Chapter 5

For quite a while, we quietly listened to Bleached Demon Lord’s lecture.

Ah…

What should I eat for lunch?

Just as I started using the skill I’d mastered as an office worker, pretending to listen while my mind wandered…

“You idiots!”

BANG!

Bleached Demon Lord suddenly shouted and slammed his fist down.

There hadn’t been a table there a second ago.

But the instant his fist came down…

Poof!

A table appeared out of nowhere.

“You!”

“…Y-Yes?”

The demon suddenly grabbed one of our wrists.

The innocent owner of that wrist was Uncle Modi.

Poof!

A backless chair appeared.

He made Uncle Modi sit on it, while he himself casually sat on top of the table.

“D-Demon Lord…?”

“Shh.”

“Stay quiet.”

“…Huh?”

“Look straight at me.”

“…O-Okay?”

Bleached Demon Lord held Uncle Modi’s face with both hands.

Then he tilted his head and leaned in close.

Huh…?

H-Huh…?

Question marks appeared on everyone’s faces.

N-No way…!

Just as my expectations began to rise…

Everything suddenly went dark.

Ribi had covered my eyes with her hand.

I quickly spread her fingers apart to peek through.

Meanwhile, Ribi shouted,

“The demon is going to kiss Uncle!”

The adults immediately jumped backward.

Uncle Modi crossed both arms over his chest.

“My dear wife… forgive me…”

He began sobbing.

“No, you idiots!”

Bleached Demon Lord yelled.

Something suddenly appeared in his hand.

It was silver and metallic.

All of us gasped.

For a moment…

I was convinced he was about to handcuff Uncle Modi and commit some irreversible forbidden act.

But instead…

“Now.”

“Take a deep breath.”

“S-Something touched my chest…”

“Quiet.”

“If you cry, you’ll waste energy.”

Bleached Demon Lord placed a stethoscope against Uncle Modi’s chest and back.

Then he quickly scribbled notes onto a medical chart lying on the table.

“Next!”

“…”

“…”

And just like that…

The health checkups began.

* * *

A cute cat-shaped bandage was stuck to the inside of my elbow.

Bleached Demon Lord had put it there after drawing my blood.

“For such a tiny thing…”

“You didn’t cry.”

“Good job.”

He even gave me a piece of candy.

The sweetness shocked my body.

It had been so long since I’d tasted sugar.

It tasted exactly like strawberry milk.

It’s delicious…

But what exactly is going on?

I’d summoned the long-haired Demon Lord…

Yet a completely different demon had appeared.

He scolded us for worshipping demons…

Then gave everyone medical checkups.

All demons are kind, aren’t they?

The whole situation was confusing…

But since nothing bad had happened, I decided to simply accept it.

“Hebenia.”

Ian walked over after finishing his blood test.

He also had candy in his mouth.

Like me, he was pressing the inside of his elbow where the blood had been drawn.

“Are demons…”

“…normally this kind?”

“I guess so.”

“So this is how people become heretics.”

“If Bleached Demon Lord hears you say that…”

“…he’ll lecture you all over again.”

“I’m not the only one thinking it.”

That was true.

Ian was actually one of the calmer ones.

Ribi had gone much further.

“I should convert.”

“We should build a temple to worship Demon Lord immediately.”

She’d been caught saying that…

And Bleached Demon Lord had thoroughly scolded her.

“But…”

“I understand how she feels.”

“Yeah.”

“So do I.”

Bleached Demon Lord examined every one of us carefully.

Especially the middle-aged prisoners.

They finally admitted all the health problems they’d been enduring in silence.

“My knees ache every time it rains…”

“This scratch healed a long time ago…”

“…but it still gets itchy sometimes.”

“I get dizzy whenever I stand up.”

Seeing how none of them had healthy bodies…

Made my heart ache.

After finishing the final examination…

“You idiots…!”

Bleached Demon Lord glared at us again.

“How is it possible…”

“…that not a single one of you is healthy?”

“Does that make any sense?”

“I know life in the exile camp wasn’t easy, but…”

Suddenly…

He covered his eyes with one hand.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

“My tiny…”

“…precious little things…”

“…Why did you have to go hungry…”

“…”

“…”

As though we’d rehearsed it beforehand…

We all slowly turned to look at Uncle Modi.

I happily became the messenger of love.

“Bleached Demon Lord says you’re tiny and adorable, Uncle.”

“My dear wife…”

“If I become Demon Lord’s concubine…”

“My heart will still belong only to you…”

Uncle Modi tightly shut his eyes in resignation.

“That’s NOT what I meant!”

Bleached Demon Lord protested with tears welling up in his eyes.

“And I’m a pure bachelor!”

Somehow…

That only increased the chances of Uncle Modi becoming his lawful spouse.

* * *

By the time the medical examinations ended…

The sun was already setting.

The orange glow spreading across the blue sky was beautiful.

The adults went to prepare dinner.

Meanwhile…

Bleached Demon Lord told me he had something to discuss.

So the two of us went for a walk through the residential district.

Even though his legs were incredibly long…

He slowed his pace to match mine.

He’s really kind.

No…

Kind demon.

Bleached Demon Lord spoke first.

“Our Lord told me about you.”

I immediately realized that “our Lord” referred to the long-haired Demon Lord I’d first summoned.

“I was thinking about him when I summoned a demon.”

“So why did you appear instead?”

“…Did you just call me ‘Bleached Demon Lord’?”

“You’re pretty bold.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know your name.”

“Just keep calling me that.”

I nodded.

He continued.

“Our Lord isn’t in a position where he can easily leave right now.”

Is he very busy?

“He’s running around taking care of his pregnant wife.”

…Very busy indeed.

“What’s the payment for those health checkups?”

“Will my blood be enough?”

“Are you taking the blood you drew earlier?”

“I only did those because I wanted to.”

“So don’t worry about it.”

“And after testing your blood…”

“…we’ll dispose of it properly as medical waste.”

“You can use it if you want.”

“Actually…”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Bleached Demon Lord stopped walking.

Then crouched down until he was at eye level with me.

Looking at him this closely…

He resembled a beautiful war god.

His golden eyes, worn like weathered suns, glowed in the evening light.

People said demons were seductive.

Looking at his face…

I believed it.

“Little ant.”

This demon calls me ‘little ant’ too.

“The power contained in your blood…”

“…is far greater and far more precious than we expected.”

“…Huh?”

“So the accounting isn’t balanced.”

“You paid far too much.”

“…”

“Don’t understand what I mean?”

“…No.”

“I figured.”

“There’s still a lot you don’t know.”

Bleached Demon Lord picked up a nearby stick.

Then began drawing on the ground.

“Think of summoning a demon…”

“…like hiring a private detective.”

“You know what a private detective is, right?”

“They’re the people who…”

“…arrange assassinations…”

“…What exactly did you grow up watching?”

I had grown up with domestic violence…

And sensational videos from modern society.

Naturally…

I kept that to myself.

On the ground…

He drew two circles.

“When someone summons a demon…”

“They pay two different prices.”

An arrow stretched from the left circle to the right.

“The first…”

“Travel expenses.”

“…Travel expenses?”

“A demon crosses dimensions to reach your world.”

“Of course that requires payment.”

“The saliva you spit out when summoning us…”

“…covers that cost.”

“…But is it really okay to spit that much?”

“No.”

“If you were an ordinary human…”

“…your salivary glands would’ve burst long ago.”

Without thinking…

I poked the inside of my mouth with my tongue.

Another arrow pointed toward the second circle.

“The second payment…”

“Is the service fee.”

Bleached Demon Lord repeatedly jabbed the words he’d written with the stick.

“This is the important part.”

“When a demon grants a wish…”

“…the summoner pays an equivalent price.”

“We demons convert that payment into energy…”

“…which is used to maintain the world.”

Ohhh.

It’s just like one of those fantasy movies.

Suddenly…

I became curious about the demons’ world.

Judging from their clothes and furniture…

Their civilization seemed as advanced as mine…

Maybe even more advanced.

“But…”

I asked carefully.

“The only price I paid…”

“…was a nosebleed.”

The first time I’d wished something from the long-haired Demon Lord…

I’d simply rubbed the blood from my nose onto the summoning circle.

Remembering the complicated expression he’d worn…

I couldn’t believe I’d paid such an enormous price.

Bleached Demon Lord explained,

“To put it simply…”

“You handed us a gold bar…”

“…and asked us to deliver a letter.”

“Wow…!”

“My nosebleed was worth that much?”

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yes!”

“Not amazing at all, you brat!”

“Eek!”

I let out the same unfair scream as a baby penguin getting smacked by an adult penguin.

“Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us?”

“How was I supposed to know?!”

“It was my first time summoning a demon!”

“The power inside your blood…”

“…is worth more than everything every demon could earn…”

“…working nonstop for an entire year.”

“…Then that’s really amazing!”

“Thanks to you…”

“…everyone’s working overtime!”

According to Bleached Demon Lord…

Yesterday, the long-haired Demon Lord had worked harder than he had in centuries.

Even then…

They hadn’t managed to use even a tenth of the power contained in my blood.

So now…

All the demons were working overtime just to safely store it.

“So…”

“I have a proposal.”

“…A proposal?”

“We’ll assign you a demon butler.”

“One who will stay by your side and continuously grant your wishes.”

“…That’s a little…”

I hesitated.

“I’m really shy around strangers…”

“You’ve been chatting nonstop with someone you only met today.”

He laughed.

“What a funny kid.”

Then lightly flicked my forehead.

After that…

He patiently explained the basics of demon summoning.

“When making a wish…”

“Be as detailed as possible.”

“If your request is vague…”

“…the demon’s imagination will fill in the blanks however it wants.”

“Ohhh.”

Listening to Bleached Demon Lord explain everything…

Felt like reading a fascinating fantasy novel.

As I listened…

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Could you tell me more about my power?”

“The long-haired Demon Lord called it ‘Opening and Closing’…”

“But I still don’t really understand it.”

“If that’s merely a question…”

“I’ll answer simply.”

“If it’s a wish…”

“I’ll fulfill it perfectly.”

“It’s a wish!”

I asked to know everything about my ability.

Its true nature.

Its potential.

And all the ways it could be used.

Bleached Demon Lord handed me a single book.

[Everything About the Clavis Family in One Book]

I froze the moment I saw the cover.

A girl with sparkling eyes that took up half her face…

It looked exactly like the cover of a children’s educational manga.

“…It looks like one of those educational comics for kids.”

“For someone who knows nothing…”

“…that’s exactly what you need.”

He had a point.

I eagerly opened the book.

As I casually flipped through the pages…

Ah.

Here it is.

I’d found the section I wanted most.

The heroine of the comic…

Was a little girl with chestnut-brown hair and green eyes.

Just like me.

Her name was…

Havi.

Wow…

That’s surprisingly close to my original name.