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The Demon’s Bargain – Part 03

Translator: Kell

Zero sighed and looked at Madia. “Librarian. You said that the Director plans to make a deal with the Captain. If she makes a demand, the demon will ask for her in return.”

“Yes.”

“What if she demands the liberation of the fort?”

Madia’s jaw dropped. Even I almost forgot to breathe for a second.

“You talking about the captain becoming that monster’s mate?” I asked.

“Yes. Her sacrifice will save everyone in the fort.”

“I see. Even I, who’s known for being cold-blooded, feel a little uncomfortable.”

“Right?” Zero eyed me with a slight frown. “In any case, we have to leave the fort as soon as possible to protect the knights. Either we abandon everyone in the fort, or leave the captain and take everyone else with us.”

“What?! Please at least take my sister with you!” Madia begged. “Take her to Wenias!”

“That is the biggest problem. Even if we offered the Captain, the Director will not give your sister up. It might even give the Captain up to keep you both.”

“Why?!”

“Do you know the conditions under which a demon can return to Hell?”

Madia nodded. “M-Mutual agreement, the completion of the contract, or the death of the demon.”

“Yes. But if we kill the Director, other demons will come to this land. I can protect the people of the fort on the way to Wenias, but the Knights Templar will be killed.”

Oh, right. I nodded. “So killing the Director is a no-no.”

“Correct. And as long as the Director wants to stay in this world, an agreement to end the contract is out of the question. Not only that, but the Director clearly fears the end of the bloodline that is bound by the contract. That is why it wants your sister to give birth to an heir.”

The Director did not give Madia herself a mate because childbirth itself was fraught with death. If Madia became pregnant with a child, she would not be able to go out to gather people to fulfill her obligation, which would be a violation of her contract that would result in her death. Mina would automatically take over the contract, but as a young woman, she would not be able to hunt humans, inevitably meeting the same fate as her sister.

In short, the Director needed both Madia to fulfill the contract, and Mina for procreation.

“So there’s nothing we can do?”

“No, there is something we can do. Although it will be a bit of a gamble.”

“A gamble?”

“Would you like to play?” Zero asked. “A huge gamble where we trick the demon that possesses eyes that see the world. The stakes are as high as the lives of ten thousand or so knights.”

Madia turned pale. “All ten thousand knights for Mina’s life?”

“The demon would surely notice if we took your sister with us. Even if we are able to escape, we should keep in mind that the knights will be attacked in retaliation.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “It’s just not worth it.”

The lives of the knights against Mina’s freedom. The stakes were too unbalanced for a gamble.

“I am not a saint,” Zero said. “I do not take a gamble where only I am unfavored. But if I win this bet, I will benefit from it as well.”

“What kind of benefit?”

Grinning, Zero began explaining her plan.

“Please give me some time to think.”

After hearing Zero’s plan, Madia refrained from giving an answer immediately. The chances of her plan succeeding was that low.

The Director loved humans, and it also liked her lovely-looking sister. Madia thought that she might be able to find a way to save Mina from suffering before she died.

We told Barcel about the plan, which required handing over Gemma to the Director. There was no way the attendant would agree to it with a smile.

“The Captain will be the one to decide,” Zero said.

She was right, of course. For now our priority was to meet up with Gemma and inform her that the troops were in danger.

“Oh.” As we climbed the stairs back to the main hall of the tower, we spotted Gemma.

The captain slowly turned to us, her expression hard. I supposed it was understandable, since she was alone with that monster until now, but the tension did not seem to leave her even when she saw us. In fact, she seemed wary.

Ignoring the captain’s behavior, Barcel ran up to her and embraced her tight. “Captain! Thank goodness you’re okay! You had me worried. You just disappeared all of a sudden.”

Gemma did not show any reaction. She stared at me in silence, with eyes that made all the hair on my body bristle.

I recognized that look. The look of absolute hatred. Never before had I felt such intense abhorrence from her. Any worse and she might try to kill me.

“Captain?” Unable to keep ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Barcel pulled himself away from Gemma and peered into her face.

“Apparently the demon in this place has eyes that see the whole world,” Gemma said.

I wagged my tail a little.

The demon must have told her itself. It saved us the trouble of informing her, but the atmosphere suggested this was not the time and place to be delighted.

“The demon said that it had watched the world for the past hundred years from this fort. It knew about Wenias’ movements, the life of a nameless peasant, the death of a great sorcerer, but one thing really stood out to me.” She took a deep breath. “It’s about a girl who joined the Knights Templar after her father was killed by a Beastfallen.”

Barcel’s breath caught.

“Interestingly enough,” Gemma continued, “the girl’s circumstances were very similar to mine. Do you want to hear about it?”

“Captain,” Barcel said. “I don’t know what that demon said to you, but they’re all—”

“Lies?”

Barcel let go of Gemma.

“Of course. Nothing but lies. You didn’t kill my father. You didn’t ask that Beastfallen over there to kill him. That can’t be true. Then what about my father killing your family? Was that a lie too?”

Barcel’s expression changed. The word “lies” would not leave his mouth.

“What about the one where my father cut off the fingers of a child who couldn’t name the seven guardian deities? What about when he sewed a woman’s mouth shut when she said she had no information about a witch?”

“Captain, I—”

“Shut up, Barcel! I don’t want to hear another word out of your mouth!” Gemma’s lips were trembling, her breathing shallow. She chewed hard on her glove in an attempt to calm herself down. “Fifteen years ago, my father raped your wife. She had a miscarriage and passed away soon after. My father laughed, didn’t he?! Did you really think you could keep that from me? I’ve heard countless stories. Honorable knights whispered ugly things about my father to me. But I didn’t believe them. Why do you think I didn’t? Because I believed you! You made me believe that my father was not a wicked man!”

Given her character, she must have tried hard to deny the demon’s words. It was not true. It couldn’t be true. Barcel would not deceive her. But it was pointless.

Everything the demon said was the truth. At least, what Gemma said was the same as what Barcel told me when he asked me to kill the man.

Back then Barcel had a grim look in his eyes, as though he hated the whole world. He would not hesitate to turn his back on God to kill that man. He had been looking for an opportunity to take revenge. That was when we made a deal.

When I found out that Barcel was serving Gemma, I honestly thought he was plotting to take revenge on the daughter as well.

“You returned to me after you killed my father so you could kill me too! You’ve been keeping an eye on me. Just like the Vice Captain, you think I have the same tainted soul as my father! That’s why you were always so strict with me. You never let me make any decisions. You controlled me all the time! I’m such a fool!” Gemma raised her fist and punched Barcel weakly in the chest. “I looked up to you! You were the only one who cared for me. I didn’t even know that you despised me! It must’ve felt great seeing the daughter of the man you hated fawning over you!”

After a few seconds of silence, Gemma bit her lip and hung her head down. Barcel stood still like a puppet, unable to utter a single excuse.

Trying to maintain her dignity as captain, Gemma wiped away her tears and stood confident. “Rejoice, Barcel. You don’t have to watch me anymore after today. I made a deal with the demon. If I remain here and become the demon’s wife, it will free the people of the fort. It will also guarantee their safety while passing through the demon’s domain.”

“What?!” Barcel looked more shocked than when Gemma asked him if he killed her father.

Gemma gave him an awkward smile. “There’s no place for me in the Knights Templar anyway. No one wants me back. At least let me be a martyr, just like my father.” Picking up her battle axe, she cut off her braid, shoved it at Barcel and turned away. “This is my last request. Bury it in a tomb. Once everyone arrives safely in Wenias, I will commit suicide. There’s nothing more scandalous than a captain of the Knights Templar becoming the wife of a demon.”

“No, Captain! You can’t make an important decision like that on your own!” Barcel grabbed Gemma’s arm.

“Then who else will make the decision?! You?” Gemma brushed his hand away with force. “Will you order me to become the demon’s wife? Tell me that there’s no other way? My willingness to sacrifice myself will probably make me accept. Either way, the result is the same. I will remain here.”

“I’m against it,” Barcel said. “I can’t leave you here alone!”

Gemma scoffed. “Sure, you can. It’s easier than serving the daughter of the man you hated. Does the image of me becoming a martyr make you sick? Did you want me to be alienated from the squad and watch me get stabbed from behind by my own men?”

“Captain!” Barcel snapped.

Gemma flinched, but quickly shook her head, dismissing her discomposure. “Gather everyone from the fort and leave by dawn.” She turned to Zero. “Lady Witch.”

“Hmm?”

“I leave the knights in your hands. The Director said there’s another demon out there. You have to get to them before they reach an area out of the Director’s reach.”

“That seems to be the case. We were actually about to inform you that we needed to return as soon as possible.”

Gemma smiled. “Out of all the decisions I made in my life, trusting you was the only correct one.” She gave me one last glance, then silently pushed Barcel away before setting her foot on the stairs that led up the tower. A swarm of insects awaited her above. “I hope I make you a little proud.” She disappeared into the upper floor of the tower as though swallowed by insects.