Chapter 201: Zetto is bad (3)
The demon showed up at the perfect time, as if it had been waiting for Zetto to find an informant.
Zetto also liked how competent it was and he had to give him high marks for already making the connection to his past life that he didn’t know about.
But there was too little information about this demon and Zetto, unlike Bernice, could not verify the truth of his words.
There wasn’t much that felt false, but that’s what bothered him.
The more insidious the lie, the harder it is to spot, especially with his background as a subordinate of the Chief of Staff.
If he had all the information on the demon, he could afford to send a double agent.
It wasn’t clear why he would do such a thing, but it couldn’t be ruled out.
“…”
With the slightest movement of his arm, the weak demon’s throat would be slashed deeply, and black blood would soon be splattered.
Now that the future had changed so much, Zetto had to be careful with his choices but the demon didn’t look as frightened as before.
“Well, I was prepared for all of this. If you’re the Lord Zetto I know, it’s not strange for you to make this choice. After all, I’m a demon with horns on my head… Demons are not your allies, Lord Zetto, they are your enemies.”
Every time he opened his mouth to spit out the words, blood flowed from the cut on his neck from the blade of the sword that had been thrust into his throat, but the demon was undeterred and replied in a straight voice.
He had a deathly look on his face.
Even though he was about to lose his life, he hadn’t blinked an eye and was steadfast in his resolve. At least it felt like he wasn’t just bluffing his way out of a crisis.
With that, Zetto asked him the last of his lingering questions.
“…Earlier, you said that you had learned of the world the Nameless One sought. What kind of world was it that he wanted?”
What kind of world was it that his followers, whose records should have been lost in the past, still exist, and why is the foolish demon in front of him doing this?
The demon’s lips part to answer.
“…A world where demons and humans coexist. The Nameless One wanted such a world….”
Demons and humans coexisting, the sheer absurdity of it all made Zetto chuckle and he immediately withdrew the sword he was holding to his throat.
“Lord Zetto…?”
“Not that I believe you.”
Zetto merely wanted to understand the wishes of his supposed past life.
“…You said you wanted to serve me as your lord, so you’ll have to prove yourself worthy, and trust is a bonus.”
“You have a point.”
At Zetto’s next words, the demon wiped the blood from his neck and bowed his head.
“I’ll reconsider your offer after we’ve established sufficient trust. Of course, the relationship between lord and vassal is still awkward, so…I suppose it would be better to call you a colleague.”
Zetto smiled weakly.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the demon.
If he was a double agent, he could also use him, and if he wasn’t, he should be purely happy to have a good source of information.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t catch your name.”
“My name is Keraph.”
“Keraph…”
Zetto repeated his name as if he would not forget it.
“There’s something else I was wondering about…”
“You can ask me anything.”
“…I was wondering why you’re so weak.”
Keraph magic was so weak that it was hard to recognize that he was a demon. It wasn’t even because of his magick that Zetto could tell he was a demon, but his dark elemental aura.
To Zetto’s eyes, the skinny Keraph looked incredibly weak. He couldn’t probably even win a fistfight with a normal adult male.
In fact, he looked like he wouldn’t even be able to win against a normal adult woman.
“Hahaha, I see that bothered you.”
Keraph chuckles at Zetto’s question, scratching his cheek.
“Truth be told, I’ve never drained a human’s life force before, let alone a beast’s…or I should say, I can’t.”
Keraph shook his head.
“…What do you mean you can’t?”
“It’s been like this ever since I was a child. I suppose it’s congenital but my horns don’t absorb life force.”
“Ah…”
Zetto’s voice trailed off, as it had to be considered quite unfortunate from a demon’s point of view.
“As a demon, my abilities were limited to dealing with lesser spirits. I used to resent the world, but now I’m grateful for it. I was able to keep the rules that the Nameless One had set.”
“What are those rules?”
Zetto tilted his head at Keraph’s explanation.
“Do not harm humans. As far as we know, the Nameless One often socialized with humans.”
Indeed, Keraph had never harmed a human, for he had neither the ability nor the reason to do so.
Only then did Zetto understand, however shallowly, why Keraph could be so susceptible to the ideas of the Nameless One.
“That’s enough of my introduction… is there anything you need me to do right now? Whatever it is, I, Keraph, will do my best to fulfill it.”
Keraph balled his fists with enthusiasm.
“Mmm…”
Zetto was about to ask him a question when he realized that he needed to get a handle on the demons first.
“Uh………Looks like there’s something you need to do right away.”
Zetto hesitated for a moment before answering.
“What is it?”
“Hide. Right now.”
“Hide…? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden…?”
“She’s…she’s coming.”
Keraph frowned at the dazed tone of Zetto’s voice that followed.
“She…? Who the hell is she that Lord Zetto is reacting like that?
***
Keraph finally ducked into a ramshackle dumpster in the alley.
The unbearable odor stung his nostrils, but it was the only place he could find to hide in a hurry.
Luckily, the dumpster was big enough to hide his skinny body.
‘I’ve had enough of this.’
Keraph was ready to give his life to serve Zetto as his lord, so he could easily put up with any foul odors or unpleasantness.
And so Keraph was dutifully performing the first task Zetto had given him.
He raised his head and gently lifted the lid of the trash can, his eyes locked on Zetto, who was leaning against the wall of the alleyway, waiting for ‘her’.
“Zetto…?”
It wasn’t long before a woman’s voice echoed through the alley, and Zetto unclenched his arms and opened his mouth to speak.
“Ms. Aizel, what a coincidence to see you outside the Academy.”
The platinum-haired girl who tilted her head as she cautiously approached Zetto was someone Keraph knew.
She was Aizel Ludwig, the girl Zetto had defended against Murka before.
“…I see. What a coincidence. What are you doing here?”
“I was doing some preparations I needed to make before I left for the East.”
“Preparations at this late hour, in this dreary alley?”
Aizel’s gaze shifted toward the end of the alley, and Keraph lowered his head, holding his breath in case he was spotted.
Then he heard Zetto’s laughter.
“Haha, I had a lot of things to buy, so I was just taking a break, and I can’t believe it’s already so late.”
“It is getting late.”
“…So what were you doing up to this hour, Ms. Aizel?”
“I was… I had to get something ready…”
Slowly lifting the lid, Keraph’s eyes caught the sight of Aizel, her head turned away, unable to look at Zetto.
Her eyes were suspicious, as if she was hiding something.
‘Didn’t they get along?’
Keraph asked, but their conversation sounded to his ears as if they were prying into each other’s minds under the guise of casual conversation.
“More than that, I had something to say to Zetto…”
“What is it?”
“…I wanted to ask you something.”
“…”
“You know…? Does Zetto…love me…?”
“…”
“You love me, don’t you?”
“…I do love you, Miss Aizel.”
They looked like lovers who had been in a relationship for quite some time.
‘No, maybe they really are lovers.’
Keraph had done some research on Zetto and his circle of friends, so he had a general idea of the nature of their relationship.
In any case, he was wondering if it was okay to be a sneaky observer of their suddenly sweet love story.
“…Good.”
Until Aizel suddenly sprayed Zetto’s face with the unidentifiable perfume she’d been hiding behind her back.
“Ai… Ms. Aizel…?”
Zetto, who inhaled the perfume without much resistance, shook his head, and then his body tilted as if he had lost strength.
Rrrr…
Eventually, Zetto’s legs gave out and he slowly collapses against the wall, completely unconscious.
‘…What was that?’
Keraph’s eyes widen in disbelief as he watches the scene.
“Zetto’s bad… Zetto is too nice…that’s why he’s nice to those bitches…”
Aizel, gasping for breath and staring at Zetto, muttered in a dismal voice, as if possessed by a ghost.
Aizel then picked up the fallen Zetto on her back and disappeared down the alley.
‘What just happened right before my eyes?’
Keraph asked in disbelief, his head still dizzy from the massive accident that had occurred so suddenly.
In the foul-smelling, completely enclosed space, his head spun.
What can I do about this?
I don’t know why, but it seems that Mr. Zetto has been ‘kidnapped’.