March, A.A. 2013. The act of summoning a demon to borrow his or her magic; Kael believed that such a thing didn"t exist anymore. Until now. He, who was sleeping soundly, was summoned into the circle and was staring blankly at the girl who summoned him. Her height was slight, reaching only about his waist, with a tall nose, and bright eyes with a hint of silver that were clear and deep. Skin so clear that it looked tender, but a tinge of pink that gave the impressionof a white peach. Her childish look was cute, but that was not all: thin arms and legs, gentle fingers, and the elegance emanating from her figure seemed truly beautiful. Especially her long, silver hair that barely missed the ground, beautifully shining as though it was spread with a crescent moon"s light after it was taken from the moon itself. Her natural beauty alone was so breathtaking that it made her light-blue silk dress and diamond necklace - that seemed as though it was made professionally - seem like nothing. Kael thought while looking at the young girl who had the liveliness of a child and elegance that made light of jewelry, and added to that, the deepness that made stars in the sky feel closer to get. I wonder what happened. Is it a dream, or is it reality? "Ah, it must be a dream." He was sleeping, thus it was a dream. There is no way such a wonderful girl lived in reality. And there is no way a high-cla.s.s human had reason to summon a low-cla.s.s demon like himself in this century. Didn"t humans already copy almost all of the Heavenly Beings" technology, except those of ancient divine device-cla.s.s technologies? There is no way they will sacrifice their soul while trading with demonic beings. Like, who will trade in their life and soul for something that can be bought with a coin or two? "But a dream where such a wonderful girl appears. It"s not all bad. Although I don"t know how I got to dream of such a thing, let"s just watch with the feeling of looking at famous works of art: it is food for the eyes. If there is one thing I could wish for, it would be an older version of this girl. Even right now she has the beauty of a flower yet to bloom, and I have fun thinking about her older appearance; it is a pity that she is not of that age. Maybe I will continue this in a dream tomorrow." While he was feeling happiness and pity at the same time, the girl opened her mouth. Her voice was clearer than the Rainbow Crystal Bell in the Central Altar, a bell that Heavenly Beings were proud of, thus adding the happiness of sound to the wonderful being in front of him. "Serve me, for I am your master."
"Ah. That..... WHAT?!" Kael, who was listening to her voice happily, was startled. "This is the proof of contract. The sign of becoming the sacrifice that was offered on the Altar of the Six Devils King." The young girl showed the mark of "The Three Swords" on top of her hand. Those three transparent swords pointed straight up, down, and middle while being entangled together. It was clearly the sign that represented Kael himself. At the same time, indicating that she was sacrificing herself for the power of his.While serving the summoner as master, the demons followed all the orders set by that person. And the summoner gives his or her body, soul, and life as the price of that command. It was really the master who was prey, while the demonic being was predator. That was the Contract of Soul. "I will order your first task. Reveal your name." It was conversation unfit for a dream. It was a too-clear sign and the feeling that says the contract had started: language that he shouldn"t have known, and this time period"s, this location"s basic knowledge. There were definite signals that indicated that this was real. The smile disappeared from Kael, his mouth closing in a straight line. His eyes that were blankly staring closed slightly. Coldness and darkness overcame his eyes. The hand that closed as if it was going to rip apart the opponent stopped with very little composure. But the muscles that tightened to their max indicated that his rage stopped right before exploding. He made a cynical smile by slightly raising side of his mouth, unknowingly making that expression. "Things like contracts....." Once was enough, back when I was ignorant. I absolutely refuse to do it a second time.
* * *
10 minutes before summoning. The young girl looked at her left arm while holding a dagger in her right hand. The girl who wore a big backpack below long, swaying hair was shivering slightly. After putting the blade of the dagger on her left arm, she breathed deeply a few times. Every time she did that, her small body slightly expanded and became small again. The skin of her arm seemed so soft, that scratching it with even a fingernail was enough to rip it. Above that weak arm, the sharpened dagger slowly approached. The girl stopped breathing after closing both eyes and mouth, and boldly slashed her arm with the dagger. "Ah." A small scream leaked out of her closed mouth. But that was it. While frowning, yet not shedding a tear at all, the girl raised her arm to the bowl. Just like that, blood filled the bowl. The more her blood filled the bowl, the paler she became. Even while that happened, she stood up while not even showing a crying face, nor stopping the blood. Although her leg shook a bit, she stopped the bleeding only after filling the bowl completely with her blood. "Yulia. Think again. You still do not know what it means to control a demonic being." Her backpack spoke with a voice like a human"s. "Pristine. Do you know that you have said that 29 times already?" "Not only 29 times, I will say it 290 times. It is not too late. Stop." "Then I will say for the 29th time: is there any other way?" Yulia wetted a quill with her blood and started to draw shapes on the floor. After drawing a circle big enough for a person to stand, she wrote numerous words in there. Every time she wrote a word, smoke came from that word and left purple residue. She wrote the taboo language of high-cla.s.s demons without stopping. "Although you are right… that is still not right. Do you think that the Devil King of Darkness" measure will give you much price for your soul? At most, it will be a 5th-cla.s.s demonic being. In this age, those beings can"t even compare to a single tank." Pristine tried to stop Yulia even while knowing that Yulia was getting annoyed. It might have been different in the past. In the time where soldiers armed themselves with spears and arrows, even 5th-cla.s.s demons were strong. But in this time, summoning a 5th-cla.s.s demon, using a soul as the medium? There was nothing more foolish than that.
"If you can get that tank to me right now, then I will stop this ceremony." "But...!" "Stop and close your mouth. I have to escape from here and go to the meeting. For that, I can sacrifice anything. Even my soul." Yulia declared clearly after backing off. Her posture of raising her head high with that adorable body type of hers showed a mixture of cuteness and high cla.s.s. "Yulia....." Pristine understood why Yulia hurried. Yulia was currently locked in her mansion where she came for summer vacation. This secret chamber was unknown to the enemies, but it was only matter of time. Her army was annihilated a long time ago, and it was impossible for Pristine, who was only a backpack, and Yulia, who was only 8 years old. The contact to the outside army was somehow cut off, and any kind of signal was stopped. Even though she was the Queen of Nesland, Yulia was nothing more than a powerless child. In this critical situation, coming up with the idea of contracting with a demon can be said to be ingenious, or a final strategy. "Then only bet your life on it. Don"t use too much power and sacrifice even your existence. Even if contracting with a demon dirties the soul and disrupts your next time, there will at least be a next life. But at this rate....... your existence can be erased from the world entirely." "I know the danger this poses. I am doing this knowing that danger, so shut your mouth and keep it that way." Yulia stubbornly finished the summoning circle. Pristine continually tried to stop her, but she was only a backpack. Although she was an all-knowing backpack, it couldn"t stop her physically.After finishing the circle, Yulia smiled. "And who knows, maybe I will get lucky and as a service, get a 4th-cla.s.s demon instead." "Let"s say it is a 4th-cla.s.s demon. But selling your soul for the power of, at most, a troop? You are wasting too much. There are at least seven at the Castle!" "If only any one of those seven troops can come here, that is. Now I am going to start the ceremony, so any kind of disturbance will not be allowed. Now close your mouth." Yulia took off Pristine and put it in one of the corners of the room. Although said harshly, the hand that put it down was worried of Pristine. "But...." "Be quiet. I said be quiet." Showing slight irritation, Yulia hit the mouth part of the backpack few times. Although, it was with strength that can"t even tickle it. After hitting it a few times, Yulia stood up as if she was satisfied. "I will not tolerate any disturbance from this point on. Why are you so agitated, when this body that has to bet on the soul, feels nothing?" Yulia turned and faced the summoning circle. In front of the circle, she started to chant the words of contract from ancient time. "O, powerful ruler of the Six Demonic Worlds.
O, the rulers of the demonic world that stands against the G.o.ds of Heavenly Beings.
This here right now, I open the door to contract with my blood." Pristine was worried about Yulia, who boldly spoke the words from memory. If she was not a backpack, but another human, she would be sighing numerous times by now.
"Saying she is okay with it....."
Short height, tight shoulders, thin arms and legs, and a small stature made Yulia"s bold action look as if she was taking it easy. But if observed closely, it was different. A small back that seems like it was unfit even to wear a backpack, was drenched with sweat. Legs that seem like they can be bruised just by touching a corner, shook. Although her dress hid those things, for this backpack that felt but had no sight, it was laid for all to see. Even while like that, she did not show it in her outer appearance. She spoke clearly without error. Her raised hands stopped on air without any movement. She even had a confident smile on her face. Only her hair that almost touched the floor shook without any control. "For such a smart kid, she should know better about the consequences." Pristine was saddened. It was a condition where, if she was human, she will say that it is the wrong thing to do or something like that. In truth, Yulia should be scared as much as she knows. But proceeding with the taboo of ceremony while smiling confidently, this 8 years old kid was acting like an adult way too soon. She is only a kid.
"Creating the path with my life.
Creating the beacon with my soul,
I wish for the contract of yours." The correctly proceeded ceremony awoke the power of olden times. From the magic circle created with blood, rose the dark red smoke that seemed ominous. "So she is finally… summoning." Pristine was disappointed in that she wanted to make this event nothing after Yulia failed the summon. Yulia was a genius in that she could memorize all the contents of the book after reading it just once. And because they were "old existence", the words of contract were not of the language that people of this time used. But not only memorizing all the content, but also perfect p.r.o.nunciation, if she was a little less smart, this ceremony would have had been a failure.
"With my blood I will buy your body.
With my life I will buy your power.
With my soul I will buy your authority." The smoke that had been coming out filled the surrounding air and from the circle came a wave that shook the place. Inside of the circle became a place that cannot be called something from this world. "At this place, become my faithful servant.
Send me the Knight of Contract that will protect me." The summoning circle was encased in darkness. From that darkness came a shackle that came and grabbed Yulia"s right hand. As if heated steel were burning her hand, smoke came from the point of contact. Ever-white skin became red as if burning, then became empty and black. A sizzling sound filled the room. As if marking the cow, darkness stamped on Yulia"s empty darkness. She bit her lip upon experiencing sharp pain, but not only did no sounds of pain leak from Yulia"s mouth, she also finished the final words of contract.
"Receiving the words of origin.
Pulling apart the Worldstone"s restriction by the rule.
Come forth to this place over the wall of the worlds!" Darkness filled the room. There definitely were a few lights that shone in the room, but nothing was left on now. The warm room suddenly became cold. It was cold like how it is in the middle of winter. In the next moment, the temperature rose and exceeded that of a desert in summer. It became so hot that it felt like breathing would burn the inside of your mouth. After that, the darkness disappeared and came forth a light that was so bright that it felt like it was going to burn the skin. Light disappeared again and the darkness returned. After that came the sharp wind that made a mess of the room. The chaos that ignored all logic filled the place. When she started to wonder about when this will end, the sequence stopped. Everything became normal, as if the things that happened were nothing but a lie. But one thing definitely changed. An existence similar to a typical stranger sat in the middle of the circle with a dumb look on his face. He had slightly disarranged, short black hair. Although older than Yulia herself, he still had faint childishness in his jaw line. With a height approximately between 170-180cm, he had manliness in him, but not so much so that it was noticeable. But he wasn"t all feminine. His sleepy black eyes of were stupefied, but sharp, and a cynical feeling was given by both eyes and mouth. Except for how he looks like he was from an Asian country, his appearance was that of a human. But Yulia smiled while looking at the "crest" on top of her right hand. The ritual was successful. Although the man in front of her looked human, he surely was not a resident of this world but a demon who was born with ancient magic instilled in him. With this, the situation can be solved. Even if the method is by using the Knight of Taboo who will eat her from the inside. Demons desires human souls, because they are the most potent catalysts for demon growth. But because human"s souls are their property, it is impossible for demons to take it away from humans. Even if the demon was the Six Devil"s King, the pillar stone of demon society. So, demons "contract" with those humans. As the price of using a demon"s power, humans give the demon the rights to their soul. And when human gives 100% right of their soul to the demon, that human"s existence is erased and becomes food for the demon. A food chain that is actually opposite of what it is, that is what a contract with a demon is. But as the demon"s powers exceeds all technologies and knowledges, there were many people who gave nearly their entire soul to use those powers. And there were also many who accidentally exceeded that limit and lost themselves to the demon. Until the Science Revolution. "Serve me, for I am your master." I can"t look easy to use. Yulia raised her nose further while tilting her head back by about 15 degrees. She stood tall and pushed her hair aside as if to show it to him. Although of small stature, she was one country"s Queen. "Ah, that… WHAT?!" She creased her forehead while looking at the demon who still had a confused expression. Although she didn"t know what kind of status this demon had, she wasn"t sure if he was slow at understanding, or just dumb in general. "This is the proof of contract. The sign of becoming the sacrifice that was offered on the Altar of the Six Devils King." She asked his name while instilling in him who the master and servant were. "I will order your first task. Reveal your name." The tattoo on top of her hand glowed ever so slightly. In a short moment, Kael"s confused look became truly wild. He became sharp like a fierce predator, like a wolf who just removed his sheep disguise. But as long as the contract is finished, the control over the demon was absolute, the master"s order being prioritized over the demon"s own consciousness. Changing to a formal posture, Kael knelt down regardless of his own thought or will. Bowing his head, his mouth spoke without him wanting to. The wildness in Kael"s expression had disappeared. "My name is Kael, my master." "Kael, you say… Hmm. It is a name I have not heard of. Well, it is understandable for I only know the name of 2nd-cla.s.s demons and some 3rd-cla.s.s demons." Yulia dropped her raised hand and lowered her head. A small sigh leaked from her mouth. Under her long eyelashes, she became disappointed. "Well, it cannot be helped." Although she knew by Pristine"s advice that it will be 5th-cla.s.s, and at most 4th-cla.s.s, she still had hope for a higher cla.s.s demon to come out. Although 1st-cla.s.s devil kings or 2nd-cla.s.s high demons were impossible, 3rd-cla.s.s demons who were known for their high attack power could have been better, but it was an impossible dream to begin with. About the time she put away her disappointment, Kael let out a dry laugh and stood up. The body that moved despite his intention was definite proof of contract. This was not a dream. "Ahaha… Ahahaha. Is… is that so? I got summoned." He couldn"t have known that there were any more people who still summoned demons. Even more so by this little kid. Although he was surprised for a moment, his head finally started to move. "No, it"s still not too late." He was too excited. This is not a situation where being emotional can solve it. As of now, it is still the pre-contract state. It was still possible to cancel it with relative ease. Let"s end this by explaining nicely. "Hey kid, it seems like you did something because of an old-time story." He put his hand on top of her head and started to pat her. Her long hair gave off a slightly pleasant feeling on the tips of his fingers. "Kneel before me!" "Yes, master." Stopping his motion, Kael knelt down immediately. "Whose hair do you think you are touching!? I am the Queen of Nesland, Yulia D. Beatrice Scachiel."Raising her forefinger and pointing at herself, Yulia raised her voice and declared. It was an act full of dignity. Even if her fingers were small and thin. "…Did you say… Queen?" Kael opened and closed his mouth. He thought she was some kind of princess because of her wonder and beauty, but a Queen? Natural impact that was followed by the act, mannerism, and stare. Despite the age, everything she did had dignity in them. But at that age, not "future queen" but "current queen". "Just how old are you…" "I am 8 years old. Surely you are older than me, but I am your M.A.S.T.E.R. Mind your manners." After folding her arms, she threw her head back by 15 degrees and pushed her chest out as much as she could have. She emphasized the word master while looking down at Kael with strong-willed eyes. She seemed like a purebred cat that was showing off. "… 8 years old…" Kael"s head began to hurt. Yeah, she seems to be like that. It was a good age to make trouble because of curiosity. But the trouble was not at the cla.s.s where the house was burnt down because she was playing with fire. Well, that was trouble too, but to summon a demon like him... And out of all the demons, him. "I was having good sleep too." "Ah, yeah. Yulia. Do you know that if you control a demon like me, you will exhaust yourself and lose your soul?" "Let"s scare her so that she will stop. Controlling a child should be easy." Kael set the heavy mood and lowered his voice. His black pupils contained deep darkness while not letting any light out. Eyes that were unlike that of a human, but an animal, were there. But Yulia laughed with her nose and threw her head back further. "Ha, do you believe that I summoned you without knowing that? Pristine explained it numerous times, and I knew beforehand. I was prepared for the consequences, so there is no need to explain." "You… knew? No, wait. Then why did you summon me even though you knew? Didn"t you say you are a Queen? There should be a lot of subordinates." "I needed a force that could fight for me right now." Kael changed the tactic. This kid was not easy to fool. Trying to scare her off won"t work; then she needed to be treated like an adult instead of a child and talk her out of it. "Maybe you misunderstood while reading old stories, but the demons from the book that fought against G.o.d"s warriors are at least 3rd-cla.s.s, and most 2nd-cla.s.s demons. You can find strong ones around that cla.s.s. But I"m a 5th-cla.s.s demon, I"m nothing special." Kael touched the sword that he wore on his side. "And also, I"m a 5th-cla.s.s warrior demon. A little bit stronger and faster than the average human, but that"s all. If a human trains properly, he can fight against me just like that." "5th-cla.s.s warrior…" Yulia frowned. Although, it was beautiful in a different kind of way. "That"s right. It"s power that"s so far behind today"s technology. What"s a person who can wield a sword, when placed in front of scientific weapons? If they shoot from a little afar, I"m dead. It"s like a sand castle in front of hail, when it comes to a tank. There is no point in contracting me, so let"s just say that this meeting never happened. Okay?" Kael waved his hand while smiling. He will be happy because he will go back to his NEET life, and small Queen will be happy because she won"t lose her life. It was two birds with one stone. "I shall command your ability to see your own limit." Yulia smiled softly and tapped his shoulder as if she was proud of him. "But there is nothing to worry about. I summoned you because even that kind of power is precious at this moment. Right now, take me outside of this place. I will treat you with a reward when I get to the palace safely." She put strength on her hand that was on top of his shoulder. Although Kael thought it was only enough strength to break an egg. "Just a minute, maybe you don"t understand. I said that using your subordinates will be better than using me." "Those subordinates you mention do not exist within this castle." "Why?" Only then did Kael realize that she was in a grave situation. "They all got killed by giant bugs of unknown origin. Guns didn"t work on their armor. Although this room is a secret room under the castle, it"s only a matter of time for them to find me." Yulia, who was trying to look bigger while putting strength in her neck, started to look down while talking. Hands softly grabbed each other as if to pray for those who died for her. Her voice while talking about the dead couldn"t hide the trembling. But as if to say nothing can be done by being sad, she raised her head again. "Thus, you are my last H.O.P.E." She emphasized the word "hope" while looking at Kael"s black eyes with her clear, silver eyes. "Bugs with armor that can deflect bullets?" Kael c.o.c.ked his head. Such a thing didn"t exist in the demon world, no less in Heaven. "Do you understand? I"m not telling you to kill all of those bugs. I just need you to get me to the palace with the secret escape method." She explained as if she was kindly explaining things easily, but the tips of her hair shook. "Well....." Kael noticed that although she was putting on a brave face, her back was wet with her sweat. She must be scared. She, who ran away while her subordinates fought against bugs of unknown origin, must have summoned a demon as a last hope under the terror that was slowly creeping upon her. "What should I do....." The contract is not finished yet. So if he, who was summoned, refused the contract officially, then the contract will be broken. Although, it is after the summoner accepts the act of breaking the contract. But what will happen to this kid after he leaves? Probably this weak and young body will be eaten by those monster bugs. "Tsk." That leaves a bad aftertaste. "But…" "It might be hard to understand, but it is not right to bet your soul. You can"t use your soul for just this one moment." Kael stared at Yulia with calm eyes. Annoyance from a moment ago disappeared and Kael spoke with calm and serious feeling. "I understand the fear of immediate death, but the death of the soul means that you can"t even reach the afterlife and your existence will be gone forever. Do you understand me?" "I shall reply because you are telling me in all seriousness. I still need to go back to my castle. Soon, the vote on cutting back the medical welfare budget for the bottom 2 percentile in order to excavate Louvre Mountain will be held. If it does not stop, then 300 thousand poor citizens will not be able get treated even if they are hurt." Medical welfare, vote. The words that an 8 year old kid don"t even need to know flowed out of Yulia"s mouth. She held her hand above her chest. Her eyes reflected the worry and uneasiness that she felt. On top of her shoulder, there was an illusion of the big burden she held. "Resurrection is good, and the afterlife is also good. But right now, I hold the responsibility of those who live in this land. I did not call you for the sake of myself." Kael became irritated after hearing her say that. Those kind of heroic speechs bring out his allergies. This kid who showed bravery and haughtyness, showed her weak self only with words like budget and responsibility. Kids should worry about kid"s things like getting a teddy bear for her birthday. "Ha? Hey, idiot." Does this kid even know what kind of meaning her words held? No way. She must be brainwashed by those around her about what it means to be a queen and stuff. She was beautiful and graceful, but she was too young to think for herself. Although she mimics what she needs to say, she doesn"t even know what she actually wishes for. "You will perish, and that will be the end. Now THAT is what"s similar to world ending." The world where you don"t even exist; she won"t even be remembered in such place. There is no meaning to it. Hearing the scream of despair of a holy-maiden-wannabe after finding out such truth; once is enough. A second time is not acceptable. He ferociously stared at her. The impression of a weak, thin male disappeared after the appearance of his eyes that had "carnivore of humanity" written all over it. But Yulia did not step back. Actually, she stared back at those sharp, dangerous eyes with her clear, deep, silver eyes. "Even so, I have things that I must protect even at the cost of my existence." "Even though you are a kid who doesn"t know anything?" "Are you mimicking a story about a hero of holy maiden?" Kael ground his teeth. If not for the rule that prevented any harm to the summoner, he would have hit her a few times already. "There is no more time to argue. We have to move before we can"t get out anymore. Come out of the circle immediately." "Hou..." Kael calmed down after sighing deeply. He became too heated against a child. Children are children because they act without thinking much. If they acted while doing so, they are not kids anymore. Even if she is a queen, she is still 8 years old. It is the age where someone"s story will attract them more so than truth of the world. He has to understand that. "What to do…" Although she believes that the contract is complete, it is not. He himself can resist the contract. Things like demons rejecting the contract, she shouldn"t know that it exists because it is not widely known. But even if he rejects, she will summon another demon and try to get out of the fort. Maybe she will get killed by the monster bugs while attempting to summon another demon. "It can"t be helped. I will help you just this once, kid." If something like that happens after he disappears, it will leave a bad aftertaste. Yulia frowned even though Kael said so in good intention. She held her fist and hit Kael"s stomach a few times, although it weakly bounced back. "Shut that mouth of yours!" "Eh, why?" As Kael asked back curiously, Yulia held up her hand. Holding up that final weapon with an angry face, she recited about 1.5 times faster than usual. "Eyy! It is the second order! Do not call me a kid!" The sign on top of her hand flashed again. That order suppressed Kael in absolute rule. "Yes, your majesty." Kael collected himself, and sighed after raising his head. "Don"t waste your soul because of something insignificant like that. I will help you even if you don"t." "So you finally decided to help me. The discussion took more time than I thought." Yulia combed her hair after making a victorious smile. Her casual self shined of elegancy, although the tip of her mouth that couldn"t hide her satisfaction was the pearl on the pig. Kael continued while hiding the fact that he found her act cute. "But, it is only this once. Don"t make another mistake of summoning a demon." "I will take your advice." "Then the contract is complete."
Kael knelt respectfully. Each realm rejects denizens of other realms. As a result Kael, who is from the Demon Realm, is rejected by the Middle Realm, or the realm of humans. If he, a denizen from another realm, tries to stay in the human realm without doing anything, then he will be in a situation similar to a fish out of water. What can prevent this situation is the proof of contract with a denizen of the human realm. Only through a contract can a demon freely move in the human realm.
Yulia extended her right hand, the one that bore the proof, toward Kael. She slightly lowered her eyes while perfectly angling her hand. The appearance of her being both calm and prim reminded Kael of a cat that was "allowing" the owner to play with it. Softly grabbing the extended hand, Kael kissed the tattoo.
"Following the old law, I arrived, and present you the contract of loyalty:
First, I will always follow your order,
Second, I will not harm you unless it is an order,
Third, unless it is in a situation where the first and second law is applied, I shall protect myself."
After Kael recited the Three Demon Laws, the contract finally concluded. The circle that caged him disappeared, and the tattoo on top of Yulia"s hand also disappeared from sight. Unless an order that used "soul" was mouthed, it will not appear on her hand again.
Standing up, Kael tapped his sword sheath with his fingers.
"Now, let"s set up some basic plan. You said that bullets don"t work on those bugs, right? How many are there? It"s not something to brag about, but don"t expect me to take them all out."
Although he said it like that, he didn"t expect anything big. Thinking something like, "What can a kid do?" He had to think of everything himself after hearing the basic information.
"I won"t expect anything, for I have planned everything."
Saying that, Yulia held up the backpack that was in the corner of the room.
"Pristine, get the layout for this castle."
"Okay."
Saying that, the backpack opened by itself and a map came out of it.
"Ha? Talking backpack?"
"I will apologize if I scared you. Knowing that it wasn"t time for me to open my mouth, I was keeping quiet. My name is Pristine."
"Are you something like an artifact from the time of the war?"
"That"s right."
Kael stared at the backpack with interest. Even though it looks like a typical backpack, for it to be an artifact with a history of five millennia before year A. A., at the time when Heavenly Beings and demons held hands just once, to create artifacts made from technology and magic.
"Are you seven thousand years old?"
"Please don"t treat me like an old man. Call me Pristine. Being handed down through the royalty of Nesland"s possession, I am working only as Yulia"s backpack now."
"Sure, then. Also, call me Kael. You have a rough master."
"Well, I do have my work cut out for me."
Yulia puffed her cheeks while staring at Kael and Pristine who were talking by themselves. Then, she squeezed between them, map wide open.
"Save the pleasantries for later. For now, escaping is a more dire concern."
"Ah, that"s right."
"This here is where we are. And this is the place where the statue that hides the switch for the secret escape mechanism is located. The shortest path that leads to this room is like this."
Collecting Kael"s attention, Yulia drew the path along the map.
"But there are a few problems with this path. First is that on the way there, there exists a corridor where it is perfect for us to get trapped from both front and back, and this big room where we can easily get surrounded by number of them. Added to that, predicting the line of sight for these monsters, the path that I chose is like this."
She drew the path that was slightly different.
"How is this? I will welcome any change for the plan that I created without understanding your skill."
Yulia"s hand that pushed back her hair was full of confidence, showing that there shouldn"t be any problem, but her clear eyes were restless, worrying about the possible fault in the plan.
"No… let"s go with this."
Taken by surprise, Kael memorized the path.
"This kid… is good."
Her beauty and air of n.o.bility can be explained with her heritage, and her dignity and refined manner can be explained with her body remembering the daily habit, but her eye for geography was quite suitable.
"Well, it"s understandable. After all, she was able to reproduce the ritual that"s only left in the record at such a young age."
"Speaking more of the enemy, every one of the monsters are bugs that are as tall as humans. The bugs consist of two types: the first is a hybrid of a mantis and a gra.s.shopper, that attacks at close range; the second is a hybrid of a centipede and a hedgehog, that shoots poisonous stingers. However, both types have sh.e.l.ls that can deflect bullets."
"Okay, strange bugs. And what are their numbers?"
"It can be predicted that there are about 300 of them."
"300... so it"s the end if we are surrounded. How fast are they?"
"The mantis-types are fast. At its top speed, it was about 30 to 40 km/h? I cannot be sure because it was observed through eyes only. And the centipede-types can spray the poisonous stingers, but they are very slow."
Yulia disclosed the detailed briefing unfit for her age. Her beautiful silver eyes that were filled with fears must have captured them while running for her life.
"Let"s just say that they move at 40 km/h. Well, there"s no point in worrying about that. Let"s just move, and do something about them when they come out."
Just like that, he raised up Yulia and held her in his left arm.
"Ah!"
Yulia started to struggle with her limbs in the air, like a puppy that was being showered with cold water. But after noticing what she was doing, she stopped and took on an air of dignity again.
"Hold on tight."
"To hold a queen"s waist, how rude."
Yulia pouted ever so slightly.
"Is it time to complain about something like that?"
Kael laughed through his nose. Although it did have a nice feeling, despite being a child"s waist.
"For I also understand the situation, I will allow it. But ever since a moment ago, you have been using an improper tone to address the queen. Can you not be more dignified?"
"Hah? It"s not like I"m a Knight who was taught manners to serve the King. Don"t ask for the impossible. Being well mannered while finishing the contract is enough."
"You are a 5th-cla.s.s demon, so you should be taught some amount of manner. You are dissatisfactory in so many aspects. But as I am generous, I shall overlook it."
Leaning her cheek on her hand, Yulia smiled generously. Although she could"ve used the command to change his behavior, she must have thought that doing such a thing was a waste, and didn"t complain about it anymore. Kael also accepted the complaint with broad-mindedness.
"Sure sure, for this servant is sorry, just hold on tight."
"Now then. I shall command you!"
Yulia made it so that the tattoo revealed itself again. Although a demon retains their existence in the human realm using the medium in the form of this realm"s denizen, that"s all that it does. The soul is the price, and at the same time, the connection that will allow magic to appear between realms. Only by using the soul while commanding the demon, can the demon use its true power, the power it had in its own realm.
At that moment, Kael blocked Yulia"s mouth.
"Oop."
"You don"t need to command me like that. If it"s something like this, I will just do it willingly."
Yulia stared at Kael questioningly after Kael let go of her mouth.
"You say that you will fight without being commanded? But like that…"
"I won"t be able to use magic, but my base is that of a warrior. There won"t be much difference."
Tilting her head left and right, Yulia stared at Kael as though she was inspecting him. Her silver eyes blinked multiple times, not being able to hide her question. Smiling as though making fun of something, Kael held her firmly.
"Well, let"s just say that fake item is free. I will be moving fast now."
Yulia stopped the question from coming out of her mouth and held his body tightly, and Kael opened the secret door and ran outside.
* * *
The first thing that came into view was two bugs that were bigger than him. They had enormous, scythe-like front legs, and strong jaws that could break a man"s neck instantly, and seemingly tough armor. The corpse of Yulia"s subordinate was sprawled out on the ground, limbs scattered, and half-eaten by these things.
Flinching, Yulia held Kael tighter. Although not even a small scream came out of her mouth, her grip strengthened, and her trembling could be felt through the clothing"s fabric.
Although he noticed it, Kael ignored it and ran forward after unsheathing his sword.
The scythes attacked him from both sides. Choosing not to avoid them, Kael ran deeper within and slashed at the joint. Although the armor could deflect bullets, Kael mercilessly slashed at the places that were vulnerable, and not protected as well by the armor.
Green blood splattered, and the bug that lost its forearm stood up, dumbfounded. Taking advantage of that short moment, the sword lashed out yet again, slashing an area on the bug"s neck. Although the neck was covered with the bulletproof armor, the upper slash perfectly pierced the area between the armor. The small weaknesses, that a frontal a.s.sault with guns couldn"t reach, were being mercilessly attacked.
Watching the death of its comrade, the other mantis-type slashed with its scythe arm, vengeance evident in its multi-faceted eyes. But Kael, seemingly noticing it, charges at the other bug in the same manner as the first. It was a complete repeat of the first takedown: forearms were cut, neck was pierced, and Kael dodged the green blood that spurted out. Not letting a single drop reach Yulia"s body, Kael dodged and resumed running.
Although there was no wind blowing inside, Kael"s movement was so fast that it was beginning to create a current akin to wind in his wake.
In front of Kael, running ruthlessly now, came a group of three bugs, blocking his path. Maybe they had heard of their comrade"s death. This time, they attacked all at once.
Kael didn"t slow down at all, or even falter. Slightly twisting his body, he thrust his sword into their synchronized attack and raised it,, causing the bugs" bodies to entangle. Then, with his speed, pierced one bug"s neck. Although the other enraged bugs leapt to attack, Kael took back a step to disrupt their timing and a.s.sumed a stance.
For a brief moment, thunder and lightning erupted from below. The storm was actually an afterimage of Kael"s sword, a manifestation of the energy given off from his immense speed, giving the impression of real thunder and lightning.
Kael started running again, followed by the sound of three bodies collapsing. A flabbergasted Yulia stared up at him, the man who was slaughtering the bugs that had mutilated her personal army so easily.
Although he said himself that the sword is an antique in this age compared to guns, and it was true if the comparison were made from a normal point of view.
But is it the truth?
Kael"s body moved like the wind, and the moments when he stopped to fight were like a tornado tearing through a forest. His movements between attacks were fluid, almost like water, and the moments when he attacks the enemy"s weakest points, his speed and accuracy were like that of lightning.
These were movements made for real fighting, not for show.
His movements consisted only of blocking the opponent"s attack and countering with his own. But why did it seem so beautiful?
The centipede-type bugs came out to block his path. Kael stopped for a moment. Yulia, who was only staring at his performance, pressed down on his shoulder and opened her mouth to warn him.
"Be alert. Those things--"
Before she could finish giving her warning, the centipedes rolled up and shot poison stingers in a wide sniping pattern that couldn"t be avoided.
In that moment, Kael spun Yulia behind him and slashed away at the stingers. It may have been inevitable that the young Queen saw an immovable mountain, from the sight of Kael blocking the poison stingers while holding his ground.
After deflecting them all away, Kael grabbed Yulia again and ran. Before the bugs could shoot another salvo of stingers, he slashed, repeatedly: downward, left to right, diagonally, in every direction. After his series of attacks, the scene was chaotic, countless pieces of minced centipede raining down.
"The poison.... are you okay?"
Yulia looked at Kael while touching his arm cautiously. Her lips lost their smile and her eyes, eyes that once held a beautiful light, were now filled with worry.
No matter how fast his sword was, there was no way he could have deflected away all of the stingers that were shot at him. If he could, then there was no way a sword could ever lose to a gun, at least when it was in Kael"s hands. She was also able to spot poison stings here and there. Kael smiled and patted the worried Yulia"s head.
"Don"t worry. Because I am a demon, I"m immune to normal poisons. Although killing all 300 is hard, I won"t fall before reaching the goal."
"I thank you for protecting me."
"Thank me after we escape."
Embracing Yulia again, Kael ran on.
"Tch, it"s not good. This poison"s strong."
The talk of immunity was not a lie. But the mysterious giant bug"s poison exceeded that of a normal poison. If Yulia got hit by it, she would have died within a matter of seconds. Even Kael, demon that he is, felt dizzy.
Not showing it, he clicked his tongue mentally. This was a battle against time: if they all came at him at once, then it would be impossible for him to do anything. It was a good thing that the bugs were spread out throughout the wide castle.
"There"s no time. Change in plan."
Breaking the window, he jumped outside. Nine bugs that were waiting outside leapt at him, all at once.
Four centipedes shot their poison stingers, and five mantises lunged, scythes in the air.
"Ah."
Before Yulia could ask what he was going to do, Kael was already in front of a mantis. He pierced the area below its jaw to scatter its brain, and used its corpse to block the stingers. As if saying that they will not forgive him, the other four mantises attacked him with their scythes, but Kael jumped above their reach.
Jumping again using the raised scythes with gra.s.shopper-like agility, he jumped over them while kicking one in the head. While the bugs had a hard time regaining their balance, Kael rushed at the centipedes that were readying their stingers again.
What followed was an explosively endless barrage. One was decapitated while Kael spun along with the sword, and another"s head was sliced open. The joint between the armor was cut off without a second"s thought, and all four centipedes were taken care of.
While being chased by the remaining four mantises, Kael ran on with Yulia hanging on him to reach the statue that she mentioned. Taking advantage of the moment that Kael stopped, the bugs attacked him, but it was all useless. While dodging them like flowing water, he attacked them with lightning fast movements to kill them off, one by one.
"Now, we"re here. Activate the thing you were talking about."
Kael finally let down Yulia.
"I shall, then."
Jumping down like a rabbit, Yulia pressed the name tag area under the statue here and there. When she did that, the garden in front of them opened and revealed an expensive looking black car. The windows were tinted, so much so that they were more like mirrors, and the frame was tough.
As though she just remembered, Yulia told Pristine.
"Pristine, keep one of each of those bugs within you."
"Ek, those grotesque things…"
"We need the sample for the experiment. I command you."
As if to say that she was never scared of those bugs, Yulia bravely commanded Pristine.
"Fine then."
After mumbling that, Pristine shook, and like what happens with a vacuum cleaner, one of each type of bug was sucked into it. The size of the bugs, much too large for a normal backpack, entered just like that.
"So, the inside must be wide. Why couldn"t you just swallow the bug army?"
Pristine answered Kael.
"It can"t be helped, because they might come out after ripping me up."
"Is that so? Well, it can"t be helped. And by the way, is this thing the emergency device you were talking about?"
Yulia proudly nodded when Kael pointed at the car that fully appeared from within the ground.
"That is correct. This is Thunder Bird, the car made from the country"s finest technology. 300 kilometers per hour is of no problem. Now, Kael. Drive."
Flicking her forefinger, Yulia selfishly ordered.
"No, wait… that"s impossible."
"How is that so?"
Yulia"s eyes opened wide, and her pupils followed after it. Her eyes were filled with question marks, like a kitten that witnessed something mysterious.
"I"ve never even been in a car before, much less driven one. That thing is only used by Heavenly Beings and humans. It doesn"t exist in my realm."
"If it is a knight from the past, horse riding, and if you are a knight from this present, then it is driving. Is this not common education?"
"It can"t be helped. From the beginning, wasn"t it human technology made from the Worldstone that demons hate? There"s no way I would learn something like that."
The only thing given through the contract is the language and basic knowledge of the day"s society; specific skills don"t come along with it.
"Kuuh."
Finally understanding her mistake in her plan, Yulia creased her expression.
"What are you going to do? If we spend too long because of this, we will get surrounded."
While they were discussing the situation, bugs could already be seen in the distance.
Lifting her forefinger to her lips and lowering her head, Yulia was contemplating. Then, she raised her head and flung her hair back and made a big smile.
"Huu, it cannot be helped, then. Get in the car, for I will drive instead."
Saying that, Yulia hopped in the driver"s seat. Pushing back the seat that was meant to be used, she simply stood behind the wheel. The car"s ceiling was high enough that she didn"t have to crouch forward. Strongly holding on the steering wheel, she breathed in and out a few times.
"Why didn"t you do that from the beginning?"
Not noticing the fact that an 8 year old kid is driving because of his lack of experience, Kael entered from the opposite site. Then, he noticed that something was weird.
The way she had a hard time reaching for the acceleration pedal didn"t seem natural at all. More so than that, the hand that was holding onto the handle was shaking and the long hair that was laid upon the chair was twitching.
Although it was his first time riding in a car, Kael immediately knew that the car was not supposed to be used this way.
"Hey… are you okay?"
"I have witnessed the driver"s performance a few times already. For I at least understand the concept, it will be fine."
Making a smiling expression of confidence comparable to her trembling body, Yulia inserted the key and turned it, then put it in gear. Afterward, she tightly closed her mouth and stepped on the pedal with the short leg she had.
"Saying that you saw it a few times, then that means that you also don"t have any experien-"
Next thing he knew, the car rapidly raised its speed and started to move. The speedometer"s needle danced and the number accelerated.
30… 50… 100… 150, 200, 250, 300.
It can be said that the way the car accelerated could categorize this car as a monster car, but it also brought an intense rumbling from the engine.
"Uwaaaahk!?"
A scream escaped from Kael"s mouth as he witnessed the scenery change rapidly. Although the car was rapidly approaching a closed gate, Yulia showed no signs of slowing. Scratch that : she raised the speed instead.
350.
The speedometer"s needle moved into the red zone.
Crrrrraaaash!
With a deafening sound, the steel door was broken through. The gate"s lock was broken and the doors flew, but the car didn"t stop at all and continued on.
Except for the slight dent on the b.u.mper, there was no damage to the car at all. But because of the impact, Kael"s head was dizzy and his eardrums hurt because of the loud noise.
The steering wheel, not being handled properly, shook. The car moved here and there, and just before the car crashed into a pole, Yulia desperately threw the wheel opposite way. With a sudden change in direction, the car spun and moved onto a different road.
While the car moved around restlessly, it pulverized the decorative median that was meant to separate each side of the road. Although broken pieces of scenery rained down upon the car, the bulletproof windows held on, with only slight chips here and there.
But that is only talk of how it looked from the outside.
Inside, Kael was having the worst time, trying to suppress his stomach from turning itself inside out.
"Death."
"If this goes on, I will die."
"Definitely, I will die along with this car."
It may have been his first time in a car, he knew that this brat"s driving was not normal at all.
"Go slower… slower!"
"Do not be too loud. What if we are caught because we slowed down?"
Not listening at all, Yulia twisted the wheel again. Her hair flew this way and that way. Not knowing how much her small hands held, the angles that she moved the wheel at were truly barbaric. Following the road that took a slight curve, the car moved 90 degrees. Sometimes it moved up the road, and other times it came down. The car"s rampage continued.
"Uuuk…"
Kael forced back the stomach acid that was coming up. There is no way he will ever puke in front of a child.
Maybe having a hard time pressing down on the pedal, Yulia shook while raising her leg, but mercilessly stepped on the pedal while leaning forward. The car slowed down because it was turning around, then sped up again crazily. As the car moved rather roughly, Yulia"s body followed like a small boat in stormy waters. Even through all that, she held on to the wheel. Kael was shaking while holding on to the side of the car.
The car"s immense speed finally let up when the castle couldn"t be seen anymore. Only then did the car find itself in a peaceful atmosphere.
"Huaaaaaaa."
Kael exhaled instinctively.
"I"m alive."
"Like you have said, we are alive. Thanks to you, we were able to escape safely."
"…Although something scarier than the bugs came out in the end…"
"I have only witnessed the skill from the backseat, this was the first time driving myself. Do not complain because of a bit of clumsiness."
Pouting slightly, Yulia ballooned her cheeks. Twisting her eyesight by 15 degrees caused her hair to shimmer. That slightly peeved expression further increased her inner grace.
"Small? Small…? Did you say small!?"
Kael"s hand shook considerably. Instead of taking care of this peeved queen, it seemed as though he would hit her any time.
"Although it may have been my first time in a car, I still know that this exceeds the boundary of "small"!"
"Puu."
Ignoring Kael"s silent roar, Yulia laughter leaked out. At that moment, her appearance was not that of the graceful queen, but a very innocent child.
"You defeated the monster bugs without having much trouble, but are scared of cars. "Tis funny."
"No… I believe that I"m not the only one who would be scared of your driving."
"Nevertheless, it seems like we escaped safely. If there is no other problem brewing, then we would reach the palace safely. I thank you."
Saying that, Yulia stopped her childish smile and gave a soft expression. Although it was a graceful smile, because it was a child"s smile, it was that of a princess"s smile. Because of that, Kael was slightly disappointed.
"Even so, this expression must be more of a usual one. Her expression from a moment ago must be a very rare one. Let"s just be happy with witnessing that."
"Well no, it wasn"t much of a big deal."
"It was. You were able to pierce through the wall of monster bugs that my army was powerless to do anything against. You may have said that the sword is a lost cause in this age, but in my eyes, it was beautiful and strong. Especially, the moment when you jumped using the monsters as a springboard was most breathtaking."
She praised him with a beautiful smile with her tone lowered a bit. Although the moment when she said breathtaking, her eyes shone bright and strongly, like that of a child"s.
"That"s the illusion that you got because the bugs were a special case. If your army had stronger guns, then it would have been better for you."
As if to say that swords will always be swords, Kael shook his hand.
"I might be useful in infiltration maybe, but on a real battlefield, it has no meaning at all. Let"s say that your subordinates get a machinegun each and they shoot at me. Someone like me will become a beehive in an instant. Maybe a higher ranking demon"s magic will be able to block it, but when it comes to someone like me, nothing can be done at all."
"Maybe so, but the one who rescued the distressed me is none other than yourself. That is the sole fact that matters. So be more proud, for you will be awarded when we get to the palace."
"Well, I don"t need something like an award."
Kael raised and dropped his shoulders. Although he was called into an annoying job while he was having a good time sleeping, it was rewarding because he was able to protect this kid"s smile.
"Exercise here and there isn"t that bad."
It"s better than that expression turning into that of fear and pain without the body, right? It seems like we are out of danger, after all.