Was he always someone who could cry like a child? The tormented grimace, the endless stream of tears, the trembling hands groping at the mess he had vomited up in helpless confusion. Beneath the head he had bowed low, as though guilty of some grave sin, boiled a storm of bitter self-loathing and revulsion.

Cadel swallowed hard. He was just as overwhelmed as Garuel, but he had to keep calm. As he slowly knelt before him, a sharp, fishy stench rushed up to meet him.

“What do you mean, you ate his heart?”

“Lawrence…… Lawrence Hywyl came here to save Sellev. But I, I mean……”

With shaky breaths, his lips—smeared in dark purple blood—parted weakly. Cadel reached out to gently wipe his mouth, then stroked his deathly pale cheek.

“Don’t shake, Garuel. It’s alright. I just want to hear what happened.”

The gaze timidly meeting his was pitch black. There were no traces of a human iris left—but to Cadel, he was still the same Garuel. Faced with the warmth in Cadel’s eyes, Garuel gradually calmed down.

“I tried to take out Sellev first. That way, you would be safe. I was sure of that when I started fighting her…… but then…… I think I blacked out for a moment.”

“You blacked out? Did she hit you?”

“No. ……I guess it’s more accurate to say I lost control. When I came to, Sellev was gone, and Lawrence was lying beneath me. Dead. And…… there was this awful taste lingering in my mouth……”

As if he could still taste it, Garuel covered his mouth with a dry retch. Cadel gently patted his back, repeating soothing words.

“……Knight Commander.”

“Yes.”

“What if I really turn into a demon?”

“You won’t. Don’t let your mind go there. Take a deep breath first. Let’s calm down, slowly, right here……”

“……It wasn’t a single-use dose.”

Garuel weakly fumbled through his clothes and pulled out a small vial. Cadel looked at it for a moment, and as he reached out to open it, Garuel grabbed his hand to stop him.

“A drug that amplifies demonic power. It was developed to feed to the Demon King’s siblings once they recover.”

“……It’s still full. Did you bring several?”

“No. I just smelled it. The effect was strong enough just from that. I didn’t dare drink it, not knowing what side effects it might cause…… It was fine while I was facing Sellev. I was in good shape, so I kept inhaling the scent back to back. But then, as soon as I saw Lawrence……”

Garuel, who had been speaking, suddenly shuddered. As if in agony, he clutched his head and gasped roughly. Alarmed by his abrupt reaction, Cadel pulled him into an embrace.

“Garuel! Garuel, it’s okay. Calm down. Nothing has changed.”

Not even Cadel’s comfort, nor the warmth of his breath, could reach him. It all felt like something from another world—distant, unreachable. A piercing headache struck his mind, and with it came memories he had forgotten, surging forth like an ambush.

“You’ve already awakened that power, so you can no longer live as a human. In the end, you’ve become a demon!”

“Shut up!”

“Even now, admit that you are one of us and kill the humans. Then come back with me to face Her Majesty. If you bring your comrade’s head, Her Majesty will surely show mercy.”

“Shut up, shut up, I said shut up!”

“Garuel, my nephew. This is your instinct. A nature you can never change.”

“Aaaaaargh!”

It was a scream he couldn’t believe had come from him, and violence he couldn’t believe he had inflicted. It wasn’t a fight between humans—it was the clash of monsters. He hadn’t used proper swordsmanship; instead, he had lunged like a mad beast and tore at flesh with his bare hands.

Wildly surging demonic energy and the stunned expression on Lawrence’s face. Garuel had ultimately taken him down, and in a rushed frenzy, drove his hand through Lawrence’s chest. He pulled out the heavy heart within, chewing and swallowing it down to satiate his hunger. In that moment, he had undeniably felt a sense of satisfaction.

“Ugh…… No…… that’s not……”

He had felt satisfied. The sensation of Lawrence’s strength permeating into his body had aroused him like some kind of pervert. It was a fulfilling meal. He had even sucked on his blood-soaked fingers. It was sweet. Sweeter than anything he had ever eaten.

“Ah…… Aaaah……”

That wasn’t human. What had awakened through the drug was the vile, suppressed instinct of a demon, the base nature he had barely been holding back with a fabricated humanity.

So what was he supposed to do now? What good could come from this filthy, repulsive body? He just wanted to die. The despair and self-loathing were even worse than when he had first awakened his demonic powers. He wished someone would just end him mercilessly—erase even a single drop of his blood from this world. Even as he so desperately desired death, his veins still surged with hot, pulsing blood. It was horrifying.

Lifting his body from where he had been prostrate on the ground, Garuel looked up at Cadel, who still had him in his arms, and pleaded as if begging.

“Please…… kill me, Knight Commander. End me here. While I still have some of my sanity left…… please, with your own hands……”

Though he begged for death, what came in response was neither a searing flame nor a sharp blade. Garuel found himself staring into Cadel’s eyes, so close. Then he felt the warmth pressing against his blood-sticky lips—and a hot weight slipping past them.

Garuel froze. He couldn’t do anything. As if he had turned to stone, he lay stiff beneath Cadel, who kissed him with everything he had. The bitter taste of blood and sourness invaded their mouths. It was a kiss that could never be called sweet, even as a joke. Yet Cadel showed no sign of disgust; on the contrary, he closed his eyes in contentment, cupping Garuel’s cheek.

He moved his tongue against the unresponsive one. As Garuel began to shrink away, Cadel leaned in further, adjusting his head each time it tried to turn away.

“D-Don’t do this……!”

Garuel cried out in shock, trying to escape, but Cadel ignored every protest and pushed him down. Garuel, pushed helplessly, ended up flat on his back.

Like someone entranced, Garuel couldn’t even blink—just staring at Cadel’s lashes, absorbing his serene face, and feeling the warmth swirling lazily inside his mouth.

It must be so filthy. It must stink, be revolting, unbearable. Then why was Cadel kissing him? Wasn’t he afraid? Didn’t he feel disgusted? How could this be?

The shame that had been flooding him was slowly replaced by a bewildered question. After pressing their lips together for what seemed like forever, Cadel finally lifted his head. Garuel was no longer trembling. Gently stroking Garuel’s cheek and neck, Cadel whispered.

“I love you.”

It wasn’t what he had wished to hear. Even less was it the action he had wanted. And yet, Garuel felt something heavy strike against his heart—a weight that seemed to ripple through his chest. Warmth spilled down his temples. It was tears.

“No matter what form you take, I love you. No matter what choices you make, I love you.”

“……”

“That’s why I won’t kill you.”

The gaze held no fear, no hesitation—only overflowing affection, as though he were gazing at the most precious being in the world. With a faint, gentle smile on his lips, Cadel brushed away the tears from Garuel’s eyes.

Before he realized it, Garuel’s right eye had returned to its original form. As silent tears slid down Garuel’s cheeks, Cadel leaned in and whispered softly.

“See? You came back.”

* * *

Crash!

A deafening noise rang out, and a powerful shockwave swept through the area. The distance between Ector and Van, who had been standing at opposite ends of the floor, shrank rapidly—until it stopped with barely a hand’s width between them. Blocking their path were two High Demons, their forms so distorted they were barely discernible.

“You cannot stop us.”

“You cannot escape the Infinite Circle.”

Identical faces. Identical builds. Yet their voices were different. The two demons, each wielding a massive greatsword, bore down on the humans before them with their full weight.

While Ector and Van fought desperately to stall the advance of the High Demons, Lumen’s gaze swept across the demons surrounding the outer wall. They continued rotating in formation, unaffected by the absence of their two comrades.

“There’s a gap now. Their total number is fixed. Empty spots don’t get filled.”

“If you figured that out, then start killing already! I’m not about to die holed up here with some wrinkled noble!”

“That wrinkled noble—surely you don’t mean me, Sir Van? You’ve always seen me that way, haven’t you? What a sharp tongue you have.”

Though he blocked the onslaught with fully released aura, the force pushing against him was immense. Van desperately coated his sword’s edge with aura, the pressure threatening to snap his blade at any moment.

With their backs shielding the others, the remaining team launched a simultaneous assault on the demons. Magic, sword energy, and throwing knives collided all at once, slashing wildly at the demonic figures. But—

“Our attacks……”

“What’s happening?”

“What the hell is this? Are they ghosts or something?”

Every attack passed straight through the demons. Not a single strike made contact. Meanwhile, the pressure on Van and Ector only grew stronger.

If attacking wasn’t an option, then the only choice was to deflect the swords and move out of range. But the force was so overpowering that even deflecting was difficult—and with allies behind them, every angle had to be calculated precisely.

“It’s starting again! Get down!”

As another charge loomed, Van and Ector’s backs collided. They still hadn’t secured a safe zone, and with bodies pressed in on both sides, they couldn’t even duck. The demons showed no mercy for their predicament. Countless shadows darted back into position.

“……No choice, then.”

Muttering under his breath, Lumen pulled something from within his coat.