CHAPTER 134………………………………………..
“Siphon.”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to go to the demon realm with me?”
Esther, with Raxa at her side, asked Siphon directly. Siphon, who had been tidying the room, frowned in confusion.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Didn’t you say it’s impossible to travel to the demon realm anyway?”
Her voice carried a hint of annoyance, recalling that previous explanation.
Since becoming her contractor, Siphon’s relationship with Raxa had smoothed out somewhat.
Because Raxa didn’t hold her life hostage or threaten her, Siphon gradually lowered her guard.
Moreover, as part of their arrangement, they had a scheduled relationship, so there was no real reason for conflict.
Though Raxa could be mischievous at times, Siphon, a maid experienced in many trials, didn’t react strongly.
Still, she occasionally found him incomprehensible: a man who did whatever he wanted, arrogant, seemingly polite yet entirely unrefined.
To Siphon, Raxa was a mildly bothersome presence.
Someone whose absence would be felt, yet whose presence could be slightly annoying. She appreciated his help when needed and hadn’t forgotten that he had saved her life.
Romance was out of the question, but being intimate with him wasn’t uncomfortable.
‘Though living like this forever might be a bit much.’
Overall, it wasn’t bad.
“Assuming we could go, that is.”
“…As a trip?”
“No, to live there.”
Siphon looked at him incredulously and shook her head. She had no intention of going.
She had her family, and the lady she served. Going to a demon realm where there were likely no humans was ridiculous.
“Not at all.”
She shook her head firmly.
“I have no intention of going.”
Siphon spoke decisively, aware that Raxa sometimes could be forceful in pursuit of his goals.
Seeing her refusal, Raxa fell silent.
“May I ask why?”
“I have family and a lady to serve; there’s no reason for me to go there. Besides, I doubt there are any humans there.”
“……”
Raxa nodded.
Her reasoning was sound. While he took it lightly, for a human like Siphon, it was a serious issue. Since they had agreed to a lifelong contract, he didn’t want to force her.
‘Still… I’d hate to leave her behind.’
Raxa didn’t dislike Siphon. Among humans, she was one of the better ones.
He enjoyed their relationship, so leaving her behind was unpleasant to him.
But forcing her to come would likely backfire.
‘Annoying.’
Contractors could be troublesome indeed. It had been a long time since he’d had a contractor, and he wanted things to go smoothly.
“Even a few months away would be a problem?”
If she were to become Demon King, she’d need to stay for several years at least.
The problem: time in the demon realm passed differently than in the human world.
One year in the demon realm could equal at least five in the human world. Two years there would mean sacrificing nearly ten years here—a huge span for a human.
‘It’d be easier if she just fell for me.’
Still, she seemed unchangeable.
Raxa pondered briefly, staring at Siphon.
“If it’s impossible, then don’t force it. I can wait until you’re ready.”
“……Then I’d have to be alone all that time.”
Siphon’s expression twisted at Raxa’s words—a strange mix of disbelief and exasperation.
“Then do it with someone else.”
“…What?”
Raxa repeated.
“If that’s the problem, just… do it with someone else. I wouldn’t even be helping if I went there anyway…”
She didn’t want to sit idly by while he came looking for her.
The moment she finished, Raxa’s expression darkened.
“Are you saying I can do it with anyone?”
“…Does it matter?”
It wasn’t her business. After all, he was a demon, and in their previous contracts, such matters were not unusual.
“It doesn’t matter…”
“Yes, I thought so. It wouldn’t be my first time, and demons are known to pursue pleasure…”
At that, Raxa’s expression grew cold. Sensing the shift, Siphon quickly shut her mouth.
Under his sharp gaze, she stayed silent.
“What I mean is…”
She sighed.
“It’s difficult for me to go with you. I don’t want to go to the demon realm. There’s nothing there.”
“Even with me there?”
“Yes, exactly because it’s only you, I want even less to go.”
Siphon needed a mental anchor. Raxa wasn’t that person.
He had always been a nuisance, merely a partner in their contractual relationship.
It was exhausting, and she had long understood that.
“Do you dislike me?”
“…Why does the conversation turn there?”
Siphon put down the blanket she was tidying and turned her body. Leaning against the door, Raxa stared at her with those strange eyes.
His gaze, as if seeing through her, sometimes made her uncomfortable.
“I don’t dislike you. I just don’t want to go to the demon realm. I can wait here.”
“What if you meet someone else while I’m gone?”
“…We’re not dating, right?”
“Obviously.”
“Then if I meet someone else… it shouldn’t matter, right?”
No marriage would result, so it didn’t matter who they liked or slept with.
“I don’t understand you. What do you expect from me?”
“I told you—to come to the demon realm with me.”
“Why do you want to go?”
“Lady Esther doesn’t want to inherit the Demon King’s throne, so she’s leaving it to me. The demons targeting her have started emerging from the demon realm.”
At her mention of Esther, Siphon’s eyes narrowed. Her expression became serious.
“I understand that.”
She replied.
Yet she still didn’t know why she had to go, and didn’t want to. She sighed briefly.
“Can’t you finish it quickly?”
“Even if I hurry, it will take 1–2 years.”
“…Time in the demon realm isn’t the same as here.”
“You could consider it about ten years.”
Siphon’s mouth slowly opened and closed.
Her mother and father were getting older. Though the lady would take care of things, ten years was far too long—a time she couldn’t easily give up. Siphon’s expression twisted slightly.
“Ten years… is too long.”
Her expression sank in gloom. She sat frozen on the floor for quite a while.
‘I don’t know.’
Deciding to discuss it again in the evening, Siphon began tidying the messy blanket.
