Chapter 120: The First Duke of Winston
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: The First Duke of Winston
‘Duke Winston?’
Jet-black, short hair and thick eyebrows. A tall stature and a sturdy build. A man who looked exactly like Duke Winston stood right before my eyes.
However, I soon realized he wasn't the Duke I knew. While their features were identical, the atmosphere around him was strangely different. Moreover, his eyes weren't crimson; they were as pitch-black as his hair.
If that were the case, he might be someone entirely unrelated to the Winstons. I observed him closely, lost in thought.
“Is that the truth?”
[Indeed. I do not lie to my contractors.]
“…….”
Surprisingly, the Archdemon was standing beside the man. He looked exactly as he had moments ago. However, he didn't seem to notice me, keeping his gaze fixed on the solemn-looking man.
“So, Winston will not exist in the future…”
‘…!’
The name Winston fell from the man's lips. I stared at him with wide eyes as he forced his stiff lips into a twisted smile.
“Do you truly expect me to believe that?”
Though the man was smiling, his gaze was chillingly fierce. His obsidian eyes glared sharply at the Archdemon. Even as a mere observer, the intensity made my knees weak.
‘The First Duke of Winston, Carlyle Winston.’
The first human to contract with the Archdemon and the original master of the gem demons. To think the current Duke Winston looked so much like him, even after all these generations. The mysteries of genetics were truly remarkable.
[Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But I have no reason to deceive you, my contractor.]
The Archdemon merely shrugged at that terrifying gaze, responding in a relaxed tone. At this, the First Duke ground his teeth.
“I cannot accept this. We won the war against the angels, so why is the family facing extinction?”
His enraged voice thundered through the surroundings.
I was currently witnessing the distant past—a backstory that had never appeared in the novel. Becoming the sole spectator, I forgot the gravity of the situation for a moment and watched the two with genuine interest.
[Well, can you truly be certain that you won?]
“What?”
[The temples of the humans who worship the angels have not fallen; they remain intact. I am asking if you can call it a victory simply because you defended the land you originally lived on.]
“That is…”
[My contractor is quite naive, isn't he?]
“…….”
The Archdemon shook his head slowly. The First Duke could offer no rebuttal to his words.
Carlyle Winston, the First Duke who protected the North by contracting with Lucifel. Behind that event lay a war between angels and demons, both vying for dominance over the world.
The North remained unconquered by the angels because Winston, backed by the Archdemon's contract, held it firmly. But that wasn't the case elsewhere. The First Duke had overlooked that point.
“Then, what must I do?”
The hero who had saved the North in the ancient past asked, his face having grown haggard in a short span of time. He was now worrying about the future of the Winston line. From my perspective, it was a mindset I couldn't quite fathom.
“Winston is the guardian of the North. If this place falls, it is no different from the North vanishing entirely. I must prevent that at all costs.”
‘…….’
But looking at him now, the First Duke wasn't merely worried about his descendants. He cared for the countless people who would live in the Northern lands. He was a truly rare, benevolent lord and ruler.
Just as he said, in the original story, after the fall of House Winston, the North fell completely into the hands of the Empress Dowager.
Just as the West was devastated and the South was tainted by plague, the North also suffered a difficult life, neglected by the Imperial Family. It was because there was no Winston left to look after them.
Thus, the First Duke's concern wasn't a mere exaggeration. Rather, it was a statement full of insight.
[Well, I don't mind adding to the contract. If you wish, I am willing to lend my power to your descendants as well.]
“Is that possible?”
[It is beneficial for me to remain in this world for a long time, after all.]
The corners of the Archdemon's mouth curled upward. For someone locked in a power struggle with the angels, this must have been a perfect opportunity. Unlike the angels, the demons had no medium like a temple to anchor them.
The Archdemon had likely manipulated things to ensure the First Duke learned of the future. He must have known that the Duke would inevitably seek to extend the contract. He was a truly cunning being, befitting an Archdemon.
[Using these gems as a medium, I will allow my subordinates to continue their ties with Winston. And one day, when Winston's fate reaches its end, a suitable master will appear to contract with the five demons of the gems and summon me.]
“……Fine.”
Having made his decision, the First Duke nodded. I didn't know what price he had paid for the contract, but it certainly wouldn't have been small. Yet, there was no hesitation in the First Duke's voice.
“If I do this, is it certain that the destined future can be stopped?”
[Of course.]
The Archdemon nodded confidently. I peered closely at his face.
At that time, changing the future couldn't have been a certainty, yet the Archdemon was being excessively reassuring. Perhaps the future had shifted into a new path the moment he made the contract with the First Duke?
[……With this, the contract is sealed.]
Five gems floated above the Archdemon's hand. They were familiar to me. They were the gems containing the demons I had contracted with.
“My descendant must…… the future……”
The First Duke's eyes turned crimson as he held the red gem. It seemed his eye color had changed to resemble the Archdemon's as a symbol of the contract. And perhaps his descendants also had red eyes as a sign of the ongoing contract.
Even though my own eyes, having contracted with the demons, were purple. As I tilted my head in thought, my eyes met the First Duke's.
‘…!’
It might have been my imagination, but for a moment, the First Duke's eyes crinkled warmly. As if to say it was alright.
But that had to be a delusion. This was merely a scene from the past. There was no way the First Duke could perceive me and smile.
[As you know, the original future was for the humans—the right hand of the angels—to destroy Winston. That is why I could not choose a suitable candidate from among the actual descendants.]
‘Is that why you brought me here from another world?’
[Exactly.]
‘Did you never think that it might be even more dangerous?’
I asked quite sharply, but the Archdemon only gave a thin smile.
[As time passed, Winston's power stagnated. They were strong, but they had their limits.]
‘Don't tell me…….’
[I needed a descendant fused with a different power. But unfortunately, that being had a weak body and ended up losing to the angels.]
‘So it didn't even matter who I was in the first place.’
As long as it was an outside soul that could inhabit the dead Claudia's body, it would have sufficed. As I muttered, feeling a strange sense of disappointment, the Archdemon looked surprisingly startled.
[What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how carefully I chose the soul to bring over?]
‘Really?’
[Yes. I have never seen a soul as tenacious as yours. To think you would burn with such desire for your goal until the very moment of your death.]
‘Ah…….’
[Furthermore, you are clever and even cunning. I truly like you.]
‘…….’
Was that a compliment?
I looked at the Archdemon with an unreadable expression. However, he just chuckled and turned his head.
[There isn't much time left.]
‘Isn't it all over anyway? If you use your power to defeat the Empress Dowager……’
[No. Even if your body has grown, the mana you currently handle has limits in manifesting me.]
‘……You should have told me that sooner!’
Angered, I let out a sharp cry. He had been acting so relaxed all this time that I thought everything was settled, but this was a bolt from the blue.
I couldn't tell for sure since there was no mirror, but looking at my hands and feet, I seemed to be in my early to mid-teens.
The First Duke of Winston, who first contracted with the Archdemon, was an adult and a Sword Master, so he would have been able to utilize the Archdemon much more effectively than I could. I was still inexperienced.
[Do not worry. They are already coming from all directions to save you.]
‘To save…… me?’
[Yes. You are not the only factor that can lead to victory.]
‘…….’
At those words, someone's promise naturally came to mind.
“I will definitely come to save you.”
The words he had said while looking at me with such sincerity. Feeling my heart throb, I unconsciously called out his name.
‘Nathaniel…….’