River walked through the forest path leading back to town.
The trees thinned as the stone walls of Stonehelm came into view.
Stonehelm was a large settlement built around the nearby dungeon. Adventurers, merchants, and craftsmen all gathered here for one reason—
The dungeon.
The town's entire economy revolved around the resources pulled from its depths. Rare metals, monster materials, enchanted relics—everything eventually passed through Stonehelm.
River approached the gate.
Two guards stood watch beside the heavy wooden doors.
One of them immediately stepped forward.
"Hey. You."
The guard looked River up and down with clear disgust.
"Where are you going, dirty red-eyes? And where's your party?"
He shoved River back with the butt of his spear.
"You know we don't like your kind wandering around alone without a proper adventurer watching you."
River lowered his head.
"They… left me," he said quietly. "May I enter the town… please?"
The guard snorted.
"Not surprising. Nobody wants a filthy red-eyes like you."
He stepped aside reluctantly.
"Just make sure you're inside the inn before sunset. The lord passed a new law."
He smirked.
"There's a curfew for your kind now."
River nodded.
"Yes… sir."
He walked through the gates without another word.
"What a rude human," Buer muttered from inside the Bible.
The bookmark shifted slightly.
"Want to use my power to rearrange the functions of all his sensory organs?"
River shook his head.
"…No."
They walked in silence for a moment.
Then Buer spoke again.
"So what's with this 'red-eyes' thing?"
River hesitated before answering.
"They say the descendants of people who made pacts with demons are born with red eyes."
His voice was quiet.
"Because of that, we're considered sinners from birth."
He looked down at the ground as he walked.
"I don't know what deal my parents made… or if they even made one at all."
River's fingers tightened slightly around his Bible.
"I was abandoned at an orphanage when I was a baby."
His voice carried a faint sadness.
"So I've never had the chance to ask."
"And here you are making a pact with me," Buer laughed.
"I'm not making a deal with you," River replied, glaring down at the Bible. "I'm just borrowing your power until you become a good person."
"Good person?" Buer chuckled. "That's adorable."
The bookmark shifted slightly.
"So what's the plan for today?"
River sighed.
"Go to the tavern."
He rubbed his temples.
"And drink until I can't hear you anymore."
"Ooooh!" Buer said excitedly. "Finally a sin!"
"Drinking isn't a sin," River replied as he pushed open the tavern door. "It's what you do while you're drunk that becomes a sin."
"Well," Buer said thoughtfully, "I'm hoping you're a pervy drunk who can't keep his hands to himself."
River ignored him and walked to the counter.
A few minutes later—
Three empty glasses sat in front of him.
River slumped forward onto the bar.
And started crying.
"I really tried my best to be a good cleric…" he sobbed. "I swear I'm not useless…"
Buer looked exhausted already.
The barkeeper glanced over but mostly ignored him.
He seemed far more annoyed than concerned.
"The owner really should put up a sign refusing their kind from entering this place," the barkeeper muttered under his breath.
River continued crying quietly into his sleeve.
Buer leaned closer to his ear.
"If you weren't so useless, everyone would probably love you," the demon whispered.
River sniffed.
"They might even overlook those eyes of yours."
The demon's voice softened slightly.
"Power tends to change the hearts of foolish masses."
River slowly lifted his head.
"…Power?" he asked weakly.
The barkeeper frowned from behind the counter.
"Dear gods… the heretic is talking to himself now," he muttered.
He couldn't hear Buer.
But the cleric whispering to empty air wasn't helping his reputation.
"Yes," Buer said smoothly. "Power."
His voice carried a hint of pride.
"I am a demon who governs medicine and healing."
The bookmark shifted with confidence.
"With my power…"
A smile crept into his voice.
"You could become the greatest healer this world has ever seen."
A pause.
"And then everyone will love you."
"I can't… I can't do it," River shouted, glaring down at his Bible.
The bartender frowned from across the counter.
"Maybe I should call the Inquisition and say the guy's possessed by a demon," he muttered.
"I could even alter your body," Buer continued calmly. "Including fixing those eyes of yours."
River's expression hardened.
"I won't do it."
He grabbed the Bible and threw it across the floor.
Thud.
"Ow! Hey—so rough," Buer complained.
The bartender's patience finally snapped.
"Alright, I was already annoyed I had to serve a filthy red-eyes," he barked. "But now you're throwing a Bible like some damn heathen?!"
He grabbed an empty bottle.
"Get out!"
"Eep!"
River scrambled off the stool, ran across the tavern, and quickly snatched his Bible from the floor before rushing outside.
The tavern door slammed behind him.
Outside, River immediately started shaking the book.
"Alright, listen! No more trying to convince me to commit sins or rely on your power to fix my life, you stupid demon!"
The bookmark inside rattled violently.
"I'm going to be sick—stop—stop shaking me!" Buer groaned.
River stopped and took a breath.
"Listen carefully," he said firmly. "We're going to spend today helping people. No causing problems."
He tucked the Bible under his arm and began marching down the street.
As he walked through town, he noticed a small girl jumping repeatedly beneath a tree.
High above her, a fluffy white cat clung desperately to a branch.
"Come down, Snowball! Please!" the girl begged.
River stopped.
"See?" he said quietly. "This is the value of a good deed."
He raised his hand.
"Wind Magic — Gentle Descent."
A soft breeze formed around the branch.
The wind carefully lifted the cat and lowered it slowly into the girl's waiting arms.
The cat landed safely.
"Thank you so much miste—"
The girl froze.
Her eyes locked onto River's crimson pupils.
"A-ah… a red-eyes…"
She took a step back, clutching her cat.
"I've been a good girl, I swear! Mom said red-eyes only kill bad children!"
River's face immediately filled with panic.
"I'm not going to kill you!" he said quickly. "Also, we don't eat children!"
"That's a very ugly child," Buer commented from the Bible.
"The ugly ones probably don't taste good anyway."
"You are not helping," River muttered, glaring down at the book.
The girl screamed.
And ran away as fast as she could, holding her cat tightly.
River stood there in silence.
Buer spoke again after a moment.
"So…" the demon said with a grin in his voice.
"Did that good deed feel rewarding?"
River thought for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"You know what? You're right. Maybe I should be a little more selfish."
Buer perked up immediately.
"Oh?"
River looked down at the Bible.
"I'm not very good at using this element," he said innocently. "Can you help me cast some fire magic?"
Buer sounded delighted.
"Yes, yes! Of course! How big do you want the flame?"
River smiled pleasantly.
"Nothing too big."
He held up the Bible slightly.
"Just enough to light a bookmark on fire."
Buer paused.
"…Oh of course, right awa—"
The demon suddenly stopped.
"…Wait a minute."
"What exactly did you want to light on fire?" Buer asked slowly.
River tilted his head.
"Just a bookmark."
There was a long silence.
"…I'm a bookmark," Buer said cautiously.
"Yes," River replied.
Another silence.
Then Buer quickly cleared his throat.
"You know," he said suddenly, his tone becoming very thoughtful, "doing good deeds is truly an amazing virtue."
River raised an eyebrow.
"The deed itself is the reward," Buer continued nervously. "Even if we receive no praise from others. Wouldn't you agree?"
River nodded slowly.
"Yes."
A warm smile spread across his face.
"I agree very much, my demonic companion."
They continued walking through town.
By the time the sun began lowering in the sky, they had wandered into a quieter part of Stonehelm. Few people passed through this area, and most of the houses looked old and worn.
Then—
A scream pierced the street.
River immediately ran toward the sound.
When he turned the corner, he froze.
It was the girl from earlier.
She was clutching her cat tightly against her chest as she backed away in terror.
Standing a few steps away from her—
Was a monster.
River recognized it instantly.
It was from the first floor of the dungeon.
A weak monster known as the Stitched Granny.
The creature resembled an elderly human woman.
Its thin body was pale and wrinkled, completely naked—but it had no gendered features at all. Long white hair flowed down its back and across the ground like a tangled veil.
That hair was its weapon.
Adventurers knew the stories well.
The creature used its hair like rope, wrapping it around a victim's throat and strangling them to death.
Even its own body was stitched together with strands of that same hair, weaving across its skin like crude sewing thread.
River's eyes widened.
"How did a dungeon monster get into town?" he muttered.
"The guards should have stopped something like this…"
The Stitched Granny's hair slowly began to rise and twitch like living threads.
River ran forward.
He placed himself directly between the monster and the girl.
"Get away from here!" River shouted.
The girl didn't hesitate this time.
She turned and ran.
"Go find the guards!" River called after her.
The street fell silent.
River stood alone.
Facing the monster.
The monster moved first.
Its long white hair snapped through the air like a whip.
River jumped back as the strands slammed into the stone street with a loud crack.
He couldn't win this fight.
So he focused on surviving.
Wind mana gathered around his legs as he moved.
Light and Wind magic were the only elements he had any real affinity for.
A faint breeze boosted his speed.
"Light Arrow!"
A bolt of light shot from his hand.
The Stitched Granny raised a wall of tangled hair.
The spell struck it—
Burning away several strands.
But almost immediately the hair began to grow back.
"Great…" River muttered.
The monster swung again.
Its hair lashed forward at terrifying speed.
CRACK.
The blow struck River square in the stomach.
The force launched him backward.
"Ghk—!"
He slammed into a nearby wall, coughing blood as he collapsed to the ground.
His Bible slipped from his hands and skidded across the street.
The Stitched Granny slowly approached him.
Its long tongue slid across its lips.
Strands of hair began wrapping around River's neck.
They tightened.
"Buer… help… please…" River choked.
The demon's voice came from the fallen Bible.
"…Fine."
"But on one condition."
River's vision blurred as the hair squeezed tighter.
"Wh—what…?"
"Tomorrow," Buer said calmly, "you're committing a sin."
River wheezed.
"What… kind…?"
"I want you to step on some fresh flowers."
River blinked.
"…That's it?"
The hair tightened again.
River forced the words out.
"Fine… I'll do it! Now help me!"
His voice grew desperate.
"If this thing gets past me… people will die!"
There was a brief pause.
Then Buer sighed.
"Fine, brat."
"Enjoy the taste of power."
A surge of energy flooded River's body.
Wind mana exploded around him.
A powerful gust burst outward—
Shredding the strands choking his neck.
River's eyes widened.
So this was Buer's power.
He raised his hand.
"Air Cutter!"
A sharp blade of compressed wind shot forward.
The attack sliced clean through the monster's arm.
The Stitched Granny screeched as the limb hit the ground.
Hair immediately began stitching the wound back together.
But River was faster.
He raised his hand again.
"Air Cutter!"
The second blade flashed through the air—
And severed the monster's head.
The body collapsed instantly.
Silence returned to the street.
River dropped to his knees.
His breathing was ragged.
His mana was almost completely drained.
"…Wow," Buer said dryly.
"A single weak monster exhausted you."
"My contractor really is useless."
River ignored the insult.
Instead—
He smiled.
"That was my first time killing a monster by myself."
He looked down at his shaking hands.
"…I actually did it."