I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 147

Tess showed a hesitant attitude that hadn’t been apparent in him since he became an adult. Sensing that it might be difficult for him to speak up, I sent a signal that I already knew.

My voice softened.

“Is it related to the devil?”

“How do you know?”

His bowed head lifted suddenly.

“You seem to think I’m indifferent to you, Tess.”

I lifted my lips, smiling broadly.

“I’m very interested in you.”

Tess, whose face and ears had blushed, blinked his eyes several times in a daze.

“Ah….”

The redness spread to his white neck, and his rose-petal-like lips traced a curve. However, it was only for a moment, he began to tremble.

I patted Tess’s back.

“I knew that you were related to the devil, so tell me specifically what kind of connection you have.”

“… you don’t hate me?”

“What?”

Tess began to unfold his story in a hushed voice.

“I made a contract with a devil.”

“….”

“Is it disgusting to you?”

His face turned pale, and his lips, once vivid like rose petals faded to white. Even his black eyes seemed to lose strength and turn dull.

“Do you find me scary? Dirty and disgusting? Is that it?”

As if a switch had flipped, Tess wrapped both hands around his head and began to murmur.

“Euseniel, don’t hate me. Don’t avoid me. Euseniel.”

“Tess.”

“Please, Euseniel. Please.”

“Tess!”

I slapped his cheeks till it made a sound, and the large body’s trembling stopped. I grabbed the hand that was ruffling his hair, forcing him to look at me.

Tess’s eyes were reddened, as if blood vessels had burst. The black pupils, devoid of light, were filled with fear.

“I don’t hate you for that.”

“….”

“Don’t be afraid because I don’t hate you.”

As the fear didn’t go away, I gently kissed his lips.

As if a spell had been cast, Tess’s body lost its strength. He brushed his lips against my hand, his eyelashes batting. The calloused palm met the roughened texture of his lips, and every detail was keenly felt. I allowed him to graze as he wished.

In his lowered gaze, there was an indescribable mix of emotions.

“The devil….”

Soon, Tess began to speak willingly.

“I made a contract with the devil.”

He unfolded the story of his contract with the devil, recounting his history from the founding Emperor to his own generation.

“Did you gain magical abilities or knowledge by making the contract?”

“Yes. The devil has existed for ages, accumulating vast knowledge. By making a contract, you can share that knowledge. My magic existed before, but it amplified, and my body became stronger.”

“When you make a contract, what’s the price? It can’t be all good, can it?”

That’s what was written in the mysterious book recommended by the unidentified dragon. The devil never approaches with good intentions.

“The moment you make a contract, the fight with the devil begins.”

“A fight?”

“Yes.”

Tess, looking exhausted, leaned his head against mine.

“The devil wants to interfere with this world, but it’s not of this world. So there are constraints. By having a contractor, they can interfere smoothly.”

“Does the devil want to ruin this world?”

“Yes.”

Tess raised his head, wearing an expression that said, ‘As expected, Euseniel is smart.’ He smiled weakly.

“It wants to consume me and establish its presence in this world.”

What on earth is this about?

“It means the devil demands to put its blood into the contractor’s body.”

Tess’s tone was as usual.

“Since I wouldn’t give my body if the devil asks that from the beginning, so it set a very simple condition. After making the contract, it slowly devours me.”

“Devouring means the devil wants to…?”

I chose the words while facing his still eyes.

“Dominate you?”

“Yes. It means having my face but becoming the devil mentally.”

Tess, casually recounting this cruel and dreadful story, had fought alone for how long.

“Is the devil also related to monsters?”

“Yes. They are practically part of the devil. They’re created by tearing off a part of the devil’s body. So when I go crazy from the devil’s contract, they go wild too.”

“The change in your body earlier… was it because of the devil’s blood?”

This time, instead of answering, Tess offered only a smile. His face seemed somewhat resigned, detached from the world.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Huh?”

“Earlier…”

Tess, hesitating again, continued quietly.

“Were you not disgusted even when I charged at you….and my body became strange?”

The man trembled as if standing at the edge of the cliff, he looked more pitiable than ever.

“I was surprised, but I wasn’t disgusted.”

As I answered while absentmindedly tickling his scalp, the tense shoulders seemed to loosen.

Tess grinned, pulled me into a hug. I pushed him away as he kept rubbing his face against my dirty clothes. Perhaps misunderstanding, he contorted his face and looked terribly wounded.

“It’s dirty because of my clothes.”

“If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter.”

This time, I carefully ensured the top of the hastily tied dress didn’t come undone.

“I’m sorry, Euseniel. I hurt you.”

“More importantly, Tess.”

“Yes?”

“Let me ask one more thing.”

The time it took for his pale face to turn blue was short. It seems he intuited something.

“Did you expect what I wanted to ask, and that’s why you’re so surprised?”

“Uh, um, Euseniel.”

Tess blinked, couldn’t fix his gaze, but soon he smiled. The man who elongated his lips into a smile was exceptionally beautiful, but I wasn’t deceived.

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