I Saved a Demon, and Now He’s After Me - Chapter 40

Eden raised her hand to cover her full mouth and bulging cheeks, and hung her head low.

What rotten luck. Of all the ways to meet again after breaking up, it had to be while she was shoving an entire egg in her mouth and scarfing it down.

The man she’d locked eyes with was Johan Martin. Her ex-boyfriend, the one she’d praised for having a big d**k and impressive stamina.

***

The southern part of the Brighton Empire had mild weather and few natural disasters, making it a popular vacation spot for many nobles. The owner of this valuable land was Viscount Raymond, a man who had become one of the wealthiest people in the empire through the tourism business.

“Thank you for making the long journey. Please, come this way.”

Viscount Raymond came out to the front of his mansion to greet them, as if to prove how urgent his situation was.

As if proving his renowned wealth, his mansion boasted the size of two noble mansions in the capital combined. The lobby alone was so vast and ornate it could be mistaken for a banquet hall. It was so impressive that even the Holy Knights, who had little desire for wealth, stood mesmerized looking around the lobby.

The reason Eden was with them was because, as they say about unlikely things happening, her ominous premonition had been right.

The Holy Knights had the same destination as her. Thanks to this, Eden had to walk alongside them while desperately ignoring her ex-boyfriend’s presence.

But even her ex-boyfriend Johan’s presence was nothing compared to the glittering gold fixtures. After all, they hadn’t broken up just a year or two ago, but from a whole seven years back. She had been flustered from running into him so suddenly in such an embarrassing state, but while it bothered her, it wasn’t unbearably so.

‘Just selling one of those golden candlesticks would cover several months of my commission fees.’

Eden swallowed hard as she eyed the various expensive-looking ornaments. Looking at all these gold pieces, she could not help but think she had made the right decision taking this job.

Perhaps because they had too much to lose in death, nobles were obsessively concerned about their safety. Since demon extermination was directly tied to life and death, a noble this wealthy would surely add a hefty bonus on top of the commission fee when the job was done well. Having just made quite a profit from Damian recently, she was even more excited.

Viscount Raymond led them to the reception room after they’d finished looking around. As if prepared in advance, light refreshments and teacups were set out the moment they sat down. The maids, having finished their task, immediately stepped back and stood like they were not even there.

“This is tea from across the sea. Please, have some.”

“Thank you.”

The commander of the Holy Knights smiled gently and lifted his teacup with aristocratic grace.

Oscar Vincent. He was the second son of a famous Count’s family who had joined the White Knights because he couldn’t inherit the title. Thanks to being educated by a good teacher, his skills were quite decent, and she’d heard he quickly secured the position of commander despite his young age.

Following his lead, the other Holy Knights also began savoring their tea one by one. Of course, Eden had been sipping her tea since the moment the teacup was placed in front of her, before Viscount Raymond himself had even lifted his cup.

“Oh, this tea tastes really good. What’s this tea called?”

At Eden’s enthusiastic reaction, Raymond made a pleased expression and hurriedly answered.

“It’s Pu-erh tea. I heard that in the country across the sea, it is considered precious enough to be supplied to their imperial family.”

“Figures. It’s expensive, so of course it’s delicious.”

Eden downed the rest of her tea in one go. That was enough of the pleasantries and small talk that nobles loved. Right now, some demon might be tormenting innocent people, so she needed to hear the exact details of the commission and move as quickly as possible.

“Let’s get to the point. You sent a commission to me and even called in the Holy Knights, so I’m guessing this is related to heretics. Am I right?”

Viscount Raymond’s expression, bright and cheerful just moments ago, turned deathly pale. His face sagged, showing he’d clearly suffered considerable distress over this matter.

“That’s right. Those heretics, those demon worshipping bastards, dared to perform a demon summoning ritual in my village.”

“So a gate was opened.”

At the mention of a gate, Bezel’s body flinched. Eden glanced at him, feeling she’d made a mistake. After all, the man sitting right beside her had almost been offered as a sacrifice to open such a gate. It hadn’t been long since he was rescued, so she realized she had touched a part he could not help but be sensitive about.