บท 18: Chapter 18: A Deal With The Devil

"Your own people… are hunting you down? The mages?"

"Y…yes."

"So, you should hate your own people as well as the Murcans."

"N…no. My people are only doing as the Nature's will. I am a tainted—"

"Come here, you stupid—"

"Eep!"

Lucian almost swung his blades at the woman there and then, but his other strand stopped him from doing so.

"You're right… you're right, I should have more patience," Lucian whispered to himself.

"Who… are you talking to?" The woman, and even Adelfred started looking around even though he was already insanely weak.

"Not you, obviously," Lucian clicked his tongue before turning around and looking toward the direction where the angry and excited voices were coming from, "I think I am starting to understand the dynamics of this world a little bit. Murcans and Hestians hate each other, Murcans do not care that they are destroying lands due to their tech, and then Hestians abandon their own people as soon as they are sick with radiation."

"That—"

"And then, they hunt their own people for fun."

"Wh—Corrupted beings like me should be returned to nature!" The woman raised her voice, "It… it is I who have sinned for running away and not accepting our fate. And no…

…my people hunt me down for duty, not because they enjoy it."

"Oh, really?" Lucian then glanced at the woman as he pointed at the mages who emerged from the corner, "Look at their faces and say that to me again."

The woman did not really say anything and just turned to look at the mages who finally found them… only to see all of them with smiles of excitement on their faces.

"They… they are only happy that they get to release me back to—"

"There they are!" The woman could not even finish her words as the mages started raising their sticks, chanting a few lines before balls of light shot out and stuck themselves to the walls. The group of mages then pointed at the woman and Adelfred as they started laughing and yelling out words that Lucian did not understand at all.

"That's not any language I know," Lucian just tilted his head to the side as he carefully watched their eyes, voice patterns, and actions to analyze what they were saying. And fortunately for Lucian, the group of mages had a lot to say and do — this was the very same thing he did with the monsters back in the sewers when he couldn't understand them yet.

This was a skill he learned during his endless existence in his past life. It was easy for him as he knew hundreds of thousands of languages and learned how to recognize the patterns.

The woman also started saying something as she kneeled on the ground while waving her hand; clearly trying to beg for her life, and with just that… Lucian was able to adapt and learn their language.

"Please… please just let us go!" The woman begged, "We… we're going to a settlement and just live out the rest of our days there, please! Let us… let us return to Nature peacefully and naturally!"

"You really think we will allow that!?" One of the hunters let out a small chuckle while shaking her head, "There is nothing natural about you and your lover!"

"Freaks! Corrupted beings!"

"We will return you to nature!"

"May you be reborn—pft…"

The group then suddenly started laughing at each other as they started to chant and speak in the language that Lucian initially understood. All of them, even holding their stomach and each other's shoulders while they just let their cackles escape their lungs.

"See, what I told you?" Lucian then slithered closer to the woman, "They are having fun — they even chanted the words you people use to eradicate mutated monsters like me…

…that means they see you as a monster."

"That's not—Kh!"

"Who are you talking to!? Who's there!?"

The woman could not help but just cover her face as one of the hunters shot a fireball at her, causing her to fall back down; even hurt, however, she quickly crawled to Adelfred to cover and protect him.

"What the—!?" And soon, the mages finally noticed Lucian's presence as he followed the woman back to the edge of the cavern, "What is that creature!? A talking insect!?"

"It… it's talking to Rosa!?"

"You… what creature have you brought forth, you freak!?"

And while the hunters were slurring out all sorts of words, Lucian seemed to not care at all as he just slithered closer to the woman again.

"Rosa, that's your name," Lucian breathed out before clearing his throat, "I've always wanted to try this ever since I've read it, but… hm…

…Would you like to make a deal with me, Rosa?"

"A… a deal?" Rosa stuttered as she glanced at the hunters, who were now actually reciting their spells, "What… what kind of deal!?"

"I will protect you from these people," Lucian pointed back with his thumb, "But in return, once you die, because you will…

…I get to merge myself with your unborn child."

"Unborn…!?" Rosa quickly grasped her belly while letting out a tiny gasp, "I'm… I'm pregnant?"

"Barely," Lucian shrugged, "4, perhaps 5 weeks in — I can feel it. I can do that now, you know. Freaky, freaky."

"You… you can't," Adelfred struggled to breathe as he also held Rosa's belly, "It's… it's our child. We… we have a child."

"And you'll all just be dead," Lucian then swung his blades toward his back, deflecting a stone spear that was summoned by one of the hunters, "Rosa, if I merge with your child…

…it would at least live on through me."

"Deal!" Rosa no longer hesitated at all. And as soon as she nodded her head, a smile escaped Lucian's face before he turned around while continuing to swing his blades at everything the hunters were throwing at him.

"That's—That's a Scorpion Assassin's arm!?" One of the hunters yelled out, "How… how does it have something like that!?"

"Hm?" Lucian tilted his head to the side as the hunters stopped shooting at him all of a sudden, "Is there something special about these blades?"

"They…" Rosa was the one to answer Lucian, "...Scorpion Assassins are highly resistant to magic."

"Oh…" Lucian blinked a couple of times before a very wide smile started to crawl on his face again, "...Oh, and here I thought you were all just so weak."

"Run… run! Report this to the Arch—"

"Heh…hehehe!" The hunters all started to run as Lucian's hair turned into legs, some of them, even tripping to the ground since they were shocked to see how fast Lucian was moving, "Die…

…Die!"

And as Lucian started chopping those who unfortunately tripped while letting out a loud cackle despite his tiny frame, Rosa could not help but just flinch and gasp.

"Did…

…did I just make a deal with the devil?"