04. Uncomfortable Cohabitation (8)

‘It’s a deal… ?’

What is this guy up to?

To be honest, I didn’t have much faith. A deal with the devil, is there a corner where you can trust it?

From the moment he became one with my heart until now, he’s the guy I’ve been thinking of taking my body from. This time, there was no guarantee that he would not trick me with cunning words and stab me in the back.

[You bastard, I don’t believe in anything. Listen to the end for now.]

‘Does it sound dangerous just by listening? It’s a devil.’

People who have been deceived by the devil’s lies and ruined their lives are common in stories. After Outbreak, you can easily find them not only in stories but also in real life.

Will demon worshipers become a social problem for no reason? This was all because the devil actually seduced humans and seduced them.

[Child. I am the devil of struggle I mean, I’m not the devil of lies!]

‘Still, a devil is a devil.’

[Ha! So, are you going to keep fighting over the initiative of the body? Or are you going to listen to me now?]

“… ….”

Certainly, it would be difficult at this rate.

If this guy keeps trying to steal my body, I won’t be able to live a normal life.

Are you acting like a different person while suddenly swearing at each other during a conversation, like when you were just with Yoon Seo-hee?

This time, you will be hospitalized with a different disease. Is it schizophrenia?

It’s the same when you say it’s when you’re alone. Let’s say that while I was making a sword in the workshop, Certatus suddenly moved his limbs uncontrollably.

Did the hammer suddenly hit the wrong place during delicate forging?

It was clear that the results of several hours were destroyed in an instant.

If my hands and feet move freely regardless of my will during the sword-making process, which requires constant attention, nothing would be as fatal to the craftsman.

[What kind of random thoughts do you have for so long? What should I do? Will you listen Are you talking?]

‘Wait a minute.’

I’ve been living with Certatus for a few days, and although he and I share consciousness, we can’t read every thought.

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Just as Kertatus doesn’t know what I just thought, and I don’t know what Kertatus is up to, we don’t even share each other’s depths.

The only thing you can read is the superficial psychology. Feelings such as anger or displeasure are also felt to some extent, but it is not known what makes one angry or why one feels displeased.

At first, it was difficult to distinguish between surface psychology and deep psychology, so my inner feelings often leaked out.

But now I’m good enough at separating my thoughts to the point where I can have my thoughts wandering while having a conversation with this guy.

I heard that Kertatus also had a purpose.

First of all, I had to find out what this guy wanted and what kind of demon he was. The more information you have to make a decision, the better.

‘Okay. Instead, answer my questions. I’ll decide later whether to trade or not.’

[What? A child with no conscience… Ha, good What is your question?]

‘I just said it was a purpose. What is your purpose?’

[You hit that right away and come in. Heh, there’s nothing I can’t answer. Listen carefully, kid.]

In my head, I could feel Kertatus weighing heavily on his voice.

Without a body and only a voice, acting like that wasn’t very threatening.

[This body is the only great being in the Pandemonium who has ever competed one-on-one with a demon. I said that I was the second strongest, but in fact, my skills are not much different from those of the Demon God. It was only a small difference. When fighting the Demon God, I fought an equal battle from beginning to end.]

“Um… ?”

[It was difficult for the Demon God and I to distinguish between superiority and inferiority. In that state, it was clear that no result would come out even after thousands of years. At this rate, the Pandemonium was about to disappear first, so I prepared the final blow with all my strength to decide the outcome.]

“… ….”

Where is this gura?

If the dream I saw in the basement of the fairgrounds was the fight between Certatus and the demon, and if that actually happened, it was absolutely not an equal battle.

I don’t know if he didn’t want to admit it or if he was bluffing, but in that fight, Kertatus was clearly behind.

But.

The final blow that Kertatus spoke of. I saw it in my dreams too, but it was definitely an unusual power.

Because the demon god, an overwhelming and far-off existence that gave off a sense of intimidation like a god, seemed nervous for a moment.

Even though I already knew the end of Certatus, I couldn’t help but ask.

‘So I prepared for the final blow, what happened after that?’

[The moment I tried to hit the demon, I was betrayed.]

‘Betrayal?’

[Yes. It was a one-on-one fight. A fair duel in which no one else should intervene. However, at the crucial moment, someone launched an ambush, and I was unable to deliver the final blow. Then he was torn to death by the crowding demons.]

I am reminded of the last scene I saw in my dream.

Certatus stretched out his fist toward the demon god at the end even though his whole body was torn to pieces.

He was smiling even at the moment when he was betrayed and died.

It was a completely incomprehensible mindset to me.

‘So I’m going to take revenge on the devil who betrayed me, what is that?’

[Revenge? Ha ha! Do you think this body will do such a stupid thing?]

‘Or what?’

[I am the devil. And they’re evil too. I already knew that they were the ones who would stab me in the back whenever I had the chance.]

Certatus let out a ferocious laugh like a wild beast and laughed wickedly.

[So, before we competed properly with the Demon God, we tore off the necks and limbs of all those who caught our eye, and slashed them all! I didn’t expect the survivors to recover so quickly and come after me… Is it because the fight with the demon took too long? hehehehe….]

“… ….”

Wait, that’s….

Isn’t it just self-employed?! Whoever saw it, it was worth aiming with gnashing of teeth!

As I was dumbfounded inside, Kertatus erased his laughter and said,

[Child. I should have died the day I fought the demon.]

‘… But he’s alive.’

[Yes. If that had been my end, I would have died satisfied. But somehow I didn’t die, only my soul remained like this in an imperfect state. It is said that a dog was playing with the spirit of Icertatus.]

Certatus, who thought he was dead, seemed more displeased that he was being used in someone’s plans than that he was murdered.

[If my grave is a battlefield, I can die laughing. But it’s a different story if you let me live when I should have died and used my soul for a strange plan. He has no choice but to find the bastard and tear it to pieces… That is the purpose of this body.]

‘Mmm.’

After the story of Kertatus, I fell into trouble.

Although it was in the form of a marble with only the soul remaining, Kertatus was alive even after going through such a situation.

I don’t know why, why his soul fell into the hands of a demon worshiper and was used in such a ritual….

Was the resurrection of Certatus something someone wished for?

Or is it just an unfortunate coincidence?

I don’t know that yet. But if Certatus’ words are true, his purpose is rather to the benefit of mankind.

Perhaps the target of Kertatus’ hostility is the devil… At least they must be related to demon worshipers.

I tapped my fingers on the armrests of the bus seats and organized my thoughts.

First of all, it seemed necessary to hear about the terms of the transaction.

‘Okay. So what is that deal?’

[hehehe… Now you must be a bit appetizing. My suggestion is simple. Give me your body for 12 hours every day. Then I won’t interfere with you the rest of the time.]

‘What… ? 12 Hours?!’

Is that every day? What bullshit is that?

[You compromised in half what you were trying to take away completely, so you can shed tears and thank me for my generosity. And while I’m moving, you should at least sleep. I feel bad because I feel like I’m being watched. It’s a body I’ll have to use for a while, so I won’t handle it harshly, so don’t worry.]

“Hey… this…… Aren’t you crazy?!”

I heard nothing but bullshit, so I jumped up without realizing it. I forgot for a second that this place was inside the bus.

A sudden cry drew all the eyes of the bus passengers on me.

“What? Why are you here?”

“I think Ji is more crazy….”

“Passengers over there! Sit down and stop screaming!”

I felt my face heat up at the driver’s angry voice as I rang the bus bell.

“I’m sorry. I’ll get off!”

I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t stay on the bus any longer. I hurriedly got off the bus without even checking which stop this was.

After catching my breath and calming down, I spoke to Kertatus.

‘Are you kidding me? You call that a deal now?’

[Why? It must have been a reasonable enough suggestion?]

What is reasonable? At first glance, the proposal itself is absurd.

To be sleeping with this devil for 12 hours, I don’t know what I’m going to do during that time, but I’m going to fall asleep. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t help but laugh at the ending of the police detention center.

Time itself is absurd. 12 Hours, isn’t it the time that disappears after eating, washing, and going to school? It was as if my personal time was gone.

And even if I accepted the offer, there was no guarantee that Kertatus, who had taken my body once, would return it quietly after 12 hours.

In short, it was a proposition not worth considering.

In the first place, it was out of the question that my body was being traded. My body is mine, and it is not something that can be handed over to someone else. If you start yielding to the devil even once, it will eventually lead to irreversible consequences.

“All right. Even for a moment, I was a fool.”

As expected, finding a way to weaken this demon, whether it’s Baek Ji-soo, Yoon Seo-hee, or myself, is the most correct answer.

[No shit, I told you at best… Under! Baby boy You will regret not accepting this offer now.]

I didn’t listen to what Kertatus was talking about and ignored it. I got off the bus in a panic because of a suggestion that didn’t make sense.

I checked the display board to see when the bus I had just got off would arrive.

“No, is it a true story….”

We had 40 minutes to wait.

–

An alley way away from the bus stop where Kim Yi-jin got off.

A crowd that looked rogue at first glance was filling the road.

Even though he is not wearing a school uniform, his face looks young.

However, it did not look like an ordinary student, smoking heavily with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Dongcheol-ah, light me up.”

“Go away. You take it.”

They were once Lee Hyeon-woo’s followers, now male students in Class 1 of the 1st year who are suspended from the academy due to a bullying incident.

“Fuck, how did I end up like this….”

Kim Dong-chul frowned and smoked his cigarette all the way to the end of the filter.

Lee Hyeon-woo, who was expelled after arguing that he would trust me after doing all sorts of bullshit, and Yoon Seo-hee, who was the starting point of her case, and Kim I-jin, who helped her….

Thanks to those three gnomes, his life, which had been prosperous for the future, turned into this shape.

“Huh? Hey Dongchul. There.”

“Why dude.”

“No, look over there! Isn’t that Kim Ijin?”

“What?”

When Kim Dong-chul heard the name he was chewing on, he turned his head to check the direction the gang was pointing at.

Kim Yi-jin, her shoulders drooping, was just leaving the bus stop and walking this way.