“You… wait a moment. You with the purple hair!”
A woman’s voice echoed through the long corridor.
The one chasing after me was the woman in a crimson robe who had contracted with Crocell. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black, and her long bangs were pinned back with a hairpin decorated with a floral motif. Crocell was with her as well.
I had asked the others to go ahead, leaving only myself, Belial, and Equvar in this place.
“I am Christine Janes. I have contracted with Lord Crocell. And you are…?”
“My name is Iriya . I am the contractor of Lord Belial.”
We exchanged introductions and bowed politely to each other.
“This isn’t a very suitable place for a conversation… Let’s move. While we’re at it, would you like something to eat?”
Christine glanced at the patrolling guards and began walking away without waiting for a reply.
A short walk from the building brought us to a quiet path lined with broad-leaved trees along a narrow waterway. The atmosphere was serene, with a park across the canal and a few scattered shops on the opposite side. Christine led us into one of those establishments, an elegant restaurant fenced off with long wooden rails.
“A party of five. Do you have a private room available?”
“Yes, we can seat you immediately.”
Christine asked the staff with practiced ease, and the waitress promptly guided us to a private room at the back.
The spacious room featured a table draped in a light green tablecloth, fresh and inviting, with ten chairs neatly arranged around it. A painting adorned the wall opposite us, and hangers were provided for our coats.
Christine sat beside Crocell, while Belial sat across from him. I took the seat next to Belial, with Equvar seated beside me.
After glancing at the menu, we decided on drinks and cakes. The cakes here were bound to be delicious. Belial, on the other hand, ordered alcohol, claiming it was a local specialty—despite it being midday.
“Let me get straight to the point. That demon you call Lord Belial… is he a king?”
“Indeed, I am the King of Hell,” Belial declared, arms crossed and smirking challengingly.
“And what of it, Christine?”
“I am curious, Lord Crocell! When you contracted with me, you said you would lend me your power unless summoned by His Excellency. That’s him, isn’t it?”
Christine spoke with fervor, turning to face Belial.
As expected of Crocell, Belial was clearly the top priority. Just as the conversation heated up, our drinks arrived. I stirred sugar and milk into my hot coffee.
“The King of Hell…! This is my first time seeing one. Please, shake my hand!!!”
…Wait, what? Shake hands?
She lowered her head and extended both hands to Belial. He blinked a few times, evidently surprised, before hesitantly offering his hand for a handshake, his expression skeptical.
“Ahhh… thank you so much! I pride myself on being a capable summoner! In my country, there’s a slogan—‘Contract with a titled demon!’—and I’ve worked tirelessly under it. I was the first to secure a contract with Lord Crocell, a brilliant marquis… It brought me such joy! Yet here you are, a woman younger than me, having successfully contracted with a demon who surpasses even him! A demon who is the King of Hell, and the master of Lord Crocell… This must be fate! Iriya … no, Lady Iriya !”
“H-Huh?!”
Her enthusiasm caught me off guard, and my voice pitched higher.
“Please shake my hand too!!!”
…Wait, what? Again?
Blushing with excitement, she extended both hands to me as well. Overwhelmed by her energy, I shook her hands. For some reason, tears welled up in her eyes.
“…She reminds me of someone, Crocell,” Belial remarked.
“This rapid-fire enthusiasm is reminiscent of Iriya . Quite amusing,” Crocell agreed with a chuckle.
“Am I really like this?! Also, what’s with that dangerous slogan? It’s not something I’d recommend…”
Summoning titled demons so carelessly, even as a countermeasure against a military state like Trantinel, was far too risky. The summoned beings could destroy them before the enemy even struck.
“That’s right. In our Norsanus Empire, we’ve been importing magic from Fen Principality and engaging in technological exchange to develop further. However, in the field of summoning, we’re still lagging behind. That slogan is meant to inspire progress, but summoning magic isn’t very popular in our country,” Christine explained casually, sipping her orange juice without a care in the world.
“…Lord Crocell, who is this person?”
“She may lack refinement, but her determination is genuine. She’s worth teaching. I’ve been enjoying my days lately,” Crocell replied cheerfully. He certainly seemed well-suited for teaching.
Just then, my cake arrived, along with sandwiches and fries for everyone to share. Potatoes were apparently one of Norsanus’s specialties.
My cake was adorned with an abundance of fruit, and the vibrant red strawberry sauce painted stylish patterns on the pristine white plate. It was almost too beautiful to eat.
…Of course, I ate it immediately. It was delicious!
“Are you still practicing summoning, lovely lady?”
“W-What? L-Lovely? No, I’ve stopped for now, as it’s too dangerous. Lord Crocell has agreed to teach those interested in summoning, so I’m focusing on revisiting the basics for now.”
Blushing at Equvar ’s teasing remark, Christine drained her orange juice in one gulp. Equvar watched her with amusement.
“Your Excellency… he seems like a frivolous man,” Christine noted, her gaze shifting to Equvar .
“He is quite useful in many ways. Also, he serves as my contractor’s bodyguard,” Belial replied nonchalantly.
“A bodyguard, you say. Hmm, Iriya has grown into someone remarkable,” Crocell said, nodding with a smile.
Ugh… It had become awkward to admit that I’d left the court and moved here…
“By the way, where do you get your information on Trantinel? Do you use spies?”
“…We’ve lost contact with our intelligence agents. They’re probably dead by now.”
Hearing this, Equvar ‘s eyes turned sharp.
“More and more people are fleeing to us lately. Recently, one of the royal court ladies came to us,” Christine said, her expression darkening.
Everyone fell silent, waiting for her to continue.
“When she was serving tea to the Marshal Emperor, she happened to witness someone voicing a complaint. That person was forced to the ground and beheaded on the spot. Shocked, she spilled the tea on her tray. The Emperor then yelled at her for being disrespectful and…”
Christine paused to take a deep breath before continuing in a slow, somber tone.
“He had her arm cut off… She was imprisoned afterward, but she somehow managed to escape and flee here, barely alive. She told us everything. The person who was killed had been desperately pleading to stop summoning the King of Hell, saying it was far too dangerous.”
Summoning rituals were conducted in special buildings with barriers that prevented magical leakage, so there was no way to know if they were successful or not. However, based on this story, it was clear that the summoning attempts were still ongoing. The very thought of forced summoning was terrifying.
The Marshal Emperor was originally a military leader who staged a coup, killed the king and royal family, and seized the throne by force, declaring himself Emperor. That title had since been passed down.
“…That’s quite a violent tale. Typical fear-based rule,” Equvar remarked.
“What about the woman’s arm? Do you have access to an elixir?”
“We do have elixirs, but they’re only for the nobility. Even though she provided such critical information, we can’t give one to a former servant who fled,” Christine said sadly, shaking her head.
Quietly, I handed her a small vial filled with a red liquid.
“Please use this.”
“Huh? This is…”
“It’s an elixir,” I said.
Equvar flinched at the mention of the word, though he merely listened without interfering.
Christine hesitated to take it, so Crocell took the vial on her behalf. He examined it closely, shaking it lightly before smiling in approval.
“Well, well, this is quite impressive! Excellent work, Iriya !”
“Really? Thank you so much!”
Hearing Crocell, who had guided me in refining the elixir at Egdoarm, praise my work filled me with joy—it felt like being a child again.
“Crocell, for the sake of appearances, let’s just say this came from me,” Belial suggested.
“Understood,” Crocell replied with a bow before handing the elixir to Christine. Now there wouldn’t be any trouble.
“Know yourself. Water, plants, stones—everything has power. That’s what the teacher said. I’ve done my best to draw out all those forces,” I said.
“You remember that well! To think the child who cried when tossed into a valley to learn flying magic has grown up so much…” Crocell said nostalgically.
Ah, I remember that… Belial was generally kind when I was younger, but occasionally, he would do something outrageous—like sending a low-level dragon after me, saying I should defeat it. Perhaps this was just the difference in perception between demons and humans…
“That was awful…”
“Fool. You’re my contractor; of course, I would help you. It’s strange to be afraid. If you fly, you won’t fall,” Belial replied.
Equvar and Christine exchanged uneasy glances, staring at Belial with drawn expressions. The one who’s strange is definitely him!
“After that, Iriya refused to speak to you for a while and clung to me instead. You seemed quite affected by it…” Crocell added.
“Stop talking about unnecessary things!!!” Belial barked.
Though he was briefly irritated, a few more drinks quickly restored his usual demeanor.
Crocell introduced him to some delicious Norsanus Empire liquor, and before long, Belial was happily tipsy again. Crocell was certainly skilled at handling him.
After chatting for a while, we parted ways.
Tomorrow, we’ll get to tour the magical item crafting facilities! I’m really looking forward to seeing how they work.
