want.”
“What I want?”
If my deduction was correct:
—He knows something about the curse.
—He controls monsters.
—He disguises himself as a holy mage while defying God.
—He cannot affect anything without ‘permission.’
“Let’s make a contract.”
Rimos Therion was a demon.
Hearing my firm words, he let out a small laugh and shook his shoulders.
“Edith… what are you saying to a holy mage?”
“You should stop pretending.”
When I spoke decisively, he slowly ceased his laughter.
“……”
For a few seconds, Rimos Therion and I locked eyes. His sharp gaze crawled up my body like thorns.
Then, he smiled brightly.
“Edith.”
Goosebumps ran over me instinctively.
When he slightly lifted his head, the distance between our faces, which I had been pressing down upon, suddenly became incredibly close.
His long, impossibly beautiful eyelashes lowered gently.
Up close, his eyes truly shone like glass beads—beautiful, yet lifeless.
‘Dangerous.’
Still, I could not avoid him.
The hands I had placed gently on the altar moved, instantly wrapping around my waist.
With his other hand, he rounded my shoulder and pushed my upper body. I was unable to resist his strength, naturally ending up seated on his knee.
Finally, he lifted his upper body to sit upright, holding me in his arms and whispering.
“When did you know?”
His fingers, clutching my shoulders through torn clothes from the monster’s attack, dug in slightly, grazing a faint cut.
“…Ugh.”
“You said we should make a contract.”
His touch seemed to open the wound, and I shrank my shoulders from the pain. I could feel his arm around my waist trembling, probably from a silent laugh.
“…Yes.”
“What were you planning to give as the price?”
It seemed he was done pretending to be frail.
Therion asked in a calm voice, slow and smooth because he didn’t stammer.
I must not lose focus. We had just reached the negotiation table, and my counterpart… was a demon.
“What were you planning to demand?”
“You’re playing with words,” I said.
The hand on my waist slid down and overlapped my hands. Slightly larger than mine, yet slender fingers.
The temperature was unexpectedly cold, making my fingertips feel chilled.
He lowered his eyes and whispered softly:
“You said you dislike answering a question with another question.”
“…I can’t resist curiosity.”
“Well, that’s fine. I enjoy conversation.”
I tried not to focus on his fingers as I stiffened my waist.
‘…A real demon.’
The speculation I had barely dared to voice was correct, leaving me unsettled.
Why had a demon infiltrated the academy?
Had he always been here?
Had I overlooked him even before my regressions?
Then why did he participate in monster-slaying exercises?
Where had the original “Rimos Therion” gone?
And why did he show such interest in me?
As my thoughts spiraled, he tapped my palm with his fingers. I lifted my head, and he looked down at me with a smiling face.
“Then for our first contract, how about we lightly exchange one question each?”
“…Anything?”
“Yes, anything.”
Therion smiled widely. There was not a trace of malice in that pure smile.
Still, the feeling was unsettling.
I didn’t know the exact reason demons appear in this world, but I knew this: when a demon speaks of a ‘contract,’ it must be upheld.
As proof, a demon could use a contract to do anything freely, often interpreting its terms ambiguously to bring ruin to the contractor and those around them.
Therefore, the contractor could only banish the demon through execution in the name of the temple.
‘This is the only way to break through.’
It was my only available course.
“Fine. Let’s begin the first contract this way.”
“Shall you ask the first question, Edith?”
I fervently hoped Ethan Behemoth wouldn’t wake from his faint and see this.
Even if he didn’t press me for much, this sight would surely make him ask questions.
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them and asked the most important question.
This time, I would not throw bait or probe indirectly.
“Do you know about the curse of the canyon? If so, what is the true nature of that curse?”
He blinked softly, then closed his eyes slightly and tapped my palm again, smiling.
“Call me Therion…”
That was not an answer—just a completely random remark.
