Capítulo 8: Demonic Contracts
The Wandering Devil
Chapter: 8
Pa/ t reon details at the bottom of the chapter if you're interested I'll keep posting regardless.
(Demonic Contacts)
Carefully using the pen I had recently purchased, I slowly drew a specific set of lines, adding to the large pentagram covered by the sigil that was widely known as the Gremory clan sigil.
Putting it down, I rubbed my hands together, using a dagger to prick a bit of blood from my finger as I dropped it onto the paper, infusing it with demonic energy.
The paper started to glow, making me grin wildly, only to stop and shred itself into hundreds of pieces a moment later. My grin faltered, and I scowled.
Damn it.
That had been my ninth attempt. Paper wasn't exactly cheap, and neither was the pen. Turns out that being in a mediaeval world made the price of paper and pens pretty expensive.
Which was why I had to ask myself how the guild produces so fucking much of it. Leaning back into my chair with a sigh, I thought about what I had been attempting.
From what you could probably tell, I was trying to create a demonic contract, which I had successfully remembered being taught how to do from my past memories.
My family may have gotten me started on training a bit late, mainly due to two overprotective sisters. Still, I had gotten into basic demonic power manipulation and elemental crafting.
My tutoring was abruptly interrupted when I was transported to another world.
Despite my efforts, I still can't master this contract business. I've observed it being done and even received instruction, but my previous self never had the chance to practise, having been kept from forming contracts in the human world.
I was supposed to follow in Rias's footsteps and leave at my age, but my unexpected relocation derailed those plans.
The process of creating a contract was quite simple: write the terms, form the pentagram, and add your crest. Sign the paper with a bit of your blood and use your demonic energy to make the contract binding.
I rubbed my temples as I stared down at the fresh piece of paper in front of me in contemplation. What was I missing?
"Zeph?" Hestia mumbled groggily.
It was currently extremely early in the morning, which meant both Bell and Hestia were asleep.
"Yeah?" I mumbled, watching Hestia rise, giving a yawn that made her large divine bust jiggle.
Oh great-great-great-grandfather, help me. Only your prudishness will save me from this herald of temptation. My mood brightened a bit as she gave me a soft smile, her blue eyes sparkling.
"What are you doing?" she asked, getting up.
"Just trying to get this contract thing down. My f-family was able to create binding contracts that granted them a tiny amount of power. I thought it would be worthwhile," I replied, hesitating at the word 'family.'
She gave me a hug, coming to sit next to me on the couch. My clingy goddess took the chance to get some skinship.
"Have you thought of going home?" she asked quietly, an unknown undertone to her voice that made me feel apprehensive.
"I don't know," I replied, shrugging helplessly.
I wasn't an idiot; I suspected the power that sent me here was linked to my suddenly rainbow-coloured eyes. Perhaps some weird Dojutsu-type power.
Maybe if I tried, I could get sent back or somewhere else. My mind hadn't really thought about it much.
Though I suppose I should start playing around with it. I had been comfortable here, growing in power in what was a rather weak world. But I couldn't ignore the limitless possibilities.
My home world is filled with monsters. Beings of power I wasn't even remotely close to dealing with, and I had no doubts that if I could travel to other worlds, there would be monsters even more powerful in some of them.
Still, I should start at the very least playing around with whatever this power is. Perhaps I'll look into it in a few days after I figure out how to create these fucking contracts.
Weirdly enough, my answer seemed to make Hestia brighten up.
"I see, have you thought about perhaps staying here?" she asked casually, although with a slight undertone of desperation that caught me off guard.
She stroked my hair gently, making me relax back into her arms with a frown. Just as I went to reply, I suddenly had an idea, making me spring up and quickly grab the pen that was sitting on the table.
Carefully, I redrew the pentagram and Gremory house mark on the paper, Hestia leaning over my shoulder with a frown at my sudden movement.
A moment later, the pentagram on the paper glowed red and turned into a binding contract.
Finally!
I jumped up in victory, picking up the surprised goddess and giving her a kiss in my excitement. Her soft, plump lips felt divine as I kissed her passionately, a moan escaping her.
I froze after a few moments, realising I had just kissed my goddess out of pure joy.
Oops.
Rapidly breaking the kiss and ignoring her delicious taste, I backed away.
"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment," I quickly apologised, which was rare considering I never apologised even if I was in the wrong.
Special privilege for a person I care about, I suppose.
Hestia's pale cheeks had a warm red hue as she brought a finger up to her lips.
"I just got caught up in the moment. I finally succeeded in creating a binding contract," I added, feeling a tad bit nervous.
She slowly met my gaze, a strange gleam in her eyes as she faintly smiled.
"I can see that," she replied. "What do you plan on using them for?"
I felt slightly weirded out by the mature aura that she suddenly possessed compared to the energetic little spitfire of a goddess.
"I'll hand them out and use them for a small power boost. I may not be in the best of situations right now, but I am still a strong adventurer on par with a level three. I'm sure I can help them out," I replied, shrugging.
I also planned to start testing out my powers and seeing if they could actually allow me to travel worlds. It would be a good test to see if they worked while I was in another world.
It would also allow me to travel quite a bit more frequently and find a way back here safely if I somehow got stuck.
I didn't wish to tell Hestia right now since I knew it would worry her. A dick move? Probably.
She beamed, reverting back to her normal demeanour.
"That's great Zeph. I'm sure plenty of adventurers would die with envy if they realised you could simply make contracts to grow in power instead of risking your life. Do you plan to stop adventuring now?" she asked, sounding hopeful.
I blinked.
"No? This merely means that my power gains will be increased past the system's limitations," I replied, making her nod even as she sported a frown. "Just be careful, okay?"
I rolled my eyes, giving her a confident smile.
"When am I not careful?"
-Scene Break-
"Uh, Zephyr sir, what are we doing?" Bell asked, in his basic leather armour, a dagger strapped to his hip.
We were both scouting out the dungeon's entrance, specifically where the Porters were selling their services.
I wanted to hire someone who could pick up the crystals for us since it was getting bothersome, and this was also the perfect opportunity to test out how binding these contracts were.
I only had five since I had run out of paper, but I could get more later when I got more valid from selling some monster crystals.
"We are going to get ourselves a Porter," I replied absentmindedly.
Bell blinked in confusion.
"Then why are we scouting them out instead of approaching them?" he asked innocently.
"To find a good one, obviously. A Porter could increase our productivity by five times and will be able to carry our loot," I replied, my eyes scanning through the bored group of Porters like a starved beast staring at its prey.
"And how will we do that?" he asked, his eyes curiously taking in the group of Porters.
"I'll smell 'em," I responded evilly. Bell backed away from me in surprise.
My eyes were taking in all the Porters; I was looking for something unique. Someone who could be a good fit for the familia.
I would probably give in and find a normal one if I didn't find anything in the next thirty minutes.
We waited for a few more minutes, Bell diligently standing next to me and waiting without a complaint. Someone new joining the depressed Porter group caught my attention.
A girl with a petite body hiding under a robe that had chestnut-coloured hair peeking through. From this distance, I could see the bruises and dirt on her body.
She wore a slightly torn red and white hooded top that exposed her midriff and a red skirt. I instantly recognized her as Liliruca Arde, the girl who stole Bell's dagger.
I stared at her in interest. Should I bother? She did eventually turn into someone important to the Familia, and she was willing to put her morals away when it came to the safety of the Familia, which I liked.
We weren't on that hero stuff.
The only problem was the work I would have to put in to get her to that point.
A part of me also felt a bit bad for her since I understood the type of abuse she suffered from. It was just the problem of her annoying thieving from the Familia and her initial hatred of all adventurers.
Eh, fuck it. Waiting here for someone else was boring.
She was slumped down, waiting for someone to pass by, only perking up whenever an adventurer seemed to glance in the Porter group's direction.
An adventurer was already there looking through the hopeful group of Porters. Swiping my hand, a wave of air tripped him over. He was getting a bit too close to my target.
I ignored the rest as I approached Lili directly with a confused Bell in tow.
Lili looked at me, and an obnoxiously fake smile spread on her face.
"Hello, adventurer sir, would you like to hire Lili as a Porter?" she cheerfully but politely asked.
I had to wonder where exactly in the timeline we were at since her acting was horrendous. Her eyes were taking in my appearance, probably trying to see if I was worth scamming.
"Sure, sign this," I said, pulling out the contract.
She blinked in confusion. I provided her with a pen.
"May I know what this is, sir adventurer?" she carefully asked. Her hazel brown eyes looked at it in confusion.
"A contract about what you would be expected to do and what you would receive, which you will need to sign to join us," I replied.
The contract was made specifically for Porters; it was relatively basic. She wouldn't be able to steal and would receive twenty percent of our earnings.
A bit much? Maybe, but it was an investment. Eventually, she would join us.
"I would get twenty percent?" she asked in shock.
I nodded in confirmation. Her eyes narrowed as I got a peek at the intelligent, if not damaged, girl hiding beneath her fake persona.
She looked over it before hesitating and eventually signing, probably thinking it wasn't anything to be worried about. I gave her a grin as I felt something click in place. The contract briefly glowed, causing her to drop it out of shock.
I collected it and put it away in my small bag.
"W-what was that?" she asked.
The rest of the Porters, who were watching her with envy, looked shocked too.
"That was the contract binding the agreement," I replied casually. I wondered how the contract planned to stop her from stealing. I didn't put any specific backlash, so it shouldn't be harmful.
Her eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. I could practically see her affirming her belief that all adventurers are bad, even though this was purely so she didn't steal.
"Does that mean Lili won't be getting paid?" she asked, an undertone of anger lacing her voice.
I could practically feel Bell's stare; I hadn't told him about the contract business yet. Though like the good apprentice he is, he stayed silent.
"What? Of course you'll get paid. The binding goes both ways," I said, giving her a blank stare.
-{Liliruca Arde}-
The anger brewing in her heart calmed down a bit at that, even as she gave the crimson-haired teenager in front of her a cheerful smile.
She had thought the contract was some sort of Familia thing, but to hear it was binding shocked her.
Lili still planned on robbing the foolish adventurer blind; even if the percentage of pay on the contract was good, she doubted he would actually pay her the full amount.
That was just how adventurers operated; she had long since given up on any decent adventurer hiring her.
"May Lili know your name?" she asked cheerfully.
The crimson-haired teen with the weird rainbow-coloured eyes raised an eyebrow in amusement, apparently finding something funny.
"I'm Zephyrion, but you can call me Zephyr," he said, making her momentarily freeze as he patted her head.
He gestured to the white-haired boy who had been waiting for him like a puppy at its owner.
"This is Bell, the vice-captain of the Hestia Familia," he said, and the white-haired boy froze.
He recovered quickly and gave Lily a large friendly smile.
"Hi!" he greeted her.
She greeted him back with the same amount of cheerfulness, marking him as an easy target. He wouldn't be a problem. The only one she was on guard against was Zephyr.
Zephyrion clapped his hands.
"Let's get going, shall we?" Zephyrion asked.
She nodded in false excitement along with the white-haired boy Bell.
'Let's hope there's some chance to steal some monster crystals. They both seem to come from a relatively unknown Familia, so they are probably low-level, meaning this is going to be an easy dive,' Lili thought.
She still wasn't sure of what the contract's effect was, but she guessed it was some type of legal thing enforced by the guild.
Lili followed Zephyrion and Bell as they entered the dungeon. Bell looked determined as he had his hand on his weapon, surprising her with the sudden mood change of the innocent-looking boy.
'Maybe they have more experience than I thought, even if they are both barely wearing any armour,' she thought. Even the stupidest of the corrupt breed known as adventurers knew to wear armour when going down to the higher-level floors.
Lili didn't care if they died. It wouldn't be the first time an adventurer had died while she was acting as a Porter.
Usually, she simply looted their bodies and left them behind. She was good at escaping and dodging monsters.
She didn't think this would be a particularly troublesome run. With the light amount of armour, they were probably planning on only going to floor two or three at best.
-30 minutes later-
'WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE' Lili thought as she barely dodged her way from a razor-sharp claw.
Zephyrion was laughing as he beat the shit out of a war shadow with his bare hands. Bell was fighting for his life as Zephyrion was forced to save him every few minutes as he nearly died.
Lili was trying to figure out where it all went wrong as she avoided the numerous monsters trying to kill her as she picked up monster crystals along the way.
There were dozens of monsters trying to kill them as the insane person she had come to know as Zephyrion seemed to be having the time of his life.
-Scene Break-
I tried to ignore the image of Hestia staring at me flatly; she had definitely called my bluff.
I threw the beaten-up body of Bell Cranel away as he was about to get impaled, the poor white-haired boy ragdolling in the air.
It was all part of the Zephyrion Gremory training program.
Bell twisted his body in the air and landed on his feet, skidding back a distance from the force of my throw before getting back into a combat stance, barely stumbling all the while.
See? Bell was learning.
Looking back at the horrified Lili, I laughed. She was doing well at staying out of the way, which was good. Still, she did her job well, able to quickly enter and exit the fighting as she picked up any monster crystals lying around.
She was having a great time, even if she looked a moment away from calling it a day and running away from this whole situation.
A tall, dark humanoid with black claws appeared, forcing Bell to block. Two burning red eyes glared down at Bell, who was struggling under the monster's strength.
Having a Porter had really increased our pace within the dungeon by quite a bit. Bell was growing at an insane rate, both in pure skill and stats.
Always fighting stronger beings while being saved whenever he was about to be killed had made him develop at an insane rate. I wasn't sure why other adventurers didn't use this method.
Sure, it was insanely dangerous, and Bell had to be saved hundreds of times, but the sheer speed of his development made up for it. His movement had become incredibly refined, moving in a way normal adventurers didn't.
I had taught him to keep his body loose since he was more of a speed-type warrior. Being the fast learner he was, Bell picked this up and used it to easily dodge attacks.
Of course, there were some things he couldn't dodge. I had to appear and save Bell just as a War Shadow was about to decapitate him, giving him some breathing space as I kicked the War Shadow away into the dungeon wall.
Overall, I was happy with the progress. Lili had proven herself worth the effort of recruiting as she nimbly picked up another War Shadow monster crystal.
I would have to work on endearing myself to her soon, but doing it right now would seem suspicious. So, I planned to throw her off when the time was right.
-Scene Break-
Bell was barely standing as we made our way outside. Lili was drained to the point where she couldn't even keep up her false cheerful persona, and I was pretty happy with the results.
Today, we had made at least double, maybe triple, our normal dungeon dive.
We walked over to the fountain as Bell slumped over on a bench. Lili sat down to regain her breath, and I enjoyed the fresh breeze that blew over Orario.
"The monster crystals?" I asked, making Lili nod tiredly.
She put down the massive bag that looked comical on the back of her small body and opened it, showing the large number of monster crystals she had picked up.
"Is that all of them?" I asked curiously, wondering if she had stolen any.
She nodded, and just as she went to sit down, her eyes glowed red as her body moved against her will. Another massive sack of monster crystals appeared out from her as she placed it down next to her bag.
Lili looked down in shock and fear. The red glow disappeared, giving her full control of her body once more, even as she stood there in shock.
Huh, so that's how it works. Not surprising that she still went and stole a bunch of the monster crystals despite my warning.
Lili started shaking, looking ready to run despite her exhausted body. She truly hadn't expected to be caught and was completely off-guard.
I sighed, patting her on the head even as she violently flinched, staring up at me with wide eyes.
I gently pushed the bag of monster crystals back to her, giving her a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure you need it if you're willing to steal it," I said, taking out roughly twenty percent of the monster crystals she had in her bag.
This was of course a calculated move, I didn't really need it at this point and I doubt she would try stealing again.
"I'll be keeping this bag for now. I'll give it back when you meet us again tomorrow. How does that sound?" I asked. I needed the bag to carry the truly massive amount of monster crystals to the guild.
It probably would have been a better idea to cash them in first before splitting them, but I wanted to do that later. I didn't have to worry about value since we went straight down to floor seven and only picked up War Shadow and Killer Ant crystals.
Meaning no one received less due to the types of crystals shared.
I could have also gone with her, but I wanted a reason for her to join us again.
She stood there in disbelief, eventually nodding and slowly taking the large bag of monster crystals. She acted as if I would take it back if she seemed too quick to leave.
I watched her scurrying away, nodding to myself for a job well done.
The contract in my pocket suddenly warmed up, and I felt a sliver of power enter me as the contract was completed. It wasn't much, perhaps a 0.2% increase in my demonic power reserves.
I was still happy. The increase was small, but it was still an extra boost in power with no extra cost. Even if the contract had not worked, I still would have taken the same course of action, so it was a win in my book.
Bell was still slumped over on the bench. He had gone above and beyond what he normally did in the dungeons, naturally leaving him exhausted to the point of not being able to move much.
I gave him a pat on the back; I was pretty sure he was still conscious.
"Let's go get you cleaned up, buddy," I said, receiving a mumble back.
We could cash in the monster crystals later. I had yet to speak to Rose, who had taken to trying to ambush me whenever I traded in the monster crystals at the guild.
I hoped she might have calmed down a bit now since sending Bell into the guild forced me to wait for an hour as Eina tried to drill the thought that I was insane into his head.
Jokes on her—I found the very strict glare she sent my way hot.
Maybe I was being a bit childish by ignoring Rose, but I didn't want to deal with all the questioning I would inevitably receive. I didn't know why she was so stuck up on the fact that I grew stronger so fast anyway.
I lugged Bell up as he seemed intent on lying down for a few hours.
I think I will take Hestia out to the Hostess of a Fertility. I had heard the food was downright divine over there and had been meaning to check it out ever since.
A grin stretched across my face. With my plan in mind, I made my way back to the abandoned church that acted as our Familia HQ.
-{Rose Fannett}-
Rose glared at the guild entrance.
Zephyrion Gremory had been hiding from her, and rather successfully. She pulled at her red, silky hair in annoyance.
Despite that, her frustration had only grown tenfold every time he slipped away.
The next time she saw him, Rose was going to capture him one way or another.
Then she was going to question him on how he was doing it. If there was some method to abuse the falna to get stronger, she needed to know.
There was also the thought that he had already possessed such strength, but considering he was listed as human and looked to be a human, she highly doubted it.
As a guild advisor she couldn't really do anything beyond pester him, but she was doing this for the good of adventurers.
Rose's sharp yellow eyes caught sight of red hair. She was up and tackling a man, glaring down as she realised it wasn't Zephyrion.
As she said, there would be no more escape for her unruly assigned adventurer.
-END-
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