Chapter 3
Chapter 3
People have always searched for gods.
It was like that in the world I came from, and it wasn’t much different here.
Still, this place was a little better.
At least here, there were holy knights who wielded light, and visible miracles like flashes of supernatural power right before your eyes.
And yet, people still searched for devils.
Maybe that was exactly why.
Even if a god existed, there were things even that power could not resolve.
When prayer no longer worked, when goodwill failed, when willpower and everything else were stripped away.
When people were pushed that far to the edge, they turned to devils.
And I sat in front of them with a contract in hand.
I made them speak their wishes aloud, then stripped away every hidden detail until nothing was left unsaid.
And then the devil would present the contract accordingly.
I would read it again and adjust the contents.
The devil’s proposals were usually extreme.
That was why even those at the edge of the cliff hesitated at the last moment.
My job was to push them just enough, to make them believe it was still doable.
To create the illusion that they could take one more step forward.
That was my work.
……
“Major Marcus. I need your help.”
The major didn’t respond for a while after hearing me.
His expression made his disbelief obvious.
“So now you’re telling me that contracting me alone will change anything?”
He cut himself off and stood up immediately.
“Where are you going?”
He didn’t answer and left the meeting room as if he didn’t want to hear another word.
After he left, the room became slightly chaotic.
Some doubted whether he was truly the right person.
Others felt relieved it wasn’t them who had been chosen.
The atmosphere was filled with that kind of cowardly relief.
I stood up.
“Where are you going, broker?”
A stupid question, but I answered anyway.
“Obviously, to persuade him.”
I went after the major.
Finding him in the crumbling ruins of G-51 was not difficult.
There were barely any structures left for cover, so a few questions to soldiers quickly revealed his location.
He was on the rooftop of one of the few buildings still standing.
Sitting on a wooden crate, he was slowly drinking alcohol hidden in a water canteen.
He didn’t turn around when I approached.
Instead, he kept staring down at the city shattered by Xenobeasts.
“Is there still a functioning aircraft left?”
He glanced at me briefly and raised a finger.
“There. Just one.”
What he pointed to was a reconnaissance aircraft barely worthy of the name, hidden under camouflage sheets among scrap.
One aircraft that could fly, and one pilot who could operate it.
It was impossible, even if a miracle happened.
But it was enough for a contract.
I looked at the major.
A red scarf symbolizing his ace status, and a well-kept flight jacket worn thin with time.
If things hadn’t gone this far, he would have remained a pilot protecting the skies of Terra.
“What exactly are you hoping for, sticking around like this?”
He finally spoke, irritated by my silence.
Then I said it.
“Isn’t it time to deal with that thing already?”
At that, he finally turned to look at me.
“Revenge,” he said.
His eyes were filled with distrust that had not faded.
The kind of fear only those who had once been broken under overwhelming power carried.
And yet, he was still responding.
That meant even a sliver of hope was enough for him to grasp onto.
“So it’s possible? Our entire squadron went out and couldn’t even scratch it. No matter how powerful a devil contract is, how are you supposed to deal with that monster?”
His voice was a mix of fear, distrust, and desperate hope.
Exactly the kind of person suitable for a contract.
“It is possible. If it wasn’t, a certified demon broker wouldn’t be standing here. Have you heard the rumors about demon brokers?”
“I have. I heard it’s expensive… but close to miraculous.”
That was how devil contracts worked.
Even in situations that seemed completely hopeless, they always created at least one chance.
And my job was to make them take it.
I looked away deliberately, glancing up at the sky.
“I don’t really know what it feels like to fly, but… it’s not something just anyone gets the chance to experience.”
From here on, I needed to convince him that this was exactly that kind of chance.
A contract required the will of the contractor.
“If you keep hesitating like this, you’ll end up like everyone else. Frozen in fear, unable to act, collapsing without doing anything.”
He didn’t laugh.
He didn’t dismiss it either.
He just listened.
“And if this continues, not only G-51 but the purification facility will collapse. Then countless people will be forced to evacuate again.”
Those who had never faced the enemy never understood how terrifying it was.
People would easily say things like why they couldn’t even bring down a single flying Xenobeast.
They would pour all their rage onto the enemy, and then blame the soldiers who failed to defend the place.
Erasing the best efforts of the dead with a single word: incompetence.
At that, his expression finally wavered.
“We did everything we could. My men and I stayed until the end without running away.”
“Yes. Every soldier on every front did the same.”
That was why the front lines were still holding.
“If I go, can I protect my men’s honor?”
Instead of answering, I pulled out the contract and held it out to him.
“I won’t give you false hope. The chance of you returning alive is almost zero.”
He stayed silent.
But he didn’t stop listening.
“That said, I can give you one chance. One chance to reach that whale.”
That was all I could guarantee.
Revenge, honor, it didn’t matter to the devil.
Only one thing mattered.
Whether they were willing to reach out.
If we could bring it down to the ground, hunters, holy knights, and ability users waiting below would finish it.
He slowly raised his head.
His eyes, which had looked like a dead fish moments ago, were now faintly alive again.
“If I do this… can I really bring it down?”
“Whether you use that chance or not is up to you.”
And finally, he took the contract from my hand.
Contract
This contract is concluded between the devil ■■■ (hereafter referred to as “Party A”) and Marcus Kazansky (hereafter referred to as “Party B”) based on mutual voluntary agreement.
The devil’s name was obscured in broken text.
He did not read it twice.
The conclusion had already been made.
Scratch.
The sound of the pen on paper rang unnaturally loud.
“Thank you. For giving me a chance.”
Those words almost made my mask slip.
“…It’s nothing. I was just doing my job.”
I wished he hadn’t said that.
I wished he hadn’t looked at me like that.
I had just made a man choose his own death.
Honor, revenge, even the chance to fly again, all of it was just decoration.
The truth was simple.
Fly a plane into that whale and die.
That was all I had turned into a contract.
Then, as if emerging from the space behind me, the devil appeared.
“The contract has been completed.”
I silently handed it over.
“So that is the famous devil.”
The major’s eyes hardened slightly at the sight of the devil that had appeared without warning, as if it had always been there.
“I am the devil of contracts. Thank you for a pleasant transaction.”
The devil smiled and offered its hand.
The major reluctantly shook it.
“Is that all?”
“Yes. The contract is complete.”
The devil answered with a smile.
“I expected something more dramatic from a devil contract. This is surprisingly simple.”
“Contracts that are handled through documents are usually like this.”
I cut in.
The major now had only twenty-four hours left.
There was no time to waste talking to a devil.
“Major Marcus, let’s return. We need to prepare before the next bombardment.”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
The sky whale came once a day to bomb this place.
Everything had to be ready before the next strike.