Yuma narrowed his eyes.
‘Surely.’
The Selene in front of him was a different person from the Selene he saw in the game “Loop Blood.”
The Selene in the game was one of the Great Demon Kings.
However, the history of the demon realm he heard during their journey from the Great Demon King Lilith stated that the family of the engraved were never known to have become Demon Kings.
And her way of speaking was different as well.
Yuma first told Lilith to stay quiet and back off. He wanted to talk just the two of them first.
Selene spoke once more.
“…Who are you?”
Selene.
Long platinum hair.
And silver eyes.
But it was a clear fact that her name and appearance were completely identical.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
There was no possibility. Yet, Yuma couldn’t help but spit out the question.
“Do you know [Don’tScrewMeOver]?”
The silver eyes only contained doubt.
“What… is that?”
The response didn’t even consider [Don’tScrewMeOver] as a name.
That was a perfectly natural reaction.
‘So, it’s just a game after all.’
In the end, the game “Loop Blood” and this place were completely separate. Still, with the case of Cassiela, the revolutionary leader’s mother, the fact that their appearance and names were the same suggested something, but there was no way to resolve that question for now.
“Never mind. It was a misunderstanding.”
Yuma decided to get to the point.
“An engraved person who can use teleportation.”
Yuma continued speaking.
“I want to get that engraving.”
Selene narrowed her lovely eyes.
“It was quite surprising for a human to come to me… but is that the purpose, to get an engraving?”
Yuma felt her distress through her eyes.
He opened his mouth again.
“I’ll give you a price.”
Selene’s silver eyes met Yuma’s blue ones.
“A price…?”
Yuma slowly nodded at her question.
“The Great Demon King Berzette, who rules your engraved family. I could kill him.”
Selene’s eyes widened.
“You mean you can kill Berzette?”
“I can kill him.”
Yuma said this while pulling out a bracelet he had kept in his Spatial Pocket. It was a bracelet woven with the heart jewels of two Demon Kings.
As Yuma offered her the bracelet, Selene accepted it with trembling hands.
She knew even before taking it that it was woven with the hearts of Demon Kings. The unique aura wielded an overwhelming power that could not be shaken off as a fellow demon.
“You killed a Demon King. Really.”
Yuma nodded.
Selene returned the bracelet to Yuma and closed her eyes. She seemed to be deeply pondering something. Slowly, Selene opened her mouth.
“Even if they are two Demon Kings, it can’t compare to facing a Great Demon King. Are you sure you can kill him?”
“Yes.”
An answer with no hesitation. Selene couldn’t help but chuckle.
“That’s some confidence… Alright.”
“Is it possible to get the engraving right now? Without killing Berzette?”
At Yuma’s words, Selene slowly stood up and replied.
“Yes, it’s possible, because you are human, not a demon.”
Selene continued to speak slowly.
“Since I’ve already given Berzette the blessing ten times, I’m not even sure how many centuries would have to pass before I can inscribe it again. Plus, it’s only been seven years since I inscribed it on his first son, so even if I were to kill Berzette, I couldn’t inscribe it on another demon, but since you are human, it’s possible to inscribe it on you now.”
“Why is that?”
A colorless aura gently surged from Selene’s right hand.
“The cooldown time for the ability activation after a blessing is applied varies by race. That’s the rule regarding the blessings of the head of the family. Therefore, I can inscribe it on you, the first human I’ve ever encountered.”
“So you mean that other members of the family, not you, as the head, can’t inscribe it on races other than demons?”
Selene nodded slowly.
“Yes, so… this is quite lucky for both of us, I suppose. However, what you said is true; you have to kill Berzette for this to work.”
“Don’t worry, my resolve won’t waver.”
Duke Yuma got the assurance from Selene that he could receive the blessing right now.
“What’s your name?”
Then he asked for her name. Even though he already knew, he wanted to hear it directly from Selene’s lips.
“It’s Selene.”
Yuma opened his mouth.
“I’m Yuma.”
After their introductions finished, Lilith, the “Ruler of All Fire Demons,” who had been quietly hiding her presence behind them, finally approached Selene.
“My name is Lilith.”
Great Demon King.
That existence’s majesty could be likened to a god in the demon realm.
The Great Demon King was not a title that could be defined by self-proclamation or nicknames given by demons.
Demon Realm.
It was a vast land blessed only to those who had stacked achievements in both body and mind, transcending the limits of demons.
The fact that Berzette, the “Ruler of All Blessings,” had been fully appointed as the Great Demon King proved the rule of survival of the fittest in the demon realm.
There were only five Great Demon Kings recognized in the demon realm.
Many demon kings fought wars to claim one of those five positions, but for nearly 1500 years, there had been no demon king daring to aspire to the role of Great Demon King.
The five stars that currently dominated the demon realm were indeed more powerful than the previous ones.
For 1500 years, there hadn’t been any changes to even one of the black stars floating in the sky.
In a life constantly monitored, one could never forget who the Great Demon King was.
As Selene tried to kneel, Lilith waved her right hand dramatically.
“That’s enough. Head of the Revaine family.”
“…Thank you for your generosity.”
Selene awkwardly bowed her head.
Lilith turned her gaze to Yuma.
“There’s no need to interfere with the blessing process. I shall take my leave.”
Bel raised her hand beside Lilith.
“If anything comes up, just call me, my lord.”
Yuma nodded.
Creeeak—
Lilith took all her subordinates and stepped out of the small room.
Clunk—
Inside the small building, only Yuma and Selene remained. Selene stepped closer to Yuma.
“If it’s a blessing that enables teleportation, I have the Lightning Blessing.”
“There’s a mark.”
“I understand. What’s the usual time frame for it?”
Selene spoke softly, meeting Yuma’s gaze.
“That’s something I can’t be sure of either. The marking itself may take three hours, but who knows how long it will take for the ability to fully awaken?”
“I see.”
Yuma pulled something out of his spatial pocket. He presented Selene with a sandwich, a red bean pastry, and some milk stored in a quality preservation artifact.
“…What is this?”
Selene’s eyes widened.
“It’s food. You should eat before we start.”
The reason Yuma offered food to Selene was simple.
Her mental state wasn’t exactly in the best shape.
[Lv.92] Selene
Race: Demon
Rank: 3rd Tier
Alignment: Good
Bloodline Authority: Ability Marking
Warning: Mental state worn down over a long time. Psychological condition is very poor.
Selene stared at the food Yuma had handed her.
“It looks fine. Thanks to being stored in the artifact.”
“…So, why are you giving this to me?”
“Just accept it as goodwill.”
To ease Selene’s suspicions, which seemed unnecessary, Yuma broke off a piece of the red bean pastry and popped it into his mouth.
Selene watched in a daze as he ate the pastry, and then she took a bite herself.
“…It’s delicious.”
She declared after tasting it.
Selene’s silver eyes sparkled as she gobbled down the red bean pastry and milk.
She finished off the remaining sandwich, which was filled with ham and vegetables.
Selene’s mouth slowly opened.
Having cleared her plate, she hurriedly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and gazed intently at Yuma.
“Do all humans eat this kind of food?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s fascinating.”
Saying this, Selene approached Yuma.
“Take off your top. I need to touch your back to inscribe the mark.”
To anyone else, that might sound quite strange. However, Yuma didn’t respond and completely removed his top. He had gained strength from his achievements.
Thanks to some regular exercise, Yuma’s physique was well-toned with just the right amount of muscle.
Selene placed her hand on his back.
The warmth of their bodies flowed into each other. More specifically, Selene’s cold hand was gradually warming up through the heat from Yuma’s back.
Yuma spoke up.
“Does it require a lot of concentration?”
A silvery current began to emanate from Selene’s hand resting on Yuma’s back.
Wooooooom…
The silvery aura formed a circular whirlpool. It resembled a magic circle, but more languages were moving in sequence.
“Well, it does, but it’s okay for us to talk. It’s not like I’m a novice at this. I’ve been marking for over 350 years.”
That implied she was at least over 350 years old.
It was said that demons of the second tier or higher had an average lifespan of around 1000 years.
The tale of the Berzette family taking control of the marking clans definitely started around 250 years ago.
“Sure, it started 250 years ago.”
Yuma said.
“Can you tell me how Berzette controls your family? How can you completely break free from his dominion?”
Selene, focusing on her engraving, slowly opened her mouth.
“If I tell you that, do you plan to save our family from Berzette’s control? Like you mentioned earlier, as a price for the engraving?”
“Yes.”
“From what I’ve just seen, it seems you are also close with Great Demon King Lilith. You could just take the engraving without any conditions, right? So why are you so keen on saving our family?”
Yuma calmly explained the truth behind Selene’s question.
“Even if it’s not about freeing your family, I have my reasons for needing to kill one demon lord. And if that happens to align with saving your family, it’s better to do it thoroughly than half-heartedly.”
Around Selene’s hand, which was still positioned in the center of Yuma’s back, dozens of silver rings slowly spun.
“…Great Demon King Berzette has a death pact with ten awakened members of our family. It’s intertwined with ten of their children. If Berzette’s youngest dies for any reason, our family’s youngest, Yuren, who awakened the bloodline, dies too.”
Selene explained what needed to be understood.
“The [Death Pact] is one of the powers held by the five demon lords. It allows forming pacts based on another demon’s death. It’s a privilege bestowed upon those recognized as strong by the demon realm itself.”
This showed why a demon lord is regarded as god-like in the demon realm.
“The pacts are spoken of the subject’s own volition. And the pact is realized 12 days after the death pact’s truth is proclaimed. It’s a privilege granted to the powerful acknowledged by the demon realm… that’s how it’s described.”
The [Death Pact] prevents even aspirations of betrayal from manifesting.
“According to records kept by the former demon lords, a total of ten individuals can be bound by [Death Pact]. Berzette assigned all ten to our family.”
Selene added one more thing.
“However, not all demon lords abuse this power. Demon lords don’t really need to impose such pacts. They are all-powerful through force. Even Lilith prefers not to use pacts.”
Yuma asked.
“What’s a way to nullify that pact?”
“If you kill Berzette, the one who cast the pact, all the death pacts will become void… First kill Berzette, and then if you kill the rest of his children, our family members won’t die.”
“Selene, who are you bound by in the pact?”
Selene replied softly.
“Berzette’s eldest son, Zargos. I’m bound by a pact with him. So as long as we kill Berzette, all those who’ve awakened in our family can be free.”
Yuma believed Selene. Her words were calm and continuous.
“You absolutely must kill Berzette first. If you kill those kids first, our family members will die along with them.”
Selene emphasized once again.
“Remember that.”
A brief silence fell.
Of course, Selene’s engraving work continued.
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