Chapter 7 - He was her Master now in every possible sense of the word
Shiho's mouth twitched, but she still reached into her pocket and pulled out her slim wallet.
No choice.
He was her Master now in every possible sense of the word.
She channeled all her frustration into eating, attacking the dishes with single minded ferocity.
Cain flipped through the thick stack of bills he'd just acquired, nodding in approval.
My servant's loaded. Nice.
After they'd both eaten their fill, Shiho finally set her chopsticks down and looked at him seriously.
"By the way, Master… when are you going to teach me how to use demonic powers properly?"
Right now the only thing she could do was fly. Embarrassing for a devil.
"Don't worry. I was planning to even if you didn't ask."
Cain raised his hand and gave a casual flick toward the table. A magic circle flared briefly.
The next instant, a thick, leather-bound tome appeared with a soft thud.
Shiho's eyes lit up.
She snatched it up and flipped it open, instantly lost in the pages.
Cain watched her for a moment, then grabbed a cold can of cola from the fridge and cracked it open.
Buzz.
Minutes later or maybe longer, Shiho held the book in one hand and raised the other. A dark crimson magic circle bloomed beneath her palm, light pulsing steadily.
"I did it!"
Her voice was bright with excitement. She shifted her fingers, and the circle's glow changed patterns in perfect sync.
Cain's eyebrows rose. "That's the Heart of Magic for you."
Those were beginner spells. She was already controlling them freely after one read through?
Time slipped by unnoticed.
Shiho worked through nearly half the book without pause, enthusiasm never fading.
Until she turned another page, swayed, and collapsed sideways onto the sofa.
One slipper fell off. Her bare foot curled against the floor and her panty visible.
Cain set his cola down and gave her a solemn look. "Well, well. Has my servant finally decided to seduce her Master?"
Shiho groaned, pulling her legs up. "Master, is your brain made of nothing but perverted thoughts?"
"I'm serious. I suddenly feel so tired."
"That's normal," Cain said with a small laugh. "You just cast a ton of spells. Your demonic power should be completely drained by now."
"If you already knew that, why say something so misleading?"
"If that's how you want to interpret it, I won't stop you."
Shiho looked utterly defeated. Her Master was incorrigible.
"Then, oh wise Master… do devils have a way to restore demonic power?"
"Simple. I'll replenish you."
Replenish?
How?
Shiho looked up curiously.
Then watched his handsome face draw closer and closer.
Wait!
Do we really need to be this close for!
Mmm!!??!
Her eyes flew wide.
This… this is way too strange…
But her demonic power was recovering. Fast.
…
A moment later, Cain pulled back and released her shoulders.
Shiho's throat bobbed. A wave of intense, unfamiliar sensation crashed through her entire body.
She trembled and sank deeper into the sofa, cheeks burning crimson.
"Are you… absolutely sure that was just mana replenishment?"
"Of course," Cain answered, perfectly serious. "That's the standard way a devil Master restores his servant's power."
He had replenished her power. Technically.
But something felt… off.
He glanced at Shiho, who was now acting very strange.
Grayfia hadn't reacted like this.
Right, he'd awakened his Primordial Devil traits after that.
So this was an unintended side effect of his bloodline.
"Huh. My reserves went up a little too."
"But something's still wrong, Master! Fix it! You must have done the replenishment wrong!"
Cain scratched his cheek, mildly embarrassed.
He could insist the method was correct…
But her current state was 100% because of his Primordial nature.
He hadn't known about these side effects before. Honest.
Shiho's breathing grew ragged. She kept shifting, clearly struggling.
Cain watched her for a long moment.
Shall he help her?
His gaze steadied.
Since he'd caused this, responsibility fell on him.
"Don't worry. It'll be over soon."
"Really?"
Hope flashed across Shiho's flushed face.
...
Shiho had only just become a devil.
Even with Heart of Magic, she still lacked demonic reserves.
As her Master, Cain naturally had to improve her properly.
Shiho felt like she was drowning, sinking endlessly into warm depths.
The more she kissed him, the thirstier she became.
Then something inside her shattered.
Her demonic power surged upward without limit, craving more, pulling her deeper into the abyss.
Waves crashed over her.
Her power kept climbing.
[+1 EXP]
[+3 EXP]
[+5 EXP]
…
When it finally ended, Cain sat back and stared at the string of notifications floating in his vision.
He exhaled slowly.
Well.
That was one way to level up.