CHAPTER 63: CH 63: THE MAN IN WHITE - PART 3

Berry’s shoulders loosened the moment Lucian stepped into the room. Relief washed over his tense face, and he half-rose from his chair as if to speak.

But Lucian gave him a subtle hand signal—calm, measured, the kind Berry had learned to trust.

’I’ll handle this. You can go.’

Berry frowned, unwilling to leave so easily. His lips parted, clearly about to protest, to insist that he had no intention of abandoning Lucian to face this unnerving guest alone.

But before a word could leave him, Belphegor’s smooth voice cut through the air.

"Your settlement is thriving. The flow of mana here is... refreshing. Strong. Almost as if it’s alive."

The Demon King drawled, his gaze wandering lazily over the walls, as if he could see the very foundation stones beneath them.

His eyes flicked to Berry, and without the slightest hesitation, he gestured with a flick of his fingers.

"You may leave."

The dismissal was casual, arrogant, the kind of command that made Berry bristle. His jaw tightened, fury flashing across his face as though he was ready to lash out at the Demon King himself.

But before he could speak, Lucian echoed the words with steady calm.

"Berry. It’s fine. Leave us."

Berry’s chest heaved. For a long second, he looked as though he would refuse. But at last, he clenched his fists, bowed his head stiffly, and forced himself to retreat.

The door closed behind him with a heavy thud, leaving Lucian alone with Belphegor.

The room instantly felt smaller.

Belphegor leaned back in his chair, his black eyes with white pupils focusing sharply on Lucian. Then, without preamble, he asked a question that made Lucian’s heart jolt.

"You’re from outside this world, aren’t you?"

The words were casual, but they struck like thunder.

Lucian froze. His lips tightened, and he forced his expression to remain neutral.

"You’re mistaken. I belong to this world as much as anyone else."

He said, his voice even, though his pulse raced.

Belphegor’s lips curved into a faint, amused smile. He tilted his head, resting his chin lazily against his knuckles.

"Is that so? Denial is pointless. I see your soul, boy. Its texture, its rhythm, its... fracture. It doesn’t belong here. It reeks of another world, another life."

Lucian’s mask cracked for an instant. He inhaled deeply, his mind spinning, but he quickly realized there was little point in clinging to lies.

The Demon King could peer into truths that should have been hidden.

"...Fine. I’m not of this world. Now tell me—what do you intend to do with that knowledge?"

Lucian admitted at last, exhaling the words like a heavy stone from his chest.

The Demon King straightened, and for the first time, his languid smile turned serious.

"Nothing."

"...Nothing?"

Lucian’s brow furrowed.

Belphegor shrugged lightly, as though the matter were trivial.

"I had intended to take this settlement by force. Burn it down, scatter the people, claim the mana for myself. But now..."

His gaze sharpened, and his words carried a weight that made the air thrum.

"Now that I’ve seen you, I’ve changed my mind. Instead of conquest, I want an alliance."

The words hung in the silence between them.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

"An alliance? With me? Why?"

"Why? Because this world’s fate is already bound. The divine meddled long ago, twisting the flow of destiny. Everything is fixed. This land is doomed to collapse. Every living thing, every Demon King, every human... all of it fated to perish."

Belphegor chuckled, though the sound was hollow, almost tired. His smile widened, but his eyes gleamed with a restless hunger.

"But I don’t intend to accept that end. Call it desire. Call it instinct. I will survive. I will conquer more than I am permitted. And to achieve that, I need an outsider’s touch. Someone who can tamper with the threads of fate itself."

Lucian’s heart pounded, though he kept his voice level.

"If that’s true, then why me? The Demon Kings already break taboos by summoning outsiders when they need to. Sooner or later, another from beyond will arrive. Why come to me in person, like this?"

At that, Belphegor’s eyes widened slightly—just a flicker of surprise—before he let out a soft laugh.

Slowly, he raised his hands and began to clap, the sound echoing eerily in the stillness of the room.

"Excellent. You already know of the Summoning Taboo. You know the Demon Kings’ methods. You even anticipated my question before I asked it."

He leaned forward, his presence pressing down like a mountain despite his slim form.

"This is exactly why I came to you, Lucian. To see if you’re resourceful. If you’re cunning enough to recognize the game being played. And you’ve proven it."

Lucian’s expression remained guarded.

"...And if I refuse?"

Belphegor’s smile widened into something far sharper. The playful amusement drained from his tone, replaced with cold finality.

"Refusal is not an option."

He said, his voice low, deliberate,

For a moment, silence returned to the room, thick and suffocating. Lucian met the Demon King’s gaze, feeling the weight of inevitability pressing in on him.

He had known from the instant Belphegor stepped into his village that this was not a being he could simply ignore.

Now, the truth was laid bare: whether he liked it or not, his fate—and the fate of his settlement—was entwined with the Demon King of Sloth.

Still, Lucian did not lower his eyes.

"I’ll listen to your proposal. But whether this alliance stands or falls will depend on what you’re offering me in return."

He said at last, voice steady.

For the first time, Belphegor’s smile turned genuine.

"Good. That’s the answer I wanted to hear."

He whispered, leaning back once more as though he had already won.

And just like that, the first thread of a dangerous pact began to weave itself into Lucian’s destiny.

Belphegor let the silence linger, studying Lucian with unsettling calm before finally speaking again.

"What I want is for you to help me sever the chains of fate binding me."

He said slowly. His words carried weight, as though the very air bent around them.

Then, with a lazy flick of his wrist, he added.

"In return, I’ll offer you what no one else can—protection from enemies far stronger than you can imagine... and ways to advance your little village beyond anything it could achieve on its own."

His gaze sharpened.

"A fair trade, don’t you think?"