Contract with the Demon (1)
The man in the noble family’s room was strolling about with a smile of pure joy. By contrast, the man who appeared to be the room’s owner displayed not a trace of emotion.
The man who had been radiating delight clicked his tongue the moment he saw the contractor’s reaction.
“Tsk… How utterly dull humans become once their emotions are gone. Soon my soul and feelings will be entirely harvested by me. Wouldn’t it be better if you at least trembled with fear?”
“Already ninety percent of the emotions have been taken by you. Why expect such an exaggerated response?”
“Indeed. The contractor back when I summoned at age five was actually entertaining to converse with. Now he has grown into a man who leaves me with no sense of purpose in talking.”
“It is all because of you, Demon. Speaking so casually.”
The man called the Demon shook his head.
“No, no! Contractor! Even though I am a Demon, it is unfair to dump the responsibility onto me like this! You were the one who summoned me and proposed the contract!”
“Joke.”
“…Truly a sincere joke. Then how was the fifteen-year contract? Normally I would not ask such a question of a dying human, yet out of the fifteen years we spent together I am curious. Did you achieve what you desired?”
“What I desired.”
When the Demon asked that question, shock rippled through the man who had shown no emotion until that moment. Yet it lasted only an instant. He returned to his emotionless face as though nothing had shaken him.
The Demon found the sight unpleasant. It was not because he could no longer read thoughts without emotions. He had always been like this since boyhood.
The Demon’s contractor, Patrick Chevalier.
Even now the image of that once-in-a-lifetime genius boy who had summoned a low-rank Demon at only five years old still lingered in the Demon’s mind.
That was an unbelievable thing.
In summoning a Demon, the medium or sacrifice mattered, but above all the summoner’s mental fortitude and the purity of their mana were decisive.
If the mind was low the summoning would drive the summoner mad and fail; if the mana was impure the summoner would turn into a Demon or explode and die.
Yet the boy named Patrick Chevalier had been different.
At only five years old the boy possessed mental strength and mana purity far beyond what the low-rank Demon could comprehend, along with a soul so pure it was almost unbearable to gaze upon.
If I had taken more time and found a better medium…
I would have summoned an ancient Demon who was my master and threatened the Demon King. But perhaps a god had intervened in the boy’s extraordinary talent, for such time was never granted to him.
It was the vessel that was the problem. At only five years old, compared to the perfect soul, the vessel was utterly ruined.
At first glance the body’s condition was so wretched it was a miracle he was still alive. Originally he should have died at birth, yet it was purely the boy’s will to live that had endured for five long years.
Because of that body, Patrick proposed to the Demon.
His own soul and emotions in exchange for the vessel’s restoration and the power the Demon possessed.
The Demon had accepted without hesitation. It pleased him that the lowly human recognized his situation and consented, yet the Demon had already half fallen for that pure soul.
And after the contract, what Patrick did…
No, that was not action but something closer to a prank. I could not fathom the motivation behind it.
Even the Demon who had watched twenty-four hours a day could not understand. Asking an inferior human would wound his pride, and Patrick himself gave no indication he would answer.
Finally unable to endure it any longer, fifteen years later he asked while discarding his pride.
As expected.
“I do not know if I truly desired it. In the past I certainly did, but at some point when my emotions dried up I simply moved out of a sense of obligation.”
The contractor offered only a vague reply, as though the fifteen years had meant nothing.
“Still, I prepared the arrangements I thought back then. Whether I save this world or let it perish depends on the next ‘that one.’ I was curious whether he would lead the world to ruin or salvation. It is a pity I could not see it for myself.”
“That one? You would not have had any friends, would you. Who are you speaking of?”
Patrick spoke with a rare smile.
“Such a person exists. Enough idle chatter. Let us begin executing the contract.”
“…Truly he only speaks meaningless words to the end. Executing the contract.”
With mutual consent, the last remnants of emotion and soul in Patrick Chevalier stirred. The contract execution began. The Demon calmed his racing heart and prepared to savor the feast.
At the moment soul and emotions were completely subordinated to the Demon, Patrick Chevalier spoke as though remembering something he had forgotten.
“It would be wise to correct the habit of looking down on humans. That fellow is closer to a Demon than a human, so he will be sorely disappointed.”
The contract that should have executed smoothly began to falter.
“W-what is this?!”
The Demon could not comprehend the situation. A delicious feast had been laid out before him. If he simply took it and handed it over to his master he would rise to high-rank Demon status!
Yet it had vanished.
Without warning, without cause, without reason, the soul had disappeared. At the same time the empty body accepted a soul of a form he had never seen.
The Demon swallowed hard when he beheld the soul’s shape. If the soul of the previous contractor, Patrick Chevalier, had been high and unpleasant, the one before him now evoked a physiological revulsion.
Close to an angel?
No.
More like a soul on the verge of ruin. The sight left him breathless. It was so close to a Demon’s soul that at first glance one might mistake it for one.
Well, in the end it is still human.
The conclusion was clear: even though the form was close to a Demon, it meant the being was human. It was useless anyway—a lowly human with little time left. He had placed himself in a disadvantageous position for the negotiation.
It was a situation sufficient to establish superiority.
The contract had already been lost, yet if it was such a soul the master would surely be greatly pleased.
Whether the soul had settled safely or not, Patrick Chevalier’s body began to move. The unknown thing that had regained consciousness opened its mouth.
“It must have burned to death in the fire.”
The Demon remained silent for a moment, waiting for the unknown to accept the situation. He scanned the surroundings and asked the Demon if there was something he had guessed.
“Hey, you.”
“…What?”
“What is this fellow’s name?”
“…Patrick Chevalier.”
“Patrick Chevalier. I have never heard of that name.”
He said while irritably sweeping his bangs upward.
“Have you ever heard of Liath Reinhardt, a woman?”
“Yes. She is the eldest daughter of the Reinhardt family that has produced heroes for generations, and the fiancé of the man who has possessed you. She is also a talented individual mentioned as a candidate for hero.”
“…Fiancé? The story I know seems to match, yet it feels deeply twisted. Hmm, after all, thinking of it as a poor wretch with no dreams or hopes, this variable is perhaps better.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You would not know such things. Since you will not understand even if I explain, just let it pass.”
The Demon frowned at the dismissive tone.
“A lowly human…”
“Judging by how you speak, you do not seem human. Then why are you here?”
Finally the main point.
The Demon sighed and explained the general situation. The lifespan of the possessed body would not last beyond today. To extend it he would have to contract with himself and temporarily seal the cracked vessel, and so on.
The fellow who heard the explanation nodded.
“No choice.”
Yes.
Even a contract identical to the previous one would be advantageous to the Demon. Although he would have to wait tens of years again, that was an extremely short time for a Demon. He happily began drafting the contract when the fellow stopped him.
“What are you making a contract for arbitrarily? I need to adjust the fine points.”
“Adjust? You are mistaken, human. This is the benevolence I am offering. It is benevolence to preserve a life that has little time left.”
“You do not intend to adjust anything major, so do not react so sensitively. The previous contractor was young and made the contract without safety measures. How can I contract with the first person I see?”
“…Let me hear it.”
“I consent to giving my soul and emotions. But how do I know whether right after contracting you will absorb my soul and emotions? Let us prohibit any acts that harm me.”
The reasonable opinion made the Demon nod.
“Anything else?”
“Additionally, if I present a reasonable compensation, give the corresponding reward. This is the final one.”
“Hmmm.”
There was nothing wrong with it.
For the Demon these were issues that could be accepted without major problems, yet he did not like it. The previous contractor had accepted the contract willingly, whereas the fellow before him acted as though he stood above.
Because of that, the Demon decided to make a low-rank contract. A low-rank contract would end with only a small penalty.
From the beginning leave only the dependency, break the contract immediately, and kill to absorb completely.
The Demon smiled contentedly, hiding his sinister thoughts.
“Good. Then let us proceed with the contract as is. Is there anything else to adjust?”
“None.”
“Then, under my master Barbatos’s name, do you agree to the current contract?”
“I agree.”
With the word “agree,” a faint thread appeared between the Demon’s heart and Patrick Chevalier’s heart. It was a red thread symbolizing the contract. The Demon confirmed the contract had been properly concluded and immediately seized the red thread.
After all, it was not to harm. Breaking the contract was within reason. The Demon laughed and glared at the thing before him.
“If you are an ignorant human, eat what is given. How dare you try to negotiate with a Demon. You are short on time. Hand over your soul and emotions to me right now.”
Just as he was about to cut the red thread, a childish voice rang out.
“I, Patrick Chevalier, based on the contract, demand half of the target’s power as compensation for taste.”
“Useless! If you reject your request anyway…?!”
The Demon was still riding the high of victory when confusion struck him. The reason the red thread had reached Patrick Chevalier was because of the power he had not permitted.
“What trick did you play! Human!”
“You do not need to explain anyway.”
“This, this!”
Patrick Chevalier, who had swallowed the power, seized the Demon’s hand that was trying to cut the thread. At that moment the Demon froze. The expression was something close to a Demon rather than a human.
The Demon regained his senses and tried to speak, but the contract did not allow even that.
“Do not worry about lifespan. I plan to absorb all of you and temporarily seal it.”
“W-wait! If you kill me like this, my master will immediately descend here! Then you will not be safe either…!”
“I know.”
“What?”
Patrick Chevalier said with a smile again.
“I did it knowing that, so do not worry for nothing.”
“How do you know that, you bastard!”
In response to the Demon’s question, Patrick pointed to his own eyes.
“You can see that I am connected to a superior being.”
The Demon was dumbfounded when he heard the story. That meant he had eyes that pierced the soul. Then the previous contractor already had those eyes and had not spoken…
“Still, I prepared the arrangements I thought back then.”
Arrangements.
“So you made this board from fifteen years ago…!”
“Anyway, a weakling like you cannot make a proper deal. Call the one above.”
“Patrick, Patrick Chevalier!!! How dare a human lie to a Demon!!!”
“Enough.”
Now Patrick Chevalier, who had become someone else, coldly seized the Demon’s heart.
“Stop with the useless talk and call your boss.”
The Demon’s heart burst.