Episode 43
I listened to Pamiel’s story with a look of disbelief.
“Are you seriously asking me to believe that?”
“Have you forgotten I used to be an angel? Even if I’ve fallen, angels can’t lie.”
She seemed sensitive to the cold, changing into thick winter clothes and sipping warm tea.
Acting all human-like didn’t change the fact that those black wings were still on her back.
“Why here of all places? There are plenty of other places you could go.”
“There aren’t.”
“….”
“You know I don’t have any friends.”
What a proud statement.
Pamiel smiled faintly and picked up a cookie.
Unlike the other demon lords, she hadn’t prepared a personal hideout.
Since she had no subordinates, she wandered around, relying on someone else for shelter.
“Go home. I don’t have time to spend on you.”
“But then I’d have to sleep on the street.”
“Why should I care?”
I answered coldly, not caring whether she slept on the street or not. Pamiel slumped her shoulders and muttered while touching her wings.
“You used to be human… where’s your humanity?”
“If you were a former angel, tend to your own conscience first.”
“If I had one, would I have fallen?”
Her shameless answer killed any desire I had to continue the conversation. How long would I have to engage in a meaningless chat? I had an important date with Lian.
I sighed just as someone knocked on the door. A chef entered, pushing a trolley.
“Excuse me.”
He set down an absurdly large amount of food for just the two of us and then stepped aside.
There were dishes using various cuts of meat, fruits, vegetables—just looking at it felt heavy.
“As you said, I’ll at least show a bit of humanity. Eat and go home.”
“Tch…”
She pouted like a sulky child but didn’t refuse the food.
I watched Pamiel start eating, intrigued by how she could eat without her speech slurring.
What is her real reason for coming here, knowing I’m after the crown? It can’t be that she thinks I’m easy.
“…Were we ever close?”
“We haven’t really been, but can’t that change going forward? Even I would get hurt hearing that.”
So, we really weren’t close. I had asked out of curiosity, since I didn’t know much about Lehel’s past.
I lifted my teacup, staring at her, amazed she could eat and still speak clearly.
“Can I take that as a sign you won’t interfere?”
“I never really planned to interfere. As long as you don’t bother me, I don’t care.”
She licked her red lips and gave a beguiling smile.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll easily hold your hand.”
I knew Pamiel was fickle. She was neutral for now, but her feelings could easily sway.
…Maybe I should take her power first.
At that moment, the teacup I was holding cracked and shattered before I could react. Glass shards cut my hand as they hit the floor.
“…….”
Blood ran between my fingers. I looked up from the broken cup and stained floor to Pamiel.
“Pamiel.”
Just like that, everything returned to normal, as if the earlier event had been a dream. The cup was intact, my hand uninjured.
“What were you thinking about so intently? Focus on me now, okay?”
“Huh…”
Her sly smile felt like a splash of cold water. A warning: stay alert around her.
SYSTEM: Loading Pamiel’s information.
Demon Lord, Pamiel
Lv. Max
Race: Fallen Angel
Attribute: None
Main Skill: Shows the target any illusion she wants. Victims perceive the illusion with all senses, making it nearly impossible to distinguish from reality until they realize it themselves.
I knew about her ability from the start, but experiencing it firsthand was absurd. The cut on my finger, the sound of the cup breaking—it all felt real.
Of course, no cup would break for no reason, so I naturally assumed it was Pamiel’s power. Otherwise, I might not have realized it was an illusion.
“I won’t see you off. Leave on your own.”
Getting involved with Pamiel was dangerous. I didn’t know her motives for approaching me.
As I got up to leave the lounge, she added something cryptic.
“Lehel.”
“Wanna make a bet?”
❖ ❖ ❖
The outskirts of the Tesarusis Empire’s capital looked normal by day but were infamous as a red-light district at night.
Every shop let out the smell of alcohol and a noisy bustle. Drunken people staggered, looking for partners to spend the long night with.
I frowned at the chaotic sights.
“Why am I even here…”
Normally, I wouldn’t glance twice at such a place. Yet here I was, disguised as a human, with Pamiel. It felt strange.
-How about a date with a bet?
I should have refused and kicked her out, but curiosity got the better of me. And this is where she takes me? The red-light district. Disgusting.
“I haven’t had a chance to go out recently. Going with a man alone here isn’t fun.”
“Then go alone.”
“I’m tired of going alone.”
This place was strictly guarded, inaccessible to ordinary people. We were in one of the most luxurious rooms—dim lighting, no windows, completely closed off.
“Salovan would like a place like this.”
“He’s gloomy. I hate it.”
She didn’t seem aware that her own presence was gloomy. I shook my head and reached for the alcohol on the table.
Suddenly, the door opened. Several human men, half-dressed, entered.
“Long time no see!”
Apparently, they knew Pamiel, as they naturally sat by her side.
“You came with a friend today?”
One tried to sit beside me. I held a glass and dropped it onto the floor intentionally. The man’s eyes widened, surprised by the deliberate act.
“Maybe sit somewhere else? You might get hurt if you come closer.”
“Oh… I’ll move it right away…”
“It’s fine. That’s just his personality. Come sit here.”
The atmosphere tensed, but Pamiel spoke cheerfully, unaffected.
I sighed and poured another drink. The clear liquid gently rippled in the glass.
“I moved the location as you wanted, so stop playing around and tell me what you want.”
Pamiel raised the corner of her mouth, receiving a drink from a human attendant.
“No matter how much I give my heart to someone, being rewarded is difficult. Don’t you think?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’ll help you. So that your heart can be rewarded.”
What is she suddenly talking about? I frowned, annoyed that Lian came up.
“I don’t need that help. I’ve already been rewarded.”
Lian accepting me without avoidance was already enough. I also realized he secretly liked me. I didn’t need anyone else’s help.
“Really?”
“…?”
“The person in his heart isn’t you, is it?”
Pamiel smiled, eyes narrowed, as if she knew everything between Lian and me.
Where did she get that info? She seemed to know what I had never told anyone.
“…So?”
I knew who Lian secretly liked—he had told me before. A childhood friend in the village, a girl whose name and face I barely remember now.
“Curious? To see how you’d react if traces of another human remained on you.”
That girl was dead. So even if Lian secretly liked her, one day the position would be mine.
“If that’s why you brought me, I’m disappointed. Leaving traces on me is disgusting, not curiosity-inducing.”
“So what? It won’t wear out. Don’t you think so too?”
The humans serving her drinks agreed.
…I can’t believe this.
She calls leaving traces to induce jealousy a “game.” I felt foolish for wondering about her thoughts.
I glared at Pamiel and took a bitter sip of what I expected to be sweet.
“If the human falls for it, I win the bet.”
“Conversely, if he doesn’t, I win?”
The idea of a bet based on whether Lian feels jealous or not was ironic. I never imagined anyone betting over him in the first place.
“And the loser does whatever the winner wants, no matter what it is.”
I didn’t need her to finish. I knew exactly what she meant… even if it was my life.
I chuckled. No matter how human she acted, her essence was still a demon.
“Find someone else for that game. It’ll be more fun.”
I didn’t want to stay another moment. I set down my glass and got up. Pamiel asked,
“Hmmm… running away?”
“Think whatever you want.”
Making a bet with a demon is like selling your soul. I value mine and had no intention of falling for her obvious scheme.
“Don’t ever come back. Next time, I’ll freeze your tongue.”
I left the unpleasant room without a second thought, leaving Pamiel behind.
