HKWM | Chapter 38

The promise to always stay by his side is one I might never be able to keep. How can a demon stay with a human forever? It’s not just about being suspected or not by others.

While fallen humans might use dark energy as their own power by offering their souls, for ordinary humans, it’s no different than poison. Now that Noah can sense this intangible energy, he’ll soon be able to accumulate mana or aura in his body, and the same goes for dark energy, which would be even more lethal.

Given Noah’s stature, he might have some resistance to dark energy, and there are certainly ways to purify it from his body, but the fact remains that there’s an expiration date on our relationship.

Demons and humans cannot live together; that’s a statement that has never changed since the world was formed. At least, it offers no benefits to humans.

So, I could only give Noah a slightly different answer than what he wanted.

“…I won’t hurt you. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you either.”

I guess that goes for me too. Perhaps the closest thing to my true feelings was left unsaid.

“Come on, I’ll help you sleep, so lie down. It’s way too late.”

Instead of adding anything more, Noah quietly lay down on the bed. I gently patted his chest, but Noah’s night seemed particularly long, as if he couldn’t easily fall asleep.

Although the distance between the icy hill where the incident happened and our home was considerable, I sent Phoras and Kimaris out for several days just to be safe. They focused on patrolling the surroundings while restraining external activities, and fortunately, there were no incidents like the Holy Knights tracking us.

Instead, an unexpected guest arrived.

“Long time no see.”

It was Lust, surprisingly with all facial features intact. He usually roamed around like an egg ghost, but it seems he put on some human guise for coming to the human world. However, with that pink hair and eyes… even if they were his natural colors, they looked so soft and lovely that it felt out of place.

With the arrival of another Archdemon, Phoras and Kimaris stuck close to Noah, on high alert. I waved my hand to say there was no need, but they continued to be cautious.

I asked Lust, who had brazenly taken a seat on the living room couch,

“What’s up? Why did you come here?”

“I heard you crushed that wretched Envy, so I came to see.”

How on earth did he know that…

“…Has it become a rumor already?”

“There’s no way we Archdemons wouldn’t know if one of us died.”

Lust seemed visibly pleased. It was no surprise; Lust and Envy had always been arch-enemies. Just like Greed and Gluttony, or Wrath and Pride. These high and mighty demons clash more with those of similar natures, and it seems it was the same this time.

I swallowed a sigh inwardly. This is why every time the Heavenly-Demonic War happens, we get beaten up… What good is it if an Archdemon’s might surpasses that of an Archangel if we can’t cooperate? Moreover, the number of wars within the Demon Realm probably exceeds those of the Heavenly-Demonic Wars.

“That annoying one being dead is quite refreshing. I hope the next Envy is a bit more decent.”

“Then why didn’t you kill him sooner?”

“Fighting that vulgar thing would lower my status.”

“…Are you calling me vulgar?”

“Well, be grateful.”

He definitely isn’t admitting it. He’s really annoying…

“Plus, I hate getting hurt. The risk of dealing with that vulgar one isn’t worth it.”

“So why are you here? To mock me for being vulgar?”

“No way. I came to give a gift. As a reward.”

“A gift?”

“It’s meaningless for you, but I thought of that human kid you’re raising. I brought a gift for him.”

I tilted my head. Seems like Envy’s death really made him feel good… Lust isn’t usually stingy, but he’s not the type to come to the human world with gifts either.

Anyway, since it was a gift for Noah, I called him over, despite Phoras and Kimaris hiding him behind their backs.

“Noah, it’s okay, come here. He’s giving a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yeah.”

Noah slowly came over and sat beside me. But when Lust saw Noah, his face twisted like clay being kneaded, then changed into another form.

Oh, crazy…! Why is he doing something so creepy again?! I averted my gaze instinctively, then furrowed my brows at the changed appearance. It was exactly like my face, except for the hair and eyes which were still Lust’s soft pink. Smiling with such a sharp, sensitive expression created a bizarre sense of cognitive dissonance.

“Ah, why are you turning into me and causing trouble?”

“Hmm…”

After a long look at me, Lust shook his head.

“You’re hopeless.”

“Stop picking a fight and give the gift quickly.”

At my urging, Lust shrugged and opened a portal. What he took out was a stake the size of a palm. I examined it closely because of the ominous dark energy emanating from it. This wasn’t an ordinary stake…

“It’s a cursed object.”

If holy relics contain the power of angels, cursed objects contain demonic power or curses. While angels make holy relics to help humans, demons create cursed objects to bring ruin and chaos to the human world. They are different from items merely stained with dark energy for nefarious uses.

Humans sometimes call them ‘error’ (詿誤) to avoid cursing themselves just by naming them, and their numbers are significantly less than holy relics due to demons’ tendency to destroy things with their own hands and the Holy Knights’ efforts to destroy them upon discovery.

In short, this stake was a cursed object made by Lust with his own power.

“Exactly.”

“Thanks, but what about this ominous dark energy?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lust lightly touched the stake, and the menacing dark energy vanished in an instant. One might notice it upon close inspection, but it wouldn’t be immediately recognizable to anyone.

“What did you do?”

“Forgot what I’m best at?”

Among demons, Lust is the most adept at corrupting pure and innocent souls. He enjoys it too, preferring to approach while hiding his demonic nature, leading to the victim’s downfall without them realizing it, rather than causing direct pain and despair like other demons. Thus, he’s the best at concealing an Archdemon’s status and dark energy.

“Do you think I can’t hide the dark energy of some cursed object?”

Now the stake looked perfectly ordinary… well, not really ordinary since it was still a stake, but it seemed fine for Noah to have it.

After checking my expression, Lust handed the cursed object to Noah.

“This is called the Stake of Blind Love, little human. Whoever is pierced by this will be blind with love, never forgetting you even in death, and will devote everything they have to you while alive. It’s most effective when aimed at the heart, but it works on any part of the body. The effect might take some time, but the result won’t change.”

I opened my mouth slightly after hearing Lust’s explanation. Isn’t that like making someone a puppet?

“It’s not even one-time use, so it’s quite a good gift, right?”

The number of uses would depend on the target’s strength, but as Lust said, it was indeed an impressive item.

“…Thank you.”

Lust added with a chuckle to Noah, who had been staring at the stake in his hands for a while,

“Of course, it won’t work on someone as powerful as an Archdemon, right?”

Hmm, I was about to ask if it would work on me. Guess not. Noah also nodded, looking a bit disappointed.

“Thanks anyway.”

“What, I’m not as stingy as you.”

“When was I ever stingy…”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Lust cut me off as if my words were unworthy of listening to.

“The Archangels have been acting suspicious, you know that, right? The blessed humans will be causing trouble too.”

Blessed humans, he means the Holy Knights of the Divine Empire?

“They seem to be looking for something. They might have visited where you and Envy fought.”

I did think something was off since the Day of Revelation…

Lust glanced at Noah’s soul and nodded.

“Be careful. If it comes to it, hide in the Demon Realm.”

Whatever the angels or the Divine Empire are looking for, it’s none of my business. I haven’t caused any harm while staying in the human world, and even if I did something, it wouldn’t violate our pact.

But Noah’s situation is different.

The angels’ purpose is to carry out the will of the Celestial God and prevent humans from falling to demons. If they find out Noah has a soul coveted by all demons, they’ll do everything to protect him. Meaning, regardless of what they’re searching for, they could take Noah away from me.

Demons must possess what they desire, even if it means breaking it. So, Lust probably thought that even if Noah died from the dark energy, it would be better than losing him to the angels. Of course, this was meant well on his part, but I just gave a small smile.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

Instead of adding anything else, Lust waved his hand dismissively and returned to the Demon Realm.