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Playing with hearts, corrupting humanity.Terrifying. Deceitful. The root of all evil in this world.Every misfortune somehow traces back to them.That's how demons are described in all the old legends.
And today—Shiho Miyano was facing that evil head-on.
She clenched her fists, body trembling slightly.Come on, genius brain—think of something!
"Hey, I did save your life, you know. No need to look so scared of me."
Edgar looked at Shiho and spoke calmly.
She paused, relaxing just a little.Well... he did save her.Maybe not all demons are evil like in the stories. Maybe that's just a stereotype?
"Now that you've calmed down, how about we talk business?"
"Huh? What business?" she asked instinctively.
Edgar smirked.
"Let's talk about payment."
Shiho's pupils shrank."Y-You're demanding payment for saving me?!"
"Exactly. Great summary."
Edgar gave her a sly, amused look.
"Demons don't do favors for free, after all."
Gasp. She swallowed hard, a creeping sense of dread rising.
Damn it... that makes a disturbing amount of sense.
"W-What kind of payment do you want?"
Edgar held out his hand.
"Let me mark you with my seal."
Shiho crossed her arms over her chest and backed up, blushing furiously."Y-You pervy demon!"
"Oh? You already know?"
"..."
Her mouth twitched.Maybe I should try to run?
But then she remembered what happened to those cursed spirits earlier...Yeah, no. Escape was clearly not an option.
She took a deep breath and started hyping herself up.
"No matter what, he did save me.""It's just a touch. It's not like I'll lose a limb or something.""Damn it, I haven't even had a boyfriend yet!""...But this demon is kinda hot, actually."
Biting her lip, she made up her mind.
She leaned in close, pulled her collar slightly open, face flushed."...Just once, okay?"
"???"
Edgar blinked, confused.
What is this girl thinking?
Is this what happens when smart people overthink everything?
He quickly realized she was misunderstanding him—but didn't bother correcting her.Hey, as long as the goal's achieved, who cares?
Without hesitation, Edgar got to work.
"Wait, why are you unbuttoning things?! Mr. Demon, can you not?!"
"Chill. It's just easier to place the seal like this."
"Hold up—what's with your fingers?!"
"Relax. It's not what you think."
"You sound like a guy who knows he's doing something creepy."
A faint glow shimmered for a second. A heart-shaped mark flashed, then disappeared.
"T-That's it?" she asked, surprised.
Edgar gave her a look.
"What, were you expecting something more?"
"..."
Her face turned bright red.Yep—total misunderstanding.
Thump! Thump-thump!
Suddenly, she didn't have time to feel embarrassed anymore.
Her heart pounded wildly. Every cell in her body felt like it was buzzing with excitement.
At the same time—Strange glowing text began appearing across her skin.
[Shiho Miyano]
[Race: Demon]
[Master: Edgar Lucifergus]
[Level: LV9]
[Skill: Heart of Magic]
[Heart of Magic: No magic in this world is mysterious to you. You can learn any magic with incredible speed.]
"Huh, turning into a demon caps you at lower-tier for now?""Still, that 'Heart of Magic' skill is solid."
Edgar glanced at the data and smiled.
Not bad at all.Just arrived in the human world and already got a second follower.
He took out a pen and paper, jotting down the info.
Shiho peeked over his shoulder and gasped."I... I'm a demon now?!"
"Yeah. I did mention that, didn't I?"
"Heh... hehehe..."
Her eyelid twitched.Mentioned my ass.
She opened her mouth to complain, then sighed.Screw it.
She was already on this sinking ship anyway.
Honestly, being a demon didn't seem so bad.She still looked human—aside from the new wings and tail.
And…
Shiho clenched her fist.It felt like she could punch through a brick wall. Or maybe even kill a bull in one hit.
And that Heart of Magic skill…
She might really be able to master legendary magic now.
Thinking back to the power Edgar had shown earlier, she couldn't help but feel a little excited.
Then, something clicked in her mind.
"Hey... if you're my master now, shouldn't you, like, protect me or something?"
Edgar nodded.
"Of course. That's part of the deal."
"Then I can totally get revenge now, right?"
She growled through gritted teeth.
Heh.Black Organization...
Bet you never saw this coming.
"Alright, lead the way."
Kuwama Town – Secret Research Lab
Edgar and Shiho dropped out of the sky.
Shiho was a bit dazed.So this is what flying feels like…
"You know, you could just fly us straight to the Black Org's HQ and wipe them all out at once."
For someone like Edgar, crushing the Black Organization was probably like stomping ants.
"Yeah, I would—if I knew where it was."
Shiho shook her head.
"Unfortunately, the organization never really trusted me fully."
They walked forward together.
The lab's security cameras caught them immediately. Within seconds, guards were on high alert.
"Shiho, why'd you bring an outsider here?""Did you betray the organization?"
A few black-suited men calmly loaded silencers onto their guns.
Shiho swallowed nervously."Demons... aren't scared of guns, right?"
"Wow, is that really how little you think of us?"
Edgar rolled his eyes.
"You need to adjust your mindset. Even with modern weapons, humans are still just... fragile."
As he spoke, magic surged outward.
Crack!
A guard's neck twisted unnaturally and he collapsed to the ground.
"See? Like that."
"B-But I've never killed anyone before..."
Shiho took a step back, hiding behind Edgar.
"..."
Edgar's lip curled.
"Weren't you the one who wanted revenge?"
He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.
"W-Wait! Give me a sec to think!"
"No time. Best way to grow is hands-on experience."
At that moment, the other guards snapped out of their shock.
"How did he die?!"
"Doesn't matter—fire!"
Gunfire erupted instantly.
Muzzles flashed—bullets flying straight at Edgar.
He didn't flinch.Instead, he pulled Shiho in front of him.
"Shiho, they're all yours."
"..."
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