Temporary bride for the demon overlord-Chapter 34: Ryan’s pawn

Alphonse summoned Marlutz as he was going, warping the air to and increasing the heat to an almost offensive crescendo and erasing the memories of those beside him.

Many stared at him wide eyed, but none will remember what happened once he left.

He could feel the tug of his emotion, each one wanting him to act on it.

Anger was a blinding haze that threatened to consume him, his deep rooted protectiveness over Karma unsettled him.

He wasn’t the one for such actions. And with this, he had only made himself more of a target. He feared Karma had already been dragged into the demon politics whether or not she was okay with it.

Marlutz appeared with a slight pop, akin to bursting a bubble. His long nose was raised in the air with obvious distaste, though he smacked his lips eagerly at the rising fume of darkness.

A nurse bumped into Marlutz and opened her mouth to scream in shock. But Alphonse got to her first. Placing a finger on her forehead, he murmured.

"Wenmil lyasatia," the nurse’s eyes suddenly glazed, she bowed and smiled placidly, going her merry way.

"This is quite unnecessary. It’s just adding more chores for yourself!" Marlutz complained bitterly.

He hates the smell that was always present in the human realm. Which doesn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t rapidly devour their suffering and anguish.

A trait that made Alphonse want to puke.

"My car," he said with no further words.

Marlutz knew this was indeed very urgent and dangerous. Alphonse had summoned him in the full view of humans? Knowing fully well that he was breaking a rule and how much strength it consumes to alter a memory?

Dire indeed.

They finally reached the secluded parking lot, and Alphonse entered his car without waiting for him to do the same.

His claw-like fingers were definitely unaccustomed to opening the car door, so he simply appeared inside the car.

"Master." He revered. This was not the time for silly pranks.

Whatever was bothering his master this time around, it was powerful enough to make him afraid.

"The dragon king is here." Alphonse announced.

Those words made Marlutz glance sharply at his master. The dragon king? Whatever could he be looking for in the human realm?

"The Dragon king you say?" He squeaked.

"I wasn’t aware you’ve lost your hearing capability. What have you found out?"

The question seems to make Marlutz sober, because his head suddenly drooped like a dead mouse.

"Master, I’ve tried really hard but I haven’t been able to determine what it is," he cowered.

"I even asked my siblings for help. As hard as it was for me _"

"_i didn’t ask you to_"

"_i thought it’d be better to seek help," he continued doggedly.

Alphonse sighed heavily.

"I was hoping you’ll have something for me because Ryan is getting out of hand. And I can’t risk Karma’s life anymore. I can’t."

"Poisoning!" His voice was like the edge of a shrapnel, cutting into the air with cold precision.

Marlutz almost pitied Ryan. If not because his master has locked those powers...but he shouldn’t think of that.

There was a time when no one would dare look his master in the eye. When all trembles and worship the ground his master walks and he is feared by even the most powerful.

Such times were no more.

"Isn’t she the vessel_"

"Enough!" Alphonse thundered, his voice reverberating around the car. His eyes swirled like mist, and the air suddenly turned oppressive.

"You’ll never ever speak of this again."

Marlutz whimpered.

"Am I clear?"

"Yes master. I won’t ever talk of it."

"Good, now tell me what you’ve been up to."

"I went to the in-between realm," at Alphonse’s insistent stare, he fumbled with his words, "And even though I haven’t found out what you wanted me to, I found something that would be useful for you."

And so, Alphonse begins to plan for a short trip to the dragon realm. If Ryan would come to the human realm to threaten his authority, perhaps it was time for Alphonse to show another one of the cards rolled up his sleeve.

Marlutz once again vanished, another task added to his load of impossible tasks. He grumbled and groaned, but the flashing pool of whirlwind inside Alphonse’s eyes reminded him who the master was.

Impersonating was his fort, but he doubted even the best among his kind would survive on this impossible mission. Yet he had to try didn’t he?

*~*~

Alphonse turned on the ignition, the car revving up to meet his simmering anger. Perhaps it was time to collect some old debt.

He arrived in front of Ethan’s building and gave a snort of disgust. Ethan was toying with forces greater than him, and he’ll probably not live to tell the tale.

But Alphonse had a use for him. He was here to snatch away one of Ryan’s pawns.

The penthouse had a very nice view of the city’s night, the neon light and skyscrapers.

The door opened quietly with a slight nudge from him and he entered the apartment. The man might be a slithering snake, but at least he was neat and tidy.

He met Ethan in his bedroom, his soft snores grating against his nerves.

Deciding not to play nice, he sent small shards of lightning to his wrapped form on the bed.

Ethan bolted upright with a strangled cry, and Alphonse inflicted further pain by making the blanket wrapped themselves in thick gold around Ethan’s puny neck.

Ryan coughed, screamed and scratched away at the writhing clothes on him and Alphonse watched with amusement.

After a minute when he was sure Ethan had shouted himself hoarse, he released his hold on the blanket and it slithered away. Lying on the bed like it hadn’t just tried to strangle Ethan.

"How do you do Ethan?" His voice was deceptively soft.

Ethan, still trying to gulp in enough air through his nose, jumped and fell off the bed with a hoarse cry.

"Who..what are you doing here?"

"Nice question. But I have an even nicer one for you. What does Ryan want with you?"

Perhaps the shards of mini lighting had disrupted the current in his brain, because he stared blankly at Alphonse’s looming form.

"Who is Ryan?"

Alphonse let out a short bark of laughter. It was laced with amusement and something far dangerous. The anger of a demon overlord.

"Ryan Gosling. The man with the largest share in your company," he raised up a finger, watched with a satisfied smirk as Ethan’s eyes widened.

He made sure the bolts of lightning flickering on his finger was visible to Ethan.

"I’ll...I’ll talk." He gulped.

Alphonse leaned against the wall and crossed his arm on his chest.

"Why then, let’s have a chat!" He clapped.

Ethan hiccuped and swallowed a cry as his head hit the bedframe.

"It wasn’t me! It really wasn’t."

"I don’t care."

Another large gulp.

"It was Mr Marcus. I had made some bad investments, you see. After...after, the money I collected from you_"

"Did you sell me a false property?"

Ethan whimpered and clapped a hand to his mouth, shivering as the air had gone a few degrees colder.

What had he gotten himself into? He had only been glad when Mr Marcus suggested he had an investor in mind.

The investor had turned out to be Mr Benjamin who hadn’t in reality wanted to invest.

He wanted to purchase quite a lot of shares and offered a large sum for them. He had, of course, being a diplomat, had accepted.

After all, Mr Benjamin had promised he would still remain the CEO.

If Mr Benjamin’s self satisfied smirk had looked a little fishy back then, he had chalked it up to the fact that he had gotten what he wanted.

Surely a man could be self satisfied.

Only Mr Benjamin had visit him yesterday. In this same room, standing from Alphonse’s threatening form was standing.

He brought a nondisclosure agreement for him to sign. He was still the CEO, but nothing more than an employee.

He had been dismissed from his position, yet employed. What was he to tell his father whose grandparents were the founder of the company?

From "old money" to "no money". He had drunk himself to stupor, thinking perhaps everything would have righted itself when he woke up.

And he wakes up to this. His legs trembled badly and he clutched his robe tight.

"So, you’ve lost your company?" Alphonse cursed soundly.

Ryan was already farther in the game than he thought.

Well, Ethan wasn’t even a pawn anymore. He had been used and discarded. But that doesn’t mean he was done with the man.

He sent another bout of lightning into his bloodstream, and watched and he convulsed badly on the flo

or.

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry!" He yelled as he repeatedly assaulted him with sharp shards.

"No you’re not," his eyes had gone completely black, "but you’ll be."

This man had made Karma feel like she wasn’t worth anything. But Alphonse was going to take him on a trip.

A trip to hell.