Becoming a Monster

Chapter 597: Chapter 596: Who Was Bargaining with Whom?

Morvyr’s displeasure remained obvious even after Fenrir stepped forward.

Noah had turned the elf’s own reasoning against him.

Morvyr had intended to observe the devil directly, risking exposure of his own strength. Instead, Noah had placed him in that same position.

Refusing now would only expose the imbalance Morvyr had attempted to create.

His expression made it clear he understood the position Noah had placed him in.

The elf silently turned his attention to Otuk in deep thought.

For someone accustomed to controlling everything, being so openly deprived of that control infuriated him. He searched for some way to reclaim it, or at least remind the devil of the respect owed to someone beneath Her Majesty’s authority.

Somewhere within that growing frustration, Morvyr’s reasoning shifted.

He’d come here under his Queen’s orders. By continuing to undermine the terms he offered and undermining himself, Noah was no longer merely disrespecting him. In Morvyr’s mind, the insult had begun extending toward the Queen he represented.

The elf’s posture straightened as he reestablished his composure. When his attention returned to Noah, a faintly confident smile had already replaced the bitterness in his expression.

“You are correct.”

His voice had regained its earlier calm.

“I am an elf of my word. It was beneath me to expect you to accept terms I was unwilling to follow myself.”

The words sounded sincere enough, but Noah didn’t believe them for a moment.

He didn’t need Dobby’s abilities to understand Morvyr’s nature by now. The elf hadn’t suddenly accepted that he was wrong. He had found another way to approach the situation.

Still, Noah remained silent and waited to see what he intended to do next.

Morvyr didn’t disappoint him.

“Be that as it may…”

He paused, his lips pursing as though the decision was far more difficult than it truly was.

“A contest between our subordinates may allow us to judge the strength under one another’s command. However, it tells me very little about whether committing Her Majesty’s forces to your defense would be a decision worthy of her name.”

Noah’s eyes narrowed. He already understood where the elf intended to take the conversation, but he asked anyway.

“What are you implying?”

“I’m saying that if the contestants have changed, then the rules should change with them.”

Noah’s expression remained hidden beneath the veil, but the tension in his gaze eased slightly.

“That’s fair.” The ease of his answer immediately bothered Morvyr.

“What did you have in mind?” Noah continued. “Should we allow more of our warriors to fight at once?”

Morvyr’s attention shifted toward the cave once again.

The warriors he had brought with him were powerful, but none of them could contend with whatever was releasing that aura from within the darkness.

If he agreed to expand the bout, Noah could easily use that as an excuse to bring the creature forward.

Morvyr wasn’t foolish enough to allow that. He forced himself to remain composed.

His frustration had already begun interfering with Her Majesty’s mission more than he cared to admit. However, after taking the first step forward, retreating now would only make it appear as though Noah had cornered him once again.

“That won’t be necessary.”

His gaze returned to Fenrir and Otuk.

“If we truly intend to understand the strength of one another through our soldiers instead of ourselves, then having our strongest warriors fight while restraining themselves would reveal very little.”

Morvyr’s voice remained calm, ignoring his own contradiction as he continued.

“They should be allowed to fight without restraint.”

Otuk had barely followed the conversation until that moment.

All he had wanted from the beginning was the opportunity to fight. The instant Morvyr’s words reached him, his ears twitched, and the savagery in his eyes slowly returned to his expression. His lips pulled back once again, revealing his ugly canines.

Across from him, Noah showed a trace of surprise even his veil failed to conceal.

Morvyr felt a quiet sense of satisfaction at the reaction. For once, the devil seemed to lose his composure.

Noah adjusted his stance slightly as he considered the proposal.

He had expected Morvyr to create an unreasonable condition to place Fenrir at a disadvantage.

This was far better than he had hoped. Even so, it still wasn’t enough.

“I can agree to that, but…”

This time, Noah allowed himself to show a somewhat vulnerable side.

“My relationship with my fighter is much deeper than yours is with your troll.”

“If your warrior dies, you just lose a powerful fighter. If Fenrir dies, I lose a partner.”

To emphasize his words, he rested his hand on Fenrir’s snout, slowly caressing it.

“Risking that simply to satisfy your curiosity and help you decide whether assisting me is worthwhile doesn’t make your offer sound very sincere.”

Despite what he heard, Morvyr didn’t believe any of it.

Just as Noah had begun to understand Morvyr, Morvyr believed he was beginning to understand Noah.

That belief brought him little comfort.

Noah had called himself a devil from another world. At first, Morvyr had assumed the title was chosen only to provoke him. Later, he began to believe that maybe he really was a devil, but one that differed from the devil of their world.

Yet the longer their conversation continued, the more similarities he noticed between Noah and the Devil mentioned in their own history.

Much of what demons had become was inspired by that being.

Charismatic.

Manipulative.

Proud enough to challenge any and everything that they set their eyes on, yet patient enough to make others approach willingly.

That was what made a devil so dangerous.

They did not need to force obedience when they could convince others that surrendering something precious was their own decision.

Even Her Majesty had once been tempted by the Demon King before being reborn into a general under his rule.

There was a warning among the natives of this world and the demons that had endured for generations.

Never make a bargain with a demon unless you are prepared to lose more than what has been promised.

The oldest versions were far less subtle. They warned that every deal eventually ended with the demon claiming your soul.

Now Morvyr stood before someone who’d openly called himself the Devil while manipulating the terms of their agreement with unsettling ease.

Every answer Noah gave seemed to create another advantage for him.

Every concession appeared harmless until Morvyr realized what he’d surrendered in exchange.

Even the vulnerability Noah displayed now felt deliberate.

Morvyr could no longer look at the hand resting against Fenrir’s snout without wondering whether the affection was genuine or merely another tool meant to pressure him into offering more.

It was hard for him not to doubt every word and expression Noah showed him.

More importantly, he remained painfully aware that whatever agreement they reached next would almost certainly benefit the devil far more than Noah admitted.

Morvyr hadn’t realized how tightly his jaw had clenched until the words forced their way through his teeth.

“What is it that you want this time?”

Noah reacted as though the question had caught him off guard.

“I wouldn’t say that I want anything.”

Morvyr’s expression darkened.

“You were the one who requested all of this,” Noah continued. “I’m merely making certain that I’m treated fairly if we’re expected to work together afterward.”

His hand continued moving slowly across Fenrir’s snout.

“Neither of us should walk away feeling shorted from what is supposed to be a fair exchange.”

Noah could have continued pressing the point.

Judging by the tension building throughout Morvyr’s body, however, delaying any longer might have caused the elf to finally lose what remained of his patience.

“If your warrior defeats my Fenrir, then I’ll agree to whatever concession you ask of me.”

Morvyr’s eyes sharpened in scrutiny.

“In fact, I already know there are plenty of things you want to ask. Some of them are probably too personal for me to answer under normal circumstances.”

“But if you win, no question will be off the table.”

The offer immediately caught Morvyr’s full attention. This was exactly what he had come here to obtain.

The forces accompanying him had never been sent solely to aid Noah in establishing goodwill. Their involvement was meant to create enough obligation that the devil would eventually feel compelled to answer the Queen’s questions.

Even then, Morvyr’s true orders were far more cautious than anything he had revealed.

He was only expected to intervene once Noah appeared certain to lose.

If the devil proved useful, they would preserve him long enough to bring him before Her Majesty.

If he didn’t, then there would be little reason to risk anything on his behalf.

And if all they required were Noah’s body, then waiting for the humans to weaken or kill him would provide an opportunity to collect what remained afterward.

Compared to that, Noah’s offer seemed almost too favorable.

If Otuk won, Morvyr could obtain every answer he needed without committing a single warrior to Noah’s defense.

He could learn the truth behind Noah’s origins, the dungeon core, the creatures bound to him, and perhaps even the method responsible for altering their bloodlines.

There appeared to be no disadvantage.

The moment that thought entered his mind, Morvyr’s caution returned twice as strongly.

Nothing Noah had said or done since their meeting began had been as simple as it first appeared.

Right now, it almost felt as if he was the one making a deal with a devil.

The question was… what did he have to offer in return?