The Demon's Arrival

"Demon?"

"A new demon?!"

"Regina's kin has arrived?!"

At the word "demon," every receptionist and veteran adventurer who knew Regina Gura's true nature turned their eyes toward her at once. Regina herself, suddenly thrust into the spotlight, was just as flustered.

"Eh?"

What was a demon, exactly? A being born from the shadow of the Goddess, the root of all sin. An existing calamity whose records spoke of annihilating entire kingdoms to fulfill a contractor's wish. A manifestation of desire that loathed boredom and sought only pure pleasure.

That was how the world described them. Yet anyone who had actually met the demons living in Bastion would define them differently: small, adorable hedonists—or diligent lunatics.

More beautiful than even the elves, said to most closely resemble the Goddess, their bodies were kept child-sized by default to reduce the mana burden on their contractors. They occasionally lost control when it came to matters tied to their core concept, but fundamentally they were diligent, curious, and purer than any other race. That was why demons ranked first among races the people of Bastion most wanted to befriend.

And now a brand-new demon was coming? How could anyone resist?

"Grr, I can't hold back! I'm the new demon's personal footrest!"

"I wonder what kind of cute one it'll be this time. Hopefully a male this time."

In a city where the only entertainment was watching adventurers get drunk, cause trouble, and get beaten by the guards, the arrival of a new demon set every heart racing—every heart except one.

Regina Gura's.

'There are no kin near the guild! I can't sense any source of their power at all!'

Demons were ranked from birth according to the influence their core concept exerted upon the mortal realm. Yet she felt nothing. Even when she expanded her senses across all of Bastion, she detected only the familiar signatures of her old friends.

Despite her adorable appearance that naturally stirred maternal instincts, Regina Gura possessed an exceptionally high rank. The fact that her contractor was a celestial servant of the gods was proof enough of how powerful—and dangerous—she truly was.

She was certain: there were no other demons nearby.

'Then what on earth makes everyone so convinced this is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a demon?'

Demons usually borrowed their contractor's mana to manifest an avatar in the physical world. The avatar's appearance generally resembled the contractor's because of the mana signature. That was why most demons looked human—humans made up ninety-nine percent of demon contractors. Unless you were a high-tier appraiser or demon researcher, telling demons apart from humans was nearly impossible.

Yet these ordinary adventurers had recognized one?

'If a slightly pretty human counts as a demon, then the crazy elf at the counter three windows over is a demon too!'

Curiosity stirred for the first time in ages. Something that wasn't a demon, yet had been called one. She wanted to see what it looked like.

With that thought, Regina Gura rose onto her tiptoes and peered toward the center of the commotion.

Something felt wrong.

"Why is everyone so terrified?"

The guild's front doors stood wide open for ventilation. The adventurers who had rushed out to see the demon were frozen in place, staring up at the sky as though turned to stone. Their pupils were blown wide with horror, and their fingertips trembled with clammy fear.

"Hey, what's wrong with you all?"

A veteran adventurer called out, but received no answer. They simply stared at a single point, bodies shaking with terror.

Then came a sound—not quite the flap of wings, but more like the rustle of an animal hide being shaken in midair.

—Fwoosh!

"...The smell of blood?"

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

Along with the strange noise, the stench of blood and death, the lingering traces of the lifeless, flooded the building.

—Tap.

A light but distinct footstep echoed in time with a heartbeat. A tall, black silhouette descended gracefully to the ground.

"Ah."

"Huuuh...."

It was not admiration. The sound that escaped was pure, unconscious fear.

'...How on earth does that look like a demon? Have you all gone blind?'

Arms of the dead stretched endlessly to either side. Branches of original sin woven from wrongdoing. An alien crow's head that glowed with a murky light, as though its very source had been twisted. A black leather coat of unknown material draped over a gaunt, elongated frame.

It was not human. Nor was it a demon.

It was something more primal, more unclean—closer, perhaps, to the entity sealed away by the Goddess.

One tremor became two, then three, until the entire guild was swallowed by it. Fear was a contagious disease, after all.

—Tap.

The creature reduced its ominous black wings to ash and let the wind carry them away, then slowly stepped inside the guild.

—Tap.

With every heavy footfall, the terror inside Regina's chest was forcibly dragged upward.

"Is this the Adventurer's Guild?"

A hollow, ominous voice seeped stickily into her mind.

"Hik!"

Snapping back to her senses at the spine-chilling voice that seemed to defile the soul, Regina hurriedly activated her authority to identify the creature.

'What?'

It failed. Why? She had never failed to extract information before. Even the assistant administrators couldn't evade a demon's eye!

'This is impossible! Give me the information! System! This... this is an insult to Regina Gura's authority!!! Unacceptable!!!'

She struggled. No—it was a righteous thrashing to reclaim a demon's rightful authority. It continued without end.

In an instant, her authority struck the creature dozens, hundreds, thousands of times.

And then—

'Aaaagh!!!'

Her eyes burned, as though punishing the avatar of greed for daring to glimpse forbidden knowledge. Suppressing the urge to tear out her eyes and ears, Regina quietly closed them.

'I don't understand! It's terrifying! Please don't come this way!'

She prayed desperately that the unidentified monster immune to her authority would head to the counter five windows over instead.

"The center looks rather empty."

Ah! This was an emergency of the highest order!

***

"Please put me down."

Once they reached the ground, Raven carefully set down his contractor, who had been squirming in his arms as though missing the earth, and lifted his head. Several young adventurers sat on the floor, apparently startled by the dramatic entrance of the crow-headed stranger. He made a mental note to land in a more secluded spot next time.

"Everyone, please don't be too afraid. This gentleman is a very safe demon I have contracted with. Probably."

"Probably? I'm a little hurt."

Yuri brushed off his words and personally helped the fallen adventurers to their feet. As she did, her deeply pulled hood slipped down, revealing her androgynous features to the world.

"Ah!"

"Oh."

The young adventurers' eyes sparkled with age-appropriate wonder as they took in the sight.

—Tap.

Raven tore his gaze away from the adventurers staring at his contractor with strange looks and began walking. He shed the wings that had already served their purpose by absorbing bio-energy, brushed the dead cells from his sleeves, and stepped through the entrance.

'Whoa. Lots of people here.'

Living humans everywhere—people who breathed and moved, not dried-out corpses. They filled the space so densely he could barely take a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠step without bumping into one.

Then he took one more step.

Eyes gathered on him.

—Flinch.

He almost drew his automatic pistol on instinct, but somehow managed to stop himself. That would've been bad.

"Is this the Adventurer's Guild?"

"I've only heard the location. This is my first time actually coming here."

He glanced at his contractor, who was silently mouthing her admiration, then looked around again. The Adventurer's Guild headquarters was far cleaner and more organized than he had expected.

'They all look like actors. No, game characters would be more accurate.'

The appearances and outfits of those who seemed to be adventurers were far too refined for a typical medieval setting. The variety of races was staggering as well—dog beastkin, cat beastkin, lizardfolk, rabbit beastkin, dwarves, elves, and every other kind imaginable.

"That looks like the reception counters over there."

A long row of counters stretched from the center of the first floor to the left end. Adventurers stood in orderly lines—while staring very intently at him.

"Oh. The center does look rather empty."

"It must be because lunchtime is approaching."

"Then let's finish this quickly and go eat. I don't want to draw attention because of the embarrassing sounds coming from my contractor's stomach."

"I think we've already drawn every bit of attention possible thanks to you, Raven."

"I feel like a monkey in a cage."

—Rustle.

Before he even finished muttering, the surrounding adventurers all lowered their gazes at once. Had they been listening? How considerate.

"Ahem! It's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already mealtime! I'll handle the exchange after I've filled my stomach! Mwahahaha...!"

"W-wait, adventurer, where are you going?! Stop right there! Don't abandon Regina Gura!"

A burly male adventurer with a fierce expression hurried past them, apparently in a rush. Thanks to him, space opened up in the center.

"A spot just opened up."

"Today must be our lucky day."

"Want to try some sleight of hand?"

"Got any money?"

"No."

"Then we'll do it after we earn some."

"Sounds good."

—Tap.

Chatting lightly with his contractor, Raven arrived at the counter. The receptionist looked two or three years younger than Yuri. Her neatly tied black ponytail and the precarious smile that seemed ready to collapse at any moment left a strong impression.

"Hello."

"Greetings."

"Ah. Hello is the case!"

'"Is the case"? That's a rare speech pattern.'

She must be a new hire. The receptionist stammered, her eyes darting about as though unaccustomed to dealing with customers. Even so, the awkward smile she maintained to the end and the dimples that appeared with it were charming. Did she practice smiling in front of a mirror? With a bit more experience, she would make a fine receptionist.

"What business brings you to the guild?!"

"Do you want to know?"

Of course she wanted to know—that was why she asked, you idiot. It seemed cosplaying as a demon had damaged her language center.

"Ah, I don't want to know, is the case!"

That was a problem. Please be curious.

"Ah. No, I mean...."

The receptionist began to ramble, her eyes spinning as she stared into the dimples she had no words left to fill. Unlike his contractor, who tried to hide her emotions, this raw reaction was quite delicious. A true gourmet experience.

"...Once your adventurer registration is complete, I'll come find you myself, so please wait near the bulletin board."

"Very well."

Had she assumed he was deliberately tormenting the young receptionist?

'This is why demons....'

His contractor shot him a look that said exactly that and issued a strict order to stay away.

'Busted.'

Sharp as ever.