Fortunately, Kairos seemed to have been persuaded by my words to some extent. He stroked his chin in thought, then made another proposal.
“Is that so… Then how about killing just one member of his family as an example? That bastard should become more cautious after that. Well, if possible, it would be even better to offer the soul.”
One person. If I had to deal with only one member of Khalid’s family, it was obvious whom I should choose.
Veron.
Khalid’s biological older brother.
He possessed swordsmanship skills comparable to Khalid’s and had even been born with divine power. But when it came to his character, he was beyond saving. He frequented illegal establishments known as brothels as though they were his own home, and relieved his stress by choosing only pretty, delicate men and treating them sadistically.
He had once followed the path of an inquisitor like Khalid, but after that fact came to light, he was expelled from his position. Officially, it was recorded that he had stepped down voluntarily because the work of an inquisitor did not suit his temperament, but that was nothing more than a formality.
Above all, Veron was consumed by jealousy toward Theo. He resented seeing Theo, a commoner orphan, rise steadily through the ranks and persistently laid traps for him.
I knew it was laughable for someone like me to weigh the value of a life. Even so, if I dared to say it, I could offer Veron’s soul without hesitation. For Theo’s sake as well.
“There is a man named Veron. He is Khalid’s brother.”
I listed the reasons calmly, as though I were choosing a breakfast menu rather than a person to kill.
“There is also the symbolic significance of him having once been an inquisitor, and above all, he is a family member close to Khalid. I do not think there could be a more suitable target to make an example of.”
Kairos remained silent for a moment. The look that swept over my face seemed somehow displeased. He slowly opened his mouth.
“When you say brother, do you mean his biological brother? Or a half-brother who shares only one parent?”
“His biological brother.”
Kairos’s eyes narrowed. He spoke meaningfully.
“Ah, I see. It would have been somewhat troublesome if he were not his biological brother. I wondered whether you hated me so much that you were trying to vent that murderous intent on a human named Veron instead.”
It was complete nonsense. But Kairos was always like that. Evidence did not matter. He simply wanted to make life difficult for the half-brother he disliked. The moment I showed even the slightest hint that I hated Kairos, he would seize the opening without fail.
“Brother, why would you say such a thing? There is no way I could dislike you. If you told me to crawl on all fours, I would crawl, and if you told me to bark like a dog, I could bark.”
I willingly lowered myself with a servile smile. Kairos looked me over with interest. He gave a faint laugh and said,
“Is that so? Then crawl.”
…He was actually ordering me to do it?
I was flustered, but I pretended outwardly that nothing was wrong. The moment I hesitated here, everything would fall apart. Without weighing the consequences, I immediately dropped to all fours on the floor.
Kairos gestured. Keeping my body low, I truly approached him like a dog. The hard stone scraped against my palms and knees. As I crossed the floor of the meeting hall, uncontrollable humiliation clawed at my insides. Even so, I could not stop.
Kairos, seated in his chair, held out his hand. I placed my chin on top of it. He slowly stroked the underside of my chin with his fingertips and smiled as though amused.
“You really do it just because I tell you to. Truly, you are no different from a damn dog. Now bark.”
“Woof… woof.”
I rubbed my head against his thigh and fawned over him. As though testing how far I was capable of lowering myself.
When Kairos gestured, a black shape made of demonic energy twisted in the air. It stretched out like a whip, then changed form in an instant and wrapped around my neck like a dog collar. I could not breathe. No matter how much I expanded my chest, no air entered my lungs.
“Ghk, ngh, B-Brother….”
Panting, I dug my nails into the floor. A hard boot came down with a crunch on the back of my hand.
“Why is a dog speaking like a person?”
“Ghhk, kh, mmph….”
Kairos was waiting. Waiting for me to become unable to endure this treatment and reveal my rage and murderous intent. He wanted to seize that fleeting moment and gain justification to punish me.
That was why I had to endure. If he read what was inside me, it was over. Even as the collar dug into my skin and my vision blurred, I lowered my head further. Instead of resisting, I adopted an attitude so obedient it was almost foolish. Woof, woof. I barked shortly and curled in on myself.
Whether he liked what he saw or had simply lost interest, Kairos withdrew the collar.
“You vicious bastard….”
Thud. A dull impact struck my abdomen. Kicked by his foot, I collapsed onto the floor. Lying there with my stomach exposed, I truly looked like a submissive dog. Kairos looked down at me and snickered.
Fine, laugh all you want. Believe that I am a servile and pathetic creature, not even worth your attention. While you let your guard down, I will diligently raise the hero. And in the end, I will save this world that you are trying to destroy.
At last, the order I had so desperately wanted fell from Kairos’s lips.
“Fine. I will change the mission as you suggested. Deal with Veron, the brother of the inquisitor Khalid.”
<Main Quest>
Deal with Veron.
Murder, soul offering. Any method is acceptable.
Upon Success: Infamy Points +700
Upon Failure: Kairos’s displeasure, additional punishment
***
I opened another gate and returned to the house in the Human Realm. Clear collar marks remained around my neck, and a dull pain was rising from my abdomen as well. Thinking I should at least apply some ointment, I took the medicine box from the cupboard. After completely removing my shirt, I carefully examined the injured areas. As expected, a dark blue bruise had formed on my lower abdomen. It was the mark left when Kairos had kicked me earlier.
Just as I squeezed some ointment onto my hand and was about to apply it to the wound, I heard footsteps. Almost at the same moment, the bedroom door opened halfway and immediately closed again. A hurried apology came from beyond the door. It was Theo.
“Ah, I didn’t know you were changing clothes. I’m sorry.”
We had even bathed together, so why was he suddenly acting like that? Of course, it was better that Theo did not come in. If he saw the injuries, he would obviously interrogate me relentlessly about how I had gotten them. I quickly applied the ointment. I chose clothes that covered me neatly all the way up to the neck so the wounds would remain hidden.
“You can come in now.”
Only after receiving my permission did Theo carefully open the door and enter.
“You’re home early today.”
“Yes. The tavern closed early.”
The conversation stopped there for a moment. Theo stared at me with a look that suggested he had something to say. Then he strode one step closer and suddenly hugged me tightly. There was no strength at all in his voice.
“I think I should find… a more respectable job now. Madam Cecil is a good person, and I do learn a lot while working there. But still….”
“Why? Did something happen at the tavern?”
At my question, Theo lowered his gaze, then slowly opened his mouth.
“The drunken customers. Sometimes they raise their voices and tell obscene stories. Of course, they’re not saying those things to me. They’re just talking among themselves, but because they get so loud, I end up hearing them too. Even when I don’t want to listen, I keep hearing them…. And because of that, I think those words are starting to affect me too.”
Originally, Theo should have grown up under the protection of Saint Rihen, lacking nothing in the pure environment of a temple. The realization that Theo was now living in comparatively poor surroundings like this belatedly pierced my heart. I had been trying in my own way to raise him well, but compared to Rihen, I was still woefully inadequate.
“All right. You should quit. There’s no need to keep working there when you dislike it.”
I answered immediately without even thinking. Seeming relieved by my words, Theo hugged me even more tightly. He buried his forehead against my shoulder and murmured like a child.
“If I quit, everything will be all right, won’t it? It’s not because I’m bad, abnormal, or having strange thoughts, right?”
He was worrying about something pointless again. As if I did not know Theo. In the game, he had always been a hero who chose the path of good. He was clearly still consumed by guilt over the single fact that he had secretly kissed me while I slept. Because his nature was so pure, he was treating that act as though it were an unforgivable sin.
I smiled gently and reassured him.
“It’s all right, Theo. The Theo I know is a truly good boy.”
Perhaps my words helped, because Theo let out a relaxed breath and quietly leaned into my embrace.
***
The first thing Theo saw when he opened the door was Rihen, half undressed.
His exposed upper body was a mess. As though someone had put a collar around his neck and dragged him around, vivid pressure marks remained on his nape. The dark blue bruise on his lower abdomen caught Theo’s eye. The traces left on his white skin were so blatantly suggestive that Theo did not know where to look. He hurriedly closed the door.
Fortunately, Rihen did not seem to have noticed that Theo had just seen him like that.
Theo tried desperately to erase the scene he had just witnessed from his mind. But the more he tried, the more the stories he had heard at the tavern suddenly came back to him. The obscene tales drunken customers had laughed about. Talk of games where people were treated like dogs. Putting a dog collar around someone’s neck, pulling on the leash, making them crawl on all fours….
He should not have thought about what came next. But it was already too late.
The image of Rihen wearing a dog collar appeared in his mind. As the marks he had just witnessed overlapped with his imagination, a mere fantasy became excessively vivid. He pictured Rihen being dragged along on a leash with his head bowed. His Adam’s apple bobbing every time he swallowed, and his trembling limbs. His knees scraping along the floor. Even the expression blending obedience and humiliation. Though it was a scene he had never actually seen, it was strangely clear.
Rihen rubbed his head against the thigh of a customer with peculiar tastes. Even through the man’s trousers, his swollen crotch was obvious, and Rihen carefully licked it through the fabric. Sticking out his red tongue like a dog licking a bone. When the man scratched Rihen’s chin in satisfaction, he parted those soft lips and went woof….
Blood rushed downward, damn it.
Before he knew it, Theo had replaced the customer’s face with his own. He hated himself for thinking such things about Rihen. What was even more horrible was that there was a high possibility this was not some absurd fantasy, but the reality Rihen was living through.