Chapter 128 ….
“Pan?”
Pan’s lips slowly parted.
Their gazes met.
The moment her jet-black eyes overlapped with his crimson ones, it was as if time itself had stopped, and the world darkened into black.
“Isaac…?”
Both Isaac and the Demon King vanished from view.
In that darkness, it seemed as if only Pan and she were illuminated under a spotlight, shining brightly.
The only ones moving were Pan and herself.
He rose from kneeling quietly at the Demon King’s feet and slowly approached her.
“Congratulations on receiving your name, Lady Sitara.”
“…Pan?”
“Names are important. For a being alien to a world to belong to it, a name is essential. Now that you have a name, you’ve become someone who exists in this world.”
Pan explained gently.
In the pitch-black world, it felt as if time had completely frozen; the man facing her no longer appeared like a child.
He slowly extended his hand.
She silently watched the starkly white hand he offered in the midst of the black world.
“The contract you had with Clea Lino has been nullified. So… will you make a contract with me?”
“…What kind of contract?”
“I will protect you. For your entire life, until it ends, I will be a servant who never betrays you.”
Pan carefully took her hand and knelt on one knee.
Like a knight making a solemn vow—very slowly.
But certainly.
Sitara was honestly a little flustered.
An unexpected situation unfolded right before her eyes, and things she could not comprehend were happening.
She inhaled deeply and looked at him slowly.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I was an interesting experiment.”
“…What?”
“A product born from the research of a mad scientist demon man and a foolish angel woman who loved him, intended to produce a child.”
Pan’s voice continued softly.
The way he spoke of his own life with such painfully objective clarity made her heart ache.
She remained silent for a long while. She couldn’t find words to respond.
“Time is no obstacle for us. With bodies stronger than humans, failure wasn’t much of an issue either.”
Pan’s voice continued quietly from the darkness.
“The blood of two opposing races should never have mixed, yet the mad scientist ultimately brought it into the world.”
His crimson eyes shone vividly.
The sight was strangely mesmerizing.
Was he angry? Or had he even killed that emotion within himself?
Pan blinked slowly.
“The mother, who had maternal instincts, was kind in her own way. But she died young as a consequence of doing the impossible, and the demon man didn’t live long either, due to mixing with the angelic bloodline.”
“…Pan.”
“The name ‘Pan’ was given to me by the demon man. He said it refers to a being that is half-beast, half-human. A name that suits a hybrid of two races that is neither one nor the other.”
Pan remembered the moment he was born.
That memory was unique, mystical, and at the same time, it left him deeply shaken.
Who wouldn’t be startled by a memory that began with a laugh of madness?
“Demons cannot form contracts with demons. The Demon King must have overlooked that fact because I am only half-demon…”
“If I make a contract with you, you’ll be free?”
“You will be free. I will only take the lives of those who harm you, from your side.”
She swallowed hard at Pan’s bold declaration that he would kill people.
The premise was “those who harm me,” but it still felt unsettling.
“I will become your knight. Let me stay by your side.”
Pan kept silent about what Eclipse and Isaac had done.
If she knew, she would lose her will to live.
She had come to this place relying only on her faith in the two of them.
There was no need to explain such a horrifying and shocking truth.
It was enough for him to keep it in check from unseen corners.
“…Will you live long, Pan?”
“Yes. At least longer than you.”
“Even if I leave before you someday, can you promise you won’t forget me?”
Being left behind is a terrifying thing.
She had set foot in this world because she couldn’t bear that memory alone.
But what would happen to Pan if she died?
His eyes widened at her words, then slowly narrowed.
He let out a low sigh and quietly turned his head.
“The truth is… you’re too kind to belong here. Everyone around you is selfish to a degree that makes me feel apologetic.”
Then, all he needed to do was support her so that she could live a happy life without ever knowing the harsh truths.
He had the power to do that.
“I won’t forget, but I won’t die following you either.”
“…That’s a relief. You’re only free from the Demon King if you make a contract with me, right?”
Pan nodded lightly.
As soon as she gave her permission, Pan knelt on one knee and kissed the back of her hand.
“And may I tell one little lie that’s just between you and me, Lady Sitara?”
“A lie…?”
“Yes. There will be no harm. It’s just… my selfishness.”
She listened to the words flowing from his moving lips and nodded slowly.
It wasn’t the kind of complicated story that would cause her harm.
Pan smiled gently.
A brilliant white mark appeared on the back of her hand before fading away.
“Please take care of me, Master.”
His eyes curved in that familiar gentle arc.
As the surroundings darkened, the Demon King realized a beat too late that Pan had vanished.
The black interdimensional space formed a solid sphere even he could not penetrate.
Having exhausted most of his power, the Demon King could not force it open.
Isaac’s expression grew grim, but the interdimensional space was a unique ability of angels, limiting the range of demonic interference.
Within ten minutes, the black sphere dissolved, revealing the two of them.
“Sitara!”
Isaac repeated the name he had mulled over in his mind several times, finally speaking it aloud.
Seeing him rush into her embrace, she looked up at Isaac with a slightly flustered expression.
“Uh… did something happen?”
“I was worried when you disappeared. Are you hurt?”
“No, nothing. I just had a brief conversation with Pan.”
She looked down at Pan standing by her side.
The Demon King’s expression hardened as he alternated his gaze between the two of them.
“You’ve made a contract.”
“…A contract?”
Isaac asked in response to the Demon King’s cold voice.
Pan’s lips curved into a silent smile.
“Ah… Pan asked to stay by my side. Well, it seems he can serve me as he has until now… Though, of course, I’m not the homeowner…”
She thought she might have made the decision too lightly, given she had to stay at Isaac’s mansion.
But Pan seemed desperate.
The Demon King, being overbearing and self-willed, might have wanted to help if the contract was forced.
“Is that not allowed?”
“…No, I won’t interfere with what you’re doing. Was there nothing else? I heard contracts require a price; what’s the cost?”
If Pan had imposed a condition harmful to her, she would have dealt with it quietly.
It might sadden her for a while, but it was better than risking unnecessary danger.
Sitara glanced at Pan.
“Well… there’s no real cost. It’s just…”
“I’ve decided to protect you for life, Lady Sitara. We’ll share our hearts; if I die, you’ll die too. But I’m strong, so unless someone strikes unexpectedly, it should be fine.”
Pan’s bright voice made everyone around them stiffen.
She lowered her gaze, feeling uneasy.
The lie Pan requested was this:
Since the Demon King could kill him, he wanted permission to pretend they shared a heart.
“…Sitara?”
“With Isaac here, there’s no real danger…”
She didn’t particularly like lying, but it couldn’t be helped.
Seeing his desperate expression, as if his life depended on it, she couldn’t refuse.
“Your Highness, it’s to prevent unforeseen danger while we share a secret,” Pan whispered with a smile, placing his index finger on his lips.
Isaac’s face stiffened.
An unnecessary trouble seemed likely to follow.
He furrowed his brows for a moment, then exhaled.
‘A price.’
He had planned to handle all the tedious parts, but he didn’t expect to get blindsided like this.
Everyone here was an accomplice anyway.
He could only remain silent for her sake.
“The contract is complete. It’s a pity we couldn’t get it, but it was just a bonus anyway. I won’t interfere any further.”
The Demon King frowned in annoyance and waved his hand.
He was irritated by being toyed with by a clumsy hybrid.
The contract was severed.
He tapped the ground lightly, and a magic circle appeared.
“I hope there’s no need to come to the human world for a while. I’ve found more interesting diversions anyway.”
The crimson magic circle engulfed the Demon King in an instant.
Silence fell over the world.
