The interior of the apartment was just as terrible as the exterior; even just looking at the walls and random piles of scraps in the hallways was enough to make me think I had contracted a disease.
The madman I was currently looking for was renting the apartment on the top floor, the only room in the entire building to even have a window.
And for someone in possession of the amulet, it would make sense that something that even allowed the slightest bit of light was the one room he chose.
Because the madman wasn't just a madman, he was a half-demon.
And without the amulet, his mother, a demoness, would take his soul.
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
"Anyone home?"
I waited, no response after ten seconds.
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
"Hello...? This is Vanyan's room, isn't it?"
I waited again, but this time, something finally responded.
"Who are you...? How do you know my name?"
That voice was undoubtedly the person I was looking for, even if it was muffled; the sheer and utter despair in his voice was enough to make his identity clear.
And if I wanted more confirmation... the demonic energy that was released the moment he spoke was another clear indicator of his identity.
"I may be able to help with your... demon problem."
CREAK!
It didn't even take a second this time for me to get a response; he just opened the door without hesitation, his red glowing eyes peering through the small opening in the door.
"I'm listening..."
"The amulet gives you temporary relief... but since the demon's influence is directly in your blood, you can still feel some of the pain, correct?"
The madman nodded, confirming my statement.
And now with everything perfect and confirmed, the rest was set for me to make a deal, his sanity for the amulet, a fair deal if I have to say so myself.
"The amulet for your freedom." I smiled, grabbing the doorknob and opening the door even wider.
"What do you say?"
The madman thought about my offer for a brief moment. It was risky, even lethal, to accept my offer, but even if he refused, he would still suffer years of torment just to eventually get his soul taken by his demonic mother.
So... even if he died now... it wouldn't make a difference.
He had nothing to lose anymore.
"D-Deal..."
I entered the room, and to my surprise, it was even worse than what I had already seen from the apartment itself; either the madman was too mentally gone, or the demonic influence made his room look worse than it actually was.
"Take a seat, give me time to prepare."
I responded, what I was about to do was fairly experimental.
Because for Julius, the method he used to obtain the amulet was through divine magic, using his light attunement to sever the blood connection between him and the demoness completely.
But I didn't have the luxury of light attunement, the counter to demonic magic. In my case, I had to use fire against fire.
Or to be more accurate, darkness against darkness.
"If it... if it gets out of hand, kill me... quickly."
The madman looked me dead in the eye; it was clear that if I somehow botched the operation, he didn't want to suffer the pain that came with it.
"Very well..."
But if there was one thing that made me confident that the operation would be successful, it was Beelzebub's ring... even if it was only partially active.
I still had the presence of a demon prince, even if it's just a very small fragment of one.
And in the demonic hierarchy, a demon prince is always higher than normal demons.
[Call of Oblivion]
I placed my hand on the madman's forehead, using darkness to draw a pentagram, to summon the cause of his suffering and face it head-on.
"Heed my call..."
Unlike before, I didn't know the demoness' name; the novel never really said it. Julius had managed to sever the connection without even needing it.
But once again... I have the ring to my advantage.
[Demon Prince (Partial)]
In an instant, the madman's eyes turned white, his body collapsing onto his bed, and from the pentagram I inscribed in his forehead.
The demoness had revealed itself.
And with it came corruption, the room itself shaking and crumbling from her presence alone, and just Beelzebub, she had used magic to separate the room into a completely different realm to prevent anyone from intervening.
"B-Beelzebub...?"
She had fully manifested now, sitting on the edge of the bed.
With skin as pale as now, violet eyes that swirled with the souls of her victims, and clothing meant to tempt men.
She... was a succubi, and quite a high-ranking one at that, as expected of someone capable of piercing some of the amulet's defences.
"Wait... you're not Beelzebub..."
She tilted her head.
"No, but I guess you can call me something similar."
And now that the stage had been set... all I needed to do was lie and bluff until I managed to convince her to leave.
Because in truth... she was far stronger than I am.
Even for me... this was on another level of reckless, because unlike for Beelzebub, I had no leverage here.
'The things I do for love...'