“Because you are different. You are from another world, yet you have endured so much here. You possess strength and resilience that I admire. And… and I believe you can help us.”
Her words were sincere, and despite my cold exterior, I could sense the genuine concern and hope in her voice.
Despite my initial skepticism, her words didn’t seem like a ploy to win me over. They felt genuine.
“I will help the Demons as long as their goals align with mine,” I said, my fingers brushing her cheek.
“Eliminating the Divine Knights? I heard about it…” Ameriah mumbled, averting her gaze.
“Yes, I suppose we are allies then,” I confirmed.
“But after that?” she asked hesitantly.
“After what?”
Ameriah clenched her fists. “Nothing.”
I brushed my fingers across her lips as I leaned in closer. Her intoxicating scent filled my nostrils.
“What beautiful horns you have,” I muttered, glancing at the elegant protrusions above her pretty face. They didn’t detract from her beauty; if anything, they enhanced it.
“W… what are you doing, Lord Samael?” Ameriah tried to pull away nervously.
I looked down at her. “Coming here repeatedly, did you really think I’d let you go each time?”
“W… what could that mean?” she asked, swallowing hard.
“You don’t really know?” I closed the distance between our lips.
Her red eyes shut tightly. Her reaction only intensified my desire.
Just as my lips were about to meet hers…
“Samael!”
The sound of a sword being drawn rang out. Without fully separating from Ameriah, I glanced at the newcomer.
It was, predictably, Azariah.
“What is it, Princess?” I asked, my tone cold and tinged with annoyance.
“S… sister, I… I…” Ameriah opened her eyes and shook her head in denial. “I don’t know what happened…”
“Get back, Samael! I told you not to touch my sister!” Azariah commanded, pointing her sword at my arm.
“Yes, but when your sister comes to me this often, I can only give in and respond to her advances,” I said, brushing the tip of Azariah’s sword aside with my finger.
“N-Not true… I was just curious…” Ameriah denied, her face turning a deep shade of red.
“Ameriah! I told you to stay in your room! It’s dangerous to go out with your health like this. Worse, meeting the Hero of Darkness! He’s dangerous, you know…” Azariah reprimanded, not even caring that I could hear everything.
The fact that I could use Dark Magic like the Demon King terrified them, including Azariah. She was the last Princess and daughter of the Demon King, along with Ameriah. She knew about her father’s madness and how he had used his Dark Magic to wreak havoc on the continent.
“B-But he is our Hero…” Ameriah looked at me with hopeful eyes.
She was the typical sheltered princess, and it wasn’t her fault. Because of her health, she had stayed inside her room most of the time, unaware of the world’s cruelty. Just because I was the Hero didn’t mean she could trust me blindly.
“You don’t understand, idiot,” Azariah shook her head and pushed Ameriah towards a maid. “Take her back to her room.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Once Ameriah was gone, Azariah, her strongest knight Kratos, her knight and friend Lucia, and her adviser Cadell all glared at me. They clearly cared for Ameriah and didn’t appreciate my interactions with her.
“You’re pushing your luck, Samael,” Azariah said, lowering her sword but not relaxing her stance. “Ameriah’s curiosity about you doesn’t give you the right to take advantage of her.”
I met her glare with a calm, cold gaze. “Your sister’s curiosity is not something I encouraged. If anything, I’ve tried to dissuade her, but she keeps coming back.”
Kratos stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “The Princess has asked you to respect her sister’s boundaries. You’d do well to listen.”
My gaze grew colder, yet I found myself smirking. Unlike my previous smiles, this one was downright arrogant and filled with such contempt that it surprised even me.
“Or what are you going to do?” I asked, my tone dripping with menace.
“W-what?!” Kratos stuttered, unable to hide his fear.
His grip on his sword’s hilt tightened so much that his knuckles turned white, and I hadn’t even moved yet.
“The strongest knight of the Demon Kingdom, shivering in my mere presence?” I sneered. “Pathetic.”
“You!”
“Kratos, stop,” Azariah intervened, raising her arm.
“Yes…” Kratos stepped back reluctantly at his princess’s command.
“I don’t trust you, Samael. Everything about you is suspicious,” Azariah said, her voice steady.
I listened quietly, my eyes locked on hers.
“But I do trust that you won’t lay a hand on any woman without her consent,” she continued. “Please refrain from touching my sister. She is sick, and I don’t want anything that might aggravate her health.”
Her red eyes bore into mine.
My golden eye flickered, the slit narrowing further, making Kratos and Lucia flinch.
“I already told you what I want. Just find me a Divine Knight, and I will kill them for you,” I said, my voice icy.
“You keep asking the same thing again and again, but Divine Knights don’t just appear out of nowhere. You are our Hero. Can you at least help us? You might find a Divine Knight by helping us,” she said, her tone filled with exasperation.
“You are lying,” I said flatly.
She was clearly desperate for my help but didn’t know how to ask without involving the Divine Knights.
“But since I am the only Hero, I will help you,” I added.
Aphrodite had saved me by summoning me to this kingdom. That meant she either had good ties with this kingdom or at least viewed it favorably, unlike the other gods. Helping this kingdom could be a way to repay her for saving my life, and I supposed she wanted that as well.
Azariah seemed surprised that I agreed. “R-Really? Then good! Follow me,” she said, leading the way.
Ignoring the other three, I walked beside her.
“You…” Lucia glared at me.
“I am annoyed to repeat myself. I am not under your orders, Princess. I’m your equal. You are the one needing me, remind yourself of that,” I said.
The others gnashed their teeth in anger, but Azariah was used to my speech by now.
“I know. I just want your help,” she said.
“With what?” I asked.
Azariah sighed. “The Heroes summoned by the Kingdom of Kastoria.”
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