Chapter 3
Still the same pitch-black space, with nothing but the mirror.
I was spacing out, twirling a lock of hair around my finger, when a status window suddenly appeared. I swallowed hard.
[Notification: You can now erode your contractor’s soul!]
[Contractor Soul Erosion Rate]
[Han Seorin: 3/100%]
[You must interfere further with your contractor to erode their soul!]
[* Warning!]
[Soul erosion may proceed regardless of the contractor’s wishes.]
[The more recklessly a contractor wields a devil’s authority, the more their soul will be eroded!]
[If the erosion rate exceeds a certain threshold, the contractor may lose their human essence and become a devil’s servant.]
‘Soul erosion…….’
Devil soul erosion.
It was a symptom I’d experienced back when I was human.
The more I used the devil’s power, the more I felt like killing humans……
So that was the devil eroding my soul, too.
‘Can’t I cancel the contract?’
As soon as I thought that, the status window refreshed.
[Canceling the contract will result in the following penalties.]
- All authority granted to the contractor will be immediately withdrawn.
- ‘Soul Recoil’ will occur for both the contractor and the Contract Administrator.
[Soul Recoil]
- The contractor’s soul will be damaged in the process of forcibly severing the soul connection.
- ‘Han Seorin’s’ estimated survival rate due to Soul Recoil: 4.7%
- Little Devil Asmode’s estimated survival rate due to Soul Recoil: 53.9%
‘A 4.7% chance of survival? That won’t work either.’
It was a vicious system where either keeping the contract or canceling it spelled disaster.
It was a devil’s power designed to exploit humans completely, but I’d find a way somehow.
I paced back and forth in front of the mirror, trying to think of something.
Just then, an idea flashed through my mind.
‘That’s it. I’ll make some rules! So my contractors can’t use the devil’s power recklessly!’
The Devil Hunter Association had rules like these.
Don’t pilfer supplies from the break room.
Keep quiet.
Never set foot on the fourth basement floor, and so on.
One of the rules seemed suspicious for some reason, but I thought I could restrain my contractors’ behavior by borrowing a few of them.
The first rule that came to mind was, ‘Never become addicted to the power a devil lends you.’
If I emphasized that rule along with the contract terms, she’d use the devil’s power in moderation.
‘Come to think of it, that guy I contracted with didn’t even explain the terms of the contract properly.’
……Now that I think about it, what a downright despicable devil.
I vowed never to become such a cunning devil myself and placed my hand on the mirror’s frame.
The mirror reflecting my image crackled with static, then began to show Han Seorin lying in a hospital bed.
‘I need to contact Han Seorin right away.’
Having made up my mind, I repeatedly cleared my throat as I prepared to speak to her.
I was technically the Contract Administrator, but for some reason I was starting to feel nervous.
*
Meanwhile, in the infirmary at the Devil Hunter Association headquarters.
Han Seorin lay in bed in her hospital gown, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Even though her wounds had healed perfectly, things had become a hassle.
While they were using X-rays to examine her internal injuries,
the doctor had discovered devil poison still lingering inside Han Seorin’s body.
“B-but, Ms. Han Seorin…… How are you still alive when devil poison has spread all through your body?! This is extremely unusual!”
“Ah, well……”
She couldn’t bring herself to say that she’d survived by making a contract with someone whispering in her head.
……They’d definitely think she was strange.
She brushed her hair back and answered the doctor’s question in a calm voice, lying through her teeth.
“It isn’t listed in my personnel file, but I’m an Awakened with immunity to poison. The Association president told me to keep it strictly confidential, so I hope you’ll understand that I can’t say any more.”
“Immunity to poison…… You might be the first among the Awakened. But if the Association president told you to keep it confidential, I won’t pry.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
The doctor swallowed hard as he adjusted his glasses.
A mere C-rank Devil Hunter had classified information.
Half worried and half curious, he spoke to Han Seorin cautiously.
“Still, just in case, you should stay in the hospital. Especially since the Association president seems to be looking out for you, you should get plenty of rest.”
And so Han Seorin ended up admitted to the infirmary with her younger siblings.
Because of the poison in her body, she was placed in a private room separate from her siblings.
Feeling bored and stifled, Han Seorin sat up in bed and looked out the window.
Just then,
when clouds drifted over and blocked the sunlight, she saw her reflection in the window.
‘……Reverse eyes?!’
In the window, Han Seorin’s eyes had switched colors—the whites and irises were reversed.
As she touched the skin around her eyes, bewildered,
a voice rang out inside Han Seorin’s head.
“Human. Can you hear my voice?”
A cold, emotionless young woman’s voice.
Startled by the voice she heard again, Han Seorin hurriedly looked around.
But no matter how much she searched, there was no one else in the room.
……Clutching the edge of the blanket tightly, Han Seorin answered in a tense voice.
“……I can. Who are you?”
“I am the Contract Administrator who lent you power. My name is Asmode. And……”
The woman who had called herself Asmode.
She paused for a moment, then continued in a voice that sounded somehow forlorn.
“I am a devil. You have made a contract with a devil.”
“I-is that so……”
Han Seorin looked out the window again and met her own reversed gaze.
……Then Han Seorin felt the reality of having made a contract with a devil.
Though she narrowed her eyes threateningly, her hands trembled as she continued speaking.
“What are you going to do to me……? Are you planning to take my life now?”
“No. That’s not it. I’m sorry for getting you caught up in this. But I had no choice. This was the only way to save you……”
-Bzzzt!
[Maintain your devil’s dignity!]
[If your devil’s dignity falls below a certain level, severe penalties will be imposed on both the contractor and the Contract Administrator!]
Meanwhile, as Asmode watched Han Seorin beyond the mirror, a status window appeared before her eyes.
Asmode frowned as she read its contents.
‘Damn, I can’t do anything the way I want!’
Having accepted reality, Asmode painfully forced her voice out.
“……is what you thought. Don’t get the wrong idea! You pathetic human! I’m only lending you my power for a little while, for the sake of my grand plan!”
“……”
Han Seorin was bewildered by Asmode’s sudden change in tone.
Asmode spoke sternly, trying to take control of the situation.
“I’ll tell you the terms of our contract. I, Asmode, will lend you a devil’s authority in exchange for your soul as collateral. You experienced it yourself, didn’t you? The power of this body. A very, very dangerous power!”
“……Why are you lending me your power? You’re a devil, and I’m a Devil Hunter.”
“Well…… um. Because I have to be the only devil in this world……. No, I mean, it’s all for my grand plan! To collect the souls of devils!”
Asmode’s clumsy way of speaking made Han Seorin tilt her head.
But Asmode continued without paying it any mind.
“The more you wield a devil’s authority, the more your soul will be eroded by yours truly, Lady Asmode. So don’t get too addicted to the power a devil lends you.”
“Y-you can…… tell me that? You’re a devil?”
“Hmph. It would be a problem if you became my servant before I wanted you to, so I’m telling you.”
“……”
……As Han Seorin listened to Asmode, she realized something.
This one’s a total rookie devil, she thought.
She was giving away even the things she didn’t need to tell her, making it obvious she was a novice devil.
‘Her voice sounds young, too…….’
Having raised several younger siblings, she was well-versed in handling children.
Han Seorin suddenly had an interesting thought.
If she played this one right, she might be able to turn her into a source of strength instead.
Han Seorin cautiously placed a hand on her chest and spoke to her.
“Hey, Asmode.”
“Call me Lady Asmode!”
“O-oh…… Lady Asmode. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Ask me anything.”
“If I become Lady Asmode’s servant, will I get stronger?”
“Eh……”
Asmode was flustered.
Han Seorin, a Devil Hunter, was saying she’d become the servant of a devil like her……?
‘How did things end up like this?!’
Only then did Asmode realize she was being completely underestimated, but Han Seorin continued in a tone soothing a child.
“Then I’ll help you, Lady Asmode. You’re also the one who saved my life. Well, should I just hunt devils or something?”
[Notification: Contractor ‘Han Seorin’ has accepted the contract rules!]
['Han Seorin's' soul erosion rate has increased from 3% to 5%!]
“……”
Asmode had meant to subtly emphasize the dangers of the devil’s power by telling her the terms of the contract……
Instead, her soul erosion rate had gone up.
*
“This is hopeless……”
My head spinning, I cut off contact with Han Seorin and sat down where I was.
I’d tried to steer my contractor away from the devil’s power, but instead she’d volunteered to help a devil grow.
‘How does this even make sense…….’
I wondered if Han Seorin had even understood what I’d said.
Just as I clutched my horns with both hands and let out a deep sigh,
another status window appeared before my eyes.
[Notification: Contractor ‘Han Seorin’s’ Soul Erosion Rate has reached 5%!]
[The soul connection with your contractor has strengthened by one level.]
[New Effect: Devil Devouring]
- If the contractor kills a devil, part of the target’s soul will belong to the Contract Administrator.
- You can consume accumulated souls to help the contractor and the Contract Administrator grow!
……So she really does intend to help me, a devil, grow.
It was the final nail in the coffin when I was already troubled.