Lillian slowly approached the magic circle. His persistent gaze, watching her every move, followed her with a burning intensity. She tried her best to ignore it as she knelt in front of the circle. Then, she gathered her disheveled black hair and ran her white fingers through it. The moment her fingers dug into her scalp, she applied force.
Crack—
A horrible sensation of her hair being ripped out from her scalp filled her, accompanied by immense pain. She had clearly grabbed a handful, but only a small amount was actually pulled out. Yet, there was some scalp and a bit of blood on the ends of the hair.
‘This should be enough.’
Hair, flesh, blood. What better ‘sample’ of the body could there be? Lillian threw it into the magic circle as politely as she could. Saleos, with wide eyes, looked down at the bloodied hair falling at his feet. He stood silently in place, seemingly uninterested in picking it up.
At this, Lillian tensed up. She couldn’t predict how the fickle and evil demon would react. Would he get angry? If he decided to throw a tantrum and try to kill her, there would be nothing she could do.
But Saleos’ next action was unexpected.
"…Ha, hahaha! Kha ha ha!"
He hunched his large body and burst into laughter, shaking the ground beneath him as if unable to hold it in. Then, to Lillian’s shock, he picked up the hair that had fallen at his feet and, astonishingly, swallowed it in one gulp!
Lillian, watching this, felt a wave of nausea rise in her, forcing her to hold back a gag. Saleos, unbothered, lowered his scarlet eyes and savored the taste in his mouth. His hoarse voice then let out a disgusting exclamation of admiration.
"Indeed, it smells like nothing I’ve ever encountered. I’ve swallowed the souls of countless humans, but this taste is unique."
…Should she thank him for that? Lillian’s face stiffened uncomfortably. Saleos, still grinning and looking at her with gleaming eyes, muttered.
"You’re quite the interesting human. Smart, brave, and most of all, a soul from another world! Truly fresh."
"Thank you. If you agree to the contract, I will do my best not to disappoint you."
It was clear that self-promotion was the way to go. It would be too old-fashioned to act frustrated and show that she had no choice but to make a deal with him. Lillian glanced briefly at Herbert’s mutilated body and continued to highlight her usefulness. If she couldn’t make the deal, she might end up just like that.
Fortunately, the fickle demon seemed to like her attitude. He nodded with a grotesque smile stretching across his face.
"Very well. This is my first contract without a soul, but I’ll make an exception."
"Thank you."
Lillian sighed inwardly with relief. But it wasn’t over yet. Saleos, blinking his thin eyelids, asked.
"Now, tell me, summoner. What will you offer me in place of your soul?"
It was truly a mountain after mountain. She had barely managed to keep her soul, but the price she would have to pay was the problem. Lillian pondered what she could possibly offer. But money or her family didn’t seem to mean much to a demon. Well, she didn’t have anything to give in the first place.
In this situation, it would be better to subtly suggest the options to the demon. With as cooperative an expression as possible, Lillian politely asked him.
"As I am but a mere human, I do not know what would be valuable to the great demon. If you would, might you provide a few examples for this foolish mortal?"
Though her expression was polite, it was essentially a question meant to pass the decision onto him. "Give me a few suggestions. Then I’ll choose from them."
Saleos seemed to find it somewhat amusing, but also somewhat offensive. He fiddled with his slightly crumpled wings inside the magic circle before finally speaking.
"Bloodshed, and sex."
Both were extreme examples. Whatever she chose, it was going to be a horrible option. At least from Lillian’s point of view. Her expression subtly twisted. Seeing this, Saleos leisurely added an explanation.
"Demons need energy to manifest in the human realm. So, typically, a contractor’s soul serves as the energy source. If that’s not possible, we must feed on intense emotional energy. The best way to elicit such emotions is through bloodshed and sex."
"…I see."
"Still, compared to a soul, it’s a measly payment. Because of this, I, too, will have limitations in exerting my power."
Lillian nodded silently. If the input was weak, the output would naturally be weak as well. As long as she didn’t lose her soul, she could tolerate something like this.
It seemed that this Saleos demon wasn’t as bad as she initially thought. Of course, he had been playing some games, but he had at least been thorough in informing her of the warnings before the contract. Most scammers would keep saying, "Don’t you trust me?" and make you sign the contract without showing it properly.
This was perhaps the most honest business partner she could expect from a demon.
"Have you decided? Bloodshed, and sex. Which one will you offer in payment?"
Lillian sighed deeply before answering. It was a choice she didn’t want to make, but she had no choice. She clenched her eyes shut and boldly spoke.
"I’ll pay with both. I’ll match it to the situation. Is that acceptable?"
"Hmm."
Saleos let out another amused laugh. He hadn’t expected this kind of answer. He seemed to suppress a laugh, his body trembling slightly, before nodding in acknowledgment.
Lillian gazed at the demon in front of her with downcast eyes. His red skin, sulfuric smell, large horns on his head, and claws as sharp as a beast’s. His face, adorned with terrifying fangs, could never resemble a human, even if it was a kind word.
‘But I have to do this with a demon like him!’
Lillian felt like crying. Making a deal with a demon was never an easy thing. Especially when it came to the price to be paid. Bloodshed and sex—neither was an easy choice. But the reason she chose both was simple. She was preparing for ‘what if.’
Lillian had decided that if she ever found herself in a situation where she couldn’t pay one form of the price, she would pay the other. The more options she had, the safer she would be. After all, even in modern society, isn’t that how it works? You use a debit card, but for safety, you carry a credit card too. So if one fails, you can still make the payment with the other.
"Very well. What is your name?"
"Lillian Rosetti."
Lillian lowered her eyes as she responded. But Saleos coldly smiled and immediately rejected her answer.
"That’s the name of the ‘vessel.’ You, using the excuse of being a soul from another world, changed the terms of my contract. But now, you’re giving me the name of the vessel instead of the core. Isn’t that cowardly?"
It was as she had feared—her trick had been seen through. The soul of Chae Soyeon inside Lillian’s body was saddened. She had intended to give Lillian’s name for the contract in case something went wrong. That way, even if there were issues with the contract, Chae Soyeon would be safe.
But nothing in this world goes that easily. She sighed deeply and finally spoke.
"My name is Soyeon. Chae Soyeon…"
"Good. I, Saleos, will now take Chae Soyeon as my contractor. I will grant you the power of a warrior and the ability to seduce others. In exchange, Chae Soyeon, you must pay me with bloodshed and sex. Do you agree?"
"I agree."
"Then the contract is established. My contractor from another world, Chae Soyeon."
Suddenly, a hot sensation seemed to run through her body. Lillian blinked and looked down at herself. Her pale skin was flushed with a subtle glow. At the same time, her legs felt strangely numb. As her body relaxed, her head grew hazy, and it became difficult to stay upright.
‘Why am I suddenly like this?’
At that moment, as Lillian was bewildered by her body’s unknown reaction, Saleos took a step forward, crossing over the magic circle for the first time. The magic circle, which had previously served as a boundary, no longer restricted him. He now had the summoner as a bridge.
Saleos, who walked out confidently, looked down at Lillian, who barely reached his chest, and licked his lips. In his eyes burned an insatiable desire.
"Now, let’s begin with the first payment of the contract."
Now? Here? I’m a beginner?! Lillian’s eyes wavered. She quickly pointed at Herbert’s body, still inside the magic circle, and protested.
"But... I already offered a sacrifice..."
"That’s the price for summoning the demon, not the price of the contract."
In other words, Herbert’s corpse was just the entrance fee, and the real cost was yet to be paid. The demon’s thorough self-interest was truly evil.
He bent down and wrapped his arm around Lillian’s waist. It wasn’t just her waist—his large body seemed to envelop her upper body. She could feel his unbearably hot body temperature as he drew closer. Terrified by this sudden turn of events, Lillian pushed at his arm and shouted.
"But I’m a beginner…!"