Just before the blade pierced his neck.

A strange aura seeped out, twisting the flow of the world.

Time came to a stop.

A voice was heard from the side.

[“Offer your soul. Then the Author shall bestow upon you a fitting curse.”]

The demon that jumped out of the shadows.

It was Asmodeus, wearing a rather unpleasant smile as he spoke.

The first prince’s face turned pale with confusion.

Of course, he already knew that demons showed up desperately to snag souls at critical moments.

‘Isn’t the demon in cahoots with the Black Fangs?’

This notion revolved around his gut feeling that some sort of collusion existed between them. The reasoning was quite simple.

After all, he had already attempted a contract with a demon once and failed.

As the one who had devoured the souls of others to become an Archmage, his own soul would surely hold unmatched value.

Given his current desperate situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if multiple demons raced to make a deal with him.

Yet, no one was stepping forward to propose a contract.

He even called forth a few notable figures he previously knew, only to be refused summoning.

That ambiguous figure related to the bizarre Black Fangs—only a nutcase like Asmodeus would dare meddle with them.

Even when he last tried summoning Asmodeus, that bastard had just dismissed him with something like, “I’m watching something more entertaining right now, why would I bother with you?”

He was ranting about how rude it was to interrupt his fun.

‘So, I thought Black Fangs had recruited not just Elves and Dwarfs, but also demons…’

Yet here stood Asmodeus in front of him, even proposing a contract.

A situation too dubious to be true.

[Are you suspicious? Well, that’s your call… but I’d advise you to assess the situation more objectively.]

Yet, even Asmodeus had a point. Regardless of skepticism, his options were severely limited.

Time had frozen.

He thought he was lost in his musings, but the sharpness of the blade was unmistakable on his neck. The world hadn’t stopped at all.

It merely flowed slower than before.

That was being orchestrated by Asmodeus, exerting his power for the sake of signing a contract.

If he declined the contract, he would perish by the blade coming for him.

Death was inevitable.

So then… wouldn’t getting some revenge be more efficient? Linger too long in thought and that capricious Asmodeus might change his mind.

Time was running out.

He had to quickly accept the proposal.

As he sorted through his thoughts, the first prince opened his mouth to declare he would sign the contract when he realized something odd.

The insistence he had only one choice. The anxiety it instilled in him. The urgency to decide—the classic moves of a demon’s trickery.

Promising not to lie in contracts, yet skillfully toying with words to deceive.

Then what exactly was this demon hiding? How was he planning to trick him?

After pondering for a while, the first prince finally caught on.

“The curse… it seems it won’t work on that bastard.”

This became apparent with a bit of thought.

That guy had bypassed the World Tree’s curse to gain its power. Thus, he surely possessed the ability to dispel curses.

A chill ran down his spine.

If he carelessly accepted, he’d end up losing his soul and meeting his demise without meaning, only to hear, “I said I’d curse you, not that it would work. You should’ve been cautious with contracts.”

Proving his point.

Asmodeus, caught off guard, wore an annoyingly disappointed smile. Though it was utterly infuriating…

With a heavy sigh, the first prince swept those bitter feelings aside.

Damn it all, the only card he had left was that raving lunatic, the demon.

Not only had he slandered his brother Renyah as a chimp-level idiot…

While fully aware of his plans, he still delighted in mocking him by pretending he knew nothing.

That bastard’s stratagem, resourcefulness, abilities.

He recognized that nothing could match them. But going down like this wasn’t an option.

Revenge had to be realized.

By any means necessary.

Thus, the first prince said,

“It seems your curse won’t work on him. But it should work on his underlings. Right?”

Hearing that, Asmodeus offered a meaningful smile, but it was never a question he expected a real answer to.

That great demon had absorbed not just his brother’s soul but also those belonging to the royal family.

Just by witnessing the time-altering power alone made its might clear.

While cursing that monster may be an uphill task, curses ought to work on his subordinates.

“I’ll offer half my soul. Will you definitely take care of that girl named Rubia?”

A woman who appeared ordinary yet enjoyed the captain’s favor. A simple disposal of her would suffice for revenge. That was enough to satisfy him.

Saying that, however, the demon chose to shift the topic instead.

[If it’s revenge you’re seeking… I know of an even better method. Of course, it comes with a heavier price.]

And then the demon revealed what he could do with his life on the line.

A hefty cost, indeed.

Yet it was satisfaction-worthy revenge. As the demon couldn’t lie in contracts, this offer felt trustworthy.

In this situation.

The first prince had only one choice available.

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

*

With the intent to fulfill Renyah’s request and solve the troublesome issues all at once, he descended into the torturers’ chamber.

No matter how much of an Archmage he was, enduring repeated tortures seemed daunting. Hearing the prince mutter some bizarre nonsense, he swiftly swung his sword to finish it.

Yet, strangely, the blade didn’t connect.

As if it had completely vanished from this world, the blond man was gone.

In stark contrast, the menacing presence became more and more palpable. Something writhing in the shadows.

Upon seeing that, I instinctively created some distance.

I could only conclude the obvious: I knew exactly what was occurring.

‘No way… he really sold his soul?’

It was hard to believe.

But this situation confirmed it. Cornered, that guy had given up everything to the demon in exchange.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

None other than the first prince’s soul. He was trying to enact revenge by surrendering it completely.

Whatever contract he made with the demon must have been steep, but it surely wasn’t a great deal for me.

In no time, the shadows gathered and took a human shape.

An aura equivalent to that of a Demon King.

Even as it unleashed overwhelming magic, it lunged toward me…

[It’s an honor to meet you.]

…and offered a handshake.

A situation utterly incomprehensible by logic.

Naturally, I started to wonder if I was trapped in some kind of illusion. But with its properties, an illusion like that wouldn’t work.

“What the hell is going on here?”

So I maintained my wariness and asked. The demon calmly replied that there was no need to worry about the plans we had discussed.

[I’ll make sure that man forgets he is the leader of the Black Fangs. That was my deal with him.]

“…What?”

An utterly out-of-left-field contract.

A foolish act of sacrificing everything just to erase a memory that never existed in the first place. It left me so incredulous I couldn’t help but blurt it out.

Asmodeus looked positively entertained by my expression.

Talking about how eagerly he anticipated the fateful day soon to arrive, but that was a story I’d rather hear in a different context.

After laughing for a while, the bastard seemed to recall something and spoke to me.

[Oh, by the way… I almost forgot about our settlement.]

He slowly approached me.

That demon swiftly grabbed my hand.

[Although I prefer ‘fair’ contracts, you are an exception. Since you’re showing me entertaining things, I ought to show you a matching courtesy.]

At those words, a wave of energy surged in.

[I look forward to our next meeting.]

Before I could react, he left only that remark and disappeared back into the shadows.

But suddenly vanishing like that hardly drew my attention at that moment.

A flood of knowledge rushed into my mind.

Spells that evaded my understanding through books. Principles once unfathomable seemed absurdly simple.

My head was spinning.

It made sense.

Suddenly, the first prince summoned a demon.

And the unexpected turn was that this demon behaved in a surprisingly cordial manner, sharing the prince’s soul with me. Perhaps due to that effect, knowledge of magic continued to pour into my mind.

Looking again, it felt as if circles were forming, splitting, and expanding on their own.

A situation that was incomprehensible by any rational measure.

But quickly, I, as the vessel, leveraged my wits to condense this chaos into a single sentence.

“…I’m lucky.”

I wasn’t sure how, but it seemed once more, fate had tilted in my favor.