“Say, Miss… Blanche, isn’t it?” Belial asked, her mouth stuffed with the white chocolate muffins her investigation partner baked.

Blanche, taking a small piece of the muffin, brought it to her mouth and munched it slowly. She swallowed and nodded to Belial. “Yes, Miss Belial,” she chuckled.

Belial’s cheeks turned crimson, and she looked away. “Ya makin’ fun of me,” she grumbled and sipped her hot chocolate. “So, Blanche—any updates on your findings?”

It hadn’t been a long while since they became a team with Azazel and Mephistopheles, but they felt like they had known each other for a long time. Blanche teamed up with Belial so the demon could protect her while she searched for the Wishing Well and connected the loose ends about the entity behind it.

However, their searches were starting to become fruitless and frustrating.

It had been a while since Belial received news from Azazel or his subordinate who joined him in the train incident. All she knew was that it was solved. Mephistopheles practically forgot about her, leaving the updates to and only to the missing Azazel.

She couldn't afford to lose track of the demon from the Wishing Well. After all, the King's Consort gave her the task personally. She couldn't fail. But being left almost completely behind and with zero new information made her annoyed–which Blanche perfectly noticed at how many cans of beer she chugged down.

Blanche tied her silky hair and deeply sighed. She was tired of sighing. Her findings weren’t what they expected, nor what she wanted to find but it was something at least.

“Well, I quite found the demon’s summoning name,” Blanche said, handing over the paper with lots of messy notes to Belial. “But we still need to know his affiliation house if we want precision.”

“Affiliation house…” Belial echoed, too lazy to explain it.

"May you enlighten me on this complex politics you guys have? So we can proceed?" Blanche asked.

“It’s too much for a feeble human to understand the complexity of our government,” Belial said and crossed her arms.

Blanche crossed her arms and looked at Belial, her classic pose and frowned nose. "This one isn't a human, for your record."

“I know, I know,” Belial waved her hands. “But I can’t curse you with my superiors’ names, they would haunt your pretty face.”

“I’d call you to protect me then,” Blanche huffed.

“I’d curse you,” Belial teased.

Her hand shifted into claws, and she playfully lunged at Blanche, pretending to scare her. She growled and hissed, mimicking her boss and the other demons she’d grown up around. Her long, scaled tail swayed from side to side before curling around Blanche. Both burst into laughter as the scattered papers around them fluttered through the air.

Blanche’s ears grew long, fur as smooth as her silky hair. They perked up like a fox, tipped in soft shades of blue. She let out a high-pitched squeal when Belial, half-transformed, tickled her ribs—causing her fluffy, ivory tail to pop out. Blanche’s laughter revealed sharp teeth, a striking contrast to her usually icy demeanor.

Belial’s horns almost scratched Blanche’s arm when she slipped the papers around. Blanche barked and swiftly protected her arm, but Belial’s horn hit the floor instead of her arm.

“Sorry, I almost hurt you,” Belial un-buried his horn from the floor.

“That’s okay,” Blanche smiled, her foxy ears retracting as well as her tail. “We can always do it another time, right?”

Belial felt her cheeks burn while her horns retracted as well. “Yeah,” she said, her ears turning crimson.

Blanche approached Belial and sat very close to her, letting her long hair touch Belial’s legs. “Shall we continue then?” She asked, tidying the scattered papers.

“Hm,” Belial helped Blanche and curled her tail around her waist.

As they collected the papers, one page flew and landed on Belial’s lap. It was Blanche’s last notes about the entity’s identity. Their affiliation house was way too messy to discover, but it was worth a try. The worst thing that could happen was summoning a succubus.

“Blanche, stay behind me,” Belial warned, and Blanche did what she was told.

Belial drew patterns on a few spare papers and lined them up, forming a big summoning circle. She rubbed her hands, and a faint dark mist filled the apartment. A red pattern glowed in the air, forming a smaller summoning circle. Belial’s eyes ran through the lines and patterns, her body stiffening every second.

The entity’s name was now clear for Belial to read.

She gasped and she looked around. She stared at the name, then at her phone. No messages from her boss. Nothing from Azazel. No calls. No pings. Just silence. And yet… the hairs on her neck stood up. Someone was watching. She was sure of it.

Blanche noticed Belial’s uneasy demeanor as well as how tense her body turned. Belial’s crimson eyes would surely be glowing, but all Blanche could see was her investigation partner’s messy, burgundy hair.

“What does it say?” Blanche asked, still behind Belial and trying to understand the demon’s uneasiness.

Belial quickly stood up and ripped the summoning circle formed. “We’re in danger,” she urged and dashed to the nearest shelf. “Shit! That’s why Azazel is missing!”

“What? What’s going on?” Blanche asked, confused.

Belial, with a piece of chalk in her hands, drew a circle around Blanche and muttered some words. Then, she took a scale from her tail and gave it to Blanche, who took it without protesting.

“The demon we’re investigating has high power and influence. Also, he may know I know his identity. Names hold power,” Belial worried, and covered Blanche’s shoulders with her coat. “We need to go somewhere safe. I might know someone,” she took Blanche’s hand.

“Who would it be?” Blanche asked, confused.

“An old friend of mine. His name is Asmo- I can’t say his name but I think you figured it out, right?” Belial replied, bringing Blanche closer.

Blanche chuckled and nodded. “Yes, and I trust you.”

“Good,” Belial smiled, relieved.

With only the clothes on their bodies, Blanche and Belial moved toward the front door. The room, already off-kilter from the torn summoning circle, seemed to throb with unease. Each step forward made the air feel heavier and colder. The closer they got to the door, the more it felt like something was waiting on the other side—something that knew they were coming.

Belial stopped abruptly and took two quick steps back. Pulling Blanche closer, she unfurled her dark, leathery wings.

“He trapped us here… shit,” Belial hissed. “Stay under my wing, and don’t look into his eyes,” she warned, her hand trembling slightly as she held Blanche close.

“Hm,” Blanche murmured, nodding as she lowered her head.

The door creaked open on its own, and a dark mist spilled into the room.

Outside wasn’t their building.

It definitely wasn’t their building.

There was only darkness—thick mist swirling with clouds of red dust drifting through the air like ash.

Belial drew Blanche in tighter with her tail and wings, bracing to deflect anything that dared emerge from that twisted outside. Her face remained unreadable, but the tension in her body betrayed everything she was trying to hold back.

“I see Mrs. Belial is really clever,” a deep, velvety voice said from the darkness. “But she’s not that clever…” the voice then turned into a strident chuckle.

“Cover your ears,” Belial whispered to Blanche, who obeyed. “Agarath, what a surprise… I see you’re as bold as ever, right?”

The owner of the voice stepped into the room, and the entire background seemed to warp with his presence. By his side, three gargoyles stood close, watching attentively the room.

His appearance was still hazy to Belial, who kept Blanche close. She had seen him only once—at a royal ball held in the King’s castle—right after he struck that infamous deal with the Consort and Camos, one of Hell’s Governors serving the Crown. Back then, he wore an ornate outfit fit for nobility. His hair was short and dark, matching his void-like eyes.

His wings had been severed—the Consort himself had cut them off and cast them aside to prevent an assassination attempt on the Kingdom’s Heir. His tail was also amputated, and his fangs shattered by the King’s own spear.

A person—no, a devil—everyone wished had vanished from the Kingdom.

“What do you want from me?” Belial asked almost in a snarl.

Agarath’s deep chuckle filled the room as if he were omniscient. “I want you to stop investigating me,” he said, almost as if he was smiling.

“Heh,” Belial scoffed. “So, you’re really the one behind the dumb Wishing Well, aren’t you?”

“What if I am?” Agarath replied calmly. “I’m just fulfilling my beloved Sin’s wishes.”

“And you’re gathering shady information behind the sheets, mostly from King Lucifer,” Belial hissed.

"Information is business~" Agarath waved and chuckled joyfully. "I love trading! Let's trade then. You leave my case, and I will give you information about Azazel and his crew," he snapped his fingers.

A mana screen appeared in front of them, showing a blurred map and a picture of Azazel in a terrible state. Belial blinked, but she didn't seem touched.

“I will not chew on this cheap trap. Also, weren’t you the one who recently kidnapped Your Highness Tieran?” Belial smirked, and Agarath went silent. "What? Isn't information business? Let’s trade, mother-”

Before Belial could finish, a numbing sensation overtook her body, and she collapsed to the floor. Blanche gasped and began shaking her, but there was no response—only a sudden, fierce grip on her hand.

“Aw… you really got affectionate over a mere lowlife!” Agarath laughed hysterically and approached Blanche.

Keep your eyes closed and so your ears. Blanche remembered and quickly did what she was told to do, shaking hands and catching her breath.

Agarath pulled Blanche close to his face so close that Blanche could feel his hot breath and miasma scent. But Blanche didn’t look at him and only tried to set herself free from the fierce grab.

“Aw… this human is so cute…” Agarath laughed, putting some pressure on the grab. “Oh… I forgot you’re not a human… I bet you make delicious sounds when in pain… Hahaha!!”

“Let… her go…!” Belial fumed, her body weighing tons.

She raised her hand towards Agarath, and the demon was sent a few meters away from Blanche. Her senses had barely come back, and she stood up. Even if she trudged, she reached for Blanche and pulled her closer. Her long, scaled tail wrapped around them and she fell on the floor once again.

Her mind was hazy, but Blanche was close. It meant she couldn’t be hurt. Not anymore.

Belial’s scale on Blanche’s hand then glowed and formed a glowing dome around them. When it finished bubbling them, Belial collapsed again.

Now, it was impossible for Agarath to touch them.

“Insolent demon!” Agarath protested, dusting off his clothes. “You! Take care of them, watch closely, and don’t let them go away from this dirty apartment!” He ordered the gargoyles.

“What do we do with the human, boss?” a short gargoyle asked.

“I don’t care about the human! Let her starve!" Agarath said, impatient. A pattern formed on the back of Agarath’s hand, and he huffed again. “I better behave, or else my precious Chronos will kill me as they did to my puppet… oh, poor puppet… it barely had time to be a star and collect more souls so I could improve my business…” he grumbled.

His expression drastically changed when he fondly looked at the patterns. “Don’t worry, my dear beauty… I’ll soon have you in my arms… and you’ll love all my efforts to make yourself home,” he dearly chuckled, caressing the back of his hand.