Chapter 159: A Deal with the Devil... But Who Truly Is the Devil? (1)
Right after the message was passed to Silvena, the first thing he noticed was the faint smile on her lips. It was small and a bit tired, but still clear.
After that, her hand moved slowly, and two fingers lifted weakly into a simple peace sign, holding it for a short moment.
It was the signal they had agreed on earlier, when they were on the way here. A small sign, but enough to understand everything.
Ruvian’s smile widened as he saw it, a quiet relief settling in his chest.
’Good.’
Without wasting more time, Ruvian reached into his dimensional ring and took something out, while slowly strengthening his [Body Enhancement] spell.
"Enough. This is what you’re looking for, right?"
The demon behind him slowly turned its head toward Ruvian. The same went for the one choking Silvena, its grip tightening slightly before its attention shifted.
Then, both of their eyes fell on the scroll in Ruvian’s hand.
For a brief moment, they hesitated.
’How does he have the scroll?’ the demon thought, its mind turning quickly.
From what they saw before, the scroll had always been with the dark-haired girl. There was no chance for it to change hands.
And yet... it was now clearly in his hand.
For a very short moment, the two demons’ expressions changed a little. Their eyes narrowed slightly, showing a small hint of surprise, but their faces quickly returned into a smile.
Before either of them could say anything, Ruvian spoke first. With a calm movement, he stored the scroll back into his dimensional ring, not giving them time to react.
"Let’s make a deal."
"A deal?" the demon behind him asked.
Even Silvena, whose breathing was still uneven from the tight grip around her neck, could not stop a faint smile from appearing on her lips.
’Haha... I should’ve known he would say that.’
She thought to herself.
The smile she had was faint, almost fading, but it was still there, even though she was clearly in no condition to laugh.
Honestly, making a deal with a demon was a fool’s errand. It was the kind of choice only the desperate, or the reckless would make.
Demons would never keep their promises.
They would always break them.
Evil beings like them had no reason to truly follow any agreement.
A promise was nothing more than a tool for them, a convenient lie used to deceive, to lure, and to trap those foolish enough to believe in it.
Yet Ruvian was not one of those fools.
He understood well the depth of their perfidious nature — how easily they twisted words and turned trust into a weapon. But more importantly, he also understood that such a nature, if seen clearly, could also be used against them.
And that was exactly what he intended to do.
"Yes," Ruvian said calmly.
"You let go of her, and I will let go of this ring."
He raised his hand slightly, just enough for them to see it clearly, the ring resting between his fingers.
"So, how about it? We don’t want any trouble. You can have the scroll... and even the fifty thousand gold coins I have inside."
For a brief moment, silence lingered in the room.
Then, both demons let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"How naïve," the one behind him said, its voice cold and full of arrogance. "What makes you think I would not just take what I want by force? And what makes you think I would keep the two of you alive?"
The other demon laughed as well, clearly amused.
"Humans really are funny in their delusions, aren’t they?" it said with a mocking tone. "Do they even realize they are in no position to negotiate with us?"
Then it looked straight at Ruvian, its eyes full of disdain.
"Ha! Listen well. In a situation like this, you would be much wiser to kneel and beg for mercy."
The air grew heavy as their words filled the space.
But Ruvian did not move.
Not even a little.
Only his smile deepened.
"It seems I did not make myself clear."
"Hm?"
Both demons responded softly, a faint hint of curiosity slipping into their voices as they watched him more closely now.
"You see," Ruvian continued, lifting his hand slightly to draw their attention to the ring resting on his finger, "this ring has a rather... special enchantment."
He paused for a brief moment, letting the words settle.
"I know you demons are desperate for this scroll. So if you choose to reject this deal—" his smile sharpened just a little. "—Then I will simply self-destruct this ring, along with everything inside."
His gaze remained steady, unwavering.
"I can be rather petty. If I cannot have what I want... then neither shall you."
Silence stretched between them.
The demon’s lips curved faintly, as if amused by the boldness of a mere human daring to speak in such a way.
"Hmm, that would be very troublesome. Alright then."
One of them finally spoke.
Its eyes lingered on the ring, studying it with quiet interest, as though weighing the risk against its desire.
"I will agree to that deal. But understand this..." the demon behind him continued, his crimson gaze fixed on Ruvian without the slightest warmth.
"I will count the time myself. If, by the moment my count ends, we find that you have not released the ring—"
His voice dropped, softer now, but far more dangerous.
"—Then we will kill both of you."
The threat came without emotion, without anger, and without hesitation. Spoken not out of temper, but as something that they would simply make it happen.
Ruvian met the demon’s gaze, the faint curve on his lips never fading. There was no fear in his eyes, and of course, no sign of doubt.
"Sure," he replied calmly.
Then, the invisible pressure that had been crushing down on him suddenly vanished. The weight that had been forcing his body toward the ground disappeared.
He let out a quiet breath.
’Huh... he even dispelled the gravity spell?’
Ruvian thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
’Looks like this two bastard demons are more arrogant than I expected. They must think we are no threat at all.’
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
’Well... I’ll play along. It’s better than dying here.’
Ruvian slowly relaxed his shoulders, releasing some of the tension in his body, but he stayed careful.
The flow of mana inside him did not stop; it continued steady and controlled, ready at any moment.
Even without the heavy pressure, the demon’s presence still felt dangerous.
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[Chapter 159: A Deal with the Devil... But Who Truly Is the Devil? (1)]
