beast chapter 14

“My lady, your heart may be kind, but you have no conscience.”

“Excuse me…?”

“I overlooked one question, and yet you ask another.”

“Oh.”

She coughed, subtly averting her gaze. “…Ask your question.”

“There must be a reason why you embarked on this dangerous adventure. Tell me, what was it?”

“That’s…”

“Be honest and thorough.”

Ariette tried to concoct a plausible lie, but her mind went blank, and she was speechless. Beelzebub studied her face, seemingly catching the confusion and hesitation in her sky-blue eyes.

“You seem lost in thought.”

“…”

“Shall I go first?”

Ariette simply nodded.

“Hmm, where to begin…”

Beelzebub fell silent for a moment, gazing into the distance. The wind teased his cheek several times before he finally spoke.

“A hundred years ago, I committed a grave sin. I cannot reveal its nature, for fear you wouldn’t release me if I did. Will you forgive me?”

Ariette’s lips parted, but she only nodded silently. Beelzebub was smiling, yet there was an emptiness to it. Fearful that even attempting to delve into the sorrow hidden behind that smile might wound him further, she couldn’t bring herself to ask about his sin.

“They say that those who sin must eventually pay the price. I was no exception. One day, the nightmares began. In my dreams, I endlessly repeated that sin. The next night, and the next, every night, on and on….”

“…”

“As time passed, the line between dream and reality blurred. I could no longer distinguish where I was, or who I was facing. It wasn’t until I killed a close friend that I realized I was suffering from madness.”

Ariette’s eyes widened. His face, however, was impassive, as if he were skimming a worn-out book devoid of meaning.

“Did I mention? One of my abilities is related to dreams. I sometimes have premonitions.”

For a fleeting moment, emotion flickered in his vacant eyes. Self-mockery.

“Perhaps pitying my descent into madness after killing my friend, a fairy appeared in my dream, for once, instead of my past. The fairy told me to go to Silpheilo. There, it said, I would find the key to quell my madness.”

“…”

“Having already killed a dear friend, what more did I have to lose? I entered the labyrinth immediately. But lo and behold, all my powers were sealed the moment I stepped inside, and I fell asleep.”

“…”

“When I awoke, as you can see, I had become rather intimate with this tree.” Beelzebub glanced at the vines and chains. “I wish it would release me now, but it seems more devoted than I anticipated. One would think it would tire of me after more than ten years.”

“…More than ten years?” Ariette echoed in disbelief. The thought of him trapped in the labyrinth for over a decade, bound to a tree with no one to speak to, was horrifying. Yet, Beelzebub’s expression remained unperturbed, as if those long years meant nothing.

“I’m not certain. What year is it?”

“…It’s 4128.”

“Oh, how time flies.”

From his casual response, Ariette understood the true weight of the time he had endured alone. If he had been plagued by nightmares every time he slept during those long years… She spoke cautiously, “Do you…still have the nightmares?”

“Fortunately, I haven’t had one since entering this labyrinth.”

“Oh…” Ariette was visibly relieved. That was something, at least. If he had been trapped in the labyrinth and tormented by nightmares every night, he would have been driven to irreparable madness.

“My madness has subsided considerably, thanks to that. So, you needn’t fear that I’ll lose control and bite your neck.”

“…I never worried about that. You said earlier you wouldn’t bite me unless I wanted you to.”

“Oh, innocent lady.” He raised an eyebrow playfully, then whispered in a suggestive tone, “You believe me?”