Chapter 4 - My first Servant
"Excuse me, could you please move aside?"
Shiho Miyano looked at the four students blocking the narrow alley. They had heavy dark circles under their eyes. She frowned deeply.
The alley was only so wide, and with all four of them standing there, she really couldn't get through.
At the sound of her voice, the four students froze for a second, then let out excited, guttural growls.
"You can see us?"
"You can actually see me?"
"That's great."
"I'm eating her. Don't any of you try to take her from me."
Their faces twisted horribly, mouths splitting all the way to their ears as a sinister aura poured out of them.
Shiho instinctively took a step back.
Even if she had been slow on the uptake, she now understood something was very wrong.
She turned and bolted.
Bang!
A muffled impact sounded. Shiho felt herself crash into someone's embrace.
Her body went rigid and despair flooded her heart.
It's over.
There was another monster behind her.
"Don't be nervous. I'm here to help you."
Cain wrapped one arm around her to keep her from falling and casually waved his other hand.
Boom!
A dark crimson beam flashed through the air and swallowed the four cursed spirits whole.
The violent explosion sent gusts of wind whipping through the alley, making Shiho's skirt flutter wildly.
Amid shrill, ear piercing screams, the four cursed spirits were reduced to nothing but ash.
[+4 EXP]
Cain's eyelids twitched when he saw the notification.
His panel really did feel like some third-rate game interface.
Still, at his current level, even the tiny amount of experience from cursed spirits was better than nothing.
Shiho stared blankly at everything that had just happened. She was still trembling as she asked, "What… what were they?"
"Low grade cursed spirits," Cain answered calmly. "Normally they only attack people who can see them."
Shiho's eyes suddenly lit up. "Then you're some kind of legendary psychic?"
Cain glanced at her excited expression and raised an eyebrow.
No wonder the Devil Contract skill had reacted to her.
So it was Shiho Miyano.
He quickly ran through the timelines in his head and confirmed nothing seemed too messed up yet, then breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"Unfortunately, I'm not a psychic."
Shiho was still excited. "Then are you an exorcist? Or maybe a sorcerer?"
"Neither."
Cain shook his head and smiled playfully. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Cain, and I'm a devil."
"De-devil?"
Shiho's mouth fell open. She stared at the perfectly normal-looking man in front of her, unable to process it.
"You don't believe me?"
Cain's smile widened. A pair of sleek black devil wings unfurled from his back with a rush of air.
Shiho's eyes widened. She felt as though her entire worldview had just shattered.
Manipulating hearts, seducing humans.
Terrifying, cunning, the root of all evil.
Every bad thing in the world was tied to them.
That was how devils were described in every legend.
And now she was standing face-to-face with one.
She clenched her fists, her body trembling slightly.
'Come on, think of something!'
"By the way," Cain said, looking at her with amusement, "I'm the one who just saved your life. No need to be that scared of me."
Shiho startled, then relaxed just a fraction.
'He was right. He had saved her.'
Maybe the idea that all devils were evil was just human prejudice.
"Now that you've calmed down a little," Cain continued, "let's talk business."
Shiho blinked. "Business?"
Cain's smile turned wicked. "Compensation."
Shiho's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're seriously asking for compensation after saving me?"
"Exactly. Well said."
Cain gave her a half-smile. "When devils do anything, we always collect a price."
Shiho trembled, feeling despair creep in again.
He made way too much sense for her to argue.
"W-what kind of compensation do you want?"
Cain extended his hand. "I need to put a mark on you."
Shiho immediately crossed her arms over her chest, face burning. "You perverted devil!"
Cain just grinned wider. "How did you guess?"
Shiho's mouth twitched.
Should she try to run?
One glance at the pile of ash on the ground killed that idea instantly.
She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and started mentally preparing.
He did save her life, after all.
A little touch wouldn't kill her.
Damn it, she'd never even had a boyfriend before.
Though… this devil was ridiculously good looking.
Shiho gritted her teeth, made up her mind, stepped closer, and pulled her collar open with one hand.
Her cheeks were scarlet. "Just once, okay?"
Cain blinked.
"..."
'What on earth was this woman imagining?'
He could practically see the spiral of overthinking in her head.
Since she had clearly misunderstood, and it was working in his favor, Cain saw no reason to correct her.
He bit his thumb, letting a drop of golden blood well up.
"Wait, why are you unbuttoning my shirt? Control yourself!"
"It's just so the mark goes on cleanly," Cain said innocently.
"Wait—"
Shiho's whole body went stiff, her face flaming. "What are you planning to do with your hands?"
"Relax. It's definitely not what you're thinking."
"You're fully aware of how erotic this looks, aren't you?"
A soft golden glow flashed. A small heart-shaped pattern appeared on her skin for a moment before sinking in and vanishing.
"That's… it?"
Shiho asked blankly.
Cain withdrew his hand and smiled. "What else were you expecting?"
Shiho's face instantly turned crimson.
She had completely misunderstood everything.