A contract…
with a demon god?
To become…
her Master?
When those two words, filled with magical hues, were spoken by Ibaraki Doji and clearly reached the ears of Mizuki Mirei, her heart skipped a beat without any warning.
Immediately following that, it began to pound like a war drum!
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
That violent heartbeat, in the silent moonlit night, seemed so clear, as if it were about to shatter her entire chest cavity.
She, Mizuki Mirei, a down-and-out shrine maiden who had just been battered by reality and was on the verge of losing her home and faith, seemed…
inadvertently, to have been struck on the head by a massive pie falling from the sky?
No, that wasn’t right.
How could this be any kind of pie?
This was clearly a lethal, poison-filled trap wrapped in honey!
Signing a contract with a demon?
Wasn’t this just like the legend of Faust, who sold his soul to the devil?
In Mizuki Mirei’s mind, countless warnings from myths and folklore flashed by—stories of mortals who made deals with monsters and demons, only to end up with miserable fates.
Her reason was screaming wildly at her, telling her to refuse quickly, to flee from this dangerous demon!
But…
Her lips moved, but the word “no” simply would not come out.
Because another voice, filled with temptation, was also screaming wildly in the depths of her heart.
[Agree to her!]
[Quick, agree to her!]
[This is the legendary Demon King of Mount Ooe, Ibaraki Doji! As long as you can obtain her power, never mind a small Miyuan Cult, even restoring the former glory of the entire Mizuki Family is not impossible!]
[Your shrine, your home, your dignity… everything you are about to lose can be reclaimed with this power!]
Reason and desire engaged in a fierce battle in her mind.
Her body trembled slightly; half from fear, and the other half from an irrepressible excitement and agitation.
“What? Are you unwilling?” This story is hosted at g.com.
Seeing that the shrine maiden before her hadn’t responded for a long time and was just staring at her blankly, Ibaraki Doji seemed to grow impatient.
She raised an eyebrow, a hint of danger creeping into her tone.
“That’s right, after all, I am a demon. Associating with a demon must truly be a difficult thing for you shrine maidens who serve the gods, isn’t it?”
“Since that’s the case, then forget it. I can’t be bothered to force anyone.”
As she spoke, she made a move to withdraw the hand she had extended.
“Wait!”
Just at the moment Ibaraki Doji was about to withdraw her hand, Mizuki Mirei blurted it out almost subconsciously.
She didn’t know where she found the courage, but she grabbed Ibaraki Doji’s hand—a hand that looked fair and delicate, but in reality possessed terrifying power.
“I…”
Her voice sounded somewhat hoarse from nervousness.
“I… I have a question I would like to ask Lady Ibaraki Doji.”
“Oh?” Ibaraki Doji stopped her action and looked at her with interest.
“Let’s hear it.”
Mizuki Mirei took a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts.
She knew this might be the only, and most important, negotiation of her life.
She had to secure the maximum benefit for herself and for the entire Mizuki Family.
“If… if I agree to become your Master and sign a contract with you…”
She raised her head and, with an unprecedentedly serious look in her eyes, stared directly into Ibaraki Doji’s golden slit pupils.
“Then, what can I… what can our Mizuki Family gain from this contract?”
“Gain what?”
Hearing this question, Ibaraki Doji burst into laughter, as if she had heard some great joke.
She laughed until she was swaying back and forth, her “cackle” echoing through the empty courtyard.
“Hahahaha… little human girl, are you mistaken about something?”
“Do you think this is some fair trade of equal exchange?”
The smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by the cold, arrogant disdain of a superior being.
“To be able to become the shrine maiden of me, Ibaraki Doji, and to have the opportunity to serve by the side of a Demon King of Mount Ooe—this in itself is the supreme honor I bestow upon you, a mortal!”
“And you actually dare to negotiate terms with me here?” Find the original chapter at g.com.
A terrifying, tangible demonic aura erupted from Ibaraki Doji’s petite body, sweeping through the entire shrine courtyard like a gale!
Mizuki Mirei felt an indescribable, immense pressure slam onto her soul.
Her vision went black, and she nearly fainted on the spot from being unable to withstand this demonic aura.
She felt like a small sampan in a storm, ready to capsize at any moment.
And this demon-race loli before her was the ruthless deity controlling the wind and thunder.
The gap between them was so great it couldn’t even be described in words.
“However…”
Just as Mizuki Mirei felt her will was about to be completely destroyed, that terrifying demonic aura receded instantly, like a tide.
Ibaraki Doji looked at the shrine maiden before her, who was trembling in fear but still clutching her hand tightly and refusing to let go, a hint of imperceptible approval flashing in her golden eyes.
“Seeing as you have a bit of courage, I will make an exception and answer your question.”
She cleared her throat and resumed a mysterious, profound posture.
“What you can gain from signing a contract with me is very simple.”
“That is—power!”
“A power sufficient to change your own destiny, and even change this world!”
Ibaraki Doji slowly raised her pitch-black demon claw and made a phantom grasp in the air.
A cluster of dark red flames, thick like boiling blood, ignited out of thin air in her palm.
The flames emitted a heart-palpitating energy, filled with an aura of destruction and ill omen.
Just looking at it made Mizuki Mirei feel as if her soul was about to be scorched.
“Do you see? This is my power, the Hellfire of Karma!”
Ibaraki Doji said in a low, bewitching tone.
“As long as you become my Master, my power can naturally be at your command.”
“By then, never mind the Miyuan Cult, even those demons and monsters hiding behind the scenes, plotting to lay their hands on your shrine, I can help you burn them all to ashes!”
“The flames of revenge, the pleasure of burning everything to nothing…”
“How about it? Isn’t it tempting?”
The demon’s whispers, like the murmurs of the devil, echoed incessantly in Mizuki Mirei’s ears, tempting her to fall into the abyss known as “power.”