Barmas pushed his complex thoughts aside and asked, “What’s the matter? Did you destroy the traps properly?”

“Yes. We destroyed all the traps in Picardin as you instructed. However…”

“…?”

“…It seems we have a problem.”

The familiar’s voice sounded quite serious. Apparently, something had happened that they couldn’t resolve without his permission.

Barmas replied briefly.

“Report the situation.”

“Just as we were finishing destroying the traps according to your orders, five holy knights entered the forest and began searching, calling out someone named Romei.”

At first, Barmas wondered who Romei was, but then remembered it was the name of the woman he had brought here. He had completely forgotten since he had taken her to consume her soul.

Meanwhile, the familiar continued its report.

“After dismantling the remaining traps, we monitored their movements. Sensing they needed to be tracked, we followed them immediately. We overheard them saying they would request reinforcements from Picardin.”

“Reinforcements? Are you certain you destroyed all the traps properly?”

“Yes, we destroyed everything completely as ordered.”

“Then why would they request reinforcements? They wouldn’t do that unless they found evidence of traps.”

“I heard it was to find this person they’re looking for—Romei or whatever her name is.”

Hearing the familiar’s answer, Barmas sensed things were becoming troublesome.

He knew considerable time had passed since bringing the woman to the demon realm. Humans typically searched zealously for their missing acquaintances. So the search itself wasn’t a problem.

But requesting support from the temple to find one person was another matter entirely.

Holy knights existed to eliminate demons, not to expend energy on personal matters like finding missing people. Unless a royal family member or high-ranking official had disappeared—but the woman was just one of many ordinary holy knights.

“Did you hear everything they discussed?”

“I couldn’t hear everything for fear of being discovered, but I was present from beginning to end.”

“Good. Report everything to me from start to finish. Don’t miss a single detail.”

“Understood.”

Following Barmas’s command, the familiar relayed everything it had seen and heard.

Barmas sat at his desk with a serious expression, listening intently to the five holy knights’ discussion about Romei’s whereabouts.

By the time their conversation ended with “Let’s find Romei no matter what happens,” he was certain things were becoming even more troublesome.

‘I was about to order them to retrieve any dropped guns and bullets, but I never expected such an annoying situation would develop.’

Even more annoying was their determination. They showed excessive resolve in finding Romei.

They should know when to give up after searching for a while, but these humans seemed unfamiliar with the concept of surrender. They would likely keep poking around everywhere until they found the woman.

Yet Barmas also knew that time conquers all. No matter how determined humans might be, when faced with a complete absence of evidence or clues, they would eventually have no choice but to give up.

‘The traps have been properly dismantled, and those guys haven’t discovered anything about them. Even if they know Romei is still alive, they have absolutely no way to find her.’

If they continued searching without results, they would likely give up before long.

With this in mind, Barmas issued new orders to the familiar.

“Return to the forest and thoroughly check for any remaining traces of the traps. You must be meticulous—ensure the holy knights cannot find any evidence or traces whatsoever.”

“Understood, Lord Barmas.”

“And did all three of you follow the holy knights?”

“Yes. After completing your orders, we followed them without delay.”

“Return to the demon realm as soon as you’ve erased all traces of the traps. Instead, attach a crow to monitor them. It doesn’t matter if the crow dies, and they can’t properly track it anyway.”

“Understood, Lord Barmas. We will follow your instructions.”

“Good. Remember that you must erase all traces without exception.”

With those words, Barmas ended his communication with the familiar. He was already troubled by his reaction to the woman’s tears, and now the appearance of people searching for her was giving him a headache.

In such situations, Barmas typically selected a familiar to torment, eventually taking it to the t*rture chamber to relieve his stress. Watching the familiar’s contorted expressions of pain and hearing its screams always made him feel better.

Conveniently, there was a human in the castle perfect for tormenting instead of a familiar. Since he had brought her here to kill her, it wouldn’t matter if she died, and he could consume her soul too—killing two birds with one stone.

Strangely, however, he didn’t feel like tormenting the woman. Making her cry wouldn’t bring him much pleasure either. At least not today.

‘I brought her here to torment her, but now I can’t even do that. What kind of demon am I?’

To erase the image of the woman’s crying face from his mind as quickly as possible, and to alleviate his throbbing headache, Barmas called a servant and ordered them to bring alcohol. A lot of it—enough to get drunk.

* * *

Upon arriving at Barmas’s bedroom, Romei collapsed onto the bed as soon as the door closed. In the quiet solitude, she stared at the floor with her face swollen from crying. Then she thought:

‘I don’t understand why I cried.’

Reflecting on what had just happened, she couldn’t comprehend why she had shed tears.

Devils were cowardly, cunning, and deceitful beings. Though they shouldn’t be, using trickery was simply their nature.

While somewhat frustrating, she couldn’t have won the bet even if he hadn’t increased the intensity. Her body, already accustomed to pleasure, was at its limit.

Nevertheless, the moment she reached cl*max, feelings of frustration and despair overwhelmed the pleasure. She had only lost the chance to wear clothes—nothing else—and could propose another bet later. Yet strangely, everything seemed hopeless, and before she knew it, she was crying.

‘That devil was certainly surprised.’

Romei thought she would have been surprised too in his position. Despite that, not only did he refrain from taking her, but he even covered her with a cloak. She had lost the bet yet still received something to wear.

Immersed in indescribable feelings, Romei sprawled out on the bed. Then she turned to lie on her side. The cloak he had given her filled her vision.

Unlike his sharp appearance, his cloak emitted a warm, sweet fragrance. If she concentrated, she could even detect a faint scent of roses.

It gave Romei a strange sense of comfort. She closed her eyes for a moment under the cloak. Frustrating though it was, she had to accept her defeat in the bet.

Her body had already changed too much from what she once knew. Every touch turned into an erogenous zone, producing love juices, with pleasure building and bursting easily.

‘And though I hate to admit it, the moment I sank into ecstasy felt incredibly good.’

As evidence, despite her currently complex emotional state, her lower body remained wet, craving more stimulation. Had tears not suddenly appeared and created that awkward atmosphere, she probably would have happily cried out beneath the devil.

‘My thoughts and my body’s reactions are completely disconnected. Even if I can’t close that gap right now, I need to be aware of how sensitive my body has become.’

It would be problematic if every future bet went like this. If she frequently shocked him and disrupted the outcomes of their bets, she would lose his trust. He might even refuse to make any more bets with her.

Though a rotting lifeline, without it she would have no way to escape this place.

‘It would be better to speak properly when he comes to the bedroom later. To tell him this won’t happen again, and that I definitely accept the bet’s outcome.’

She didn’t know if these words would make him trust her, but it would be better than saying nothing. If all else failed…

“Should I ask for the honor of serving Lord Barmas? Would that improve his mood?”

Romei muttered this while wrapped in the cloak he had given her.

Barmas’s goal was to taint her with pleasure and consume her soul. He probably wouldn’t dislike prey that asked to be tormented.

On the other hand, he might not react at all.

As he had said, from the moment she arrived here, Barmas had been in a position to treat her however he wanted. Even if she asked for the honor of serving him, he might consider it only natural.

‘Still, it’s better than doing nothing. Whether it works or not, let’s try to regain his trust. Then I’ll find a way to win his lewd bets. That’s how I’ll return to where I belong.’

Having sorted out her thoughts, Romei emerged from beneath the cloak.

The outside air felt refreshingly cool after the stagnant space under the cloak. The shock of losing the bet seemed to have subsided a bit too.

Romei renewed her determination and draped the cloak he had given her over her shoulders to cover her body. Having something to cover herself definitely provided a sense of security. The strangely sweet and fragrant scent added to her comfort.

She felt she might tremble less even with Barmas in front of her. It was ironic to feel secure because of a cloak handed over by a flustered devil, but she couldn’t help it.

So Romei waited for Barmas to come to the bedroom.

Strangely, however, Barmas didn’t visit the bedroom even after the sun had set and deep night had fallen.