ILJV 02

Chapter 02

As a result, my fireplace was now filled to the brim with black ironwood. I chased Emma away, who was suspiciously peering around the fireplace, and remained alone in the room.

‘I can’t exactly summon a sorcerer in front of her, can I?’

As someone who had possessed this body, I knew the name of the great sorcerer who had once served as the right hand of the kingdom’s founder, Efron Jeraint.

Of course, no ordinary person in this world could ever know his name.

‘Because he’s a demon.’

A demon in the holy kingdom’s founding myth—what an absurd notion.

‘If that ever got out, the whole kingdom would lose its mind.’

That was why the great sorcerer’s name was never recorded in history. Efron Jeraint had gone to great lengths to conceal the fact that he’d borrowed the power of a demon to found the nation. He told no one, not even the sorcerer’s name.

And honestly, it made perfect sense.

‘A king who gained the loyalty of a powerful sorcerer sounds a lot better than one who made a deal with a demon.’

There were two ways to make a contract with a demon:

To call its name—or to offer something that would pique its interest.

Efron Jeraint had chosen the latter, offering up the soul of his firstborn child as payment. But for me, the choice was obvious: the former. Call the demon by name.

If you knew its name, you could summon it for free.

‘If that’s not a cheat code, I don’t know what is.’

“Teoharis.”

I called out the name of the demon I had read in the novel. It wasn’t a particularly common name, but neither was it unheard of.

You might wonder—what if someone accidentally said it?

That would be impossible. The people of this world had no memory of such names. The Demon King had erased all knowledge of demon names from human minds.

Thus, no human in this world could utter a demon’s true name. So the clause—‘Call me by name and I’ll work for free, otherwise pay me a price’—was just one of those sly little tricks demons liked to put in their contracts.

“What the—? What’s going on? This is the human realm?”

The demon who appeared before me looked utterly confused. Understandably so. In this world, it was impossible for a human to call a demon by name.

‘But I’m not a human of this world, am I?’

A pleasant sense of satisfaction welled up in me. Enjoying the privileges of a transmigrator felt rather nice.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Teoharis.”

I smiled and extended my hand.

“Oh—should I not call you by your name? Would you prefer I call you ‘Great Sorcerer’ instead?”

“‘Great Sorcerer’? Ugh, that’s such an outdated title. The last fool who called me that was some idiot who sold his son’s soul because he wanted to be king, centuries ago…”

The demon scrutinized me from head to toe, as if appraising an object.

“You’re not his descendant, are you?”

“Descendant? Hardly. If you asked who in this world hates the Jeraints the most, that would probably be me.”

All five of Catherine’s “fish” were a hassle, but the two Jeraints—the Crown Prince and Redon—were the worst of the lot.

The demon’s eyes narrowed as I grimaced in disgust.

“I see. You’re human, but your aura feels… completely different.”

He nodded, seeming to accept it, but soon furrowed his brow again in confusion.

“But if you’re not that guy’s descendant, how did you summon me? No—even his descendants wouldn’t be able to.”

“That’s true. Humans don’t know your names.”

“Then how did you call me? And how do you even know that humans can’t know our names?”

“That’s… a bit complicated to explain. And I doubt you’d believe me anyway…”

This was an honored guest who’d come all this way just to light my fireplace. I tried to be as polite as possible, forcing a bright smile.

“Do I really need to explain all that? Can’t you just do me one little favor and be on your way?”

But apparently being contrary was part of his species’ nature, because the demon completely ignored my words.

“Hey, human. I asked how you knew my name! You’re not an ordinary human, are you? You’re not, right?”

“If I weren’t an ordinary human, would I really be shivering from the cold like this? Come on, just light the fire and go home, huh?”

“Fire? You need fire too? Like that idiot back then?”

At the mention of fire, his expression changed slightly.

“Fire, huh… I see.”

The annoyance on his face shifted into an intrigued smile.

“I’m the best fire-handler among my kin. If that’s what you needed, then summoning me was the right choice.”

He even looked pleased. Perfect—if he was in a good mood, he’d make an even stronger flame.

I nodded enthusiastically.

“Exactly. When it comes to fire, the Blue Flame Demon is the best there is.”

“A human who knows things—how refreshing. So, do you also want to be a king, like that fool did?”

“Nope.”

“Then you must want wealth. Planning to wipe out a bunch of enemies, maybe?”

“Not that either.”

“What? Then why do you need my blue flame?”

“To light the fireplace.”

I calmly pointed to the fireplace filled with black ironwood. The demon followed my finger, his face twisting in disbelief.

“…What? The fireplace?”

“They say that’s no ordinary wood—it’s so dense that normal fire can’t burn it. So I need an exceptionally strong flame. That’s why I—”

“Wait!”

The demon suddenly cut me off.

“You mean to tell me you summoned me, Teoharis, the Blue Flame Demon, just to light a fireplace?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to kill anyone?”

“What? You want me to be a murderer? I’m honestly tired of being called that already.”

“Then… blood? Don’t you want to see blood?”

“What would I even do with blood? It’s not like it’s useful for anything.”

The demon stared at me, mouth agape, looking utterly devastated.

“…Right. Humans don’t need blood.”

He murmured absently, then shook his head as if to regain his senses.

“Then… a country! Yes! Let’s conquer a country and make you queen! You humans love that sort of thing, don’t you?”

“No thanks.”

“Why not? Don’t you crave immense power?”

“Not really… Sounds exhausting, honestly.”

Why did kings in the Joseon dynasty all die young? Because being king was stressful as hell, that’s why.

‘Why would I put myself through that kind of misery?’

“Life isn’t better just because you’re on top, you know. Living comfortably as an idle noble sounds a lot nicer.”

Power without labor—that was the perfect sweet spot.

“So, Mr. Demon.”

I pointed again at the fireplace.

“Please just light it already.”

At that, the demon’s face turned pale.