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"Big Sis Fia, are you really not coming with me to the human world?"
"I've still got some things to take care of. I'll come find you once I'm done."
After saying goodbye to Grayfia, Edgar picked up his luggage and left the castle.
It didn't take long.
He arrived at a vast terminal.
It looked kind of like a train station from the human world...
A sharp-edged train covered in demonic patterns was parked on the track.
"Wow... this looks way more modern than I expected."
Edgar muttered as he looked at the train.
This was the train to the human world.
Now, technically speaking, demons who know teleportation magic and have coordinates can just pop between the Underworld and the human realm freely.
However...
This was Edgar's first trip to the human world, so he had to go through official entry procedures—at least once.
Otherwise, it'd count as illegal entry, and that could be a pain.
Luckily, Grayfia had already handled the paperwork.
All Edgar had to do was go through the motions.
"Ding——!"
The train's horn sounded.
Edgar sat in first class, pulling his gaze away from the shimmering ripples outside the window, and started organizing his stuff.
He didn't bring much with him.
Most of it was just essentials for living in the human world.
"Let's see... this should be the address of the apartment Fia bought for me. At least I don't have to worry about housing."
"But man... the money's not great..."
He looked at his wallet and couldn't help but twitch a little at the corners of his mouth.
He'd planned to ask for more, but Grayfia said it'd be good for him to adapt to human world living. She almost slashed the 100,000 yen she gave him in half.
"Well, it's fine. I am a demon. I'll just find some scumbags and borrow a bit—I doubt they'll mind."
Back in his old life, he was always stressing over money. If he's still broke even after becoming a demon, then what's the point?
An hour later, Edgar stepped off the train and took the elevator up.
The Underworld station was directly below the human world's station.
They weren't that far apart, but normal humans would never notice it.
Accidentally wandering in? Practically impossible.
After leaving the station, Edgar started strolling around.
Although Kuoh Town was just a "town," it was huge—probably the size of a small city.
No doubt about it: this world was way bigger than his last one.
Originally, Edgar had planned to rob from the rich and give to himself.
But maybe it just wasn't his lucky day—he didn't see a single scumbag.
"Hm?"
Just as he was about to head to his apartment, Edgar's eyes narrowed slightly.
His interface showed a faint glow from his demon contract.
"Well, maybe my luck isn't so bad after all."
He murmured, expanding his senses.
A moment later, his eyes lit up. "I've caught you."
In a flash, Edgar vanished.
"G-Ghost?!"
Nearby pedestrians who witnessed it looked shocked and pale with fear.
They stared up at the sun, but somehow still felt a chill crawling down their backs.
"Excuse me, could you guys move?"
Shiho Miyano frowned as she stared at the group of students with dark circles under their eyes blocking the alleyway. They looked like they hadn't slept in days.
The alley was super narrow, and the four of them were standing shoulder to shoulder. There was no way she could get through.
The moment Shiho spoke, the four students froze—then let out excited, low growls.
"You... you can see us?"
"You really can see us?"
"Perfect..."
"I'm gonna eat her! Don't you dare get in my way!"
The four students' once-handsome faces twisted into grotesque grins. Their mouths stretched unnaturally to their ears, radiating an ominous aura.
"W-What the hell...?"
Shiho instinctively stepped back.
Even if she'd been slow to notice before, there was no denying it now—something was very wrong.
On reflex, she turned and ran.
BAM!
She smacked right into someone's chest.
Her whole body froze, and a wave of despair washed over her.
Crap. There's another one behind her.
"No need to panic—I'm here to help."
Edgar gently held her steady with one arm, stopping her from falling. With his free hand, he waved once.
BOOM!
A burst of deep red light streaked across the air, a beam of magic tearing through the alley and engulfing the four cursed spirits.
The explosion ripped through the air, blowing Shiho's skirt up in the shockwave.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
The cursed spirits let out horrific screams before being completely incinerated.
[EXP +4]
Seeing the message, Edgar's eyelid twitched.
Man, his stat window really did look like some knockoff browser game UI.
"Still, if I'm gaining EXP from killing these things, then I guess I should farm a bit and level up."
He nodded to himself.
If this worked, he could get stronger fast.
Shiho stood frozen, staring at everything in shock. Her voice trembled: "Th-Those things... what were they?"
"Low-level cursed spirits."
Edgar explained calmly, "They usually only attack people who can actually see them."
"Wait... does that mean you're one of those legendary spiritual mediums?"
Shiho's eyes lit up. It was like a secret side of the world had just opened up in front of her.
If that was the case...
Then even the Black Organization wouldn't seem so scary anymore.
Maybe she could ask him for help...?
What's with this woman? Why does she look so excited?
Edgar looked her over, and then something clicked—his eyelid twitched again.
Ohhh... so that's why she has potential to become a familiar.
Turns out this was Shiho Miyano.
Wait... was the timeline in this world messed up?
He thought it over for a second. Didn't seem like it, so he relaxed a bit.
"Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not a spirit medium."
Shiho still looked hyped. "Then are you an exorcist? Or a wizard?"
"Neither."
Edgar shook his head and said with a smirk, "Let me introduce myself."
"My name's Edgar. My race... is demon."
"D-Demon?!"
Shiho's jaw dropped. Her brain couldn't quite keep up.
The guy in front of her looked just like a normal human—how the hell could he be a demon?
"Doesn't seem like you believe me."
Edgar smiled.
With a quick motion, a pair of sleek demonic wings unfurled behind him.
Whoosh!
The air trembled, and the entire alley dimmed under the pressure of his evil aura.
"..."
Shiho's pupils shrank as her worldview basically shattered on the spot.
"..."
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