The Soul Contract

"Have you lost your mind? A soul contract? That's some serious nonsense you're spouting."

Baal burst into a hollow laugh.

The nobles of the Demon Realm—no, there was no need to go even that far. Even ordinary demons never entered into soul contracts.

A soul contract meant obeying any command a human issued and being forbidden from inflicting the slightest harm upon that human for the entire duration of the pact. In short, it was a slave contract. No demon anywhere would ever agree to such a thing.

"So then—you'll treat my daughter?"

Crunch.

At Do-ha's threat, Baal ground his teeth. The bastard had been dangling that same threat over him from the start.

"I suppose you had a reason for leaving her untreated."

"…"

"If she were cured and stepped outside, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

"You…"

Something felt off. Baal glared at Do-ha. The way the man kept talking—it was as if he already knew far too much.

"You… don't tell me…"

Impossible. No matter how absolute his power, that should have been beyond him. His daughter required an enormous quantity of demonic energy. If it was not poured in with perfect control, the cocoon that cradled her would simply bleed it all away. Only someone who could master demonic energy with absolute precision could even attempt it.

Swoosh.

"This is what's called a cellphone."

"…"

When Do-ha pulled out the device, Baal's eyes locked onto his hand. The believers already carried such things; he knew what it was.

Thud.

Do-ha held the screen out toward him.

"Your daughter's pretty cute, isn't she?"

"…"

In the small photograph, his daughter sat quietly. Baal's pupils began to tremble violently.

"N-no…!!!"

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Seeing his daughter free of the cocoon, Baal thrashed like a madman. Every time he moved, the chains rattled and strained as if they might snap at any second—yet they only swayed and held him fast.

"Calm down. I've already sealed her power."

"…What?"

Still heaving for breath, Baal stared at Do-ha. Sealed her power? Truly…?

It made sense. The aura that poured from his daughter was enough to drive even humans into frenzy, yet this man was standing here completely unaffected.

"You've been holding something back from me, haven't you?"

"?"

"The Demon King who joined hands with the angels and attacked you. You claimed you didn't know who it was. But you do know, don't you?"

"…"

Baal bit down on his lip. It was true he had never seen the attacker's face. But he had a very good idea who it must have been.

"Asmodeus. It was him, wasn't it?"

"Haa…"

In the end Baal let out a long sigh. This sharp-eyed, cunning Absolute Being had already arrived knowing everything. Lies would get him nowhere.

"I was hit before I ever saw him, so I truly don't know for certain. But my guess is that it was him."

"Then why didn't you say so?"

"You're laboring under a misunderstanding. Even if my relations with the other Demon Kings are poor, I am still a demon first and foremost. Did you really think I would simply cooperate with you?"

"Is that so? Then from this moment on, you will. Otherwise I'll release the seal on Eilas and drop her right into the Demon Realm."

"Uwaaah, Baek Do-ha!!!"

Baal roared. If these restraints ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were gone he would have crushed the man's throat with his bare hands. Using his own daughter as a hostage—!

"I guarantee it. The moment you throw her into the Demon Realm, Eilas will be dead within a day—no, within a few hours—at Asmodeus's hands. You know that as well as I do. That bastard is a mixture of greed and jealousy."

Asmodeus was the Demon King of Lust, yet his nature was saturated with greed and envy. So strong were those traits that even the denizens of the Demon Realm often said he suited Greed or Jealousy far better than Lust.

"If you form a contract with me, your daughter can live freely."

"What?"

Baal, who had been hanging his head, lifted his eyes. A faint change flickered in their depths.

He had wanted to heal her, yet the moment she stepped outside she would become a target for elimination. There had been nothing he could do. In the human world of the middle realm, people would try to kill her for bewitching them. In the Demon Realm, Asmodeus would stop at nothing to destroy her. That was why he had kept her untreated and hidden away.

As if he himself had not longed to see his daughter.

And now this man claimed Eilas could live freely?

"H-has the seal you placed on her power been made permanent?"

"If I die, the force holding Eilas back will unravel. So you'll need to form a soul contract with me, won't you? For your daughter's sake."

Do-ha's lips curved into a thin, cold smile. Baal had no real choice. He had hidden his daughter inside his own heart; that was how deeply he loved her.

"I gave Eilas a drink and she loved it. When she walked the streets she smiled."

It was a lie. He had given her no drink and had never let her walk the streets. But that hardly mattered. What mattered to Baal right now was not the truth—it was the fact that Eilas was free.

"Well?"

Swoosh.

Thud.

Still smiling, Do-ha draped an arm around Baal's shoulders.

"Think about it. Do you really want your daughter trapped inside that stifling cocoon forever? The moment she came out earlier she looked so happy. Can you imagine how confined she must have felt?"

With the manner and voice of a seasoned swindler, he coaxed the archduke.

"Even if we form a soul contract, I won't use you unreasonably. Demons… no, you won't even have to deal with ordinary demons. Just help me when I face the Demon Kings. How about it? You hate those Demon Kings yourself. Isn't that more than fair?"

"…"

The words poured out of him as smoothly as if his tongue had been oiled.

"I seal Eilas's power. You protect me in return. Your daughter lives a normal life right in your arms… Khh~ Now that is a perfect cycle."

"…"

As Do-ha kept whispering, Baal's eyes trembled more violently still. He knew the Absolute Being's nature. Whatever cup this man offered was sure to contain poison. Yet the poison tasted so sweet he could not bring himself to refuse it.

"You know me. Do I look like the sort who would lie?"

"You lie and deceive more easily than any demon."

"…"

Well, that was true, but this was hardly the moment for such honesty.

"Nothing else is needed. We'll write it into the contract: Baal cooperates only when fighting the Demon Kings. You don't have to help when I fight other demons. All right?"

Swoosh.

Do-ha narrowed his eyes and watched the wavering Baal. Perfect. He was almost there. Time for the finishing blow.

"Canteas, come here."

Whoooosh—

The moment Do-ha finished the incantation, Canteas began to materialize from the house.

Whoosh.

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

Pop.

"…Eilas."

A short distance away, Canteas appeared—and with him, Baal's own daughter. Baal's eyes flew wide. How long had it been since he last looked upon her face?

"Ah… Father."

Eilas saw the chains binding Baal and flinched in alarm. She had simply followed when she was told they had somewhere to go, only to find her father restrained. She was no battle-hardened demon, yet she could feel the angelic power radiating from the chains.

"See? I told you the truth, didn't I? Can you feel any power coming from your daughter? You can't, can you? Exactly as I said."

A sickeningly sweet smile spread across Do-ha's lips. How does it feel to see your daughter whole and well?

"As long as I live, Eilas can live free forever."

"So that's why you told me to bring her."

Canteas, who had been watching in silence, finally understood the situation and muttered to himself. Of course that cunning Baek Do-ha would pull something like this.

"Tsk tsk. What a pity. To fall into the hands of a man more demonic than any demon."

"?"

When Canteas clicked his tongue and murmured, Eilas tilted her head with a worried expression. What on earth was he talking about…? She had no way of knowing.

Whooooosh—

As their chants crossed and completed, crimson motes of light began to whirl wildly through the air.

Whoooosh—!!!

The final words left their lips, and the swirling motes liquefied, seeping into both of their bodies.

The clause limiting cooperation to battles against the Demon Kings had already been included. Baal had also slipped in additional terms in advance, just in case Do-ha might try to slaughter non-demon inhabitants of the Demon Realm. Of course, Baal was still bound; he would have to be freed before he could be put to proper use.

"Father…"

Eilas knew what a soul contract meant. She looked at Baal with anxious eyes. She had already learned from Canteas why he was currently restrained. But she could not understand why he would form a soul contract.

"Do not tell my daughter why I made this contract."

"Don't worry."

At Baal's words, Do-ha merely shrugged. That was precisely why he had summoned Canteas at a slight distance—so that her voice would not reach them and she would be unable to stop it.

If Eilas found out, she would have begged him not to do it for her sake.

And if that happened, Baal—whom Do-ha had already seasoned to perfection—might come to his senses. He would never allow that.

"You stay here and rest. I'll go find a way to free you."

"Understood."

"Kehehehe. Of all people, you had to form a contract with Baek Do-ha… Your good days are over."

Canteas burst out laughing as he looked at Baal. You idiot. Even after seeing your daughter walking around perfectly fine, you still went and signed a contract with a man more demonic than any demon?

"From now on you call me senior! I got caught decades before you did!"

"…?"

For a moment Baal tilted his head. What was this? The fellow seemed to be bragging about being a slave. Was that really something to boast about…?

In any case, once the contract period ended he would be—

Wait…?

Contract period??? Come to think of it, had they ever set a duration?

"Hey, Baek Do-ha."

"Canteas, Eilas. Let's go."

"Hey, Absolute Being!!"

Baal called desperately after Do-ha's retreating back. In the joy of sensing no power from his daughter, he had momentarily forgotten. He had never set a contract period. He had never even managed to insert it as a clause. Normally a contract without a set duration simply would not form. Yet moments ago the contract had been completed perfectly. That meant Do-ha had decided the duration himself.

"Hey, Baek Do-ha! The pe—period! Tell me how long it is!"

"Come on, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kids, let's go~"

"Hey!"

When Do-ha pretended not to hear, Baal finally shouted.

"We're leaving. See you later."

Grab.

Whooooosh—!

Do-ha took hold of Canteas and Eilas and soared into the sky.

"Do-ha, so how long did you actually set the period for?"

"Lifetime."

"Huh…?"

"It's a lifelong contract. Baal looked so distracted that I just set the duration to forever."

In truth, that was why he had inserted the clause about helping only against Demon Kings—to scatter Baal's attention. And there was one more crucial point.

"From now on I can work Baal however I like."

"How? You put in the clause that he only cooperates when fighting Demon Kings."

"That idiot never properly checked the contract. If I simply declare that everything I do is preparation for fighting the Demon Kings, he has no choice but to obey. Hehehe."

"As expected of Baek Do-ha. Kehehehe."

When Do-ha laughed, Canteas laughed right along with him.

"Father…"

Listening from the side, Eilas stared down at Baal far below with a completely blank expression.