Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Covenant Open

#153

“I won’t ask you to sign a contract, so at least pretend to listen. From now on, I won’t care what you do, so just do me one favor, okay? It’s not a loss for you.”

Whether he was weighing the pros and cons of the coaxing words, Orias remained silent for a while. Then, somewhere, the sound of a flint striking rang out.

Click-

[The demon ‘Orias’ of the ‘Lemegeton’ opens their covenant.]

Instead of answering, Orias opened their covenant.

『Covenant Open』

Behind the letters that dyed the space white, a chilling energy ran down his spine. At the same time, the terrace window rattled.

Dokyeom watched the terrace where the curtains shook violently. The blackout curtains twisted and fluttered under an invisible force. The voice came when the fluttering curtains stopped.

As a massive figure appeared by the window.

Thud-

【What kind of nerve does this guy have to suggest a deal with a demon. Now he’s crawling all the way up to my head.】

At first, it was a form as huge as a moving mountain. As it approached, its shape gradually shrank, from a lion’s form finally into a human shape two heads taller than Dokyeom. Blazing red eyes gleamed in the darkness. When their gazes met, his breath trembled.

【How far do I have to play along for you to be satisfied? You keep shaking the demon, shaking. You think I’ll just spoil you, so you have no fear? And then you’ll get hurt badly and whine?】

“If you spoiled me that much, why have you been hiding until now? Did you sell your conscience completely?”

He was a man with long white hair and red eyes. Dokyeom’s words seemed to sting his pride; his face immediately turned uncomfortable.

The narrowing steps stopped exactly in front of Dokyeom. Dokyeom stared up at that unfamiliar face as if it were a distant sky. With delicate features like a carved statue, as described in any book, his appearance was captivating enough to enchant.

“But why the human form? I liked the lion form.”

【The house is the size of a fingernail. The ceiling’s too low to come in my true form. Anyway, humans like this kind of look.】

“I see Agon’s face every day, so no.”

【What’s with this guy? Even with a demon in front of him, he won’t hold back a single word.】

Grumbling, Orias scanned Dokyeom’s body with a persistent gaze. Frowning at his pale face, they clicked their tongue when they reached his bandaged arm.

【Don’t droop like a sick chicken. Why insist on taking care of others when you’re limping like this? Don’t you know this drives me crazy every time? Haa… Come here. I’ll temporarily kill the pain.】

After the scolding, Orias’s clothes, draped like a curtain, parted, revealing a broad chest. Dokyeom looked at that embrace and then asked bluntly.

“What, are you going to lick me?”

【Ah, I’m only licking your arm. Why is this guy like this when I’m offering to heal him?】

Dokyeom looked down at his bandaged arm. Though faint, a rotting smell reached him over the bandage. He knew that Agon and Dali wrinkled their noses whenever they saw the wound.

Even if he pretended to be fine, the pain that medicine couldn’t fully kill had its limits, so he often gasped in secret. Perhaps because of such a wound, even Orias seemed only able to temporarily reduce the pain.

Only when a low, urging voice rang out to come quickly did Dokyeom reluctantly step forward. His arm was immediately grabbed and pulled up.

【Is it because you’re a contractor, or are you just weird… Sometimes I really can’t understand you. Other contractors aren’t like this. Why are you like this? Why do you jump into the fire alone?】

‘Sigh, what did I get myself into?’ Orias grumbled but lowered their head and buried their face on the bandage. Their breath lingered on the bandage. And when that breath, as if exhaled, dug into the bandage along with teeth,

“…!”

Dokyeom clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay. Compared to when I was bitten by a monster, this is just tingling, but it feels like it’s being corrected.’ On the other hand, Orias frowned and wrinkled their nose, as if something wasn’t right.

【…Hey, if you tense up like this, I can’t do it. I have to do it quickly while the guy outside turns a blind eye.】

Dokyeom’s eyes flashed with fire.

“Oh, so the guy outside is turning a blind eye too?”

【The presence is faint, I tell you. That’s why I’m doing this… *cough*!】

Suddenly, Orias’s huge body bent sharply forward, and their eyes met nose to nose. Orias’s eyes went wide in surprise at what was happening, and then they hardened their mouth when they finally realized their situation.

‘So… now a mere human is grabbing me by the collar…?’

‘This, the more I see it…!’ In an instant, red eyes blazing with anger were reflected in even more shimmering gray eyes. So clearly that it shut his mouth.

Perhaps that’s why Orias unconsciously kept their mouth shut.

【……】

“So you do have something to do with Taeseongyeon. But you bastard, why are you, a demon, kowtowing to a mere human? Did he get a hold on you? Or is that Taeseongyeon guy threatening you? Is he begging for help by holding your position hostage? What is it? Tell me. I’ll find out and crush him.”

【What do you think I am…! Haa. Fine, fine. Think whatever you want. To you, I must seem worse than a low-level demon rolling in the gutter.】

Resigned, Orias hunched their back and slowly pried off the hand gripping their collar one finger at a time. When they thought they had removed it all, they set their teeth on his arm again.

【Why would threats come up? Threats. I really, because of you…】

The low whisper seemed to blur for a moment. Then, as if a wind blew, Orias opened their mouth again after a while.

【…Demons are skilled in rhetoric, so intimidation doesn’t work on demons of a certain high rank. To move bigwigs like the demons of the ‘Lemegeton’, you have to make them have personal investment. Make them want to do it.】

“What’s that if not enticement?”

【It’s mostly about taste. Among Hunters who received the ‘Lemegeton’ seal, there’s no contractor whose taste wasn’t considered. They commission or personally choose those who suit their palate.】

“So you… ha… chose me?”

【You? You’re utterly pathetic. Your temper is nasty, you’re sluggish without any spunk, and you treat demons like a joke. Why are you suddenly opening your eyes like that?】

A thick tongue rubbed forcefully over the wound. When Dokyeom flinched and closed his eyes, a brief smile flickered across Orias’s face. There was even a hint of satisfaction in that blatant smile.

【I’ll lay low for a while. I’m also lying low because the ‘Supervisors’ are starting to notice, so I can’t open the covenant often. Even if I don’t talk much, just know that’s the case.】

“…What did they notice?”

【There are things like that… Look at this, you ask for everything once I tell you one thing, tch. Be satisfied with this much. Anyway, I can’t talk now.】

Only after hearing the low voice did Dokyeom gain some certainty. The connection between Orias and Taeseongyeon, which had been as thin as a thread, was now clear enough to see.

When did it start? Perhaps even before Dokyeom entered Han Dokyeom’s body, the two were already in collusion. There were plenty of omens; Dokyeom just didn’t know the circumstances.

Taeseongyeon, whose personality had changed. Orias, who was always evasively absent.

Even in the original story, there was no contact between these two. I wrote that world myself, so there’s no way I wouldn’t know. But how could these two have a connection that Dokyeom didn’t know about?

The unfamiliar facet of this world, which he thought he knew everything about, bothered him. Even more so because he didn’t know when it started.

【Don’t think too deeply. Later, you’ll come to know even if you don’t want to. How many demons are tangled in this… Anyway.】

Warm heat touched the wound and fell away several times. When the pain faded, the flesh pressing on the wound also dropped off. Immediately, his gaze met strange red eyes that coughed dryly.

【It’s a temporary fix, so take care of yourself for a while. After this… that guy and I have no other way.】

Probably meaning this was the last treatment he could receive. Dokyeom slowly ran his hand over his bandaged arm and then nodded calmly.

“Okay.”

【And don’t call other demons’ names if you can help it. Especially that guy, ‘Gamigin’. He and I are opposites.】

Wondering what demon story this was, it seemed to refer to the incident with Taeseongyeon at the hospital. Dokyeom looked up at the being two heads taller than him.

“So you just sat still and watched then? You two are such opposites? Why, didn’t you jump right out?”

【I couldn’t, so that day I was really…!】

Orias cut off mid-sentence and closed their eyes as if suppressing anger. If there had been a wall behind them, it looked like they would have banged their head against it. The muscles on their tightly clenched jaw were prominent, and their shut eyes seemed heavy as if enduring.

【Fine… Next time, I’ll jump right out like you said. So let’s just settle the business now. You called me to leave that guy with me, right? I think I’ll die of anger if I talk with you any longer here.】

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