You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 118

âDa-on, you seem⦠fine?â
Han Jae-young, who had been rushing toward us, stopped upon seeing James Chen lying on the floor.

The transformation had already been undone.
Honestly, it was a relief that Han Jae-young wasnât seeing me in my transformed form. It wouldnât have been a pleasant sight.
âAnd this one doesnât seem fine at all. What on earth did you do? How did you end up in this situation?â

âWell, I donât know either. He just fell over here on his own?â
When lying, itâs troublesome if your face gives you away. I answered shamelessly.
âAnd I didnât really do anything. He was already half-dead, so it was easy to subdue him.â

At those words, James Chen glared at me fiercely. His eyes seemed to have a lot to say.
But that was only for a moment.
As soon as our eyes met, James immediately dropped his head.

There was still white foam from the pain around his mouth.
Iâm glad heâs aware enough.
If he had acted recklessly, I had planned to move the âGodoâ within him right away.

âGlad to see Da-on is fine, butâ¦â
Han Jae-young turned his gaze toward Layla.
His eyes seemed to be trying to squeeze even the moisture out of dry sand, filled with suspicion.

âI suspect this might have been intentional, Lopez.â
ââ¦Iâm sorry, itâs my fault.â
Layla admitted it with a pale face.

âBut it wasnât intentional. It seems my skill didnât work properly because I wasnât in the best conditionâ¦â
âIs that your excuse?â
âWait a moment, Hunter Han Jae-young.â
I stopped Han Jae-young, who was about to interrogate Layla.

âNothing happened in the end, right? Itâs just lucky we didnât miss him.â
âExcuse me?â
Han Jae-young looked at me in disbelief.

âAre you being threatened or something? Why are you siding with Lopez? Maybe try being on my side for once?â
âItâs true that sheâs not in good condition. Itâs true sheâs injured.â
âAnd after all these years of Lopezâs experience, are you using that as an excuseâ¦?â

While I was bickering with Han Jae-young unnecessarily, Yoo Han-ul silently approached James and tied his hands and feet even tighter before speaking.
âFirst, letâs get out of here. The police should be waiting outside.â
Lee Pyeong-hwa had arranged to contact the police at the scheduled time and wait outside. Then, after appearing in front of the police outside the dungeon, we planned to arrest James Chen as well.

âAnyway, even if Lopez Hunter clears her name of the embezzlement charge, sheâll still have to explain why all this happened.â
Yoo Han-ul cast a strict gaze on both James Chen and Layla Lopez.
That gaze lingered on me for a brief moment before moving away.

âIf there was something else, something different from what weâve discussed⦠the investigation will uncover it.â
When I mentioned the plan earlier, they followed without much objection, but I guess they didnât fully trust me.
It made sense, though, considering Yoo Han-ulâs personality.

He would follow my lead, since I was the victim, but not trust Layla.
It wasnât just the outcome, but the process that mattered, a personality trait that hadnât changed since my past life.
âTheyâre not going to do a proper investigation anyway⦠Never mind, talking about it would just make things worse.â

Han Jae-young, who hadnât trusted my words or Laylaâs, shrugged his shoulders.
He seemed to be saving his words, probably because this wasnât the first time heâd had these kinds of conversations with her.
Meanwhile, I met Laylaâs eyes, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange.

Layla nodded slightly.
Iâll send you the destination coordinates.
 
Layla had faithfully followed my instructions.

As soon as the inventory scan was successful, she calculated and sent me the destination of the teleportation magic item James Chen had.
She could do that because it was an item she had made herself.
Even teleportation magic items werenât perfect, though, and had a limited range.

Keep Han Jae-young and Yoo Han-ul busy.
 
At the same time, I had successfully bought some time, keeping the fact hidden from both Han Jae-young and Yoo Han-ul.
Thanks to that, we were able to capture James Chen safely.

I spoke to Layla.
âLayla Lopez, congratulations. With this, you can get James to confess and clear your name.â
At those words, Laylaâs eyes widened for a moment before trembling slightly.

It was hard to tell what the fleeting emotion was, and soon she lowered her head even more.
ââ¦Yeah, thanks.â
âThanks, you say.â

It looked like a heartwarming scene.
I smiled for the first time in a while.
It had been a satisfying deal.

When I first suggested the deal to Layla Lopezâ¦

âA deal? What do you meanâ¦?â
âIâll clear your name.â

âWhat did you say?â
Layla looked at me, her face showing that she couldnât quite believe what she had heard.
âClear my name⦠You? Why would you do that?â

âI said itâs a deal.â
Her questions were understandable, but I had something I needed from this woman.
âI need your power.â

âI donât understand.â
Layla asked, her eyes trembling.
âYou need my power, but⦠What⦠Youâre already such a powerful magician. Why would you need me?â

Though she spoke as though her pride had been hurt, it was undeniably true.
âPower doesnât always mean magic.â
As a great magician, it probably bruised her ego, but in human society, there were things more important than magic.

âInformation, power, and capital that I can control. Thatâs the kind of power I need.â
I had realized something painfully recently.
No matter how strong I was as a grand magician, or how much of a Demon King I had been in my past lifeâ¦

âDamn military.â
As a citizen of South Korea, having awakened as a hunter, I had no choice but to fulfill mandatory military service.
It was a truly annoying shackle.

In that sense, Layla Lopez was the perfect person to move in my stead.
At least I had confirmed that she wasnât involved with Orbis.
âAnd she has potential.â

Her unique skill, Inventory Scan, was very useful, and I was also envious of her item crafting ability.
Once she cleared her name, it would be easy for her to rise through the ranks of the Hunter Association again.
That way, my scope of action would expand as well.

Though her weak political connections were a bit concerning, I could always substitute that with another pawn.
âSo⦠When I return, youâre planning to use me as your pawn, right?â
Layla didnât just go along with the deal easily.

âPawn? What are you talking about? Weâll help each other out.â
That was closer to the truth.
I was going to use all her resources.

âBut even if thatâs the case, do you think you need to be concerned?â
I calmly placed my hand on Laylaâs shoulder.
Layla instinctively tried to pull away, but with her hands tied, it was futile.

âIf you donât accept the deal, youâll be finished anyway.â
âUgh!â
âIâm giving you a lifeline.â

When I applied pressure to her shoulder, it trembled under my grip.
âDonât you want to clear your name?â
âIâ¦â

âYouâve been developing items for everyone, right?â
I said in a tone that seemed pitiful.
âBut if you fall like this⦠everything youâve done will belong to someone else⦠What was his name? James Chen?â

At my words, Layla swallowed.
And finally.
In her eyes, filled with despair and pain, a fire of anger and desire burned brightly.

I knew this would happen.
Layla Lopez had always taken great pride in her career.
She had fought fiercely to reclaim her status, even if it meant kidnapping me.

ââ¦Iâ¦â
Layla hesitated, her lips twitching, before she finally asked.
âCan I ask you something?â

âSure.â
âWhy do you need my power?â
It was a heavy question.

âDoes it really matter?â
âIt does. Honestly, you could cooperate with someone else instead of me.â
âThatâs true.â

âBut why are you using my weakness and making this deal, what kind of favor are you asking forâ¦â
Layla trailed off, as if she was afraid of what I might ask.
What should I answer her?

The honest answer was⦠that I wanted to kill my past lifeâs kin and protect my present kin.
âWell, itâs not important.â
I didnât need to reveal my weaknesses to Layla.

Then, what should I say to this question?
As I was pondering, I suddenly read the message that appeared in front of me.

ââ¦To save the world?â

The system asks for your help on the âSAVE THE WORLDâ quest.
 
I had been ignoring it, but it had always popped up in the corner of my vision when I wasnât paying attention.
âWhat?â

Layla responded incredulously.
âSave the world? What an absurd and meaningless thing to sayâ¦â
âYeah, itâs a meaningless thing to say.â

I thought so too.
But when you think about it, it wasnât entirely wrong.
Killing Orbis would, in the end, save this world.

Even if that wasnât my intention.
Laylaâs eyes, which had been studying my expression, seemed to glimmer with an unknown light for a moment before closing as if in thought.
ââ¦Alright.â

After a long pause, she finally said it.
âLetâs make the deal.â
I smiled brightly for the first time in a while.

âGood choice! Weâre going to be great trading partners.â
âSo now, youâll undo this?â
Layla gestured toward the handcuffs that bound her.

âThe deal has been made, right?â
âOh no, not yet.â
Thereâs no way a deal with a devil would be that easy.

âWeâve made the deal, but the foundation of any deal is trust. But youâre the one who tried to kidnap me and hand me over as an experiment.â
âHuh?â
âIf I let you go, you might change your mind and refuse to help me, even if I ask for it.â

ââ¦If youâre going to say that, why did you offer me a deal in the first place?â
âIâm just saying we need a safety net in our relationship.â
As my finger touched Laylaâs chin, she grimaced in discomfort.

âDo you want to write up a contract? I donât have an item with binding power right now, but I can make one after we leave here if you want.â
âAh, no need. I have it. An item that can bind you.â
âReally? Then letâs use that. Now, free my hands.â

âNo, the safety measure Iâve prepared can work without using your hands.â
âWhat kind of device⦠ugh!â
I approached Layla and firmly grabbed her chin and neck.

Being held by me, Layla couldnât say a word, only silently staring at me.
In her eyes, I could still see traces of mistrust.
Probably because I had shot at her legs earlier.

Doing good deeds will bring blessings â The quest is ongoing.
 
Even the system seemed to doubt me, flashing this message.
âDonât worry too much. Iâm not going to kill you. As I said, Iâm just installing a safety measure.â

I donât trust human promises.
Especially not from someone who could sacrifice others for their own goals.
When I pried open Laylaâs mouth with my finger, she gasped in shock.

âBe careful not to bite your tongue.â
Then, I took the opportunity to pour the âGodoâ into her open mouth.
Layla twisted her body in surprise, but the worms filled with my blood quickly slithered down her throat.

I saw tiny, rice-sized worms quickly burrowing into her body through her skin.
âW-What is this?!â
When I confirmed the worms had fully entered her body and released her chin, Layla started writhing wildly.

âI-I-itchy. It itches! What did you make me eat?!â
She couldnât scratch herself due to her tied hands, and she struggled desperately.
âYou made a deal, didnât you? So why are you like this?!â

The system reminds âJeong Da-onâ of the ongoing âDo Good Deeds, Receive Blessings?â quest.
User âJeong Da-onâ cannot act in socially inappropriate ways!
 

I shouldnât let the stats drop here.
I quickly grabbed Laylaâs hand and poured magic into it.
The itching that had tormented her body stopped immediately, and she froze.

I guess the pain had vanished as if it were a lie.
Layla stared at me in disbelief.
âWhat is thisâ¦?â

âWelcome, Layla.â
I said warmly, hugging her and releasing the ropes binding her hands.
Her body trembled, terrified.

Iâd explain what she ate and how sheâd need to regularly get magic from me to stop the pain. I would tell her later.
Was it too much for her to want revenge after just a little suffering?
Well, I am a demon, after all.

âI look forward to working with you.â
And a contract with a demon is always unfair.