A Balrog Special Lecture for the Prospective Son-in-Law
Once we finished the meal, we all moved out to the front yard of Hana's house.
Hana and I sipped the sikhye that came out for dessert while waiting for her mother and father — today's instructors — to begin their explanation.
"Before we get into the lesson~ I'm going to put up a simple barrier first. We can't have the neighbors getting hurt, now can we?"
Hana's mother drew her flame weapon out of thin air.
That gesture of pulling a weapon from living fire — I have to admit, it was pretty damn cool.
This time it wasn't a sniper rifle.
It was something far smaller, about the size of a pistol.
Mother reignited the flames around her hand and drew out from within them a bullet, machined with exquisite precision.
She flicked it into the chamber and fired straight up into the sky.
This time there was no deafening bang. Instead, three small magic circles deployed from the muzzle, spewing out an orange beam.
Three streaks of light shot up into the air and froze in place, forming a triangle.
Crimson energy pulsed out from each bullet, reaching toward its neighbors, filling the space between them in an instant and creating a translucent, scarlet barrier.
At the barrier's edges, flames burned quietly, tinting the surroundings red and shimmering in the air.
Seen as a whole, it looked something like a single face of a colossal pyramid.
"So when you and Father were talking to me outside, was there a barrier up then too?"
"Of course. Without one, the police would've ripped open a dimensional gate and come running the second we started.
It's a barrier only Balrogs and those bonded to us can enter. That's why you were able to walk right in."
"Preparation complete~ Darling, would you like to do the explaining? Or shall I keep going?"
"I'm fine. I'll only step in for the practical demonstration. Explaining things has never been my forte."
Father took a step back and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Check, check~ Seha, could you look this way please? Mm-hmm. Hold that gaze right there!"
Mother snapped her fingers, signaling the start of the lesson.
"First question! Why do you think our Balrog race became the Demon King's personal honor guard?"
"I'd guess it's our overwhelming combat power? Plus our talent for tactics and setting up the whole battlefield, right?"
"Correct~ But that alone isn't a perfect answer.
You see, our race is exceptionally gifted at contracts — far more than any other demonkin."
"Contracts? But other demons make contracts involving souls all the time too."
"And what do those amount to? 'Give me a few years of your lifespan and I'll give you money, food, or power.' That sort of thing.
Those are extremely rudimentary soul contracts. They do nothing but follow the principle of equivalent exchange."
To be fair, Hana — who still wasn't even legally an adult — had very casually sealed a lifespan contract back in Antarctica.
"We approach soul contracts from a much longer-term perspective. We prefer to bind the contractor's soul deeply to our own.
It takes more time than those basic contracts I mentioned, but in return, it allows us to realize a far wider range of terms."
"Then the soul contract Hana and I made back in kindergarten was that kind too?"
"Exactly~ Sharp as always, Seha. It's the contract our Darling personally stamped her seal on."
"I really, really didn't want to... but she cried and wailed for three days straight, refused to eat, so I gave in."
"Papa~ We agreed that secret goes with us to the grave~"
So for demons, even the scale of a childhood tantrum runs on a different clock....
"Heehee. Anyway, when he and I married, we made our soul contracts at the same time.
He's the partner I'll spend my whole life with, after all. There are so many benefits to a soul contract."
"In my case, my senses got sharper and my physical abilities improved a little? That's about all I've noticed so far."
"That's because you're only ten years in. It's like wine, you see?
Past ten years, fifteen, twenty — the bond only grows stronger and stronger."
"We're going past a hundred years, Seha!"
Hana, what on earth are you saying all of a sudden....
"Heehee. Down the road, you can even hold mental conversations, like telepathy~
And this next part is the single greatest trait of us Balrogs. Allow me to demonstrate."
Huh? Demonstrate what?
The moment Hana's mother finished speaking, she gave Father a signal.
Father's rough hand gently steadied Mother's trembling shoulder.
The instant their eyes met, the air around them began to hum with a faint vibration.
A red light slowly blossomed from the center of Mother's chest.
It began as a faint glow, barely a flicker, but gradually the light took on a fierce, vivid color.
It spiraled and whirled, and at last it formed a mystical portal between dimensions.
The portal's rim was ringed with a red aura, like flowing lava, while its depths churned like molten rock too deep to fathom.
Without a moment's hesitation, Father reached his hand into the portal.
His movements were as natural and unhurried as reaching for his morning coffee.
His hand emerged slowly from within the passage of light.
Gripped in Father's hand was Mother's elegant sniper rifle, the one I'd seen before.
"Whew... thank you, Darling. Did everyone see that? Whoever shares the bond can wield the contractor's flame weapon.
And this applies to you too, Seha, even as a human. You are the only human alive who can handle Hana's flame sword."
Honestly, at first I couldn't process it. I can wield Hana's flame sword?
That weapon that erupts in pillars of fire and scatters embers with every swing?
So my immunity to fire had been foreshadowing all along?
Well, that tracks — otherwise how could I swing a weapon made of burning flame?
"Seha, if you stare at my chest with eyes that serious, I won't know how I'm supposed to react...."
"You said I could draw the weapon out too... sorry, Hana."
"Well, not right away, I'm afraid. You're still a fresh little chick of only ten years~"
"You just told me I can wield the flame sword, though? If you suddenly announce I fail the requirements..."
"You have to hear a Korean sentence all the way to the end~ That's why I mentioned I'd send you a package on Tuesday."
"A contract that deepens the bond? Something like that?"
"A soul elixir that strengthens the bond. It's quite a rare treasure, one our family maintains~
Under normal circumstances it's used to rush-raise new soldiers in wartime, but that filthy leech that's latched onto you...
Oh my, pardon me. We're sending it to you as a special favor, to get that gadfly off your back."
"Ahaha.... So after I drink it, you want me to challenge Harin to a duel?"
"Yes, exactly. Of course, if she finds a suitable soul while she's out campaigning, there'll be no need.
And technically it's more of a challenge than a duel. After all, there's a species gap between human and demon."
"Still, it's better for you to challenge Harin yourself than for you to formally declare a duel, Seha. Harin will just think it's a windfall and accept on the spot."
"Hana, are you okay with this? What if I lose? Duel or challenge, the winner gets to demand whatever they want from the loser. If I lose to Jeong Harin...."
Hana lightly pressed her fingers over my mouth.
"Don't you dare say things that ominous, Seha. Steel yourself.
Human? Species gap with demons? Forget all of it.
You carry a blessing. And you're the only human who can swing my sword."
"Hana...."
"Beat the demon who's making our lives miserable, and come back to me wearing that proud grin of yours, carrying your victory report.
Come home to me like the hero from the stories. You said you trust me, didn't you? Then I'll trust you and wait."
"That's right. I'll send you intel on the succubus as well. She's surprisingly a feasible opponent~"
"And just so you know — even if you lose, it's fine. I'll carry your soul down to hell myself. So challenge her with a light heart. Losing is an option."
....So basically: if I don't want to die, just crush Harin.
I never imagined I'd end up facing Harin one-on-one like this.
Honestly speaking, I'm not confident.
The Balrogs talk a big game on my behalf, but the species gap isn't something you can just ignore.
The truth is, part of why Harin hasn't been more aggressive until now is that Jeemin and Hana have been holding her back behind the scenes.
But once you've been marked by a succubus, there is no escaping her grasp.
The charm she weaves around my soul is only going to intensify.
Even if I'm safe for the moment, for the future I have to place some kind of restraint on Harin so she can never target my soul again.
And yet... the risk of losing the challenge is so horrifying I can barely stand to imagine it.
Some people would say falling into a succubus's hands is a win, but the only one I want to look at is Hana.
Still, if I lose and Harin orders Hana's contract with me dissolved, I — the loser — would have no choice but to obey.
Of course, if such an order ever came down, I'd immediately ask Father to take my soul instead. I'd rather go to hell.
If Harin found a suitable soul, there'd be no problem — but I can feel it now: that possibility is shrinking by the day....
The dread keeps circling in my head.
If anything, the more I try to run from it, the bigger it seems to grow.
I want to escape. I want to just take Hana's hand and transfer schools — or drop out alone and get away from Harin for good.
"Seha...? You've got the look of someone wrestling with something. Is the idea of challenging her that unappealing?"
Hana had noticed the storm inside me and was watching my eyes, worry written across her face.
Even if I said I didn't want to do it, Hana would tell me it was fine.
Then she'd rack her brain hunting for another way.
Out loud she'd say it was for the both of us, but she'd keep wearing herself down to the bone for my sake.
Haah... I hate how much I overthink things.
It was the same in Antarctica — whenever a problem lands in my lap, I agonize over it far too hard.
I wish I could be the kind of person who just charges straight ahead. I lifted my head again and looked at Hana.
Worried golden eyes. Her gaze trembled as she watched me.
Looking at her now, her eyes are just like her mother's. So, so beautiful.
I love the way her eyes look when she's worried like this, but...
"Nothing beats the way they look when you smile."
"Huh? Where's that coming from all of a sudden?"
I brushed the hair falling over Hana's eyes aside and stroked it gently. Then I stood and walked over to Father.
"Please help me, Father. I want to stand beside Hana, now and always. Please help me become someone who can take full responsibility for her."
I bowed my head and asked. The dinner I'd eaten through nerves churned in my stomach.
My legs were shaking uncontrollably. I was breaking out in a cold sweat.
I might well be the first human in history to ask the King of the Balrogs for help to his face.
"Darling...."
"Not now, honey. This is a matter between men."
When would I ever be able to lift my head again?
I was trembling far harder than I had under the threat of Father's axe.
Then, Father's thick hand came to rest on my head.
And he began to pat it, gently.
"Father...?"