The Unidentified Contractor

The die had been cast.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Which meant there was now one more life resting in my hands.

I steeled myself, laid my hand against the mirror, and poured my mana into the glass. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The surface rippled, and a landscape began to take shape within it.

"Where is this...?"

The scene reflected in the mirror was an old-fashioned mansion nestled deep in the mountains. Grass and vines had overgrown the grounds so thoroughly it might as well have been a ruin—but the mirror wouldn't have shown me this place for nothing.

"...Let's zoom in."

I pinched and spread my fingers over the glass the way I would zoom in on a phone screen, and the windows swam into closer view. Unlike the neglected exterior, the inside of the house was immaculately kept. I scanned a hallway without a speck of dust, then my gaze stopped on one of the rooms.

A room with the curtains drawn halfway. A woman with a brown short bob, dressed in a white blouse accented with a black ribbon, sat perched on the edge of the bed.

"...She's got a thoroughly aristocratic air about her."

Just as I was admiring her appearance, a window materialized before my eyes.

"...I cannot escape this mansion. There is simply no way out."

She tilted her head, clutching the blanket tight, and kept murmuring with unfocused eyes.

"I have tried to leave this mansion hundreds of times, but every method has failed. That is when I understood. This mansion itself is a demon that traps souls."

Her trembling hands clenched the blanket. After a brief, shallow breath, she turned her gaze toward the bedroom door.

"This time... will it be different?"

The woman rose from the bed, her body swaying unsteadily. She eased the door open and began to run down the long, dark hallway—down the stairs, through the drawing room, until at last she stood before the mansion's front door. She swallowed hard, gripped the doorknob, and threw it open. Sunlight spilled through the gap.

"...!"

The space beyond the door was the bedroom she had just left—the same room where, only moments ago, she had been muttering to herself in such a wretched state. As despair spread across her face at finding herself back where she started, I was just as stunned as she was.

"Why... why can't I get out...!"

She clutched her own head and screamed in a voice that sounded ready to tear.

"Please, please let me out of here! Anyone—I don't care who you are—just help me!"

Remaining survival time... infinite?

I had no idea what kind of situation this was, but one thing I was certain of. Something abnormal was happening inside that mansion. That much was clear.

"I don't know what I ought to do, but..."

Having seen with my own eyes that she couldn't escape, I wanted to help her. I made up my mind and pressed the button to propose a contract.

"Hey. You there. Can you hear me?"

"...?"

"This isn't a hallucination. Your name's Sophia, right? Did you get trapped in that mansion?"

"...Ah—yes! That's right!"

Sophia, hearing my voice suddenly echo inside her head, looked out with sorrowful eyes. She held back her tears, tapping her chest lightly with her fist, and spoke in a fragile voice.

"Ah... how long has it been... since I last heard a human voice..."

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not human."

"Pardon? Then..."

"I'm a devil. A different kind from the one that trapped you here, though. Truth is, I saw you try to walk out the front door just now—and end up right back in your bedroom."

"Y-you saw that. Then you also saw me... making a scene..."

"Yeah, I saw the whole thing. But that's not what matters right now, is it?"

I checked the interior of the mansion through the mirror. It was a house that oozed luxury, but I could feel a devil's soul coiled inside it—and it was a soul of a higher ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠caliber than even the high-ranking devil Han Seorin had faced.

"Getting out of this mansion is what matters right now, Sophia. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'll help you escape. In exchange... how about you make a contract with me?"

"..."

She hesitated. A devil, out of nowhere, whispering inside her head and asking her to form a contract. Rationally, she should have refused. But she was already exhausted beyond measure from this mansion, and she nodded without a second thought.

"...Three hundred times. That is how many times I have tried to escape this mansion. A variable has finally appeared, so I must do something. I accept. The contract contract."

"...Thank you."

Thanks to Sophia, three more days had been added to the time remaining until my body collapsed. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart, and resolved to get her out of this mansion.

"...Damn it. Nothing's working. Not a single thing."

Sharing Sophia's vision, I tried every method I could think of to help her escape. Crawling out through the ventilation ducts. Smashing through the walls. Even jumping from the balcony. No matter what we attempted, even when she made it outside, she would lose consciousness at some point and wake up right back in the bedroom.

"What even is this mansion in the first place? And how did you end up here?"

"Truthfully, I remember nothing. When I came to, I was lying on this bed."

Sophia sat perched on the edge of the mattress and began to explain, her voice calm.

"I believe... I came here to find my younger sibling."

"Your sibling?"

"Yes. But I cannot recall their face, nor even their name. All I remember is their voice."

She pressed her temple, trying to piece the memories together.

"That is all. That I came here because of my sibling, and that I awoke to find myself lying on this bed."

"..."

Does this girl have long-term amnesia or something?

The more I listened, the more it felt like I was sinking into a labyrinth. In the end, I had no choice but to make a decision.

"No other choice, then. Let's try using a devil's power."

"...Pardon? A devil's power?"

"I can't say for sure, but... if we assume this mansion is a devil itself, using a devil's power here might cause something to happen."

"...Yes. I understand."

Sophia raised her slender arm and clenched her fist tight. Then, just as I instructed, she drew a deep breath, pulled the malice from her heart, and steeled her resolve. At last her soul activated, and a black aura bloomed around her body. Her eyes turned crimson, and she pointed a finger at the wall.

A dark crimson beam burst from her fingertip with a sharp hiss, punching a hole straight through the masonry—but beyond it, instead of the outside world, there was only a stretch of black void.

"Huh...?"

A moment later, in the blink of an eye, the collapsed wall regenerated and restored itself to its original state.

So even a devil's power doesn't work? What kind of space is this mansion, that it can do this?

Ugh, I don't even know where this place is. It's not like I can call Han Seorin or Lee Minjeong for help!

Sophia and I went through plenty more trial and error after that, but she still couldn't escape. In the end, I shook my head and decided to tell her I was sorry.

"...Sorry. I wanted to help somehow, but this doesn't seem like a place I can do anything about yet."

"No. It is all right. Spending that time with you was a rather pleasant experience. I have always... been alone, you see."

"Once my authority grows stronger, I'll come back to save you. So hang in there until then. I'll drop by whenever I have time."

"...I understand. Kind Demon. I shall wait. Please—you must come save me."

She answered with a faint smile, her eyes still lifeless. But the hand holding her teacup was trembling.

I clenched my teeth and cut the connection. I knew I didn't need to worry—her remaining survival time was infinite, and I planned to keep in contact—but the thought that I hadn't been able to save her left me sinking into gloom.

"..."

The connection with the devil was severed. The moment that gentle voice vanished from her mind, a suffocating silence settled over the bedroom. Sophia stared down at her teacup for a long while.

"The Kind Demon said they would surely come to save me."

She began to murmur, as if reciting a spell to herself.

"Just a little longer. I only need to wait a little more."

To Sophia, who had failed to escape hundreds of times, Asmode's appearance had been nothing short of a miracle. Even if they couldn't save her right now, at least there was someone who hadn't given up on her.

"...They said they would save me. So when they are in trouble, I ought to save them in return."

The moment she let out a quiet laugh, gazing at her own crimson eyes reflected in the teacup, black mist swirled around her—and from it, demons resembling black peregrine falcons took form.

"Now then, all of you. Gather souls diligently in the mortal realm—for the sake of my savior."

She commanded the demons with practiced ease. And she found herself awaiting the day the Kind Demon would unleash that authority and set her free from this mansion.