Deep in the night, screams rang through the dark mansion.

"A D-Demon! It's a Demon!"

"A-aaaargh!"

Two masked men were racing down the corridor, howling, their eyes filled with utter terror.

Maphel’tan's lips stretched into a long smile. Human fear and screams brought him pleasure. Suppressed laughter began to escape, and he kept snickering.

He wanted to burst out laughing. Surrendering to the rapture like other Demons would surely bring him unparalleled bliss.

He shook his head.

'... Control yourself. Stay in control.'

He clung to his slipping reason as hard as he could. He slapped his own cheek and raked his claws across his chest. His wildly gleaming red eyes gradually steadied.

The madness had passed, but a faint excitement remained. He had no way to erase even that trace of pleasure.

'A little enjoyment should be all right.'

He had to compromise. Defying his instincts entirely was difficult. For a Demon to grow, it had to be able to enjoy human fear to some degree. He needed to learn how to control the pleasure.

Maphel’tan steadied his breathing and took flight. The pitch-black Demon began gliding through the darkness, his red eyes leaving long, shimmering trails. A shrill whistle cut through the air.

Sensing his presence, one thief looked back. His pupils widened.

"A-aaagh! Don't come near me! I said, stay away!"

Maphel’tan chuckled.

"Not enough. Scream a little louder."

His chilling voice echoed through the corridor. It bored into the brain like an awl, carrying the power to freeze human limbs.

One fleeing thief collapsed facedown.

"H-huugh!"

His arms and legs had gone rigid with extreme tension. He lay on the floor, wriggling like a worm.

Maphel’tan's grin split his face from ear to ear.

"What an amusing sight."

He folded his wings and landed in the corridor. Still prone, the thief looked back.

"N-no! Don't come near me! Fuck off!"

He crawled desperately across the floor. Maphel’tan approached him slowly, closing the distance little by little.

"Caught you."

At last, Maphel’tan caught up with the thief. His red eyes gazed quietly down at the floor. Trembling violently, the thief spoke.

"I-I'm sorry. Spare me, please."

Maphel’tan crouched to meet his eyes, savoring the man's terror.

'... This is easier to control than I expected.'

Pleasure was certainly welling up within him, but it was a little different from before. He was not consumed by frenzy.

'Is all that training paying off?'

Ever since possessing this body, he had been fighting himself, working tirelessly to avoid being consumed by malice. Those efforts were bearing fruit in their own way. Now, the fear of a single human could barely affect his mind.

Maphel’tan looked pleased.

"I feel inclined to show you mercy."

Seeing his efforts pay off had put him in quite a good mood.

Hope filled the thief's eyes.

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much! I'll never forget your mercy!"

Maphel’tan chuckled.

"Very well. I'll kill you painlessly."

He had originally considered trying a little torture. Cruel and repulsive as it was, he needed to practice torture to survive in this world. Someday, he would surely have to torture someone.

Surviving alone with his morals intact in a barbaric world was far too difficult. Some degree of compromise was always necessary.

But Maphel’tan had not yet steeled himself. He lacked the courage to take the man before him apart. No—to be precise, he was not confident he could remain sane while hearing the man's agonized moans and screams.

The moment he tortured the thief, he would surely revel in the most intense pleasure. He would lose himself. He had to put off things like torture until he was certain he could control himself.

Besides, he now had a way to extract information from the thief without torture.

Deep despair settled in the thief's eyes.

"I-I want to live. Please. Please spare me."

Maphel’tan shook his head.

"That is a request I cannot grant."

At the same instant, a strand of black demonic energy surged from his body. The thief screamed and clutched his head, thinking this was the end.

The demonic energy did not attack him. Instead, it went straight for his companion. It caught the thief who was still running, and he let out a shriek.

"A-aaagh! Let go! I said, let go!"

His body flew toward Maphel’tan in an instant. Maphel’tan snatched his head in one black hand.

"You abandoned your companion and ran quite far."

His red eyes gleamed wildly as he stared at the thief. The man thrashed and shouted,

"B-begone, fiend! I command you in the Great Saint's name!"

Maphel’tan chuckled.

"Marziel does not hear your prayers."

With his free hand, he seized the head of the thief lying on the floor and lifted him. Both thieves hung suspended in the air. Pained groans escaped them.

"D-don't! Please! I'm begging you! Spare me!"

The other man pulled a dagger from inside his clothes and slashed wildly at Maphel’tan's arm.

"Let go of me! You filthy fiend! Now!"

He could not leave so much as a scratch. The blows produced a scraping sound like metal striking an iron plate. Maphel’tan's carapace was harder than most armor.

Maphel’tan spoke in a chilling voice.

"Mortals, tell me who you are and how you came to be here, in every detail, adding and omitting nothing."

The words issuing from his mouth began transforming into the ancient demonic tongue.

『 The mortals shall explain why they dared enter the Apostle's sanctuary (Mortal’ekh daruul, kha’rem Azel’tan nox’ir, sha’gol envek thar’an. 』

The words of compulsion were inscribed. Mere petty criminals, the two could never resist an Apostle's words of compulsion. Maphel’tan could extract ample information from them without resorting to torture.

The thieves' eyes grew dull. One of them spoke.

"... We are low-ranking members of the 'Keyless.' We visited your sanctuary because we dared to lay hands on the property of a Council noble."

The Keyless were the kingdom's largest thieves' guild.

"You knew my mansion would be empty at night. Who gave you that information?"

This time, the other man answered.

"There was a notice posted in plain view at the guild's underground counter. It said the Watcher of the Abyss had come to the capital, and that his mansion was deserted at night. Most people didn't believe it. Only the two of us came here, thinking it might be true."

Maphel’tan mulled over his words.

'... Information about my mansion was posted as a notice in the thieves' guild?'

Information displayed at a counter for everyone to see was information of very little value. That made no sense. Anything concerning a house on the Council was worth more than gold.

Information about the internal affairs and layout of their mansions, in particular, could easily qualify as the thieves' guild's highest-grade secrets. Yet it had been posted on a notice? Maphel’tan was thoroughly bewildered.

He sank into thought. Silence lingered for a while.

'... Could it be? But why?'

Someone had deliberately spread details of the mansion's internal affairs to the public. Why? Probably not for money. If money were the motive, they would have sold the information in secret. They would never have put information worth its weight in gold on a public notice.

Maphel’tan stifled a groan. For now, it was hard to tell what the rat was after. He spoke.

"Do you know who put up the notice?"

One thief answered immediately.

"No. No one in the guild knew who it was."

Maphel’tan clicked his tongue, deeply frustrated. The culprit was very likely one of the mansion's servants, but there was no evidence to pinpoint anyone.

'I do have one suspicion...'

But it was only a hunch. He must not mistake it for certainty. He needed solid evidence first.

He spoke.

"Do you have any information that could help me with this matter?"

No answer came. Instead, they said something entirely unrelated.

"... I want to live."

"Please spare me."

Maphel’tan frowned. They were no further help. Nor was there any other way to make use of them. He briefly considered making them his thralls and having them watch the guild, but rejected the idea.

The risk was too great. He had to be careful in everything he did in the royal capital. He must never leave any trail leading back to Maphel’tan.

"I'm sorry, but you must die."

Maphel’tan tightened his grip.

CRACK

An unpleasant sound rang out. The thieves' necks snapped cleanly.

He released them, and their bodies crumpled like puppets with severed strings. They had died instantly.

Maphel’tan stared silently at the corpses. He remained there for a long time. There was far too much to think about.

* * *

The morning sun rose. Yohan sat blankly at his office desk, his thoughts continuing unbroken from the night before.

That long, long train of thought abruptly broke. A knock came at the door.

"It's Haman. May I come in?"

Yohan paused before answering.

"... Come in."

The door opened, and Haman entered. He spoke with an awkward smile.

"Did you sleep well? Were your accommodations comfortable?"

Yohan's face was expressionless.

"Well, they weren't bad."

Relief crossed Haman's face.

"I'm glad. I was rather worried, since it was your first night in an unfamiliar place. Did anything unusual happen last night?"

Yohan quietly studied his expression. He could detect nothing suspicious about Haman. The man merely seemed as bumbling as he had yesterday.

Yohan replied evenly.

"It was a peaceful night, as usual. More importantly, how was yours? You must have been quite busy."

Haman answered with an innocent expression.

"If you mean the errand, it took very little time. House Marcano welcomed me warmly. All thanks to your prestige, my lord. As I said before, it is an honor to serve you."

He had visited House Marcano yesterday to deliver Yohan's message. Presumably, he had arranged a private meeting between Yohan and Horentz.

Yohan spoke.

"What time is the appointment?"

"He asked you to visit whenever it suits you. Viscount Horentz, that is."

As expected, Horentz was showing Yohan considerable goodwill. Yohan nodded.

"I'll go around noon. Make the preparations."

"Understood. I'll take my leave."

Just as Haman was about to turn away, Yohan spoke.

"Oh, one more thing. I have something to discuss with you. Let's talk over dinner tonight."

Haman looked puzzled. Only yesterday, Yohan had insisted that everyone leave the mansion at sunset.

"Will you be dining out, then?"

Yohan shook his head.