Neither of them answered right away.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he studied me, and for the first time since he started calling me Lord, I couldn’t tell what was going through his head.
Elaine was much easier to read. The blush on her face deepened, and she looked one push away from agreeing to anything I asked.
’Don’t tell me I overplayed my hand.’
Sebastian finally spoke.
"Absolute loyalty is not something a demon contractor should offer lightly."
Damn it. I should’ve settled for regular loyalty.
"I don’t care." I refused to give him an inch. "You either follow me or walk away with nothing. There are plenty of others who would kill for the opportunity I’m offering you."
Sebastian said nothing, his face growing tense as he turned to his sister.
"Elaine?"
"I already made my decision." She didn’t hesitate. "I’ll follow him."
He frowned. "You don’t even know what absolute loyalty might require of you."
"I know." Her attention turned back to me, and a small smile appeared on her face. "But I want to trust him."
’Please don’t say things that make me feel guilty while I’m tricking you.’
I didn’t push them any further. The offer was already on the table, and trying to convince them would only make me look desperate.
"May I speak with my sister in private?" Sebastian asked.
That wasn’t the answer I wanted.
Still, telling him no would make me look suspicious.
"Go ahead."
Sebastian stood and motioned for Elaine to follow him.
I stayed where I was and watched them argue in hushed voices. Sebastian did most of the talking at first, while Elaine kept shaking her head and firing something back.
Whatever they were discussing, neither of them seemed willing to budge.
’Well, this isn’t looking good.’
Then Elaine said something.
I couldn’t hear what it was, but Sebastian’s expression changed.
He stared at her for a few seconds, his brows pulling together. Elaine said something else, and this time, he didn’t argue back.
The two of them returned to me and lowered themselves back to one knee.
"You’re asking us to put a great deal of trust in you." Sebastian spoke.
"And I’m offering something equally valuable in return."
"Very well." He placed his hand over his chest and lowered his head. "I pledge my loyalty to you."
"I pledge my loyalty to you too," Elaine added.
DING!
[Recruitment Conditions Fulfilled.]
[Two New Members Acquired.]
[Cult Members: 1 → 3]
[Calculating Experience...]
[Level Up +4]
Four levels at once? I almost jumped out of my seat, but before I could celebrate, another notification appeared.
[You have successfully recruited two Demon Contractors.]
[Would you like to assign them a role?]
’Roles?’
[Affirmative, Host.]
[Humans can make promises freely and break them just as easily. Demons and Demon Contractors cannot.]
’Meaning?’
[Once they willingly promise absolute loyalty to another, the pledge becomes binding.]
’So they’re actually loyal to me now?’
[Affirmative.]
[Both individuals have reached Absolute Loyalty.]
’Did I just win the lottery or something?’
With Lea, becoming my member didn’t stop her from making her own decisions. She could disobey me, leave me, or apparently kill me if our relationship ever went horribly wrong.
Maybe I really was born for this job.
’And that’s why they can have roles?’
[Affirmative.]
[Roles are positions of authority within your cult and can only be granted to members who have reached Absolute Loyalty.]
[Each Role provides unique benefits depending on the member’s position.]
Now that sounded interesting.
Sebastian and Elaine were still kneeling in front of me, completely unaware that I was already considering giving them a promotion barely a minute after they joined.
’Show me the available roles.’
The window flickered.
[Evaluating Cult Structure...]
[Evaluating Member Compatibility...]
Several new options began appearing in front of me.
[Available Roles]
[Apostle]
[Enforcer]
[Missionary]
[Keeper]
’That’s it?’
[Additional Roles will become available as your Cult Rank increases.]
Fair enough. Three members didn’t exactly qualify me to start handing out positions like candy.
I focused on the first option.
[Apostle: A direct representative of the Cult Leader. Apostles receive increased authority over other cult members.]
[Leader’s Blessing — Members under the Apostle’s command gain increased morale and resistance to fear or rebellion.]
That sounded useful, especially once my cult grew into the thousands.
’What about Enforcer?’
[Enforcer: A combat-oriented role responsible for protecting the cult and carrying out the Cult Leader’s will.]
[Marked Target— The Enforcer can designate an individual as a threat to the cult, increasing their effectiveness against that target.]
My attention immediately turned toward Elaine.
Considering the demon inside her nearly froze me to death earlier, combat was definitely her strong suit.
Sebastian might fit too, but I still knew almost nothing about what his demon could do.
’Missionary?’
[Missionary: A member specializing in recruitment and spreading the Cult’s influence.]
[Fanatic— Converts the user’s devotion into increased persuasive power when recruiting new members.]
’Keeper?’
[Keeper: A trusted member responsible for protecting the cult’s resources, knowledge, and secrets.]
[Seal of Silence — Increases resistance to interrogation, coercion, and abilities intended to extract information about the cult.]
Sebastian seemed like a good fit for the Apostle role. From what I’d seen, he was the one running things behind the scenes.
Before choosing anything, though, another thought crossed my mind.
’Can I change their roles later?’
[Affirmative. However, reassignment requires a cooldown period of 30 days.]
Good enough.
[Host, place your hand on the chosen subject to begin the appointment.]
I turned to the siblings and gestured for Sebastian to come closer first.
He did as I asked, and I placed my palm on his head.
"From now on, you’ll serve as my Apostle."
The moment those words left my mouth, a black-and-red aura burst from his skin. His entire body started trembling.
’What now?’