Chapter 73
Chapter 73
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Violet and the Contract Demon #02
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Twenty minutes had passed since the whole mess broke out.
The situation, which had seemed on the verge of spiraling into utter chaos, was barely calmed by Violet's sudden intervention from the sidelines.
First, after using magic to tidy up the overturned table and the surrounding area, I bowed my head deeply. Thanks to being a valued regular customer who'd boosted their sales lately, I managed to get the cafe owner's forgiveness—but only after ordering two extra slices of carrot cake and a drink for each person.
"Um... I know I messed up first... Could you both forgive me...?"
The problem was that I still hadn't gotten forgiveness from Shaomei, whose eyes were red and puffy, or from Unicorn, who sat across from us with a sullen pout.
Shaomei was clinging to my left arm, sitting silently and sniffling. Unicorn, meanwhile, wore a grumpy expression as she quietly shoveled the extra cake into her mouth.
"What I meant was, I don't like it when it's half animal, half human... It's not that I hate all beastkin...?"
"Y-yeah. Come on, Shaomei, Unicorn, forgive him already. Arthin didn't mean any harm, right?"
At Violet's calm words, Shaomei—who hadn't even responded to me—glanced up at her. Why was my fiancée listening to Violet but ignoring me?
"...I heard everything from the sidelines, so I know the whole story. But Oppa was still hurt by it, wasn't he?"
Of course, hearing that made me feel wronged. Take Unicorn, for instance—she was just stuffing her face with cake, and I didn't even need to appease her. Still, the reason I was trying was because of the status window notification I'd seen earlier: her favorability had gone up.
'No idea why, but it means Unicorn's starting to like me...'
Honestly, back in the 2nd round, we'd only ever bickered, so her developing feelings for me was hard to wrap my head around.
Fine, maybe I instinctively knew how to handle women, but Unicorn was originally a unicorn—a horse at heart. How could she fall for a human just because she took on a human form? Ridiculous.
Maybe the King of the Plains essentially letting me "raise" her had been a huge shock. Even after regression, she'd formed an unbreakable contract with me, which might've messed with her head...
Anyway, that was why I was soothing Unicorn, whose hurt was plain as day after I joked about bestiality. With Shaomei, it was even more unfair. She wasn't even a pureblood beastkin—no animal ears or anything. How could anyone call that bestiality?
"I'm really sorry... I promise I won't say it again, okay?"
But logic was a man's domain—first things first, I needed to calm her down. As I held Shaomei's hand and spoke in the gentlest tone I could muster, she finally looked me straight in the eye and let out a deep sigh.
"Fine. But after this villain incident is over, you have to play with me a lot, got it?"
"Y-yeah. Of course. I'll make time, no matter what!"
I let out a sigh of relief. Crisis averted—for now. Unicorn was still sulking, but she was simple-minded; if I put real effort into it, she'd come around.
"So, um, the thing I've been wondering about... Who the heck is that yellow girl?"
That's when Shaomei, glancing warily between Violet and me while nibbling her carrot cake, pointed at the yellow-haired woman with rabbit ears.
She wore a bikini tank top like a belly dancer from Arabian Nights, paired with silky, see-through yoga pants. At first, I thought she might be a spy from some sultanate across the desert...
'Those gold bracelets and earrings—the script engraved on them is demonic script.'
And crucially, I'd clearly seen her emerge from thin air in beastkin form, then use demon or witch-exclusive magic to shift into human shape. That kept me from getting lured by those jiggling, massive breasts wrapped in thin fabric or her taut thighs peeking through.
I glanced at Violet.
She flinched!
"Violet, you seem to know exactly what's going on here. Care to explain?"
Her sudden appearance to defuse things, her absence the past few days, her use of demonic power while posing as a beastkin. I could've guessed, but I asked her directly on purpose.
"W-well, um... Okay, I'll tell you..."
Violet fiddled with her long straight hair, but my insistent gaze proved too much, and she spilled everything.
*
"So, you're saying this is the daughter and successor of that genie—a demon?"
After hearing Violet's explanation, I was stunned for two reasons, the ridiculous fiasco aside.
"In my memories, the genie was an upper demon strong enough to crush most magical beasts. Why is her 'successor' this useless...?"
As I listened carefully, I doubted Violet's claim of failing to wield powers all morning. The Violet I knew had cripplingly low confidence and self-esteem, but talent-wise, she was a genius who could shatter the power balance the moment she regained her groove.
And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even muster a pseudo-fireball?
If it wasn't Violet's input at fault, then this demon handling the output was pathetically inept with mana.
"W-what do you mean, my level? I'm the great Contract Demon, twelfth successor to the mighty Mephisto, and—"
"Then refill that carrot juice you chugged right here."
"T-that's..."
A Contract Demon could turn a mountain of stone into gold for the right price. And she couldn't refill one carrot juice? Busted.
"Of all the demons to summon... Violet, you've had it rough."
"N-no, it's just that I'm not good enough..."
Damn it. I turned and saw Violet's already pebble-sized self-esteem shrink even further from my words. Shaomei, who'd overheard, silently pinched my thigh. Ow!
"I was personally sent by Mephisto to contract with Miss Violet! How could there be a problem with me?!"
"Yeah, that's the problem. Why isn't Mephisto doing the contract himself? Why you?"
"I... I don't really know..."
Back in the 3rd round, Violet had contracted directly with Mephistopheles herself. If she'd failed because this one was subpar, that'd make sense—but Mephisto assigning her?
"I need to talk to Mephisto directly. As one of the twelve kin, you can connect me, right?"
Thinking of the King of the Plains case, a transcendent hell lord might remember despite regressions. Suddenly, I felt indignant.
"H-how dare I casually connect a mortal with mighty Mephisto?! That requires complex administrative procedures back home!"
"...So you're pretty much a useless demon, huh."
The rabbit-eared demon looked hurt, but since she wasn't my contractor, whatever. My real worry was Violet.
"Violet, want to come to the club tonight? I've got a staff made for you."
"A st-staff? For me?"
"Yeah. Even with a mana-heavy but clueless familiar like this demon, it'll let you cast some seriously strong spells."
"W-wouldn't it be better for you to use a magic staff like that, Arthin...?"
Yeah, that was the issue. How do you handle a kid with rock-bottom self-esteem saddled with this dud?
'Even in the 3rd round, Mephisto half-assed her help until I fixed it, and Violet struggled like hell...'
I couldn't watch that again. Best to force success with the ultimate dragon heart staff and build her confidence.
'If only Mephisto had contracted directly, none of this would've happened.'
That lazy idiot. What the hell was she doing?
***
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Even as her pride was endlessly shredded in this situation, Al'Miraz felt her reverence and fear toward Arthin deepen further.
At first, when she'd swung her wish-granting power hoping for something fortunate, only to end up naked and assumed to be a lecher eyeing his body—but even a brief talk revealed depths she couldn't fathom.
'She clearly read the script on my bracelets and necklace. And when I first shifted forms before her eyes, she sensed I was a demon from the faint mana leakage...'
Above all, casually calling the great overlord Mephistopheles "Mephisto" and demanding direct contact was hubris even upper demons of hell couldn't dream of.
Of course, as one of Mephistopheles's direct twelve kin with her personal guarantee on the contract, linking them wasn't impossible if he insisted.
But Al'Miraz refused. She recalled Mephisto's strict instructions upon sending her back to the mortal realm.
—"If Arthin ever demands to speak with Us, make some excuse and refuse."
"Pardon? Why? Didn't you call him a friend...?"—
Shedding that lovesick expression, forbidding rudeness, yet blocking contact—the final order still baffled her.
'...Wait, isn't this situation me being incredibly rude to Lord Arthin?'
A chill ran through Al'Miraz. Was Mephisto watching? She prayed she was napping as usual.
*
"My cute little bunny. Sending you to Arthin was indeed the right choice."
In an empty audience chamber, the great Contract Sovereign Mephistopheles sat on her jade throne, peering into the human world through Al'Miraz's eyes via a floating crystal orb.
"Heh, that flustered look. Just watching Arthin squirm for a while will banish any boredom."
She'd harbored a sliver of anxiety: what if this wasn't the Arthin she knew? Even a mighty hell lord couldn't control a time-reverser's mental shifts.
But Arthin was unchanged. He'd shed his naive, frustrating virgin air, yet still boldly demanded to speak with her—just like the Arthin in her memories.
"But this is punishment, Arthin. You regressed once and didn't seek Us out—friends must pay for making each other worry, no?"
Gazing at Arthin's image in the orb, Mephisto's expression was less the stern hell queen and more a mischievous imp plotting pranks.
"Keeping you in suspense will be fun. Making you overcome trials before granting audience isn't bad either..."
However, Mephisto was under one massive delusion.
The feelings she'd nurtured for Arthin had ballooned far beyond what she imagined, meaning she'd crack first.
"Our parting was like a novel's tragedy..."
Oblivious, Mephisto stroked the orb sweetly—or rather, Arthin's face within it.
"So our reunion should be even more dramatic. Arthin."
A deep, satisfied chuckle echoed from the chamber. The guard demons outside tensed.
"Agaretos, is this okay...? Has the Sovereign finally lost it?"
"...Hallax, you chose to guard Mephisto. Tough it out with grit and evil."
Even these upper demons—strong enough to make Demon King's legion commanders wary—shuddered at Mephisto's increasingly odd behavior lately.