“What? Are you doubting me right now?”
‘Well, rather than doubting…’
“Master! How could you do this to me?!”
‘Hmm.’
It wasn’t exactly suspicion—more like skepticism.
Honestly, this sounded too good to be true. If I could make contracts with demons indirectly through others without binding myself to them, wouldn’t that be amazing?
But what if the person contracting on my behalf didn’t listen to me? And what if the demon prioritized the direct contractor over me? Then it would all be meaningless. A frown crept onto my face as doubt filled my mind.
“That Desmond bastard is annoying and unpleasant, but… he’s not wrong, Master.”
‘Is that really true?’
“Yes, because you, as a descendant of Winston, are very special to demons.”
‘I see.’
Even Vivi was saying the same thing, so I had no choice but to believe it.
Only direct descendants could truly become masters of demons. However, they could entrust the jewels to non-Winstons to act as intermediaries for contracts.
This was practically a cheat code.
All I had to do was ask those around me to contract in my place whenever I obtained new jewels. That way, I might be able to make contracts with all the jewels in a much shorter time than expected.
‘Are there other direct descendants besides me? Could they make contracts on my behalf too?’
The problem was that I didn’t have anyone reliable enough to entrust the jewels to.
The first Duke of Winston had many subordinates, so he must have had close aides to take on the task. But I didn’t.
At this moment, I couldn’t trust anyone except my fellow direct descendants.
“Of course, you can entrust them to other Winstons. In fact, they would be even more compatible with demons.”
“Even the human who contracted with the Great Demon distributed jewels to their family at first!”
‘Oh, really?’
So that’s how those family members later became branch families, serving as vassals of House Winston while safeguarding the jewels.
I nodded in understanding at Desmond and Vivi’s words.
In that case, I shouldn’t look for candidates externally—I needed to find them within my own family. If possible, I should entrust the jewels to fellow direct descendants.
Naturally, Veronica was my first choice, followed by the Duke of Winston, a Sword Master, or someone just as strong, like Vincent.
Brandon… he was more of a scholar type, so entrusting him with a jewel felt a bit… I needed to think about that one some more.
Think… a bit more…
As I lay there with my eyes closed, pretending to sleep, real sleep actually took over.
To make matters worse, my fever flared up even higher than before.
Before I knew it, I had lost consciousness.
The Westernmost Edge of the Empire
The wastelands, second only to the north in size, were often deemed vast but useless.
Chernoke was the largest territory in the western frontier.
Beyond it lay countless barbarian tribes, and the allied nations that manipulated and incited them had long been a thorn in the empire’s side.
On the surface, Crown Prince Dantelion had come here to punish them and restore order, safeguarding the empire from danger.
But sending the young heir to the throne into a war-torn land like Chernoke was akin to sentencing him to death.
Yet, no one in the imperial family could oppose the decision.
To be powerless was to be guilty.
Dantelion had learned that harsh truth at a painfully young age.
“Your Highness, did you just cough?”
“……”
As usual, Joshua stepped into the tent, opening the flap.
For a place where the imperial crown prince resided, it was modest—though, in these harsh conditions, it was the largest and most lavish tent available.
With his head slightly bowed, Joshua observed his liege.
The prince, with his golden hair and blue eyes—the very symbols of the imperial family—looked as picturesque as ever.
“Your Highness?”
“Hm.”
But today, something was different.
The prince was staring intently at a small, crumpled piece of paper.
Although he was in constant communication with scattered forces across the western front, it was rare for him to check correspondence so early in the morning.
Besides, the paper itself looked incredibly shabby, as if it had been sent by someone with no sense of propriety.
The large, uneven handwriting was so messy that even Joshua, standing at a distance, could see it clearly.
“Where is that letter from?”
They had been at war for years now. Who would dare send such a sloppy message?
Joshua frowned, already thinking about disciplining the sender. As someone who valued strict order above all else, his sharp gaze turned even colder.
However, Dantelion did not give him the answer he was expecting.
“I need to go north.”
“……Pardon?”
Joshua blinked rapidly, eyes widening in disbelief.
He understood the words but couldn’t grasp the meaning.
No, he understood the meaning—but not the reasoning.
Quickly regaining his composure, he spoke again.
“What do you mean, Your Highness? Why the north, all of a sudden?”
The Winston territory in the north was not part of their plans.
Due to the Empress Dowager’s interference, even obtaining information about regions outside the western front was difficult. The abruptness of it all left Joshua stunned.
“I’ll go alone. Keep executing the plan.”
“What? Your Highness, that’s—”
Dantelion chuckled lightly as if he were merely discussing a casual stroll. Then, he tucked the note inside his coat.
What on earth was written in that letter?
Joshua was baffled, but Dantelion had already turned away.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Your Highness, wait—! Your Highness…!”
By the time Joshua rushed out, Dantelion had vanished.
Not even his shadow remained.
What the hell just happened?
Joshua stood frozen in place.
There was a mountain of work ahead. They needed to end the war quickly to secure support from the western factions. And now, at such a critical time, the prince had abandoned his post?
“Counting on me?” As if things were that simple!
“Your Highness!”
Joshua clutched his head in frustration, letting out a loud yell.
The soldiers and knights nearby, startled by the noise, turned to look at him in confusion.
Truly, the road ahead seemed hopeless.
Joshua sighed heavily, utterly exhausted.
After being bedridden for three days, I had more or less recovered.
My illness wasn’t because of the northern cold—it was because of my contracts with the demons.
But Veronica and the other direct descendants treated me like I would be blown away by the wind at any moment.
“Dia is fine now.”
“You mustn’t go outside. If you do, you’ll get hurt.”
“I’m not sick anymore.”
“Our sweet Dia, you have to listen to your mother, okay?”
“……”
Veronica smiled gently.
Yet, for some reason, I felt an overwhelming pressure.
Before I realized it, I had nodded in agreement.
I wasn’t going outside today.
Oh well, it didn’t really matter.
As I lay there, I turned my thoughts elsewhere.
‘Demon, did you deliver the note properly?’
“Of course, Master! Don’t underestimate me!”
‘Hmm… He’s taking longer to react than I expected.’
I was sure that as soon as Dantelion read the note, he would come rushing to the north.
Was it that difficult to evade the Empress Dowager’s surveillance?
If so, I needed to come up with a backup plan.
Just as I was deep in thought, something caught my attention.
“Oh my, you really like that rabbit doll, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Brandon will be happy to hear that.”
“……”
Veronica beamed.
Oh, right. The rabbit plushie Vivi inhabited was a gift from Brandon.
I remembered how he had made a big fuss about the rabbit’s eyes being rare pearls.
“Mm… The rabbit is cute.”
“Really? Shall I buy you more rabbit dolls?”
“…Huh?”
I suddenly imagined my room overflowing with stuffed rabbits.
Veronica seemed the type to actually do it.
I locked eyes with her and panicked.
“Eek! More cute rabbit dolls? I love it!”
‘Shut up, Vivi!’
