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All who found out about it rejected his offer because it was a much wiser decision to accept death and look forward to the next life than to suffer forever.
And he killed all those who rejected his offer. In the cruelest way he could come up with. The devil was such a being.
“The choice is yours. Will you sacrifice yourself to save mankind? Or will we all just die together and hope for the next life?”
“…”
It felt like signing a contract with the devil. Ludwig thought so and smirked at the irony.
All his life, he thought it was natural for him to sacrifice himself for humanity’s sake.
Because that was his duty as the family chosen by the goddess. Just like his father died fighting demons, he lived knowing that sacrifice was natural.
But for this moment, he thought that such a cause was probably good. It’s really strange.
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Ludwig: “If the contract clearly states that there is not a single lie in what has been said so far, that would be good. I accept your offer.”
This meant that he accepted the devil’s proposal, not for the great cause of saving humankind.
Ludwig: “Of course, you can return with the memories of the past, right? Are you going back with memories of the past, too? Before that, how far back can we go?”
If he could correct all the mistakes he’s made so far in exchange for sacrificing his soul…
If… If everything the devil said was true, then wouldn’t it be a gamble worth trying?
“Only one person can return with their memories. I’ll try to go back as far as possible, but I can’t guarantee it. Five years at most? If not, three years.”
Ludwig: “At least five years…”
Then it would be unreasonable to start all over again.
However, one mistake could be undone in five years– the daughter he abandoned.
If the child could live the life she didn’t and live in comfort, he would have no regrets even if he lived in pain forever.
“Are you going to take your memories with you? That would be convenient. Let’s add that in the contract…”
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Ludwig: “No, I’m not keeping my memories. It’s my daughter, Keira.”
“Ah, the real elementalist who was executed?”
The devil looked up at the ceiling for a moment and pondered. If her memories remained intact, she would try to survive when she returned to the past.
If the real elementalist was alive, the barrier could be restored at any time. It could also isolate Ragibach’s forces by blocking interdimensional movement.
‘Ah, I think things are going to get a little complicated…’
It was annoying when things got bothersome. The devil looked Ludwig in the eye to persuade him once again.
“Try to reconsider…”
Ludwig: “If given another chance, it should be for my daughter, not me.”
“…”
Ludwig: “If you don’t like it, I’ll reconsider the contract.”
“…”
It was an obvious threat, but he knew Ludwig’s words were a bluff during the negotiations.
But if there was a problem, it was that the devil was in a very urgent situation.
He approached humans several times and offered contracts, but they were all rejected. If the contract with that man went through the water, he might not really be able to find a contract partner.
“Wouldn’t she resent you? She might try to kill her father.”
Ludwig: “…I would rather have it.”
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If Keira returned to the past without her memories, she would be delighted and moved by her father’s tender attitude.
She might be able to live a happy life just like a woman from an ordinary family.
But… to make her forget all the atrocities he’d committed, then restore their relationship as if nothing had happened?
How happy, how guilty, how shameless was his imagination?
He’d rather she remember everything and blame him. Never forget, never forgive.
If that child could abandon her father and leave a happy life at the cost of his soul, it was enough.
That was the greatest atonement he could make.
“If you dare to sign a contract like that, there is nothing I can do. Well, this is the contract.”
Red letters were written on the unknown paper.
Ludwig had to check carefully to see if what was written in the contract differed from what they had discussed before he placed his blood on the paper.
The devil also dripped blood from his fingertips.
“I am one of the thirteen Great Demons of Hell, Yurr. I will grant your wish in exchange for your soul.”
The contract began to burn with a blue light.
No one could tamper with the contract, and its contents were forever recorded in the Akashic Records[1]. If the contract wasn’t fulfilled or if it was discovered that a lie was made during the agreement, the punishment would be worse than death.
Eventually, the contract completely burned down and disappeared. But it didn’t end there. The ground began to vibrate violently.
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The magic to turn back time must have been activated. The terrified screams of the soldiers were heard from outside.
Ludwig stood calmly and waited for the time to turn back. But it was then.
“I have one thing I want to ask you.”
A cruel smile appeared on the devil’s lips. He whispered in a very excited voice. Now that they’d signed the contract, he didn’t seem to feel any reason to hide his true nature.
Demons were cruel. They enjoyed seeing humans suffer. What emotions would a man feel at this moment, sacrificing himself for others?
“How are you feeling now? Are you not afraid of the future? If you go back to the past like this, you really don’t know anything after you die, and you will suffer forever, right? Are you afraid? Huh? You’re pretending to be calm, but you’re terrified, aren’t you?”
Ludwig: “Not at all.”
Ludwig replied, looking at the air, not the devil. Because of that, he couldn’t tell who he was talking to.
He felt strange, hollow, like a hole in his chest…
Ludwig: “In the last few years, I have never felt as good as I do now.”
At that moment, magic was activated.
Chapter 7
“So…”
It was not easy to organize her thoughts because she received too much information at once.
Cosette was a demon. Erez knew her true identity because he was the same.
Ragibach, one of the only thirteen Great Demons, and Cosette’s true identity, was a representative figure who insisted that war should be waged again.
It was obvious why she, a staunch believer in annihilating the human world, aimed to destroy the spirit stone.
Erez belonged to an anti-war faction, and as soon as he saw Ragibach in Cosette’s appearance at a party, he knew something was going on.
‘Come to think of it, the day Cosette first appeared, when he saw her, he looked like he knew her.’
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He made excuses saying she had a unique fashion sense, but looking back, it must have been a hasty lie.
Besides, it wasn’t just that. A memory of her past suddenly flashed in Keira’s mind. The two people–no, two demons–shook hands as they smiled at each other, never letting go.
‘It was the same as the hunting competition.’
Cosette was so interested in him that she wouldn’t let go of his hand. It was clear that he had struggled with her grip. Apparently, the relationship between the two of them was pretty rough.
And what about the demonic beast that suddenly appeared?
Keira: “Then the demonic beast appeared during the hunting contest…”
Erez: “That’s right, it was my fault. I wanted to get her into trouble.”
I also wanted to win the bet. Erez shrugged.
Erez: “No one was hurt, right?”
Keira: “What do you mean, no one was hurt? I was injured.”
“…”
Come to think of it, Keira sprained her ankle during the incident. Erez’s expression changed for a moment, looking sheepish.
Erez: “I’m sorry. I called for a big, weak guy, but I didn’t know you would get hurt.”
Keira: “…Well, that’s not important.”
Whether it was to win the bet or to get Cosette into trouble, it didn’t matter.
What’s really important was that he hadn’t told the secret to this day.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to respond to her or gather evidence if she had known Cosette’s identity in advance? As soon as Keira collected her thoughts, she screamed.
Keira: “You should have told me at the party where Cosette first appeared! I would have been much more at ease!”
Then Erez immediately responded as if it was unfair.
Erez: “No, but put yourself in my shoes and think about it. Would you reveal your identity to a girl from a family whose job was to defeat demons? And in the middle of the human world? I can’t use all of my strength with this body right now. It’s easy to get killed.”
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“…”
Honestly, Keira couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t have attacked the demon who had revealed his identity in front of her.
She couldn’t say otherwise, so she stayed quiet. A moment later, she said.
Keira: “If you want to hide it, you have to hide it until the end. Why did you reveal it now?”
[1] According to Brittanica, the Akashic record, in occultism, is a compendium of pictorial records, or “memories,” of all events, actions, thoughts, and feelings that have occurred since the beginning of time