Chapter 45: Mr. Demon

"It was weakened… but it was still a Demon…" A voice murmured from beside Lumière. "Only a demon can beat another demon so easily… could he really have been one all along?"

"If that's the case, then won't he kill us, despite us bringing him back here? If he really is a demon, then we've signed the warrants of our own deaths." Another voice replied, a hint of anxiety causing their voice to waver.

Lumière gradually sat up in his seat, the others in the room failing to notice his awakening. Three figures had all turned their backs to him, sitting and discussing the matters of the end of the operation. A small stack of multi-coloured paper bills sat in the center of the small circular table they gathered around. Moreover, there were three emerald-glowing cards in front of them. As he stared at the three whose backs were turned to him, thoughts ran through his mind.

'Demon? What are these fools talking about now?'

"We all saw them… those black shadows that looked as if they could swallow all light…" Three of Diamonds, a woman dressed in a black cloak whose hood had been pulled back to reveal flowing black hair. Three of Hearts and Four of Hearts had both taken their masks off, yet despite the quiet and calm atmosphere of the private House of Cards meeting room, there was an air of anxiety present.

"It isn't indicative of him being a demon." Four of Hearts shook his head.

"Still, the alternative is that he is a servant of a very powerful demon or deity, isn't it?" Three of Hearts posed.

Lumière's expression tensed up as he listened to them talk.

'Three of Hearts really is too smart for his own good. Should I try and kill them all, now that they've seen 'that power' of Lord Sinner?' Lumière thought seriously. 'There's no guarantee I'll be able to beat them, however. What little strength I have in my body is what is currently keeping me conscious…' 

Suddenly, he felt his heart beat slightly. Rather, something against his chest began to pulsate fiercely. Lumière quietly reached into his coat pocket and procured Poe's Gnosis, which glowed a faint silver. However, the three still seemed oblivious to his awakening, so he flipped open the book and read the scrawling line that took form on the blank parchment.

— 'Despair' operates off of accumulated despair. To be able to use it at a consistent rate, those around you must feel fear. To you, who is the world's most horrible person, this is no matter. Ruining the hearts of those around you is a paltry cost.

Lumière's eyebrow twitched slightly. The using of 'Despair' drained his body's stamina in an instant, almost to a fatal extent if used for longer than a few seconds. This was what put him in the hospital after the attack on the monastery. However, it was the first time he had learned of its true cost, that being accumulated fear from the people around him. If he wanted to use that power, wouldn't he have to become a true monster, at least in the eyes of others? As he looked back up at the three, a thought came to his mind. He placed Poe's Gnosis back into his coat, and then spoke out.

"A demon?" Lumière said aloud, a faint chuckle hanging at the edge of his voice. Three of Diamonds, Four of Hearts, and Three of Hearts all turned to stare at the magician, whose countenance had returned to normal. However, using the 'illusion painting' that he had learned prior in front of them, his hair gradually turned a stark-black along with his eyes. He looked up at the three of them, and a grin spread across his expression. "Is that all you'll call me? Will you not refer to me by my honorific title?"

To a demon, their 'true name' was their most valuable well-kept secret. If a mortal was to discover the name of the demon they opposed, they could then be easily vanquished. This meant that a demon was not relatively unkillable. The easiest death a demon could experience was by a ritual using their true name. So, each demon that derived its existence from their mystical realm would refer to themselves by an 'honorific title'. This was seen when Johan Basque had tried to summon the demonic existence known as the 'Demon of Blood'. This wasn't the demon's true name, but rather his honorific title. Having read extensively in the monastery's library, it was a given that he had learned about demonology. 

Three of Hearts, the intelligent merchant that Lumière had come to know, immediately took it upon himself to bow his head. Having had previous misgivings about Lumière's origin of power, he had begun to think otherwise when he heard the mention of an 'honorific title'. After all, such knowledge was uncommon amidst most people. However, Three of Hearts had no prior knowledge of Lumière's background, apart from his career with the show hall in Leiden's entertainment district. He didn't know that Lumière resided at the monastery in the Lower Borough, as Lumière would always take the secret path between the two boroughs, and so he didn't assume that Lumière would know of such things. So, to him, the likeliest scenario was that he was currently sitting in front of a true, powerful demon.

'We were wrong… isn't this too much of a strange coincidence? Just last week, I confirmed that 'One of Spades' was a normal individual. Has this demon been acting all along, or in that week, did One of Spades make contact with a demonic existence and lose his lucidity? Still, he seems like One of Spades, his genuine personality. Is it a matter of them exchanging consciousness? Then, was that 'unhinged' act not really an act, but rather the 'exchange' between the demonic existence and the One of Spades's consciousness?' Countless thoughts raced through Three of Hearts's mind as he bowed his head to the entity before him.

"My Lord, I've no knowledge of your honorific name." He apologised profusely. The two behind him both adopted fearful expressions and bowed their head in turn.

Lumière sneered. However, he felt quite humoured. Wasn't this a position that he, who was far inferior to them in terms of strength, shouldn't have been in? One misspoken word, and he would lose their trust in his identity, and subsequently expose himself to true danger. If he were to truly be seen as the servant of an evil deity or demon, it was likely that he would either be blackmailed and manipulated by them, or given up to the church altogether out of fear. So, it was all he could do to pose as a demon in the hopes that they would fear him enough to stay silent. Of course, this meant that in the future, he would have to keep them close enough to watch them.

"Are you saying that I'm too insignificant to be known?" 

His glare met Three of Hearts's eyes, who instinctively flinched backwards. 

"I'll say it once for you. However, in return, you must offer me something in exchange."

"You wish to do a 'Crossroads deal'?" Three of Hearts's expression abated his fear, alighting with some profound sense of thirst for new knowledge. "Yes, of course! We can do that much. However, we only have this much on hand…"

To a demon, nothing was given out for free. It wasn't a matter of personality, but rather the natural laws of the world. It just wasn't possible for a demon to hand out anything, whether it be information or physical items without an exchange occurring. When an exchange happened between demons and mortals, it was referred to as a 'crossroads deal'. So, for the sake of being able to learn his honorific title, they would have to give up something in exchange. Three of Hearts glanced back towards the table where the stack of Len notes and the three emerald-glowing cards sat.

"That's enough. Give me the notes and the lowest-ranking card. I'm not an unfair Lord. I wouldn't leave you with nothing." However, Lumière's tone of voice implied the opposite in the event that he was angered. So, the three card-holders complied, handing over the Len notes and the 'Three of Hearts' card. It was more money than he had ever seen at once, but he kept a smug expression on his face as he pocketed the money. Then, as the three sat obediently before him, Lumière ruminated on the thought of an honorific title.

'For a demon, four titles make up the breadth of their honor. It's the same for a deity, although far-less profound. While a deity's honorific title is used for prayer, demon's are particularly only meant for ritualistic purposes. There's no need to be too enigmatic or flashy with my title… something that describes this new 'persona' is best. So then, who should I become this time?'

Lumière thought for a minute more. In that time, the silence was deafening to the three individuals who sat before him. From time to time, they would begin to shake or adjust their posture nervously, as if they were children awaiting their own punishments. Seeing this, Lumière's grin trembled slightly, as if stifling a laugh. Then, he spoke aloud.

"I am the grandest illusion, the venerable lie. I am the dignified spring bloom, the immortal flower. I am also the precursor of Despair, the vessel of insanity; the preeminent shadow, an exalted orchestrator of Fate." Lumière smiled genially. "I am Ophelia, Demon of the Garden."

The now Four-of-Hearts's face shook. The intelligent merchant was shocked at the declaration of the demon's true name. To have given up such an important piece of information was tantamount to courting death. However, he immediately began to think differently.

'Besides his title, his true name is Ophelia? If 'Ophelia' is equivalent to this man, then it will surely vanquish him to conduct such a ritual. However, it's possible that 'Ophelia' is not his name, but rather someone close to him- another demon. If that demon were to suddenly die, then he would know that an attempt on his life had been made by our hands. Is this his sincerity, or is it really a test in disguise? If we fail, will he kill us all?'

The merchant looked over to the other two individuals, but seeing their expressions, he surmised that they had already thought through it as well. To Lumière, their writhing underneath his taunts and illusions were quite interesting. It was a far more entertaining performance than his prior work as a magician.

'Ophelia was a character in a playscript I read once in the monastery's library. To them, this will probably seem like a trap placed for them. However, I have no way to truly tell if they conduct a ritual to try and vanquish me or not. I'm betting on the fact that this foolish merchant is smart enough to realise this and inform the others, so as to think I willingly placed the trap and resist testing my wrath. This should further increase the inclination to believe in this persona I've created. As far as being a 'liar' goes, this is already known. This will foster the idea of an inclination for 'Lumière Croft' to have been a vessel for the 'Demon of the Garden's' descent. The 'spring bloom' title accounts for the simplified name of this demon, as well as its power in terms of 'immortality'. For the sake of being an unhinged, fear-mongering individual, and for the sake of my ability to use 'Despair', this third line is also quite necessary for this new persona. As a 'preeminent shadow' who orchestrates the flow of fate from the darkness, this is just my own aspiration. After all, if I wish to change the world itself, fate will be my harshest adversary.' He mused as he ruminated the thought in his head, looking back towards the three. He still held the 'Three of Hearts' card in his hand. However, it had ceased its dim emerald-glow, and now resembled a normal playing card. In its center, there was a man whose chest had been torn open, revealing three beating hearts within his bright-red chest cavity.

As Lumière had received the 'Three of Hearts', he had expected some significant change to occur. However, one was only capable of wielding one domain of magic, and so there was no effect in obtaining an additional card of a different domain. Moreover, as he now held the 'Three of Hearts', this meant that the merchant, the former Three of Hearts, had now ascended to the level of 'Four of Hearts'. The same was the case for the former 'Four of Hearts'.

"Isn't it a bit confusing, to have to call you all by different things as you progress your own strength?" Lumière leaned his head on his hand as if he were growing bored by their discussions, alike to the Joker who sat in the main hall. 

"Then, shall we tell you ours?"