I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

While going down the stairs, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. Simultaneously, a vast plain unfolded before my eyes.

Whoosh―!

A gust of wind passing through my hair. It was definitely different from our usual visits. At some point, it had transformed into the circular staircase we had used to escape the greenskin territory.

“Is this all because of the disaster too?”

“Yes. That’s right. We’re entering using the stairs that allow us to escape the labyrinth.”

“That’s wicked.”

“According to the guide, this is the labyrinth’s way.”

I clicked my tongue and began descending the stairs. As the ground gradually came closer, the view of the plain began to enter my sight.

“Hmm?”

In the distance, I could see adventurers running toward the stairs. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be people who had been trapped here.

“Inis.”

“Yes?”

“Does this staircase disappear in the same way as when escaping if we use it to enter?”

“Yes. The stairs are two-way, but can only be used once. If the stairs could be used continuously, there wouldn’t have been a rescue request in the first place.”

“Well, that would make the escape difficulty too low.”

At those words, I frowned. I had an ominous feeling.

“Inis. Be ready to fight at any time. We might get into trouble with the adventurers below.”

“Yes.”

She nodded with a hardened face. The fact that she didn’t immediately draw her sword and shield was commendable. She understood there was no need to give them a sense of unease.

Perhaps this is how she naturally behaved because she was a Teufel. She had to live her entire life proving she was harmless.

Boom―!

As soon as my feet touched the ground, the circular staircase trembled as if it had been waiting. I quickly moved away from the debris falling as it collapsed.

“No―!”

A cry of despair from the side. Turning my head, I saw a man kneeling on the ground with his hand outstretched. Those who appeared to be his companions also sat down with dumbfounded faces.

Inis sighed. She seemed to feel guilty. Meanwhile, I was wary of the adventurers.

“F-uck!”

People who had lost hope. Looking at the situation, we had taken away their escape route. If we hadn’t come saying we would rescue them, these people would have escaped from here.

They must have been harassed by orcs and goblins every day for days. They would have been constantly tense. They probably couldn’t sleep or eat properly.s pushed to the extreme can do anything. Their despair would soon turn to hatred, and naturally, it would be directed at us.

“Hey, you bastards―!”

Unless they were saints, they couldn’t help but react like that.

The man who had been kneeling on the ground pointed at us. Soon, he began approaching, stomping his feet.

A flushed face. His eyes were blazing, and his nostrils were flaring. The man approaching while growling and showing his teeth. In many ways, he looked more like a beast than a human.

“You, you, what are you! Why the hell are you coming in here!”

“We’re adventurers.”

His skin trembled. Veins rose on the man’s neck like worms. Rough breathing.

“Who doesn’t know that, fuck!? Of course you’re adventurers so you came into the labyrinth! My question is! The news of the disaster must have already been conveyed, so why the hell are you coming in here!”

His words twisted my mood. Hearing him curse to my face made me feel unpleasant.

“What if the news of the disaster hadn’t been conveyed?”

So I told a lie that didn’t need to be told.

“What?”

He became slightly dazed at my statement.

“It hasn’t been reported above yet? This isn’t even that deep a place? Then does that mean not a single adventurer has escaped from here yet?”

The man’s words started directed at me but ended in a monologue.

“Actually, it has been reported.”

The man’s face became dazed again. But gradually, his face turned red. His body trembling. I could see him clenching his fists tightly.

“Hey, you fucking bastard! Are you playing with me right now!?”

“We’re not really in a relationship to play around, are we?”

“Then fuck! What the hell? You fucking bastard! What the hell was that just now? Are you trying to mock me, you bastard?”

I shrugged my shoulders. In truth, that was somewhat my intention.

“M-Master. Why are you suddenly acting like this….”

Inis, who stood in front of me, tried to dissuade me in a small voice. Initially, I had intended to respond very meekly. But how could I not get angry after seeing such a gaze and hearing such words?

Is this even our fault to begin with? Isn’t it just misfortune created by coincidence? Perhaps the labyrinth wanted this and created the stairs here.

“Wait. I understand your anger. But what’s the best choice in this situation? Are you venting at me? You can immediately understand that’s not it if you think rationally.”

I calmly advised while making eye contact with the man.

“Calm down.”

He frowned. Soon, he began taking deep breaths in and out. The sight of him clenching his fists and looking up at the sky.

“Right. This isn’t your fault… I’m sorry… We’ve been stuck here for two days now, so I think our nerves are a bit on edge….”

“It’s okay. That can happen. We’ll try to understand. As an apology for teasing you, I’ll share some jerky and water.”

I took out jerky and a water pouch from my bag and offered them. The man bowed his head and took the items.

“…Thank you. I know it’s shameless, but could you give a bit more?”

“I’m sorry, but we didn’t bring that much ourselves.”

“I see. I understand. I’m really sorry for saying this. And thank you again….”

He bowed his head and glared at my bag. At his greedy gaze, I put my bag back on.

“Well, we’ll be going now. Take care.”

“Yeah… We should rest a bit… We’ve used up our energy running all the way here….”

“Right. Take care.”

“Take care!”

Inis and I left the place. She stuck close to me and smiled brightly.

“I’m glad it ended well. I was tense, worrying that a fight might break out. But it’s still too early to feel relieved, right?”

“Why do you think that? It seems like we parted on good terms, doesn’t it?”

I already knew the reason, but I was curious about Inis’s opinion.

“Master shared some jerky and water, but that’s not enough. So there’s a high probability they’ll target our supplies. It’s directly related to survival.”

“That’s right. We’ll have to see how they act from now on.”

“I’ll keep watching our rear.”

Inis was fidgeting with the shield in her hand. Her appearance was quite reliable.

Whoosh―!

As we were gradually moving away from the adventurers, a sudden gust of wind blew from the front. The wind passed through us, and naturally, our robes were blown off.

“D-do you think they saw?”

Inis and I hurriedly put our robes back on. Although the distance had increased quite a bit, they might have seen us.

“I think they did.”

Looking back, the fellows who had been standing still suddenly began approaching us. As we started walking a bit faster, they began running towards us.

“Tsk.”

There was no doubt. They had seen our hair, and greed had taken over their minds. They probably thought it didn’t matter since we were Teufels.

“Inis. Prepare for battle.”

“Yes.”

She immediately drew her sword. She also firmly gripped the shield she had been carrying on her back. After confirming she was armed, I quietly watched the adventurers approaching.

The number of enemies was just four.

Three used swords, and only one used a crossbow. Judging by the fact that they hadn’t been able to escape the greenskin territory so far, their level probably wasn’t that high.

“Master. Can we not attack first?”

“That’s fine.”

Using abilities first would help in the fight. The problem was if the enemy fled. If they escaped and safely got out of here, things would become troublesome.

Above all, I was confident. Confident that I would never lose to them. My abilities were even more efficient when dealing with humans.

“You didn’t run away, huh?”

When we got close enough to see each other’s expressions, the man shouted.

“Do you have confidence? That you can win against us?”

“If I didn’t have confidence, I wouldn’t have waited like this in the first place. More importantly, what’s the reason you suddenly chased after us? Is it because of food?”

“Food?”

He had a sneer on his face.

“That’s one of the pretexts. But the main reason is because you’re Teufels.”

“Is that a reason?”

“More than enough. It’s too disgusting to be in the same labyrinth as Teufels.”

The man looked at us with a contemptuous face. The fellows at his side and behind also had similar expressions. All of them seemed utterly disgusted.

“I’ve killed every Teufel I’ve encountered so far. And you’re no exception.”

“For someone who spoke so confidently, your tongue is quite long. Do you fight with your mouth? Or are the Teufels you’ve been dismissing that scary?”

His face distorted.

“Don’t talk nonsense! I’m being cautious because I haven’t been able to sleep or eat properly for two days. If it weren’t for that, you would have died by my hands long ago!”

“Can you beat us even in that state?”

“What reason is there that I couldn’t? We’re greater in number, and you’re inferior Teufels, aren’t you? You probably haven’t even received proper education, so is there any reason to be afraid?”

He was full of contempt. However, the basis itself wasn’t that weak. It was all true.

“What if I had made a contract with a demon? Aren’t you afraid?”

“Demon? Puhahahahaha!”

They suddenly burst into loud laughter. They kept laughing, and in the end, tears even formed in their eyes.

“Ah, really… I don’t know how all you Teufels say the exact same things.”

“What do you mean?”

I deliberately asked, even though I knew.

“I’ve killed at least five Teufels. And all of them, like you, said they had made contracts with demons. You know what happened after that, right?”

“You killed them.”

“You know well.”

He smiled and drew his sword.

“Let’s stop the conversation here. I’ve heard what I wanted to hear.”

I wondered why he kept talking, but it seems he wanted me to say those words.

“Ah. But I’ll give you one last chance. I’ll wait just 10 seconds. Go ahead, beg that great demon of yours for power.”

The man said that and began counting. A confident appearance. He didn’t seem to think at all that I had made a contract with a demon.

I closed my eyes and began to draw an image in my mind. The flame spear that had massacred orcs before. It was to implement that.

“10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4.”

At first, he said the numbers quickly, but as the count decreased, his pace gradually slowed. Probably to see me getting nervous.

“Three.”

I gradually circulated the magic power in my body more rapidly. I had felt it before, but such preliminary work was necessary to release a large amount of magic power at once.

Woong―

“Two.”

I bit my lips tightly. A faint sound of laughter could be heard. I felt the man’s voice gradually fading away. I had entered a state of immersion.

“One~”

I drew an even clearer image in my mind.

What I was imagining was a burning spear of fire. Using magic power as paint, I gradually painted the picture on the vast canvas of reality.

The magic power and the image of flames overlapped perfectly. The spear of fire pierced through the realm of fantasy and gradually revealed itself in reality.

“End―”

―Whoosh!

It was divine power.