《Demons Summon》 Chapter 1: An Idea Chapter 1: An Idea A gray-haired man in a tattered wizard¡¯s robe crawled along a stone floor dabbing red liquid below him using a coarse paintbrush. He grunted and breathed heavily, struggling to hold such a taxing posture at his advanced age. As he neared completion of his task, the final shape of his artwork became obvious. It was a magic circle, complete with several concentric rings, geometric shapes, and curly offshoots. With no windows, the room was only dimly lit by candles. As he stood, droplets of blood landed on the floor, fortunately outside of his artistic work. He grabbed his bleeding left shoulder with his right hand, but otherwise paid it no mind. Staring down at his masterpiece, he muttered to himself, ¡°I hope I get a different one¡­¡± He staggered, almost certainly due to blood loss. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, he limped over to the northern end of the magic circle and picked up an old book from a nearby table, already opened to the correct page. He held the book with his left arm while reading an incantation. Throughout, he positioned his right hand extended in front of him, just inside the threshold of the magic circle¡¯s outermost ring. His muscles were tense; he¡¯d need to retract his hand quickly. ¡°Through timespace and spacetime, I beckon you. Heed my call in accordance with the ancient pact. Seek out my lifeblood and come to me. I compel you with the keywords Gro¡¯tung, Psi¡¯vod-nan, Tang, and¡­ Sproo¡¯Deng. They will envelop your all to the north, south, east, and west. May your demonic signature match my glyph.¡± The magic circle, sealed in blood, glowed in a strangely greenish light but the man expected this. He¡¯d done this once before, long ago. When the light grew brighter the man covered his eyes with his left arm, but he didn¡¯t close them; he needed to know the moment the light faded. It did, and he pulled his right hand out of the circle, breathing a sigh of relief. The light continued to fade until the greenish hue was gone. The blood glowed faintly, only this time with a subtle blue color. At the center of the circle stood a creature that humans refer to as a demon. This one looked surprisingly human itself, like a man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, wearing clothes which might not stand out in a human marketplace. If not for horns, the tell-tale sign of a demon, he could probably fool people. His mid-length dark hair was messy, but in a way that might be popular. ¡°It is done¡­¡± the old man whispered, but clearly the demon heard him. ¡°Yes.¡± The two stared at each other for a good while before the old man finally broke the silence. ¡°You¡¯re not going to jump into some tirade about how you can help me?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But the last demon I summoned long ago immediately¡ª¡° Before the man could finish his thought, the demon held a finger to his mouth, as though to shush the old man. ¡°I¨CI don¡¯t understand. As a demon, shouldn¡¯t you be searching for any opportunity to exploit my careless words? Don¡¯t you want me to talk?¡± ¡°So young.¡± ¡°Hah! I wish that were still true. I only settled for demon summoning because my remaining time is short. I don¡¯t care what happens to me so long as I get what I want. Caution be damned.¡± ¡°What do you want, youngster? Clearly not a long-term contract. What is your one wish?¡± ¡°Fifty years ago, at the height of the previous magic cycle, I summoned a demon to contract as my familiar. However, she was trying to seduce me and control me with lust. Rather than form a contract, I judged it safer to dismiss her from the circle right away.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± ¡°It was the most difficult decision of my life. Having failed, I was unable to live up to the expectations of my position. It¡¯s a long story, and I won¡¯t bore you with it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For the next five decades, I was betrayed several times, but I only recently came to know this, by chance. And to think I was so close to taking my own life before learning the truth.¡± ¡°And so, you want?¡± ¡°Revenge,¡± the old man replied darkly. ¡°Whether you kill them outright or make them suffer first, I¡¯ll leave to you.¡± ¡°Most demons would choose the latter.¡± ¡°As I said, I will defer to you, wise demon. Allow me to tell you about the target.¡± ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t summon that demoness fifty years ago. It was closer to forty-nine years ago, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Y¨CYes,¡± the old man acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯m a bit ahead of this magic cycle¡¯s peak, but as I said I don¡¯t have much time left. Also, I wouldn¡¯t want a certain someone to contract a separate demon that got in your way. Is it too early for you to use your power to full effect?¡± ¡°That depends. Who is the target?¡± The old man explained the organization of the kingdom¡¯s royal court, identified the target, and offered some additional information about exactly how that target was protected, both magically and politically. ¡°Very well. If we can come to terms on payment, I¡¯ll grant your wish.¡± ¡°Was I not clear? I care not what happens to me. My life, my knowledge, whatever you want of me, I offer it to you, so long as you take care of that one task for me. It¡¯s beyond my abilities now, but hopefully this request is a mere trifling matter for a great one such as yourself.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Youngster, what if I use your knowledge in a way that causes the destruction of your kingdom and all the others?¡± ¡°I¨CI can¡¯t imagine I hold any incredible knowledge of value to one such as yourself. My only hope is my life¡¯s worth is enough to serve as payment for the wish.¡± The demon frowned as his eyes glanced around the room. They eventually settled on a wall-sized mirror in the back of the chamber. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°What?¡± The old man looked past the demon at the mirror. ¡°Oh¡­ I was curious if demons would have a reflection or not. Honestly, I¡¯d forgotten about that since you arrived¡­¡± ¡°Do I?¡± The old man tilted his head in confusion, then his expression changed to one of recognition. ¡°No, you are not showing up in the mirror for me.¡± The demon walked right up to the southern border of the magic circle, as far as he could go, staring at the mirror across from him. His eyes traced the four edges of the reflective surface, causing him to turn his head in a big circle. Then, he stared at the old man¡¯s reflection, although eye contact was impossible since the demon didn¡¯t have a reflection. ¡°This is nice.¡± ¡°Y¨CYes. It¡¯s only within my lifetime that such large mirrors became available. As for payment¡­¡± ¡°Three things.¡± ¡°Three?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the demon confirmed. ¡°There are three things I want. If you give them to me, I will grant your wish, and easily at that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of needing multiple things for payment, but still, that¡¯s wonderful. I don¡¯t know what three things I have to offer you, though.¡± The demon explained. ¡°First, I want that mirror.¡± The old man looked confused but quickly composed himself. ¡°Of course, it is yours, o demon!¡± ¡°Second, I want that book.¡± The demon pointed at the book the old man read from while performing the summoning. ¡°This book? Why?¡± He paled even more than normal, sweat beading on his brow. ¡°It will make sense when I tell you the third thing I want.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± The demon gestured toward himself. ¡°I want you to summon me again.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want to see if you can include that mirror into your summoning ritual. For that, we¡¯ll need to consult your book.¡± ¡°But¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be taboo for me to teach demon summoning to a demon?¡± ¡°I think not. We¡¯ll work on a new way to summon demons using a mirror instead of a traditional magic circle. You need not even share the new method with other summoners.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I do not mind, except performing another summoning is surely beyond me. As I said, I don¡¯t have much time left and I¡¯m also frail. I doubt I could muster the blood, magical energy, and spiritual energy to succeed with summoning such a great demon again¡­ Oh! Shall I find someone else to summon you?¡± ¡°No need.¡± ¡°Then?¡± The demon pointed at the old man. ¡°Once you accept my terms, I¡¯ll be empowered to grant you the strength necessary to summon me a second time.¡± ¡°In that case, I accept! You will grant me my wish, so I will help you with the re-summoning to the best of my ability!¡± The magic circle rapidly expanded to encompass the mirror at the edge of the room as well as the book that the old man was still holding. As a result, the man was inside the circle along with the demon, no longer protected. The old man looked around at his circumstances in instinctive panic, but the demon made no move against him. ¡°Why would I attack my partner?¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± The old man sighed and presented his book to the demon. ¡°The book is organized into¡ª¡° ¡°Wait,¡± the demon stopped him. ¡°Just hand me the book.¡± The old man pressed his lips together and passed the book to the demon. The demon gestured towards the old man who froze in place, no different from a statue. For several days, the demon read the book from cover to cover multiple times. Nobody interrupted the demon with a visit to the chamber. The man remained suspended and unharmed. Once the demon was satisfied, he gestured towards the old man again, unfreezing him. ¡°I have questions about this book.¡± ¡°O¨COf course! I was just about to explain to you which pages to start reading¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯ve read the book already.¡± ¡°Already? But you just received it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a fast reader. First, look at this part.¡± The old man stepped closer to see which page the demon was talking about, then paused. ¡°Oh, um, when do I see my wish granted?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, right.¡± The demon snapped his finger dramatically. ¡°That should do it.¡± ¡°What? Already?¡± ¡°Hold on, let me confirm.¡± The demon closed his eyes as though in a trance. After a few seconds he opened his eyes again. ¡°It is done, congratulations.¡± The last word sounded almost sarcastic. ¡°Now, look here.¡± For a few minutes, the old man struggled to wipe the tears away from his eyes, but eventually he succeeded in reading the passage in question. They discussed one particular sentence and how it was inconsistent with a passage on another page. With the old man¡¯s help, the demon was able to confirm that the book contained a simple error, although one that likely wouldn¡¯t have any impact on their ongoing experiment. Still, the demon insisted on fixing it. They discussed several more problems the demon found throughout the book. The conversations continued for several days, but strangely, the old man did not grow hungry or tired. He was able to work nonstop alongside the demon. The candles never burned out, either. At first all the man cared about was his wish, but now he was finding himself intrigued by an academic exploration into the fundamentals of demon summoning. It wasn¡¯t a bad way to spend his final days. By the time the errors were all fixed, the demon¡¯s knowledge of summoning was at least comparable to the old man¡¯s. Still, in order to summon the demon a second time, they needed a way to select a specific demon through the summoning process, something that, to date, had eluded summoners. The details of magic circles and the keywords were partly randomized. The exact same summoning circle couldn¡¯t be used twice, but two different magic circles could possibly summon the same demon on two separate occasions, provided the correct keywords were used in each case. The pair¡¯s other challenge was figuring out how to incorporate the mirror into the summoning. The demon wanted himself summoned to the other side of the mirror. Was that even possible? The old man was doubtful, but he dutifully aided the demon in modifying the summoning ritual. This ended up being the easier problem to solve. After a few months of nonstop work, they felt their solution to the problem was adequate. In theory, they could summon a random demon to the other side of the mirror right now, but this demon refused to try that. Instead, they got back to work on the first problem: specifying the demon to summon. The book included several examples of what summoning circles were previously used and which demon resulted. By comparing these examples with everything the demon understood mechanistically about demon summoning, he hoped to make a breakthrough. For the next year, the old man became more of a sounding board than anything else. The demon was leading the research effort. As the pair felt they were finally close to a breakthrough they had their first visitor. Although humans were easily kept away through the demon¡¯s influence, this visitor was unaffected. He was taller than a typical man and bulkier too. In addition to the horns adorning his head, folded wings sprouted from his back. Unlike the first demon, this one had clearly non-human purple skin. ¡°What do we have here,¡± the purple demon called into the room as he struggled to squeeze through the stone doorway. ¡°It¡¯s strange for ritual magic to persist for so¡ª¡° As the demon finally broke free of the doorway and laid eyes on the two figures in the summoning circle, he froze. The dark-haired demon looked up from his notes and glanced at the purple demon side-eyed, clearly annoyed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°N¨CNothing!¡± The purple demon scrambled to exit through the stone doorway, getting caught even more spectacularly in his haste. ¡°Wait.¡± The purple demon froze once again at the command. ¡°What happened to you?¡± The purple demon stammered before finally collecting his thoughts and answering the question. ¡°M¨CMy summoner failed to contract me properly so I ate her. I thought I¡¯d sightsee a bit before heading back with her soul¡­¡± In response, the dark-haired demon only narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¨CI¡¯ll go back right now!¡± The purple demon resumed his abrupt exit. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work,¡± the demon politely proposed to the old man, who was all too willing to pretend that last scene never happened. Chapter 2: Youngster Demon Chapter 2: Youngster Demon About a month after the purple demon¡¯s departure, the pair cracked the code. They finally solved the problem of how to target a specific demon. The old man was ready to summon his demon pal a second time. ¡°Shall we do it right away!?¡± ¡°We still have one decision to make,¡± the demon remarked. ¡°Do I return to the place you call the demon realm first or do you summon me straight from and to this room?¡± ¡°I thought that demons couldn¡¯t be summoned while they were already contracted. Is that not the case?¡± ¡°Am I contracted to you?¡± The old man lowered his gaze to the floor while he thought. ¡°No! You granted me my wish, so technically you¡¯re not contracted, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°But then, please pardon my statement, but how have you been able to remain in this realm all this time with me? Not that I mind, of course!¡± ¡°You have yet to pay me for granting your wish.¡± ¡°Ah! So even if you return to the demon realm¡­¡± The old man trailed off as he noticed the troubled look on the demon¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll sum it up, youngster. If you summon me from here, it won¡¯t be a true test of our work. Even if we¡¯re successful, that won¡¯t prove we¡¯re able to summon specific demons directly from the demon realm. If I return to the demon realm, the payment remains incomplete until you summon me a second time.¡± ¡°I see, that makes sense. So all I need to do is succeed in your summoning and our transaction is complete soon after!¡± The demon remain silent, and the two stared at each other for a while until the man eventually spoke again. ¡°So that means it¡¯s possible¡ª¡° ¡°Let¡¯s choose a second wish,¡± the demon offered. ¡°Another wish? But you already granted me my only desire, here at the end of my life.¡± ¡°For this past year I¡¯ve seen you thrive, youngster. One such as yourself cannot be truly without any desires.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Is that so? Let me think, then.¡± ¡°Do so.¡± For several minutes, the old man looked like he might strain a muscle as he forced himself to come up with an idea. Eventually, he threw up his hands. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything meaningful without extending my life, and I don¡¯t want to wish to just extend my life! I don¡¯t care about anyone else anymore. I¡¯m at a loss!¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t want to extend your life.¡± ¡°Correct!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to extent your¡­ human life.¡± ¡°What other life is there¡­?¡± The demon frowned. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ve been too cautious¡­¡± No longer worried that the old man would pull a fast one and refuse to re-summon the demon from the demon realm, or something sneaky like that, the pair agreed on a plan to grant a new wish: to become a demon. ¡°So I can still die if I really want to?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the demon confirmed. ¡°You¡¯ll also be quite weak to start, but considering your current state, it will be an¡­ improvement.¡± ¡°What about if I get forcefully summoned? Oh! What about the other demons?¡± ¡°To your first question, I have a plan. To your second, I will give you my name once you become a demon. You won¡¯t have any problems with other demons after that.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Do you accept my offer to grant your wish and make you into a demon after you complete payment for having your previous wish granted by me?¡± ¡°I accept!¡± ¡°Good. Count to ten and then summon me.¡± The demon disappeared in a puff of black smoke. The old man dutifully counted to ten out loud as though anyone was actually supervising him. With the ritual already set up, he merely needed to recite the incantation and pump the necessary energies into the mirror. He began at once. The old man held a script in his left hand while his right hand pushed against the mirror. After reciting the key words, his hand actually passed through the mirror, stopping when his wrist reached the surface. Momentarily pausing in surprise, he completed the incantation. The mirror glowed green, much brighter than when summoning using a circle of blood. He brought his left arm up to shield his eyes, all while holding his script. A few seconds later, the blinding light diminished. Just as the old man was preparing to pull his right hand out from the mirror, more out of habit than out of fear at this point, the mirror actually forced his hand out of its own accord. His wrist was slightly sprained as a result, but he disregarded the pain. Before him stood the same demon, only this time on the opposite side of the mirror, blue glow emanating from the image. ¡°Good work.¡± ¡°It worked!¡± ¡°Yes. Funny. You seem more excited about succeeding with the summoning and paying me than you do with having your second wish granted.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose¡­¡± ¡°That is fine. It¡¯s now my turn to pay up. Prepare yourself.¡± The old man wasn¡¯t really sure how to prepare oneself for becoming a demon. He decided to sit down on the floor lest he topple over and hurt himself. The demon waited patiently for the man to carefully lower himself and assume a comfortable posture. ¡°Here I go.¡± With a large swing of his arm, the demon snapped his fingers. The old man sensed a change in his body and looked at his outstretched arms, but no changes were visible yet. The demon addressed him briefly. ¡°My name is Arzoch. Tell other demons you worked for me, if you must. Farewell.¡± Arzoch vanished from the mirror. No, it was the mirror itself that vanished, along with the book. ¡°Arzoch¡­ That name¡­¡± The old man was pretty sure he¡¯d read that name among the oldest demons in mythology, but at this point it wasn¡¯t that surprising. ¡°GUH!¡± Then the pain hit. He collapsed on his side, violently convulsing. Chapter 3: The Demon Realm Chapter 3: The Demon Realm ¡°Arzoch!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re back! What did those vile humans demand this time?¡± ¡°A simple wish.¡± Arzoch walked past the small demoness and placed the book on a shelf inside a bookcase made entirely of a shiny black mineral. They were in a room with wall-to-wall red carpet, black furniture, and a fireplace lit by eternal green flame. The large mirror from the human realm leaned against a brick wall that matched the carpet. ¡°Grab the other end.¡± ¡°What?¡± The confounded demoness wore a red dress and, at best, came up to Arzoch¡¯s chest if she stood on her toes. Her height matched her youthful appearance, like that of a teenage girl. Her long hair was two-toned: peach at the roots and lime at the tips with a steady transition. Although her hair clashed with the d¨¦cor, her modest blouse, pants, and shoes were all dyed red, identical to the carpet. Compared to her outfit, Arzoch¡¯s pale blue shirt and black pants seemed like a wardrobe copout. ¡°Miona.¡± Overcoming confusion, she puffed up her cheeks in annoyance at being ignored, but relented and stepped over to the other end of the oversized mirror. Together, they lifted it and moved it into position. ¡°I¡¯ll mount it later.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you move it with magic?¡± asked Miona, referring to demon magic specifically. ¡°These mirrors are delicate. If I apply magic directly I might overload it.¡± ¡°How strange¡­ Wait! Why were you gone so long!? What did they have you do!?¡± ¡°Long?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what wish you were granting, but you were gone for like 10,000 hours!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry about that.¡± ¡°Are you really!?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Arg!¡± She held out her open palms and steadied her breathing. ¡°So what happened?¡± ¡°I acquired this.¡± He gestured to the wall-sized mirror. ¡°It makes the room feel twice as big.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not why.¡± Out of patience, Miona leaped at Arzoch, grabbing him by the shoulders, holding herself up and shaking him as her legs dangled. ¡°Just tell me what happened already!¡± Arzoch grabbed her by her ankle, peeled her off of him, and tossed her onto the nearest couch. ¡°Just getting a little revenge on humans.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She righted herself. ¡°Oh! Which ones did you get revenge on?¡± ¡°None yet.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Entirely exasperated, Miona buried her face into the cushion. ¡°Oh, I turned a human into a demon.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that!¡± Miona turned back toward Arzoch. ¡°How will you get revenge on¡­ them?¡± Her face clouded over as she remembered previous dealings with humans. Arzoch narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Miona on the couch. ¡°That one is long dead.¡± ¡°¡­I know,¡± Miona whispered. ¡°If he had lived just a bit longer, I would have gotten to him before he¡­¡± Arzoch¡¯s hands slowly balled into fists. ¡°¡­I know.¡± ¡°Not every human is like him. Don¡¯t think of all humans as your enemy.¡± Miona didn¡¯t respond, unwilling to agree or disagree. ¡°This mirror is the key to restoring balance.¡± ¡°¡­How?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you soon enough.¡± Intrigued, Miona stood back up and walked over to the mirror again. ¡°How can a large reflection hurt humans?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t. A mirror can¡¯t hurt humans unless you break it over their heads. Mirrors can¡¯t eat people.¡± ¡°Then why bring it back?¡± Arzoch didn¡¯t answer but Miona saw the corner of his lips curve up ever-so-slightly.
Eleven demons sat around a circular table. They were arguing about trivial matters when a twelfth demon walked in. ¡°Arzoch?¡± said Jokin, shock evident on his face. Like Arzoch, he had a humanlike appearance, with brown hair and plain features. ¡°Correct. I see you¡¯ve been studying.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Wanting to prevent conflict, another demon weighed in. ¡°Any reason why you decided to grace us with your presence?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Arzoch sat down at the table but didn¡¯t say anything. As the silence became unbearable, Jokin cleared his throat and asked, ¡°It¡¯s been many Walpurgis Nights since you joined us. Why are you here?¡± ¡°I need your help. All of you.¡± Several demons gasped at this realization. Jokin continued to speak for the group. ¡°You? Request our help? How unexpected. However, unless your plan involves making all the humans suffer, you may as well leave right now.¡± ¡°Not all the humans,¡± Arzoch clarified. ¡°Just the ones who summon us.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Tell us!¡± another demon weighed in. A couple of demons shook their head as though they thought it was a waste of time, but they didn¡¯t say anything to intervene. ¡°Whenever one of your demons is summoned,¡± Arzoch elaborated, ¡°identify the human summoner, and send me the details, including exactly how the summoning was performed, how they behaved, and what they wished for.¡± ¡°Every time?¡± asked Jokin. ¡°What will you do with that information?¡± ¡°I will experiment on them.¡± ¡°How!?¡± Jokin slammed his fist down on the table. ¡°Once I¡¯m satisfied, I¡¯ll return and answer that question.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious enough.¡± A demon who had been quiet until now nodded towards Arzoch who nodded back. ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one interested in revenge against the humans,¡± said Arzoch. Jokin looked back and forth between the two demons who had just reached an understanding. ¡°Arg. Fine! You have my support, but you better not let us down.¡± One by one, the remaining demons agreed to share the requested information with Arzoch. Doing so wouldn¡¯t really cost them anything, but cooperation among demons was a fickle thing.
Soon after, Arzoch received his first report, ironically from Jokin. A young demon had been summoned by a mage who made his living guarding a city. The mage intended to take on his summoned demon as a familiar. Although the summoning was successful, the summoner failed to establish a long-term contract. As a result, the demon fled back to the demon realm. According to the report, the summoner was betrayed by his fellow guardsman. Specifically, some swordsman who seemed to have a feud with the mage interrupted the ritual. The demon had not stuck around long enough to find out what happened between the mage and the swordsman. ¡°This should work,¡± said Arzoch. ¡°Oh! Are you going to try it now?¡± Miona stood next to Arzoch as they gazed into the mirror. ¡°Yes. Remember, not a word of what happens here to anyone. I will reveal all in good time.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Arzoch prepared a summoning ritual, not unlike what the old man had used recently to summon Arzoch into the mirror. In this case, the target was different in nature and so the formula and keywords were quite different as well. ¡°Here we go.¡± Chapter 4: In a Mirror, Hardly Dark Chapter 4: In a Mirror, Hardly Dark The mage appeared before two attractive people. Something separated him from them, perhaps a barrier, but its form was imperceptible. They stood in a large room of questionable aesthetics, both in its colors and its strange symmetry. The man was handsome, although he was dressed for lying around the house, at best. The fabric of his shirt and trousers was unusual, but not anything that stood out when compared to the girl. She wore a vibrant red outfit and possessed cute features that made you want to protect her. The most striking part of her appearance was her hair, an impossible gradient of colors. It was almost as if¡­ ¡°Demons!?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± the male demon confirmed. ¡°B¨CBut I didn¡¯t summon any demons today!¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Th¨CThen why are you here!?¡± The male and female demons looked at each other in confusion, then back at the mage. The girl remained silent. ¡°Why are we here? We live here.¡± The mage spun around while he inspected his surroundings. ¡°You mean to say, I died and my soul came to the demon realm? This is the fate of those who summon demons¡­?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re still quite alive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alive? How did my body make the journey to the demon realm?¡± ¡°I brought you here, temporarily.¡± ¡°You can do that!?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°My God!¡± the mage shouted in surprise. ¡°Before you panic, know that I intend to send you back home shortly, unharmed.¡± ¡°You will? Wait, but even if that¡¯s true, if you can summon people, that¡¯s a disaster!¡± ¡°My sentiments exactly.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Try to imagine things from our perspective.¡± The mage did as he was instructed, for a few moments. ¡°Yes, if I pretend to be a demon, I can see how I¡¯m currently fearing the very thing that demons live in fear of every day. Strange¡­ I¡¯ve never given it any thought before.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°It¡¯s a betrayal of an ancient pact, but I won¡¯t bore you with the details. Allow me to reassure you that I have no intention of bringing random humans to this realm.¡± ¡°How can I trust such a claim?¡± The demon shook his head. ¡°You should know that demons don¡¯t blatantly lie to humans.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± The mage had to accept demons were known throughout history to be true to their word, tricky as they could be. ¡°You¡¯re here because I want your help, just for a short while.¡± ¡°Why should I help you?¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t intend to involve humans who didn¡¯t already involve themselves in this feud between humans and demons. All I want is some simple information from you. In exchange for your answers and subsequent silence, I will share useful advice regarding a certain fellow guard who obstructed you recently.¡± ¡°What!?¡± The mage seemed interested. ¡°That bastard?¡± He seemed very, very interested. ¡°And I can trust you won¡¯t use any information I provide to harm the innocent?¡± His wavering ceased. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°We have a deal.¡± The mage pointed at the demoness. ¡°By the way, who is she?¡± The girl frowned but the male demon answered. ¡°She¡¯s here in case you lie to me.¡± ¡°I¨CI see¡­¡± For the next several hours, the mage shared information with the demon. Topics included the mage¡¯s full name, medical history, family history, life story, detailed magical aptitudes, and many other details which would allow the mage to be uniquely identified. The demon was particularly interested in geographic and geological details related to the places where the mage worked and lived. The demon took meticulous notes all throughout the conversation. He frequently flipped back and forth between his recent notetaking and materials he prepared prior to summoning the mage. Occasionally, the demoness would glance at the documents only for her eyes to glaze over. ¡°Good, most good.¡± The demon actually showed a hint of emotion. ¡°You¡¯ve been quite helpful. I¡¯ll share with you what I know about him, so pay attention.¡± The demon explained swordsman¡¯s past, including his darker secrets. Apparently, he had gotten away with quite a few crimes over the years. A few of the transgressions could be exposed if only one knew where to look for the evidence. ¡°Such depravity¡­¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the demon agreed. ¡°All the simpler for me to learn about him.¡± ¡°My reluctance is gone. I can taste my revenge. He will pay for his lawlessness, and I will enjoy every moment of it.¡± The mage snickered. ¡°Then I made good on my end of the bargain.¡± The mage nodded. ¡°Let me warn you though. If you get too absorbed in your vengeance, you may transform into something worse than a demon.¡± ¡°I wonder about that¡­¡± In response to the mage¡¯s apparent dismissal of the demon¡¯s advice, the demoness spoke up for the first time. ¡°You dare disregard¡ª¡° The demoness was interrupted as the male demon thrust his hand in front of her face. ¡°Speak your mind,¡± he said to the mage. ¡°O¨COh, I meant no offense,¡± the mage clarified. ¡°It¡¯s just, is being worse than a demon necessarily a transgression? Before we met, I would have thought so, but after meeting you?¡± ¡°There are all kinds of demons, just as there are all kinds of humans. Can I trust you will never summon a demon again?¡± ¡°Y¨CYes, of course. To be honest, I enjoyed our conversation, and I¡¯ll miss the opportunity to speak again, but summoning a demon just to ask for friendly advice would be¡­ disrespectful.¡± ¡°Eh,¡± the demon responded. ¡°Odds are you wouldn¡¯t enjoy the conversation anyway.¡± ¡°I see. Anyway, though it was highly unusual, I enjoyed meeting each of you. Please rest assured I¡¯ll hold up my end of the bargain. I shudder to think what would happen if I did not.¡± ¡°Good. Farewell.¡± The demon gestured, returning the mage to the land of humans. Chapter 5: The Lure Chapter 5: The Lure The reports trickled in from other demons. For each, Arzoch pored over the details and then decided whether or not to summon them using the large mirror in his chamber. Miona couldn¡¯t figure out how Arzoch was choosing which people to summon, and he wouldn¡¯t explain even if she asked. At least, he let her remain with him as he went through his experiments. Strangely, Arzoch hadn¡¯t antagonized or punished any of the people he summoned. He simply established an agreement where they would answer his benign questions in exchange for some trifling assistance with something. Actually, maybe that was it. It hadn¡¯t occurred to Miona until now, but perhaps the humans Arzoch was summoning were the ones that he felt less compelled to punish? He wasn¡¯t discarding the reports for humans he chose not to summon; he simply filed them away, perhaps for later. ¡°Arzoch, are we going to punish the people in those reports?¡± she asked, pointing to the bookshelf. ¡°Perhaps in due time,¡± was all he offered.
Just as Miona overheard rumors spreading throughout the realm of Arzoch somehow pulling a fast one on the other lords, he kicked her out. ¡°Why!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just for a little while, Miona. I can¡¯t let anyone see the next experiment.¡± ¡°Not even me?¡± ¡°Especially not you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll come get you for the good parts later.¡± She was reluctant to accept that explanation, but there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it. With nothing else to do, she decided to wander around randomly for a while. Arzoch would come get her whenever he was ready. ¡°Oh? Trouble at home?¡± ¡°Jokin¡­¡± ¡°Perfect, walk with me for a bit.¡± ¡°A¨CAll right¡­¡± The pair strolled through surreal corridors, otherworldly gardens, and chambers of scented flame. At first, Jokin seemed content to make small talk, but he eventually brought up a heavier topic. ¡°How goes Arzoch¡¯s investigation? Is he getting anywhere with all the information we provided him?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you anything?¡± Miona would have thought Arzoch would at least send word that he¡¯s making progress, but apparently that had not happened at all. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Not a thing. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just hyper-focused on his task and hasn¡¯t broken away to discuss his progress. Of course, my door is always open to him, but since you¡¯re not busy, why don¡¯t you give me a brief summary?¡± ¡°Arzoch should do it himself¡­¡± ¡°And as I said, young Miona, my colleagues and I are all eagerly waiting an update from him. However, since he¡¯s too busy to provide it, the whole problem can be resolved with a bit of good news provided by you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Do recognize that we are all extending a great deal of trust to him right now. He can¡¯t expect our cooperation, that is, the flow of these reports, to continue indefinitely with nothing provided in return. Fortunately, we are all feeling especially reasonable since his mission supports the greater good for all demons. With just a few words from you right now, his efforts can continue completely unhindered.¡± ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Jokin halted, causing Miona to do the same as he gestured for her to speak. ¡°Please go on.¡± Lulled into a sense of security by the overly polite tone, she answered him. ¡°Arzoch has been successful, at least so far.¡± ¡°Wonderful news. I¡¯ll be delighted to spread it around the realm myself. What else?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been gathering information from human summoners,¡± she added. ¡°Just gathering information?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jokin looked down and to the side, a puzzled look on his unremarkable features. ¡°Has he not made any of them suffer for their crimes against our kind?¡± ¡°Not yet. He, uh, implied that he was saving that for later¡­¡± ¡°What could be more important than punishing those who have wronged us? This information he seeks, what is it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it myself. All he asks them for is basic information.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all he¡¯s let you witness?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Any idea what he had planned when he sent you away, then?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say he sent me away¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t patronize me, Miona.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°What kind of a demoness apologizes? Well, I¡¯ll take it as a compliment. Anyway, remember, you and I want the same thing, as do the rest of our kind.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What did he say before he sent you away?¡± ¡°All I know is that Arzoch was moving on to the next stage. He said he¡¯d call me for the good parts.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s excellent news. I have no idea why he sent you away considering how supportive of him you always are. I hope he¡¯ll reconsider soon.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°As I said, I¡¯ll pass this news around to the others. There is one thing I¡¯ll warn you about, though.¡± ¡°A warning?¡± Jokin nodded. ¡°Arzoch is an odd one. Don¡¯t get me wrong, despite our squabbling, we all know we¡¯re lucky to have Arzoch among our ranks. He brings a diversity of thought, and we all benefit as a result.¡± Miona wasn¡¯t sure whether or not to be offended on Arzoch¡¯s behalf, but Jokin continued before she could decide. ¡°But he sympathizes too much with humans. He told us, no, strongly implied, that he could only make summoners suffer, but I bet that wasn¡¯t the case. It¡¯s not just human summoners who are guilty of perpetuating the status quo. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to bring up unpleasant memories, but you should understand that better than most.¡± ¡°How do you¡ª¡° ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t patronize me. When one of our own is abused, we will know it. We will feel it. And we won¡¯t forget.¡± Miona was at a loss for words. ¡°Miona, if Arzoch ever lets humanity off the hook, let me know. We can¡¯t squander this opportunity to save our kin.¡± She neither agreed nor disagreed. Chapter 6: So Long as Youre Innocent Chapter 6: So Long as You''re Innocent Miona received a message to return. Arzoch was in an unusually jovial mood as he greeted her. ¡°I promised I¡¯d call you back for the good parts, right?¡± Miona followed Arzoch back into the room with the large mirror. ¡°What were you doing while I was gone?¡± To her surprise, he answered. ¡°I was solving an age-old problem. I tried to summon people to the demon realm some eons ago. At the time, I failed miserably.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Put simply, it¡¯s much more difficult to target someone in the land of humans than it is for a summoning ritual to target someone in our realm.¡± Something wasn¡¯t adding up to Miona. ¡°But haven¡¯t you been summoning people to the other side of that mirror ever since you got back?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a big difference between summoning someone to our realm and summoning them to the virtual world opposite a mirror.¡± ¡°Virtual?¡± Miona looked down at the floor and noticed an intricate magic circle painted directly on the red carpet, although she couldn¡¯t tell what type of liquid had been used. ¡°Essentially, much less energy is needed to materialize the human. As a result, the effort required to target them is also much reduced.¡± ¡°I see. I don¡¯t get it at all.¡± Arzoch snorted. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t really want you to get it anyway. I sent you away so you wouldn¡¯t unnecessarily learn how to do what comes next, lest you be tempted to make a big mistake later. I need not burden you like that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you the result of all those experiments. By repeatedly summoning humans to the other side of that mirror, I improved my ability to select targets in the human lands by leaps and bounds. Now, I shouldn¡¯t even need the mirror anymore.¡± ¡°I wanna see!¡± Arzoch nodded and stepped over to the head of the magic circle. He gestured for Miona to keep back a few paces. ¡°If I¡¯m successful, a particularly vile human summoner will appear.¡± The summoning ritual took much longer than the one humans typically used to summon demons. The magic circle was orders of magnitude more detailed, and the list of keywords was nearly endless, Miona thought. Once the incantation was finally complete, the magic circle lit up. A human would have covered their eyes in response to the brightness, but Arzoch and Miona didn¡¯t need to. An old man wearing priestly robes poofed into existence near the ceiling and then fell to the floor, possibly shattering a few bones in the process. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Woops.¡± Arzoch didn¡¯t seem terribly broken up about it. ¡°GAH!¡± In contrast, the old man screamed bloody murder. Initially, he seemed too distracted by his unexpected fall and injury to notice his surroundings, but as his eyes looked around and pleaded for help from anyone near him, he realized something was horribly wrong. ¡°W¨CWhere am I!?¡± Arzoch answered him politely. ¡°Welcome. I believe you refer to this as the demon realm.¡± ¡°What! Impossible!¡± The old man¡¯s eyes darted around as he searched for clues as to what was going on. His eyes settled on the magic circle. ¡°Here,¡± Arzoch offered. ¡°Let me help you. You seem injured after all.¡± He took one step towards the outer ring. ¡°St¨CStay back, demon!¡± He narrowed his eyes at the painted line in the floor separating his circular space from where the demon stood. ¡°The circle! You can¡¯t cross the circle!¡± he reassured himself, quite loudly. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Arzoch gently pressed his palm forward, stopping his hand just as it made contact with the imaginary barrier that formed the outside of the circle. ¡°So I can¡¯t come in there and harm you¡­¡± ¡°Exactly! You¡¯ve failed in your devious plot, whatever it is! Now send me back! I¡¯ll make no deals with you!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Miona shouted angrily. ¡°Why did you bother summoning him if you can¡¯t even go inside the circle!?¡± Arzoch turned to look at Miona, then turned back to the summoner. His serious face suddenly cracking, he laughed hysterically. Both Miona and the summoner were startled by the sudden shift in personality. ¡°D¨CDemon, have you lost your mind?¡± Arzoch held up a hand towards the summoner as he controlled his laughter and settled his breathing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I just¡­ I found that so unbelievably funny.¡± The summoner shifted his position to ease his pain a bit as he addressed Arzoch again. ¡°I suppose being able to laugh at yourself is a healthy quality. Now¨C¡° ¡°I wasn¡¯t laughing at myself,¡± Arzoch explained. ¡°I can forgive my friend over there who is not a summoner for not realizing this.¡± ¡°Not realizing what?¡± the summoner asked cautiously. Arzoch answered the summoner¡¯s question with a question. ¡°When you summon demons back at home, what stops you from entering the circle?¡± ¡°Hm? Nothing. The circle keeps the demon in. Everyone knows this¡­¡± Arzoch didn¡¯t respond but nodded slowly, waiting for the implications of the summoner¡¯s words to sink in. ¡°Keeps the demon in¡­¡± the man repeated to himself. Arzoch looked at Miona again, who had a hand to her chin as she tried to reason out what was going on. Then, her face lighted up at about the same time as the summoner overcame his preconceived notions and realized the implications of his current situation. ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°I think you understand now, no?¡± said Arzoch. The man¡¯s eyes widened as he succumbed to his dread. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a fair demon. So long as you haven¡¯t done anything to harm my kind, I see no reason for me to antagonize you.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡° Miona tried to complain. ¡°You haven¡¯t abused my kin before, right?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The summoner was hesitant to answer the question. ¡°Excellent, there¡¯s no reason for us to have an adversarial relationship then. As an apology for injuring you due to my imperfect summoning, allow me to heal you.¡± Arzoch stepped into the circle unhindered and crouched down over the human. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever been asked to heal a human once before, so I¡¯m a little rusty. Bear with me.¡± Over the next few agonizing minutes, the man was healed, although it was the most excruciating experience of his life. He suspected that the demon was only pretending to be bad at this. ¡°Isn¡¯t that better? I can¡¯t have you injured if I¡¯m going to parade you in front of my compeers.¡± Arzoch lifted the old man up by his collar, forcing him to stand. He placed a hand behind the man¡¯s back and pushed him forward. Clearly overpowered, the man simply walked as he was told. When he reached the edge of the magic circle, he stopped with a thud, as though walking into a wall, blood trickling from his nose. Arzoch apologized. ¡°Oops, sorry, I¡¯m still new at this. Silly me.¡± He healed the man, although once again, the cure seemed worse than the disease. Arzoch canceled the protections of the magic circle, allowing the old man to depart. Chapter 7: The Best News Chapter 7: The Best News Arzoch stomped into Jokin¡¯s chamber while pulling the summoner along by the scruff of his neck. A demoness dressed like a secretary bowed to Jokin in apology after clearly failing to delay Arzoch. ¡°Arzoch!?¡± ¡°You really have been studying. I do wish you wouldn¡¯t tell my name to humans, though.¡± ¡°Forget all that.¡± Jokin pointed at the summoner. ¡°How is he present?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, of course. Gather everybody up and I¡¯ll explain.¡± ¡°Now? Can¡¯t we do this at the next Walpurg¡ª¡° ¡°If you¡¯re fine with me keeping this all secret, then I suppose I can just return to my¡ª¡° ¡°Fine!¡± Jokin interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll send word for everyone who wants to know the outcome of your research to assemble.¡±
¡°Well?¡± one demon asked Jokin, clearly getting frustrated. ¡°You told us Arzoch has a really important announcement, yet he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s not here!¡± ¡°Typical Arzoch,¡± a demoness muttered while wearing her archetypal seductive garb characteristic of a succubus. ¡°Can you at least explain what this is about?¡± the first demon requested. ¡°No, I really should let Arzoch do it,¡± said Jokin. ¡°I¡¯m as frustrated as you are that he requested this meeting and is now the last to arrive, but I promise you¡¯ll be intrigued by what he has to say¡­ or should I say¡­ show.¡± ¡°Show?¡± ¡°Be careful not to state anyone¡¯s names,¡± Jokin warned. ¡°Not that it¡¯s likely to matter but¡­ just in case.¡± The demons looked back and forth at one another, trying to make sense of the warning. Before they could discuss it further, Arzoch strolled in, still with the summoner in tow. Several demons stood from their seats, shocked by what they saw. ¡°How did he ever sneak into our realm!?¡± another demon demanded to know. ¡°Calm yourself,¡± the succubus responded. ¡°This is almost certainly related to all the information we¡¯ve been providing Arzoch. Am I wrong?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Arzoch bowed in response. ¡°Quite right. And, coincidentally, this gentleman is one of the ones you informed me of in your reports. ¡°Oh? You somehow lured him to us? Which summoner is it?¡± ¡°Not lured. Summoned,¡± Arzoch clarified to a combination of gasps and muttering. ¡°You should be able to figure it out from his vestments, no?¡± The succubus, one of the top lords of the demon realm, narrowed her eyes at the summoner whose complexion was as white as his priestly robes. ¡°I see. What do you plan to do with him?¡± she asked with a deep tone that suggested she was prepared to slaughter thousands to get what she wanted. ¡°Actually,¡± Arzoch explained, ¡°he¡¯s a gift for you.¡± Arzoch walked the summoner around the table and handed him off to the succubus. ¡°A certain demon foolishly told him my name though, so do ensure that information does not get out.¡± Arzoch¡¯s tone was just as serious as the succubus¡¯ had been a moment ago. ¡°Oh,¡± she answered, ¡°it¡¯s the least I can do after you brought me such a fine gift.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you want to begin questioning him right away, and I don¡¯t want him to hear the rest of my report. Why don¡¯t you send a subordinate in?¡± She nodded to Arzoch. ¡°That¡¯s an excellent idea. Come, my new friend.¡± She guided the old man out of the chamber as he screamed, fruitlessly, for someone to help him. she was replaced, a few minutes later, by another demoness of reasonable renown. A few other demons grumbled at this unusual circumstance, but they were too eager to hear what Arzoch had to say next to complain. ¡°Put simply, thanks to all the information you each provided me, I¡¯m now able to summon humans, both body and soul, to this realm.¡± Several demons shouted in unison. ¡°Remarkable!¡± ¡°Unbelievable!¡± ¡°Teach us how!¡± Arzoch shook his head. ¡°To be clear, my summoning ritual only targets humans who have already summoned demons themselves. And I don¡¯t plan to teach anyone else how to do it.¡± ¡°What!?¡± a shocked Jokin shouted in behalf of the group. ¡°Come now,¡± Arzoch explained. ¡°You don¡¯t really expect me to give away my secret technique to everyone, right? So long as I bring you any vile summoners upon request, you have nothing to complain about.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your real reason?¡± asked Jokin. ¡°That¡¯s my offer. Take it or leave it.¡± Before anyone could respond, Arzoch departed the meeting. The remaining demons stuck around to discuss these developments further. ¡°What¡¯s he hiding?¡± one asked. ¡°Knowing him, a lot,¡± offered Jokin. ¡°Does it matter?¡± asked a demon who had been quiet until now. ¡°Just think, from now on, any time a human summons one of our kind, we can punish them. This is the best news I¡¯ve ever heard. The times will change.¡± ¡°But is that enough¡­?¡± Jokin wondered as he thought of Miona.
¡°Well?¡± ¡°It went well, Miona.¡± Arzoch sat on the nearest couch. ¡°Who will you summon next?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start with the vilest and work my way down.¡± Miona jumped up and down in giddy glee. ¡°Are you really going to summon every human who summoned a demon?¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± Arzoch acknowledged. ¡°In those rare cases where the human was respectful and asked for only a simple wish, I¡¯m content to leave them alone.¡± ¡°I figured¡­¡± Miona looked down at the red carpet. ¡°What about the really bad humans who didn¡¯t technically do the summoning themselves?¡± ¡°As I told the others, my ritual only targets summoners.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± Arzoch lied down on the couch and stretched as Miona¡¯s face darkened. Chapter 8: Summoned by a Demoness Chapter 8: Summoned by a Demoness ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Miona,¡± Jokin announced, hardly even attempting to hide the fact that he was looking for her. ¡°Jokin.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I want to discuss with you. Come with me.¡± He led her to a private room. ¡°Have a seat.¡± He gestured and sat across from her. ¡°First of all, thank you for your help before. I was able to keep the other demons at bay long enough for Arzoch to finish up his research thanks to the information you shared with me. We all benefited.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°Here comes the hard part.¡± ¡°Hard part?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Although Arzoch¡¯s accomplishments are legendary, he¡¯s also clearly lying to us.¡± ¡°Lying? About what?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± he asked in a disappointed tone. ¡°W¨CWell¡­¡± ¡°The rest of us have already figured it out. You¡¯re a bright demoness. I¡¯m sure you can figure it out too. Think for a moment.¡± She pretended to agonize over Jokin¡¯s challenge all-the-while recalling how Arzoch had glossed over something very important in his explanations to her. ¡°Do you see what I¡¯m getting at?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± she offered. ¡°Maybe not.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play coy with me. You know as well as I do that Arzoch currently has no intention of punishing people like the one who¡ª¡° Jokin shut his mouth midway as Miona closed her eyes in disgust. ¡°I need not say anything further there.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°Miona, if Arzoch is too stubborn to summon the people who truly deserve it, then I will do it in his place. I need only for you to share his method with me. He must have been truthful when he said his ritual only targets summoners, but with some small modifications¡ª¡° ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± She jumped from her seat and ran out of the room. He called from behind her, ¡°When you¡¯re ready, come to me!¡±
Soon after, Arzoch was away attending to other business, leaving Miona behind. As she sat on the couch, arms hugging her folded legs, she replayed her recent conversation with Jokin in her head over and over again. She didn¡¯t want to betray Arzoch, the only one who was truly there for her when she needed help the most. Still, Jokin had a point. She could see both sides of the argument, and it was eating away at her. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ have to decide for myself,¡± she declared to the empty room. Although this too would be going against Arzoch¡¯s wishes, it would be a minor offense in comparison to what Jokin wanted her to do. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Miona rummaged through Arzoch¡¯s bookcase looking for a certain document. ¡°Found it.¡± She carried it over to the mirror and got to work. It took a few hours, but her preparations were finally complete. ¡°I hope I¡¯m doing this right¡­¡± She repeated the summoning ritual that Arzoch had used the first time he summoned a mage to the other side of the mirror. Half to her surprise, the ritual succeeded, even though it was a repeated summoning which was known not to work on demons. Arzoch¡¯s meticulous notes made his efforts easily reproducible. ¡°Here again?¡± the mage asked, still a bit disoriented from the sudden summoning. ¡°Yes. I summoned you.¡± Miona gestured toward herself proudly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, huh? Where¡¯s that other guy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s busy with something important. I need your help.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s something I can do to help, I will. It¡¯s the least¡ª¡° ¡°I accept!¡± Miona announced before the mage could revise his statement. ¡°W¨CWait¡­ Did we just¡­?¡± She nodded. ¡°You really should be more careful when speaking with demons.¡± ¡°I suppose my guard was lowered now that I no longer think of you as an enemy, but¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she reassured the mage. ¡°Although I need your help, I have no ill will towards you anymore.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fine then¡­ not that I have much of a choice. What do you need help with?¡± ¡°I need help figuring out if humanity is worth saving.¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± The mage recoiled back a couple of steps. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, I¡¯m not qualified to help you with something so grand.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I just need you to summon me as your familiar.¡± ¡°Summon you? I already promised that other demon that I won¡¯t summon demons anymore!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she promised him. ¡°I beg your pardon, but no it¡¯s not. There¡¯s no way I can violate my agreement with that incredible demon, even if I have a commitment to your esteemed self as well¡­¡± ¡°I was party to your agreement with him, so I¡¯m empowered to modify it. I¡¯m allowing you to summon me as an exception to the prohibition.¡± ¡°I¨CI see¡­ Even if that¡¯s true, why would you possibly want me to summon you as a familiar?¡± She hesitated to answer, knowing that he would overreact. ¡°I want you to abuse me and show me off to a lot of people.¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± This time, the mage fell down entirely from the shock of her pronouncement. ¡°E¨CEven before I learned the errors of my ways, I wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would do that¡­ I¡¯m sure some exist, and it wasn¡¯t commendable for me to try to use a demon warrior as my shield in battle, but I wouldn¡¯t derive pleasure from watching a demoness suffer or taking advantage of her¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Good?¡± She explained, ¡°You won¡¯t really abuse me. You¡¯ll just pretend to enjoy having your way with a cute and defenseless demoness.¡± ¡°Why would you have me do such a thing!?¡± ¡°How do you think other humans will react when they see you abusing me, a defenseless demoness bound by an all-powerful contract, like that? Will they attempt to save me by releasing me from your contract? Will they turn their noses up in disgust but stop short of taking any action? Will they feel entirely indifferent? Will they attempt to join in on the fun? What do you think?¡± ¡°It¡­ It would depend on the person, surely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know. We¡¯ll set up the summoning so that I¡¯m not actually bound to you; I¡¯ll just be pretending. Of course, I won¡¯t use that freedom to harm you.¡± ¡°That makes sense¡­¡± ¡°If people by and large are sympathetic to my plight, then I¡¯ll chalk up the historic poor treatment of demons as mostly limited to summoners, with rare exceptions. If people by and large derive pleasure from seeing me suffer at your hands, or theirs, then that will reflect poorly on humans.¡± She eyed the mirror. ¡°No pun intended.¡± ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t have much of a choice¡­¡± ¡°You do not,¡± she confirmed. ¡°B¨CBut if anyone is getting too rough with you, I may not be able to stop myself from intervening on your behalf¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t that other demon involved in this?¡± ¡°He¡¯s worried about escalation of the conflict between humans and demons. Although he¡¯ll summon vile humans who attempt to enslave or use demons directly, he doesn¡¯t believe in summoning anyone else, even if they¡¯re the ringleader of such offenses.¡± The mage gulped. ¡°He¡¯s keeping the method for how to finally punish such people hidden, pretending it doesn¡¯t exist, and I¡¯m going to decide whether or not it stays hidden. He¡¯s worried about the ancient conflict between our peoples escalating out of control. Oh. Now a word of this to anyone else,¡± she commanded. ¡°O¨COf course¡­¡± Chapter 9: The Fate of Humanity Chapter 9: The Fate of Humanity It took some time for Miona to provide the mage everything he needed to know based on Arzoch¡¯s notes, but eventually she was able to dismiss the mage from the mirror and have him start on the ritual. Once she was summoned, they worked out a contract where she would be his familiar until he released her, except she could end the contract and return to the demon realm at any time. Further, she was not bound to follow his orders. Under normal circumstances, no summoner would ever agree to such an insane contract, but these were not normal circumstances. ¡°How do you want me to go about bringing people here?¡± the mage asked Miona. ¡°What would summoners normally do with a bound demoness they wanted to abuse?¡± ¡°Honestly?¡± He wondered. ¡°They¡¯d probably parade them around to show them off.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do that,¡± she decided ¡°Ugh¡­ Do I have to?¡± ¡°Yes. And make sure to dress me the way a slave would be dressed.¡± The mage buried his face in his hands. Miona couldn¡¯t decide if he was perfect for this job or terrible at it.
By now, everyone in the city knew that the mage had summoned and enslaved a demoness concubine. For the time being, Miona would wait and see how others reacted. It was premature to judge people based on how they visibly reacted to first seeing a girl dragged all over. Of note, nobody had tried to help her. Maybe if her hair didn¡¯t reveal the fact that she was a demoness, perhaps she would have received some sympathy. ¡°Do you think anyone will reach out to you?¡± Miona asked the mage as they cooled their heels in his home. ¡°Probably. I hate to say it, but that guy you both helped me deal with recently isn¡¯t the only one who has an issue with me or looks down on me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Sure enough, the knock came. Miona easily dispatched the first waves of sickos once they made their intentions clear. She even impressed herself with her own acting as she pretend to be helpless. Recognizing that disappearances would eventually draw attention, they accelerated their plans. The mage started inviting people over to share his new pet with. For the ones who showed no interest or even suggested he stop mistreating her, Miona had the mage send them away unharmed, if they even came by to begin with. For the others, they met a suitable end. Miona was nowhere near as powerful as Arzoch, but she could still take care of herself when not restrained by any abusive contracts or summoning rituals. At Miona¡¯s instruction, the mage shared more and more publicly all the awful things he and his now-missing friends had supposedly done to his familiar. Most of the acts were things that would get him imprisoned or even beheaded had he done them to a human girl. But Miona was a demoness. Would anyone care about her suffering?
Arzoch returned to his chamber, actually delighted to see that Miona wasn¡¯t there waiting for him. Patient as he was, he thought it necessary for her to become less dependent on him. Her going out on her own was a good thing. He walked over to the mirror to begin the process of taking it down from the wall. As he walked past the bookcase, he froze. Stepping backwards twice, he turned to look directly at it, confirming that materials were not as he left them. Having a bad premonition, he raced out of his chamber at a speed humans couldn¡¯t possibly perceive. Arriving at the entrance to Jokin¡¯s domain, he saw Miona exiting at that very moment. ¡°Miona!¡± She turned to look at him, a somber look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Arzoch.¡± ¡°What have you done?¡± His tone wasn¡¯t accusatory, even if his words were. ¡°We¡¯re not the only ones who can summon humans anymore.¡± There were at least two things wrong with that statement, but Arzoch focused on just one of them. ¡°We?¡± Miona explained how and why she summoned the mage, as well as the purpose of her experiment in the human realm. ¡°Even so,¡± he protested, ¡°they won¡¯t stop at just punishing those who abuse our kind. They¡¯ll expand their net to tormenting all humans. And the humans will respond in kind with a single-minded, unified focus¡ª¡° ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°What?¡± He thought about how to put things delicately, given Miona¡¯s history with humans. ¡°Even if there are those who revel in tormenting us¡ª¡° ¡°That¡¯s not why!¡± she objected, distraught. ¡°I already knew there were humans like that. There are also demons who enjoy doing the same things to humans.¡± ¡°Then¡­ why?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°No matter how much I pleaded, none of the other humans helped.¡± ¡°Miona¡­¡± Arzoch had only ever been thinking of the demons¡¯ well-being when he tried to avoid an escalation with the humans. When presented with Miona¡¯s rationale, he could no longer blame her for ushering in what was to come.