Bargain

『As a result of successfully completing the quest, your divine power is enhanced and magical power is increased!』

『Isabella’s affection has increased!』

『For achieving the optional objective, your existing reward has been enhanced!』

Along with the notification that the quest was complete, I felt magical power filling up. The pain I had felt throughout my body gradually subsided.

“Phew….”

I grabbed Isabella’s outstretched hand and got up from the ground. She tried to support me, but I stopped her.

“I’m fine.”

“But still….”

In the distance, I could see Inis running toward us with the Orc Tribal Chief’s magic stone. Her blood-covered appearance with a bright smile was a bit frightening.

“Master. Here’s the magic stone!”

I took the magic stone she offered me. It was the largest one I had obtained so far. About the size of a small pebble.

“I wonder how much they’ll give for this.”

“Hand that over to me.”

As I was thinking, suddenly a red portal opened and Egun appeared.

“This?”

These scenes were somewhat familiar now. She had repeatedly appeared and disappeared as she pleased.

“Yes. Judging by the turbid energy I feel from the magic stone, it seems another demon has interfered. Even if you took this, humans wouldn’t value it highly anyway.”

“If I give this to you, Lady Egun, what will you give me in return?”

“After receiving divine power from me, now you want to receive compensation from me? You and I have a relationship of demon and contractor. You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

“Isn’t our relationship one formed because we need each other? So shouldn’t such deals be clearly established?”

At my words, the corners of her mouth turned up.

“Indeed, you humans excel at rhetoric, if nothing else. Very well. What do you want?”

“I want divine power that can protect my body.”

If there was one thing I realized from this battle, it was that I ultimately needed to protect myself.

Inis, as the only frontliner, had to fight the enemy. Isabella, as an archer using a bow, couldn’t protect me.

In this situation, if an opponent ignored Inis and rushed at me, or if I was attacked from a distance or ambushed?

Isabella, with her quick movements, would survive, but I would likely die. That’s why I thought I needed defensive divine power like a shield.

“I am a demon specialized in destruction. Yet you ask for divine power to protect someone?”

Egun tapped her lips with her finger. I casually lifted the magic stone to show her. At that action, the corners of her mouth turned up.

“I cannot give you divine power related to protection. But if you annihilate the enemy, you won’t be attacked, so isn’t that the same as defending yourself?”

“That’s true, but….”

“I’ll increase the firepower of your divine power.”

With those words, she gave me a light kiss. It felt as if my body suddenly heated up.

“With this, your flames will burn the enemy even faster. This seems sufficient compensation for the magic stone. What do you think?”

“It’s good.”

It wasn’t what I wanted, but if my divine power was enhanced, that was a good thing. Still, I should look for other methods later. If it seems too difficult, I might need to try contracting with other demons.

As she was about to take the magic stone, I slightly withdrew my hand.

“What is this?”

Egun frowned slightly.

“I have one request. It won’t be a bad deal for you either, Lady Egun.”

“What is it?”

“Could you erase the memories of the female adventurers we rescued from here?”

I had rescued them because of Isabella and the quest. But if they returned to Falcion like this, there would certainly be problems. My identity as a demon contractor would be revealed.

“In addition, adventurers with such injuries would find it difficult to return to normal life. So I would appreciate it if you could erase their memories.”

“It’s not a problem that can be solved just by erasing memories. The body must also be healed to be truly perfect. You thought of that too when you asked, didn’t you?”

Instead of answering, I turned up the corners of my mouth. Egun seemed to contemplate for a moment, then spoke.

“Very well. I don’t want you to be troubled either, so I’ll do it. Handling human memories and bodies isn’t difficult for me. But I will definitely claim a price for this.”

“Of course you would.”

She snapped her fingers. A small light emerged and flew away, then Egun turned around.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. I won’t come to collect the price tonight. So soothe your minions.”

With those final words, the portal closed. The faces of Inis and Isabella, who were nearby, turned slightly red.

“Master is truly kind.”

Isabella said with a bright smile. She must have been pleased that I cared about the other adventurers.

“I just did what I could. And even then, I received help from Lady Egun, so I essentially did nothing.”

“No. I think the very fact that you could make such a request shows great courage!”

“Thank you.”

I could feel Isabella’s affection continuously rising. Well, we had ended things as well as could be, so it made sense that she was so happy.

“Master. May I go find the adventurers’ equipment and return it to them? They’ll need it to return to the city.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

Since I had already made such a good impression, I decided to be considerate until the end. There was no particular loss for me anyway.

“Then, I’ll be going!”

Isabella bowed her head and ran off. She seemed very excited. As she ran far away, Inis slipped closer to me.

“Master is very kind.”

“Are you going to say that too? Besides, you know I’m not such a righteous person.”

“Being a good person doesn’t necessarily mean being kind. In that sense, Master is gentle and good. Because you accepted me and Isabella.”

She linked her arm with mine. Soft breasts felt between her arms.

“But aren’t you indulging her too much? If we’re going to travel together in the future, there should be no mercy in your handling.”

“I think a party needs someone like her. And she didn’t cross the line, did she?”

“She almost did. Especially the request to save the female adventurers, I think that already crossed the line. If it had been a normal party, probably…”

“We would have died. But Isabella must have known that too. Because with us, it was completely possible. That’s why she made such a request.”

Inis frowned slightly.

“So did Isabella use us?”

“That’s not it. She’s not that kind of person, is she? If Isabella had been such a cunning woman, she wouldn’t have been expelled from her family so pathetically.”

Since they became bound to me, I could vaguely feel their emotions and thoughts at times. Each time, Isabella’s emotions were always sincere.

“That’s true. So?”

“She must have known instinctively. After all, she’s an illegitimate daughter educated in a noble family. Wouldn’t she have such intuition?”

“That’s also true.”

Inis sighed deeply.

“I don’t know how to treat Isabella. I’m afraid of being backstabbed if I’m just strict, but if I’m too lenient, incidents like today might happen again…”

“Maintaining the middle ground is always the hardest. But you’ll get used to it with practice. I think Inis has a talent for handling people.”

“That’s a relief then…”

She made a groaning sound and fell into contemplation. Still, it was fortunate to have such a capable and intelligent slave. I wasn’t confident in such roles.

“Master!”

“Good luck.”

Isabella was waving her hand and running from far away. I stroked Inis’s head. It was time to return.

“Settlement result: 1 gold and 58 silver.”

At the settlement office employee’s words, I nodded and held out my card.

“Please deposit the money to the bank.”

“Understood.”

She took the card and immediately used the magical device.

“Deposit completed. Thank you for using our settlement office. We look forward to seeing you again.”

“Yes.”

Somehow, I felt like people’s attitudes had changed a bit since I received the card.

“It’s not easy to get a card issued. That’s probably why. The issuance conditions are simple but simultaneously strict, aren’t they?”

When I asked the reason, Isabella answered.

“You need to have at least 100 gold to get a card issued, right?”

“Yes. And the very fact that someone has a card issued and uses it, in a way, proves that the person is reliable.”

“That’s true.”

In Korea, didn’t they say that regularly using a credit card results in a high credit score? I don’t know if it’s true, but it might be similar to that.

“Let’s just buy simple ingredients for dinner tonight and go home.”

“Yes.”

We stopped by the market in the Labyrinth City, bought meat and vegetables, and returned home. It was still awkward, but it would become more familiar as more time passed.

“Dinner is ready!”

After finishing bathing with the water they prepared, I immediately had dinner. As expected, tonight’s dinner was also delicious.

“I’ll go up first.”

“Yes. Sleep well!”

Since Inis and Isabella hadn’t bathed yet, they decided to stay on the first floor. I returned to my room alone and lay on the bed.

“Ahh….”

Maybe because today was so exhausting. I really felt drowsy as soon as I lay down. It was probably due to the magical power depletion I experienced.

My eyelids gradually closed. I kept thinking I shouldn’t fall asleep, but I couldn’t resist, and eventually fell asleep.

“Slurp… sluuurp…♡”

I woke up from sleep due to a strange sensation from below. Slowly opening my eyes and slightly raising my body, I looked down. There, I saw black hair glistening in the moonlight.

“…Inis?”

Her head flinched. She seemed to pause her movement for a moment, then.

“Sluuurp…♡”

She began to move her body again.