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\'A son?\' King Theron thought in panic. \'Son? My son? He wants my son? He\'s asking me to give Keiren to him?\'

However, the Devil continued to speak in the same slow yet heavy manner.

"In exchange for saving this kingdom, I will have my son be the next ruler of this kingdom. You, Theron Ivanov, have to raise my son as your own and when he comes of age at eighteen years, you will pass your crown to him."

\'So he is not asking for my son, but asking for me to give up my throne to his son?\' King Theron found himself confused.

However, the Devil was yet to finish talking. "If you fail to keep your promise, the curse will fall on this kingdom once more, and it will fall into ruins as if it never existed on this continent."

Making someone else king was not a big deal for King Theron, as for him, saving his kingdom and the people came first. He would willingly give up the throne for them.

"May I know where this child, your son, is that I need to raise?" King Theron asked.

"The Queen of this kingdom will give birth to my son," the Devil answered.

King Theron felt like thunder roared in his ears.

For a moment, he wondered if he had heard something wrong, but when he tried to open his mouth to verify, not a single sound emerged from his mouth. It was as if even his brain refused to function properly.

\'I can give you my throne…

\'I can give you my life…

\'...yet you demand of me my wife?\'

The Queen of this kingdom was none other than his beloved Esther. This unholy being wanted my Esther to be a mother of his child? Not a single word could come out of his mouth as King Theron stared at that dark image in shock.

"If you agree to this, the curse on your kingdom will be lifted at once," the Devil said.

King Theron felt as if all the energy in his body was leaving him. His body swayed unsteadily and he took one step back to balance himself.

"No! Your Majesty!" The High Priest wished to stop him but it was already late.

The King of Megaris stepped out of the circle with a sun symbol, causing the link between his blood and the magic of the summoning circle to be disrupted. The moment he left the circle, the  image of the Devil disappeared.

"Your Majesty! What have you done? I said you cannot leave—"

Still in a stupor, King Theron simply stood in his place without moving despite the High Priest going into hysterics in front of him

"Your Majesty! I know you are shocked, but if you want to protect our kingdom, you have to—"

King Theron raised his hand to stop the old man from speaking.

The High Priest shook his head in disappointment, muttering incoherently under his long beard.  After a while, he caught the King mumbling, "There must be another way… Another way…"

"Your Majesty, there is no other way! The High Priest from one hundred years ago, and the High Priest from two hundred years ago said the same thing! Only the Guardian of the Living can lift this curse!"

"...so that\'s why he\'s called a Devil…he\'ll take what\'s most important to you…"

"King Theron! I beg you to come back to your senses! We have to do the summoning ceremony again. You have to do everything in your power to get the Guardian to lift the curse. Unless we lift the curse, nothing will change and this kingdom will go into the ruins!"

"No, there must be another way to lift this curse. As the King, I am ready to sacrifice myself but never someone else. No one deserves that. Esther is my wife and I will never use her as a shield to carry out my responsibilities. Even if it\'s not her, no innocent person should ever be sacrificed even if it\'s for the greater good."

"Your Majesty…"

King Theron\'s dark eyes held malice as he turned towards the High Priest. The old man trembled despite knowing that the anger in those eyes was not directed at him. "I don\'t believe there is only one answer to a question, and there is only one solution to a problem. There are always variables, and there must be an alternative way to handle this. As the High Priest, you must know other holy or divine beings. Anyone who can do magic! Find another being to summon! Anything but the Devil!"

He gripped the old priest on his shoulders and shook him with an adamant crazy look in his eyes. "Help me find another way. Please…please help me find another way…" King Theron lowered his head. "As my father\'s dear friend, no, as someone born and raised in Megaris, I know you do not want this kingdom to perish in front of your eyes as well."

The High Priest stayed quiet for a while and said, "I don\'t know any other way but perhaps I know a place where you can find the alternative answer you are searching for."

It rekindled the dying flame of hope inside the helpless king. "Thank you, thank you… Where? Tell me where I should go."

"If you follow the northern road that leads outside of the capital, you will reach a forest with a small rocky mountain. If you travel there on foot for five hours, you will find an ancient temple deep into the forest. My retired master, the former High Priest, looks after that temple, and there are ancient books about the gods which you won\'t find anywhere else hidden in its underground archives. You have to go there and gain my master\'s approval to allow you to read those books. Perhaps you might find an alternative answer in them, the solution you are seeking for."