Chapter 9
The Contractor followed the small and cute Receptionist with a ponytail, who looked like fun to tease, up to the second floor to register as an Adventurer.
'I'm worried.'
Is this how a pet dog with separation anxiety feels?
We had only been apart for a moment, but I was deeply worried about the Contractor's safety.
It felt like being a Lich who had entrusted the Cleansing of its Life Vessel to a laundromat Employee.
However, I have to endure it.
Even a dog waits patiently for its Master, so as a Demon, I can't behave worse than a dog.
To shake off my anxiety, I paced between the counter and the front entrance, trying to soothe my troubled mind.
Oh, Labrador Retriever, I finally understand why you chase your tail when you're anxious.
Moving my body seems to ease the anxiety a bit.
"Gasp!"
"Meow!"
"Whoa!"
"Meow meow!"
Instead, the other Humans started to get anxious.
Whenever I passed by, the Cat Beastmen and Elf Kids would freak out and let out pathetic little noises.
Their reactions were a bit amusing, but I figured it wouldn't be good for the Children's emotional well-being if I kept provoking them, so I quietly moved to a corner.
-Click.
"Oh my, my back is stiff from sitting so long!"
"Haha, you too? Ahem, it's also not polite to sit in one place for too long, so let's go out for a walk."
"That's a great idea! Nothing is better for your health than walking!"
""Hahahahaha!""
"...."
The young Adventurers, who looked to be around twenty-five on average, rubbed their backs as if they had a collective herniated disc and left the Guild.
Thanks to them, there was nothing but empty seats within a ten-meter radius of me.
As a bonus, my heart was also covered in scars.
'Still, it's nice that it's quiet.'
A gentle silence perfect for getting lost in thought. But rather than killing time with idle daydreams, it would be more beneficial to think productively.
It was time to plan for the future.
'The ultimate goal is to subjugate the Last Boss, for starters.... but I severely lack information.'
The fairy tale called 'Dungeon City Story' that the Contractor told me.
If everything in it is true, I have to eliminate the Last Boss as soon as possible before its seal weakens.
Because I can't just let this World be destroyed too.
However, if I get ahead of myself and act recklessly, I'll end up with a gaping hole in the back of my head and be forced into retirement.
In the early stages when information is scarce, it's important to build a solid foundation by achieving small goals sequentially.
'So, what should I do first?'
My goal is to confirm the existence of the Last Boss and eliminate it.
In other words, clearing the Dungeon.
In that case, what is needed to clear the Dungeon a bit more easily? I could get a rough estimate by thinking of the Dungeon as a workplace.
To put it a little differently.
What do you need when you join a new workplace called the Dungeon?
Neat attire to impress your boss?
Professional Equipment to improve work efficiency?
'No.'
The most important thing for a Rookie employee is the 'location of their Base.'
They need a Base close enough to their workplace (the Dungeon) so that even if they oversleep, they can just wash their face, run out, and barely make it on time.
'As for our current Base.... hmm.'
I feel bad saying this to the Contractor, but to be completely honest, it's the worst.
The security and hygiene are terrible, and there are absolutely no advantages to it other than being able to avoid the rain.
It's located so far on the outskirts that it practically touches the outer wall, so the distance to the Dungeon is quite significant too.
My Bio-Energy isn't infinite, so I can't just fly back and forth every day.
Therefore, my top priority is moving our Base. We have to relocate.
'The problem is that we don't have the money for that.'
It was the sorrow of a young adult just entering society, felt for the first time in a million years.
Dungeon City was, in the end, still a place where people lived.
But, it's fine. I'm not a person, I'm a Dem?on.
I have a physical cheat that prevents me from getting tired even if I do heavy lifting all week long.
The problem is that I have to do this heavy lifting in a dangerously unknown place called a Dungeon, while running a three-legged race with a Middle Schooler....
So, what should I do?
There's no need to overthink it.
The solution is incredibly simple.
I just have to train the Middle Schooler!
To the point where she can keep pace with me.
A tactical Demon Contractor, her black Robe fluttering as she smashes monsters' skulls with her Godong Wood Staff and Secondary Pistol.
A true hero forged through romance, narrative, and bonds—incomparable to Enhanced Humans made through the shortcut of genetic manipulation.
Hence, Operation Name: Enhanced Yuri!
It sounds a bit cheesy, but it's not bad.
Simple is best. I like it.
I should get started on it tomorrow.
***
"Ugh...."
"Huh? Adventurer, why are you suddenly shivering?"
"I just felt a little cold all of a sudden."
"I will turn up the temperature on the Cooling Artifact!"
"Thank you for your kindness. You're a truly sweet Receptionist."
"Ahem. Flattery will get you nowhere!"
"Is that so."
"Hmph! I've brought out some cookies and tea for a light pre-lunch snack! Let's eat together!"
"Oh. Thanks for the food."
Yuri grabbed a wide, egg-shaped biscuit that shone like gold and immediately popped it into her mouth. Perhaps because she hadn't eaten since yesterday, there was no hesitation in her actions.
-Crunch.
The rich, smooth flavor of butter enveloped her mouth, paired with a crisp texture. It was a harmonious blend of sweetness and savoriness.
Not the water-soaked jerky or lightly salted baked beans
she was used to, but actual food—the first real meal she had eaten in a long time.
Gasp.
Shivering at the touching taste, Yuri quickly grabbed another one and stuffed it into her mouth.
She had long forgotten about aristocratic etiquette or formalities.
Yuri was just hungry. Very hungry.
'It's so delicious.'
-Drip.
"Ah."
Startled by the sudden tear rolling down her cheek, Yuri hurriedly wiped her eyes.
She had shown all sorts of embarrassing sides of herself in front of others, but it was her first time showing tears, so she was quite flustered.
"Uh, huh? Adventurer. Are you crying right now?"
"...It's just so good, I couldn't help it."
Despite blushing, Yuri didn't let go of the cookie in her hand.
Oh, she even stuffed two into her mouth at once. Seeing her hand occasionally slip into her Robe, it seemed she was even stashing cookies in her inner pocket. She was an absolute bandit.
As Regina Gura watched her, the Rookie Adventurer's figure suddenly overlapped with her own past self.
'There was a time when I was like that, too.'
Back when she was newly Summoned to the Middle Realm. Even while being beaten by a Human Child's parents, she never let go of the candy she had plundered! It was a truly faint and nostalgic memory.
'No matter how faint her expression is, Regina Gura sees everything! Her mouth is full of greed!'
Greed aside, her mouth was definitely full of cookies.
Perhaps feeling choked, she even poured hot tea down her throat to force it all down. She must have burned her tongue in the process, as small tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
Desiring something.
That is the very essence of life.
And naturally, the purest form of greed among them.
Gluttony. In other words, appetite.
It is no exaggeration to say that life is riddled with appetite. You have to eat whatever you can for your Survival, after all!
However, Regina Gura is a Demon. She doesn't open her noble mouth merely for basic Survival.
To truly feel alive. When enough time passes that she starts to forget she is part of this world, she stuffs herself with delicious food to realize it all over again!
She doesn't just eat because she's hungry!
This is a rumination of eternity. A sublime act of chewing to assert the meaning of her own existence. The act of gluttony is the essential proof of Regina Gura's being.
So then, what should she do with this cute and wicked Human, who dared to bear a starving stomach and reveal her subtle greed before this avatar of gluttony?
What else could she do?
'I will feed her!'
Until her stomach bursts.
I'll feed her until she's so full of food that her Organs tear and her belly splits, spilling hot gastric acid and its contents everywhere.
Covet, desire!
Life is the path of greed. Death is nothing more than boiling oil that prevents you from settling in one place.
If you don't want your feet fried, don't try to settle for reality.
Run toward your goals! Toward your dreams! Toward an unreachable utopia!
But, do not dare try to see the end of it.
Because as long as Regina Gura exists, the cycle of greed will never end.
...Forever.
Sizzle!
'I want to taste more.'
The Demon's eyes, having tasted pure and deep greed for the first time in a long while, began to burn intensely.
Her stomach growled, and Regina Gura's mouth filled with saliva.
Glaring at Yuri with the eyes of a Squirrel that had spotted its prey, Regina Gura abruptly jumped up from her seat!
-Grunt.
She struggled onto the chair and reached her short arms toward the sky!
-Whoosh!
Cookies rained down from the sky!
"Huh?"
Yuri stared at this with a blank expression.
She couldn't understand why anyone would throw precious cookies into the air.
Had the excessive workload finally driven her insane? It was a truly pitiful sight.
"I will bring more! Much more! So eat until your stomach bursts! They are Guild supplies anyway, so it's best to eat as much as possible! Eat! And eat some more! Eat endlessly! This marks the opening of an eternal cookie party that runs twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year!"
"I appreciate the thought."
The eternal cookie festival ended as soon as it began.
"Ugh! What a tease! It's not enough! Covet! Covet more!"
"Receptionist, please calm down."
It was only after Yuri grabbed Regina Gura, who was about to dash to the pantry with her ponytail flapping, and sat her down to calm her that the Adventurer registration finally began.
"What is your name?"
"I am Yuri."
She didn't bother mentioning her last name.
Because she didn't need it anymore.
"I am Regina Gura! I like you, Adventurer, so I'm giving you special treatment by letting you know!"
"I'm honored. By the way. Are you a Demon by any chance, Regina?"
"Gasp! How on earth did you know? Do you possess 'Appraisal' or something?"
"Appraisal? No, nothing like that. It's just that you look so beautiful, Regina, that I thought that might be the case."
"Stop flattering me! Flattery will get you nowhere! Regina Gura is an upright Demon! However! If you want to eat more cookies, I will bring them right away!"
"It's not flattery, it's the truth. And, I've had enough cookies."
Her indifferent eyes slowly scanned Regina Gura.
A light smile hung on her lips, but her half-closed, sunken eyes coldly analyzed her opponent.
'The appearance of a beautiful Child, a crest of a Contract faintly engraved along her irises, and sticky waves of Magic Power fluctuating with her emotions. Seeing how she tried to force-feed me, is she a Demon whose origin is an emotion related to appetite? Why is such a being working as a Receptionist....'
Information recorded in the research materials of the man she called Father, which she had secretly peeked at. Appearance, behavior, mindset, instincts, essence, origin, and specific Traits.
Combining all of that, she could somewhat deduce that the entity before her was a Demon.
In that case, what about the Demon she had contracted with?
'I don't know.'
He avoided answering her questions, and even when she woke up early at dawn to carefully observe his terrifyingly noble exterior, she absolutely couldn't find any demonic characteristics.
It was as if he wasn't a Demon at all.
"Now then, about your Familiar. Hmm, Adventurer, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Alright, then."
-Snap.
As Regina Gura snapped her Finger, black Magic Power in the form of a thin membrane instantly covered the inside of the room.
'A black bubble?'
A black surface that rippled whenever a sound occurred inside or outside.
Is this what the sky looks like to fish beneath the water's surface on a rainy day?
'Beautiful.'
As expected, Demons were charming beings that made you want to dig deeper the more you looked at them.
"That's just a Barrier that eats sound, so you don't need to pay it any mind! Now, I will ask my question!"
It bothered her immensely, but Yuri quietly swallowed her questions and nodded.
"Please, ask whatever you'd like."
"Just what on earth is 'that thing' on the first floor? Did you really Summon it, Adventurer?"
That thing?
"By that thing... are you perhaps referring to the Demon I formed a Contract with?"
"Do you really think that thing is a Demon?"
"It seems he doesn't look like a Demon to you, Regina?"
"To be honest, yes."
"I see. Then, what do you think 'that thing' is, Regina?"
"As far as Regina Gura can see..."
-Slide.
Regina Gura cautiously leaned over the desk and quietly whispered into Yuri's ear. She showed a fear that 'that thing' might be eavesdropping from below.
'To think it's a being that even a Demon fears...'
Just as Yuri was about to fall into her thoughts, a lukewarm, sweet breeze blew against her ear.
Whisper, whisper.
A Demon's whisper. A snake's tongue that shakes one's faith.
A Human exposed to that secret malice would....
'It tickles.'
That's right! It tickled! A Demon's whisper was on the same level as the flapping of a mosquito's wings!
However, right now. The seed of doubt had been planted.
"That thing is closer to a 'Phantom' than a Demon. No, it's something even deeper and darker than that. An anomalous something not even registered in the Archive. Be careful. That thing is not a normal entity. One wrong move and you might get eaten!"
"My, my. That's an interesting opinion. Though I don't know what an Archive is."
However, if there was one problem, it was that her soil was a barren wasteland that had long since dried up, lacking even the nutrients to sprout doubt.
'I don't care if he's not a Demon.'
Because he was the only Adult who had reached out to her for the first time, who had dropped to his Knee to meet her eyes.
Still young and lacking, she merely believed in and followed him.
That was all.
That was absolutely all.
***
"Starting tomorrow at dawn, we will conduct basic physical training and combat drills, so keep that in mind. I, known as the Demon of Survival, will definitely turn my Contractor into the strongest Adventurer in Bastion."
"...I don't want to."
"Oh my."
Is it puberty?
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