"OF ALL the body you could possess, why does it have to be a Solfrid?" Trevor asked, scoffing when the Ancient Devil appeared before him. "Your existence is already annoying. But you're making me want to kill you now."
The Ancient Devil just laughed at him. "You can't even lift a finger, Trevor. How could you kill me?"
"Don't tempt me. I don't mind dying earlier if it means dragging you back to hell," he said threateningly. For someone who was lying down on his "deathbed," he sure sounded vindictive. "I can do that out of spite."
Again, the Ancient Devil laughed. "You're pathetic. Dying from simply touching Impure Mana is embarrassing. I wonder why Nichole de Moonasterio chose you as her successor."
He couldn't refute what the Ancient Devil said.
Although he could argue that the Impure Mana that the crows used was different and deadlier than normal, it was still embarrassing to die from it.
[I'm part demon now. I should have been immune to Darkness and Impure Mana.]
"If you're only here to annoy me, then leave," Trevor said. "You know that the strongest man in the empire lives here, don't you? I don't think the emperor will be kind to an intruder like you."
"The emperor owes me a debt, so I don't think he'd be so unkind to kick me out especially when I came here in peace."
He scoffed at what the Ancient Devil said. "Hey, the emperor isn't a kind person. He'll beat you to a pulp before he kicks you out."
"I also consider that option, so I got rid of the door and the windows."
"So, you're also scared of the emperor?"
"No ancient being in the world is arrogant or foolish enough to ignore the de Moonasterios. They're called the strongest bloodline in history for a reason," the Ancient Devil said, sitting on the chair next to the bed. "Trevor, do you know that only humans could create 'miracles?' Gods don't like things or events that they can't control. Hence, they create predetermined incidents in advance. Humans like to call it 'fate,' and it's supposed to be unchangeable. Unfortunately for the gods, humans are the most sentient beings in existence– their intense emotions are enough to change their so-called fate. That's why gods love making their people suffer. Because the more humans struggle, the more their emotions weaken. To simply put, gods tend to break humans to make them more obedient. And the more these poor people follow their fates, the more gods love them."
"Are you done?" Trevor asked, bored. "You know I don't care about things like that, don't you?"
"Most gods tend to hate humans who refuse to bend to their will," the Ancient Devil continued, ignoring Trevor's words. "This is why the gods hate the unpredictable de Moonasterios– the gods among men. They were born crazy, so not even gods could predict how they'd change the world."
"So what's the moral of the story?"
"The gods hate Princess Neoma, especially her guts."
"I already know that," Trevor said, smiling smugly. "And I'm so proud of my Moon Princess for enraging the gods with her mere existence."
"The gods hate Princess Neoma as much as they NEED her."
He frowned at the awful reminder. "Yeah, I'm aware of that."
"Princess Neoma made a mistake recently."
"What do you mean by that?" Trevor complained. "My Moon Princess is perfect– she can't do anything wrong."
"Princess Neoma made a deal with Goddess Alethea, didn't she?"
Okay, that made him nervous.
Although Trevor was being rude to the Ancient Devil, he couldn't simply dismiss his words, especially if it concerned his Moon Princess.
[What could have gone wrong?]
"Princess Neoma only made a verbal agreement with Goddess Alethea," the Ancient Devil said. "Our na?ve little princess didn't make a contract with the Goddess of Truth. Do you now see what the problem is?"
"I do. Even if Goddess Alethea doesn't fulfill her promise with my Moon Princess, there will be no consequences on the goddess' part," Trevor said anxiously. "But even if Princess Neoma demands a written contract, she doesn't have the power to bind gods with a contract. She couldn't even do that to a minor god, even if she's more powerful than them."
Because the power to bind gods through a contract was more complex than an ancient spell, and Princess Neoma was no mage.
"Trevor Kesser, what do you think your role in Princess Neoma's life is?"
"To be her future husband?"
The Ancient Devil stood up abruptly. "Then I wish you a painful death, child."
"That was a joke."
"It wasn't funny."
"I wasn't trying to impress you, dude," Trevor said. In a normal circumstances, he would have let the Ancient Devil scram. But after the bastard brought up the thing about the contract, he couldn't turn him away anymore. "I understand what you're trying to say. I'm part demon, and demons have the power to create contracts. However, I only have a few days to live."
"Pfft."
Trevor knitted his eyebrows. "What's funny?"
"I just find it amusing that you're just worried about your remaining lifespan," the Ancient Devil said. "But you never questioned if you COULD make a binding contract with gods."
"Well, I'm a genius Sorcerer– the best in both my generation and this one," Trevor said confidently, shrugging. "You don't even have to teach me everything. All you have to do is teach me the concept, and I could learn the rest on my own."
"My, aren't you the perfect student?"
"I am," he said shamelessly. "But as I said, I only have a few days left to live."
He didn't want to admit this, but he couldn't purify the Impure Mana that was killing him inside.
All he could do was delay the inevitable.
[Lady Roseheart also helped me slow down the Impure Mana.]
"Princess Neoma won't let you die, you stupid child."
Trevor glared at the Ancient Devil. "I know that my Moon Princess will do everything to keep me alive, but I don't want to cling to that hope only to be disappointed in the end."
It wasn't like he didn't trust Princess Neoma.
[I just want to prepare for the worst.]
"Come to me after you fully recovered," the Ancient Devil said. "Don't accept Nichole de Moonasterio's offer to be her successor."
"And why would I choose you over my eomma?"
"Because you will have no use for Necromancy," the Ancient Devil responded. "It won't work on Princess Neoma because the gods will benefit a lot once she dies. Hence, they'll do everything in their power to prevent Princess Neoma from getting revived."
"What–"
"Aruna de Moonasterio mastered the Arts of Necromancy, and she passed down that technique to Nichole de Moonasterio when the Princess Royal became the new Devil," the Ancient Devil explained. "If you become the new Devil through Nichole de Moonasterio, then you will gain the Arts of Necromancy– which is a great ability, but you wouldn't want an ability that is useless to Princess Neoma, would you? Moreover, if you were interested in Necromancy, you could learn it on your own."
"You're not wrong, but I don't want your help."
"Would you really choose your pride over Princess Neoma?"
Okay, that shut him up.
"You'll need my ability to bind gods through a contract once the gods begin seeking Princess Neoma's help."
Trevor raised an eyebrow. "And how would I know that you really have that ability?"
"Pfft." The Ancient Devil laughed AT him. "Trevor Kesser, don't you know that I'm also a god?"
"What?"
"A fallen god, to be precise," the Ancient Devil said, putting a hand on his chest. "Why do you think I still roam free even after the Demon Race was sealed?" He didn't even wait for Trevor's answer as he responded to his own question. "Yes, the gods are still tied to the contract that I made with them many centuries ago. Anything you heard about the Devil getting sealed or killed was just a lie created by the gods to protect their pride."
"Sure, whatever you say."
The Ancient Devil just laughed softly. "See you later, Trevor Kesser. A crazy de Moonasterio has just arrived."
And, just like that, the Ancient Devil disappeared.
Then BOOM.
The door to his room exploded.
[My least favorite person is here.]
"Ah," Prince Nero said while looking around the room. "The intruder is gone."
"I'm not trying to make an excuse for the Ancient Devil, but he didn't come here to cause any trouble. He just dropped by to give me some advice," Trevor explained. Like he said earlier, he wasn't defending the Ancient Devil– but he needed to appease the crazy Crown Prince. "I'm sorry about that, Your Royal Highness."
The Crown Prince stood in front of the bed while looking at him with frenzied red eyes. "You're really dying, huh?"
"You sound excited, Prince Nero."
"Well, I recently learned a new technique from my Soul Beast that I'm eager to try," Prince Nero said, opening his hand until an ice dagger appeared above his palm. The Crown Prince grabbed the hilt of the weapon, then he smiled "sweetly" at him. "Trevor Kesser, can I stab you in the chest?"
Trevor gulped after seeing how serious the Crown Prince was. He'd be dead if Prince Nero really stabbed him because he didn't have enough strength to stop the crazy Crown Prince. "Uhm, I politely decline, Your Royal Highness."
***
NOTE: Hi! I joined a challenge in ko-fi. If I achieve my target amount, I'll get a chance to win a prize. I just posted a 4-PANEL COMIC featuring Neoma and Papa Boss on my ko-fi account (ko-fi.com/sola_cola or simply g00gle ko-fi sola_cola). Check it out~
Please donate if you can. You can consider this as your birthday present for my 30th birthday soon. I hope to complete the challenge by May 11th. If I achieve my target amount (hopefully on my target date), I'll release five chapters of RS.
Thank you. <3
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