IMTDIK 66

66

Posted by Evil Butterfly, Released on June 26, 2026

Episode 66. Dog Collar

“Darling.” Sitri’s lips twitched.

“Are you crazy?”

Not even a fake smile came out of her mouth.

“Do I look crazy?”

“Did you go to the North for a bit and catch a stupid virus in your lungs? Or maybe you mistook my ‘darling’ calls for real love?”

Many humans had made that mistake. But Ferda was not one of them. That’s why Sitri had never felt this flustered before.

“I know your deadly secret.”

“The only thing deadly about me is my charm.”

The bigger the secret, the better it is hidden. The more dangerous the situation, the more carefully it is handled. Even demons could not escape the rule of secrets.

“I read an interesting story.”

A story from the distant future. Ferda had been collecting all kinds of information for his magic research. Among them were records about hell—a collection of moments when the seven great demons of hell were in danger, their biggest mistakes and weaknesses recorded in a book called Debiromicon.

It looked serious, but humans could read it too. The reason was simple: it was both a vow never to repeat the same mistake and a trap for the foolish. Anyone who tried to use Debiromicon against demons always ended up destroyed. They always believed they were different.

But Ferda really was different. He read the book fifteen years after it was written. And now, he spoke of a story that had happened during those years.

“The great demon Sitri, who played around as usual, had her Life Vessel stolen by one of her many children. What a ridiculous story, right?”

“What are you talking about?” Sitri tilted her head.

“You don’t know this story?”

“Of course not. I have no idea what nonsense you’re saying.”

“Really?”

Like a true temptress, she kept a perfect poker face. Ferda observed her calmly, waiting for the mask to crack.

“Then I guess I should take Penelope to the Magic Society.”

“Magic Society…?”

“You demons know how much they hate demons, right? What do you think will happen if they get their hands on her? Especially if she’s not just any demon, but holds the weakness of the great demon Sitri?”

Ferda spoke as if singing.

“They will search every inch of Penelope’s body. It will take time, but they will find the truth. And when that happens—”

“Enough.”

Sitri cut him off. The atmosphere changed. A moment ago, she had been sweet, trying to tempt him. Now her voice was cold, sharp like thorns.

“Who?”

Her mask had cracked.

“Who is the bastard that gave you that secret?”

Her gaze burned into Ferda, desperately trying to see through him.

“It’s not my daughter. If that idiot knew, she would have returned to me immediately.”

“Did you ever think I figured it out myself?”

“I don’t underestimate you. But I don’t overestimate you either. Even the grand dukes of hell don’t know this. How could a mere human know before them?”

“You’re not calling me ‘darling’ anymore. Are you nervous?”

“Yes, I am. So hurry up and answer me. Unless you want to burn in hell forever.”

Sitri raised her long, sharp claws threateningly.

“Don’t try to threaten me. Do you want to become a mere fly?”

Demons followed strict rules, especially great demons. Rising was hard—but falling was easy.

“You think I can’t do it?”

She pressed her claws against his skin.

“You broke our deal. I told you to hand over Penelope, but you’re using her to mess with me.”

Ferda answered calmly:

“You asked me to rescue Penelope. And I did.”

“No, I clearly said to bring her to me. This is a breach of contract, Regent.”

Ferda scoffed.

“Didn’t you break the contract too?”

“What?”

“You promised to send all of us back safely. But I was left behind. What do you say about that?”

“You should have killed Penelope. A reverse summoning to hell would have solved everything.”

“And what if I didn’t know that? You set the condition of rescuing her—and I rescued her safely. The one who broke the deal is you.”

“Are you playing word games with me?”

“Aren’t those your favorite?”

Demons loved wordplay. Many had been tricked and killed by it.

“If you don’t like it…”

Ferda crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.

“Let’s have a trial.”

When contracts were disputed, demon courts could resolve them. And Sitri would definitely win. But would she dare to bring this to court? She couldn’t. If the words Life Vessel came out, her greatest secret would be revealed to everyone.

Sitri fell silent. She was completely trapped.

“You once said demons could become good dogs with the right collar.”

Ferda smirked.

“I suppose demons can be trained like dogs too.”

Sitri let out a low laugh.

“Hehehe… Hahaha! Hahahaha!!”

She burst into laughter. Had she gone insane?

“You know, Oppa?”

“…Oppa?”

“Oppa, you’re really sexy right now.”

This was different from her usual fake seduction.

“So? What do you want?”

“Fine, I’ll do it. It’s true that I made a deal with Abel Silverwind. Is that enough?”

She licked her lips with her long tongue, panting.

“I’ll do anything for you, Oppa.”

This was scarier than when she was cold.

“Get away from me.”

“Hehe, why so mean? You’re even more attractive when you push me away.”

Sitri finally backed off.

“So, my question?”

“What question?”

“The snitch who gave you that information.”

Who told him? No one. He knew it from the future. There was no explanation.

“Barbatos.”

One of the Seven Great Demons of Hell. The demon of shadows and schemes. The one most likely to help Ferda.

“Barbatos… That’s unexpected.”

Sitri muttered. She didn’t look convinced—but she didn’t seem to care either.

“Well, see you next time, handsome Oppa. Until then, keep that collar on tight.”

With a kiss in the air, she disappeared completely.

Dawn was breaking.

The dark elf Rinne woke with a start, shivering in the snowstorm. Her emergency teleportation had saved her body, but not her exposure to the cold. She gripped a small rock in her hand, ready to defend herself.

A huge figure blocked the cave entrance. Red eyes. Sharp fangs.

“You were here, Rinne, the Lab Director.”

“……”

“I received information about a disturbance. It looks like everything was true.”

“Demons are always sneaky. Are you also one of those waiting in line to see an elf’s body?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. If you know it’s nonsense, then give me some clothes. If I stay like this, I’ll freeze to death.”

The man threw her a coat enchanted with heating magic. She wrapped it tightly around herself.

“The one who did that to your eye… was it Ferda Valdrova?”

Rinne clenched her teeth.

“I never imagined I’d lose to that brat. I heard he’s stronger than an average human. His name is even mentioned in the Round Table.”

“You can’t just call him stronger than an average human. That underestimates him.”

“Then how would you describe him?”

“In all of history, there’s never been anyone like him.”

“You’re scared.”

“I’m just being objective. When he struck me, I felt it.”

When the Lightning Bolt pierced her eye, she had glimpsed his gray hair and blue eyes—eyes that hid his true thoughts. In them, she recognized something familiar.

“That guy… he’s a madman who has fought mages stronger than himself multiple times.”

His skill was hidden by lack of apparent power, and he always stayed several steps ahead—like a predator hunting giants.

Rinne knew she would lose. That’s why she had given up fighting and fled with an emergency escape scroll.

The snowstorm had begun to calm.

“It’s time to move.”

The man stood, Rinne hesitated.

“My punishment… I can’t avoid it, can I?”

“You already know the answer.”

Demons were like that. No emotions, no guilt. Only logic.

Rinne hugged the coat tightly. Survival. That was the promise she made the moment she touched Godwin’s Blood.

The Storm of the Rosnova Estate

In the peaceful central region of Serdes, the Rosnova Territory ran smoothly. The family head, Erembalt, had retired. His two sons were leading the household.

Then disaster struck—not with cannons or siege weapons, but with a storm of magic.

A young girl appeared before Erembalt.