The Devil's On Me

009. Eyeballs of fire

The sturdy man stood towering with a frown looking at someone who was now receiving the royal crown making all those present in the royal throne room bow their heads in salute to their new king—Virga Rahacky—the successor to the throne of Eternal Ice.

King Samuel himself had given a mandate to his right-hand man to Virga as his successor. Of course it was the words of Virga and his people who had planned this all.

One of them stood with a hardened expression, clenching their fists unwelcome with what had just happened. Ceremony the surrender of the throne that should have received the royal crown was himself neither Virga nor anyone else. But, the rightful one is himself— Jhosep— the king's younger brother.

Jhosep looked at the new king who was now standing swaggeringly in front of all the royal members. Standing in his oversized robes made all heads look down respectfully, none of them dared to raise their heads before the king pleased. And that makes Jhosep even more unacceptable.

After the ceremony was over, all withdrew to enjoy the prepared banquet. They could still enjoy the feast while King Samuel was lying on his bed.

"Tsk, you did all this on purpose... in order to become the new king soon, right?" Jhosep muttered by tapping his index finger on his drink glass. "After all, this surrender of the throne is completely unreasonable. If you look at the family tree, it should be me who deserves to be the new king, not that cunning human being." Jhosep continued by hardening his jaw.

The man then put his drink back on the table, then stepped forward towards the floor to go up to meet his brother—King Samuel who has now been suspended from his throne. Because he was unable to carry out his obligations as a king.

Jhosep reached the top floor, he saw that his brother was still lying weakly on his mattress. He, too, slowly approached by looking at the body full of wounds that had been snaking. In fact, peeling off and making new wounds on other parts of his body.

"Actually, what disease do you have, brother?" Jhosep asked by thinning his lips, then gasping in surprise as King Samuel's body suddenly dried like an apple bitten and was left for a few days. "Brother?"

There was no reply from King Samuel, his body was now like a skull wrapped in skin.

"What did you do to King Samuel?" The voice behind him made Jhosep turn his head in shock and immediately blinked in shocked eyes when he saw Virga there.

Stand with all the members of the kingdom who came to visit the old king.

"Isn't it forbidden to meet the king alone like this? Even so, I was appointed as the new king, it does not mean that you can underestimate the rules that King Samuel has made a long time ago." Resolute Virga now approached and stood beside Jhosep, "I am only a temporary king, King Samuel is still the king of the kingdom of Eternal Ice. So, you... which has always been the cause of royal troubles, it is strictly forbidden to meet the king like this." Virga continued with his cold gaze.

"The king... Samuel... his body!" The appointment of one of the royal members made Virga, who had just realized, immediately widened his eyes in shock.

"What have you done to the king?!" His jerk at the clueless Jhosep.

"What did I do? You're suddenly disrespectful to your own uncle, Virga?" Jhosep gasped in shock as two swords were pointed at his neck.

"Be careful speaking, now I am a king, uncle." Virga retorted by sharpening his gaze.

The young man wearing a bone-white robe turned to the king who was still on the bed, "quick... Brackets and punish him! Because you have dared to do this against the king?!" Virga's order told two of his soldiers to pull Jhosep away from there.

Jhosep smiled crookedly, staring at everything standing behind Virga.

"You all must have planned for this all. Since Prince Yatara is not there, you guys are going to be casual." The male said, pulled roughly by the two soldiers who had already gone down to the ground floor.

"What about king Samuel's state? Is the king dead?"

"Take care of your remarks! The king is only sick, the king will be back to heal by tomorrow morning." Virga said confidently then hardened his jaw, looking at the king's stiff body that had dried up like a skull.

No one dared to ask further about what disease exactly the king had. All that really knew, was their new king—Virga Rahacky. It was the young man who held the key and also the control, over everything the king experienced. Of course, only Virga knows, other members of the kingdom can only guess without being able to prove. Because if they get caught by Virga, their lives will be threatened.

***

Theodoric sighed bitterly as he held his knees feeling tired already down the seemingly endless path that made him eager to lie down and rest for a while. However, the figure with him did not allow him at all to just take a breath.

"Hhhh... isn't it, you should... let me... Just take a short break? How... if I... die? Prince... Yatara that... must also be... will... be in... condition... danger, right?" Theodoric said tossing and turning, fixing the straps of his backpack behind his back.

Edgar, who was standing far in front of him, turned his head for a moment, raised his eyebrows high and then blinked his eyes flatly watching Theodoric from head to toe.

"You shouldn't rest now, because there is still a long way to go." Edgar said coldly.

"Tsk, then give me a horse or whatever it is, let it get to the destination quickly." Said Theodoric was even more annoyed at Edgar's cold reply.

"Nothing, it's only reserved for the royal army." Obviously Edgar squinted at one of the roads ahead of them that looked dark.

Edgar placed his forefinger over both lips, motioning Theodoric to be quiet. The young man panicked Theo even more, as he pulled out his sword standing ready to wait for the enemy who seemed to have been lurking ever since.

The arrows shot in front of them making Edgar dodge with his sword. Meanwhile, Theodoric dodges by dropping himself rough on the ground in front of him.

"Gosh, my heart." Panicking Theodoric as he clutched his pounding chest uncomfortably, Edgar just clicked. The silver-haired young man approached the tree behind him that was strung with arrows there. His eyebrows were raised high recognizing the arrow whose eyes had already been poisoned.

"Does anyone want to kill us now?" Theodoric asked whispering to Edgar who didn't respond to him at all. The sound of litter and also the bushes behind them put the two on standby.

Edgar gripped the hilt of his sword even more with a glare, in contrast to Theodoric who had raised both fists that seemed to be shaking.

Someone darted in front of the two of them, more precisely dragging Theodoric's body until it hit the back of the tree making the young man cough a little. His pupils dilated perfectly when he saw the female figure now staring at him coldly. Her long hair was in a high pigtail with her light purple eye beads. On his forehead it was like there was a scribble in the shape of a flower leaf but thinner, the scribble was also on both cheeks.

"Karina?"

Edgar approached by confirming that the person who was still pressing Theodoric's neck was Karina— Princess of the kingdom of Valeria.

"What did the royal princess Valeria do to the point of wandering into the territory of Eternal Ice?" Edgar asked closer, making the petite-faced woman pull away making Theodoric breathe a sigh of relief.

The light purple-eyed girl did not respond to Edgar's question, instead snatching her arrows that Edgar was still holding.

"Why should I say it to you who is just a prince's bodyguard who turned out to be a betrayer?" Karina said putting the arrow back in her pouch behind her back.

Her left hand was still holding her crossbow which instantly disappeared as the girl closed her fingers making Theodoric who accidentally noticed widened his eyes in shock.

"Keep your talking!"

Karina clucked faintly at Edgar's jerk, the woman turned her head for a moment at Theodoric who was stepping back. Inexplicably felt intimidated by Karina's cold gaze.

"Why are there humans here? Actually, what plan have you laid out with Yatara?"

Edgar was silent for a moment, "you know, Yatara?" said Theodoric now smiling.

"Of course, the entire people of Eternal Ice must be familiar with the crown prince. We the people of the neighboring kingdom also knew the prince who he said would inherit his father's throne." Karina said with a wry smile. "But, it turned out to be wrong... his successor to the throne is not Yatara, but rather his own cousin, Virga Rahacky." Obviously Karina still didn't finish thinking.

Edgar, who heard that, rounded his eyes in shock, "You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"I just came back from the throne handover ceremony in your kingdom. You... really don't know?" Edgar shook his head softly, saying yes. "Can the kingdom of Eternal Ice last for so long? If one by one leaves the palace. No, rather expelled from the palace." Karina's satires then stood up straight, staring at Theodoric straight.

"Where is Prince Yatara? You are now leaving Yatara just to make friends with humans?" Karina accused her of raising her eyebrows high.

"Prince Yatara is in this kid's body." Edgar explained, pointing to Theodoric beside him.

"You know for yourself how the temperature of the human world is, because it can't stand the heat of the sun there. The prince chose to hide temporarily inside his sword, but... all fell apart when Theodoric touched his flame sword prince." Obviously Edgar paused for a moment, "the prince's sword was absorbed into this kid's body, and until now the prince has been unable to get out." Edgar continued with his serious expression.

"So, you mean... prince Yatara is trapped in this lowly human body?" Hearing that Theodoric suddenly smiled sarcastically, feeling offended. "You guys are now going to go see Queen Shaniell?" The girl asked mentioning the queen who guards the eternal flower in the center of the Eternal Ice kingdom.

Only certain people can meet the queen who has a crown of her own horns.

"Are you sure you can meet Queen Shaniell?" Edgar fiddled shoulder not knowing, so hesitated himself to hear Karina's remark.

Theodoric, who had been gawking at the sight of the two men who were talking things he didn't understand, came forward and stood between the two. "You can explain first, what happened just now? Who is she?" Theodoric's point was impolite on Karina's pretty face.

"Yes, because Queen Shaniell will be willing to help Prince Yatara." Edgar explained to Karina, the two of them were compactly ignoring Theodoric there, as if the young man was a creature not rough to the eye.

"It seems that you have to change this kid's clothes quickly. Otherwise, many people will suspect it later." Karina's suggestion looked at the Theodoric hoodie that made the girl glaze faintly.

"You have?" Edgar asked, hoping Karina would help.

"Hm, but no matter how many layers he wears real clothes here. It won't be able to get rid of the smell of his body." Karina said again, Theodoric was even more offended by sniffing his own body. "The smell of man is very conspicuous, so as much as possible you have to find a way to keep him from smelling anymore." Resolutely Karina ducked faintly, looking at the ground they were walking on suddenly shaking violently. "Earthquake?"

Theodoric was already panicking himself, approaching the tree and hugging the trunk of the strong tree. Unlike him, Edgar and Karina instead spread out and find out what really happened.

A little later, all returned to normal. There was no more tremor that made Karina get closer to Edgar who also felt the same way as her.

"There seems to be a strange power emerging,"

"Hm, right. A power that has never existed in your kingdom before or in mine." Karina said sharpening her gaze.

The two of them were still circulating their gazes around, until they were unconscious from just now Theodoric felt that there was something strange about his body. The young man felt something hot emerge from inside his skin making him clenched his hands tightly.

Karina and Edgar, who only came to their senses when they heard Theodoric's pain, immediately turned their heads. Both frowned at the sight of the young man now ducking with his eyes closed, with sweat flooding Theodoric's temples making Edgar so anxious.

"You're okay?" Edgar asked approaching, touching the young man's body which immediately made Edgar flinch in shock and looked at his blistered palm like burning.

Karina, who saw that, squinted. Slowly pulling Edgar's body away from Theodoric which now saw a blaze coming out of the young man's body.

"W-what exactly happened?" Edgar murmured incredulously in what he had just seen.

"Just look at it first, it seems... the child's body and Yatara will be completely united."

"What do you mean?"

Karina didn't answer, the girl just focused her gaze on the young man in front of there who slowly opened her eyes making her brown irises transform into irises like fireballs that were now burning bushes in front of her.

Edgar, who was bowing his body, slowly stood up straight, even more convinced that in Theodoric's body there was really the prince he had been looking for. Moreover, the eyeballs he used to see in Prince Yatara is now on Theodoric's eyeballs.