NOVEL NEXT Ch. 10
Having finished all his tasks, the Count of Hebron returned to his office.
Deltain rolled a jewel he had taken as a trophy across the desk and began to speak.
His words were directed at Marquis Montbert.
“So, who are those idiots?”
“I told you, they’re the empire’s new demon hunters.”
“Yeah, right. You expect me to believe those pampered brats are demon hunters?”
He was hitting the nail on the head.
Deltain was sure of it.
The imperial knights who had been following Marquis Montbert all day were clearly the offspring of noble families.
“Just because they’re nobles doesn’t mean they can’t do the job.”
Marquis Montbert responded with a small smile.
It was an affirmation.
“Try to understand. Politics isn’t so simple.”
“I get it. They probably sent their family members to the front lines for the sake of honor or something.”
“Serving the family is the most honorable thing for a noble. They take pride in their work.”
“Pride, my ass. Let me guess, they’re just castoffs who lost the heir fight. They’re too troublesome to leave alone, but too untrustworthy to help with family affairs, so they send them to do dangerous jobs.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Anyway, I don’t like them.”
Deltain expressed his strong dissatisfaction.
He seemed to have some discontent with the current imperial system.
His words could almost be seen as rebellious, but Marquis Montbert just laughed.
He knew that Deltain’s outburst was a rare glimpse into his humanity.
“You’re still soft when it comes to family.”
“It’s not that. I just can’t stand people who use their family to get ahead.”
Deltain clenched the jewel in his hand.
Then, as if losing interest, he tossed it into a black pit.
“I can’t stand it.”
“Let’s leave it at that.”
“Whatever…”
Count Deltain Hebron was generally indifferent to the affairs of others.
To the extent that he wouldn’t bat an eye even if the person he was just talking to suddenly died and had his head exploded.
However, seeing someone endangered their family for personal gain was one of the rare occasions when he showed his emotions.
Marquis Montbert thought this might be related to Deltain’s past.
Of course, even he didn’t know the details.
Seeing Deltain grumbling, Marquis Montbert quickly changed the subject.
“Speaking of which…”
“What now?”
“I heard a rumor you’ve been visiting Duke Levadine’s mansion frequently these days.”
Deltain’s fingers twitched slightly.
He glared at Marquis Montbert with a fierce look.
“Are you snooping on my private life now?”
“Private? You’ve been moving too openly for that. They say Count Hebron goes to the duke’s mansion day and night. It’s all anyone talks about at parties.”
“Why are they so interested in other people’s business?”
“So, what’s the real reason? Have you really fallen for the duke’s daughter…?”
“Say another word, and I’ll rip your mouth off.”
Marquis Montbert closed his mouth.
Then he observed Deltain with interest.
It was rare to see him so agitated.
“… it’s just research. I’m interested in the curse on her heart.”
“Hmm, if you say so.”
“I’m not saying it, it’s the truth.”
“Who said otherwise?”
Crack.
The armrest of the chair Deltain was holding broke.
“Oh dear, that seemed expensive.”
“I’m rich.”
“I’ll take my leave. Have a good rest.”
Marquis Montbert quickly left the office, not wanting to deal with the aftermath of irritating Deltain.
Deltain, left alone in the office, felt his blood boiling as he stared at the closed door.
*
The next afternoon.
Deltain was observing Agnes’s magic flower, as usual, when she handed him a newspaper. His expression soured.
“What a bunch of crap…”
The frontpage article of the newspaper read.
[Heroes of the Nation, Training the Next Generation.]
In the picture below, the knights who had pissed their pants the day before were now shamelessly giving thumbs up.
Agnes watched Deltain’s face wrinkle and asked.
“So, how was your night out? Fun?”
“You think this is a game? Are your eyes failing you? The first line of the article says
“Yeah, and right below that, it mentions the demon of lust. It’s a game for you, isn’t it? You can’t die from a demon, after all.”
Agnes’s smile deepened.
“How was it? The vision the demon showed you, is it sweet?”
Deltain sneered.
“If I were susceptible to that, I’d have died over three years ago. And why does the phrase
“Men like sexy women.”
“As playthings, sure. But for marriage, they’re the worst.”
“You talk like you’ve been married.”
“Some things you don’t need to experience to know. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to listen to married men’s complaints?”
“Do you know someone like that?”
“Yes. Marquis Montbert.”
“Wow, I heard he has a great marriage. That’s surprising.”
Agnes widened her eyes in astonishment.
Deltain clicked his tongue and continued.
“Marriage is always a losing deal for one side. Marquis Montbert is the typical example of the losing side.”
“So, you’re not getting married?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It’s a hassle.”
Deltain said that and resumed focusing on the treatment.
Agnes etched that scene into her memory.
A serene smile appeared on her lips.
“That’s good.”
“… what?”
“That you won’t get married. Yeah, I like that. Don’t ever get married.”
“Are you crazy?”
“You said you didn’t want to.”
“….”
Deltain seriously contemplated if there was something wrong with Agnes’ mental state.
However, if there were an answer to be found by thinking, he would have found it long ago.
“… crazy bitch.”
Deltain said that and tried to keep his mouth shut this time for real.
Again, Agnes did not let him act as he wished.
“Tell me about last night.”
“Demon hunting. The end.”
“More details.”
Deltain lifted his head.
His face was filled with annoyance and frustration.
Agnes smiled gently and spoke to Deltain.
“If you tell me, I’ll be quiet for a while.”
Not a bad deal.
Judging so, Deltain shifted his gaze back to her wrist and began to speak.
“I went there at the request of Marquis Montbert. Those riffraff were raised by the marquis.”
“What about the demon?”
“The first one I encountered was the demon of craving. It was pretending to be a pregnant woman.”
“And?”
“I kicked its belly. It was disgusting.”
“Oh my.”
Agnes strictly kept her promise.
While he continued talking about his exploration of the underground waterways, she listened attentively, responding appropriately.
Deltaie liked that quite a bit and extended his story as much as he could.
He talked about smashing a demon’s head that appeared midway.
The vagrants, who were panicking without knowing what was happening.
And finally, the grand battle with a high-ranking demon he saw at the end.
Agnes made a face of surprise at the description of the pile of corpses.
“Whoa, do demons like such things?”
“They use it as food. Humans screaming in pain until they die are like a delicacy to them.”
“Disgusting.”
“Revolting.”
“So, you opened the door and met the demon of lust?”
The examination was over by now.
Deltain released Agnes’ hand and said.
“Yeah. It was a demon in the shape of a woman’s chest with arms coming out of the nipples.”
“That’s really ugly.”
Agnes giggled.
Then she asked Deltain.
“How was the hallucination?”
“It wasn’t much. Ah, that was a bit funny. Those riffraff couldn’t endure the illusion and ended up wetting their pants.”
“That must have been embarrassing.”
“They should be embarrassed. Fucking idiots.”
Deltain clicked his tongue.
It was a situation that still didn’t sit well with him.
A demon hunter must always fight ready to face death.
Ready to be condemned to eternal purgatory with no salvation.
This was something Deltain had always taught his disciples first and foremost, and those knights lacked that resolve.
“I just remembered something I needed to do. When the dispatched ones return, I need to straighten out the ones below.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The hunters I taught before.”
Deltain crossed his arms and tapped his leg.
Agnes watched quietly for a while, then, with a playful smile, asked a question.
“By the way.”
“What.”
“I’ve been thinking, maybe those people aren’t mentally weak after all.”
Deltain frowned and looked at Agnes.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You know, they say the demon of lust shows the most erotic illusion one can imagine.”
“So what?”
“The most erotic scenario they imagine might be different from yours.”
Agnes poked Deltain’s arm and continued.
“A virgin wouldn’t know such a world.”
A vein popped on Deltain’s forehead.
“If you knew what I saw, you wouldn’t say that.”
“Let me guess. It was probably surrounded by beautiful women, wasn’t it?”
Deltain’s pupils shook as if there were an earthquake.
Seeing that reaction, Agnes burst out laughing.
“Pfft, hahaha!”
Agnes’ face turned bright red.
She laughed so hard, even stamping her feet.
“… what’s so funny?”
Deltain said, grinding his teeth.
But Agnes was too busy laughing.
It took about two minutes for her to collect herself, and when she did, she spoke while trembling with laughter.
“That’s why virgins…”
“And you’re also inexperienced, aren’t you?”
“How do you know?”
“With that body, you couldn’t have had many dates.”
“Sharp.”
A pleased look spread across Agnes’ face.
She watched Deltain’s irritated expression for a moment, then extended her arm.
“I’ll show you. What is really erotic…”
Deltain didn’t stop her.
He watched, thinking, ‘Let’s see what she’s going to show.’
Agnes brought Deltain’s hand to her mouth.
Smooch.
A sound echoed.
It was a kiss on the back of his hand. Deltain shuddered but couldn’t hide his confusion.
“… what’s that?”
“The mood is important. That’s what’s erotic.”
Agnes kissed his hand again.
This time, she didn’t remove her lips.
As she lowered her head, her blonde hair flowed down.
She exhaled onto the back of his hand.
Even in that moment, her cherry blossom-colored eyes were gently curved, looking at Deltain.
“Haah.”
Deltaine’s body trembled with a tingling sensation.
Agnes’ smile deepened.
She sucked on the back of his hand, then licked it with her tongue.
Finally, she scratched the skin with her front teeth, making a
Startled, Deltaine pulled his hand back belatedly.
A red dot was left behind.
It was a kiss mark.
Deltain felt heat rising to his face.
That reaction delighted Agnes even more.
But was it just the reaction she enjoyed?
No.
What pleased her the most at that moment was the mark she left on the back of his hand.
“Now you’re in trouble. You.”
Agnes laughed and leaned forward.
Just enough space for one person to pass through.
With that distance, she looked into Deltain’s eyes and spoke with an alluring smile.
“Be careful the next time you meet the demon of lust.”
She was saying that the extent of what Deltain considered erotic had now increased.