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"Mr. Demon… please let me become a demon too."
Akemi Miyano crouched down.
Then, she dropped to both knees, hands crossed on the floor, head bowed to her clasped hands.
A flawless and formal seiza position.
Edgar looked down at her from above, his eyes flashing with something unreadable.
Figures.
People from this country sure love pulling this kind of move.
Still...
Gotta admit—it felt kinda good.
"Master, please say yes to my sister!"
Shiho Miyano walked up beside Edgar and clung to his arm.
Immediately, Edgar felt his arm sink into a sea of softness.
Shiho's cheeks flushed a little as she leaned in and whispered, "If it comes down to it... I..."
Edgar gave her a strange look.
Well, well...
It hasn't even been that long, and she's already trying out new tricks.
Hard to resist, really.
And besides, he never planned on rejecting Akemi in the first place.
On his system panel, the "Demon Contract" option was glowing brightly.
Which meant Akemi also had the potential to become a familiar.
"Well... if you're asking like that, I guess I'll say yes."
Edgar gave a deliberately reluctant nod.
"Thank you, Mr. Demon!"
Akemi smiled brightly at his answer.
Shiho also let out a relieved sigh—happy for her sister.
"Alright then, time to begin the Rebirth Contract."
Edgar lifted his index finger, and golden blood began to shimmer at the tip.
Akemi blinked. "Mr. Demon, are you hurt?"
"Nope," Edgar replied. "The contract just requires my blood. I leave a mark on your body using it—then you'll be reborn as a demon, and become my familiar."
"I see..." Akemi nodded, curious. "So what do we do next?"
Just what exactly did a demon rebirth ritual involve?
"First, take off your outer clothes."
"..."
Akemi blinked, stunned.
Take... take off her clothes?
She was pretty sure she hadn't misheard that.
Was this really a legitimate ritual?
Shiho chimed in, "Don't get the wrong idea, Sis. The place Master puts the mark can't be covered by clothes. It's just part of the process."
Akemi's eyelid twitched at Shiho's explanation.
She was silent for a few seconds.
Then, slowly, Akemi took off her outerwear, revealing a soft, white undershirt.
She hugged the removed clothing to her chest, shielding a bit of her blushing skin.
"L-like this?"
Her cheeks were flushed bright red.
It was her first time ever being like this in front of a guy.
Even though she'd mentally prepared herself, it was still super embarrassing.
Edgar glanced over, but the clothes still seemed a bit in the way.
"Lower your arms a little more."
Akemi took a deep breath and cautiously shifted her outerwear downward.
The motion jostled her chest, which bounced slightly in response.
Seeing that, Edgar didn't hesitate any longer.
He extended his finger and let a drop of golden blood fall onto Akemi's pale skin.
Buzz!
A magic circle glowed on the floor.
A faint golden light etched a heart-shaped pattern on her skin, and mysterious symbols began to flicker around her.
Thump! Thump-thump!
Suddenly, Akemi felt her body changing.
Her heart pounded harder, her blood grew warmer, and every cell in her body seemed to transform.
And then...
Strange lines of information appeared visibly across her skin.
[Akemi Miyano]
[Race: Demon]
[Master: Edgar Lucifergus]
[Level: LV9]
[Skills: Demon Gunslinger, Gun of the Abyss]
[Demon Gunslinger]: A natural-born magical gunslinger who can master any firearm with ease.
[Gun of the Abyss]: Converts magic into magic bullets, which are fired using the Demon Gun. The more skilled you are with magic, the faster the bullet speed. Different forms grant unique boosts to the bullets.
"Hmm, so the number and type of skills really vary depending on the familiar," Edgar muttered, nodding in satisfaction as he pulled out a notepad and started writing the data down.
Beside him, Shiho blinked.
"Demon Gunslinger and Gun of the Abyss, huh?"
Her sister had one more skill than she did—and both were totally combat-oriented.
Come to think of it, Akemi was pretty good with a gun…
That meant...
She'd probably get strong really fast.
Shiho smiled at the thought.
When the rebirth ceremony was over, Akemi looked a bit dazed.
She instinctively clenched her fists.
And right away, she could feel it—her strength had increased by an insane amount.
And then...
Floating in front of her was a handgun.
It was pitch black, with a beautifully deadly design. The grip was carved with a pair of demonic wings.
"This is the Demon Gun," Edgar said as he handed her the paper he'd written on.
"What's this?" Akemi asked as she took it.
"Your familiar status panel," Edgar explained simply.
"Ohh…"
It reminded her of an RPG system.
With that in mind, she started reading it over.
Level 9?
From Edgar's explanation, that was still just a low-tier demon level.
Even so…
She could already feel how powerful she'd become.
Akemi marveled quietly, then looked at her skill set.
"Mastering firearms, huh..."
Reading about the "Demon Gunslinger" skill brought a complex look to her eyes.
Her time learning to use guns in the Black Organization hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience.
But now that she was a demon… maybe she could finally be free of all that.
A small smile appeared on her lips, and she continued reading.
Then her eyes lit up.
"So this is the Demon Gun... This is what supernatural power feels like!"
She gripped the weapon tightly, already falling in love with it.
"Master, when can you teach me magic?"
She looked up at him, eyes full of excitement and hope.
And she didn't call him "Mr. Demon" this time—just "Master."
Knowing how to read the room, huh?
Edgar nodded approvingly. "Shiho has a basic magic book. Go borrow it from her."
"If anything confuses you, ask her."
The moment he said that, Akemi cheered and ran over to her sister.
"...."
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