I sat lazily on the throne, lightly tapping my finger on the armrest. The gazes of those present, full of fear and nervousness, slid over me, but the silence that was pressing on everyone did not affect me. Suddenly, one of the people, apparently considering himself more cunning than the rest, jumped up and ran. The others turned around, looking at his retreating back as he rushed towards the exit. I just grinned, forming a small scarlet sphere on the tip of my finger. After firing, I watched as it plunged into his back with lightning speed, tearing his body in half in a whirlwind of destruction. His scream echoed along the corridor:
"A-a-a! No, please!"
The scream died down, dissolving into silence.
The monsters and people turned pale. Those who had just recently exchanged glances of apprehension now fell prostrate in horror, pressing themselves to the floor, their bodies trembling in a deep bow. My gaze moved to Olga, a dark elf with golden eyes. Her impressive figure, barely covered by a scanty outfit, and her smooth dark skin, with beads of sweat running down it, attracted attention. Her long elven ears trembled slightly, adding to her seductiveness. I couldn't help but smile, plunging into my thoughts. Who would have thought that I would see a living dark elf, so familiar from the stories of my world? Her nervous breathing and attempts to remain unperturbed only emphasized her charm.
Shifting my gaze to Chloe, I noticed how she shuddered under my attention. Her scarlet eyes briefly glanced anxiously at Olga, betraying concern. The silence was becoming unbearable, but Olga decided to break it. Despite her fear, her curiosity and courage, which I immediately noticed, prevailed:
" Who are you? And what do you want?" Her voice was shaking slightly, but she held herself with dignity.
I chuckled:
" What do I want? Well, nothing really. If you want, I can leave, and you can continue... what you were doing."
The elves turned pale. Chloe couldn't help but exclaim:
" Leave?! Are you serious? After everything you've done?!" Her voice was sharp, full of indignation and rage, characteristic of her hot-tempered nature.
I laughed:
"Okay, then. And about who I am... The Devil."
To confirm, I spread my wings, black with a scarlet tint. The hall froze. The monsters and people turned even paler, some of them gave off a sharp smell of fear - someone could not contain their horror. The stench became unbearable, and I decided to rectify the situation. I extended my hand and created a crimson sphere the size of a baseball. Noticing this, the monsters and humans tried to jump up and run, but their movements were too slow. The sphere fired, and a powerful explosion shook the hall:
" BOOM!"
The echo spread, a cloud of dust flew up.
Olga flew back from the sound wave, hitting a column, Chloe pressed herself to the ground, covering her ears. When the dust settled, they saw a huge crater where those who tried to cause them suffering had just stood. No trace, no remains. I nodded to myself:
That's better.
Olga, still pale, tried to remain stoic, but under my gaze she became nervous. I grinned:
" The room stank. Had to clean up. Do you mind?"
Olga, to my surprise, answered with a slight ironic smile:
" That's very kind of you. It stank of worms, it was hard to breathe."
I liked her answer, but my thoughts were preoccupied with something else. While I was dealing with the hall, I tried to activate the reverse summoning to return to my world. Something was blocking the magic, preventing the ritual from being completed. I clicked my tongue, realizing that I needed to find another way. Time flows differently in different worlds: I could return centuries later, finding my world in ruins, or, conversely, in an hour, as if nothing had happened. But tormenting myself with speculation was pointless. I needed to act. Olga and Chloe, as locals, could act as my guides. Besides, their company promised to be... entertaining.
I stood up from the throne and walked towards Olga. My footsteps echoed in the hall, increasing the tension. She backed away, clearly avoiding getting closer, but I approached at arm's length, admiring her beauty. I involuntarily touched her hair, and she flinched, not knowing what to expect. Chloe immediately rushed to the defense, her voice seething with anger:
"Hey, take your hands off! Don't you dare touch Mistress Olga, you impudent fellow!" Her rude, straightforward tone clearly did not want to leave us without her attention.
I grinned:
"I won't hurt her. I'm just admiring her beauty."
To confirm, I slowly ran the back of my hand over her face, feeling the smoothness of her skin. Olga was breathing heavily, her chest was heaving, and her ears were trembling slightly. The desire to touch them was irresistible. I touched her ear with three fingers, and she exclaimed indignantly:
"Enough! Stop it immediately!" Her voice was firm, with a hint of pride, but her cheeks were slightly red from embarrassment.
Chloe, burning with anger, was ready to pounce, but I removed my hand and stepped back:
"Since the ladies ask, I will stop."
I stepped back, smiling. Their surprise was obvious — they expected me to insist, like those "worms" that I destroyed. My gaze slid over the crater, and I said with a grin:
"You thought I was the same as these scum? You're wrong."
Olga and Chloe looked at me with confusion, their long eyelashes fluttering in incomprehension. Chloe, despite her nervousness, blurted out:
"What, isn't that so?! You boors are all the same!" Her rude tone was full of challenge.
Olga immediately pulled her up:
"Chloe, stop it!" There was apprehension in her voice.
Chloe turned pale, losing her previous bravado. I smiled broadly, adding ironically:
"Don't compare me to worms, it's insulting, you know."
Chloe winced, Olga raised an eyebrow. I continued:
"At this rate, I could compare you to humans, but that would be unfair, right?"
Chloe's face twisted in disgust, and she opened her mouth to make another indignant comment, but Olga pinned her with a glare. Chloe choked and coughed, and I watched them, mentally chuckling. Their interaction was curious, but my goal remained the same: finding my way home.
After my words, Olga frowned slightly, barely noticeable folds appeared on her forehead. Exhaling, she answered:
"That's fair."
Chloe looked at her in surprise while Olga shook the dust off her clothes, tidying herself up. I, not hiding my interest, continued to look at them. My gaze slid over Olga's figure, lingering on her impressive chest. She noticed this and, smiling slightly, threw:
"Do you like what you see?"
Chloe's eyes widened in amazement, not believing that Olga had decided on such a tone. I answered with a slight grin:
"Very much so."
Olga retorted with the same grin:
"You can look, but you won't get me."
Her words amused me, and I shrugged and added:
"I'm married, you know. But it's not forbidden to look, right?"
A slight surprise flashed in her golden eyes. She noted:
"If you're married, then Chloe and I have nothing to fear."
Then she demonstratively turned and moved on, mischievously wiggling her hips. I involuntarily swallowed, but quickly pulled myself together. Chloe, confused by our dialogue, saw that Olga was leaving, raised her nose and, snorting, hurried after her.
I remained standing, slightly puzzled.
Aren't they afraid of me anymore?
Their figures were moving away, and I decided to catch up with them. Olga seemed to have managed to discern my character and, having made sure that I was not going to harm them, relaxed, although she still looked at me with apprehension, occasionally turning around. I kept my distance, catching snippets of their conversation. Chloe, with anxiety in her voice, whispered:
"Mistress, he is coming for us! What does he want?!"
Olga calmly answered:
"Let him go wherever he wants."
Her casual tone made me smile. After passing several corridors, we found ourselves in a room where blue lines flowed along the walls, which I immediately recognized as streams of mana flowing towards the center. There was a dark red cube towering there. Olga's face frowned, Chloe looked at her with concern, but was ready to support. I, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms, watched. Olga began to perform some magical gestures, but suddenly lightning struck her. Chloe screamed:
"Mistress!" and, worried, caught her.
Olga, rubbing her hand, nervously bit her lip. I decided to intervene:
"What are you doing?"
Chloe snapped:
"None of your business!"
But Olga touched her hand, shook her head, and, looking at me, reluctantly explained:
"This is the Citadel control center. My control, power over monsters and also the magical storage are concentrated here."
"Then what's the problem?" I asked.
She sighed and, with difficulty squeezing out the words, answered:
"The cube has been intercepted. I lost control and there was little magic left."
"I can destroy it," I suggested.
Olga answered with an ironic sneer:
"You want to end my reign? Go ahead. But I will never back down from my goal!" She blurted out the last words with passion.
Chloe glared at me angrily, adding:
"Just give it to you" to destroy everything!
I spread my hands:
"Well, I can do that."
Chloe's lips trembled, Olga smirked. Exhaling, she stood up, already calmer, and came to me. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to act. She stopped so close that I felt the warmth of her body. Her hand lay on my chest, and I watched without commenting. Chloe, stunned, looked with disbelief at her eyes. Olga leaned closer, her warm breath touched my neck, and she whispered:
"You wouldn't refuse to help a lady, right?"
I smirked, pulling her closer with one hand and touching her hips with the other, massaging them lightly. Chloe exploded:
"What are you doing, you impudent fellow?! Let the mistress go right now!" Her voice trembled with rage.
I replied, smiling:
"You started it, didn't you?"
Olga, blushing slightly, clearly didn't expect such a reaction. I let her go, and she looked at me in surprise. I added:
"Not a bad attempt, but the execution is lame. The lack of experience is felt."
Her eyes widened, she turned away in embarrassment and tsked:
"Tch."
I smiled, mentally noting that Olga was bold and cunning, but still charming. Then I said:
"If you needed help, you could have just asked instead of putting on a show. Although, I admit, I liked it.
Both elves were surprised. Olga, smiling, answered:
"Really? So you really are different from the local inhabitants."
Chloe, still blinking her eyes in surprise, was silent. Olga, having made up her mind, asked:
"What is your name, mister devil?"
I smiled:
"Sirzechs Lucifer, at your service."
Olga introduced herself:
"Olga Discordia. And this is Chloe," she nodded at her companion, who was still looking at me with suspicion, narrowing her eyes.
"Nice to meet you," I replied, keeping my smile.
There was silence after our introduction. I decided to break it:
"What next?"
Olga frowned slightly, massaging the bridge of her nose, and replied:
"I need to accumulate mana, conduct a scan, find out who intercepted control, and retake the Citadel."
She hesitated on the last word, but, having collected herself, asked:
"You seem to be willing to help, but how far does your help extend?" her tone had a slight accent, and a sly glimmer flashed in her eyes.
I smiled:
"I can help a little. But you wanted something else, didn't you?"
Her gaze became more serious, she exhaled and, overcoming her awkwardness, said:
"What do you need to help me defeat Celestine and... destroy all humans?"
I raised an eyebrow, not expecting such directness. Chloe stared at me piercingly, ready to be indignant. I, smiling slightly, took out a brochure, causing surprise in them, and handed it:
"This is a brochure from my world. Through it, devils are summoned, wishes are made, and I fulfill them within the limits of my powers. But for this, a fee is required."
The silence became almost tangible. Olga, thoughtfully smoothing the paper with her fingers, was silent, but then she exhaled and asked:
"What will be the fee?"
I took out a small device with a smile — a wish scanner — and entered her request. The result made me slightly surprised, which was reflected on my face. Olga noted:
"So what is the price?"
I cleared my throat:
"You must serve me for the rest of your life."
Chloe immediately exploded:
"You are crazy! This will not happen!" her voice trembled with anger.
Olga raised her hand, urging her to calm down, and quietly said:
"Is the fee really that high?"
I shrugged:
"It is not expensive. You are asking to destroy an entire race, numerous in this world, and defeat Celestine. The fee is fair."
Olga frowned with displeasure, but asked:
"What if we find the one who seized control of the Citadel and destroy him?"
I entered a new request into the scanner, then, slightly embarrassed, clearing my throat, answered:
"Then you need to spend one night with me."
Chloe's face flushed with embarrassment and anger, but Olga quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She herself also blushed, but, clearing her throat, said:
"This is also... too much."
I shrugged:
"This can be interpreted in different ways. Not necessarily what you thought."
Olga was surprised, but smiled:
"Really?"
"Yes," I nodded. "We can just lie on the bed, rest. Unless, of course, you are not against something serious."
Olga smiled broadly:
"I will think about it. But I don't mind just lying on the bed."
Chloe, still covered by her hand, hummed indignantly, her eyes blazing with anger. I smiled and snapped my fingers. A contract materialized in the air, floating in front of us. Olga was surprised, but nodded. I explained:
"This is a magical contract. You seem familiar with such?"
She nodded, studying the document carefully. I added the terms and price, after which we secured the signatures. The contract disappeared, and I felt a slight pressure of magical shackles. I smirked inwardly, thinking that contracts were a devil's forte. Over the years, I, along with Ajuka, learned to find loopholes in them. I could have imposed enslaving conditions on Olga, making her a slave, but she was clearly familiar with such agreements. Her eyes and hands glowed slightly with magic, checking the text for hidden tricks. But I knew that without a deep understanding of the subtleties that Ajuka and I had perfected, she would not be able to see through their trickery.
Smiling, I said:
"The contract has been signed, it is time to fulfill it."
I walked to the center of the room, where a dark red cube towered. The elves looked at me in surprise. I extended my hand, created a scarlet magic circle and began scanning. After processing the information, I found a magical signature nearby. Turning to the elves, I said with a smile:
"I found the one who did this. He is close. Fulfilling the contract will be easier than expected. You will soon be able to lie on the bed with me, lady," I added in a playful manner, winking.
Olga, with a slight irony in her voice, replied:
"In that case, go fulfill the contract. The sooner you do it, the sooner I will... pay," her tone was mischievous, with a hint.
I laughed and headed for the exit. My footsteps echoed in the corridors. Soon I was outside. The cool air hit my face, the moon shone brightly in the sky, surrounded by a scattering of stars. Spreading my wings, I took off, feeling the gusts of wind hit my face. Casting a light spell, I protected myself from dirt and dust, and headed towards the hills where the magical signature led.