#83
What kind of hobbies did demons have?
Jeha pondered this as he stared at the mountain of books piled before him.
He’d heard of rare-plant enthusiasts, a Demon Dragon Protection Society, and even a group of demons who wrote pornographic novels. They seemed to throw themselves into their pastimes with reckless abandon.
It had only been a day since Jeha ordered them to write novels and present them. Yet Paimon had already delivered an enormous stack. Word was, the demons had been overjoyed, writing furiously through the night until their fingers practically broke. They’d begged Paimon to let them know whose novel became the biggest hit in the human world.
Jeha began leafing through the books.
*The Bishop and the Lady*, *The Secret Private Lives of Priests*, *Master, Please, Just for Tonight*, *The Lewd Priest*, *The Bishop’s Hot Backside*, *The Pope’s Thing Was Very Large*, *Why the Lady Gave the Servant Roast Chicken*, *The Lady and Her Men*, *The Lewd Mistress*, *The Holy Knight Through the Night*.
Even without reading the contents, the titles were blatantly obvious. And the covers featured rather convincing explicit illustrations. Outwardly, people would throw them away or burn them, calling them madness, but in secret, they’d be swallowing their saliva and devouring them.
Jeha flipped through the books until one title caught his eye.
*The Archduke and the Archduke’s Archduke in the Carriage*
“…….”
The cover depicted the Archduke and a black-haired young man tangled together inside a carriage. It was clearly a portrayal of the day Jeha and Hereis had had an intimate moment in the carriage.
“This is… me and Hereis?”
Jeha couldn’t bring himself to open the book. Paimon nodded nonchalantly.
“You are the protagonists of the most famous scandal in Enkarosha lately. Isn’t it a beautiful story of the master who scattered life essence across the land and his contractor? I hear they poured their heart into it, worthy of being called the masterpiece of a lifetime.”
“…Oh, dear God…”
Jeha buried his forehead in the book and lamented.
His instinct screamed to tear the book to shreds and burn it to ashes. But he couldn’t.
If all sorts of pornographic novels spread across Enkarosha, the high-ranking clergy would surely try to suppress them. If the stories about Hereis and Jeha were conspicuously absent, they might be suspected of being behind the whole smut affair.
There was another reason.
Hereis didn’t want to become the Pope. He wanted the Temple’s downfall, which would include his own fall as Archduke. So, this novel had to be published alongside the others.
After gathering his thoughts, Jeha carefully placed *The Archduke and the Archduke’s Archduke in the Carriage* on top of the other books. He wiped his face with his hand and spoke.
“Have the people who need money copy these as much as possible, just as I said yesterday. Tell them they can keep all the profit from sales. No one must know the Belgar family is behind this. Understood?”
Even knowing Paimon’s flawless work, Jeha felt the need to emphasize again.
“Of course, master. No one will learn the origin of these novels.”
Paimon said with a look that implied Jeha worried too much, then lifted the stack of books and disappeared out the door.
Jeha sank into the sofa, letting his head fall back as he let out a long sigh. The image of the book detailing his and Hereis’s private life lingered before his eyes. Just thinking of someone reading it made his entire body crawl with goosebumps. He tapped his cheeks with his hands, trying to redirect his thoughts.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock sounded.
The door opened to reveal Zephyr. Having been struggling to think of something else, Jeha found even Zephyr’s face welcoming.
“What is it?”
“I came to report on the task you assigned yesterday.”
Zephyr approached with a confident air. The mission seemed to have gone very well. Jeha gestured with his eyes to the opposite sofa. Zephyr took the seat without hesitation and began.
“As you said, a little coaxing was all it took. He fell for it easily. The contract was successfully concluded.”
“The male demon…”
“Ah, his name is ‘Belle’.”
“Good. Did you make sure Belle won’t come to harm even if Irellio messes up later?”
“Of course. Though he failed the previous task, he’s been sucking human vitality for centuries, so he’s incredibly cunning. Given your instructions, he made sure to avoid anything that could backfire.”
“Good. That’s fine.”
Jeha nodded and asked.
“So, where is Irellio’s contract seal?”
“Well…”
Instead of answering quickly, Zephyr let out a snicker. Jeha narrowed his eyes, signaling him to speak up.
“Ahem. The contract seal for Irellio was inscribed on his cock.”
“…His cock?”
“Yes, his cock. His d*ck.”
“Ah…”
Jeha grimaced as he recalled Irellio’s wrinkled face. The mere thought of his cock made his stomach turn.
“When the seal is discovered later, they’ll strip him and search everywhere. And when they find the contract seal right on his cock…”
Zephyr chuckled, finding it amusing. Jeha couldn’t help but smirk along.
Thanks to Zephyr, his mood lightened. Jeha stroked Kkamangi, who was busy pretending to fast, then got up.
“Where are you going?”
Zephyr rose as well and asked.
“I need to go tell Hereis this funny news right away. Also, let him know that something very interesting is about to happen in Enkarosha.”
Jeha said with a bright smile. He was very curious to see Hereis’s expression when he heard they were about to flood Enkarosha with pornographic novels.
As he entered the Grand Temple, the gazes of passersby focused on him. There was plenty of goodwill and envy toward the one who had donated a huge sum, along with looks wanting to build ties. But there were also many hostile looks, probably because of his relationship with Hereis.
In any case, the escort treated him with utmost respect. No one had the nerve to be rude to Jeha, who was on good terms with both Hereis and the Pope.
Entering Hereis’s residence, Jeha was about to rush to him when he stopped. There was a guest.
A muscular, towering knight with short blond hair sat across from Hereis. Hereis rose with a welcoming smile upon seeing Jeha. In contrast, Sir Evan, the blond knight, cast a look of contempt at Jeha.
“Oh, I’m interrupting your conversation with Sir Evan.”
Jeha said casually, then demonstratively kissed the back of Hereis’s hand. Sir Evan’s jaw tightened.
“Sir Evan was just about to leave. Come, sit here.”
Hereis said calmly and gestured to a seat. Sir Evan, the head of the Holy Knights, seemed displeased by Hereis’s blatant dismissal; his face stiffened coldly. But instead of sitting stubbornly, he stood up abruptly. He gave a perfunctory bow to Hereis, then brushed past Jeha, deliberately bumping his shoulder hard.
It was an intentional provocation, but Jeha let it slide. In Sir Evan’s eyes, Jeha must appear as the one who had corrupted his devout friend Hereis. Hereis approached and massaged the bumped shoulder.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Jeha reassured Hereis and led him to sit down.
“What were you talking about?”
Two teacups sat on the table. They must have been chatting over tea.
“About the incident the other day.”
“The demon beast attack?”
“Yes. Evan insisted that the beast was definitely targeting me. It’s only natural to suspect that, since everyone present saw it.”
“Did they point the finger at Bishop Irellio?”
“Though he spoke euphemistically, he did mention Irellio seemed suspicious.”
“Perfect timing. My side’s plan is set too.”
Jeha said confidently. Hereis looked surprised and asked.
“He agreed to the contract?”
“Of course. I heard he did it quite willingly.”
“…I see…”
Hereis offered a bitter smile. Even though he had labeled him already corrupted, seeing Irellio truly walk the path of corruption seemed to leave a bitter taste.
“Oh, and there’s another fun piece of news.”
Jeha deliberately spoke in a brighter tone to lift Hereis’s spirits.
“Fun news?”
As expected, the bitterness faded from Hereis’s face. Jeha nodded with a mischievous smile, leaned in close, and whispered.
“Soon, something very interesting is going to happen in Enkarosha.”
“What do you mean by interesting…”
Jeha gestured for Hereis to come closer and then whispered his ambitious porn-novel scheme into his ear. He whispered for a while, then pulled back. Hereis blinked slowly, clearly astonished.
“Truly… a brilliant idea. I never even thought in that direction.”
Hereis murmured, then lowered his eyes as if lost in thought. Jeha leaned back on the sofa, admiring the sight he never tired of.
After a moment of deep thought, Hereis lifted his eyes again; his blue eyes were now vibrant.
“It seems it will definitely have an effect. If, while the rumors are heating up Enkarosha, it’s revealed that a high-ranking priest was a heretic who contracted with a demon…”
“Then Enkarosha will be completely turned upside down.”
“And the Temple’s authority will plummet.”
The two exchanged glances and shared a knowing smile.