All he could think of was that he had to stop the paperwork before it was processed.
“Daniel…?”
As Azela’s voice was calling out to him from behind, Daniel stopped walking. Yes, she couldn’t have left him behind! Azela should be by his side! It must have been a dream… Or, it must have been something like her spirit for him.
“Azela!”
Daniel smiled brightly and turned back, calling Azela’s name. However, it wasn’t Azela that was reflected in his green eyes, but Sylvia grimacing her face.
“What… did you say now?”
Sylvia’s face trembled in disbelief as she asked him, startled. However, Daniel didn’t answer. It was because he, too, only stared at her with a look of disbelief.
‘…It’s not Azela.’
She was definitely there… There was another woman other than her in his mansion. At the thought, Daniel placed his hand on his complicated head and lowered his head.
“Daniel, what did you just say!”
Even though there the woman was standing in front of him, her words did not come to his ears.
…Azela, did she really abandon him? For real?
Daniel’s eyes began to flutter.
No, she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave him because she promised… Because when they got married, she promised that she would never leave him behind no matter what. She was not a liar. She was not the kind of person who was going to break her promise.
So, so…
“…I’m going to the capital.”
“What? Daniel, what are you saying…”
“Get my stuff right now. To the capital!”
Ignoring Sylvia’s words, Daniel passed her and headed back to his own bedroom. Although she was clearly standing in front of her, he didn’t see her. It seemed as if he was looking beyond her to find another woman, Azela Vellistance.
Sylvia frowned and started biting her nails.
‘Azela…!’
Malice began to fill her eyes again.
* * *
“You’re not the only… devil?”
“Of course.”
Lane, who greeted them lightly, said she would bring the things and disappeared into the deep, endless cave. So, Zagnac and Azela sat in the wooden chair prepared by the entrance, waiting helplessly for her.
“You can look forward to it. Swords made by Dwarves are better and stronger than any other human-made.”
“A sword made by a dwarf…”
She had read it in a book before. Objects that they made are so beautiful and perfect that humans couldn’t imitate them. Was she going to own that sword? As she thought so, Azela had an incredulous look towards the end of the cave where Lane had disappeared.
“…So, does Lane also have a contract with a human?”
“No, Lane’s contractor is not human.”
“Then…?”
“Lane’s contractor is a Dwarf.”
The contractor was a dwarf? Because she couldn’t comprehend Zagnac’s words, Azalea stared at him and asked again.
“However, in order to adapt to the human world…”
“She doesn’t need human energy. Lane doesn’t live in the human world enough to need human stamina. This place is connected with the human world outside, not exactly in the human world.”
Zagnac glanced around and shrugged, explaining briefly. Azela took her eyes off her and looked around with his words. It was certainly strange to call this a reality as she opened the door of the small hut and found a deep cave like this…
It was difficult to see it as real.
“All races except humans are on the verge of extinction.”
“There are only a few dwarves left… They wanted to keep working because the meaning of the dwarf race was to keep working and leave a reputation for themselves. That soul is indescribably noble.”
“Then…”
“Lane provided the dwarves with a job like this, and signed a contract to take their souls when all their resentment is over. It’s an excellent contract for each other.”
Contracts were not just made with humans.
At his words, she nodded her head. It really was a good contact. Was it a good contract between Zagnac and her? Azela glanced away and looked at Zagnac, who was sitting next to her. The next moment, from inside, Lane appeared with a long sword.
“Lucky you. Fortunately, it was completed on time.”
Even without holding it in her hand, Azela knew the moment she saw the sword — how wonderful the long sword in Lane’s hand was and how sturdy and well-made it was. It was a sword that fascinated people just by looking at it.
“Azela.”
Zagnac turned to one side and nodded his head towards her. It meant to tell her to get the sword directly. At the same time, Lane also held out the sword in her hand towards Azela.
Could she hold such a fine sword by herself…?
Azela’s hands trembled with greed. She so wanted to have her own sword. Soon, she reached out her trembling hand and grabbed the sword.
“…She is a pretty good soul.”
The moment she grabbed the sword, Lane’s purple eyes gleamed and she licked her red lips with her tongue, whispering in an enchanting voice as the startled Azela met her gaze. Even though they were both women, she couldn’t take her eyes off Lane as if for some reason she was attracted to her.
Lane smiled as she drew an arc with her red lips.
“You know how to be greedy… A good child.”
Lane leaned her torso and walked slowly in front of her. As she approached Azela, there was a sweeter scent than what Zagnac exuded. Azela opened her lips slightly unknowingly to the sweetness, as she seemed to lose her mind and thrust her head towards Lane.
And, at that moment, Zagnac came from behind her, covered Azela’s eyes with his big hand, and hugged her before pulling her into his arms.
“I must have said she was my contractor, Lane.”
He growled and exposed his claws like a beast with its prey robbed. In Azela’s ear, as her eyes were covered, his heartbeat thumped loudly.
Azela’s face heated up in an instant.
“Where did you get such a good soul? I want it.”
Lane asked in a playful voice, pulling her bent upper body back.
However, Zagnac did not answer. Instead, he simply pulled Azela, who was in his arms, inside him with more force. Seeing him revealing his teeth like that, Lane smirked and waved her hand with a smile.
“I won’t eat it, so don’t be so vigilant. It’s definitely tempting, but… Because if it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to raise my soul to this level. You raised her with water and sunlight, Zagnac.”
Her words were as if they were growing plants, Zagnac did not respond at all. Raising her soul… It was not wrong because it was him that changed a person who was about to die to this point. Nevertheless, strangely, it didn’t feel good.
“Then, why don’t you eat her? At this point, I think it will be delicious enough to eat.”
Why doesn’t he eat her? It will be delicious enough to eat…?
With Lane’s words, Azela glanced at Zagnac.
‘Is it time for me to be eaten?’
Well, thinking about it, there were many times when she felt that she was alive these days, unlike when she was living at Count Todd’s residence. Was this a regret for life…?
Noticing Azela’s concerns, Zagnac frowned. He didn’t seem to like Lane’s meddling.
Lane kept asking questions in front of them as if she thought Azela wouldn’t hear. Perhaps, it was because she didn’t live in the human world, so she was definitely different from Zagnac. There was no consideration, no manners, no respect for human beings.
“I’ll take care of it myself. No need to worry.”
“Hm… Well, you do like something sweet. Though are you saying that a soul that is this sweet is not enough? Still, it’s none of my business.”
Saying so, Lane stepped in front of them and slapped Zagnac’s cold hand on Azela, which was covering her eyes. As his hand disappeared, her blue gaze saw Lane, who was smiling brightly. She just had a friendly smile.
“Nice to meet you. See you later.”
She greeted Azela, waving her hand lightly as she did when she met them for the first time.
Seeing that, Zagnac snorted and held Azela in his arms, hurling her steps. As she walked in his arms, Azela glanced back and looked at Lane who was waving her hand from behind.