CHAPTER 37
In the Clutches of the Cunning Demon
“A-A-Are you insane?”
Ehilie turned pale as she rejected her own assumption.
“No way. There’s no way Gabriel likes Rek!”
But the more she thought about it, the more his strange actions fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
Following him around all day.
Wanting to know everything about him.
Those were exactly the things Gabriel used to do in the original story when he fell in love.
But Rek is a man… no, that’s not it.
If you love someone, what does their gender matter?
In her previous life, Ehilie had read every romance novel she could get her hands on.
Some of them featured love between people of the same gender, or even love between beings from different dimensions.
In the face of love, such differences meant nothing.
Which means…
It’s entirely possible that Gabriel could fall in love with Rek.
No, this is bad. If this continues, Rek is in danger!
In the original story, what had Gabriel done to Ehilie when he fell in love?
Kidnapping.
Imprisonment.
Brainwashing.
Even forceful physical contact.
He was a dangerously obsessive man fit to be the male lead of a dark, adult-rated tragedy.
I have to protect Rek.
It was not yet confirmed that Gabriel liked Rek.
Still, there was nothing wrong with being cautious.
Ehilie decided to stay on guard around Gabriel for the time being.
Several days passed.
Fortunately, nothing happened during that time.
Just as Ehilie was finally beginning to relax.
An incident occurred.
***
Redemberg Lu Edeltein had been in a foul mood for the past few days.
Gabriel, having regained his memories, had come to his senses and was now following Ehilie around.
And that was not all.
The way he looked at Ehilie was subtly insolent.
He had never liked it before either, but now it irritated him enough to make him want to gouge those eyes out.
Since meeting Ehilie, Redemberg Lu Edeltein had tried to restrain his temperament as much as possible.
But patience had never been a word that suited him.
There was no reason for him to tolerate someone other than Ehilie provoking his displeasure.
It’s time to deal with him.
He decided to eliminate Gabriel without anyone noticing.
To Ehilie, he would simply say he had suddenly disappeared.
That very night, after making his decision.
Swoosh.
Gabriel came to his room.
It was like a rat walking straight into a lion’s mouth.
***
Late at night.
Gabriel visited Rek’s room for one reason.
I have to find the holy sword.
He still had not figured out how to separate the wicked demon from her side without making Ehilie unhappy.
So for now, he decided to focus on growing stronger.
I am weak as I am now.
When he lost his memories, his holy sword had been taken from him.
He needed it to train.
Only then could he protect Ehilie if Rek revealed his true colors.
After observing for some time, he had learned that the holy sword was kept in Rek’s room.
Gabriel carefully opened the bedroom door and slipped inside.
Lowering his posture, almost crawling along the floor, he searched through the darkness.
Where did he hide it?
It was no easy task searching for a sword in darkness so thick he could not even distinguish what lay before him.
He held his breath, wary in case the demon had set some kind of trap.
Then.
“Sneaking into my bedroom like a rat. Looking for something?”
A cold voice echoed beside his ear.
“Gah!”
Gabriel jerked upright in shock.
“Shh.”
In an instant, the position shifted.
“Ehilie is sleeping, so do not cause a scene.”
Just as Gabriel tried to react to the killing intent behind him.
A large hand twisted and seized his wrist.
He was slammed against the cold wall in an instant.
What kind of grip strength is this…
Even though he had not fully awakened as a hero, the difference in strength was overwhelming.
Gabriel struggled desperately, trying to attack with his free leg.
As if reading his intentions, Rek’s knee pressed harshly against his thigh, destroying his balance.
Gabriel was completely subdued.
“Let go of me! You filthy demon!”
“It seems you have regained all your memories.”
Rek’s voice was calm.
So calm it sent chills down his spine.
“What are you?”
Instead of answering, something cold brushed against his neck.
“The neck would get too messy.”
At that low murmur, Gabriel’s fingertips went cold.
“I would prefer to dispose of you cleanly.”
Rek’s fingers pressed lightly against the back of his neck, as though contemplating the most efficient way to kill without leaving traces.
If this continues, I will die.
Gabriel desperately drew upon his power.
Perhaps because he recognized it as a life-or-death crisis, the immature divine power within him surged violently.
Please, God, help me!
As if his prayer was answered, the force restraining him weakened slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, Gabriel twisted his body and threw Rek off.
Rek lost his balance and fell.
Gabriel quickly pinned him down, pressing hard against his chest.
“Huff… huff…”
Having barely escaped death, Gabriel gasped for breath.
Now the situation had reversed.
“Tell me. Where is my sword?”
Rek’s face was hidden in the darkness.
But Gabriel could tell.
Even now, he was probably wearing that relaxed and composed expression.
“Would anything change if the sword were in your hand?”
“…That is none of your concern.”
Gabriel knew it too.
Even with the holy sword in his hand, he could not defeat the demon before him.
“What is your true intention? Why would a demon love the Saintess…”
He placed particular emphasis on the word love.
Love?
Impossible.
A wicked demon could not love a human.
“Or are you just pretending to love her?”
Silence fell briefly.
A faint chuckle cut through the tension.
“Pretending to love?”
Rek spoke softly, as if the grip on him meant nothing.
“I do not have the patience to act out something so troublesome. If it were not genuine, I would have killed every human hovering around Ehilie long ago and made her mine.”
Gabriel could not accept it.
“Even if Ehilie does not know you are a monster like this, do you think she will still like you after your identity is revealed?”
“That is why I do not show her.”
“I want to be loved by her. So I will only show her the side she likes. If the version she loves is a weak shell, I can wear that shell for the rest of my life. If that is what makes her happy.”
Madness lurked within his languid voice.
Gabriel gritted his teeth and tightened his grip around Rek’s neck.
“That is not love. It is disgusting deception. Do not dress up your selfish desire as love.”
“I will strip away that shell with my own hands. I will expose the filth inside you!”
At Gabriel’s furious shout, Rek forced out a strained voice.
“Stop…”
The voice that followed was completely different from before.
“Please stop, Gabriel. Why are you doing this…”
It trembled pitifully.
In that instant, Gabriel sensed something was wrong.
Then.
The door opened.
Light flooded into the dark room.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Ehilie’s sharp voice rang out.
Only then did Gabriel fully grasp the situation.
So that was it.
The reason the demon who had easily subdued him had shown an opening was not because God had helped him.
It was because he had heard Ehilie approaching.
From the very beginning, the initiative had been entirely in the hands of this cunning demon.
Even the hero chosen by God was nothing more than a tool to strengthen Rek’s position by Ehilie’s side.
