Chapter 11: Queen of Hell, Lucifer
Ren looked at the girl with a strange expression. Her face was a mixture of mortification and resignation, her pale skin flushed a deep crimson that extended all the way to the tips of her pointed ears.
Why would touching a horn cause this reaction? he wondered. And where is she unable to go back to? Her home?
Ren withdrew his hand slowly, giving her space. He softly asked, "Um... is something wrong? Did I hurt you?"
The girl opened her mouth to say something, her lips trembling. She seemed to be warring with herself, torn between pride and an inescapable reality. Finally, she sighed—a long, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of eons.
After carefully looking at Ren with her intense red eyes, she softly said, "No matter what... let's finish the transaction first. A deal is a deal."
Ren was startled. "Transaction? What transaction?"
As if seeing Ren's confusion, the girl gave Ren a complex look. A strange, glowing rune flashed in her pupils for a split second.
The next moment, Ren felt a surge of power. It wasn't violent; it was a warm, enveloping sensation that washed over him like a tidal wave of vitality. His fatigue vanished instantly. His senses sharpened. He felt his entire state improve by an immeasurable amount.
As Ren looked at the girl in confusion, the System's mechanical voice sounded in his mind, cutting through the haze.
"[Queen of Hell, Lucifer's blessing detected... Analyzing value...]"
Queen of Hell?!
Ren was truly startled. His eyes widened slightly.
Every human being has a curious yet fearful idea of Hell. Fire, brimstone, eternal torture. And the ruler of that realm was supposed to be a terrifying, monstrous entity.
But this beautiful girl? With the white hair, the flushed face, who showed such a look of innocent enjoyment eating Tom Yum Soup? This was the Queen of Hell?!
Moreover, it was the first time Ren had seen a value detection take so long. The System usually appraised items instantly.
Just as Ren was about to say something, the prompt sounded in his mind again, sounding almost awestruck.
"[Value detected... Priceless Treasure. The favor of a Monarch.]"
Ren was a bit stunned. Priceless treasure, that was truly outrageous. Just how powerful was this Queen, who was now bowing her head in embarrassment?
Lucifer secretly raised her head, peeking through her bangs. She glanced at Ren, gauging his reaction to her blessing. Seeing him merely thoughtful, she straightened her back, trying to regain some dignity.
She took a deep breath, smoothed her uniform, and said, "Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Lucifer!"
Ren nodded calmly, maintaining his poker face. "Hello, Lucifer."
Lucifer blinked. That was it? No screaming? No kneeling?
Not to mention he already knew thanks to the System, but just Lucifer's current attempt at feigned majesty—while still blushing from the horn-touching incident—had no deterrent effect whatsoever. She looked more like a cosplayer trying to stay in character than the Prince of Darkness.
Lucifer saw that Ren's expression did not show the shock or terror she had imagined. She frowned, planting her hands on her hips.
"I am the Queen of Hell! The CEO of the Underworld!" she added, trying to sound imposing.
Ren nodded again. "I figured as much from the energy. Nice to meet you, Queen Lucifer."
Lucifer was truly at a loss. Her mouth hung open slightly. Why could a human be so calm in front of the Queen of Hell?! Wasn't he afraid she would drag him to the abyss? Or turn his soul into a pancake?
Looking at the bewildered Lucifer, Ren smiled gently. "I can tell you're not an ordinary person, so you naturally have some tricks up your sleeve~ And this restaurant sees all kinds of people. So, what did you say just now about not being able to go back?"
Lucifer's face flushed again at the reminder. She glared at him, pointing a gloved finger at her head.
"My horns," she hissed. "They are a Demon King's horns. Also an Emperor's crown. That thorny hairband you see is a demon's halo, only high-ranking demons possess it, and mine is unique."
She stepped closer, her eyes intense. "Now that you've touched it... that means one thing in demon culture..."
"What?"
"The submission of this generation's monarch to a new master."
Ren was also a bit stunned. Good heavens, he thought. So the plot from those light novels really exists! There really is a setting where touching a certain part means accidental marriage or submission!
Seeing Ren's confused look, Lucifer sighed, rubbing her temples. "Unless the other party willingly submits, a demon would rather die than let someone touch their horns. It is the source of our pride and power. Do you think anyone has the ability to just casually pinch the horn of someone who was once a Great Archangel and is now the Queen of Hell...?"
"Ah," Ren scratched his cheek. "Sorry. I was just curious about the texture."
"Curious about the texture?!" Lucifer looked like she wanted to strangle him. "You...!"
She was about to say something more when a glowing sigil appeared on the back of Ren's hand. It was a stylized crimson pentagram with a crown in the center—Lucifer's personal crest.
Lucifer looked at it and said helplessly, her shoulders slumping, "That's how it is... This is the proof of the contract. You are now... ugh... my master."
Ren showed no expression of triumph. He just looked at his hand, then at Lucifer. Lucifer looked back at him, her expression a mix of defiance and fear.
After a long time, Ren asked, "Is there no way to break it?"
Lucifer was startled. She frowned, confused. "You... don't want it?"
Although her voice was calm, it was filled with a faint displeasure. What does he mean? Was he rejecting her? Most mortals would kill for this power! It felt like he was looking a gift horse in the mouth.
"Don't get me wrong," Ren said, shaking his head. "It's not that I don't want the power."
Before Lucifer could get angry, he whispered, his voice sincere, "I just don't want to make a Queen of Hell lose her freedom and self because of an accident. If I bind you against your will, I would feel very guilty~ And forced loyalty is just slavery. I don't run that kind of establishment."
Ren spoke very calmly, but the seriousness in his eyes slowly calmed Lucifer's anger. She looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time. He wasn't power-hungry. He was... kind.
Lucifer shook her head slowly. "There's no way to break the ritual once completed. It is bound to our souls."
Ren sighed, tapping his chin. Then suddenly, he thought of something.
"Lucifer, is this mark just a contract? Or does it grant me authority?"
Lucifer's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes, she thought. The abuse of power.
She subtly averted her gaze, looking at the floor, and said in a low voice, gritting her teeth, "You can command me unconditionally, and I cannot refuse... This was also the curse placed upon the loser of the ancient wars..."
Ren's eyes lit up. "That's great! Lucifer, are you sure you must obey and cannot refuse?"
Lucifer's face flushed with humiliation. She nodded, whispering, "Because it's your wish, the contract will forcibly command it..."
Her mind was already filled with countless absurd, lewd, or cruel commands Ren might give. Clean the floor with your tongue? Fight your friends? Dance? Thinking that she couldn't refuse, she felt angry and humiliated.
Suddenly, she thought of a solution: I can't lay a hand on my master directly, but I can have Cerberus or Justice kill Ren! If he dies, the contract is broken! Yes! I just need to summon them!
But just as she was plotting his murder, she heard Ren speak.
"Then I command you, Lucifer."
She flinched, bracing herself.
"I command Lucifer to become as she was before! Be free from these contract restrictions in any situation! Remain the free, proud Queen of Hell! Do not obey me unless you wish to!"
The command rang out in the silent restaurant.
After he finished speaking, the emblem on Ren's hand glowed violently for a moment.
Lucifer stared in disbelief. She felt the heavy chains around her soul—the magical binding that forced obedience—shatter.
The emblem dimmed, fading into a simple tattoo-like mark on Ren's hand, signifying connection but not slavery.
Lucifer gasped, clutching her chest. "What... what did you just say?!"
Ren tilted his head, smiling innocently. "Since it's the power of the emblem to grant commands, then I just commanded the emblem to negate itself. I wished for it to free you from the mandatory aspects of the contract. I didn't expect it could actually come true so easily~"
Lucifer suddenly felt very awkward. She stood there, her mouth slightly open.
She had been overthinking the entire time. Plotting his death. Fearing his cruelty.
But this man... he used his absolute power just to give her back her freedom. He was different from everyone she had ever met—demon, angel, or human.
Ren stood up and picked up the empty bowl and cutlery. "Oh, by the way, thank you for the meal blessing earlier. I feel much better now~ My back pain is gone."
Lucifer just sat there in the chair, frozen, watching Ren walk into the kitchen to do the dishes. She felt a strange warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the spicy soup.
When Ren came out after washing the dishes, wiping his hands on a towel, he immediately saw Lucifer still standing there.
Ren asked, puzzled, "Eh? Lucifer? You're still here? I thought you had already left to go back to Hell."
Lucifer looked at Ren for a long time. Her crimson eyes swirled with complex emotions.
Then, she walked in front of him. She looked up at him, a genuine, charming smile replacing her earlier arrogance.
"You are the most special man I have ever met," she stated. "And the most special human. So... I plan to study you thoroughly."
Ren was startled. "Study me?"
"Yes. I'm staying."
"But what about your Hell?" Ren asked, confused. "Don't you have souls to torture? Paperwork to sign?"
"It's not like I'm the only one in charge," Lucifer waved her hand dismissively. "I have Justice and Pandemonica. They can handle the boring stuff. And besides... there are many things about you that make me curious... I had a very strange feeling from the moment the contract was established. A connection."
(Internal Monologue of Lucifer: It's definitely not because no one in Hell listens to me anyway! It's not because I'm lonely! And it's definitely not because the soup was amazing!)
Ren laughed. "In the human world, there's a saying: when a woman is curious about a man, she's not far from falling in love~"
Lucifer was startled. Her face flushed pink.
She crossed her arms and looked away, muttering with a slight curl of her lips, "Isn't conquering a Queen a very fulfilling thing for a man? You should be honored. And... I still don't know what 'love' feels like... The key is, even though I'm free from contract restrictions, the connection still exists between you and me. I can't go far from you anyway."
Ren shook his head and sighed, though he was smiling. "What a headache... Another mouth to feed. But this way, I'll have someone to keep me company and relieve boredom. The shop gets quiet."
He pointed to the ceiling. "Find a room upstairs for yourself. The fifth one down the hall is occupied by clothes, and the innermost one is mine. Pick any of the others."
Lucifer nodded eagerly. "Okay!"
She walked straight upstairs, her steps light.
Watching Lucifer leave, Ren sighed softly, a helpless expression on his face. "What an unexpected day... First Rindou, now the Devil herself."
Upstairs.
Lucifer walked down the hallway. She ignored the empty rooms. She stopped at the door right next to Ren's bedroom.
She pushed open the door. The complete furnishings inside—a soft bed, a desk, a window overlooking the city—startled Lucifer. It was cozy.
In the end, she walked in and nodded, satisfied.
She didn't even know why she had come straight to this room the moment she arrived. It just felt... right to be close to him.
Just as she had said, from the establishment of the contract to now, there was no difference from it being broken in terms of magical obligation. But emotionally?
She touched the spot near her heart.
She herself felt that she was becoming stranger and stranger.
Although strange... Lucifer felt that she wouldn't dislike this new life.
"Pancakes..." she murmured, remembering the smell from earlier. "I wonder if he can make pancakes?"
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