Bab 12: He was Going to Pay
The breeze of the night continued to blow on Montana's face as he rode on Caliga's back. He didn't think Caliga was not something that terrifying. He was a hellhound owned by the King of demons; of course, he would be more special than a normal one.
However, he was grateful that Caliga chose to protect him. This pup had been protecting him even if Caliga was aware that he was not really his master. Montana then leaned down on his back and rubbed it.
"Thank you, Cali."
The black dog only perked his ears as it continued to jump from one roof to another. He was looking for a good place to hide until he spotted the fire eating the apartment complex that his master used to live in. He stopped at a roof, giving them a view of the fire and how the fire department was dealing with it.
"My house…" Montana murmured as his eyes widen at the same pace as reality was dawning upon him. "My house is on fire!"
Caliga snorted as he heard his master. Why was he concerned? This dumb master still didn't know that he couldn't return to his old home? Wasn't he clear that things wouldn't be the same anymore?
Then again, he turned to see the broken look on Montana's face.
"My house…" Montana repeated. His only material investment and product of his hard work was burning in front of his eyes. Not only his house… but everything else that he owned was also burning in blood-colored fire underneath all that black smoke.
His hands clawed on Caliga's thick skin as tears brimmed along his eyes.
"Mephisto, who burned my house?" Rage flowed through his veins as Montana glared at the direction of his burning home.
"What house?" Mephisto faded in next to him, hiding his amusement at the fact that Montana knew he was already nearby. "What's burning is what remained. Your house went 'kaboom' apparently."
Montana shifted his glare at Mephisto and dared him to repeat his words, but Mephisto only made a face that told him to accept it as it was.
Someone… blew up his house. There was only one person who could be seen blowing up his most prized possession.
The demon only whistled as he felt the rage burning inside the man even if tears were rolling down his cheeks. "Apparently, that witch had also murdered everyone who saw you that day to keep them from talking. After all that, he decided to lure the last batch to your house and subsequently blew it up.
"Right now, your face is so hot on the news. You should hide for a while."
"Can't we track that witch?!"
"Not right now, you can't. You should earn that yourself." Mephisto crossed his arms before his chest. "It seemed that the King had heard about what was happening. Not only did he tie my hands in helping you track down the witches of Satan, but he also ordered Satan and Belphegor to step out of this.
"Your hunt can cause chaos to the entire system of Hell so the King decided to set everyone to be spectators instead," Mephisto growled. "I can still do the things I promised you, but you can't expect much from Belphegor. That witch would also lose Satan's support if ever he had it."
His few words made Montana whimper. It seemed that he had to take the long way about this and hunting the cursed witch. However, seeing the flames that could not be contained—as a remnant and reminder of what was taken from him, Montana gritted his teeth.
He might hate getting in trouble, but everything was enough for him to make a big deal out of it.
Montana then turned to Mephisto. "Will I be receiving devilish gifts from you, or do I have to do it the hard way? I want to kick that man's face until he bleeds!"
"I can give you skills, but I would need you to learn them properly. Even with all the powers in the world, you still needed to train all of it." He made a bitter grin. "I can introduce you to a friend of mine, and she will guide you to whatever start you need.
"She's not a lesser demon so she's not impeded by anything."
"You have a human friend?" Montana pouted, not letting his amazement ruin his angry mood.
"Why? Are we not friends?" Mephisto smiled at him before turning back at the burning complex. "Either way, we should do something about that witch crossing the line and harming another in the process."
A cold glare seemed to be Montana's answer. He was always holding back at some things, but that witch had crossed the line. He unknowingly destroyed Montana's treasures, which were his reverse scale.
Now, he was going to pay.
Montana didn't care if the man was handsome beyond measure anymore. He was a witch that could alter his appearance. He could be disgustingly ugly, and Montana would never find the heart to pull his punches.
…
In the end, Montana had to sleep under the bridge with Caliga as his bed and blanket. The black dog was not an ideal couch, but Montana was angry, devastated, and exhausted. Even if he was lying on a slab of stone, he would fall asleep.
Soon, the smell of food attracted Montana's and Caliga's noses. They both tore their eyes open to see where it was coming from. It was actually Mephisto holding a bag of takeaway from a high-end family restaurant.
"Eat up. We're leaving the city at first light." He hummed as he handed the food to the two. He was even surprised that Caliga was indulging himself with human food.
"Where are we going?"
"At a remote mountain village. You still have to start from somewhere. I'd be watching your training accordingly so I could add capabilities as soon as you needed them." The demon chuckled as the man only nodded while devouring the takeaway. "Are you adjusting well?"
Montana slowed down before sighing. He only stared at the chicken at his hand before looking up at him. "Everything that happened already happened. I can only make sure I will be able to get by. That had been my motto.
"Until an ugly-ass witch blew up my house."
A slight smirk curled Mephisto's lips. These witches of Belphegor really were interesting creatures. They rarely had the mental willingness to fight against things around them. However, some of them still had the gall to swear and make a change… just like this Montana Mills right here.
"What am I expecting in the mountain village?" Montana chose to swerve the topic before Mephisto could ask again.
"I'm not so sure. My friend only said you'll know when you get there."
"Do we really have to walk in there just like that, or do we need to be in some shady deal first?" Montana asked again, but Mephisto actually had no answer for those questions he had.
It was not that he had complete faith in that friend of his, but he actually had no idea how the friend would smuggle Montana into their ranks. If anything, the struggle would be part of Mephisto's entertainment and Belphegor's not-so-inevitable consequences.
The contractor wanted Montana to fail while Mephisto wasn't willing to let him sail so smoothly. Montana had no idea that only other contractors would be giving their witches a false promise of a life with zero suffering.
As a witch of Belphegor, he was about to get on a very rough ride.
From far away, three figures were suspended in the air and had been watching them. One was an old bearded man with a cane while the other woman had a black dress with rather dark skin. Her eyes looked rather powerful as they were purely white.
The man in between them wore a thick coat with a lush white fur collar, but a closer inspection would make it apparent that his coat was made of human leather and his collar was of white hair instead. His lush dark hair stood out from his white ensemble and that ivory sword hanging on his left waist.
A loud grunt came from the old man, and then he raised a brow. "Look at him. Do we really have to restrict him? Tying my hands would only lessen the height from which he could fall from."
"Belphegor, please. We all are just trying to satisfy ourselves." The man chuckled before he turned to the tan lady. "Sweet Dione, what do you think?"
"Perfection." Dione—the lady in black—curled her lips into a smile, her prominent canines peeking from her purple-colored lips. "I must say… you chose the right person to tame Caliga, Lord Belphegor."
"He was the one who asked for a hellhound. Caliga was the one dumb enough to answer my call." Belphegor shook his head. "I don't deserve credit for this."
Dione glared at the old man, and yet she couldn't voice out her complaints.
The man raised his hand that was clawed instead. "Enough. Let's just watch how Caliga and Mephistopheles handle this case. Worry not, Belphegor. I will not let anyone else impede your preparations. Moreover, those hunters would be coming back.
"Help me take care of them. However, leave that young man Luca to me." A grin tore his lips apart, his eyes flashing in so much malice. He had been staring at Montana's face even if they were discussing someone else. "I have a very special business with him.
"One that I would enjoy the most."
The two other demons flattened their right hands against their chests and bowed lowly, "Your words shall become the truth, my King!"
Hadiah
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