episode_0052

The Demon Summoning Circle.

Creating it is quite difficult,

but using it is relatively easy.

Place the sacrifice on the left circle,

and the right circle holds an item the demon favors—then, preparation is complete.

Activate it, and the demon emerges from the massive central circle.

…A simple structure, really.

But the civilians gathered as sacrifices on the left circle had all been released, leaving it empty.

So.

Time to refill it.

“Hup!”

One by one, I carefully placed the unconscious dark mages inside.

And then.

I made a slight modification to the circle.

Instead of offering lives as sacrifices,

I altered it so they’d offer something other than their lives.

Better for mental health.

‘Sacrificing lives is still murder, when you think about it.’

These guys deserve death, sure,

but I’ve no intention of killing them myself.

Committing murder would probably give me nightmares.

So, I changed the sacrifice rules.

No lives—

instead, they’d offer their max HP/MP, strength, agility, intelligence, dexterity—all their stats.

Sacrifice their youth, turning them into the elderly.

Sacrifice their hair, dooming them to lifelong baldness.

Sacrifice a lung, rendering them unable to run.

Sacrifice their magic circuits, making them incapable of casting spells.

‘This is the important part.’

Dark mages primarily use life force, not mana,

but that doesn’t mean they don’t use mana at all.

Like how a car runs on fuel,

but still needs electricity to start the engine.

Dark magic requires mana to activate.

So?

What if they sacrificed all their magic circuits?

They’d become mana eunuchs.

Unable to cast dark magic ever again—true dark magic eunuchs.

Ah.

Since we’re on the topic of eunuchs, might as well sacrifice their reproductive functions too.

‘Heh heh heh…’

‘I won’t kill you, but I’ll make you wish you were dead.’

With that thought, I finished adjusting the circle.

Good.

Now, ready.

Preparations to summon the succubus beside the Pope were complete.

So.

Time to summon her.

Vrrrrr!

Before summoning, I checked once to ensure the chainsaw from the Holy Grail of Sacrifice was operational,

then activated the Demon Summoning Circle.

Fwoosh!

Amid ominous light, the demon began to manifest—

—and at that exact moment, I erased a single character from the circle.

Ping!

“…?”

The succubus, mid-summon, froze—only her head emerged.

“Oh?”

“Perfect for chainsawing.”

“Huh?”

“W-wait!”

She shook her head frantically,

but stuck between dimensional rifts, she couldn’t move.

Just her head above the circle.

Perfect.

An ideal setup for a horn-cutting ceremony.

Vrrrrrrrr!

The chainsaw roared as it slowly sawed through the succubus’ horns.

“Stop!”

“Stop it, you bastard!!”

“As expected of a succubus’ horns.”

“Tough enough to resist a normal chainsaw.”

Which is why I came prepared.

“Lia!”

“Fusion time!”

“Mm!”

As Lia placed her hand on the chainsaw, the effect activated.

Swoosh!

The horns split apart like tofu.

“!!!!!!”

The succubus was horrified,

but our chainsaw ceremony didn’t stop.

“Taking the other one too!”

Swoosh!

The remaining horn was cleanly severed.

‘Nice!’

‘Succubus neutralization complete!’

Demons are a powerful race,

but losing their horns weakens them to around D~C-rank human level.

Basically, they become as pathetic as Cain.

“……”

For some reason…

I felt like shedding a single tear…

Anyway.

The hornless succubus was now extremely weak.

Scritch-scratch

Rewriting the erased character restored the circle’s function.

“Ah… Aah…”

The succubus crawled out of the dimensional rift,

but her eyes were lifeless.

Her horns were gone,

and she was surrounded by clearly powerful individuals.

This was a death sentence.

So.

She had no choice but to despair, resigned to her fate—

“Hey, succubus?”

“Wanna make a deal?”

“……”

“Do what I want, and I might return your horns.”

“……?”

“Well?”

“Interested?”

“You’d… give them back?…”

“If you do your job well, why not?”

“……”

Slowly, the succubus rose.

‘Oh…’

‘She’s actually quite pretty like this.’

A voluptuous beauty with long purple hair.

Her outfit was scandalously revealing,

accentuating her already striking figure.

Not one of the Four Heavenly Kings—

but a candidate: Succubus Queen Vestia.

Still just a candidate,

but a single major achievement would promote her to full Heavenly King status.

Hence why she targeted the Pope.

Toppling the most detestable holy nation, ,

and seizing their war resources—money, supplies, food—would secure her position.

…Or so she thought.

But even if she failed, she’d still become a Heavenly King.

‘Frankly, no one else is more qualified.’

Weak for a Heavenly King,

but among candidates, she’s formidable.

Her attack and defense are lacking,

but her charm, nightmare illusions, and other mental magic are annoyingly potent.

And she’d grown even stronger after inheriting the Succubus Queen’s power.

Originally, my favorite character was supposed to inherit it,

but since she ran away, Vestia—the second strongest—took the title instead.

…That said,

now, hornless, she’s as weak as me—a complete wreck.

But.

If she gets her horns back, she can reclaim her status.

The setting allows reattached horns to restore power.

So.

No reason to refuse the deal.

“What do you want?”

“Tsk.”

“A bit short with words, aren’t you?”

“……”

“Rumor has it a demon’s horns can forge legendary weapons.”

“Should I just turn them into one?”

“!!!!!!”

“Or armor? A shield?”

“Ugh… M-may I ask what task you’d have me perform?”

The succubus spoke with humiliated reluctance.

Understandable.

Forced to use honorifics toward a human she once dismissed as vermin.

How disgraceful!

‘Should I push further?’

I considered it briefly,

but if she’d rather die, that’d just be a hassle.

So, I cut to the chase.

“What I want is simple.”

“Deliver this letter to the Pope and persuade him to execute the plan written inside.”

“That’s… all?…”

“Yep.”

“Confirm he’s done it, and I’ll return your horns.”

“May I… read the letter?…”

“Go ahead.”

The succubus scanned its contents.

“……?”

It was… odd.

“In or out?”

“I have a question.”

“What?”

“Delivering the letter and ensuring the plan’s execution—that’s truly all?”

“Yes.”

“That’s it.”

“No additional conditions?”

“Nope.”

“Do that, and the horns are yours.”

“……”

She couldn’t fathom why this man made such a request,

but this was an opportunity.

The plan outlined was even more demonic than her own scheme to bleed the holy nation dry.

But.

That only deepened her suspicion.

Why would a human aid the Pope’s corruption?

‘A human who hates humans?’

It made sense.

Humanity’s greatest enemy is itself.

On the surface, monsters and demons are the foes,

but humans kill and inflict the most despair upon each other.

So,

a human despising humans was understandable.

One who’d laugh as the holy nation fell

and human civilization crumbled wasn’t so strange.

With that reasoning, she accepted the deal.

But.

Not without precautions.

“A contract… please…”

Humans are unreliable.

A contract was essential,

with severe penalties for breach.

“Sure.”

The man readily produced one.

Huh?

He’d prepared it in advance?

“……”

“What?”

Nothing more dangerous than someone who comes pre-equipped.

She skimmed it quickly.

‘……?’

It was short and straightforward.

Deliver the letter and ensure the plan’s execution.

Succeed, and the horns are returned.

The end.

That was it.

There were minor details—

deadlines, terms, conditions—but no convoluted traps.

No deceptive wording,

no attempts to mislead.

Why?

Why was this contract so honest?

…But then it clicked.

‘He must despise humanity that much…’

A human who loathes his own kind,

who wants society to burn, has no reason to deceive a demon.

Sure, he’d stolen her horns immediately after summoning,

but he was simply ruthless in pursuit of his goals.

‘Maybe he’s not so bad?’

Stealing her horns,

daring to treat her so disrespectfully—unforgivable, but…

She admired those who’d do anything for their ambitions.

Once her horns were restored,

she’d make him her subordinate.

‘Handsome, fit…’

‘His essence must be delicious.’

Seducing the ugly Pope was revolting.

She’d endure it for now,

but planned to kill him afterward.

Then,

she’d keep this attractive man by her side,

sucking his essence dry.

…With such fantasies, she signed the contract.