Chapter 59

Inside my mind, I could see them: Lucifer, my fallen ancestor; Aru, the mighty Wolf King; Beatrice, soon-to-be-my-knight; and me, just your average Joe. Quite the motley crew, but hey, stranger things have happened. And it’s not like I didn’t bring them all together for a reason.

The six-winged angel Uriel is nowhere to be seen. Guess Aru hasn’t summoned him yet… or maybe he’s still in the process. Not that it matters right now. Uriel doesn’t have anything to do here *yet*.

“Hmm! Shall we start with introductions? Oh, wait… you guys already know each other?”

“Master… why is this demon here…?”

“So you’re the one who summoned me. But why is my contractor hanging out with the summoner…?”

“You seem pretty awkward even though you know each other! Alright, let me introduce everyone! This guy over here is our ancestor—Lucifer, the Fallen Angel! Back in the day, he got all cozy with our family matriarch and founded our clan!”

I pointed at Lucifer with both hands while Beatrice looked absolutely horrified.

“Oh, Oscar, so your ancestor is Lucifer…? Then that means… I’ve sworn allegiance to a descendant of Lucifer…”

“And this fine knight right here is Beatrice Constantinople! She just decided to become my knight! She’s super strong normally, but she’s currently riding on my back because of a little boo-boo. Sorry about that!”

“You’re a descendant of mine? So you’re part of the Lucifer Demon Clan… Hmph, now that you mention it, I can sense that power in you…”

Beatrice seemed more interested in me than usual as I introduced her to Lucifer. Then I turned to the last one—Aru.

“And last but not least, this is Aru! Our house pup!”

“Grrr! I’m not a dog!”

“What did you call me, you mutt?!”

“Woof! GRRR!”

“Ahhh! It hurts! Stop!”

Looks like I’ll need to train Aru soon. Ever since puberty hit, his temper’s been off the charts. If something bugs him, he bites first and asks questions later.

Wait, are you saying I shouldn’t call him a dog?

You’re right. But I won’t bow down to some wolf. As the superior species, demons don’t grovel to wolves. Period.

Crack!

“Aaaah! Ow! Aru, stop it!”

“Grrr! Bad demon! Bad demon!”

“Alright, alright! I take it back! Aru isn’t a dog! He’s royalty! Happy now?”

“Bark. About time.”

Man, what a disrespectful brat. Just wait till I get my hands on him…

But there’s work to do, so I’ll let it slide—for now. Not because I’m scared of some puppy, okay?

“Anyway… let me explain why I brought the two of you here today.”

“Summoner, if it’s not to fulfill a dream, then why did you summon me, Lucifer?”

“I prefer to handle my own dreams with my own hands. Let’s set that aside for now. Here’s the deal—I want you, Lucifer, to cancel the contract you made with Lady Beatrice.”

“…”

Hearing my words, Lucifer furrowed his brow. Beatrice let out a nervous sigh. Meanwhile, Aru scratched his ear lazily beside me.

“Now that Beatrice is my knight, it only makes sense for her contract to be with me.”

“Breaking an infernal contract… do you really think that’s possible?”

“It’s not impossible! Contracts are agreements between parties, which can always be mutually dissolved if both sides agree.”

“There’s no way ‘we’ would break a contract without good reason.”

‘We’? Including Beatrice too, huh?

“Why ‘we’? How does our ancestor know whether Beatrice wants to break the contract or not?”

“Well, if she breaks the contract with me, she’ll lose the eternal life and power I granted her.”

That’s true. The contract gave her enough strength to reach the peak of absolute power. Without it, she’d just be another slightly strong Holy Knight. Before tasting such power, maybe she wouldn’t care, but now that she’s experienced it, giving it up would be tough.

And eternal life? No explanation needed, right? As long as nothing external kills her, she won’t die naturally. Aging won’t affect her either, since she shares my essence. Sure, she might die when I do, but I’m the greatest immortal demon. In short, she could live forever under my protection.

All sweet talk. Perfect bait for naïve humans.

Impressive, grandpa. You inherited my silver tongue, didn’t you?

Still, there must be loopholes.

“That’s true for ordinary humans. But Lady Beatrice isn’t one of those dumb ones.”

“What makes her different?”

“She already learned firsthand how dangerous dealing with demons can be. Nothing comes free—not power, not lifespan. Right, Beatrice?”

I tapped her thigh lightly while she stared blankly at Lucifer behind me.

“…Yes, my lord.”

“One thing, though—it’s unnecessary to worry. Once a demon extracts despair from a contractor, they lose interest. Since she’s already paid her price, all she needs to do now is enjoy the benefits I provide.”

So basically, you’re saying breaking the contract would be bad business?

Pretty generous offer. Whether Lucifer will keep his word is another story.

What’s his angle here? Nah, never mind. I remembered why Lucifer does these things.

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“What do you mean?”

“Lady Beatrice hates you. Deep down. After all, you were the main culprit behind her father’s death.”

“…”

“Would she willingly accept your power and immortality knowing that? Sharing the same life force would feel disgusting and impure to her, wouldn’t it? Not to mention your power itself.”

My argument left Lucifer speechless for a moment, clearly deep in thought.

Not that I wanted to push him this far. But come on, having someone else’s knight is a blow to my pride, isn’t it?

“You know so little.”

Oh great, now he’s talking to me. What’s this about knowing only one thing?

“You hate me, despise me, curse me… Your knight will only cling to me tighter because of it.”

“Huh?”

“She needs my power. She needs revenge—for her father’s death. That’s why she can’t give up my strength. How ironic.”

“Uh…”

“Will you form a contract with you? Are you stronger than me? Can you grant her a longer lifespan? Can you give her the power to kill me?”

“Not yet, haha.”

“Exactly. Not yet. Anyway, she absolutely needs my power to get revenge. The transferred power may come from me, but only she can control it, making it possible to kill me eventually. Of course, I won’t go down easily. Do you really think your knight would break her contract with me and take your weak power instead?”

Whoa, good point. No way I can counter that.

I’m weaker than Lucifer now, and telling him I’ll crush him in 500 years won’t convince him. This is problematic. How do I resolve this?

“No.”

Just when I was scratching my head over this unexpected obstacle, Beatrice interrupted us.

Both Lucifer and I turned our heads toward her. Calmly, she began speaking.

“I don’t hate you enough to kill you, Lucifer.”

“…?”

Oh wow. Did Beatrice suddenly turn into a forgiving saint?

“For four years after that tragic day, I replayed it in my mind millions of times…”

“So the result of all that replaying is dulling your hatred? I don’t follow.”

“Because everything ultimately came down to my choices.”

She closed her eyes. Her warm brown irises disappeared behind smooth eyelids. When she reopened them, they carried a new air of dignity.

“Choosing to accept demonic power, using it to save the Holy Nation, escaping from prison, and even killing my father—all of it was my decision. Even if someone tempted or pressured me, giving in was my fault.”

Each word dripped with conviction. A worthy statement from a former Holy Knight.

“My choices saved the Holy Nation and cost my father his life. Accepting demonic power was also my choice.”

“But Beatrice, don’t you remember how I infiltrated your cell and helped you escape? If I hadn’t done that, your father wouldn’t have died.”

“Did you threaten me? Tell me I’d die unless I escaped?”

“…”

“You simply gave me a choice. I chose to escape to survive. Killing my father was the same. I desperately craved to live, and Father understood that. He sacrificed himself to save me.”

Demons only lure immature souls. Mature individuals don’t fall for their tricks. Same goes for why I couldn’t tempt the Saintess in Tartarus. She wasn’t the type to fall for cheap lines.

“Still don’t get it? For four years, I’ve nurtured self-loathing—not hatred for you. On that fateful day, when Father passed, you appeared and said, ‘I killed your father.’”

“…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t like you. You’re evil, dirty, and manipulative. Naturally, I dislike you. But it’s not enough to drive me insane with rage. Frankly, being tied to you disgusts me. If I could sever our contract, I’d do it a hundred times over.”

“Kukuku…”

Beatrice’s calm reminiscence left Lucifer chuckling bitterly. His scheme had failed.

“Cough…”

Maybe she talked too much. Beatrice coughed, spilling blood onto my shoulder.

“Spiritual growth rarely happens alone. Who guided you? Who saved you?”

Ignoring her bleeding, Lucifer smiled mischievously and scanned her surroundings before settling his gaze on me with a knowing grin.

“So, my descendant. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?”

“Right. I educated Lady Beatrice.”

Actually, she figured most of it out herself. Still, bragging while you can is key. The more they overestimate me, the more weight my words carry.

“…Fine, but how do you plan to persuade me? Even if your knight wants out, I won’t allow it.”

“No plans to persuade.”

“What?”

“I’ll just make you cancel it yourself. Aru! Is Uriel ready?”

“Bark! Ready!”

“Great! Summon him!”

In a secluded corner of the warehouse lay a piece of paper hidden in darkness—a summoning circle I gave to Aru.

Standing before it, Aru cleared his throat and began reciting:

“Bark bark! Most holy bearer of divine grace! Bark! Lord of all creation’s purest flame! Bark bark! Believer in truth and justice! I summon thee!”

“Hey, learn it properly! Where are all these barks coming from?”

“Grrr…! I can do it! Most holy bearer of divine grace! Lord of all creation’s purest flame! Believer in truth and justice! I summon thee! Uriel, Great Archangel of Truth! Answer the circle!”

Wow, good job, Aru. Smart kid. Guess royal blood runs thick. Memorizing that after hearing it once? Impressive.

“Wait! What did you say? Archangel Uriel? That light…!”

Realizing the situation, Lucifer panicked. Hearing Uriel’s name—the name of his arch-nemesis—was enough to rattle him.

“Uriel…? Master, surely you aren’t trying to summon Uriel…?”

“Ahaha, looks like it’s your first time meeting Uriel, Lady Beatrice! Aren’t you excited to meet the Holy Knight of Angels?”

WHOOSH!

As Aru finished the chant, the paper finally lit up. Sacred light filled the warehouse, forcing Lucifer to shield his eyes and shrink back. His dark wings sizzled slightly.

Why am I fine when my ancestor Lucifer isn’t? Because as the Apostle of the Lord, I won’t cower before the Lord’s Holy Knight, Uriel.

“Sinful aura… cunning and deceitful presence… corrupted purity… savage wildness…”

The paper expanded, revealing a circular portal of light. A commanding voice echoed through the warehouse.

A female figure emerged. Her neatly arranged golden hair flowed down past her waist, and she wore an ancient white garment. In her right hand, she held a sword, while her left hand emitted flickering flames. Six pristine white wings spread out behind her.

Light radiated from her body, illuminating every corner of the warehouse. My eyes watered from the brightness, but I kept them wide open to fully take in her appearance.

“Which one of you four summoned me here…?”

Keeper of Eden’s gates, one of the Four Great Northern Archangels, wielder of the Sword of Truth, and burner of Eternal Flames—

Archangel Uriel.

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