Call Me Lady Asmode!

Still nothing but pitch-black emptiness beyond the mirror.

I was idly twisting a lock of my side bangs, spacing out, when a status window materialized without warning. I swallowed hard.

Soul Erosion…

A devil's soul erosion. It was a condition I'd experienced myself back when I was still human. The more I used a devil's power, the stronger the urge to kill people became — but so that was what it had been. The devil had been eating into my soul the whole time.

Can I cancel the contract?

The moment the thought crossed my mind, the status window refreshed.

A 4.7% survival rate? Yeah, that's not happening either.

Keeping the contract was a disaster. Canceling it was a disaster. A vicious system designed purely to exploit humans — but I would find a way around it somehow.

I paced back and forth in front of the mirror, turning the problem over in my head. Then a single idea flashed through my mind.

That's it. I'll make rules. Rules so the contractors can't freely abuse a devil's power!

The Devil Association had always had rules like these: Don't embezzle supplies from the break room. Maintain silence. Never set foot on Basement Level 4. One of those felt suspiciously shady, but still — if I borrowed that approach, I could restrain my contractors' behavior.

The first rule that came to mind: Do not become addicted to the power a devil lends you.

If I laid out the terms of the contract and hammered that rule home, she would regulate how she used a devil's power.

Come to think of it, the one who contracted with me never properly explained the terms either.

…Looking back, that devil had been completely underhanded.

I vowed never to become that kind of scheming devil, and set my hand on the mirror's frame. Static crackled across the glass that had been reflecting my own face, and then the image of Han Seorin lying in a hospital bed came into view.

I need to contact her. Fast.

Having made up my mind, I cleared my throat over and over, steeling myself to speak to her. I was the contract manager, sure — but somehow the moment still made me nervous.

Meanwhile, in the medical ward of Devil Association Headquarters.

Han Seorin lay on a hospital bed in a patient gown, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Her own wounds had healed cleanly enough — but things had gotten complicated.

While examining her for internal injuries with an X-ray, the doctor had discovered devil poison still lingering inside her body.

"H-Han Seorin… the devil poison has spread through your entire body. How are you even alive?! This is completely unprecedented!"

"Ah, well…"

She couldn't exactly say she'd contracted with the voice whispering inside her head. They would treat her like a lunatic for sure.

Smoothing down her side bangs, she lied in a carefully casual tone.

"It's not listed on my personnel file, but I'm an Awakened with poison immunity. The Association President classified it as top secret, so I'd appreciate your understanding if I can't say more."

"Poison immunity… I believe that would make you the first among all Awakened. But if the President ordered it kept confidential, I won't interfere."

"Thank you for understanding."

The doctor pushed up his glasses and swallowed. A mere C-class Devil Hunter holding classified information? Half worried, half curious, he spoke carefully.

"Still, just to be safe, please stay admitted. The President seems to be looking after you personally, so you should rest all the more."

And so Han Seorin ended up hospitalized in the ward alongside her younger siblings. Because of the poison still in her system, she was placed in a private room separate from theirs.

Bored and restless, she pushed herself up on the bed and gazed out the window. Just then, clouds drifted across the sun — and she caught sight of her own reflection in the glass.

…Reverse Eyes?!

The Seorin in the window had her sclera and irises inverted. She was prodding at the skin around her eyes in bewilderment when a voice rang out inside her head.

"Human. Can you hear my voice?"

A cold, flat voice — a young girl's. Startled by the familiar sound, Seorin whipped her head around the room. No matter where she looked, there was no one else there but her.

Clutching the edge of the blanket, she answered in a tightly wound voice.

"…I can hear you. Who are you?"

"I am the contract manager who shared power with you. My name is Asmode. And…"

The woman who called herself Asmode paused, then continued in a voice that somehow sounded almost pitiful.

"I am a devil. You have entered into a contract with a devil."

"I… I see…"

Seorin looked back at the window and met her own Reverse Eyes. The reality of having contracted with a devil settled over her. She narrowed her eyes into a threatening glare even as her hands trembled, and pressed on.

"What do you… intend to do with me? Are you planning to take my life?"

"No. Nothing like that. I'm sorry for dragging you into this. But there was no other way. It was the only method I had to save you—"

—Zzzt!

On the other side of the mirror, a status window appeared before Asmode's eyes as she watched Seorin. She read its contents and scowled.

Ugh — I can't do a single thing the way I want!

Accepting reality, Asmode forced the words out through gritted teeth.

"…is what you thought, is it? Don't get the wrong idea! Pathetic human! I am merely lending you power temporarily for the sake of my grand design!"

"…"

Asmode's tone had shifted so abruptly that Seorin was left reeling. Asmode pressed on in a stern voice, seizing control of the atmosphere.

"I shall state the terms of the contract. I, Asmode, shall lend you a devil's power with your soul as collateral. You have already experienced it, have you not? The power of this body. A very, very dangerous power indeed!"

"…Why are you lending me power? You're a devil, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm a devil hunter."

"Well… ahem. Because I alone must be the only devil in this world… No — all of it is for my grand design! To collect the souls of other devils!"

Seorin tilted her head at Asmode's clumsy delivery. Asmode barreled on regardless.

"The more you wield a devil's power, the more this Lady Asmode shall erode your soul. So do not become too addicted to the power a devil lends you."

"Y-you're… actually telling me that? A devil?"

"Hmph. It would be inconvenient if you became my minion at a moment I didn't choose. That's why I'm telling you."

"…"

Listening to Asmode, Seorin came to a realization: this one was a complete rookie devil. She was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠volunteering information she didn't need to share, broadcasting her inexperience for all to hear.

And her voice sounds young, too…

Having raised several younger siblings, Seorin was thoroughly practiced at handling children. An intriguing thought occurred to her. If she played this one carefully, she might turn the devil into a source of strength instead.

She rested a hand carefully over her chest and spoke.

"Hey, Asmode."

"Call me Lady Asmode!"

"Ah… Lady Asmode. There's something I'm curious about."

"Ask whatever you wish."

"If I became Lady Asmode's minion… would that make me stronger?"

"Eh…?"

Asmode was flustered. Han Seorin — a Devil Hunter — wanted to become ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the minion of a devil?

How did it come to this?!

Only then did Asmode realize she was being thoroughly underestimated. But Seorin continued in the gentle tone of someone coaxing a child.

"Then I'll help you, Lady Asmode. You're the one who saved my life, after all. I just need to hunt some devils for you, right?"

"…"

Asmode had tried to subtly emphasize the dangers of a devil's power by explaining the contract terms… and instead, Seorin's Soul Erosion Rate had gone up.

"This is a disaster…"

My head spinning, I cut the connection with Han Seorin and sank to the floor where I stood. I'd tried to push my contractor away from a devil's power — and instead, the contractor had volunteered to raise a devil of her own free will.

How does any of this make sense…?

I wasn't even sure she'd properly understood what I'd said. I clutched my horns with both hands and heaved a long sigh — and once again, a status window appeared before my eyes.

…She really was planning to grow me — a devil. A final nail in the coffin of an already thoroughly rattled mind.