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Death was always before him.
The moment he was even a little careless, it was ready to bite his neck right away.
“You will die very early, Dietrich.”
Those words, like a sticky curse, were his memory from when he was eight years old.
From then on, Derek's voice was already full of malice.
He often grabbed his son and threatened him that his life would be short-lived.
“Although you will become a Grand Duke younger than I did, you will die earlier than I did as well.”
He knew that he was jealous of the outstanding talent he possessed, but those words weren’t lies.
Because the shadow he wields as easily as he breathes had a price that could only be maintained by devoting his soul to the demon.
“You’ll die before you could even taste this power. What a pity.”
Dietrich listened to Derek with one ear who held the power as if he would break his shoulder and stared into his red eyes which were shaking in anger and inferiority complex.
What was he thinking back then?
Did he think indifferently like it didn’t matter?
It felt like he had thought it would be better to die than to seize power and rot like Derek.
‘.......So this is what regret feels like.’
His body felt cold.
The reason why the back of his neck prickled was probably because of the fear of death.
At the age of eight, he had decided to give up any lingering attachments to life, but what was this feeling of wanting to raise his head?
‘It’s probably because of Anissa.’
Dietrich managed to lift his body as heavy as wet cotton and swept his sweaty hair up.
He missed her.
He quietly admitted.
He missed her so terribly.
Even if she was standing in front of him, he still missed her, and the thought that he wouldn’t be able to see her forever filled him with so much uncontrollable regret.
Because it was the only regret left in his life that she wouldn’t have left anything behind.
“......Dietrich.”
He turned his head to the soft voice he heard along with the white light.
“Dietrich, are you all right?”
Charlotte approached Dietrich with worried eyes.
He didn’t have the energy to answer so he just watched her as she approached.
“It seems the demon has already eaten away most of your ability.”
She shook her head and began to examine Dietrich’s condition.
“I’m sure just breathing is hard for you, so let me purify you just a little.”
Charlotte placed her hand on his cheek and used her ability.
The cave, which was full of dark magic, slightly became lighter.
“Even a little help like this won’t be welcomed by Hella.”
"..........."
“Dietrich, I also think that Vassago’s revenge is justified.”
Hella was an impartial god.
Charlotte added that it was not right to set a different standard just because Vassago was a demon.
“Asmodeus took my mother from him, and the Lagrange did not pay him the price of the contract.”
"............."
“Without his power, the Lagrange family wouldn't have continued to exist, and Dietrich would not have survived until now. So there’s no need to feel there is injustice.”
Charlotte made excuses for not helping him so far, but Dietrich shook his head weakly.
“I don’t feel that it’s unfair.”
“.........Excuse me?”
“When he took even the memory of Anissa, yes…..I might have been angry for a moment.”
But he was able to get close to Anissa because she didn't remember him.
‘Annie’ didn’t think of running away because she was worried about his safety.
He smiled as the memory of her slowly surfaced.
The way her face blushed when he suddenly pushed his face toward her because she didn’t know what to do or the way her mouth laughed like a child while playing a prank on him first.
“However, I don’t mind if she doesn’t remember me, so there is no reason for me to blame your demon.”
“.........Vassago is not my demon.”
Charlotte stared at Dietrich’s smiling neat face and bit her lips.
She couldn’t control her bite and her lips bled, but if she didn’t do that, she would have been angry at the sick patient.
‘Why does he say that everything Anissa does is all right?’
She was the wicked woman who took Dietrich away from Charlotte.
‘You don’t even care about me!’
Dietrich had fallen into the abyss just as God foretold, and she was someone who would save him from that pit.
Charlotte was raised as a saint to save the North from despair.
It was as if Anissa had taken away her task and purpose in life.
‘Although the person being punished is Dietrich.’
Charlotte knitted her brows at the traces of pain that filled his neat forehead.
“You were not originally meant to die. The reason why you’re dying right now is because of Anissa.”
“Is that so.”
Charlotte frowned at Dietrich’s calm answer.
“Do you not believe me? I don’t tell things such as lies.”
“No, I believe you.”
"................."
“But as I said to your demon, I’m more afraid of losing Anissa than dying.”
It was better to die than live without her, but it was all right since he was able to spend his last moments with her.
Charlotte clenched her fist as she easily read what was on his mind.
“Vassago isn’t my demon but if you tell me that you regret it now, I can help you.”
“What?”
“If you tell me now that you regret choosing her instead of me.”
Dietrich let out a low laugh at her cracked voice.
Realizing that he was laughing at her, Charlotte glared and grabbed him by his collar.
“Didn’t I tell you to say it? Do you intend to die just like this?”
“I don’t regret it.”
"................"
“No matter how many times you ask me, I will never choose you, Charlotte Vallandia.”
“Why?!”
Charlotte, enraged by Dietrich’s cold words, removed her ability to purify the mana of the surroundings.
He gasped for breath as his airway became clogged again but he didn’t take back his words.
“.........Is it because I did something ‘bad’?”
Charlotte murmured little as she looked down at Dietrich, who turned away from her.
“Are you cold to me because I can't become perfectly nice?”
Dietrich looked at her, who was contemplating and barely managed to lean his body on the wall.
Charlotte was lost in thought, not noticing that his condition was gradually improving.
Dietrich placed a hand on the floor, fumbling for the shadow her light had created.
“However, that goes the same for Anissa. She interrupted me because she wanted you.”
“I’d say it’s none of my business whether you’re good or bad.”
Charlotte, who failed to persuade Dietrich, nodded as if determined to do something.
Her blue eyes sparkled and became filled with a strong will.
“As expected, it’s because of Anissa’s existence. She needs to be gone.”
“.................”
“That is the only way to fulfill Hella’s prophecy.”
“......Baal.”
Dietrich grabbed Charlotte’s wrist as she turned her body as if to go to Anissa.
She frowned slightly as if she couldn’t believe what he whispered.
“Wake up, Baal. It’s time to pay for the food you’ve been eating.”
“Baal has ceased to exist. Vassago…..”
It was at that moment when Charlotte was about to provoke him saying it was nonsense. Her shadow began to wriggle.
“Kyaaah!”
Charlotte let out a shriek and trampled on her own shadow. She lost the torch in her hand.
Bang! Boom!
The cave began to collapse.
Charlotte's shadow only grew darker as the sunny sky was revealed.
The dark surroundings became bright in an instant and a familiar figure appeared in the air.
“I don't remember being fed by His Majesty.”
It was Baal.
Apparently, he was summoned during meal time, the demon holding a steak plate in his hand grumbled and wiped his lips with a napkin.
“Seeing that I was summoned….it seemed you had figured it out.”
Baal grinned and set foot on the ground.
Charlotte trembled and turned pale when she realized that the black shadow stretching from her feet was connected to her.
“Why? How is this possible?”
How could a demon be summoned through my shadow?
“Normally, you would have melted right away because of the divine power!”
Charlotte struggled desperately and glared at Baal, however, the demon only shrugged his shoulder and looked back at Dietrich.
“Your Majesty, what do you want me to do?”
“Start with getting rid of Vassago.”
Baal looked at Dietrich’s calm face and grinned.
“How are you going to pay the price?”
Dietrich didn’t answer Baal’s question and only leaned against the wall and straightened his breathing.
He had noticed Charlotte’s strange power.
‘So Hella is a demon.’
There was no such thing as a God in this world.
They were all just demons in a hurry to fill their own stomachs and Euclid and Lagrange were but their best prey to play with.
The rose war, the salvation, and even that damn price for the contract.
“Don’t even think about asking for a price when obeying the king’s orders, Baal.”
Baal turned around in surprise at the cold gaze which seemed to cut off his head right away.
“As you command.”