* * *
Julius’s consecutive remarks were completely unexpected.
‘How on earth does this man know that…?’
Eren’s eyes wavered in panic for a moment, but he quickly calmed himself down.
“A voice? What on earth are you talking about? Are you hearing things now?”
“Hmm… I doubt you genuinely don’t know. Are you just pretending not to know, Eren?”
“I’d have to know something to pretend not to know it. And don’t call my name, it’s disgusting.”
Eren held his head up straight and looked at Julius.
At that, Julius couldn’t suppress the laughter that burst forth.
‘How bold of him to try and deceive me.’
His laughter wouldn’t stop.
“Ahahahaha! How adorable.”
“…”
“I can’t be fooled, even if others can. I can see it.”
“See what—”
“The devil’s power connected to you, I can see it very clearly.”
Eren’s face involuntarily froze. He anxiously scanned the air, unable to say anything.
‘How much does he know? No, how does he know that in the first place?’
The man he met in the temple is designated as a ‘God’ in this world.
An entity beyond sacred and noble. Hearing the voice of that being was possible.
Priests could also hear the voice of the god under the pretense of a divine oracle.
But this was an entirely different issue. Julius clearly called him a ‘devil.’
The true identity of the God who governs this world is ‘Asmodeus, the Devil.’
Even Eren, who was transmigrated, would not have been able to know that without the contract.
How on earth did Julius know it? Eren bit his lip hard.
“Oh dear. You shouldn’t be making that face already.”
Julius used his thumb to wipe Eren’s lip, stopping him from biting it further.
“…Get off.”
Julius’s hand was forcefully thrown off and flew away weakly.
His laughter once again covered the silence.
“You don’t need to be so wary. I can see it simply because it’s the same power.”
Eren looked bewildered, as if he didn’t understand.
Seeing that, Julius looked down at the floor as if to teach him directly.
A white flower blooming on the ground.
Though there was no sunlight, it was already withered and shriveled.
He didn’t have to ask.
There was only one power that could disrupt the constant flow of time.
Eren finally understood why the phenomenon at the Firentium mansion, which took the form of magic, lacked any trace of mana.
It was magic, but the foundation was different.
Unlike magic that uses innate mana, the power Julius used was black magic that could only be used at the cost of life force.
“You can be excited. Aren’t you curious about how I plan to use this power?”
“…If you knew it was the same power, you’d know it wouldn’t work on me.”
“That is a bit disappointing. I drained all the mana from Eren’s body for this moment, but it seems to have been useless.”
Seeing that he revealed his actions without hesitation, it seemed he no longer intended to hide it.
The more mana a person has, the more life force is required to use the power against them.
If the disappearance of his mana was Julius’s doing, it certainly meant he intended to use that ability on Eren.
It didn’t matter.
Since his ability wouldn’t work on him anyway.
Of course, the situation would have been different if he hadn’t made the contract.
Before Eren could calmly reply, the smile on Julius’s lips deepened.
A dark assumption suddenly crossed Eren’s mind upon seeing his smile.
Julius knew perfectly well that he couldn’t use his ability on Eren.
Knowing that, would Julius have just done nothing?
Eren was certain he hadn’t.
The Julius he knew would surely have prepared a different countermeasure in the meantime.
That was probably…
“There is someone desperately looking for you.”
The ominous premonition always proved to be accurate.
There was no doubt that the person he was referring to was Ashard.
“Ashard Fridit. Your lover, that is.”
He wished it wasn’t true, but Ashard’s name finally came out of Julius’s mouth.
His mind went blank. Julius seemed to be saying something, but it didn’t register in his ears.
‘No.’
Ashard was absolutely out of the question.
The length of his breaths began to shorten.
His breathing became increasingly irregular, and his heart rate accelerated.
Julius claimed his power was the same as Eren’s, but in reality, it was different.
Since Eren was Asmodeus’s contractor, Julius’s power wouldn’t affect him, but Eren couldn’t use the power Julius wielded.
All he could do was see Ashard’s life force and soul power through the pattern engraved on the back of his hand.
In other words, if Julius used his ability on Ashard, Eren couldn’t stop it or interfere.
That was the extent of the ‘opportunity’ the so-called God had given him.
Eren frantically grabbed Julius’s hand. He couldn’t think of anything else.
“Fine, do as you like. I’ll spread my legs if you ask, and I’ll gladly accept if you want to sleep with me… so, just that person…”
He was clearly speaking, but Eren himself didn’t know exactly what he was saying.
His mind was only focused on stopping Ashard from being involved.
Julius pulled the frantic, rambling Eren into his arms.
He lowered his body and whispered softly into Eren’s ear.
“That would be nice, but I think it’s already too late, Eren.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ashard’s voice calling him was heard.
It was the voice he had desperately wanted to hear, but at this moment, he absolutely did not want to hear it.
“Please break down completely. I will provide the opportunity.”
He saw Ashard running towards him from a distance.
Eren shook his head violently and screamed.
“No! Don’t come! Please! You can’t come…!”
Yet, Ashard’s steps did not falter.
There was no way he didn’t hear him.
Ashard’s calls were clear, so there was no way Eren’s voice wasn’t conveyed.
Even while hearing him, Ashard must have prioritized coming to him.
Just as Eren would have done.
The darkness engraved on the back of his hand began to consume the light.
The mere 10% of the white part was gradually disappearing.
Suddenly, he saw the sword strapped to Julius’s waist.
Eren swiftly pulled the sword out and pointed the tip at him.
His hand was trembling violently, causing the tip of the sword to shake.
‘Could I kill him?’
Even thinking that was pathetic.
How could he possibly kill him?
Eren lowered his shaking eyes to look at his hands.
Clean hands, without calluses, that had never held a sword.
Weak arms that struggled just to hold a sword. He resented everything.
“I welcome dying by your hand, but now is not the time—!”
Julius’s face crumpled in surprise.
Eren had turned the tip of the sword he was holding away from Julius, pointing it at himself.
Eren, holding the tip of the sword against his abdomen, silently looked at Ashard.
Tears blurred his vision, making it difficult to see him clearly.
He thought it was better to kill himself than to let Ashard die. If only he died, everything would end.
But Julius struck the sword away, as if he wouldn’t even allow that.
“I’m afraid I cannot allow that. You have to watch, don’t you? What happens to your lover.”
Julius shoved a handkerchief into Eren’s mouth.
His pleas for Ashard not to come were muffled and silenced.
Julius, who was about to tie Eren’s wrists with a rope so he couldn’t move, suddenly stopped.
“…Now that I think about it, watching that man break down might be quite interesting.”
“Mmph! Mmph…!”
“I’m curious to see how he reacts if he kills you with his own hands, Eren.”
He muttered to himself, in a volume too low for Eren to hear.
His green eyes shone dangerously.
Eren choked with indignation, but his cries faded, blocked by the handkerchief in his mouth.
“Eren!”
He had come after all. After telling him so many times not to come, he came anyway.
As his eyes met Ashard, who was standing right in front of him, his tears wouldn’t stop flowing.
Ashard lowered his body and untied the ropes.
As the handkerchief was pulled out of his mouth, Eren grabbed him and pleaded.
“Why did you come! Go back quickly, please. Huh? Listen to me. Quickly, quickly go…!”
“…Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“You shouldn’t be here… You’ll die, you’ll die! So please, just go!”
Ashard quietly wiped the tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.
“You’re here, so where are you telling me to go? Don’t cry. If you cry like that, I’ll…”
Ashard’s words were cut off. Sensing something was wrong, Eren called Ashard’s name.
He didn’t answer.
Ashard silently gripped the sword in his hand.
He raised it high and instantly plunged it downward.
Pook—!
A red fluid splattered with the sound of flesh being sliced.
* * *
