Episode 287. Contract to Summon a Hellish Scoundrel (2)

The back alley of the Academy’s shopping district.

I carefully examined the purple cloth in my hand.

Although this is the first time seeing it in person, I clearly remember seeing it in the original work.

‘The mark of Pandemic.’

Among those, it’s a token that lower-ranking members can possess.

Executives tend to refrain from carrying such tokens themselves, as it could lead to them being identified.

“What the hell is this?”

This is too… weird.

I lowered my gaze.

Even if they are lower-ranking members.

“Ugh, ugh…”

A nobody like this has the mark of Pandemic?

Anyone would think Pandemic is just some local thug gang.

I nudged the man lying face down on the ground with my foot.

“Hey. Where did you get this?”

I waved the purple cloth back and forth in front of his eyes.

“S-sorry. Sorry… Keu-keu-keu-geuk-“

But perhaps due to the lingering trauma from the assault, the man wasn’t listening to me at all.

Reluctantly, I sent a weak electric current through his body, and only then did he stop his repeated apologies.

“Where did you get this? If you don’t tell me, I’ll really kill you.”

“I-I don’t know! Some guy gave it to me yesterday… The gangs in the back alleys would tremble in fear just seeing it, so I just carried it around!”

“So who are those guys? You’re being so dense.”

I gathered magic power onto my palm.

I made a fire blaze brightly, so that even ordinary people could see it.

“I don’t know! I don’t know! They just told me to find a Hell Summoning Contract in the black market… I don’t know anything… I just extorted money with it. Really. If I had known it was that kind of item… Keu-heuk.”

“A Hell Summoning Contract in the black market…?”

Why is Pandemic looking for a Hell Summoning Contract?

A Hell Summoning Contract…

Summoning Contract of Hell…

Could it be, [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract]?

Naturally, the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract] I purchased in the black market came to mind.

“Was the place I bought it Booty & Antique?”

Although it’s been quite a while since I visited, I remembered it clearly.

It’s the place where I purchased the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract] that I used to summon Liliana.

I remember it as the only decent antique shop in the black market.

“… Sssup.”

Ah, this feels unsettling.

I smell trouble.

No matter how I think about it, if it’s a Hell Contract from the black market, there’s no other place.

Is Pandemic looking for the contract? Why?

I left the sobbing man lying face down and headed towards the black market.

Fortunately, I always carried the token needed to enter the black market with me.

Recalling my memory, I headed to the antique shop where I bought the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract].

And what I faced was the ruins of a devastated shop.

“…What the…?”

I felt a strong sense of strangeness.

When you see a ruined building, you can roughly tell how old it is.

The splintered remains of broken wooden tables were still intact, and a few items that could be valuable were also left behind.

This is the black market.

It’s the kind of neighborhood where people take anything if it’s valuable.

That means it hasn’t been long since it suffered this damage.

Looking around, I spotted a male merchant in the shop across the way, fanning himself with a bored expression.

I approached him.

“…Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah. If you want to buy something, ask me anything.”

The man’s shop seemed to sell things like vitamins, but that wasn’t my goal.

“The reason I’m asking is, there was an old man who used to run a shop over there. Do you know where he went?”

“Ah, that place? Was it yesterday? Some scary-looking guys swarmed in and trashed the place.”

“…And the owner?”

“Who knows? Whether he’s dead or whatever. They were yelling their heads off, demanding he hand over a hidden contract, but that old geezer was stubborn. He kept saying he didn’t know anything about such items, and eventually, he was dragged away. Guess he scammed someone.”

“Contract… Did perhaps ‘Hell Summoning Contract’ or words like that come up?”

“Maybe so. Maybe not. Anyway, why don’t you buy this instead? It’s vitamin. Very good for your health.”

Just as I thought, it seems to be the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract] that I bought.

“…No, thank you.”

I left the man clicking his tongue and exited the black market.

Stepping outside and breathing the cool air, I replayed the words of the thug and the merchant in my mind.

“Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract…”

It seemed certain that what those guys were looking for was the contract I bought. When I came and looked a few months ago, it was the only item worth anything.

An incredible item must have arrived in the months I wasn’t around, and it’s much more likely that this is the item Pandemic is after, rather than assuming some other item arrived.

It’s truly sad that the old man was dragged away because of me… but understanding the reason why it happened is important for now.

To organize the information for now, Hell and Pandemic are definitely connected.

For some reason, there was a Pandemic executive possessing a Hell Contract, and the Apostle Pandemic summoned was said to be from Hell, so there’s no denying it.

But then, why is Pandemic looking for that contract?

Where did they get this kind of information in the first place?

If it’s an antique, it would have been difficult to trace its route by searching around.

Especially if they traced it all the way to that antique shop, it means they put in an incredible amount of effort.

That item is worth that much?

“…Nothing is certain.”

I sent a message to Liliana using my smartwatch.

• Me: Liliana. Are you home?

• Liliana: Yeah. Scout and Dahee went to pick up Daeun. They said they’d be back after dinner, so I was going to stream. Why?

• Me: Stay there and wait for me.

One thing I can guarantee is that if what Pandemic was looking for was truly the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract],

there was definitely something.

…About Liliana.

*

I quickened my pace.

A strange sense of unease filled my chest.

Whether Liliana intended it or not, she might be a crucial element for Pandemic.

I returned to the dormitory.

Ttiring-

As I entered, Liliana, who said she was going to stream, was humming a tune and packing her things.

“You’re back?”

Liliana looked at me and greeted me as always.

“What about the stream?”

“Come to think of it, since it’s the weekend, I decided to rest! And I have to prepare for the move!”

“…Right.”

I sat on the sofa next to Liliana, who had a beaming smile, and collected my thoughts.

Liliana isn’t at fault… probably.

I think so, anyway.

What if it turns out Liliana is the mastermind behind the Demon King? Something this absurd won’t happen.

But the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract] that I used to summon Liliana definitely has something to it.

I carefully spoke to Liliana, who was stuffing snacks into her bag.

“Liliana. When you made the contract with me, you know.”

“Huh? Ah, you mean the summoning contract?”

“Yeah. That one. Back then, do you remember how you contracted and came to Earth?”

“Contract? Hmm. I was playing games at home when I was suddenly dragged here.”

Liliana answered with a yawn, seemingly without much thought.

“…Before the contract, what did you say you were doing?”

“I told you, playing games.”

“You weren’t just playing games all the time, were you? When you weren’t playing games?”

“Hmm… I don’t really remember.”

Liliana answered as usual.

She doesn’t remember well.

Right. This ‘I don’t remember’ thing.

Whenever I asked personal questions, she always answered like this.

Actually, it’s because I didn’t press the issue, but she was damn suspicious.

Because it’s Liliana.

Since the other party was the pure Liliana, I just let it slide.

But now is not the time to let it slide.

Acting like it was nothing, I continued speaking.

“Hell has schools, right?”

“Of course. They have compulsory education there too. Don’t look down on it so much.”

“Then, your childhood or when you were attending school. Don’t you remember?”

“Dunno. I told you I don’t remember.”

Liliana shook her head back and forth.

She seemed like she didn’t want to talk about this topic.

“…”

No, this is strange.

How can she not remember that?

Even if she lived as a shut-in for years, that’s too strange.

With my common sense, I couldn’t possibly understand.

And seeing the Hell Liliana described and her behavior, in reality, there wasn’t much difference in lifestyle between Hell and Earth.

Yet she claims not to remember.

“Liliana.”

I called Liliana again.

Liliana replied, seeming annoyed by the continuous strange questions.

“I need to pack. Don’t talk to me anymore! I’m busy.”

“…From now on, answer truthfully without fail to whatever I say.”

For the first time in a while, I infused my words with magic power.

It was time to use the contract’s command.

Liliana cannot possibly disobey my words.

The contract was naturally active.

[Article 1. The contractor can issue weak commands to the summoned being, and the summoned being must obey. However, as the bond with the summoned being deepens, they gain stronger command authority.]

Liliana and I had created a bond strong enough to easily impose this level of restriction.

That’s why it hurt my heart a little.

The fact that I had to resort to this method forcefully.

“Oof…?”

Liliana clutched her head.

It seems this was the strongest restriction imposed so far.

Liliana looked at me, flustered, her expression showing confusion.

“Wh-what’s wrong? I, I was just trying to pack…”

“Only answer the questions I ask. Liliana, when I ask about your childhood memories, why do you avoid answering?”

This time, I must get an answer.

You can’t keep running away forever.

“Memories. I told you… I don’t remember. Ah, ah…”

“Liliana…?”

Liliana clutched her hair, her hands trembling violently.

Even considering the restriction I imposed, this was too strong a reaction.

Moreover, even though I told her not to lie, she repeated that she couldn’t remember.

Since there was no backlash, it means she truly wasn’t lying.

“Really, I really… I don’t remember… S-sorry…”

Teolseok-

Liliana, whose lips were trembling, stammered, and then promptly fainted and collapsed onto the floor.

She fell down with a thud-, as if the strings of a puppet were cut.

“Liliana, Liliana?!”

It wasn’t acting.

I was right beside her, watching closely.

Checking Liliana’s pulse, fortunately, she had only fainted. Her life was not in danger.

“…Why?”

But my questions were not answered at all.

Why couldn’t Liliana remember her childhood?

For what reason did she faint?

Strong trauma?

Even if she had such trauma, telling the truth was my command.

Perhaps there’s a slight possibility she closed off her memories herself due to overwhelming trauma, but my gut feeling told me otherwise.

I placed my hand on Liliana’s forehead, whose brow was furrowed in pain.

“If that’s the case, why such a reaction…? Huh?”

Just as I was wondering, I sensed a very faint magical reaction from Liliana’s head.

No, it wasn’t just magic.

It was Hell’s magic.

Although it was a minuscule amount… I clearly sensed Hell’s magic emanating from the head of the unconscious Liliana.

And as soon as I recognized the trace, it scattered instantly.

As if nothing had happened, Liliana returned to a peaceful expression.

“…”

I closed my eyes, watched Liliana sleeping peacefully, and bit my lip.

To resolve this situation, it seemed I would eventually have to connect with Hell.

The choices on the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract] that I encountered when I first met Liliana.

I still remembered them vividly.

---

[ Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract ]

Is it you who summoned Hell’s scoundrels?

Choose one of the 4 scoundrels.

1. The butcher shop owner demon Lucifer, obsessed with human flesh

2. The cocky player Incubus from Hell Academy

3. F-class mercenary for 20 years. The resilience of a never-defeated veteran Centaur

4. The 50-year-old spinster Succubus, master of spinning webs

---

The third option, ‘F-class mercenary for 20 years. The resilience of a never-defeated veteran Centaur.’

That guy is probably the Centaur who appeared in France.

If so, it’s understandable why Pandemic is looking for the [Hell’s Scoundrels Summoning Contract].

A connection to Hell, unrelated to Liliana.

“It must be the Centaur… Is there no other way?”

If I meet the Centaur, this frustrating feeling might be eased a little.

I had that feeling.