Chapter 1: A Devil Meets A Devil (Human)
I'm about to be kissed! I'm about to be kissed!
Gunner inwardly shouted as the large lips slowly approached his face. He was entirely defenseless as he was pushed to the ground.
A-and what's worse is that it's a horse!!!
Shocked at the unexpected turn of events, Gunner recalled the events prior.
. . .
In the world of immortals and supernatural abilities, there existed a place called "Cranberry Valley". It was a valley with no peculiar stories, as of yet.
In an early morning in the valley, at the Cranberry Village, a young boy at the age of fourteen years old calmly plucked cranberries. His gentle hands caressed the cranberry shrubs with care and love.
However, contrary to the gentle demeanor of the young boy, his thoughts were a mess.
Hahahaha… Do these cranberries think they can escape my hands?? Hah! Pluck, pluck, pluck! You're all going to be plucked!
From the outside perspective, his intense focus on the cranberries he was plucking evoked a sense of maturity and care. But on the inside, he was imagining the merciless way he would commit cranberry genocide.
Gunner grinned once he finished plucking all the cranberries in this particular shrub in front of him, even the unripe ones weren't spared.
"My! Gunner, you're done already? Such a good boy!"
A middle-aged woman with a large bosom walked over after noticing him smiling. She grinned and a motherly aura exuded from her. The sight of Gunner awakened her motherly instincts.
"Auntie Prusti! Here you go!"
Gunner smiled widely and passed the bucket filled with cranberries.
His innocent smile made Prusti squirm as her maternal instincts tried to consume her reason. She took deep breaths and accepted the basket.
"You're giving them to me? How nice!"
She smiled happily and tilted her head cutely.
"I don't need them."
"Huh? What about your mother? Aren't you collecting cranberries to earn for your mother?"
Prusti furrowed her eyebrows and a look of concern appeared on her face. She frowned and placed a finger on her cheek.
"No~! I was just playing!" Gunner answered.
He ran away without waiting for her response.
Hmph. I don't want to carry dead bodies with me, certainly not to mommy.
Gunner's inner thoughts were kept hidden under his smile as he ran.
Prusti tried to call after him, but she stopped herself. A basket full of cranberries would fetch a lot if she sold it. Due to her tight financial situation, she held the basket handle strongly and left.
In her heart, she adored Gunner, not knowing of his inner thoughts.
After running away, Gunner sneaked into an inaccessible part of the cranberry farm. Overgrown cranberry shrubs limited the entrance to his small stature.
The inside was enough for him to roll around and play by himself.
There was blood, or more accurately, cranberry juices all over the ground. In the center was a pool of juice where a rabbit was sipping.
"Hey! That's not for you!"
Gunner ran after the bunny, and it immediately vanished into the surrounding cranberry shrubs. He frowned and stomped his foot.
"Annoying bunny, I will bleed you if I catch you!"
With the words unbefitting for a little boy, Gunner checked up on the cranberry pool. The amount was reduced a bit, but there was still a significant amount.
"Let's see, let's see…"
Gunner smiled and pulled out a small note from his shorts. It was slightly damp from his sweat, but he didn't mind. There were words written on it, and seeing them made Gunner grin.
If Prusti saw his face right now, she would think that he was the devil. It was such a vile facial expression that Gunner hid it from others.
"To summon a devil, one must gather a pool of blood and draw these symbols around the pool of blood…"
Gunner followed the instructions. He had been trying to make this work for a few days now. He was hopeful as he became better at drawing the symbol each time.
In several minutes, a complex and spine-chilling array was drawn on the dirt. It was a bunch of shapes, but when they were together like that, they seemed to resonate with each other and give an ominous feeling of dread.
"Woah!"
Gunner was excited. This feeling was the exact feeling mentioned in the note. He knew he had succeeded.
Blub. Blub.
The pool of cranberry juice bubbled as something ominous gathered in it. The sky dimmed a little as clouds gathered, the wind became chilly, and heat came from the pool.
"Oh, devil! I welcome you!"
Gunner prostrated on the ground with both of his hands touching the dirt. He sneaked a glance at the pool and patiently waited.
Soon after, a hand lifted from the cranberry juice. It was slender and pure white, unlike anything a farmer and a country bumpkin like him had ever seen.
He recalled his father talking about the princess from the capital having such pure white skin that she blinded his father's eyes. This was the same moment, but it puzzled Gunner.
He flipped the note while maintaining his prostration and saw the description of what would appear from the pool of blood.
"A dark, demonic hand with purple veins visible…"
Not even finishing his words, a whole arm finished exiting the pool of cranberry juice.
"Geez. Seriously, what the fuck?"
A sweet voice that sounded like wind chimes came from the pool. A second later, a head poked out. However, those words were crass and filled with genuine confusion.
Eyes that contained the stars, and hair so black that it seemed to contain the abyss. A whole face that evoked a sense of mystery and awe. She pulled herself out of the pool.
Her eyes were maintained on the little boy, Gunner.
"I welcome you. Oh, devil!"
"..."
Her pupils constricted and the air surrounding Gunner became heavier. He struggled to breathe as each inhale seemed to weigh a mountain.
Not daring to look her in the eyes any further, Gunner lowered his head. He watched from the corner of his vision as her feet rose from the cranberry pool and floated into the air. He gasped but maintained his current posture.
"Seriously? A kid…"
A voice of exasperation and tiredness escaped the mouth of the "devil" that Gunner summoned. She stepped closer and stopped before him.
At this close distance, Gunner smelled her cranberry scent and a weird feminine scent that put him in a light daze.
Drips of cranberry juice pitter-pattered on the dirt. The heavy weight of the air around him prevented Gunner from being audacious amidst his intense curiosity.
"Boy, what is your name?"
A commanding tone that pierced into the soul entered Gunner's ears. He shivered as his survival instincts screamed.
"G-Gunner…"
For the first time, Gunner felt fear. He suddenly came to his senses and regretted summoning a devil. His body shook as he tried to calm himself. However, he was just a little kid with little to no experience.
From her perspective, it was oh-so-obvious.
"Gunner… What a silly name. My name's Valatina Maschiana Devil! Rejoice, for I have answered your summoning!" her voice increased in volume, making Gunner dizzy. "Albeit… how?"
She tilted her head and bit her index finger.
"Can I look?"
In a whisper, Gunner expressed his desire to see the whole body of this devil.
"Enjoy it to your heart's content! You're the first human to see my real form."
A smug tone and a proud answer. The heavyweight surrounding Gunner faded as if it had never been there.
He cautiously raised his head and turned red like a cranberry.
S-She's completely naked!
A slender body, a curvy waist, an attractive face, thick legs, and peerlessly flawless skin. She was the most beautiful woman Gunner had ever seen. His mind became blank, and his brain paused.
"Hmph. Rude, Boy. Stop leering at me like a perverted old man."
Valatina frowned and waved her hand. A black robe appeared on her body as if she had been wearing it from the very start.
Gunner bit his tongue and regained control of his mind. He took a deep breath and prostrated once again.
"Oh, devil!"
He had no words to say. He was too amazed and enchanted to form any other words besides calling her with reverence in his voice.
"How obedient. Still, how the fuck did a little kid summon ME with cranberry juices???!"
Valatina screamed under her breath. Her body shook from disappointment, confusion, resentment, and powerlessness.
"I'm sorry, Miss Devil. I-I couldn't capture the bunnies… They were too fast…" Gunner's voice turned into inaudible whispers. His figure exuded depression.
"..."
Speechless at the words of Gunner, Valatina stared at him blankly. She wondered to herself if it was better to be summoned with cranberry juices or the blood of a mere rabbit.
"Hmph. I will punish you."
Valatina snapped her fingers and a horse jumped out from the surrounding shrubs and landed in the center. It had a vacant facial expression and bowed its head to Valatina.
"Kiss this rude boy. Make him traumatized for me!"
At Valatina's words, Gunner raised his head and stared at the horse. He shivered at the thought. He was young, but he knew about kissing. He had overheard his aunties and uncles talking about it before.
"N-No!"
Horror and fear. That was the best description of Gunner's face.
"You weren't that scared of me earlier…" Valatina muttered resentfully.
The horse rushed to Gunner and pushed him to the ground. He tried to support himself with his arms, but he was on the ground with his face up and the horse carefully but securely restrained his legs with its hooves.
It slowly inched its face closer. Its large lips dripped with saliva and a strong smell of hay assaulted Gunner's face. He wanted to puke.
"Hehe."
Beside him, Valatina chuckled.
"I'm sorry! Please, anything but that!"
Gunner shook his head vigorously. For the second time today, he learned true fear. He, who had committed many cranberry genocides, had finally met karma.
"Why are you so afraid? That's a female horse~"
With a teasing tone, Valatina giggled.
"Miss devil, I'm sorryyyyyy!!"
Realizing she was serious, Gunner resorted to his never-failed-before-technique. It had always worked even when he made many mistakes in the past.
"You're a hundred thousand years too young to try deceiving this young lady. Kakaka!" Valatina laughed sadistically.
"I-I will do anythingggggggggg!!!!"
Gunner bated his breath as the horse's lips got too close for comfort. He closed his eyes, knowing it was futile.
"Kakaka! Your reactions are so funny. No wonder my subjects love humans~"
In a joyful tone, Valatina crouched beside him. A sadistic grin was on her face. The horse was nowhere to be seen. It was as if that had been Gunner's hallucination.
Taking several deep breaths, Gunner was relieved. He subtly glanced at Valatina and respect blossomed in his heart. As someone who loved torturing cranberries till they bled (juices), it was a valuable lesson to see how she toyed with his emotions.
"Weird kid."
Seemingly noticing his thoughts, Valatina frowned.
Gunner didn't try to deny her words. He had long known about it. When he was young, his friends looked at him weirdly when he decapitated (sliced) a cranberry while smiling.
After that point, he kept his desires a secret for himself.
"Well, that's what makes you special. A kid who has a devil's heart? Unheard of before."
Valatina's tone turned to one of praise. After getting over the shock of being summoned in a pool of cranberry juice, she realized the meaning of such an event.
Essentially, the pool of cranberry juice could've been a pool of water, and she would have still been summoned. It was all because of Gunner's heart.
"Kid, do you want to become my apprentice?" she asked, grinning evilly.
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Gunner answered. He stared at her with hopeful eyes.
At first, he realized her horror, but then she showed him that she was the real deal. Gunner was convinced that it was the correct decision to summon her.
"... That's rather fast."
Valatina was stunned. She lightly frowned but subsequently recovered.
"You are a human. That note in your hand is made by one of my subjects. I'm surprised you have it in this place."
Valatina looked around her, visible disgust was displayed on her face. For her, the location of the village was poor.
"I-I found it under my pillow."
Gunner struggled to speak, looking up at her beautiful and enrapturing body. She appeared young, barely an adult, but there was an aura of pride and maturity on her.
For a young boy, who was in his teens, she stirred his primal instincts simply with her presence.
"Kakaka! It seems like someone has found you beforehand."
Valatina looked at him with amusement. The mystery of whoever gave the note to Gunner could not be answered at this moment. He intrigued her. His whole life intrigued her.
A little human boy who had such a dark heart… It was a miracle he was still alive.
Gunner had no idea what she meant, so he tilted his head, still sitting on the dirt.
"Anyway, do you want to become a devil?" Valatina asked, an evil smile stretched across her face.
"Yes!"
Once again, with no hesitation, Gunner answered.
"Kakaka! Kill everyone in this village and bathe in their blood."
Those words were uttered with intense malice and evil. Gunner shivered and balled his fists.
"No… I want my mommy to live."
Gunner shook his head, teary-eyed.
"Hey. You have to be joking, right?"
Valatina stared at the innocent, pleading expression on Gunner's face. She could see no falsehoods in that face. She instantly doubted her judgment and thought that he was acting well.
However, she was also confident in her emotional intelligence. After living for such a long time and observing her cunning subjects, she had learned to notice subtleties in someone's facial expression.
A little boy like Gunner was a piece of cake to read.
And yet, this same boy who summoned her was spouting such silly things. As a devil he summoned, that shamed her by extension.
"My mommy… loves me…"
Gunner muttered, fearing that she would kill his mother.
Since he knew she was the real deal and felt her evil presence for himself, he was certain she was serious.
"Impossible."
Valatina had seen a lot of bizarre existences in the world through her subjects. From her knowledge, a heart as dark as his should have no light.
In her confusion, she unknowingly took a step back.
"Who is the devil between us here…" she muttered, shuddering.
Gunner wiped his tears. He was sensitive to the emotions of other people ever since his friends told him he was creepy that day. He sensed that Valatina wouldn't ask or kill his mother now, so he was relieved.
Valatina watched Gunner without saying anything. As he wiped his tears, he appeared like an innocent boy. He was so pure on the outside, but his heart could be confused for a devil's.
"All right. You may spare your mother."
Valatina nodded her head. This little boy was full of surprises. He was a curious case of oddity that never existed before.
Gunner smiled. It was so pure Valatina had to cover her eyes with her hand.
A heart of a devil, but a body of an angel…
Valatina finally understood why she, of all the devils, was summoned by this little boy.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Yoon_Immortal
Yoon_Immortal I wrote this on a whim. If you think, it's good. Please show your support. <3
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