Masao could tell Jahy wasn't lying to him.
This demon had no apparent interest in conquering the human world.
"Then why are you here, Jahy?" he asked.
Her expression darkened. She gritted her teeth, fury simmering in her eyes.
"That wretched Magical Girl!" she spat. "She invaded the Demon Realm, shattered our Mana Crystal, and tore our world apart! That's how I ended up stranded here!"
Ah, so that was the story. A righteous Magical Girl had vanquished the evil demons and destroyed their realm.
A classic tale, albeit with an irresponsible twist: instead of finishing the job, she'd scattered the demons into the human world. She'd essentially dumped her problem on humanity's doorstep.
Masao looked at the fuming little demon, paused for a moment, and a single, sincere thought crossed his mind.
'Nice one, Magical Girl.'
If this was the demonic invasion they were facing—a cute, harmless-looking girl—then the human world could certainly handle a few more.
The real issue, he remembered with a chill, was the red Mana Stone and its curse of misfortune.
Those beautiful crystals would be irresistible to collectors, spreading bad luck wherever they went. At least he was forewarned and could protect the people around him.
Having vented her rage at the absent magical girl, Jahy turned her attention back to Masao. A cunning glint lit her eyes.
"You, human."
The address pulled him from his thoughts.
"It's Tanaka Masao. You can call me Masao." Being called 'human' was just plain weird.
"Right, right. Masao," Jahy said, filing the name away. "Masao, I am granting you a rare honor. You will become a subordinate of me, the great Jahy-sama!"
As the second-in-command of the Demon Realm, Jahy had once commanded countless underlings. Now that she was in the human world, she figured it was time to recruit some help; it would make her mission much easier.
As for being Refused? The concept was absurd. She was Jahy, a paragon of power and beauty, her charisma was undeniable! Serving her was a privilege.
Instead of a flat refusal, Masao went with a pragmatic inquiry. "And what are the benefits for me in this arrangement?"
"Is the honor of being my servant not benefit enough?" Jahy sighed, exasperated by his denseness. "Ugh, fine! I shall grace you with a glimpse of my true majesty!"
Now that she had a sliver of her power back from the Mana Stone, it was time to make this human understand who he was dealing with.
"Do not blink! You are about to witness true power!"
A soft light enveloped her. In an instant, her small, childish form stretched and swelled, becoming tall and curvaceous. The little girl was gone, replaced by a stunning, mature woman with sun-kissed skin and a formidable presence.
Masao's eyes widened. His gaze darted, unsure where to land.
'She's a demon, alright. That outfit... she might as well be a succubus.'
In her true form, Jahy's confidence returned in a wave. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, a picture of smug satisfaction.
"Well? Are you not utterly captivated?"
Masao had to nod. The adult Jahy was, exactly his type.
"Then you will pledge your service?" she pressed, expecting immediate capitulation.
Masao shook his head.
"W-What?!" Jahy sputtered, her confidence cracking. "What is this? You admit my magnificence, yet you refuse? Explain yourself!"
Masao looked at her, unimpressed. "Jahy, you haven't actually offered me anything of substance. Why would I agree?"
"You greedy mortal!" she snapped. "You humans are worse than demons!"
Back in the Demon Realm, no self-respecting minion would dare ask her for "benefits"—they gratefully accepted whatever she bestowed. Yet here was a human, making demands. Still, considering her current circumstances, she decided to compromise—just a little.
"Fine! Name your price!"
Masao stroked his chin in thought.
"How about… Eternal life?"
Jahy's eye twitched, a wave of awkwardness washing over her. Even at the peak of her power, granting a human eternal life was no simple feat, let alone in her current, weakened state.
"...Impossible. Ask for something else."
"Unlimited wealth, then?"
Jahy, who had arrived in the human world penniless, could only repeat,
"...Also impossible. Next!"
"The power to destroy the world, perhaps?"
A violent tic spasmed across Jahy's face. Her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. The power to destroy the world? She didn't even have that!
As Jahy stood there, trembling with frustrated rage, Masao clicked his tongue.
"Tch. And you call yourself the second-in-command of the Demon Realm? I thought you'd be more impressive. Turns out you can't do anything you promised."
That was the final straw.
"ENOUGH!" Jahy roared, her voice echoing. "Do not test me, human! Your demands are impossible! Ask for something reasonable!"
Masao simply blinked. "Reasonable? Like what?"
"Like...?" Jahy racked her brain, trying to think of what she could actually offer him right now. After a long pause, she suggested, with notably less confidence, "...How about the honor of being my personal attendant?"
It was the best she could manage—a promissory note on a future empire.
Masao's jaw dropped.
"You call me greedy? You're offering me a life of servitude as a reward? That's the most shameless thing I've ever heard!"
"It's not servitude! It's a position of high honor in the Demon Realm!" Jahy retorted, her cheeks flushing.
"You said the Demon Realm was destroyed," Masao fired back, the verbal blow striking true.
Jahy staggered as if physically struck.
"I—! I will rebuild it! Once I gather the scattered Mana Stones!"
"How long will that take?"
"A year...? Ten...? A hundred...?" she mumbled, the timeline disintegrating with each word.
Masao shook his head. A century of unpaid intern work? No thanks.
"Save the 'honor' for someone else," he said. "Here's my offer: you teach me that transformation magic you just used, and I'll help you out."
He was genuinely curious about the spell. Could he use it to become more handsome? And he had a feeling that certain acquaintances—like Yukinoshita and Eriri—would pay a king's ransom for a magic that could, like Jahy's, transform a flat chest into C-cup and beyond.
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[email protected]/Raven_scroll (30+ Advance Chapters)