Chapter 53. The Two at the Crossroads (6)
Eustar stood there for a long while even after confirming that Mel had gone outside. He was suspicious, wondering if she might secretly come back and eavesdrop.
Fortunately, Mel was a sensible person. Once he judged that she would neither eavesdrop on the sounds nor peek inside the room, Eustar opened Laila’s bedroom door without knocking and stepped inside.
“Who’s this?”
His voice was unlike anything else—very charming, yet at the same time, a rough and fierce instinct stirred within it. It sounded sometimes like the roar of a beast, sometimes like the sweet whisper of an opera singer.
Eustar glared at Deceptor’s face as he looked back at him, then shifted his gaze to Laila. She showed no sign of threat but was clearly stiffened, frozen in place.
“Are you alright, Laila?”
His voice was gentle, but this time it had a sharper edge than usual.
However, the cause wasn’t Laila… She exhaled a long, sharp breath, like someone surfacing from deep underwater, and nodded.
“I’m fine.”
Then Deceptor shouted in an amused tone.
“Fine, is it! What could possibly be not fine? Did you think I’d chew up this little witch bone by bone?”
“If it’s you, that’s entirely possible.”
At Eustar’s low voice, Deceptor’s lips stretched into a long, crooked grin.
His lips, jagged like a poorly painted clown’s, shimmered with a strange film-like color, and his black hair, standing up wildly, flickered like flames of a campfire.
Deceptor chuckled.
“Well, since the prince himself has graced us with his presence, what should we do now? From what I see, this little witch seems completely smitten with you, Eustar. Shall I step aside so you can consummate your first night?”
Eustar bared his teeth like an angry leopard.
“Get out. Now.”
Hearing this, Deceptor’s hair grew even longer and surged wildly.
It was as if someone poured oil on a raging fire. Laila realized not only his hair but the flames in his eyes became even more intense.
But it didn’t last long.
The moment he returned his crooked lips to their place, the black hair that had stood up fell to cover his cheek. His plaster-like face, completely devoid of human warmth, looked dangerously alluring.
“Fine, I’ll leave. Then have yourself a splendid night. Humans say through union they sometimes get a glimpse of heaven’s corner, don’t they?”
A swift sound was heard. But Laila knew it wasn’t a sound she heard with her ears—it was something she felt. As a thin wisp of black smoke rose, Deceptor’s figure disappeared from their sight as if by magic.
Only then did Laila exhale the breath she’d been holding. Her knees gave way, and her fingers tremblingly clutched the carpet. Not only her lips but even the tip of her tongue felt cold.
“Take my hand, Laila.”
Eustar approached her and reached out, but this time Laila pushed him away with all her strength. Then, with trembling fingers slipping a few times, she barely managed to stand.
“What is going on?”
Clenching her fists with all her might, Laila demanded. Before Eustar could answer, she shouted again in a more furious voice.
“Just what is this all about?!”
“Calm down, Laila. I—”
“Calm down?”
Laila strode toward him quickly. Her heavy steps sounded muffled on the carpet, making her look almost frustrated.
She repeated,
“Calm down? How? A demon appeared right in front of my eyes. Not a joke or a fake, a real demon! And you were the one who brought it along! Why didn’t you say a word to me until now?”
“Laila, wait a moment… Please sit here.”
Eustar grabbed Laila’s shoulders as she struggled in agitation and sat her down on the bed. Then he immediately turned and approached the door.
“Where are you going!”
Laila turned to him, but Eustar spoke calmly.
“I’ll ask the servant to prepare some tea. Laila, you’re shaking terribly right now. Your hands are cold, your lips are blue. You look like someone who just came out of icy water.”
“That’s enough. You know tea won’t solve anything.”
Laila said firmly. Eustar hesitated, holding the door handle, but soon sighed and came back to her side.
“I’ll sit down.”
As Eustar sat next to her, Laila nearly recoiled instinctively. She thought about why she felt that impulse, then covered her forehead and shook her head.
“Tell me.”
At Laila’s words, Eustar looked at her with resigned eyes.
A heavy silence fell like dust between them. Then Eustar sighed as if giving up, and Laila stared silently at his face.
Eustar spoke.
“Alright, fine… It’s something I was going to have to say eventually.”
He brushed back his long hair with his fingers.
Laila, who was watching the shadowed expression on his face, quickly looked away, but fortunately, Eustar was lost in his own thoughts and did not notice her awkward gesture.
“It’s true… What you said, it really is a demon. But I didn’t summon it. I swear to that.”
“That’s impossible. A contract must…”
“It wasn’t a contract, Laila. In my case… I didn’t make a contract with the demon. To be precise, I was the one used in a contract.”
Laila furrowed her brows deeply.
“Eustar, what do you mean by that…?”
Eustar’s pale green eyes slowly scanned Laila’s face.
“My parents were the ones who wanted to make a contract with Deceptor. I was the one used… the sacrifice. To put it simply.”
Laila quickly struggled to understand his words.
Not in theory, of course. She had learned many things about demons from her mother and knew well the dangers of making contracts with them.
“In the dark ages, witches would sacrifice infants to summon demons and make pacts, right?”
Laila’s words made Eustar laugh softly.
“Yes, a very famous nonsense. But in my parents’ case, it was real.”
Laila shook her head.
“I don’t understand. Your parents were the former king and…”
“The queen, yes. That’s right. But Laila, do you know? Royals are the easiest prey for heresy and evil cults.”
At those two words—heresy and evil cult—Laila felt the fine hairs on the back of her hand stand on end.
Among the historical events that occurred in the Kingdom of Searow, many horrific acts that haunted countless people’s nightmares were committed by such people.
The witch hunts in the dark ages, led by them, were no different. They boldly used the name of God, but how many among them truly had faith?
Laila trembled. Eustar, understanding, patted her shoulder and continued.
“The cult that brainwashed my parents was very vicious. Of course, that’s just what I heard—I’ve only seen their faces in small portraits.”
“What did those people want from you, their own son, as a sacrifice?”
Laila asked in a trembling voice. Eustar fully understood her fear but couldn’t help but laugh bitterly when answering.
“They wanted a body that wouldn’t age or die. At least, that’s what I know.”
Laila exhaled sharply.
“That’s…”
“An impossible wish, naturally. They made a contract with a demon but wanted to neither age nor die? That can’t be. Isn’t it? The greatest and most important stake in a contract with a demon is a human soul. But to take that soul, the physical vitality must be completely lost first… My parents were king and queen who ruled a nation, but they were foolish enough not to think even of that.”
After finishing, Eustar briefly closed his mouth, then added as if joking,
“Well, maybe at first they were smart.”
Laila asked,
“If they used you as a sacrifice, Eustar, how did you… survive?”
Shrugging, Eustar brushed his fallen hair back up.
“I don’t know exactly. Who could? Maybe they chanted the spell wrong, maybe the magic circle was faulty, or maybe I just angered Deceptor. Anyway, I became a host instead of a sacrifice, and everyone who was supposed to be sacrificed ended up as the victims. My father, my mother, the cult leader, his followers—everyone there.”
It was a horrible sight, he said. Some servants who first saw the scene went mad, and the corridors were filled with vomit and screams from those who peeked into the room.
Laila tried not to imagine that dreadful scene and slowly caught her breath.
“So, Eustar. If you became the demon’s host, does that mean…?”
What was she supposed to ask? Laila’s mind was a chaotic mess. The shocking story made it hard to even put words together properly.
She swallowed dryly, rubbed her sore throat, and cleared her throat.
“…Are you immortal? Neither aging nor dying?”
Eustar stretched his legs and yawned shortly, as if expecting the question.
“Well, I don’t really know. So far, I’ve grown and aged at a normal pace like others. If I were truly immortal, shouldn’t I still be wrapped in swaddling clothes? Of course, I know immortality doesn’t work like that, but those are all old tales. No creature lives without aging or dying, so there’s no way to verify. I do recover faster than others when hurt, but I can’t just test if I die or not by trying to kill myself.”
His words ended with a faint laugh. Laila was stunned by his calm attitude but thought it was better than his usually sharp demeanor.
Laila said,
“Even if you became a host, the contract must have been established. Between you and that demon… Eustar, what price did you pay? What did you promise to give?”
