✔ How To Tame A Succubus

[32] Vela

I really don't know why I'm in Tartarus.

Sa totoo lang, wala na rin namang saysay. Merlin already chose his path and his companions. He already made it clear that I am nothing but a mean to whatever his goal is. A play thing, a tool, a temporary object he can easily discard when he gets tired of me. Gusto kong sabihin na nasaktan lang ang succubus ego ko sa mga ginawa niya, pero mas accurate pa ring aminin na...

'Oh, shut it,' my mind immediately stopped that train of thought. 'Wala kang aaminin at wala kang dapat aminin.'

Inis akong napasabunot sa sarili ko. Sa ganda kong ito, malapit na talaga akong maging haggard nang dahil lang sa pesteng wizard in training na 'yon! Sana mabaog siya! Grrr!

But here I am, strolling the streets of Tartarus until I reached the familiar old shop.

Hesitantly, I walked towards the withered hand impatiently tapping on the wood.

"Supplier, right? Look, hindi ko alam kung bakit ako pumunta rito... at kung bakit dala-dala ko ang librong ito..." napalunok ako sabay baling sa librong nakabalot ng tela. I cradled it in my arms as if I wasn't the infamous and cursed Grimoire of Forbidden Spells. Maya-maya pa, huminga ako nang malalim at matalim na tiningnan ang pangit na kamay. "Screw that. Nandito ako dahil gusto kong magbaka-sakaling alam mo kung anong nasa isip ni Merlin noong iniwan niya ito sa'kin. I know, I know... but I don't know anyone else I can talk to about this. Kasama niya ngayon si Johannes at ang malanding witch... apart from them, I assume you know how his mind works since he's been buying all kinds of voodoo's from your shop."

Not to mention that the Supplier literaly exchanges it for Merlin's life, which is a creepy and unnecessary payment, but whatever.

Lumipas ang ilang sandali, tumigil sa pagtapik sa kahoy ang Supplier.

The creature then magically disappeared and grabbed a doorknob from the darkness. Inabot niya ito sa akin. Napataas ako ng kilay. Anong gagawin ko rito, panghampas kay Merlin para matauhan siya? Well, that's not a bad idea at all.

But the Supplier pointed to somewhere besides his shop's window.

Doon ko napansin ang isang lumang pinto. I stared at the doorknob again and for the nth time, questioned myself for doing crazy things. Baliw lang siguro talaga ako at sumunod sa pinapagawa niya.

I fixed the doorknob on the long-forgotten door and opened it.

A moment later, the door suddenly opened and revealed a pitch black scenery ahead. Bago pa man ako makalayo, mabilis akong hinila ng malalaki at pangit na mga kamay ng Supplier papasok ng kanyang shop.

"KYAAAAAAAAH!"

The door closed behind me. I grunted in pain as my ass hit the wooden floorboards of this rundown place. Muntikan ko nang mabitiwan ang Grimoire of Forbidden Spells, kaya't mabilis ko itong niyakap. Correction, I am not being protective of this stupid book because Merlin left it to me. Not at all! Wala na akong pakialam sa wizard in training na 'yon.

"Apologies about that, young lady. Kailangang manatiling isang sikreto ang pagkakakilanlan ko," an old man's voice soon filled the void.

Sa isang kisapmata, napuno ng liwanag na nanggagaling sa mga lampara ang buong shop at tumambad sa harapan ko ang huling taong inaasahan kong makita rito.

"I-Ikaw ang Supplier?"

The old man nodded, his robes dragged along the floodboards. Someone as powerful as him looked so out of place in a rickety and outdated shop like this in Tartarus.

"Matagal na akong nagmamanman kay Merlin at kina Nian. And I'm afraid that as we speak, your wizard is in grave danger," the old man said na sat on a chair, seemingly lost in thought as he stared at the book in my hands. "Puro kamalasan lamang ang hatid ng librong 'yan, kapalit ng kapangyarihang nakatago sa mga pahina nito."

Tila ba bumigat nang sampung beses ang librong hawak ko. I can imagine that the power surrounding the Grimoire of Forbidden Spells has already poisoned a lot if its safekeepers in the past.

'Merlin, ano bang ginagawa mo?'

"Hindi ko maintindihan... but if Merlin is in danger, shouldn't we save him?! Nasaan sila ngayon?"

"Calm down, young lady."

I gritted my teeth, sick of this. "I am NOT young nor am I a lady. I am a succubus, for fuck's sake! Kung totoong may pakialam ka kay Merlin, tutulungan mo akong iligtas siya!"

"I understand that your previous contract with Meric intertwined your fate with Merlin. But succubus or not, we shouldn't act recklessly."

Natigilan ako nang marinig ko ang sinabi niya. Nanlamig ang mga kamay ko habang hawak-hawak ang libro. My mind suddenly filled with blurry memories, fragments and shadows. The image of Meric I saw in their old house felt vaguely familiar.

"C-Contract? With Meric?"

Master Zephir nodded and handed me a folder containing files. "Kung tama ang mga hinala ko, hindi isang 'coincidence' ang gabing nagkrus ang mga landas ninyo ni Merlin. From the looks of it, his dead brother already made a bargain with you in the past."

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