Noah didn't wait , he moved through the battlefield at terrifying speed.
He had already noticed the stronger ones hiding in the corners of the camp, waiting for the perfect moment to assassinate him. But Noah wasn't just killing , He was touching.
He stopped at a slightly elevated point.
"Arlo, come here," Noah called.
Arlo obeyed, leaping lightly to stand beside him, watching the battlefield turn into a boiling cauldron of blood.
For a brief moment a faint light flashed through the air.
But it felt malicious , Noah's right eye lit up… like a dead star reigniting.
Arlo watched, unable to hide his curiosity.
Noah slowly brought his hands together.
Then a sudden motion, like a ritual cut by a blade ,Invisible silver threads barely perceptible now snapped.
Heads fell as if tied to invisible strings that had just been cut.
Bodies collapsed all at once. But Rive… did not fall.
He still stood, unshaken, shouting orders that refused to die.
Noah spoke loudly, without even looking at him:
"You idiot… do you think I'm finished?"
He raised his left hand , Black light erupted from it.
"Arlo, don't look at my hand. Watch the enemy."
Arlo obeyed , But what he saw around him was enough to freeze his blood.
Some of the soldiers had been standing just moments ago.
Now… they were corpses.
Some collapsed like puppets with severed strings.
Others screamed suddenly before their eyes dropped from their sockets.
The soldiers' cries filled the air with pure disbelief and terror."When…?! When did we even touch that thing?!"
Chaos intensified, but it was far from random. Violent tremors erupted through the battlefield—the ground shook, weapons rattled, and fear thickened in every pair of eyes.
Noah remained silent, slowly walking toward Reeve as though he were moving through a dream made of ash.
Reeve glanced at his hand… and the flesh began to fall away. Slowly. As if his arm were melting. Then… the worms appeared.
His hand decayed while he was still alive, every nerve in his body screaming into his mind.
Trembling, he looked at Noah, terror strangled in his voice.
"Is… this your power?"
Noah gave a small nod.
"Yes. But I'm in a hurry today… I won't be showing much."
A faint smile curved across his lips.
Before the conversation could continue, the earth beneath the soldiers cracked apart. Long black fissures spread across the battlefield like starving mouths.
One after another…
They began swallowing everything.
Corpses. Bones. Weapons. Even the echoes of the dead.
And amidst that hell, Noah remained standing still, his eyes gleaming, his silence deeper than anything around him.
The ground devoured the bodies one after another, as if opening its greedy jaws to consume the sins of the battlefield without hesitation. The cracks widened endlessly, responding to some hidden hunger, while Arlo moved swiftly to finish off the remaining survivors.
The tremors intensified, and with them, the unrest buried inside Noah's chest grew stronger. He pressed his lips together, discomfort flickering across his face, as though the trapped souls were whispering into his ears.
Arthur stopped creating fissures for a moment, his gaze wandering over the battlefield that had become an open graveyard. He frowned in disgust before muttering bitterly,
"He's addicted… a sadist."
He turned his face away as though the sight itself made him sick, then waited in silence as if none of it concerned him.
It wasn't long before Arlo returned first, his brows tightly furrowed. Noah followed shortly after, walking in silence, his expression cold and motionless like a statue.
"We'll head to the capital first," Noah whispered calmly.
The group continued onward in solemn silence. As darkness settled around them, their pace slowed. Noah lifted his gaze, scanning the area as though searching for a place worthy of rest, until he found a quiet clearing guarded by ancient trees.
Leaning against the trunk of one of them, he exhaled deeply and said,
"Let's rest for a while."
Arthur nodded tiredly. He, too, felt a strange heaviness dragging at his legs.
Noah pulled a small bottle from inside his cloak and drank from it carefully before sitting down on the ground. He folded his legs beneath him and rested his head back.
Moments later, his breathing softened… and he fell into complete stillness.
Neither of his companions noticed what had happened. Arthur was busy hunting a deer while Arlo argued with him over the best way to roast it.
When they finally finished cooking, Arlo tried to wake Noah. He reached out toward him—
But Noah's body suddenly went limp and collapsed like a corpse.
Arlo froze.
Then he looked toward Arthur, his eyes asking the question his mouth could not.
Arthur returned the stare before blurting out,
"I've never seen a noble die before!"
Arlo quickly gestured for silence, staring at him seriously.
"You're from a noble bloodline too, Arthur… don't ignore this. Is he dead?"
Arthur looked at him in shock, yet no answer came to mind.
Suddenly, Noah muttered weakly,
"What corpse are you talking about… you bastard?"
With difficulty, Noah forced his eyes open and tried to sit up. His arm still throbbed with pain, and he struggled to steady himself against the ground. Breathing unevenly, he wiped away sweat he hadn't even realized was dripping down his forehead.
Looking around, he noticed the roasted deer over the fire and Arthur standing nearby as though preparing to dig a grave.
He let out a slow sigh before saying sarcastically,
"Arthur… you really are ignorant, aren't you?"
Neither of them responded. They pretended not to hear him and quietly continued turning the roasting deer over the flames.
After finishing the meal, the three of them sat around the dying fire in silence.
At that moment, Noah looked briefly at Arlo before shifting his gaze toward Arthur.
"Arthur," he asked softly, curiosity slipping into his voice, "have you ever formed a contract with a demon?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question, but answered honestly,
"No. I don't like contracts… or the idea of forcing someone to follow me."
Noah pointed lazily toward Arlo, a faint challenging smile touching the corner of his lips.
"Then why are you traveling with a demon?"
Arthur's eyes widened with discomfort, as though the question had awakened something old inside him.
"I met him years ago," he replied quietly. "I saved him."
Arlo let out a soft breath, as though the conversation had dragged up distant memories.
"Master Arthur saved me from slaughter… I was standing at the edge of death."
He lowered his gaze slightly before continuing,
"After that, I followed him everywhere like a shadow that refused to leave. I offered him a contract many times… but he always refused."
Noah tilted his head slightly, studying the scene with eyes that missed nothing, before speaking as though stating something obvious.
"But you need to form a contract."
"Why?" Arthur asked, his brows knitting together seriously.
Noah gestured calmly toward Arlo.
"Because right now… Arlo is weak. If he wants to free himself from the Witch's curse—"
He paused briefly before correcting himself with dry amusement.
"—I mean, the Great Saintess' curse, then you'll need to make an agreement. After that, your master takes you to someone who possesses the power of an angel… someone capable of breaking the chains tearing you apart little by little."
Then he looked at Arthur for a long moment before continuing,
"Like Matthew, the one who treated you. He wasn't a doctor like you thought… he was a fraud. But he evolved over time and eventually obtained that power."
Arthur's confusion deepened.
"What curse… of the Lady?" he asked slowly.
Noah answered in a quiet voice.
"To separate the worlds, the Lady imposed powerful restrictions. One of them was making demons weak on the surface. At first, they don't notice it… but with time, they begin to shrink, wither away, and die."
Arlo's body trembled for a moment before he admitted hoarsely,
"I… have noticed it. I feel it every night."
Suddenly, Noah clapped his hands together as though announcing a final decision.
"Then form the contract."
Arlo looked toward Arthur uncertainly, but Arthur answered with gentle refusal.
"I can't do that. But… how about we find you a new master? Once you're free, I'll kill your master myself and end the contract for you."
Arlo thought aloud.
"Then… I just need to find some idiot and finish this quickly."
Noah pressed his lips together, visibly bored for a moment, before muttering playfully,
"How about I become your master instead of him?"
But Arlo refused instantly, as though the suggestion itself awakened a buried fear inside him.
"I can't do that… you wouldn't let me leave afterward."
Noah shook his head like someone who had just lost an entertaining bet.
"Fine. I can take you to a powerful healer. My sister Isabel knows someone… someone extremely strong."
Arlo smiled faintly, rare gratitude shining in his eyes.
"Thank you. I'll never forget this. I'll stay by your side until the very end."
Noah immediately replied in a tone that sounded almost like a test of his resolve.
"Then form the contract." But once again, Arlo refused with the same determination.
Silence settled between them.
Meanwhile, Arthur remained trapped in a single question that echoed endlessly inside his mind until he finally voiced it, irritation and perhaps fear slipping into his tone.
"…How can you tell demons apart from humans? There's no real difference, is there?"
He looked at Noah with troubled eyes, as though suddenly suspicious of everyone around him.
Noah smiled with exaggerated confidence and brushed a strand of hair away from his face.
"Everyone in my family… can tell the difference."
After they resumed their journey, Noah finally stopped bringing up the contract, as though something inside him had quietly closed off.
Arthur, however, was the complete opposite.
Questions continued piling up inside his head like waves crashing against each other. Even after they entered the capital, he barely noticed passing through the massive gates. He did not even realize Noah had stopped in front of an extravagant clothing store.
Arthur finally looked up in surprise when he saw Noah standing inside a boutique filled with women's clothing, surrounded by silk fabrics and luxurious decorations that felt entirely out of place for them.
The three of them were still wearing their heavy armor beneath long cloaks meant to conceal it, which made Noah's presence in such a store even stranger.
Arthur watched silently.
The tailor brought over several dresses and carefully placed them inside an elegant box before smiling politely.
"My lord, everything was completed exactly as requested, including the measurements. Please tell the lady not to be angry again. I also included a gift for her."
Noah stared at the box with an expression touched by tension or perhaps suspicion.
"I'll tell her…"
Without another word, he picked up the box, grabbed Arthur by the arm, and dragged him out of the store.
Moments later, Arthur stood frozen before an enormous mansion surrounded by carefully designed gardens and towering stone walls.
"You're not just a noble…" he muttered in disbelief. "You're rich. Really rich."
Noah gestured lazily toward the gates, inviting them inside as he commented,
"I'm extremely rich."
They walked through the vast halls of the mansion. Rooms were assigned to them—Arthur received a spacious chamber to rest in, Arlo another just like it—but Noah gave them no time to settle down.
Instead, he personally guided them through the silent corridors, as though he wanted to show them something specific.
Arthur couldn't suppress his curiosity. His eyes wandered constantly over the painted walls, luxurious carpets, and lamps that spread warm light like imprisoned sunlight.
When they finally reached a glass window overlooking the rear garden, Arlo stared outside in amazement.
"It's beautiful…"
A crooked smile appeared on Noah's face as he asked teasingly, "Do demons enjoy things like this?"
Arlo nodded quietly. "We love life… just like humans do."
Noah fell silent for a moment.
Then he slowly turned toward him and looked directly into his eyes. "That's good."
Then he continued walking Arthur followed him silently until they stopped in a small hall.
There, a tall young woman appeared, wearing a long black dress that left her neck and arms exposed.
Her face carried naturally sharp features, and her mood was obvious from the very first glance.
As Arthur drew closer, he began noticing more details her green eyes, her long black hair, and the small beauty mark resting on her left cheek. Her makeup was incredibly light, yet she looked more beautiful than the flowers decorating the garden outside.
Noah placed the box in front of her and spoke playfully. "I brought everything. Aren't you happy to see me?"
But she didn't answer him. Instead, her gaze shifted behind him. "Why are there other people here?"
Noah replied calmly, though there was hidden meaning behind his tone. "That handsome one is Arthur… the other is Arlo."
Then she gave them a graceful, polite bow. "My name is Isabel Sylvester."
Everyone took their seats, and Noah spoke first.
"What happened? It's unusual for you to come here at this hour of the day. Why aren't you at the meeting?" A faint smirk crossed his face. "My sister is still there… so? Did you leave early, or were you thrown out?"