Chapter 101: Contract with the Devil
2024.02.09
[Almost done.]
Roti said. The task was so difficult that, if she hadn’t been able to see magic, completing it in one go would have been impossible. Her entire body was tense, muscles stiffened from the effort.
[You must not let your body falter or your will waver. If you do, it will all be in vain.]
“I understand.”
After finishing the calculations, she began distributing her magical energy, and her body trembled like a leaf. Cordelia gritted her teeth and endured.
Fortunately, her efforts seemed to be effective—Najabut’s movements noticeably slowed. Leonard noticed this and launched a relentless assault.
[Hold on.]
Roti coldly warned as she sensed Cordelia’s weakening will. Cordelia opened her mouth to reply but quickly shut it again. Her teeth were chattering so violently she might bite her tongue if she tried to speak.
Her magic was working. Najabut began to be pushed back unilaterally.
Finally, Leonard gained the upper hand. As he reached out into the air, he created a long ice spear. With his other hand, he gripped Najabut’s shoulder tightly, preventing any escape. Just as he aimed to pierce Lydia’s heart with it, a phoenix suddenly flew in from nowhere, shattering the spear in half.
“Leonard Atillay!”
Rosenbluer, arriving late, shouted and immediately blocked the space between Lydia and Leonard, roughly shoving Leonard away.
“Are you crazy?”
“You’re the crazy one! Do you even know what’s inside your sister?” Leonard spat through heavy breaths.
“What are you talking about?”
“B-Blay… please… save me… Leo… Leo…”
Najabut clung to Rosenbluer’s back, tears streaming down her face. To Leonard, who knew the full truth, it only appeared despicable.
“Don’t hide. Come out here, or I’ll crush your head.”
“Why are you doing this? What did Lydia ever do wrong?”
“Wrong? She summoned a devil with her own body! Do you need me to say more?”
“Summoned? That’s… impossible… How could Lydia possibly summon something? She’s only a low-level mage.”
Naturally, Rosenbluer didn’t believe Leonard easily. Not just because of family ties, but under normal circumstances, the word “summon” would seem inconceivable.
Even Matilda and the other Seirius members had no reason to expect a devil’s summoning, despite the massive collapse. The last known summoning occurred over a hundred years ago and had long since faded into history.
“Ask your sister. How she did it.”
Leonard condensed his magical energy into his palm and struck Najabut’s head. She let out a fragile scream and tumbled to the floor.
“Kyah!”
“Lydia!”
Rosenbluer immediately countered Leonard. Leonard blocked with a magical barrier, but Rosenbluer was also a high-level mage; some of the impact hit Leonard’s body.
“Ugh.”
“No matter who you are, I won’t forgive this. How dare you touch Elfenbaum? To Lydia, no less?”
Rosenbluer’s face turned icy cold. Cordelia watched the scene from afar. She wanted to run and explain, but moving would break her focus.
The magic Roti had taught her was meant to loosen the connection between the devil and its host; it required continuous focus to be effective.
By chance, her eyes met Najabut’s on the floor.
“So it’s you.”
Najabut grinned, moving her lips slightly. While the two men fought, Najabut staggered toward Cordelia.
“Cordelia… no wonder I’ve been feeling weak… it’s because of you?”
Roti stepped in front of Cordelia, preventing her from moving.
[Don’t let her get any closer.]
“Why is this thing interfering in everything?”
[Ignore her and focus on the magic.]
Roti briefly glanced at Cordelia before lunging at Najabut. Cordelia nodded slightly and poured all her attention into maintaining the spell.
“Argh!”
Najabut waved her arm lazily, but the gray dog bit and clung stubbornly to her. Using such intense magic made Cordelia’s head throb and her stomach churn, but she endured.
‘Just a little longer. Just a little longer.’
Though Roti fought well, she wasn’t invincible. Even if Cordelia worked diligently, the limits of her magic were clear.
“You’re annoying!”
[Gah!]
With a thud, Roti was thrown into a tree. Seeing that, Cordelia momentarily lost focus. Najabut grinned and advanced toward her.
“Still, tearing you apart is our Lydia’s wish, so I guess I’ll grant it.”
“…Wish?”
“This woman… so devious. Pretends to be noble in front of others, but secretly prays that you die out of jealousy. I fell for her and summoned myself because of that.”
Najabut laughed as if she were telling a joke. Cordelia’s heart sank as her worst fears were confirmed.
‘Was I nothing to Lydia? Did I imagine our friendship all along?’
“You look like you didn’t know.”
As Najabut stepped closer, Cordelia’s tongue dried. She glanced sideways—her mentor was still pinned by Rosenbluer.
Desperately, she looked at Leonard. Perhaps sensing her intent, Leonard returned her gaze. She didn’t call out “Mentor,” fearing it would attract Najabut’s attention; she only widened her eyes.
“But you… you smell really good.”
“…”
“Kind of a waste to kill you right away.”
Najabut pressed her nose to Cordelia’s neck, sniffing like a dog. The close breath sent shivers down her spine, nearly breaking her concentration.
The devil ran her fingers along Cordelia’s cheek, then suddenly extended her nails long and sharp like blades. Instinctively, Cordelia realized this was the same entity that had gutted the dead woman at her feet.
“I still have my dues to pay for this body.”
She swung her nails violently. Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut.
“Lydia… you…”
Amazingly, it wasn’t Leonard who blocked the strike, but Rosenbluer, pushing Najabut back with a bewildered expression.
“Did the devil really… descend?”
“Blay, it’s not true! Don’t you trust me? All that nonsense was made up by her!”
Najabut’s expression changed in an instant. She cried dramatically, her act so convincing even Cordelia, who knew the truth, was impressed.
Yet, Rosenbluer’s face showed nothing but agony.
“So it’s true… really… the descent…”
“We have to capture her first, at least to restrain her. Then we can decide whether to save Lydia.”
Leonard appeared, firing dozens of wind blades at Najabut. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and kept her distance.
“Oh my, what’s happening here?”
“Isn’t that Lydia?”
A familiar voice came from behind. Cordelia turned to see Keinon and Matilda had arrived. Given the chaos in the front yard, it was impossible they wouldn’t show up.
“Lydia Elfenbaum has summoned a devil into her body.”
Leonard gave a brief explanation to the shocked pair.
“What? Summoned?”
Keinon instinctively looked at Cordelia, recalling the conversation moments ago.
“Did you know, Cordelia?”
She nodded silently. Matilda’s expression stiffened.
“So the collapse was caused by the descent. Now the strange occurrences make sense.”
“Incredible… summoning… How many decades, maybe even centuries, has it been?”
“There’s no time to be shocked. If we don’t act now, who knows how many more lives this devil will claim. Many are already dead.”
“So, what do we do?”
Leonard quickly organized the plan. The four mages quickly conferred and charged at Najabut. Pushed back by four high-level mages, Najabut began to falter.
“Ugh.”
Watching from behind, Cordelia felt dizzy. Blood rose in her throat and coated her front.
She realized she had truly reached her limit. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed, breaking the weakening spell on Najabut.
“Cordelia!”
Leonard noticed first and shouted. With Cordelia’s magic gone, Najabut rapidly regained her strength, screaming as she hurled a mass of magical energy at the four.
“Argh! I’ll kill you all!”
“Ugh!”
Her magic surged stronger than before. Keinon and Rosenbluer were knocked down immediately. Leonard barely held on. Matilda exchanged words with Leonard and then rushed to Cordelia.
“Cordelia, lean on me. I’ll move you somewhere safe.”
“No! Magic… I have to keep going…”
“Magic?”
“Separating the devil from the host… ugh…”
With Matilda’s support, Cordelia rose and began casting Roti’s spell again, from the beginning.
Matilda watched in shock.
“You… you know how to perform that spell? Only a handful in Triska even know it.”
