“The good deeds I needed to accumulate were so many that I tried to follow even the smallest human rules perfectly, as if measured with a ruler.”
Thus, while living in the human world, he had spent a long time doing his best to perform good deeds and fight for justice.
However, according to his explanation, one of the fastest ways to accumulate good deeds was to eliminate demons.
“Of course, it would be best if they could be persuaded and reformed. But beings born as demons have ways of thinking and values completely different from humans. Since none of them could be reformed, I ultimately had to eliminate those of my own kind with my own hands.”
At this unexpected story, I parted my lips slightly.
“That could not have been easy. After all, they were your friends and long-time companions.”
“…That is not the case. As I said, demons have values entirely different from humans. Things like friendship or camaraderie generally do not exist.”
“I see…. Then that is a relief.”
Rastan took a sip of his drink as if in affirmation, then continued speaking.
“Even now, I occasionally eliminate demons that crawl out into the human world. Though most of the servants at the ducal manor believe I simply go out on external business.”
As I listened, I remembered the day he had come to my room looking as if he might collapse.
‘That was the day he returned after eliminating demons that had emerged from the edge of the demonic realm that opened in the northern wilderness.’
In the dream of Rastan’s that I had entered that day, I had seen demons calling him a traitor and cursing him.
‘I thought it was just a dream and dismissed it… but it was real.’
It was astonishing to realize once again that I had seen the truth through my ability, and that the contents of that surreal dream had actually been reality.
“As I mentioned earlier, I stand at the very top of the demonic hierarchy. However, completely eliminating them was not easy. The demons who were once my kind joined forces to eliminate me.”
Well, having spent so long together in hell, they would know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well.
“So I began eliminating the lower-ranked ones first, one by one. Then several high-ranking demons, sensing the danger, began devising a scheme.”
“It was their own struggle to survive.”
Rastan nodded slightly.
“So what was the scheme they came up with?”
Before answering, he let out a small sigh. It seemed that every time he thought about it, the pain of that moment resurfaced vividly.
“…They extracted the entirety of a certain demon’s power, processed it into a curse, and then embedded it into my soul during battle.”
“What?”
I was shocked by the unexpected method. When I thought of curses, I usually imagined things like dark mages drawing magic circles in blood or sticking needles into dolls.
“They forcibly sacrificed another of their own kind just to defeat you? How could they…?”
Rastan gave a faint smile and shrugged.
“That is why they are demons.”
It was an absurd answer, yet at the same time, completely convincing. They were beings entirely different from my own common sense and values.
“Then even now, the power of that other demon embedded within you is attacking you every day.”
“That is correct.”
It was, in a way, a clever method. They had created a kind of automated system that could cause Rastan pain even without moving themselves.
“I eliminated most of the demons who did that, but some still remain alive. Still, after meeting you and being able to suppress the curse, my battles have become much easier.”
With a slightly playful expression, Rastan lightly clinked his glass against mine.
“It is all thanks to you, Evelyn.”
“I only helped, that is all.”
Feeling my cheeks grow slightly warm, I changed the subject with another question.
“After being cursed, have you been suffering like that for a long time?”
“For the most part, yes… but it was the worst just before I met you.”
Just recalling that time seemed painful, as a shadow fell over his face.
“I was tormented every night by nightmares so painful that I feared falling asleep. Both my body and mind were torn apart by pain, and I would wake from the dream before morning ever came.”
I remembered hearing that strong sleeping pills and high-dose painkillers had always been placed on the bedside table next to his bed.
‘He took strong sleeping pills to fall into such deep sleep that he wouldn’t dream, and when he woke up, the pain of his body being torn apart in the dream lingered, forcing him to take painkillers.’
Just how long had he lived in such horrific pain?
I felt sorry for him, who had endured all of it alone.
I reached out with the hand that wasn’t holding my glass and took his hand. As always, his large, firm hand felt warm.
‘To think the day would come when I would find a demon’s hand warm.’
Rastan smiled faintly and quietly looked at his hand in mine before continuing.
“For most curses, I can simply dispel them with my magic. And if that is not possible, killing the caster of the curse resolves most cases.”
I had also heard that magic used for the wicked act of cursing someone generally follows the lifespan of its owner.
“But this was the first time I had been afflicted by a curse made by extracting another demon’s power, so I had been unable to find a way to break it.”
Because of that, he had fallen into despair, believing he would have to live in pain for at least several decades to come—his entire life in this human body.
“…Since I could not sleep properly, this body had reached its limits as well. Even if what is inside is a demon’s soul, the body itself is still human.”
“The physical pain was one thing, but what exhausted you the most must have been that despair.”
“That is correct.”
He nodded, then looked at me with warm eyes.
“And then, you appeared.”
And he must have finally experienced a peaceful night, free from the torment of the curse. For the first time in so long he couldn’t even remember.
“You gave hope to my life, which had been nothing more than barely enduring pain. No, you completely changed my life.”
He moved the hand I had been holding slightly and wrapped it with his own.
“You were my salvation.”
“W-what are you saying? Salvation? I am not a god.”
It wasn’t the first time I had heard him say it, but the excessive choice of words still embarrassed me.
However, Rastan himself remained completely serious.
“If that is not salvation, then what word should I use? I could not find a more appropriate one.”
Before I realized it, he was gripping my hand tightly.
From the faint tremor in his firm hand, I could feel his desperate sincerity.
“That is why I resorted to every possible means—contract marriage, asking for your help, promising to do anything—to keep you by my side.”
Remembering that time, I smiled faintly. Perhaps because of the alcohol, my smile came a little more easily than usual.
“You asked me to marry you when we had barely met. I was completely bewildered. I did not know this was the reason back then.”
“But Evelyn, it was not only because of that necessity.”
“If not that, then what? Was there another reason?”
Rastan nodded with a serious expression.
“Strangely enough, from the moment I first saw you, I was utterly drawn to you without resistance. I felt that I wanted to do anything for you, even though it was our first meeting.”
The story was hard to believe, and I tilted my head slightly.
“You are not someone that impulsive, are you? Falling in love that quickly does not seem like your style.”
“I lived believing that myself as well, until I met you and realized that it was not true.”
Rastan lowered his gaze and looked at me intently, and it felt as though the color of his eyes had deepened slightly. His gaze lingered on my eyes, then on my lips.
And then, he slowly leaned closer and gently pressed his lips against mine.
His lips, still moist from the drink, carried the same smoky and sweet scent as mine.
Was the dizziness clouding my vision and the subtle quickening of my breath all because of the alcohol?
Without separating his lips from mine, Rastan took hold of one of my wrists and gently pulled it.
Before I realized it, my hand was guided to rest against his firm bare chest, revealed beneath his open shirt.
“…!”
