Chapter 32: The hidden route of the Demons of the Chasm (3)
Beelzebub threw the ingredients of the highest quality into his cauldron.
He had prepared them beforehand and made sure everything was more than perfect. His skillful hands had tossed them like trash, and any alchemist would have shed a tear upon seeing their precious resources treated this way.
But if they knew that it was Beelzebub doing that, they probably would have shoved into his hands more of the ingredients earned by their hard work and fame.
Wetherell surely was filled with anticipation and looked forward to seeing what his master would conjure next.
If he was in such a state, then Bruno's was beyond the roof. Fortunately, he could still look at his teacher's alchemy.
Beelzebub used his newest magic and its evolution, then drew lines in the cauldron. His new skill made the water stir exactly the way he desired, with perfect intensity and amount.
Controlling his flames, Beelzebub started melting resources in the perfect order, having all under his control as elements were under his perfect and orderly command.
The process lasted around three hours.
At last, something akin to red dough filled the entire cauldron.
Bruno and Wetherell couldn't imagine what exactly it was… there was just too much of it. It wasn't a pill nor a potion, and their alchemy was too limited to understand what more Beelzebub could have possibly prepared.
None of them believed that David had failed, though.
Beelzebub then gave a spotlight to his masterpiece, gently stuffing it inside the cauldron. He used a little of his flames to activate the pearl, making the whole mass of unknown paste flash with greenish veins.
Wetherell's eyes expanded upon seeing that. "It looked like an organ for a second…"
"For organ, that is." Beelzebub slightly curved his lips into a smile, his voice frightening his two students. "It's not really a real organ, nor am I an alchemist that can give birth to a life. But no person would be able to distinguish a real organ from this one."
Showing them what he meant would make things much easier, which Beelzebub did.
He gripped the knife and started sculpting inside the mass, carefully digging inside. Beelzebub ensured his creation was flawless by flicking his knife a few times, then turning around the mass to inspect every angle. Meanwhile, his students stood breathless, nervously waiting to see what David would take out from the cauldron.
At last, Beelzebub raised his right hand and presented the human heart to his students. "Only a real glutton would be able to feel the difference between this heart and a real one."
Since he wanted his pearl to fuse poison into the mass from which he would sculpt many hearts, Beelzebub put the heart back into the cauldron and turned to his students.
Wetherell woke up first from his stupor. "The demons devour hearts! So Master David wants them to eat poisoned hearts and die a natural death?"
"Something like that." Beelzebub nodded and headed to a faucet to clean his hands.
The two other alchemists needed to take seats to comprehend what their master and teacher just had done… it seemed like the last alchemy craft was the nail in the coffin, which had shut down their heads.
They overheated from too many wonders.
Beelzebub found a seat for himself as well.
Bruno rubbed his eyes and turned to his teacher. "How can we feed demons with those hearts? Will we sacrifice more villagers?"
Having more understanding of what was happening in his village, Bruno's voice scratched Wetherell's heart as he sounded young, naive, and hopeless. He didn't want to see more deaths and be free from the burden… alas, things weren't so simple.
The old man remained silent.
Beelzebub shook his head. "I have a way. No sacrifices needed."
"I'm glad!" Bruno audibly sighed with relief while the old man next to him silently expressed his reprieve.
For the man with shelves of experience, Wetherell was ready for more than sacrifice.
He was already working with a demon, wasn't he?
So he was also content that there was no need for more deaths.
"We'll continue our work tomorrow. There's a lot we must prepare." Beelzebub had rested enough and lifted himself off his seat to leave the workplace.
That was when his heart ached, reminding him of the price he'd paid for bringing the legendary skills to their peak.
He sank back into his chair and grimaced. His hand instinctively clutched his chest.
Beelzebub fought to catch some breath, painstakingly controlling his breathing. He spent an unknown amount of time with his eyes closed, listening to nothing but his rough breathing.
"Is it over, teacher?" Bruno asked with concern all over him.
Beelzebub nodded and slowly rose to his feet. "No man is flawless… having no flaw is also a flaw, Bruno."
"Yours is too much…" Bruno wasn't so easily convinced.
Beelzebub smirked, basking the young man in a rare show of The Lord Of Soul's arrogance. "For I am a great man."
-
Wetherell saw off his master and young disciple to the gates.
None had uttered words, mainly due to exhaustion and Beelzebub's flaw. They didn't want to bombard the demon with more concerns and questions that ultimately wouldn't solve anything.
And when he was ready to bid farewell, Wetherell noticed one of his disciples. "I told you to not come today."
The disciple was a girl of Bruno's age, a young adult. Her future was good in the Williard Village, for Wetherell often praised her talent and had her helping hand in creating various medicines for the village. She was known to be his successor.
All of that was a recipe for high self-esteem and arrogance.
But she was also not a stupid girl.
Noticing how Beelzebub stood in the middle and at the helm of the three, the disciple understood that he was someone from abroad and his skills topped Wetherell! He also didn't seem that old, possibly only a few years older… which meant there was a chance.
A chance to get him to teach her! But that didn't seem enough…
Therefore, the girl went for even more.
"I love you, Master!" The girl exclaimed in the softest and most tender voice she could utter.
And as Beelzebub's dark eyes fell on her, she felt her heart clenching with stress and affection. "I see myself so well in your black eyes… you make me feel like a star that shines only for you…."
At that moment, it seemed as though the blanket of coldness fell upon everyone on the scene.
Wetherell shivered as he was the closest to Beelzebub. He saw a change in David's eyes that made him sweat and shiver from fear — it was as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water on his back.
In those dark abyss eyes, which always made humans like him question themselves, Wetherell caught a glimpse of cracks of madness spreading across his hues.
It was as though the real demon was cresting his way up to materialize in Beelzebub's soul.
Bruno couldn't see this much and was more focused on the girl who confessed. He knew her, for she was his village's most known young alchemist. She was also so cute! Her cuteness and skills had gathered a lot of pursuers around her.
It was no wonder she had confessed to his teacher!
Thus, while Bruno looked forward to what David would say, Wetherell's heart stopped when he noticed that Beelzebub raised his hand high.
Would he strangle the girl to death? Would he finally do what demons do best?
But what happened next was different.
David strongly put his hand on the girl's head and caught her hair. "I take a fancy to voluptuous and older women."
He roughly stroked her hair and even gave her a noogie before letting her go. And as he went past the girl without letting her reply to him, the shadows once again covered Beelzebub's face, for he couldn't forget the unpleasant memories so easily.
Fortunately, he was sane enough to not hurt someone innocent and stupid.
Wetherell wiped beads of sweat off his forehead, sighing with immense relief.
Bruno chuckled and nodded, following his teacher with a bright smile.
"Eh? He's gone off like that…." The disciple pursed her lips and sulked.
Wetherell cast his enraged eyes on her and declared to the guards. "This girl is no longer my disciple. She no longer has any place in my residence. I'll fire anyone who lets her in. My maids will send your stuff to your house."
"Eh?! Ehhhh?!"
One simply does not confess to Beelzebub.