Chapter 104: The Archdemon’s Price
“And who, pray tell, are you?”
Gremory's gaze, a curious blend of emerald and obsidian, fell upon Jared. The very air seemed to thicken under the weight of her attention. It was a rare, even unthinkable, audacity for a mortal to step between a demoness and her quarry during a transaction.
“I am Jared. Please, withdraw your request!” Jared’s voice, though strained, held firm. He summoned every ounce of his will to remain rooted to the spot, fighting the primal urge to flee that screamed in his blood.
“Jared, are you mad? Get back! Get out of the way! Don’t you dare provoke her!” I was speechless, the sheer recklessness of his act stealing the breath from my lungs. A demon god’s temper was a swift and certain end. But my frail body, little more than a child’s, pulled at his arm with the frantic desperation of a trapped mouse. He stood like a pillar of stone, unyielding, and I was left to fret in a silent panic, an ant on a hot skillet.
“Oh? And why, little Paladin, do you wish to halt this bargain?” To my surprise, Gremory was not angry. Her lips, the color of bruised plums, curled into a smile of genuine amusement. “Is the little witch your sweetheart?”
“Ah? N-no, we’re not… it’s not that kind of relationship.” Jared, who had stood so resolute a moment ago, was now a blushing, stammering mess, completely undone by her simple question.
“If she is not your paramour, then why the objection? I find the price a most reasonable one,” Gremory purred, her smile widening as she savored his awkward honesty.
“Because… because Parula doesn’t want it! She told me before, she was afraid a demon would demand her body!” Jared finally found his courage and, with a final burst of resolve, shouted the truth.
Ah, so that was it. He had rushed to my defense because of a fleeting fear I had voiced earlier. But my fear hadn’t been about a demoness, it had been about the act itself. To be touched in that way was a complete inversion of my values, as a man in a girl’s body, a price tantamount to being cast into hell.
And yet, now, faced with this beautiful demoness, I found I could almost accept it. She was so lovely, a lady even. I was clearly the one profiting from such a transaction. And she was a girl—she couldn’t very well… penetrate me, could she?
“Brother Jared, don’t worry about me! I’m willing, it’s alright!” I pleaded, pulling at his sleeve, trying desperately to keep him from getting caught in this terrible bargain. But… it was too late.
“Very well. Since you have made such a request, it would be rather unreasonable of me not to oblige,” Gremory said, her smile sharpening. “How about this, then? Are you willing to take the little witch’s place?”
“Huh?” The word slipped from both our lips in a moment of utter confusion. What could she possibly mean?
“It is nothing complicated. I find you to be a strapping young lad. Are you willing to take the little witch’s place and spend a night of passion with this lady?” Gremory said, her tongue tracing a line over her lips.
My blood ran cold. This was no jest. This demoness, this succubus, truly wanted him. Her gaze was not one of amusement, but of a hunter appraising its prey. She was utterly serious.
“N-no, that’s not possible, Lady Gremory. You know he’s a Paladin. You wouldn’t like that,” I scrambled for a desperate excuse. Surely, a demon would despise a Paladin. It was a matter of cosmic order.
“Oh no no no, not at all. To watch a righteous Paladin fall into depravity is one of my greatest pleasures,” Gremory said with a wicked smile, her teeth gleaming like tiny pearls.
I was speechless, defeated by a logic so sound it left no room for argument. The problem was, Jared was no proper Paladin, and far from righteous. By any normal person’s measure, he was a cunning, ruthless thief, a proper villain. And I couldn’t fathom this demoness’s tastes. We were from the slums, malnourished, scrawny, and filthy. The sight of us should have been enough to turn one’s stomach, let alone kindle a desire. Why, for the love of all that was holy, did she want our bodies so badly?
“I accept. Though I don’t know what a Paladin is, I am willing to accept your terms!” Jared said firmly. A genuine, radiant smile bloomed on Gremory’s face.
“No! Absolutely not!” My protest was a scream of sheer horror. In my past life, I had read enough lurid literature to know the truth. The succubi and incubi of hell fed by absorbing the life force of their paramours. To be taken by one meant losing your life, to be squeezed dry until you were little more than a withered husk. A demoness would surely be even more formidable. Jared would not survive. And even if he did, he would be a shadow of his former self.
But more than my speculation was Gremory’s own admission: watching a Paladin fall was her greatest hobby. Jared had just managed to summon that holy light. I had just begun to plan his bright future in the Church. And now, in the blink of an eye, his pure body was to be defiled by a creature of hell. It would be a devastating blow, a brand on his soul that would ruin any prospects. I had to stop this.
“Parula, I’ve made up my mind,” Jared said, trying to reason with me. But I just shook my head forcefully. “No, absolutely not. It’s just… no!”
“What is the meaning of this, you two?” Gremory was almost speechless, her amusement turning to baffled curiosity. It was likely the first time she had ever encountered summoners like us. Others who called upon her were always trembling with fear, not even daring to breathe too loudly. But this pair—not quite lovers, not quite siblings—was entirely different. They dared to bargain, to argue, to refuse in her very presence. Gremory had not expected this.
“Let me do it, Lady Gremory,” I said, stepping forward.
“No, let me. I guarantee your satisfaction!” Jared shot back, refusing to yield.
Seeing our impasse, Gremory laughed, a sound like shattering glass. With a smile, she offered a suggestion. “Since neither of you is willing to let the other sacrifice themselves, why not serve this lady together? If you please me, perhaps I might even increase your reward, hmm?”
Ah, this… At first, it sounded almost reasonable. But no matter how you looked at it, we were losing out big time! A sacrifice of one person had now become a sacrifice of two!
“Th-that… that wouldn’t be right, would it?” I stammered. My mind raced, knowing that if she truly wanted to, she could force us. We had no power to resist. My only hope was that she might reconsider. But was that even possible?
As it turned out, it was. Gremory’s smile was full of playful mischief. “Alright. Since you two cannot decide who will make the offering, this lady will hold the price in abeyance for now. Consider it a debt you owe me.”
“Ah? Is that… even possible?” I was so surprised by her sudden reprieve that the words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Of course. A common example would be to grant your wish now, in exchange for your soul upon death. It is a transaction on credit. You owe the price, and you will pay it in time. And once the deal is made, the contractor is branded. There is no possibility of reneging.”
Hearing Gremory’s words, I found I could accept it. After all, my soul had already been taken by the Great Fly when I died. “So, you mean that after I die, my soul will belong to you?”
“Well, I haven’t quite decided,” she said, her smile turning sly. “When I think of a demand, I will let you know. And you… you will have to agree.”
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