CH 125

“I’m not mistaken that you’ve become a real human.”

He didn’t answer.

When Zagnac didn’t respond, Lane furrowed her eyebrows as anger flashed on her face for the first time. It was so bizarre that it could not be compared to him.

As she stared at him with wide-open eyes, veins began to pop up on Lane’s forehead. She then grabbed his hand, which was holding her neck, and began to break the fingers one by one.

“Have you forgotten your identity, Zagnac?”

“Don’t mind my business. Stop caring.”

“Of course, if you’re being right, I will not care because I have no care to give to something like you. I’m too busy enjoying myself.”

With a crunching sound, his thumb bent enough to touch the back of his hand. Feeling pain just by looking at it, Azela opened her mouth wide and closed her eyes tightly. However, neither Zagnac nor Lane moved.

The sound of the bones breaking continued. Eventually, all of his fingers were folded in a bizarre way, and then Zagnac’s hand, which was holding Lane’s neck, fell down helplessly.

“Za, Zagnac…”

Azela hurriedly took out the handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped it around his hand in case anyone saw it. Fortunately, no one seemed to have seen this scene.

Nonetheless, the war of nerves did not end there.

Lane lifted her hand, this time, gripping her fingers tightly around his neck. Seeing that, Azela’s complexion turned white. It didn’t matter if it was a fight between devils, but now this was a street, and he was Duke Ferial. No one could hold the Duke’s neck carelessly.

‘Should I cut off that hand?’

As Azela grasped the handle of the sword hanging from her waist, she was troubled as to whether she should cut Lane’s hand. No, she was worried about getting cut if she cut her hands.

The moment she was about to pull out the sword from her waist, Lane spoke first to her.

“Don’t pull it out.”

“….!”

“Who do you think made that sword? The dwarf who was my contractor. Martial arts is a way to recognize opponents. If it were me, I wouldn’t pull out that sword… pulling out that sword will hurt you.”

Lane looked at her with a kind smile.

Her words were implausible, but Azela’s instincts clamored to follow them. As she contemplated whether to follow her instincts or her head, Zagnac raised his hand, which was perfectly fine, and gestured to Azela to wait and speak.

“Lane is right. It’s alright. You don’t have to draw your sword.”

Azela finally let go of her sword’s handle.

Instead, she raised her hands and squeezed Lane’s wrists, who was clutching Zagnac. Of course, it wouldn’t be the slightest threat.

“There are many eyes around, so let go.”

“…If I don’t let go, his eyes say that he will kill me.”

“I heard that if I cut off your head, you will perish.”

Lane opened her eyes wide when she heard Azela’s words and turned her attention back to Zagnac.

“Did you even say that? If you want to perish, you should have told me. I would have done that.”

“…Please shut that mouth.”

“Then, you want to know something as well?”

She then gazed at Azela with her hardened eyes.

“If Zagnac doesn’t eat your soul, he will eventually perish as a punishment for violating the sacred contract.”

“…What?”

Azela asked in a trembling voice. Her heartbeat resonated loudly in her ears. Seeing that Azela’s hands trembled as she held Lane’s while Lane let go of Zagnac’s neck roughly.

“Looks like you didn’t know this.”

Her mind went white in an instant. Why had she never thought about the contract? She just thought he would eat her soul when the time came.

Azela turned her stiff head to look at Zagnac again.

“…Is that true?”

The hand that was smoothing his neck stopped abruptly.

Zagnac, who turned his head towards her to make excuses, said nothing and pressed his lips together. He was about to open his mouth to say something, though Azela looked like she was about to cry.

“Yes, that is true.”

Instead, it was Lane who answered.

The next moment, he lowered his head and clenched his teeth. With unrelenting pressure, he squeezed both of Lane’s cheeks tightly as his palms covered her lips, making her unable to say anything more.

“Keep speaking careless things with that mouth, and I will rip it like this.”

“….”

Lane, unable to say anything because her lips were blocked by his palm in a funny pose, only stared at him with a fierce gaze. It was as if she was saying, “I wasn’t lying.’ Azela could guess from Zagnac’s attitude that what she said was true.

Azela, too surprised, couldn’t say anything properly and she only licked her lips.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

The street became quiet. No, maybe the noise of the street didn’t reach Azela’s ears since she was looking at Zagnac. Still, he was out of her vision.

“Because you didn’t ask.”

His answer was concise.

Azela let out a laugh at that simple answer. ‘Because you didn’t ask.’ His reply was just that one sentence. Zagnac let go of Lane’s face that he was holding with a blank expression and turned towards her.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t mean to say anything.”

“….”

“Because you didn’t ask, I didn’t have a chance to talk and finding out about these things wouldn’t make you feel any better.”

I only want to see you in a good mood, because I know you’ll make that face when I say this.

As Zagnac swallowed those words, he looked at Azela, who was bewildered. Lane rubbed her tingling cheeks and looked at him and Azela with disapproving glances. Then, she raised her finger and pointed at them.

“Zagnac, eat.”

“Lane, I told you to shut up.”

“Contractor, you will be.”

At her cruel words, Azela lifted her head to her blank expression. Facing the blank face, Lane spoke strongly as if trying to convince her.

“When your soul is fully ripe, if he doesn’t eat it, Zagnac will slowly perish.”

“….”

“Only when you eat and be eaten will it end smoothly for both sides.”

* * *

The carriage back to the mansion was quiet as neither Zagnac nor Azela spoke. After throwing the bomb statement, Lane turned to Azela and left with only the words, ‘I believe you will do well on your own.’

Like a devil who came to say it.

“Zagnac.”

Azela got off the carriage and called out his name with courage. Despite the distance, he must have heard enough though he never looked back. Perhaps afraid of what she would say, he walked quickly with his long legs and entered the mansion.

“…Did you two fight?”

Baharf asked after seeing Zagnac entering the mansion first.

Was this called a fight…?

“No. It’s fine.”

Azela shook her head and smiled as she entered the mansion. Even at dinner, Zagnac didn’t show himself. She knew that she was avoiding her.

As the atmosphere between them was threatening, the servants of the mansion couldn’t hide their surprised expressions.

‘It’s not a problem that can be avoided by avoiding it.’