Chapter 66
“Thanks for everything.”
“You should be the one saying thanks. Who do you think caused all that trouble?”
A long, grueling week had finally come to an end.
[Congrats on the success~ Come pick up the item through our little one~]
They were finally free from invisible constraints and could start moving apart.
“Are you going straight to see Mephisto?”
“Of course. I’ll drop you home and head there right away.”
“No need.”
Zia snapped her fingers in the air.
A small gate, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, opened inside the tiny hotel room.
“Here, the gate.”
“….”
I froze for a moment, staring at the sight I’d never seen before.
Juhyeok alternated his gaze between the gate and her, then asked,
“You can make gates too?”
“Of course, I made a contract with a devil.”
So, contracting with a devil made creating gates easy.
I had heard that not every contractor had the same powers, but I never imagined someone could make gates.
“Can you only make gates to Mephisto?”
“Of course not.”
She shook her head, continuing,
“I can make ordinary gates that monsters come out of too. Everything from F-rank to S-rank.”
“….”
“See? Realizing I’m a bad person only now?”
In society, gates are synonymous with evil.
If a monster emerged, it could wreak havoc, making it a shared threat to humanity.
Anyone capable of making such gates would naturally be classified as dangerous.
“Have you used it to hurt people?”
“Of course. There’s nothing better for taking out bad guys without leaving evidence than a gate.”
She showed no signs of guilt.
“Throw them in a gate and erase it immediately… evidence gone, simple, right?”
Perhaps she believed the punishment fit the crimes.
A faint smile appeared on Zia’s face, the most distant expression I had seen from her all week.
“Why that face?”
Her unfamiliar expression made my own features stiffen.
“I’m not too keen on hearing about crimes.”
“…We’re not throwing innocent people in, though.”
Zia grabbed some water from the fridge and spoke lightly.
“I only put people in who deserve it. Then there’s no problem, right?”
“If it’s really just those kinds of people, I don’t mind either.”
Criminals beyond the reach of the law. There were plenty in the world, and I wasn’t the type to protest putting them in a gate.
“As long as you don’t touch anyone around me, I don’t care.”
“….”
Zia stared at me for a moment, then, after a long pause, turned to the gate and gestured,
“Get in already.”
“I’m not going in yet.”
There was no need right now. Plenty of time remained until the inspection date.
“Tell Mephisto we’ll come on that day.”
“He already knows everything.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Juhyeok stood up. With all business done, it was time to head out for training.
He grabbed the door handle, but a voice called from behind:
“Hey.”
He turned to see Zia with a slightly complicated expression.
“About… the people around me.”
“Yeah?”
“….”
She hesitated, then flopped into a chair in frustration, muttering,
“Never mind! It’s nothing!”
She asked, got upset alone, and brushed it off. Having seen her mood swings all week, it didn’t bother me. I figured if she really wanted to tell me, she would eventually.
“I’m going.”
“Fine.”
With her indifferent reply, I left the room.
As I drove home, the quietness struck me. After being together for a week, the emptiness felt pronounced.
‘This must be what Mephisto aimed for.’
I had grown somewhat attached over the week.
She was selfish and occasionally annoying for no reason, but she wasn’t a bad person.
Even if she could open gates, she wasn’t the type to use them on innocent people.
Knowing that was a relief.
At least I hadn’t developed deeper feelings, which was a small comfort as I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Here, the promised item.”
January 12
Finally, the promised day arrived.
I got up early and went to the usual spot, where a small gate was already open.
As I entered, Mephisto greeted me and handed over the item.
“Herbs?”
It looked like about two bundles of plant material.
Curious, I looked at Mephisto, who explained,
“They’re highly anesthetic. Not enough, even if you’re experimenting daily on human modification types.”
For Garisto, who produced modified demons daily, these herbs would be valuable no matter the cost.
“With this amount, almost any request will be granted.”
“Hope that’s true.”
I had endured sticking with a woman for a week for these herbs. If they didn’t help enough, it wouldn’t be worth it.
“Well, putting that aside… you’ve changed a lot.”
Mephisto approached slowly, speaking as she did.
Despite always smoking, a sweet scent wafted from her.
“Still a beginner, but your magic power has increased a lot.”
Curious, she came closer.
“What happened exactly?”
“Just an ordinary reawakening.”
“Hmmm~ I see, reawakening…”
She murmured to herself, nodding slightly. Then a faint smile formed,
“I didn’t see any signs of reawakening before.”
“Can you tell?”
“Of course~ The title of Archdemon isn’t given for nothing.”
She circled Juhyeok, taking a cigarette from her pocket.
“By watching humans, you can see exactly how much they can grow.”
She drew a puff from the cigarette, and the tip glowed even without lighting it.
Exhaling smoke backward, she said,
“But with you, I see nothing.”
There was no sign of growth beyond what he already had.
Even when they first met, or each subsequent meeting, there had been no hope for him to advance further.
Not that growth was impossible, but it was so slow it could be compared to a snail.
This made her even more interested.
“How can a human with talent worse than a grub grow this fast?”
Her gaze, captivating, scanned him up and down.
An intensity no human could endure. Eyes so deep it felt easy to be pulled in.
“What are you hiding from me?”
She asked.
An irresistible temptation, but Juhyeok frowned and replied,
“You promised to tell me that in exchange for the herbs?”
“…Boring.”
As expected, her trick didn’t work. His strong will remained unaffected. It only left her feeling annoyed at being outwitted.
“You really don’t want to tell me, huh? The more you resist, the more curious I get.”
“Not all curiosity uncovers secrets.”
“Sweetheart, there are no eternal secrets in this world.”
Even hidden relics are eventually discovered. Secrets kept from others will eventually be revealed.
“No matter how much you hide now, it’ll be uncovered eventually.”
“Selling it while it still has value isn’t a bad choice either, right?”
“….”
Unable to tempt him, she tried mild persuasion. Juhyeok ignored it completely.
“You can’t buy it.”
The value of Juhyeok’s secret was too great for her to purchase.
Having an artifact in his body could be a major vulnerability. No one would be foolish enough to sell such a secret.
“Fine, stop wasting time and just take me to Garisto.”
All a waste of time. I had no intention of talking about the artifact with Mephisto, so it was better to let her drop it.
“Right, the more difficult it is to find out, the more thrilling it will be.”
Mephisto let it go easily, realizing she had no weapon to make him reveal anything yet.
“Actually, I never promised to take you to Garisto’s mansion…”
“Then just rough up some passing demon and ask.”
“Violent, aren’t you?”
She chuckled, pressing out her cigarette in the ashtray.
In a lazy voice, she snapped her fingers to open a gate.
“Service~ It’s not that hard to find their house anyway.”
“Thanks, I’ll use it well.”
“No problem.”
We stepped through the gate.
Mephisto waved with a smile.
Suddenly, I felt an unexplained presence behind me.
“Have a safe trip?”
“…Yeah.”
With her seeing me off, I entered the gate.
Inside, the scenery shifted.
From a library to the grand gate of a mansion.
This must be the much-talked-about Garisto mansion.
I tried pushing the door, which looked difficult to open.
“…Won’t budge.”
A tightly shut door.
I kicked it hard.
Bang—!
Bang—!
The force slowly pushed one side of the door open, enough for a person to pass through.
‘Easier than I thought.’
I expected an impenetrable door for a demon’s mansion, but a few kicks were enough. Security didn’t seem that strict.
I stepped inside.
Weeeng~ Weeeng~
Suddenly, a loud alarm blared.
“Of course it would.”
A sound of flapping wings came from afar.
Looking up, demons descended from the sky.
Abnormally large wings, soulless faces.
‘Those are modified demons.’
They flew at me with vacant expressions.
Juhyeok gripped his sword tightly and assumed a battle stance.
