Vera stood silently in a corner of the camp, her gaze trailing Rowan Kai. He lounged lazily against one of the thick tent poles, casually instructing the Black Knights as they busied themselves with setting up the camp. His demeanor seemed utterly indifferent, even carrying a faint edge of mockery in his tone. Yet, despite his apparent nonchalance, the grim-faced knights followed his every word to the letter, as if his commands carried an unshakable authority.
The scene before her sparked a deep sense of contradiction within Vera. She had often imagined what a true Holy Knight might look like: righteous, dignified, and exuding an aura of divine invincibility. Yet Rowan Kai was the antithesis of everything she had pictured. His perpetual air of insolence, the smug grin often playing on his lips, and his blasphemous remarks about holy light made him seem more like a heretic playing a game than a knight of the faith.
And yet, there were moments—those fleeting, undeniable moments—when his strength and brilliance shone through, casting everything else into shadow. In her mind, she couldn’t help but recall the pure and radiant holy light he wielded with ease, the same light that had saved her on multiple occasions. She hated the way it tugged at her emotions, how it softened the corners of her guarded heart.
“Is he really a Holy Knight?” Vera murmured to herself. Her rational mind screamed that this man was nothing but a dangerous enigma, a contradiction too complex to trust. Yet, that very same rational mind couldn’t reconcile with the memory of sunlight catching his dark hair, the fractured light of a broken holy emblem scattered over his form as he invoked his magic. For a moment, she had seen something divine in him—something utterly at odds with his irreverent personality.
"Is he a blasphemous lunatic? A genius cloaked in contradictions? Or… both?" she whispered softly, her voice carrying a trace of awe and frustration.
It was then that Rowan Kai seemed to sense her gaze. He turned, his piercing eyes locking onto hers with an unsettling ease. A smirk curved his lips as he raised a hand in a casual wave. “Hey, had enough staring yet? If you’ve fallen for me, just say it—I won’t mind.”
Vera’s cheeks flushed instantly. She turned her head away with forced composure, but her voice betrayed her panic. “Who… who would fall for you? Stop flattering yourself!”
Rowan Kai chuckled lightly, his expression unchanged as he turned his attention back to his task.
The town’s bustle and the colorful mix of pilgrims’ attire caught Vera’s attention as she wandered to the edge of the camp. The scenes of faith and camaraderie were new to her, and for a moment, she was almost captivated. But that brief wonder was quickly replaced by a deep pang of homesickness.
“Missing home already? Not surprising—it’s your first time away from it,” a mischievous voice chimed in her head.
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Vera stiffened reflexively, still unaccustomed to the sudden intrusion of Lilith, the demon who now shared her body. “Lilith, could you at least announce yourself before speaking? It’s unsettling!”
“Announce myself? Sweetie, I’m a demon. Did you expect me to be polite?” Lilith giggled, her voice dripping with teasing amusement.
“I’ve been meaning to ask… You’re a demon, so why are you so obedient to Rowan Kai? He may be worse than most demons, but he’s still a Holy Knight, isn’t he?”
Lilith’s laughter bubbled up again, this time more playful. “Oh, that’s a fun little story. You see, a few years ago, Rowan Kai showed up on the radar of several demon lords in the infernal realms. He offered his soul through contracts—many contracts.”
“Wait, how is that possible? One person can’t sell their soul multiple times,” Vera interrupted, disbelief evident in her voice.
Lilith sighed dramatically. “That’s what I asked him. He said he found a loophole in the contract system. Don’t ask me how—it’s a mystery even to me. But he did it. He sold his soul so many times that if he dies, the ownership of his soul becomes… complicated.”
“Complicated?”
“Let’s just say there are three demon kings who publicly claim his soul belongs to them, two demon emperors who’ve built entire palaces in his name, and countless others who are furiously squabbling over who gets to torture him first. His ‘soul value’ has skyrocketed in hell. There’s even been at least four wars over his potential ‘ownership.’ He hasn’t even died yet, and he’s already caused chaos!”
Vera shuddered. “What on earth did he do to cause all that?”
“Oh, you know, little things,” Lilith said sweetly. “Like using contract magic to summon two rival demon lords to fight each other, calling it a ‘Hell Arena.’ Or broadcasting their fights to the infernal realms and encouraging demons to bet on the outcome.”
“What?!”
“Then there was the time he summoned demons to turn them into scapegoats and deliver them to the Inquisition for rewards. Or when he exposed demons’ weaknesses and compiled them into a ‘Demon Survival Guide’ for the Holy Church.”
Vera’s jaw dropped, but Lilith wasn’t finished.
“He summoned a succubus to perform dances because he was bored, forced infernal beasts to help him with manual labor while pocketing their pay, and once summoned a hellhound just to help him find a missing sock. Oh, and let’s not forget the time he summoned a flaming demon and used it as a literal barbecue grill…”
“That’s… that’s insane!” Vera blurted, her mind reeling. “What kind of person does all that?”
Lilith chuckled darkly. “Exactly the kind of person demons both hate and fear. And that’s how I ended up here. But, if you’re curious about the details, why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Before Vera could press further, the Black Knight Commander approached her. “Miss Vera, His Highness has requested your presence.”
Lilith giggled one last time before fading back into the recesses of Vera’s mind. “Perfect timing. Go on, darling—ask him your questions. Let’s see how much he tells you.”
Inside Rowan Kai’s tent, Vera found him busying himself with setting up an intricate magic array. He gestured for her to sit as he worked, his tone casual yet commanding. “To be safe, I’m going to leave some seals and countermeasures on you.”
Vera blinked in confusion. “Seals? Countermeasures? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing invasive,” Rowan Kai replied, his voice laced with dry humor. “Just thirty or so layers of magical protection.”
“Thirty?!” Vera gasped, nearly falling out of her chair. “Isn’t that… excessive?”
Rowan Kai shrugged nonchalantly. “Not really. I originally planned for triple digits, but I ran out of materials along the way.”
Vera buried her face in her hands, muttering, “This man is absolutely insane…”