280: 6.40 Most Devoted Follower

6.40 Most Devoted Follower

0The air was so silent that not even a sign of breathing could be heard. Eyes flew wide in horror, mouths agape and bodies frozen in place, that was how everyone's reaction was. Maia stared at the bloody figure in the mixture of dread and awe, breath held still in her throat. It was fortunate that she had had the honor of meeting Regius so she might have developed a stronger immune toward supernatural beings. As for the others…

"A—AAAAH—!!!"

A terrified shriek snapped everyone out of their frozen state and they began to back away in fluster, almost creating a small trampede event. In a blink, the tent was almost emptied save for a few bolder men. Their faces were pale as they observed the bloody figure warily.

"So, who has summoned me?" Izher asked in a bored tone, checking his nails all the while.

"It is me, my Lord!" Ernoul laughed and coughed out more blood, eyes manic. He was propping himself up with trembling arms, blood still seeping out of the wounds.  "Your most humble and devoted follower!"

"Ah." Recognition bled in his tone. "You're the one who has awakened me from my long slumber. You have my gratitude for that."

Heads snapped to Ernoul's direction, incredulous. Maia couldn't help the disbelief and anger in her voice. "What do you mean by that, Father?! You have made contact with the God of Plague before?!" All of a sudden, everything clicked in place and Maia swayed where she was standing only to be supported by someone behind her. But she could no longer discern who it was as she was looking at her father as if this was the first time she had ever seen him. The rims of her eyes reddened in dismay. "Don't tell me… the plague in the country… is that your doing?"

Ernoul threw his head back in wild guffaws and that was already enough to answer Maia's doubt. "Father!" She cried out, sorrowful and enraged. "How… How can you be so cruel?! They are our savior! Without them, we wouldn't be able to survive this long winter!"

"Savior…? Did you say they are our savior?" Ernoul's eyes flashed in contempt and malice so strong that it caused Maia to take a step back. Who was this man…? She… She truly couldn't recognize him anymore…  "They are nothing but a bunch of pretentious and arrogant pricks. Always thinking that they are above others." Ernoul spat out. "It's only right that I teach them a lesson so they can suffer a bit." 

Turning to Izher, Ernoul's eyes shone with renewed vigor. With blood all over his body, frenzied expression and messy hair, he resembled a devil incarnate seeking his way out of Hell. "My Lord, please. I beg you to bestow a disease so potent that they can do nothing but watch as their country falls into destruction. For that, I am willing to offer my life to you! Please obliterate my enemies for me!"

"Father!" Tears streamed down Maia's cheeks. Never had she felt anger so pure and all-consuming that she had the thought to strangle her father to death. If she did that, would the God of Plague return to where he came from? "You have gone insane…!"

"Hmm…" Izher drawled out and for a while, everyone held their breaths as they waited for the final judgement. Ernoul was staring at him with eyes so bright it was almost fanatic. In the end, Izher dropped his hand and simply shook his head. "N–ope," he said, deliberately popping the 'p' with a cold smirk on his face.

W—What?!

Maia's jaws dropped to the floor and she was sure that everyone reacted the same. The most surprised one among all was Ernoul. He almost slipped and landed face first on the ground. He stammered out. "M—My Lord…?" Chuckling, he tried to compose himself. There was no way the God of Plague would have rejected this blood sacrifice. It would make him stronger than ever and he had nothing to lose by granting Ernoul's wish. No, he must have heard wrong. "Pardon, can you please repeat that—"

"I say, no. I am not interested in your offer." Izher declared bluntly, sending a small uproar through the crowd.

"B—But why?!" Ernoul blanched, face twisted in disbelief. The possibility of rejection never even crossed his mind. No, he couldn't afford to fail! "Is my life alone not enough…?" His eyes scanned the surroundings before landing squarely on Maia. In that instant, Maia's heart dropped. "Then you can take my daughter also! He's my blood-related offspring so she can still be included in the sacrifice, right?"

"Father…" Maia clenched her fists, despaired. She had known that his father didn't really regard her as his child the very second he found out she was born a woman. But she had never expected that he would go to such lengths, toying with her life so that he could curse his enemies! Not to mention Maia, every single person who's present was looking at Ernoul with disbelief and disgust, especially the elders who had always licked his boot. Silently, they retreated, unwilling to be pointed as the sacrifice next. 

Ernoul didn't even realize that he had lost the trust of his tribesmen at that moment. He was too focused on the God of Plague, filled with madness, unwillingness and rage so much he thought he would go crazy. 

"I say, I am not interested." Izher clicked his tongue. "How stupid are you to not understand what I am saying? Should I just curse you instead?"

Ernoul reeled back, incredulity etched on his face. "But… But you need me!" He tried to appeal again. "You will be able to get more powerful after you devour me!"

"Yes, that's right. But you're ugly so…" Izher shook his head. A grin spread across his face, showing rows of jagged teeth. "Anyway, I already have my most devoted follower. With him, I don't need anybody else. Don't ever summon me again." As he was speaking, his body started to disintegrate and the blood melted back into ordinary crimson liquid. "Well, I don't think that you can do it again anyway. See you in Hell."

After that, Izher completely disappeared, leaving only a pool of blood on the floor. Ernoul was left frozen, wide-eyed in shock. After a stretch of heavy silence, he reached up to clutch his chest with a bloody hand and wheezed, spurting out a mouthful of blood from his mouth. His body collapsed atop the bed and his bloodshot eyes rolled to the side, panicked. "Help… Help me…" 

But this time, nobody stepped forward to answer his plea anymore until he gradually breathed his last.

***

"As I have said, why the hell are there two dolls in my room?!" Jillian's furious holler welcomed him as he returned to his own consciousness. Izher almost yawned out of boredom. He had been gone for almost ten minutes but this stupid human still hadn't ceased his prattle. No matter what, he refused to acknowledge Jillian as his counterpart. Over his dead body.

"Duke, I have already explained it to you five times." Cyrus replied with a placid look but Izher could see veins throbbing on his forehead. Izher snickered silently. He wondered when the ivory dragon would finally snap and throttle this human to death. It would be a very interesting show to see. "You already have the doll Regius in your possession so nobody will question if you gain one more. This way, the God of Plague can stay close to us."

"I don't want him close to me!" Jillian pointed at the doll who had been thrown haphazardly on the couch. It was Izher's vessel, courtesy to Grandmaster Dynn. As always, the old man's still was remarkable. He had truly caught Izher's true essence in the doll and he was very satisfied with the result. "I can't even bear to look at him for long before I have the urge to throw him into the fireplace!"

"Please don't do that." Cyrus showed a pained look.

"Ugly brat," Izher materialized and sprawled out on the couch lazily. He was delighted by the fact that Jillian looked even more furious than before at the sight of him. He crooked a finger and the doll Regius flew out of Jillian's arms straight toward him. Brushing his beloved's soft hair, he cooed at how stunning he was even in a doll state. "We are one package, do you get me? Buy one get one. In other words, it's me and him, or no one at all."

Jillian bristled. "Let go—"

The doll disappeared and Lu Yizhou showed up in his place. Izher quickly wrapped his arm around his beloved's waist, firmly keeping him atop of his lap before he could get up. Lu Yizhou squirmed for a second before resigning to his fate with a helpless sigh. In response, Izher buried his face into the silky hair behind Lu Yizhou's neck and allowed himself a small victorious smile. 

"Jillian." Lu Yizhou smiled at him softly and Jillian's anger folded like a wet paper towel. "I'm sure Cyrus has explained everything to you."

"Yes, but—" Jillian groaned and tugged on his ponytail, making his hair look even messier than usual. "As unbelievable as it sounds, I have understood that I and…" Disgust twisted his lips. "...that sorry excuse of a God over there are one and the same. But it doesn't mean that I can accept that! I refuse to be treated as equals with him!"

"Likewise." Izher's voice was muffled from where his lips were mouthing at Lu Yizhou's nape. Damn it, he smelled so good. Izher couldn't help but gnaw on him here and there and Lu Yizhou's body tensed in response. 

Izher couldn't help it, he had never had Lu Yizhou in his lap before and the feeling was so… gratifying. Now he understood why Lu Yizhou liked it when he straddled him. His palms were splayed over Lu Yizhou's torso and his little finger slipped into his sash. Except before he could loosen it and snuck his palm into Lu Yizhou's robe to caress his bare skin, Lu Yizhou caught his wrist squarely.

"Hmm?" Izher tucked his chin on Lu Yizhou's shoulder. "Is there something wrong?"

Lu Yizhou gave him a sidelong glance and Izher almost shivered at the underlying warning in them. But instead of acting on it, Lu Yizhou merely asked. "Where have you gone?"

It took Izher a few moments to register what Lu Yizhou was asking. "Ah. You mean earlier?" He shrugged with a brief chuckle. "Someone has summoned me with a blood sacrifice. Goodness, I have forgotten how foolish humans can be. It's a nice jolt to my memory."

Cyrus showed a shocked and apprehensive look. "Blood sacrifice? What do they want?"

"Something with the destruction of their enemies? Don't worry, I have told them I am not interested." He relayed with boredom, twirling Lu Yizhou's hair between his fingers. "He might be dead by now, anyway. Oh right, I forgot to tell you. He's the one who has prayed for me earlier. What's his name again…"

"Ernoul?" Cyrus supplied helpfully.

"Right!" Izher snapped his fingers and grinned. "One more thing, quite a lot of people saw me so I guess rumors will start to fly around soon."

Jillian was trembling from how hard he tried to suppress his rage. But in the end, he couldn't hold back anymore and burst out into an angry roar that reverberated through the whole manor. "SAY THIS KIND OF THING EARLIER, YOU ASSHOLE!"

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